Date: 30 January 2021 – 24th February 2023. After leaving Malaysia, we traveled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This trip will be mostly about very slow travel with minimum human contact. On other fronts, it will probably be heckin’ incoherent. April update: we left the UAE and went to Kyrgyzstan. June update: we left Kyrgyzstan and went to Uzbekistan. After Uzbekistan, we went to Ukraine and after Ukraine to Turkey. December update: we’re in Mauritius. 2023 update: we also went to Madagascar and Ethiopia. We ended these years of randomness in Germany.

Kilometers hitched: once in the UAE with a German-Filipino couple. There will be much hitchhiking because of the pandemic and local laws applying to hanging out with strangers. In Kyrgyzstan: so far twice, once with two Russian visitors and once with a Swedish guy who owns a business here. No hitchhiking in Uzbekistan at all. More than 500 kilometers in Ukraine (see map for details), a little in Turkey as well as Madagascar.

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine (new for Jonas), Turkey, Mauritius, Madagascar, Ethiopia

Languages needed: English, russian, German, basic Turkish, French

Use of Public Transportation: Due to the pandemic, I will probably use public transport 99% of the time. But we’ll see! In the UAE we mostly used taxis. Same for Kyrgyzstan. In Uzbekistan, we used the fast train. Ukraine is good for hitchhiking and Turkey is alright as well. Mauritius was easy to hitch but the distances are quite short. In Madagascar I only hitchhiked one short ride and in Ethiopia not at all

Date: 31 October 2019 – 30 January 2021. Our trip came to a halt when the whole world came to a halt due to the coronavirus. During the second lockdown in Malaysia, we decided to leave for the United Arab Emirates.

Kilometers hitched: 2762 kilometers until Penang. That includes a 12-kilometer hitch from Tanjung Piai to Kukup.

Number of rides:  15 rides. China (1), Myanmar (9), Malaysia (4)

Countries: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia

Languages needed: English, Chinese, Myanma, Thai, Malay (all three words we know in the latter languages)

Use of Public Transportation: As I’m getting older, I’m not going to stubbornly hitchhike every single kilometer anymore on this trip. Between Mandalay and Nyaung-U I took a cruise and between Yangon and Mawlamyine a train. Between major cities, I sometimes flew. Inside cities, I’ve used: metros, taxis (mostly via an app), tuk-tuks, rented scooters, rented motorbikes, rented electric scooters. I often used tuk-tuks to get to toll booths to hitchhike from. Since the pandemic, we’re not allowed to hitchhike anymore in our host country Malaysia. That’s understandable.

After hitchhiking in South America for more than two years, I had to return to Europe to finish my studies and get rid of my student debt. Jonas came with me and we lived an ordinary life in an ordinary apartment.

Between 12 December 2017 and 3 January 2019, I was basically stuck in Maastricht, the Netherlands. That’s the town where I started my bachelor’s degree back in 2010. In November 2013, I dropped out of university and did all these other trips on this page in-between.

As a student, I sometimes had one week of vacation to travel. With such little time, I had to use airplanes. Those trips took me to Tunisia, Sardinia (Italy), and Mallorca (Spain). I sometimes I hitchhiked in the Netherlands from Maastricht to Utrecht to see my family. During the 8-week summer holidays, I did do some hitchhiking journeys in Portugal (solo), and in Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia with my partner Jonas. While awaiting the news if I’d graduated or not, we traveled to Cabo Verde.

In total, I hitchhiked 2711 kilometers between January 2018 and April 2019.

Date: 20 April 2017 – 12 December 2017. This is a continuation of the Southern Cone + the End of the World and Atlantic Crossing by Boat: Hitchhiking South America maps below. The break-off point is in Lima, Perú.

Kilometers hitched: 2781 Kilometers (1728 Miles) from Lima, Perú, to Valledupar, Colombia.

Number of rides: 51

Countries: Perú, Ecuador, Colombia

Languages needed: Spanish, Portuguese, English, and German

Use of Public Transportation: The boat from Pucallpa to Iquitos was not hitchable and neither were the four boats from Iquitos to El Coca in Ecuador. I took a short taxi ride from Zumbahua to Quilotoa in Ecuador as well, which was a splurge. The boat to Tayrona National Park wasn’t hitchable and the whole trip was a rather expensive ordeal. To get to Punta Gallinas – the northernmost point of South America – is not really possible without arranged (and paid) transportation.

Date: 18 November 2015 – 20 April 2017. Google My Maps has a limit on how many places you can add. This map is a continuation of the Atlantic Crossing by Boat: Hitchhiking South America maps below. The break-off point is in La Junta in Chile and continues until Lima, Perú.

Kilometers hitched: 14967 Kilometers (9300 Miles) from La Junta in Chile, till Lima, Perú. Scroll up to see the continuation of this trip and scroll down to see the beginnings!

Number of rides: 120+

Countries: Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, then Argentina and Chile again and into Perú.

Languages needed: Spanish, English, and German.

Use of Public Transportation: The ferry to cross over the Lago General Carrera/Lago Buenos Aires at the Chile Chico border crossing costs 2.100 Chilean Pesos (~€2,60). The ferry €20 from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay.

Date: 18 November 2015 – March 27th when I arrived in La Junta. The following map belongs together with the two above it!

Kilometers hitched: 10801 Kilometers (6711 Miles) by hitchhiking and approximately 7000 by boats across the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Corcovado.

Number of rides: ~110

Countries: Canary Islands (part of Spain), Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Perú, and Chile.

Languages needed: Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Occasional German.

Use of Public Transportation: I had to take a flight from Amsterdam to the Canary Islands (BOOO! I know…) and the cruise ship I took to cross the Atlantic Ocean was a really cheap “repositioning cruise” – both were sponsored. On the mainland of South America I’ve taken a few city buses to get out of the cities; namely the Saõ Paolo metropolitan area in Brazil and to get out of Asunción, capital of Paraguay. In many places, it was possible to walk out of town, though.

Date: January 2015 – 18 November 2015

Kilometers hitched: 11790 Kilometers (7326 Miles) by hitchhiking and walking (I had to walk a lot in Spain) and 630 Kilometers (392 Miles) by sailboat from Corfu to Malta, that’s 340 Nautical Miles. This was supposed to be the trip where I visit all the countries in Europe I haven’t been to yet, but then I changed my mind (it happens).

Number of rides: 300+

Countries: The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Malta, Italy, France, Monaco, Spain, British overseas territory of Gibraltar, Portugal.

Languages needed: Spanish and English. Occasional German, French or Russian when hitching with other tourists. Super basic Portuguese, but many folks spoke English/Spanish/Portuñol.

Use of Public Transportation: None, except for the ferries from Malta to Sicily and Sicily to mainland Italy. That last one costs about €2.50 to cross a small strait (I couldn’t be arsed to find a boat hitch for that). Emergency flight from Lisbon to Berlin. This was one of those trips where I changed my mind at some point and drastically changed my plans.

Date: July 2014 – December 2014

Kilometers hitched: 19946 Kilometers (12.394 Miles) hitched over roads. Many parts were done using the speed hitchhiking method (get on the highway, don’t leave it until you’re at your destination) which is why I was able to cover such a distance in half a year while also visiting places. I covered the distance Maastricht – Tbilisi in five days. The distance Istanbul – Maastricht was covered in 60 hours.

Number of rides: ~600

Countries: The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Abkhazia (disputed territory), Armenia again, Iran, Turkey (again), Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turkey (yet again) and then the same route home for Christmas through Bulgaria, Serbia, etc.

Languages needed: English, German, Turkish, Russian, and basic Farsi mandatory. Random others: Spanish, French, Georgian, Armenian, South Slavic (Balkan languages), Polish, and even Dutch!

Use of Public Transportation: None, unless paid by a host/driver/friend. Oh, and the ferry between Mersin and Cyprus isn’t hitchable, so I paid.

Date: January 2014 – July 2014

Kilometers hitched: 8816 Kilometers (5478 Miles) From Mexico City to Panama City and a little in the Dominican Republic.

Number of rides: ~500

Countries: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

Languages needed: Spanish and English. Occasional German, French or Russian when hitching with other tourists.

Use of Public Transportation: None, except for the flight to the Dominican Republic. The ferry from Punta Gorda, Belize, to Livingston, Guatemala isn’t hitchable, so I paid (but sailed it myself!), but I got a free bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

Date: November 2013 – 23rd December 2013

Kilometers hitched: 4900 Kilometers (3045 Miles) hitchhiked and ferry hitchhiked.

Number of rides: I have no clue. I wasn’t tracking my rides as meticulously. I did hitchhike with three consecutive Chrisses in a row in Wales.
Countries: The Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Scotland, Shetland Islands (part of Scotland), Isle of Man, Wales.

Languages needed: English, French, Flemish, and Dutch.

Use of Public Transportation: I went by train (one of those douchy Virgin trains with champagne for the wealthy commuters) from Liverpool to Lancaster once and took the London Tube to get through and out of London. I paid for the ferry to and from the Shetland Islands (there was a blizzard) and to and from the Isle of Man, but I managed to hitchhike the Eurotunnel and the ferry back to Calais with drivers for free.

Date: During the summer holiday of 2013 (about 6 weeks from July till early September).

Kilometers hitched: ~5049

Number of rides: I have no idea.

Countries: Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary.

Languages needed: English, Dutch, German. Russian would have been great to know but eh, I couldn’t back then.

Use of Public Transportation: I wasn’t really adamant back then on hitchhiking everything, so I mixed things up with the bus and train. The first leg of the trip all the way to Czechia was a road trip with some friends and split the gas costs. In Romania, I didn’t hitchhike at all because someone told me they always wanted money. Two years later I had a great time hitchhiking around Romania, so that was a lie. I had a lot to learn still back then.