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Have you ever hitchhiked? Most Filipinos havenโt, if only because there is a lot of public transportation here. For destinations unreachable by local jeepneys, there are pedicabs (pedal-powered, three-wheeled vehicle) and tricycles (gasoline-powered), not to mention skylabs (single motorcycles which can seat up to seven persons) and rail carts.
Still, some tourists have tried. Artyom Babayan, a 25-year-old musician, traveler, and journalist from Armenia, is used to hitchhiking in Europe and Asia, and he also did it when he traveled to Northern Philippines. ย He started hitchhiking on the North Luzon Expressway, got picked up by the police there (pedestrians are not allowed on NLEX) and got dropped off in the national road where he hitchhiked his way to Ifugao Province. He was a foreigner, and that attracted the attention of people who offered him free rides in cars, jeepneys, and even commercial buses.
The one thing he remembers most was when he was entering the Cordilleras. The local police helped him flag down a military truck, and he rode with two soldiers, with the muzzle of the M-16 pointing at him. He got a bit scared but he got over it when they began singing Beatles songs.
โImagine me in a military truck riding in Cordilleras with two soldiers holding an M-16,โ he said, โsinging together โAll you need is love, all you need is love.โ That kind of a ride is something that I will never forget.โ
Ori, a 31-year-old German traveler and also another Couchsurfing member, tried to hitchhike in Cebu and Negros. Unfortunately, it didnโt work out. According to him, there was a lot of local traffic and he thought that given all the hassles, short distance travel was just not worth the effort.
If you do choose to hitchhike here, travel writer Edgar Alan Zeta Yap gives the following tips:
- If possible, donโt hitchhike alone.
- Choose vehicles that you can easily hop on and off, like pick-ups or trucks.
- Establish a connection with the driver (and passengers, if any). Start a friendly conversation.
- Trust your gut feel about people. If the person/s who offers you a ride creeps you out, find a smart excuse to decline the offer or, if you are in the vehicle, to get off.
- Be alertโdonโt fall asleep!
Do you have any hitchhiking tips and stories to tell? Please feel free to share it with us here!
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38 Comments. Leave new
Thanks for sharing this! I’m sure one day I will hitchhike to the Philippines. ๐ Here in Norway I realized that hitchhiking is not always fun (when it’s -30ยฐC outside and you have to camp a second night out because no car stops the whole day). But then it’s just so rewarding when you get a ride by some lovely locals who invite you to their home and serve you the most tasty meal you could think of.
hey, does anybody know how long it took to the guy to get to Ifugao? From Manila it takes 12hrs, hitching could be much better option…thanks
I just did last weekend in Ifugao. I never thought it would be possible here in the Philippines. The guy was amazed I was travelling alone and he treated me to lunch.
Thank you for this blog..Just to remind everybody and give a boast that hitchhiking is easy here in the Philippines.I’ve traveled around South of Palawan last April to May 2013(one month and 12 days in total)and hitching as my mode of transportation.Even went to Malaysia by boat from Balabac(end part of Palawan).I can help if you one to do the same thing..Happy travel!!!
Cheers!!!
I’ve hitchhiked Negros for a few days alone. It’s fun. Will do another one but this time from North to South.:)
@ Patrick: Thanks for dropping by my site, Patrick. Will you let me know how your hitchhiking will go? Would love to meet you and your wife when you’re back here in the PI!
Love the articles as the other day I was preparing to get ready to go back again ๐ I have done the bus-plane-boats.but this time (alone once again) I shall take the rail & hichhike too……looking for someone to share my heart & soul with! I shall look nowhere else than Phipippines for my Pinay Etcom! Thank you for all that share on this page~ Take care & God bless , Patrick Duffey
@ Urban Pinay: I’d wanted to hitchhike in Europe also but I never got the chance. It was just too cold! ๐
Hitchhiking used to be a scary thing. But today, it is less so. Still, I would be a bit wary hitch hiking in places with a few people. Well, your post shows how it can be a lot of fund. But it is always a good thing to always be careful and keep your eyes on the lookout all the time.
@ Ivy: When we are traveling solo, it really becomes easier for us to approach others and talk to them. This worked in your case. If you had been with friends, the driver probably wouldn’t have taken you on. Thanks for dropping by!
i did. when i had a 10-day solo backpacking, i passed by puerto galera first. i was with a fellow CSโer in Tamaraw Falls and Iโm heading to Calapan while Aldrinโs going back to Puerto. Its hard to hail a ride from that place to Calapan because almost all jeepneys from the downtown are full when passing Tamaraw Falls. When a van with tourists stopped there for a photo op, i asked the driver if i could hitchhike and fortunately he allowed me. Thanks to the B-Meg staffs. =)
@ Cedric: That was a nice experience, and you got free (expensive) bread too!
@ Love 2 type: I know a good friend (female) who hitchhiked in Europe alone. Am interviewing her and writing a post about it. She would tell you that HH can be done by women, too, even solo travelers ๐
i haven’t tried hitchhiking yet. Not sure if this is adviseable for women travelling alone unless she’s a kung fu expert perhaps
I hitchhiked once! I met a Gardenia truck driver at the Batangas port. He took me in and dropped me off Caticlan. Got some bread too for snacks!
@ Yodz: I am very shy, too, that’s why hitchhiking will really take me out of my comfort zone. I have to prepare psychologically for it first hehe
@ Monica: Thank you for sharing your post. I did read it (and left a comment) and I hope I can do the same in Europe in the near future! ๐
@ Junk: Yeah, OTOH, don’t share how to bypass ferry fees. It could be illegal. hehe. Good idea to hit the markets, if you’re friendly enough, there are a lot delivery trucks there which can drop you off. Besides, those guys are hungry for company. May not be a good idea for women though!
bypassing ferry fees.. hmmm kinda hard thing to let out hehehe.. for land lift best thing to do is to go and talk locals in market area, markets are best place to lift a ride, markets are drop points of crops delivery vehicles, just vibe & jive the locals, markets are lovely..best spot to grab food on your journey..
I tried in November 2023 and my god is it tough for a 35yr old white male. Got caught out a few times by private motorcyclists, thought they were doing good deed/being nice and helpful only to demand payment at end of ride.
Many private cars wouldn’t pick me up, or truck drivers. Many trycycled/jeepneys/tuktuk stopped even though I was showing thumb, became exhausting and frustrating.
Success to effort ratio didn’t really make it worth it, especially in humid hot environment. Totally different to what hitchwiki and other bloggers have said. Hitched all over world and easily most frustrating country to hitch for me.
Sorry to hear about your experience, Jim. The thing is, public transport in the Philippines is cheap and tricycles, for example, take you directly to your destination. These don’t make hitchhiking popular in the country. Years ago, the novelty of it probably made people stop more, but I’m guessing it has worn off. Hope you still had a good time in the country though!
@ Junk: Do share how to hitchhike in the ferries ๐ Re picture, just go to Gravatar.com and sign up there. Next time you’ll comment on a WordPress blog like mine, your profile pic will be shown.
add up.. ferry rides most dificult part!! secret part to share ^_^..
how do i post a pic
mhhhhh.. hitchn here in phil is easy… all you need is an wide knowledge on how to be a “LOKAL” ung tipong kaya mo sumabay sa utak ng driver..””
the most difficult part is waiting for vehicle to stop by.. but if they stop it means they are welcoming you to a lift.. yeah Lift’n for girls are risky..the best way is to hitch is by solo or by two..
@ Anton: I will try HH solo some time. I don;t think it’s as dangerous as we think it is. ๐
@ Lois: Good luck on that. Looking forward to read your post about that!
@ Jerik: Bait ng driver to pick all of you up!
@ Olan: Yes to HH! hehe
never tried HH but would love too. ๐
Hi Aleah, it was kinda late na kc, so very scarce na ang transportation. so when this jeepney passed by, we asked if we could hitch, we’re glad they let us… hehehe!!! what do u mean, pick up hitchhikers? im not familiar… hehehe!!!
Great tips Aleah! Haven’t tried this yet. But we’re looking forward to trying this out in SE Asia. Maybe we can hitchhike from Chiang Mai to Pai soon. That would be a great post. Hope we survive…
uo– I don’t suggest this talaga kung ako lang. tayo ngang mga locals minsan ilag eh.lalo ako—scary.buti nalng walang nangyaring bad sa kanya. adventrous talaga no?hahaha
@ Chyng: According to hitchhikers I’ve talked to, those fears are unfounded. Filipinos who pick them up are very friendly and very kind. I guess it’s just the bad luck of some travelers eh?
@ Pinoy Adventurista: Hmm…seven seems a lot. Did anyone pick you up? hehe
@ Red: Are people open to pick up hitchhikers? I want to do that there someday.
My friend and I hitch-hiked from Malmรถ to Amsterdam during easter.
It was our first trip hitch-hiking, and it was awesome! It will definitely happen again, next weekend we will hitch-hike to Stockholm and in summer we’ll probably go to France.
Must be an awesome and exciting way in visiting far places. Hope I can try it someday, but I guess it’s too risky and you need a little bit of social skills and boyscout talent – which I guess I don’t have…yet.
And I agree with other comments… pinoy hitchhiking in the Philippines will not be fun.
I’ve NEVER hitchhiked! Downunder here in OZ it was really popular in the 70’s, and we’ve noticed it’s becoming really popular again. Although if you pass someone by these days, they’re a lot more likely to shout abuse or give you the finger …
i always HH when possible… its the best experience in my solo travels
We tried it in Marinduque for the first time just last holy week. We were seven, so we were not scared. We were more scared of how the driver drove his jeepney… hahaha!!!
hhmm good and fun way to enjoy travel immersion. sounds risky though, specially he’s a foreigner. baka manakawan sya or maloko since he’s not familiar with the place.
i’d still go with Dancing Matt ^_^
@ Grace: Yeah, I interviewed them through email. Haven’t tried it yet but planning to do so abroad, not here.
@ Happy Sole: That was my impression too, and I hope as well someone pinoy would share his stories of hh.
@ Claire: That’s actually my main reason for not hitching here. But maybe I’ll try it if I am in a liblib place with not so many public transport.
Yeah I agree with this one, one reason why hitchhiking in our country isn’t worth all the trouble is that the cost of transportation is really cheap. There is always a willing jeepney or tricycle in sight. (It’s also easier for a guy to hitchhike than a solo female traveler)
I think it’s easier for foreigners to hitchhike around the country than Pinoys. Pinoys are usually partial to helping out a stranded white person rather than a dugyot-looking Pinoy. sa tingin ko lang naman. hopefully, testimonials of Pinoy who have tried hitchhiking in the country can disprove my theory. hehehehe
This is so interesting. Did you interview them? I have never tried to hitchhike because you know I think it is dangerous for girls to do so. Have you ever hitchhiked?