Recipes for Disaster: an anarchist cookbook

Make conversation with your drivers. More often than not, they pick you up for this, and you have a duty to leave a good impression on behalf of hitchhikers everywhere. It's not just a question of duty, though. Hitchhiking is one of the best ways to get perspectives from a broad range of human beings; it's also a reliable way to pick out the most interesting and generous people on a road?don't miss this chance to learn from them!

Ask questions. Get ready to hear the life stories, crises, dilemmas. There are a lot of lonely people in the world; sometimes the best thing you can do to empower people is simply to listen to them. Occasionally, you will be encouraged to play personal storyteller for a bored or sleepy driver?^you hitchhike, so you must be a maniac with ridiculous stories, right? Practice your skills: mystery, adventure, intrigue. Of course, the driver doesn't need to know anytiiing more about you than you want to share.

Make sure you are prepared for the elements. You don't want to get badly sunburned if Weather you have to stand by the road all afternoon, and holding up tJiat sign in a freezing wind

can really be hard on your fingers. Your bags should be waterproof, in case the clouds Hitchhiking,

hitchhiker who is literally dripping wet, but mildly bad weather may win you sympathy and a swift rescue. Hobo folklore tells that in Alaska, it's illegal not to pick up hitchhikers during the winter.

Maps No matter how far you're going, a good map is well worth the space it takes to pack. If you don't want to pay for one, go to a tourist spot: hotels, airports, bus stations, tourist information booths, and rental car places all may provide free maps. In choosing a hitchhiking map, find one that shows every road you'll be traveling; a map that includes rest areas and gas stations is ideal. Your map will be important in your relationship with drivers; you'll frequently have to tell them where you want to be dropped off, and you'll want to choose wisely and explain it precisely. From time to time, you may even have to help a driver navigate.

Truckers and CBs When truckers are helpful, they can be very helpful. They are also quite familiar with the cast of characters that live on the road. Truck stops bustle with drivers, prostitutes, wheel poHshers, and, of course, hitchhikers. At larger truck stops, you will find just as many drivers who are waiting until they are sober enough to drive again or until some warehouse opens as drivers who are actually going somewhere. Even if a driver isn't going your way, he might be willing to make use of his CB radio to advertise your plight, asking around the lot if anyone is going your way. Alternatively, bring your own CB radio and do the same! In common trucker CB radio talk, "hand" is the expression for hitchhiker. It can help to call out individual truck names as they're driving off, asking them which way they're headed. If you sound like a trucker, or at least someone who knows what's going on, you're more likely to get a ride. Listen to people speaking over Hitchhiking the CB, and learn what you can of the vernacular. "How 'bout it, anybody out at this Pilot 300 headed north? Can you give a hand a lift?"

If you are working the truck stop route, you should know that "lot Uzard" is the term for prostitutes who hang out at truck stops. Don't get in a truck with anyone who describes you that way or is looking for one.

Hitchhiking with a bicyde limits the number of drivers who can pick you up; it can also Bicycles get you rides from people who might not pick up ordinary hitchhikers, but make an exception for what appears to be a bicyclist in distress. A bicycle is certainly an invaluable tool when you are within a few miles of a truck stop or town, or trapped in the middle of one you want to leave.

Travehng vidth a partner is always safer, and may not slow you down. Of course, if you Traveling Together

are both large men with Manson beards and bleeding head wounds, you will have to

wait a long time for a ride; on the other hand, some men may find that they are picked