Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking waiting times worldwide with uncertainties of estimation (2024) - based on data from Hitchmap
A man and woman hitchhiking near Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1936, photograph by Walker Evans
A man with an outstretched thumb and a sign indicating his destination.

Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free.