Hitchhiking Europe in winter.

Hi everybody,

I am planning to hitchhike for the first time in my life this winter. I may sounds crazy, and I would like to do it this summer but I couldn't.

Well, I plan to start at the beginning of January 2017. My hometown is on Galicia, northwest Spain, and would like to France and then arrive to the Balkans. Here is my first question, to reach the Balkans I would like to cross the Apls, from France to Italy, or France, Switzerland, and then Italy... and this, I guess it would be in January/February, do you know or hear from somebody hitchiking at that time of the year around there?

And then when I reach Slovenia and Croatia, my plan is to go mostly by the coast of Croatia, Bosnia, Albania and arriving to Greece. I know the inland of the Balkans it is also very cold in Winter, but how is it on the coast?

As I sayed, I don't have any experience, but I saw on internet, people hitchhiking around Canada, or Scandinavia also in Winter, so I think my itinerary feasible. And well, from where I live, I am pretty used to the rain, but not to extreme cold(0º maximum).

Any advice is welcome :)

Cheers

Advice?? Buy a very warm, waterproof coat, hat and gloves. Not really the smartest time to HH.. You could die if you get stuck.... Good luck

The Internet shows people doing many dumb things, doesn't mean you have to follow them.

Why not spend a little money and take buses or trains or wait until the summer when you are less likely to be found dead by the side of the road.

Guys, are you serious?

Nobody needs to die in Europe hitchhiking in winter if they have a little common sense. Just don't get out of the car in the middle of nowhere. Actually I belive if someone is helpful enough to give a lift to hitchhiker, he wont dump him in the middle of a blizzard.

<< Any advice is welcome :)>>

My advice is forget it. Even here, in a popular and safe part of France, hardly anyone hitch-hikes except in July and August. And no one picks them up.

You can see anything on the Internet. That doesn't mean that your idea isn't completely foolhardy.

I don't think your idea is completely foolhardy, but it's true that hitchhiking in France is very difficult and in Switzerland almost impossible.

I heard Spain is not to easy either, but you're from Spain so you might know this better.

Do you know hitchwiki?

http://hitchwiki.org/en/Main_Page

I do think the warnings of dying are quite over the top ! like Halix says, why would you get out of the car in the middle of nowhere ? Most if not all drivers will drop you off at a busy intersection next to a petrol station or in a city center.

Friends of mine have hitchhiked from Barcelona to Amsterdam without any problems - granted, in October and these are 2 very touristy cities.
Maybe you should also consider blablacar.com ? Should definitely help on the Spanish and the French part.

Anyhow if you get stuck somewhere, like Italy, no hurt in staying there a bit longer and then having to return. It s not a contest.

Stcirq, out of curiosity: what are the unsafe parts of France ? I thought Calais might be a bit dodgy these days and obviously no-go for hitchhiking, but could not think of anywhere else ? The banlieues ?

France is safe everywhere, just like any European country, indeed pretty much any country in the world.

Consider starting with a less ambitious hitch-hiking project (or two) between now and winter and see how it goes.

My advice would be: Forget all the naysayers and just do it.

I have hitchhiked in winter in Russia without speaking Russian and it worked well. Just last week, I hitchhicked in Slovakia and Ukraine and it was again a great experience.

My top three tips would be:

Dress well. (And possibly have your hands manicured.)

Consider small country roads too.

Start walking and don`t linger at convenient places.

Bonus tip: Have a friendly facial expression and look approaching drivers straight in the eyes.

I think the comments about dying are a bit excessive. I am not going to cross Siberia. In western Europe i think it's difficult to be in the middle of nowhere if you don't look for it. I agree that it would be more tricky and uncomfortable than in spring or summer, but I can do it the slowest I need. Yes, and problaby it is a good idea to "practise" a little bit before.

And about of seeing people on internet that did it, I meant that I searched for experiences of other people(in hitchwiki for example), and tried to inform myself all I can. I think it is also the goal of forums like this. That doesn't mean that I will do something just because I saw it on internet.

Bon voyage!

And please don't forget to return to the forum to briefly report your experiences. I think a major problem of this travel forum(and every other forum as well) is missing feedback.

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