Just hitching rides: A journey from Eid to Christmas
(first published on hitchbase.com under a licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ )

“We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive
where we started and know the place for the first time.“
TS Eliot

During December I made a 18 day journey from Yemen back to Germany. The idea was just to use existing resources. Traveling from Eid to Christmas, meant also travel through different cultures during their solemnest holidays. The countries I crossed during those 18 days were Yemen, Oman, Emirates, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, and Germany. Apart of bureaucracy, no big problems came up that blocked this journey – the roads are paved all the way and there is enough traffic on the road. Therewith, one of my conclusions of this journey is that it is possible by hitchhiking to access Eastern Africa via this route and hitchhike all the way from the North Cape (or Kinnarodden) down to South Africa (or all the way up). Further information about taking a ferry to Djibouti from Yemen and about hitchhiking in Ethiopia was posted recently (http://abgefahren.hitchbase.com/blogs). The route up from South Africa I have traveled some years ago (and many others), Augustas has traveled this part of the world some years ago too and hitchhiked all the way down from Ethiopia to South Africa (http://africa.kligys.com/). Information in English language about hitchhiking in Northern Europe can be found on many places on the net too.

I write this little report as motivation and inspiration for others, since for me those stories and information here have been a source of inspiration and gave the opportunity for a glance beyond my horizon.

I have to start by explaining that I am a white male, mid-twenty in procession of a German passport. Visa issues and other experiences might be different than to what others experience/d. I did a significant amount of hitchhiking and traveling before (in Europe and Eastern Africa), however, I think this trip is possible with less experience as one learns on the road quickly. Nevertheless, I would recommend some knowledge, maybe even automatism in security measures as well as knowledge about the routes to take and good dropping points, experience in spontaneous changes (of the route). I guess a rule of thumb might be that the faster and/or with lesser money one wants to travel the more experience is required.

Visa Issues
Border crossing was actually always without trouble for me and apart from Iran, I could get all visas at the borders. However, as I did not come directly from my home country, and I did not get a visa on time from the Embassies abroad, I had no other option then flying into Iran (Dubai-Tehran, also Shiraz etc. would have been possible). Some more about this issue here under ‘Iran’.

Accommodation
Most nights I did stay in hostels along the road. Strangely enough, in some quite big cities I did end up somewhere under the stars. Twice, I stayed some days with people from hospitality networks. Once I have accepted an invitation to stay at someone’s place.

Season / Time
Winter and the cold haven’t been a problem for me, but rain was (especially coming from a region where I haven’t had rain for months). Even though it was fine to travel during (European) winter, I think it is more fun to travel when it is not to cold and days are longer as this gives you more time on the road and also flexibility as you can just end up somewhere (and/or pitch your tent). This was only possible for me on the Arabian Peninsula, however, it might be too hot there during summer time. It is easily possible to cover this distance in 18 days… However, I would recommend to spent more time in Turkey, Iran and Yemen.

Female
As the question and discussion comes up regularly, I would like to devote a couple of thoughts to the topic “Hitchhiking as female”, even though I can only give limited information regarding this as I am male and the experiences are only second hand and interpretative. I can say that the people that I, and when I was with a female companion, met during my journey (and the four months I stayed in Yemen before that) brought a lot of respect into the encounter we had in Yemen. This is also what was reported from many other female moving solo in bigger cities. Further, I felt that the social pressure towards adequate behaviour in public is very high in the Middle East, meaning that people usually will not behave inappropriately when other people are around and watch or when the attention is brought on a person (thus in awkward situations taking people out of the anonymity helps!). Arguable, males in Arabic societies do have less contact with females (and the other way around) and many prejudices exist (on both sides), about Western women and Arabic societies and men which does not make the issue easier. Nevertheless, the guys I met and talked to are males like in other places and their needs and jokes are not much different. Generally, there are risks in all societies, and I think one cannot argue whether they are higher in the one or in the other (unknown) society. From my experiences and perspective there is no discussion whether females that hitchhike in the West, and came to a understanding and handling of the risks, should or should not hitchhike in the East.

Costs
I spent around 400 Euro for the 18 day trip. The largest expenses have been the flight (even though it is not much more expensive then the ferry) and the visas which count for about the half of the costs.

The countries

Yemen
I found it very easy to hitchhike in Yemen, however, there are special permits needed when people want to move on the countryside. It seemed to me that those are not only for the safety of tourists, but also for more control of the government about what foreigners are allowed to see. (There are some tribes that do not accept the government, but the government isn’t very nice to them either — it is better not to get in between, check the current situation when you get there about which areas are no-go). Army check points that control for guns and your permits could be seen as the metro stations of Yemen (as service stations are on German highways, you jump from one to the other). The guys there have been very friendly to me and also helped me to organised lifts for my onward journey. However, sometimes I found it personally to much of a hassle as they are not very used to this, so I recommend just to organise your lift at other places and cross those points in a car (when the situations allows it). It is helpful to have some knowledge of Arabic, but I think it is not obligatory for getting around. Payment for the lift is generally expected, but this will be agreed on in the beginning of the journey (when you decide to use this car). On the main routes I turned those lifts down as there is enough traffic on the streets. Ah, yes, I have been told to better avoid cars with white number plates, those are from the government and rich oil companies and together with white people it might make them/you to a target to kidnapping.

Waiting for a ride in Yemen - Mind the camel!

Oman
I found it easy to hitchhike in Oman, however, hitchhiking as such is not known and many people want to drop you of at the bus station or give you money that you can use the bus. When people grasped the idea, some wanted to make an additional way of 300 km just to bring me closer to my destination. Many people also just stopped for me out of curiosity. I had sometimes a hard time to find out where they go to and often ended up to have lift just for a couple of kilometres (being dropped at a bad spot). Further, I never used public transport in the cities as I found it easy to hitchhike there as well. Oman is very different to Yemen. Further, many people speak English. There are petrol stations along the motorways. No payment was expected for lifts. Great hospitality.

Hitching in Oman towards UAE.

Emirate
I have no experiences with hitchhiking in the UAE as I got a lift directly from somewhere in Oman to Dubai. However, it seemed to me that there are enough half empty cars and people that drive for fun. In Dubai itself I did get some rides from Asian foreigners when I tried to get rides at traffic lights, however, in quite some cases I left cars quite often again at the next traffic light as they suddenly seemed to function as a taxi. North of Dubai in Sharjah leaves the ferry to Bandar Abbas, Iran. I am curious if somebody has experiences in hitchhiking a boat there.

Waiting for a lift in Northern Iran... getting quite cold.

Iran
I have only experiences with hitchhiking in Northern Iran, Tehran Airport towards Turkey. However, this was quite easy and I assume that it is the same in the rest of the country. Many people do not know the idea of hitchhiking (you start a “conversation” with an explanation that you do not want to go to the bus terminal) but they are very helpful and hospitable. With the first drivers who gave me a lift I couldn’t really communicate as we didn’t have a language in common (most people I met spoke Farsi only) — just hand, feet and PointIt. However, at a later stage many lifts I’ve got have been from people that spoke to some extend English. It is beneficial when you can read Arabic writing as Farsi uses an extended version of it even though many road signs are in Farsi and English. Many people say you are expected to pay drivers in Iran. Generally, I personally found it easy to notice if a driver is willing to give a free ride, or he expects money, – noticing this in time, it is easier to reject a ride if it is a latter case. Furthermore, I had some rides from couples and families, too. PS: As with in Turkey it is wise to have you own mug along as you are offered tea all the time.

The bureaucracy thing: Sadly, I had to fly into Iran. I did not manage to get a visa in Yemen or in the Emirates beforehand (I stayed 7 days in Muscat until the embassies opened again; they told me at the Embassy of Iran that they can only issue for residents in contrast to what I have been told before). Flying into Iran is an option for people from some privileged countries. Larger airports in Iran can issue a 14 days transit visa on the spot. However, I guess this is not an issue as most people here will travel the other direction and will only start their journey when they have this visa (since this is the only visa Germans can not get at the border).

Erzurum, Eastern Turkey, early morning and freezing cold.

Turkey
I did not find it difficult to hitchhike in Turkey. Most lifts I had have been with trucks (coming from the East), trucks have also been what I saw the most in the east. I did find it easy to get a long lift across Turkey, even when I found it difficult to get such a lift at the boarder to Iran directly (most trucks went along the coast South at the time I have been there). However, I also found the truck drivers I met quite lonely and searching for (close) contact.

Middle of Turkey, middle of the night.

Bulgaria
I do not have any experiences here, as it was raining (first time after nearly 5 months without rain!) in Istanbul when I wanted to start hitching. I took the bus to Sofia (20 Euros; recommendable) and then a night train onwards to Belgrade (20 Euros; not to recommend) in order to add a different perspective to my trip too. But after having spent a night in a small compartment with drunk fellow passengers, I knew again why I love hitchhiking. However, the roads I went on in Bulgaria seemed to be straightforward with sufficient traffic on the street.

Serbia
I found it easy to hitchhike, met friendly people – a straightforward one-day crossing.

Hungary
I found it easy to hitchhike in Hungary, coming from the South I did get offered many straight rides across the country to the other neighbouring countries. Otherwise it is easy petrol station hopping and even though I did not find it as easy this time to cross into Austria, I did not have any problems the other times when I went this way.

Austria
I found it easy to hitchhike in Austria, the route Vienna-Germany has plenty traffic and it is basically just petrol station hopping as in Germany.

Germany
Not much to add to the many other blogs on abgefahren and other places.

Have a good trip!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!