Traveling by getting free rides from passing vehicles by standing on the roadside and signaling to drivers.
From 'hitch' (to fasten or hook on) and 'hike' (a journey). The term emerged in American English in the 1920s as automobiles became common.
Hitchhiking was so normal in the 1970s that millions of people (including future celebrities) did it regularly without fear—the phrase 'do you want to go hitchhiking?' meant adventure, but today it sounds dangerous due to changing culture.
Hitchhiking carries gendered safety implications and has been disproportionately discouraged for women due to predation risks. Language around travel reflects implicit assumptions about who can move freely.
Use neutrally when relevant, but be aware that women's hitchhiking is often framed as risky whereas men's is adventurous—this reflects societal gendering of public space safety.
Women hitchhikers and nomadic travelers have built communities and written extensively on mobility justice; their contributions to travel culture and resistance to gendered restrictions deserve recognition.
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