Top 10 Best Countries to Hitchhike
Hitchhiking is one of the main reasons I managed to visit all the world’s countries. Hitchhiking can be a great way to experience cultures and save a lot of money. I have hitchhiked in approximately 100 countries and territories, and I have probably been in more than 1,000 cars total, but I haven’t counted.
How to start hitchhiking?
Taking the first step as a hitchhiker might be difficult. I was nervous in the beginning, and it felt weird. I recommend starting in destinations where hitchhiking is part of the culture and where you can have an excellent first experience with hitchhiking. The best tip for a first destination would be any small safe island. On many smaller islands hitchhiking is part of the culture, and many people know each other. It is not only the best kind of destinations for first-time hitchhikers but any hitchhikers.
I have really enjoyed hitchhiking on many smaller islands where I have felt completely safe doing it and saved a lot of money. On many islands, taxis are your only choice for transportation (except hitchhiking), so the amount of money you can save by hitchhiking can actually be the budget for several days.
Below is my list of most of the countries and territories where I have hitchhiked. For additional information, I recommend Hitchwiki.org.
The Best Countries and Territories to Hitchhike
Including the Top 10 best countries and the Top 10 best territories
Fernando de Noronha, territory
Located an hour from the Brazilian mainland, Fernando de Noronha is probably the safest destination in Brazil. It is completely safe and easy for hitchhiking. Around every second car stopped on average. No need to take a taxi here.
Palau
Probably every car or every second car will stop. It is incredible and very safe. No need ever to take a taxi.
Nauru
The world’s smallest country is a wonderful island to hitchhike with friendly people. Easy to hitchhike here. I quickly got rides.
New Zealand
The best place to start hitchhiking. Very easy and safe. I love this country for many reasons, and hitchhiking is one of them.
Saba, territory
This small Dutch territory in the Caribbean is a unique travel destination and a very easy place to hitchhike.
St. Pierre, territory
Very easy to hitchhike in this French territory. Hitchhiked three times and never waited more than one minute.
Svalbard, territory
Every car stopped in the Northernmost city in the world, Longyearbyen. No need to take the expensive airport bus.
Tinian, territory
American territory in the Pacific, but it does not feel like America at all. Very small, and every car or every second car will stop.
Tonga
Very easy and safe to hitchhike on both Tongatapu and Vava’u island. Very friendly islanders.
Anguilla, territory
Hitchhiked twice, and both times, the first car stopped. It is a lovely place and an easy place for me to hitchhike.
Azerbaijan
In Azerbaijan, I arrived very late at the border from Georgia. Across the border, I didn’t know what to do as there was nothing. I was standing there alone with no cars and no people in complete darkness. It was quite a scary feeling. I waited, and after 10 minutes, a car came. I put out my thumb, and the car stopped.
It was a couple who didn’t speak a word of English. The man did a quick call and gave me the phone, and I heard something like “Hello, I’m an English teacher, my friends are worried about you, can they take you to their house?”. That was a really nice surprise. Besides this, I don’t know how difficult it is to hitchhike in Azerbaijan.
Comoros
Safe and easy to hitchhike in one of the world’s least developed countries. Most of the locals don’t speak English, but you might just say auto-stop to avoid misunderstandings.
Djibouti
I hitchhiked from the airport to the city centre with a friendly Egyptian businessman living in Djibouti. On the way back, a French soldier and later an American businessman took me to the airport.
Kiribati
I hitchhiked many times during my eight nights in Kiribati. Probably with 30 cars total. The locals are friendly, and it is easy to get a ride. Approximately one out of ten vehicles stopped on busy roads, while probably one of three stopped on more quiet streets.
Martinique, territory
I arrived late and asked people at the airport if I could get a ride. The first person took me right to my hotel.
North Macedonia
I hitchhiked from the Bulgarian border to my remotely located resort with several cars and trucks. Warm people and quite easy to get a ride in the countryside. I can’t comment on Skopje and the bigger cities.
Saipan, territory
American territory in the Pacific. I hitchhiked five times but had to wait a little time on the more busy roads.
Seychelles
It is easy and safe to hitchhike in one of my favourite places on earth; Seychelles. It is just not every car that will stop, but more every 10th depending on where you are.
St. Barth, territory
Very easy to hitchhike on this incredible island.
Turks & Caicos, territory
Very easy to hitchhike in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The main island Providenciales can be a little difficult on the busy roads, but never a problem on the more quiet ones. South Caicos is even easier, and I bet every car would stop based on my experience. The only problem is that some drivers will ask you for money beforehand. Just tell them your situation, and I think you will easily find a ride.
Countries and territories where it’s doable to hitchhike
Aruba, territory
Hitchhiked from the airport to my hotel in 2013. It took almost 30 minutes before a friendly Colombian stopped.
Austria
Very mixed experience. On the busy roads, I have never been able to get a ride but never been a problem on the quiet roads.
Bali, territory
I hitchhiked between hotels a few times. Sometimes easy, sometimes not. I also hitchhiked in other parts of Indonesia. Ambon was a lot easier.
Costa Rica
A relatively easy place for hitchhiking, but probably not the safest place to do it. I hitchhiked from the town of Liberia all the way out to Four Seasons beautiful resort. It took some time, but I guess some felt sorry for me as it was raining.
Cyprus
It all depends on where you are. On smaller quiet roads, many will stop, but on the busy roads, it was difficult for me.
Cuba
I hitchhiked five times in the Holguin area with no problems. Quite easy, but the problem is that most drivers require money, and it can be hard to explain you don’t have any.
Curacao, territory
I hitchhiked from the airport to a 5-star luxury hotel near the capital. It took around 20 minutes before someone picked me up, but it took almost two hours to reach my resort 13 kilometres away. Reason? He stopped at several places in small villages and insisted he would get me to my resort. He did, but a strange experience.
Germany
Germany is one of the best places in Europe to hitchhike. Several Germans have stopped for me in Italy, but I have only hitchhiked once in Germany. From Munich City Center to the airport. The airport transportation was costly, so I asked people with bags waiting for a taxi to get a ride, and it was a success.
Iceland
Hitchhiking from both Reykjavik and Akureyri Airport and had to wait about 10 minutes in both cases.
Iran
I hitchhiked from the international airport of Tehran into the city with a friendly English teacher. Hitchhiking seems easy, but few speak English, and it would be good to have something written in Persian.
Ireland
If there is one thing I regret in my travels, it must be taking buses in Ireland. I should have hitchhiked every single time. I have hitchhiked with around 20 cars here, and it’s been overall good experiences. That said, the waiting time can be long.
Lampedusa, territory
Not many cars around, but they will stop for you. A lot easier to hitchhike on Lampedusa than mainland Italy.
Mauritania
I hitchhiked from the international airport to the city at night. I just waited outside the airport and asked locals if they were travelling to the city. The first offered a ride.
Mauritius
I probably hitchhiked with 100 different cars in Mauritius. Mostly easy, but sometimes impossible, or I lost patience and took the cheap but slow local bus.
Nicaragua
Hitchhiked a few times with no problems, but you have to be patient.
Poland
I hitchhiked near the Ukrainian border with some difficulties into the nearest town, from where I took the train to Krakow.
Estonia
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn’t manage to get a single car to stop for me on the mainland when I tried to hitchhike, but on the island of Vormsi, I got two rides. On islands and in remote places I think it would be relatively easy to hitchhike, but on the mainland, and especially close to Tallinn, I don’t feel it’s worth my time.
Prince Edward Island, territory
Read positive things about hitchhiking on the island beforehand, but it wasn’t easy for me. It took me some time to get a ride from The Inn at St. Peters to Charlottetown Airport but I eventually got a ride with a friendly, talkative local.
Qatar
I hitchhiked on a busy street in the capital of Doha. No problem. I’ve also asked people in the street and manage to hitchhike this way. Surprisingly good for hitchhiking, but it’s a different way of hitchhiking than usual.
Reunion, territory
Reunion feels a lot like France – also when it comes to hitchhiking. I hitchhiked with eight different cars, and only three of them had a local driver.
Romania
I hitchhiked in smaller towns and the countryside with no problem. Very friendly people and an underrated travel destination. One man delivered bread and offered me some. Good memories.
Socotra, territory
Hitchhiking seems to be very easy on the Yemeni island of Socotra. Very few cars and it’s part of the culture to pick people up. You kind of have to, my driver said. Note: I did not hitchhike on Socotra, but we picked up a few locals during my tours around the island.
St. Martin, territory
French territory in the Caribbean and definitely for hitchhiking, but far from every car will stop.
St. Maarten, territory
The Dutch side of the island was a real adventure for me. I was hitchhiking at midnight from the international airport on the Dutch side with five different cars to the Radisson Blu on the French side of the island. I was surprised people would stop at midnight, but they did.
Tuvalu
There are hardly any cars in this tiny Pacific nation, but I managed to find one during my stay to test the hitchhiking. He stopped so I can say it is possible to hitchhike in Tuvalu.
Wales
I hitchhiked in the countryside from my hotel to the nearest town. The first car stopped.
Ukraine
I hitchhiked to the Polish border. The second car stopped. In 2019 I was back in Ukraine, and this time it was a lot more complicated. I tried to hitchhike out of Ukraine towards Hungary, but I didn’t manage to get a ride.
I arrived at the border, where they told me I couldn’t enter Hungary by foot. After I kept trying to hitchhike, a border guard asked a man if he would take me across. He accepted, and this friendly man took me all the way to Debrecen and even stopped at his favourite ice cream place on the way.
Possible, but not easy to hitchhike
Denmark
I find it difficult to hitchhike in my country. People don’t seem to trust one another as much as in a lot of other countries. That said, it is doable, especially if you are willing to wait long enough.
Montenegro
I hitchhiked with my wife near Tivat as we felt a taxi to our hotel would be too expensive. It took some time, but eventually a friendly local stopped and we had a good talk. I probably wouldn’t hitchhike in Podgorica, but on quiet streets, no problem. Our adventure was during the Covid-19 pandemic. If we had hitchhiked before the pandemic, we would probably have done it more often and I’m sure it would have been easier.
India
I hitchhiked at midnight from the Sikkim territory into West Bengal with two different cars. The last driver was a very unpleasant experience. He was drinking vodka and did not speak a word of English. Anyway, I survived.
Okinawa, territory
I waited a long time between the rides but managed to get to the airport in time from my resort.
Italy
Said to be difficult for many travellers, but I have had mixed experiences. I have many memorable hitchhiking adventures here, including when a driver first said no because my bike wouldn’t fit his car. Then felt sorry for me and came back.
Morocco
I hitchhiked from the border of Ceuta to the nearest village after some difficulties. Morocco is a cheap country for travellers, and I normally get around by bus.
Senegal
I hitchhiked from Dakar Airport to the city centre by just asking for a ride from a local. He agreed.
Somaliland, territory
I hitchhiked with a mini-bus from Hargeisa Airport to my hotel. It was a very short distance of just two kilometres, but very friendly people.
Spain
I hitchhiked in Andalusia a few times. Very easy. I wouldn’t do it in or near Barcelona.
South Africa
I hitchhiked several times near Johannesburg, which is said to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world. I got lost with no buses around and only expensive taxis. I had no problems but would probably never do it again in such a destination.
Tanzania
Hitchhiked with three different cars from Arusha Airport to my hotel just outside Arusha. Friendly locals, no problems, but would not do it in many places in Africa.
Zanzibar, territory
I hitchhiked a few kilometres with a car with no problems to my resort but I don’t think I would do it again there. The buses are very cheap everywhere on the island.
Difficult, but not impossible depending on your exact spot
USA
My advice with America is to be careful where you do it. I’ve hitchhiked several times in America, but I am always nervous doing it for some reason. I had a bad experience near San Francisco, but a great experience in the countryside of Texas.
Iraq
Put out my thumb in Erbil, Northern Iraq. It had taken a very long time before someone stopped, and he wasn’t going in the right direction. I ended up in a cheap taxi on the way back to the airport.
Very difficult, but probably possible depending on the exact spot you are
Belgium
Difficult to hitchhike. I tried for more than an hour near Charleroi Airport, where nobody stopped, so I travelled to Brussels by bus.
Cape Verde
I tried many times on a busy street on the island of Sal, but nobody stopped.
The Faroe Islands, territory
There was no risk here, but nobody picked me up when I tried to hitchhike for around an hour from the international airport. I’m really surprised it was so difficult in this island territory. I’m sure it’s a lot easier on smaller roads.
Greece
I tried to stop 100s of cars in Rhodes, but nobody stopped. I had more luck on the island of Corfu, but only after dark.
Guam, territory
American territory in the Pacific. I tried so many times in different spots, but nobody picked me up, and I ended up walking around 15 kilometres over the two days I spend there. It is an American territory, but it feels exactly like America.
England
I tried to hitchhike near Gatwick Airport for an hour, and nobody picked me up. I guess the countryside is doable, but I haven’t tried yet. I did hitchhike with success in Wales, though.
Puerto Rico, territory
I tried to hitchhike in the capital of San Juan, but no cars stopped. It might be a different story outside the capital area.
Slovenia
My credit card didn’t work, and I felt forced to hitchhike. After 3 hours, I had to give up, and my dad called the bank manager on a Saturday to fix my credit card so I could take the train.
Western Sahara, territory
I tried to hitchhike from Dakhla Airport to the city centre, but nobody stopped. After 30 minutes, I decided to walk instead. Probably easier in other places in Western Sahara.
