Windows in Southern France

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My First Hitchhiker

We do judge a book by its cover.

I had never given a lift to a hitchhiker – until yesterday. Being a woman I never felt it was a good idea to have a total stranger in my car. Come to think about it, I still don’t think it is!

Having driven an approximate 1,000 miles the two previous days, I was not looking forward to the extra 300 miles that lay ahead when I set off in the morning. I soon had to stop to check the car manual and did it at a rest area that had a gas station since I was on the motorway.

When I reached the car park, I noticed a young guy holding a cardboard sign with the name of a city I knew I would pass on my way. I wondered whether to give him a ride, resolved to wait and went inside the station. When I got back to the car a few minutes later, he was still standing there. I quickly assessed him and decided to offer to drive him to his destination.

Since I had never done it before, I have since tried to analyse what made me decide to trust him. However loathe I may be to admit it, the answer is simple: looks.
This guy was smart in a casual way and seemed clean. He was clean-shaven and looked sporty – he had a hiker’s rucksack of a brand which is mainly used by experimented hikers. In addition he was checking an Iphone. While wondering what to do, I also remembered that when they were younger my brothers had hitchhiked regularly and had always been glad for the lifts they got.

I did not regret my decision since this young man proved to be a great passenger. He is a 25 year-old firefighter who comes from the French Alps but lives in the flat Northern part of France. Therefore he regularly travels down to see his friends and relatives and hitchhiking is the cheapest way to do it. As a teenager, he had spent a year in the US and we so chatted about traveling and language teaching.

I also asked him if getting a lift was easy and he explained that he had consulted websites to get tips before he hitchhiked for the first time. He insisted that looks are an important factor in a driver’s decision and that he is always careful of his appearance and attitude. For instance it seems people mistrust hitchhikers in darker clothes. Smoking while hitchhiking isn’t recommended. Drivers prefer hitchhikers who are not wearing sunglasses, etc.

We also discussed locations, routes, road maps, signs but I honestly reckon that clothing, hair and a good attitude are key factors in getting rides.

Have you ever given rides or hitchhiked? Why or why not?