Old Bookbinder

Older man in a van. Used to work as a bookbinder, now delivered printed materials around Manchester. Avoided the highway because of traffic (which was a smart move). Probably went on a detour to get me to a services on the M6.

Doctor from the Swat Valley

One of the most interesting people who have ever given me a ride. He looked quite stylish and turned me down outright when I approached him. I kept on trying talking to drivers and he eventually approached me after he came back from the services with: "Do you have ID?" I was a little puzzled, thinking he wanted to call the cops on me (for no reason). He then added he'd take… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Young Barber from Takayama

The longest I've ever waited in Japan even though the spot was actually quite reasonable. I was about to move on along the road when a local guy in a "Japanese JEEP" stopped. He worked as a barber and was excited to take a hitch-hiker. Spoke basic English. Drove me to a parking lot near an onsen in Hiraya and tried to look for Matsumoto license plates there. When I told him… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Two Friends (who apparently just got fired)

Two young women who must've been to the toll shop on the other side of the road because I did not see their car until they pulled up on an adjacent parking lot and asked where I was going. They'd both apparently just lost their jobs, which made my question "so, what do you do for a living?" sound pretty unfortunate in retrospect. Drove through some pretty amazing scenery… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Carpenter

Middle-aged carpenter in a tiny Japanese van. I wasn't sure whether to take the ride because the PA we'd initially agreed on was super close and I was already planning on getting a direct ride to Tokyo. I was lucky I took it though because later on the man told me he had "business" near the agreed PA for about 30 minutes and that afterwards he could take me to a PA which was… (Ik wil meer lezen)

"Oil Machines" Salesman

First and only time I'd used a sign while hitching in the Japan. Pretty soon a nice guy from Tokyo stopped. He was a salesman and sold some "oil pressure" devices. We hit the afternoon Tokyo rush hour, which was even emphasized by 2 accidents along the way, but got some awesome views of Downtown Tokyo. The visibility was off the charts that day. Guy even did a slight detour… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Businessman from Niigata

Middle-aged businessman from Niigata. Didn't speak much English but did tell me that his son was getting married in Hawaii and that he would depart from Narita on the same day as me.

Guy does a 30km, toll road detour for me!

Went out of his way on a toll road!!! He did an approx. 30 km detour, which was in a completely different direction than he was going. Was super nice and told me he sold Kimonos for a living and was on his way home. Had a 1 yo son. Spoke basic English so communication was quite easy.

Neat Elderly Couple

Elderly couple who I'd approached at a tiny deserted PA and explained in my broken Japanese that I was hitchhiking to Takayama. They were a little reluctant at first but then said they were actually going to Takayama, as well, and that they'd take me. I couldn't have been happier, as it was the Sun was slowly starting to set. Turned out to be really nice but couldn't speak… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Junior High Teachers

Four young junior high school teachers on their way to Maibara for a short trip. One of them was an English teacher so communicating was very easy. They were very curious about Slovakia and our culture. Gave me lots of candy and snacks.

Awesome Japanese Retired Couple

Sweetest Japanese retired couple. They actually just passed me at first but then stopped and reversed back towards me. At first, it seemed the man was checking the bus schedule (there was a bus stop at the PA) but he then turned to me and asked me "Woher kommen Sie?"! I was so shocked to hear German from an older Japanese man in the middle of nowhere that I didn't respond at… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Couple from Kanazawa

Still in shock, I got into a spacious family van with a middle-aged couple. They didn't speak any English so we communicated using G-translate. The man put on some classical music so it only took moments for me to fall asleep (even though I fought it as hard as I could – classical music just does it for me…). They took me to the very center of Kanazawa and the wife… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Two Aestheticians

Two girlfriends on their way to Osaka. I was with a Japanese hitchhiker, who I'd met at the PA earlier, so communication was much easier. The two were aestheticians. Gave us water and some dried fruit from one of the girl's mother.

Nice Couple

First ride in Japan. Really friendly couple who picked me up at a service area on the "outskirts" of Tokyo. We communicated using Google Translate and I learned the wife was a musician. Not sure what the husband did. It was a relatively short trip but took forever because there was a traffic jam. I do love the Japanese SA/PA system, though.

Tiny Truck

Small truck with a really friendly guy. Spoke no English so we used Google Translate again. Most of the ride was quiet though. Reached Nagoya by sunset, which was my fault actually (set out too late, was heading for Kyoto) Met a fellow Japanese hitchhiker at the PA.

Two Romanian diplomats

First CD car I have ever hitched. Two middle aged Romanian women driving from the airport to Brussels. Didn't really talk to me much but conversed in Romanian.

English Couple

Nice English couple who'd been visiting some family in Scotland and it was their first time there. The husband used to hitchhike.

Polish Trucker

Nice Polish trucker whose truck was basically dying on Scottish hills. We talked about many things. He was really happy he could take a hitchhiker and told me he takes people regularly. Was going through Leeds, but I decided to go for only about 70 miles because the truck was quite slow and I had no clue how I'd get through the web of highways near Leeds.

Cool Northern Irish Guy

I almost gave up on talking to this very stylish looking guy in his brand new Audi after he didn't respond to me greeting him twice. Turned out to be a relatively seasoned traveler who didn't hesitate when I asked him and used to hitchhike and travel on the cheap himself. We had some really interesting conversations about politics and especially Northern Ireland, which I… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Super nice Somali Mancunian

Really kind guy who worked as an engineer and had studied in Manchester, as well. We talked about a lot of things. His family (4 kids) lived in Canada. We hit afternoon Manc traffic so the ride took forever but I really enjoyed it nevertheless.

English Couple

Nice English couple who sat next to me on the ferry and offered to give me a ride in their RV.

Nice English Lady

Gave me a lift to Orbost and knew the bothy I was gonna hike to.

Scottish Guy with a Slovak Wife

He sold some outdoor merchandise and was really excited he met someone from his wife's homeland. Met her at a stag night in Bratislava.

Retired Guy

Nice guy who gave me a lift in his pickup. Retired on Skye.

Polish Legend

One of the most unforgettable rides. I talked to him (first car I talked to) at a gas station because I saw a Polish license plate. He drove a small truck and told me he does deliveries around Europe. When there's no job, he travels around in the truck and visits castles. He really loved history and told me he had two degrees. We talked about absolutely everything. Told me… (Ik wil meer lezen)

Guy from Ullapool in a Van

Scottish guy in a commercial van. We only needed to get to the main road after a hike but the guy took us all the way to Ullapool. Gave us some tips on how to avoid midges. Went out of his way to drive us home.

German Couple

German couple in a rented car. Really nice but took me for only about a mile.

Mancunian Girl

Nice girl from Manchester who worked and lived in Durness. Had a really interesting chat about life and everything. Very easy to talk to.

Guy from Bochum

Nice German guy who stopped after a 1.5h wait. Had a great chat about life and we both found it quite easy to relate to each other. He'd been to Scotland to some conference. Gave me lots of tips about Japan and it was one of the most pleasant rides I've had so far in Scotland. The scenery along the way was astonishing.

Guy from John O' Groats

After the first indoor night of my trip in a church hall (really nice lady let me in and gave me the key!). I started to hitch right outside the church. A nice guy stopped and took me all the way to Thurso. We talked about a lot of things, such as uni life, Brexit, his son and I regret the ride was so short because the guy was very easy to talk to.

University Worker

Young guy in a university van on his way to a forest to collect samples of beetles/insects for the university. He was from York and had only moved up to Thurso 2 months ago.

German Family

Germany family from Ravensburg in an RV. Got to practice my German after quite some time. Talked about our trips but most of the ride was mostly silent as we watched the scenery in awe.

Scottish Independence Campaigners

Two Scottish guys who were campaigning for independence. First time I've met some proper Scotsmen – they were quite funny and taught me some Scottish phrases such as "face like a whale scalped arse"… I really enjoyed the ride and received a "Yes2" t-shirt. Their dog laid on my lap so I covered in fur.

English Globetrotter

Really interesting globetrotter – agricultural engineer originally from Northern Island (although he was English) who had lived in Australia, US, UK, Canada and now settled in Scotland. Had some really interesting conversations about these countries and both our travels. There was a Spanish guy in the pax seat, apparently on a workaway trip, working at the guy's farm, didn't talk at all.

Polish Couple

From Fortrose, really went out of their way to get me to a good spot. "I would even take you to Thurso if I had time" (100kms away!)

English Lady

Nice English lady who became startled when I told her Brexit was a really bad idea. Very subtly, she started to give me reasons why she thought it was a good thing and had a back-and-forth conversation. Talked about a lot of things other than Brexit, too. She worked as a person who helped those who recently became deaf and had lived in Scotland for many years.

Guy from Orkney

Nice guy from Orkney whose English was incomprehensible. Told me he who used to hitchhike himself (which seems to be a very common theme with drivers in the UK) and was on his way back from the mainland to Orkney on the ferry. Took me precisely to the harbor where I tried to get a ride to the Faroe Islands but failed miserably.

Scottish guy

Took me to the nearest junction. Didn't talk much.