11 Things You're Terrified Of, But Shouldn't Be

[MineralMan]

28. I used to hitchhike all the time during the mid to late 1960s.

First, while I was in the USAF. I had no car, and had lots of places I wanted to go. I'd put on my uniform, stick my thumb out, and hold a sign saying where I was headed. I don't think I ever waited more than ten minutes before catching a ride. For longer distance trips, I'd thumb to a busy on-ramp where traffic might be going my way, then show my sign and my thumb. Typically, I'd get a single ride all the way to my destination. One time, I was heading from Syracuse, NY to Columbus, OH. A few minutes after I got to the on ramp, some guy in a straight truck stopped. The driver said, "I have a delivery in Columbus. Hop-in."

It never failed, and I met some interesting people while hitching rides. I never had any problems, and hitched my way all over the northeast. It was a reliable way to get places. So reliable, that I didn't even allow a lot of extra time when returning to wherever I was based. I always made it in plenty of time.

Later, when I returned to college, I lived about 12 miles from school, and hitched both directions every day. Still no car. Often, I rode with the same people, who were also heading there. I made some good friends, and finally bought a car. After I did, I always stopped for anyone thumbing.

Best hitchiking story of all, though: My first wife and I were still in school, and had taken up skiing. On one trip, our car broke down about 100 miles from home. I knew what was wrong with it, but didn't have the tools or parts to fix it. We stopped at an offramp from I-5, and parked the failing car near a gas station. We left the skis on top of the car, grabbed a suitcase, and walked across the street, where another gas station was, with traffic on its side heading where we needed to go. I just asked drivers if they were heading to where we were going and if we could ride along, explaining our breakdown. The first person I asked took us right to our front door. The next day, I thumbed my way back to the broken car, with the part and the tools I needed, and drove home, after fixing the car. The skis and everything else were still there. No muss, no fuss, and not even much delay.