So you decided to go for your first hitchhiking adventure, you may have a specific place to want to get to, a definite destination of sorts or even just a vague idea of a direction ("the mediterranean, Africa, etc.") - Great! 

You have some free time on your hands and no responsibilities in the coming days and possibly weeks -  Awesome!

<center>![sunset.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmS9yxz5j8uYoUF2vx9FyFP3oEps8i3nMPa8hwq4x9kkQr/sunset.jpg)</center>

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## <center>Eliminating stressers</center>

<br>As a hitchhiker you always want enough time with you to allow for the unforeseen, hitchhiking is best done when you have no fixed required arrival date because the travel might take longer than you expected and putting these sorts of time pressures on yourself will make hitchhiking incredibly hard because it's not as easy to surrender to the flow if you constantly feel the pressure in the back of your mind which in turn will make people much less likely to want to pick you up. 

If you have ever had a good day and had stressed people around you you can imagine why that is - nobody wants to put themselves at risk to being dragged down by someone who is stressed and negative, this goes especially for your potential drivers. 

***Stress*** on hitchhikinng trips can get you into terrible spirals of stagnation, which is why you want to avoid stressers as much as possible and reduce their effect on your spirit whenever possible.

If you are travelling to a festival in another country (like I have done a few times) it's a great idea to aim to arrive early at the festival grounds, rather than "just in time" for the opening. Aiming for an extra 2-3 days early arrival is a great idea and - of course- depends largely on the distance you are travelling to begin with. Better to arrive early and meet other people than to risk missing the opening entirely and putting that time stress factor on your travels.

<center>![clock.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRCb6UZzRyUyPGmGJ4ZcmT9XHtcr9oD3qGNgRXSNyRi7L/clock.jpg)</center>

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## <center>On distances</center>

<br>If you asked me for a general rule of thumb as to how much you can cover in a day from morning to nighttime I would estimate somewhere between 200 km to 400 km is definitely doable, if we are talking about highways and roads where lots of cars travel. In rural areas this might be different, but in most high-tech nations in Europe for example this can easily be achieved.

Crossing cities can take longer as you will need to find connections to the highway going your chosen direction beyond the city and this can often times take longer than going massive distances on highways alone where people usually travel greater distances themselves, rather than commuting.

Also note that these estimates can be wildly outpaced once you really get into the flow of things - I have done 600 km (~372 miles) in one day in one ride once, crossing most of Germany. Another time I have hitched a ride from the North of Italy, crossing the alps and going all the way to Northern Germany in one go, crossing a whopping 1100 km or so (~683 miles). A good friend of mine has successfully hitchhiked in one car from the South of Germany to Barcelona (Spain) which is equivalent to a hitchhiker's homerun of about 1300 km (~808 miles), but again - you do not want to expect these kinds of results. Better to be surprised than disappointed. If you are somehow able to find people taking you these distances hitchhiking can actually be a way faster mode of travel than taking busses or public transport. It can also be very hassle free once you surrender to the flow of things as you have no car to take of, nowhere to be in an hour and the ability to change your mind along the way as to what you want to do next.

<center>![detour.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNgZUPLKnBA4woPnFSEwwb3uuc4BeJCjuJ9a2yjSaGeyG/detour.jpg)</center>


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## <center>Mind & body preparation</center>

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You also want to make sure you get a really good night of sleep before your departure as hitchhiking can be quite demanding on the body and deep, relaxing sleep is somewhat of a luxury on the road. *Possible,* but still not what you want to put emphasis on when you are out there.

Try to go to bed early and take it easy on yourself the days before you leave so you are in an optimal condition to travel - both from a body and mind perspective.

You also want to go to bed early because it's best to start your hitchhiking trip ***early in the morning,*** ideally as soon as the sun is up or when people start going to work. If you can manage to get your first ride with someone just going on their general commute you will have made a perfect start. 

I generally recommend starting in the morning, noon at the latest, because you want to build momentum on the first day. If you start later than noon you will probably not go very far on your first day which can feel a bit discouraging, and there really is nothing better than finding out after your second ride that it's only 1 pm, when you find yourself at a rest stop a good distance away from where you started. It will greatly add to your positive momentum and I totally recommend starting off in this manner to effortlessly get into the hitchhiking-experience, rather than the lazy late hitchhiker who shows up late when the early commuters are through and he is questioning his plan because nobody wants to pick him up.

There is also something to be said about the varying energetics of people on different (bio)rythms. Though this more apparent on dancefloors than on the highway, I find that people connect with me way easier if our bodies are on the same "schedule". If you have pulled an all-nighter you may find that people who just got up in the morning will look at you like you were some kind of alien, and they will feel really off from where you are at energetically. Get into the commuter's rhythm for your hitchhike - rise early, go to bed early to be ready for the next day and magic will surely come your way.

<center>![hammock.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZjUBFc7RoLH1eHoJVZC744sj8oqXWPnfoPgtbrjE9i5Y/hammock.jpg)</center>







<br>*In the next part of this series we will take a look at the material preparations that can help you get much better results on your journeys, stuff to pack, things to have ready and the general gear you should have with you if you plan on going large distances across serveral days.*

But remember: No material preparation can help you if your mind is not rested and you are overly stressing yourself.

Take care of your mental and bodily needs first and the rest will easily follow <3

<br><center>*To be continued...*</center>

<br><center>*Come read other parts of this series:*</center><center>*[The Prospect & The Challenge - Foreword](https://steemit.com/hitchhiking/@paradigmprospect/hitchhiker-s-guide-to-actuality-or-the-prospect-and-the-challenge-foreword)*
*[Part 1 | Preparation - Tackling Fears & Hugging The Unexpected](https://steemit.com/hitchhiking/@paradigmprospect/hitchhiker-s-guide-to-actuality-or-part-1-or-preparation-tackling-fears-and-hugging-the-unexpected)*</center>




<br><center>*Image sources:*</center><center><sub>*[unsplash.com](https://unsplash.com/photos/lkNl4Vbqo6g)
[unsplash.com](https://unsplash.com/photos/umLlSREhfp0)
[unsplash.com](https://unsplash.com/photos/hxUnNtWIjso)
[unsplash.com](https://unsplash.com/photos/9_n9e0ZeSrQ)*</sub></center>

<br><center>Thanks for stopping by <3</center>