A couple of days ago I found out there’s a HitchGathering in the south of France in early August. The planned location is exactly where my family is going to be on holiday. So I will need to step up my hitchhiking pace to make it there on time! This is the approximate Mediterranean hitchhiking route I would want to take to travel to France on time. It’s an idealized version because everything will have to go extremely well in the coming two/three weeks for this route to work. [If you’re a boat owner, make sure to check out my CrewBayContinue reading
malta
Gozo: Hitchhiker Gone Hiking in Malta
Today’s random hiking trail brought me to some fabulous geological formations along a cliff’s edge! I was hiking on Gozo Island in Malta at daybreak. It was about 6:30 during the making of this photo. The weather is still tolerable then, as it gets so hot during the day. I think you can count the trees on Gozo on one hand. I walked southward from my rough-sleeping spot nearby Dwejra’s Azure Window. In the south-western corner or edge of Gozo Island, my OpenStreetMaps offline map showed me several hiking trails. So I decided to check out this area. The landscapesContinue reading
Sleepless in Dwejra on Gozo Island, Malta
This morning I woke up on Gozo in my sleeping bag at the docks of Dwejra (location here). There’s a little inland sea here that formed a natural harbor for small fishing boats. There’s a cave that you can see in the background, which is where the boats enter and leave this calm protected area. Without pitching my tent, I just laid out my sleeping bag and slept on top of it. It wasn’t the best sleep because it was so public, but it did the job. Some people woke me up before sunrise asking me if I wanted coffee.Continue reading
Azure Window: Looking for a Rocky Freecamping Spot
I hitched to the island of Gozo today and whatever the guidebooks say is true! It’s much calmer and it’s still really hot. I’m now at Dwejra where there are some massive rocks with massive holes in the sea. It’s apparently called the Azure Window and it’s one of Malta’s most-famous tourist spots. Honestly, so far Gozo has been almost a little too quiet. That’s because all the tourists have been hiding here, I guess? There are so many sailing boats anchored in safe bays or dotting the horizon on their way to safe anchorage or elsewhere. I love itContinue reading
Valetta: An Epic Hitch-Sailing Arrival in Malta
WE ARRIVED IN VALETTA!! It was an exciting 2,5 days hitchhiking the yacht of these two lovely people from Lebanon and the USA. They picked me up from the marina in Corfu and we sailed all the way to the capital of this small island nation: Malta. I’m very happy to have found them before I might have given up on the whole boat hitchhiking thing. And it was a great way to start learning more about sea sailing and a good test on whether I like being on boats for a long time. The verdict is that I freakingContinue reading
Success at the Marina: I’ve Found a Boat to Malta!
Today is a good day! Six days and six nights after beginning the quest for a boat to hitchhike to Italy, I’ve found a boat with a Lebanese-American couple headed directly to Malta! Freaking Malta! For context: Malta is my target destination all along. I just asked for boats to Italy because I thought it would be a lower bar to pass. Gouvia Marina on Corfu (Greece) has been a success! I will meet the couple again at 22:00 tonight to also sleep on their boat. At 8:00 tomorrow we should set sail with the boat “Boysterous” 😀 if there areContinue reading
Boat Hitchhiking 101: Dockwalking
Dockwalking: many people do it in a more advanced way than I do in order to go boat hitchhiking. They print out copies of their CV, wow! I just carry a hitchhiking sign with my destination and my not-so-secret weapon: a smile. And patience… for the love of God, you need a lot of patience. [update 2020: I have embraced technology. I have a very nice profile on CrewBay and Find a Crew profile now. If you’re a boat owner, make sure to star my profile!] But I keep singing: I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay watching the tideContinue reading
Montenegrin Sunsets (Kruče)
Dear friends, followers, and fans! I’m currently residing in the small town of Kruče, Montenegro for a couple of days. My friend and fellow hitchhiking nomad Aleksandra and her dog Lu Lu (see photo) host me in this small ghost-ish town. We sometimes practice playing the guitar together. She has an amazing place and leads a simple lifestyle a stone’s throw away from the beach. It’s incredibly peaceful here. I feel inspired as hell with these Montenegrin sunsets dropping into the Adriatic Sea a little differently each day. Aleksandra hitchhikes together with her dog (mad props!) and we have a lotContinue reading
Maltese Hitchhiking Route (Approximated)
Take a peek at my next approximated hitchhiking route, bringing me to Malta! It’s three times when I’ll have to hitch a boat: Albania to Italy, Italy to Sicily, and Sicily to Malta. How? I have no clue yet. I’ll see it once I arrive at the next step in the Maltese hitchhiking journey. I’m starting in Belgrade (Serbia), then make my way through Bosnia and Herzegovina—a new country for me. After that, it’s time for a return visit to (perhaps Croatia and) Montenegro and then I’ll see Albania for the first time. In Italy, I’m expecting to see BariContinue reading