TR-Advent calendar #10

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Ho,ho,ho- here we go! Christmas time is coming and before we hitchhike home for Christmas (haha…) we want to present you the first Advent calendar on tramprennen.org! Every day until Christmas (or even longer) we want to present one story about the first time we used the best way to travel: hitchhiking! Have fun with the stories! And you are more than welcome to add your own experience! Just send it to gro.nennerpmartnull@ofni! Whoop,Whoop!

#10: Max

Squeakily the steel door opens to give way through a high noise protection wall. We´re dragging ourselfs and our two backpacks over the threshold to find ourselfs instantly in a new scenery: Being occupied finding our way over footpaths, green fields and underwood just a few seconds ago and following our ears towards the noise of traffic, we´re now right in the middle of it: Concrete, trucks, the smell of gazoline, crowded vacation cars, international numberplates, coffee2go cups, cigarette breaks.

What a crazy Experience – never before have I stood on a rest stop without having arrived there by car and with certainty to vanish in exactly the same car after a short break.

But finally I am at this point, exactly today, at the southern boundery of Berlin. Two professional travellers with backpacks, which not even contain a tent or sleeping matresses, but diver eyeglasses plus snorchels and a book about taxonomy of reptiles in southeastern europe instead.

We neither have an idea about how to get away from here. In my head there is this one thought how stupid and hopeless our plan was, to get to germany´s southern end in bavaria today – to Berchtesgaden – 700km – by hitchhiking!

So here I stand, under my straw hat, with backpack and shorts. I look down to my feet, watch the rags where my shoes used to be just a few minutes ago. They didn´t even make the first 1,5km from the sub station to here. What a senseless enterprise…

My hitchhike buddy´s and my wondering eyes meet, we burst into laughter about ourselves. But we manage to calm down, pretend to be serious und watch the scenery at the gas station. And now, after the leftovers of my mocassins have been removed from my feet, beed disposed and replaced by my spare sandals I feel much more socially acceptable.

Hey, look! That number plate is Heilbronn – or Heilbrunn… Or something else from the south!

Ok, street map seized tightly and straight off towards the man grabbing the gas pump and standing next to his pensioners-red mercedes. “Hello Sir, good morning, uuhm we´re participating in this hitchhiking race across europe and want to got to the south, uuhm is that your direction?”

Arrival in Berchtesgadn after 10 hours, 6 car changes and one change of direction through a wastewater tunnel underneath the highway after a wrong turn on Highway A6. A lot is happening on a travel like this, but there are more people, who want to tell a story! Please stop for Christmas hitchhikers!

TR-Advent calendar #9

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15321448_914302372004719_1305022834_oHo,ho,ho- here we go! Christmas time is coming and before we hitchhike home for Christmas (haha…) we want to present you the first Advent calendar on tramprennen.org! Every day until Christmas (or even longer) we want to present one story about the first time we used the best way to travel: hitchhiking! Have fun with the stories! And you are more than welcome to add your own experience! Just send it to gro.nennerpmartnull@ofni! Whoop,Whoop!

#9: Hannes

My first time hitchhiking was together with my brother from our hometown Bad Segeberg to Kiel. He and later I studied and lived in Kiel but I don’t remember why or with whom we went back then. I suppose that I enjoyed the trip because since then I used the thumb express for over 50.000km, mainly in Europe and also in Africa and North America. I was enlightened, an addiction just had started. Bad Segeberg – Kiel or the other way round is like a piece of cake. It always fits and I already had an innumerable amount of it. I know for this blog it’s kind of important what my first experience was like but to me it’s not. To me it’s important that I kept on holding up my thumb since then.

Hitchhiking has become a fundamental part of my lifestyle and mentality. It has roused my passion for freedom and it constantly confirms my trust in humanity. This trust is particularly important to me in order to take it up with today’s society. It makes me know that I can be wherever I want and that the journey to each place will be magical, every time. I don’t need to know before, how I get somewhere, where I sleep there or who I get to know. What I know is that it will happen. The sensation when I find out how this plays out, is what makes me feel alive.

TR-Advent calendar #8

/in ,

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Ho,ho,ho- here we go! Christmas time is coming and before we hitchhike home for Christmas (haha…) we want to present you the first Advent calendar on tramprennen.org! Every day until Christmas (or even longer) we want to present one story about the first time we used the best way to travel: hitchhiking! Have fun with the stories! And you are more than welcome to add your own experience! Just send it to gro.nennerpmartnull@ofni! Whoop,Whoop!

#8: Marco

Your own car, the train, the bus, a rideshare… Today there are a ton of ways to get safely from point A to point B. Why would you even go hitchhiking than? Nowadays you could consider it a real anachronism. At least that’s what I thought when I was in my early 20s. Hitchhiking. That was something mom and dad used to do. Back in the days when the Berlin Wall was still standing. But rideshares, however, were cool and extremely convenient. Until, well, some friends came up with an idea: A Hitchhiking race. As a competition, we’d hitchhike around Europe and experience crazy stories. When I think about it this way, it doesn’t sound old-fashioned after all. Even if it does, it’s still pretty neat! And, man I definitely wanted to be a part of that! So, out of an experienced user of rideshares (which I was by my early 20s), I should become a hitchhiker.

Nothing easier than that (I thought). I’ll just hitchhike from Dresden to Eisenach. I had more than enough time and a rideshare was taking off in the late afternoon, anyways. I more or less ignored the advice I’d gotten about doing some research on the internet beforehand since I had friends in Dresden who knew a place to start hitching. The only downside was that I was consulted by friends who (just like myself) had never been hitchhiking before…in their whole lives.

So, there I was (kinda naïve) at the “Elbepark” in Dresden trying to go west. First at an American fast food restaurant, then at the neighboring gas station and lastly right at the freeway entrance ramp. In the beginning, I boldly wrote “Erfurt” on my old pizza box but nothing helped. Not a single car stopped. Not even one. The problem was: Everyone stopping by the restaurant wanted to go to Dresden or Poland. And stopping at the freeway entrance was rather difficult. But then, as the police politely asked me to leave the freeway entrance, the motivation dropped. The sun burning down on my head wasn’t helping either. My sign changed from “Erfurt” to “Hermsdorfer Kreuz” and lastly I ended up with “A4”. So I was standing at the freeway A4 with a sign that says “A4” and still not a single car stopped for me. Except for the police.

The hours went by without any prospect of improvement. After about four hours I had enough and I called the rideshare I had as my worst-case-scenario-backup-plan. “We’re all booked, sorry!”. Those final, devastating news frustrated me even more. But I didn’t want to quit just yet! I’ll give it a try for another hour.

And there it was, as if on cue, my little miracle: Suddenly a wonderful Cabriole stopped in front of me! For real. And it didn’t just stop for no reason, it actually stopped for ME. The driver was going to Leipzig, not to Eisenach, but it didn’t matter. I just wanted one thing: get the hell out of there! It was fabulous: a sunny summer weather and me in a Cabriole. And on top of that, a driver who had some stories to tell. The driver even dropped me off at a truck stop near Chemnitz. There wasn’t even closely as much going on as I (the naïve, freshly deflowered hitchhiking-virgin) thought it would. Still, after only a few minutes a student gave me a lift to the next real gas station. Once I got on the motorway everything went very quickly. I met a half-German-half-Polish guy who was on his way to work, in Hessen. I couldn’t believe it but he was passing right by Eisenach. We had an easygoing ride and so the seven-hour long adventure had a happy ending after all. And I was starting to become a real hitchhiker. One that doesn’t just want to get from point A to point B. One who never knows what will happen between point A and B.

And also, one who looks up the best starting place on Hitchwiki before the actual journey. A week later, I was standing in Dresden again. Although, this time I was at a gas station in “Hansastraße”. How long did it take me this time? Less than five minutes. Almost a little boring when I think of my first adventure…

 

 

TR-Advent calendar #7

/in ,

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Ho,ho,ho- here we go! Christmas time is coming and before we hitchhike home for Christmas (haha…) we want to present you the first Advent calendar on tramprennen.org! Every day until Christmas (or even longer) we want to present one story about the first time we used the best way to travel: hitchhiking! Have fun with the stories! And you are more than welcome to add your own experience! Just send it to gro.nennerpmartnull@ofni! Whoop,Whoop!

 

#7: Ronny

Riled up by a bunch of backpacker movies, I was always thrilled to travel solely by my thumb streched out. But I could never conquered myself, who know’s why, although there was always the possibility to do it. Let’s say lazyness always ate up my want to travel, my passion for adventure, but this should be changed soon.

After finishing school I always dreamed to just leave the common surrounding. Maybe as romantic as in the movie „Into the wild“ – alone! What about Scotland? Yeah man – Scotland, alone, tent, backpack and a little time. I booked plane and busses, retrospectively actually the most boring possibilities to get along.

I planned to hike the Isle of skye from North to South and letting things happen as they do. So let’s get the adventures started.

On the third day on the island I already finished one quarter of the tour, but slowly my food and water resources got empty. „Damn! I have to get to the next bigger city soon!“ – According to some people I met on the way there should be a bus connecting all of the smaller villages and cities – theoretically. However, on my way to catch it I met John (cool dude!). We talked a bit about travelling in general and Scotland in specific. He told me that he spent already few weeks hitchhiking on the island and that’s super easygoing. Not fully convinced, I finally left to catch the bus.

A few hours later, one kilometer ahead of the bus stop I just saw the last bus of the day pelting. „Shit! No food, no bus – what‘s left? Okay I give it a try! Hitchhiking!“ Easier said than done.

First try: Thumb raised! I stood at the bus stop and waited. – Wrong side. Oops, Great Britain, right, left-hand driving.

Second try: Thumb raised! First car was coming, a campervan. Little shy but eager I looked at the driver. He smiled, passed by. „ Hmmm, okay! Not that easy.“ Some minutes later … car by car is passing by: people are smiling, waving, or looking completely surprised. But, all at once, like self-evident, a red car stopped. It was an older man, shrimper, car packed with metal stuff. „Can I get you a lift?“ – „Really? Yes, of course!“

Let’s go, get in. Maybe it’s the only chance today. The guy told me a lot about his island, the people, the weather and a bunch of other fantastic stories. Time flew by, I was back to civilisation, I made another acquaintance and got hooked on hitchhiking. „Why shouldn’t I travel like that always?“

I made headway, my resources were refilled and I was ready for the next kilometers.While sun was burning and rain was pelting I trudged for some days over green hills and through too deep puddles. I got to know many nice new people. Step by step I converged to the lower part of the island.

Finally, I arrived at the southern tip. My tour was over . I was full of impressions and a little uneasy feeling about having to leave. Again I stood in the middle of nowhere, wet to the skin and I had to get back to the city.

Thumbs up! Jonathan was stopping. He was a business man driving a ‚Lexus‘ with a black leather bag and wearing a coat and tie. „Heya, need a lift?“ With stupid prejudices stuck in my head I got into the car: „ A person like this in such an expensive is going to give me a lift? – Eeh okay!“ During the next hour told me a bunch of great hitchhiking stories in his past. We talked about movies and playing bagpipes. Finally he dropped me and slipped 10 pounds into my hand, which I should spend on some beers „ Damn it!“. He left with the words: „Most about life you learn, when you‘re doin‘ nothing.“

I think I haven’t met a person, that impressed me like him, for a very long time. Thank you for this unique experience!

 

 

 

TR-Advent calender #6

/in ,

15293395_914302358671387_2002830656_oHo,ho,ho- here we go! Christmas time is coming and before we hitchhike home for Christmas (haha…) we want to present you the first Advent calendar on tramprennen.org! Every day until Christmas (or even longer) we want to present one story about the first time we used the best way to travel: hitchhiking! Have fun with the stories! And you are more than welcome to add your own experience! Just send it to gro.nennerpmart@ofni! Whoop,Whoop!

 

#6: Max

“A hitchhiking-Race? My acquaintance from Hamburg have been participating in this already for several years? I can support this by donation? So all for a kind of charity? For Viva con Agua and ProAsyl? I’ve never heard of that before.” Me, summer 2015.

Did I think about me also participating in that race to Bulgaria one year later? Not really! Until I met this friend again in Hamburg in December and got to see all the photos she made of last year’s race to Albania. I saw dusty roads and heavy backpacks. But, mainly I saw lovely, happy people, who spread happiness all around. And I thought: Tramprennen 2016 – I’m with you!

My first real hitchhiking experience was a 2 days trip for the Easter Competition. And although we needed public transportation for the last few kilometers my hitchhiking fire has been burning since then. For the race in summer 2016 I used Tramprennen’s nice little feature called ‘Hitchmate x-change’for looking for a hitchmate that preferably lives in a city nearby, because I wanted to meet her before starting a race lasting 2 weeks. It worked out, and we were ready to rock.

Finally, on a sunny day I got started not even waiting 3 minutes for the first lift. After picking up my team mate in Dresden we tried to get to Halle (Saale). After waiting for half an hour a pretty chatty British guy, who regularly commutes between Poland and Great Britain, gave us a lift to our destination of the day. In Halle we were heading directly to so called “Hasi” where the premeeting of the race took place. We met already friends and future friends, who also would be on our route. Well, in the end we all got friends.

After not sleeping much and unfortunately losing my hat, we finally got started to our first stage. The destination was a smaller town few kilometers behind Prague. “Should be possible!” I thought. Leaving Halle wasn’t a problem. Our first ride was a free spirit, hitchhiker on his own, even more hippie than we were. He was on his way to Leipzig driving his parents’ car and dropped us at a bigger shopping center, where it shouldn’t be a problem to go on. We talked a lot and he was even interested in participating in the next year. Yeah! When we arrived we saw another team so we decided to have breakfast. The other team got a ride after a few minutes and so we started with high motivation until the police stopped in front of us…Police officer: “Motorway, please move some meters down the road” We:“There is no space to stand and it’s not dangerous in the place we are now.” Police: “500 meters away there is a good place for you to stay!” We: “But all roads join after this place”… He answered with gazing at us so we resignated… We walked to the spot he instructed us, where we were waiting for two hours until we got finally picked up. After a short ride we arrived at the petrol station “Dresdner Tor Süd”, which is the last stop before the exit to the motorway to Prague – slightly dispirited cause we were together with 1, 2, 3 and yes 4 other teams heading to the same direction. However, few minutes later one team caught a lift and so all of us were motivated again. We decided to split up: one team asked at the petrol station, one at the food-store and we tried our luck at the exit of this petrol station for the next 7 hours….

For fighting boredom, we began to count cars until we will give up for this day: “After the next 10 cars we will start looking for a place sleep.” One, Two, Three, Four…and what? Did this car really stop for us? A few minutes later we got our final ride for the day. Two Bulgarian guys with a car transport on their way to Brno. Thats our direction! Directly to our stage destination – Nice! We arrived at 12 p.m. and met the other teams. Emptied of energy but really happy we ended up. So always remember: “The next ride will always come!”