A month ago, my doorbell rang and four 12-year old girls in red GirlScout blouses asked me if their group could stay the night at my place.
I wondered if it was a prank, but it turned out that was the way the Belgian Scouts went on hikes. A group would be 14 kids ( ages 12-16) and two guides ( aged 18-25) .
They would go to a neighbourhood in a strange city, split up in groups of four, and go door-to-door, to find a place where they whole group could stay for the night. They reckoned that is was cheaper this way, but also more fun, and that it would train the scouts in adressing and assessing people. And taht they would meet interesting people his way and stay in novel places.
When I saw the group in the neighborhood park ten minutes later, they told me they had already found a place, a house in my street “with a large attic”.
I must say, I like the idea. It is certainly more of a positive adventure then just checking in at a youth hostel or something like that.
A guy here. Occasionally I hitchhiked, in my younger days. Usually when I was on a Marine Corps base (Pendleton, Le Jeune). Today, on occassion I do pick up hitchhikers. If you can be safe and are comfortable doing it, then do so.
Speaking of picking up hitchhikers, I’m reminded of the funny Bud Light commercial of the chain saw murderer hitchhiking by the side of a road. In his bloody hands are a chain saw and a 6-pack of Bud Light.
The wife and passenger in the car, eyes wide, asks, “What??!! You’re going to pick him up???!!!”
The husband and driver says, “But he has Bud Light!”
I hitchhiked a lot when I was in college a thousand miles from home. Quickest way to get there, back in those days. I could beat the Greyhound bus home.
In the 70s I hitched all over South Africa, people were delighted to pick up travelers.
I hitched this year in Australia, when I missed my bus. I was at a roadhouse, and close enough to Darwin that there were several cars per hour, and most stopped to stretch their legs., so I just asked people for a lift, and got a ride right to my hotel.
Most countries are civilized, and hitching can be done quite safely.