My name is Rutger, from The Netherlands. I am hitchhiking from the Netherlands to Vietnam.
In April 2019 I started my trip from the Netherlands. The goal is to reach Vietnam in the end of 2019. Therefore I’ve created this World Hitchhiker blog.
Who Am I?
I am Rutger, the blogger behind Worldhitchhiker.com.
- Name: Rutger
- Age: 26
- Nationality: Dutch (The Netherlands)
- Hometown: Groningen
Hitchhiking around the world
Why would you hitchhike around the world? Read what I am doing and why in the bullet points below.
- Why hitchhiking? Because it is always different than you expect. You meet cool people, see nice places and mostly because I was seeking for an adventure.
- When did I start my trip: April 2019
- When do I plan to be in Vietnam: hopefully November 2019
- Where do you go? Check my hitchhike map.
- How many cars so far? Check the hitchhiking statistics.
- Until Plovdiv (Bulgaria) I kept a logbook of my drivers.
- Want to contact me? Please contact me through Facebook or Instagram.
More about me and the hitchhiking
Why hitchhiking? What is the plan? Where do you go? And how? Read all about my hitchhiking below.
When did you start hitchhiking?
In the summer of 2012, with a friend of mine. His brother hitchhiked before.
Why do you hitchhike?
I was looking for an adventure. With hitchhiking always unexpected things happen.
But the best about hitchhiking is meeting new people. You meet a lot of local people and get to know their culture.
Is hitchhiking dangerous?
Of course there’s always a risk. You don’t know the driver and the driver doesn’t know you.
But I didn’t experience it as dangerous. I just use common sense.
Worst thing that happened
The worst thing that happened to me so far is a pick-up attempt of an Turkish woman. If it won’t get worse then I’m okay.
Driver almost naked
Another weird driver was a guy who only wore a Speedo (swimming short). I didn’t see that when I entered his car.
It was in Croatia. During the ride he used Google Translate to ask me if I like nude beaches. I said very clearly that I don’t like it, but it felt quite awkward.
On our way he stopped and did some grocery shopping in a supermarket, in his Speedo! Apparently he didn’t care at all.
Do you have to wait long while hitchhiking?
Not really so far. From The Netherlands until Uzbekistan (12.000+ km) I haven’t waited more than 1,5 hour. Which I am very satisfied with.
What are the best things that happened?
I have been invited for lunch and dinner many times. Furthermore I’ve been invited for barbecues a couple of times.
Sometimes people invite you to stay in there house. Mostly it are the people who make your day.
- Some examples of cool hitchhike experiences:
- Ukrainian dinner, family visits and presents
- Rakija brewing and barbecue in the mountains of Bulgaria
- Barbecue above the clouds in Turkey
- Camping in oasis in the desert of Iran
- Police helps hitchhiking in Iran
- Sleeping in the stars in Turkmenistan
My general hitchhiking experience in Mongolia was great; I made a vlog of it:
What are the best cars?
– Porsche Panamera in Germany (280km/h on the highway)
– Pimped Dolmus in Turkey
– Porsche Cayenne in Armenia
– Many old Lada’s in Armenia
– Old schoolbus in Armenia
Most asked question: are you not afraid?
Sometimes of course. But in general not really.
“The next country is very dangerous”
Sometimes people tell like to tell you that the next country will be very dangerous.
For example all Balkan countries say Albania is dangerous. Than I will be a bit scared when I enter Albania. But mostly after a few cars it’s ok.
Drivers who don’t want to stop
Another situation which makes me scared is people who don’t want to stop.
I had this for example in Iran. The driver got a phone call, he turned around his car, so we drove in the wrong direction.
Then he told with some gestures that he will go in the right direction in 10 minutes.
I told him I wanted to get off. But he didn’t want to stop. So I told him three times very clear I wanted to stop. But he just ignored me.
I ended up pretending that I opened the door. Then he stopped and let me out.
Are you traveling alone? And why? (Very often asked question)
Yes, I travel alone. Sometimes I meet other travelers and hitchhike together with them.
I like solo traveling as you will meet a lot of other people. When you are together with a friend, you’ll meet less people. Furthermore you can just do what you want.
Why Vietnam as your destination?
Just randomly picked. I wanted to hitchhike far away and I like Asia. So I picked a country where I heard good stories about: Vietnam.
What do you do when you arrive in Vietnam?
I don’t know. If I still like hitchhiking at that time, then I might hitchhike further. Maybe I hitchhike back to The Netherlands.
If I am done with hitchhiking, then I might take a rest and fly back to The Netherlands.
