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The Dangers of Hitchhiking

June 12, 2012 By Guest Blogger

Thanks to Chael Graham for today’s guest post. If you are interested in guest posting with IShouldLogOff, email us at info [at] ishouldlogoff.com. Thanks!

When you travel you start to discover new things, and sometimes those new things become
major players in your lifestyle. Tons of people discover travel blogs and are inspired to finally release the
fear they might have held before, to take the proverbial leap from static to enter a world of movement.
Traveling opens up new doors; you learn new languages, you see new lands and feel new sensations.
That hollow feeling at your center tells you that you are happy, that you are somewhere where you can
finally enjoy living.

Traveling around the world on the cheap is a popular search query, and often you can find the
best information possible about how to find top hotels, where to eat, and how to haggle in foreign
countries. That’s all well and good. Unfortunately, however, the most inexpensive way to get from A to
D will require you to overcome a major prejudice that most of us seem to be born with: that hitchhiking
is dangerous; no questions asked, no precautions taken. I’m here to write that it’s not so black and
white.

The real danger of hitchhiking is to fall in love with it and therefore increase the already quite
slim chances that something truly horrible befalls you. I am not a random blogger writing about
something I only know from research. I am a person, a son, a brother, a cousin. I am not a homeless
vagabond, although that shouldn’t affect how you take this. If I assume that you, reading this, are an
educated person who shared the prejudices against “hitchhiking” that I long ago shed, I find it relevant
to tell you something of myself.

I studied at university.

I love my family.

I have been hitchhiking through Latin America for almost 3 years.

The only time something bad ever happened to me was when I made a stupid choice to walk
through a bad part of Medellin in the dead of night. I wasn’t hitchhiking, I was just walking.

Hitchhiking is whatever you want it to be. Anyone can hitchhike. You can hitchhike for a short
distance, a short amount of time, hell you can even just give it a shot and fail and say you tried.
Hitchhiking is not for any one kind of person. You might see me on the street and think that I’m a
homeless vagabond, and that’s alright. But even the most clean-cut of you can hitch.

I use hitchhiking not only to talk to locals and learn new languages, to see C and B while trying
to get from A to D, but also to see the world from the eyes of someone on the fringe of society. Thanks
to most peoples’ bias (including my family and friends, who have told me they would never pick me up if
they saw me), hitchhiking can be used to observe and critique the absurdities of the untrusting world.

But that’s not what hitchhiking has to be about. I want whoever is reading this to think more
profoundly about what hitchhiking actually is, and who is actually doing it. If you know couchsurfing.org,
then you know that at first you use it to save money that would otherwise be spent on hostels, but with
time the main reason simply becomes “because it’s the best way to learn.” Hitchhiking is no different.
It’s an exercise in patience, trust and faith in circumstance.

And the experiences that come to you are diverse. I’ve hitchhiked on mules in Ecuador, and was picked up by a congressman in Nicaragua. I’ve met all types of truckers, from the speed nuts to the
family oriented, and I’ve slept on their cargo, be it sugar, rice or metal scraps. I’ve met the whole
families of people who have picked me up, like the Solis family in Chile, with whom I spent Christmas
and who treated me like their third son. So many of my circumstances are thanks to hitchhiking; an
Argentinian asado, a Brazilian evangelic church service, a winter solstice hot spring gathering, a Peruvian
Ayahuasca trip, free passage to Machu Picchu, countless countless countless nights in safe with good
people in their good homes. I’ve hitchhiked thousands of kilometers in one sitting through Patagonia, or
just a few kilometers on the back of motorcycles and pick-up trucks everywhere else.

Somehow hitching makes you feel that you’re closer to the real than you might otherwise be.

Author: Chael has a continuous travel narrative and drawings fromhitchhiking around the world at velabas.com.

Three Great Day Trips by Ferry

December 6, 2011 By Jillian

Sure, plenty of the world’s major cities have great boat tours. Usually involving some sort of lunch or dinner, these mini-cruises taken in the sights and potentially the sounds of a city. There’s nothing like the skyline from the water people say. Me, I prefer full day trips by boat, places where a ferry takes me that aren’t just sightseeing tours. Places that are a destination in and of themselves, if only for a day.

Seattle – San Juan Islands

Take an easy day trip from Seattle to the San Juan Islands. A popular destination for sea kayaking and whale watching, the islands are actually home to a resident pod of Orca whales. The archipelago is actually comprised of over 170 islands, some of which just have one or two trees! Popular Friday Harbor is also home to the Front Street Ale House, a local brewing company that serves a long list of its own brews, including Ale Diablo.

If You Go: With the public ferry from Seattle you can access six of the islands. Friday harbor is a good first stop, from there you can book whale watching trips, rent kayaks or go to the whale museum.

Istanbul- Princes’ Islands

When you first get off the ferry at Büyükada (big island) you’ll find the island crowded. The small downtown area hosts several shops and restaurants and in the summer local tourists are out en force. We bought supplies for a picnic and headed up the hill through the streets of Victorian homes to a park. No vehicles are allowed, so all the traffic is on foot or in carraiges. The islands are so named because royalty throughout the centuries were exiled there, starting with the Byzantine period through the Ottomans. Today it’s a lovely break from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul. There’s a small swimming beach, but avoid going at the height of the day when it’s assured to be crowded.

If You Go: There are fast and slow public ferry’s from Istanbul. Do NOT forget to check departure times and be there well in advance. The last ferry’s fill up quickly and sometimes you can be out of luck. Also note that the ferries are often cancelled due to high winds or storms, so check the weather report before you go!

Naples- Ischia Island

Naples is chaotic, crowded and dirty and yet it’s hard to resist spending at least a few days exploring the destroyed ancient cities of nearby Pompeii and Herculaneum. From Naples, it’s a nice daytrip to the volcanic island of Ischia. Less touristy than Capri, it’s known for thermal pools and gardens. Most tourists spend their time “taking in” the waters, but there is also a castle and beaches to visit.

If You Go: From Naples catch the ferry from Napoli Beverello. It will probably make three stops, check with the captain or crew to find out which one is best for you!

Photo Credit: San Juan Islands and Princes’ Island via IShouldLogOff and Ischia via flickr user Chiara Marra under a creative commons license.

What’s your favorite mode of travel?

November 29, 2011 By Jillian

Planes, trains and automobiles. Traveling requires some mode of transportation, even if it’s just your feet. For 21 months we transported ourselves around the world. Let’s just say we became intimately aquainted with the semi-cama buses in South America, the back seat of a Land Rover throughout Africa and the upper bunk of trains in Asia. I can honestly say I love riding the rails, there’s nothing better than falling asleep, comfortably in your own bunk and waking up in your destination. It’s a bit like magic. Although I’m used to them at this point, buses are my least favorite. A great cultural experience, but a slow, dusty and often frustrating way to go. The few boats we were able to take were often a welcome relief. There’s just something about being out on the water that puts you in a good mood.

How do you prefer to travel?

After surviving the worst bus ride ever, we booked a flight back from the Amazon jungles near Rurrenabanque, Bolivia. When this little thing landed on the grass runway I wasn’t even phased, just thankful we weren’t getting back on a bus.

Now this is what I call a sleeper bus. We took a bus from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Urumqi, China to avoid an epic train journey. Our bus was filled with Kazak women heading to China for some sort of tax free holiday shopping spree. We were thankfully taken under the wing of two sisters who helped us order food at the rest stops and navigate the border. This was the first bus we had ever seen with bunk beds- it even came with heavy blankets. We slept like babies that night, despite the pot holes!

Heading to the Amazon our transport looked like it would barely survive the journey to the boat dock. I think we stopped twice to refill the radiator with dirty water from a stream. Surprisingly we made it to the boat. Shocking.

There’s no better way to see SE Asia than from the back of a motor bike. We enjoyed our three day journey around Laos so much that we’re considering getting one of these bikes now that we’re home. Of course the journey came with the requisite mud vs. bike obstacle course, but despite spinning out of control a few times, we were good to go.

Although we tried to whitewater kayak as much as we could, we never used kayaks to go great distances. Nevertheless an epic boat journey up the Nile would be incredible!

There aren’t very many transportation options crossing into Ethiopia from Kenya. Basically it’s this cattle truck you see below.

That wasn’t happening, no matter how hearty we thought we were. Thankfully, our friends allowed us to join them in the back of their Land Rover, Kaspuuurrr.

Tuk-Tuks! I love these little rickshaws. Besides the motorbike, these are my favorite way of getting around Asia. The one pictured below is from Wadi Halfa, Sudan – if you look closely you can see the driver hiding out inside for shade. Welcome to the Sahara Desert!

Photo: Double Decker Bus

October 20, 2011 By Jillian

I’ve been on a lot of buses, from London to Patagonia buses seem to be the way the world travels. London’s double decker varietals are somewhat of a tourist attraction in addition to being transportation around the city. Double decker tours seem to have sprouted up in every major city around the world- the familiar red domed roof often replaced with open-air seating.
Interestingly enough the British aren’t the only ones with the double decker buses for transportation purposes, we traveled on two story coach buses in Argentina and Peru – they were some of the nicest buses we booked tickets on!

In the words of British statesman William Gladstone, “The way to see London is from the top of a bus.” After all, what’s more iconic than the London Double Decker?

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series

IF YOU GO: There’s loads to do in London besides ride the bus, but I’d definitely try to include one or two bus trips on your journey. Strike up a conversation with someone or just look out the window – buses often go through neighborhoods you’d never find on your own. London is a popular tourist destination so don’t forget to book a hotel in London before you go.

Photo Credit: Flickr user Metro Centric via a creative commons license

Photo: Back of a Pickup

September 6, 2011 By Jillian

Imagine six hours in the back of a pickup truck. That’s what it took to get to canoe to take us to the village of Plaplaya along Honduras’ Mosquito Coast. It was an expedition to say the least. An expedition of uncomfortable and epic proportions. As we wove our way east and south along the coast line, the road ended and our little, overweight Toyota Highlander truck eased its way onto the sand. With the tide changing, we raced along the water’s edge through soft, wet sand, for what seemed like hours. You can see our deluxe seating arrangement in the back of the pickup. Not a great option for those with a delicate back. Six of us shared the planks wedged across the back of the truck. The floor was covered in cargo, and when the wash board road ended we found ourselves constantly holding tight as the truck worked up the banked sand dunes.

Was it the worst transportation of our whole trip? No, I’ll save that award for the return trip, it’s so much worse when you know what to expect. You can read more about our journey into the famed wilderness of La Moskitia in these posts: Flashback: Honduras, La Moskitia I, La Moskitia II.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Wikipedia kindly refers to La Moskitia as: an underdeveloped region of tropical rainforest accessible primarily by water and air. By primarily they mean only by air and water as this place is extremely isolated. While air is an option, it usually means catching a ride on an NGO flight (there’s a semi-regular one run by a mission group) or booking a tour package. Here’s how to go overland. From La Ceiba, catch a bus to Tocoa. You will likely have to spend the night in Tocoa as the pick up trucks to Batalla leave around 7am. You need to arrive at the pickup truck depot (across from the main bus station) by 7am to organize a spot in a truck, seating is limited and negotiate hard, you’re negotiating your spot for both directions. Once you’ve chosen your poison be prepared, if you are inside the cab it’s incredibly squashed and difficult to breathe, outside it’s incredible uncomfortable and also difficult to breathe. You MUST bring protection from the sun, water and a bandana just in case you are stuck outside the cab. It’s 5-6 hours to Batalla, from there you’ll need to negotiate fare to Belen or Raista in a shared boat (collectivo). We arrived to Plaplaya late in the afternoon, the next morning the same collectivo driver came for us to take us to Belen and transfer us to a hired boat to Las Marias.

The Dangers of Hitchhiking

Three Great Day Trips by Ferry

What’s your favorite mode of travel?

Photo: Double Decker Bus

Photo: Back of a Pickup

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