Records

 

Hitchhiking claims

   24 hours hitch-hiking

The longest distances passed on land during the 24 hours period are:

  • 2777 km (1736 miles), according to Pavel Trcala, from Czech Republic. Time 28 November 1998 7:30 a.m. - 29 November 1998 6:30 a.m. The route: Miami to Chicago via Jacksonville (Florida), Savannah (Georgia), Columbia (South Carolina), Asheville (North Carolina), Knoxville (Tennessee), Lexington (Kentucky), Toledo (Ohio), South Bend (Indiana), and Harvey (Illinois). The route was done in five lifts.
  • 2750 km, according to Vladas Sapranavicius, president of International Hitch-hiking Association. Time: 21 August 1996 10 p.m. – 22 August 1996 10 p.m. Web destination counter ViaMichelin gives as expected travel time for Almeria - Potsdam: 24 hours and 51 minutes. The route: Almeria (E) – Murcia (E) – Barcelona (E) – Montpellier (F) – Lion (F) – Frankfurt (D) – Potsdam (D). 4 lifts (Almeria – Montpellier; Montpellier – Lion; Lion – Salzgiter; Salzgiter – Potsdam). The average speed (with waiting for the ride + a cup of beer in the restaurant): 115 km/h. The maximum speed: 170 km/h.
  • 2318.4 km, according to Robert Prins, hitchhiker from the UK. It was done by 4 lifts in Greece, Yugoslavia, Austria and Germany during 20.47 hours. Start of the first lift at the border between Greece and Yougoslavia, end at the Siegburg (south of Koln) motorwy service in Germany. The second lift till Remscheid motorway service, just North of Koln. The third – till Ostetal (before Hamburg) and the fourth – till Hamburg Stillhorn motorway service.

   All life hitch-hiking

The largest hitchhiking experiences have:

  • Benoit Grieu, French hitch-hiker. Started his trip in 1979 and since then all the time on the road. During this trip he has covered about 1,500,000 km. He hitch-hiked some years for more than 100, 000 km/year and he  hitch-hiked currently more than 50, 000 km every year. He travel 3 continents and about 15 countries every year.
  • Alexey Vorov, president of Sant Petersburg Autostop League (PASL). He has covered about 1,130,000 km by hitch-hiking. Hitching experience – from 1982 in Sant Petersburg Autostop League. He is still hitchhiking, so it is not the finished number.
  • Stephan Schlei. He claims 941,500 km

   The longest lift

The longest rides with one car were made by:

  • L.J. Gordon from Western Australia. He started from Whitepark Bay Youth Hostel in Northern Ireland, where four Americans in a Combi Van gave him a lift through Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, France, Andorra and into Spain. They covered an astonishing 7107 km before parting company.
  • Alexey Anofriev from Vladivostok (Russia) hitch-hiked from Vladivostok (23 May, 2001) to Shimanovsk (the finish of the road) and got a lift to Samara there. From Shimanovsk to Shilka on the railroad platform together with a car and from Shilka to Samara by car (Toyota Celica). Totaly it was about 6800 km long lift since 28 May till 4 June! After drivers went to Krasnodar and Alexey to Saint Petersburg. He arrived to Saint Petersburg on 7 June, 2001.
  • Benoit Grieu, French hitch-hiker didi about 6000 km in one lift from Anchorage (Alaska) to San Diego (California).

   The highest speed

The highest speed then lifting was:

  • 310 km/h, according to Andrius Papickas and Viktorija Aksionova from Lithuania. It has happened on April 14, 2004 in Germany, between Fulda and Dresden, when travellers were returning home from Spain. The car was "BMW 550" ("Alpina").
  • 300 km/h, according to Linas Migonis from Lithuania. On June 1, 2007, on the route Berlin - Leipzig he had a lift with 4 seated "Maseratti". The drive has attended a driving lessons of Formula-1 racer.
  • 292 km/h, according to Veit Kuehne from Dresden, Germany. He got a ride with a young driver (car "Audi") on a highway between Dresden and Chemnitz in July 2008.

   The largest sum of money what was given to hitchhiker by the driver

The largest sums, which were given to hitchhiker:

  • 500 DM, according to Sahin Sisic, from Holland.

   The best hitch-hikee (a man who gives a lift)

The largest numbers of lifts were given by:

  • Jim Sanderson (‘Angel’). He has about 5000 photos with the hitchhikers he gave a lift to (mostly in pairs), so he has taken around 7500 people. Mr. Sanderson lives in New Zealand. He has in the 9 years since 1988 filled 7 guest books, 27 address books and dozens of photo albums.
  • Dieter Wesch, the self-styled 'King of Hitchers', who was spending his Sundays patrolling the Autobahn between Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, giving lifts to hitchers stranded at petrol stations. Every hitcher should sign in his guest-book. There was given a number from the guest-book - 8519. It's probably not a last number.

   The largest deviation from the route, done by a hitch-hikee

The largest deviations from the route, done by a hitch-hikee:

  • Neringa Raulusonyte and Kristina Zukaite from Vilnius hitch-hiking. They got a ride at 55 years old German driver of Toyota Corolla, which was going just 50 km, but later he offered them to prolong the lift according to their wishes. driver gave them a ride by the route Berlin - Frankfurt/M - Kobelenz - Luxembourg - Paris - Brusselles - The Netherlands - Hambourg - Berlin - Torun - Kalvarija - Vilnius. Totaly since 29/08/2001 till 04/09/2001 girls covered 4000 km in a same car. So total deviation from driver's route was - 3950 km (drivers way back is not included).
  • 600 km (at least) to one side. It was for three hitch-hikers from the VGTU Tourist Club, Lithuania. The lift was given on the Lithuanian – Polish border. The driver should go to Czech Republic, but after he spoke to one of the hitchhikers, he took them till the Germany border (Szczecin). After the crossing the German border he went back to Poland and after to Czechia. Also he gave them 150 EEK (~11 USD). These hitchhikers were: Vladas Sapranavicius, Jovita Garnyte and Asta Ruzgyte.

   One year hitch-hiking record

The greatest one year experience has:

  • Benoit Grieu, French hitch-hiker during 4 or 5 years (for exemple 1989, 1993, 1995, 1997) has been hitch-hiking more than 100,000 km per year (in 1995 - 113,000 km).
     
  • Alexey Vorov - 78,800 km. It was done in 1991.
     
  • Mike Wakefield from Retford, Nottingham, UK - 48,800 km.

   The farthest point in the North

The farthest point in the North, reached by hitch-hiking was:

  • Island of Dunay, north of Tiksi, North Russia, 73°56'. It was done by Konstantin Savva from Moscow Hitch-hiking School (Russia) and his girlfriend Polina Kuleshova on September 2002.
     
  • Urung-Haia, North Russia, 73°. It was done by Konstantin Savva from Moscow Hitch-hiking School (Russia) on May 2002.
     
  • Tiksi, North Russia, 71° 36'. It was done by Andrey Sapunov and Alexandr Dmitrievskyi from Ukrainen hitch-hiking club "Mainroad" (Ukraine) on autumn 2002.

   The farthest point in the South

The Southest point in the Earth, reached by hitch-hiking was:

  • Scott Base, Antarctica, 77° 51'. Hitchhiker from USA Benjaman Bachelder hitched 5 km from McMurdo Station to Scott Base in December 2005. The same month he even held a seminar on hitchhiking in Antarctica and got a ride in a snowmobile.
     
  • 20 km South from Ushuaia, Argentine, 54° 48'. Arndt Writzel from Germany cut a record of The farthest point in the South. He reached Ushuaia town in southern Argentina in 2001 02 03. Check out the map

   The highest point on the land

The highest point on the land, which was reached by hitchhiking, was:

  • Mountain Everest base camp in Nepal - 5,400 meters. It was done by Czech hitch-hiker Pavel Trcala. He got the ride from Everest Base camp two days after climbing Everest on his return to Kathmandu on 1 June 2005. Later the same place was also conquered by several other hitchhikers: Nuutti Palonen (Finland), Radha Krishnan (India) and Tai Häring (Germany). They also hitch-hiked to Mt Everest base camp from Shigatse in August 2005 and then hitch-hiked to Nepal from Mt Everest

  • Gyatso-La mountain pass in Tibet, on the way from Lhasa to Nepalese border - 5,220 meters. It was done by two Polish hitch-hikers Kinga and Chopin in 11 May 2003.
     
  • The mountain pass in the Andes, South Peru – 5,100 meters. It was done bye Alexey Vorov, president of PASL (n.4) and Mikhail Dutkevich, member of PASL n.29 in May 1993.

   The minimal temperature

The minimal temperature, which was during hitchhiking trip, was:

  • –61°C. It was for hitchhiker Elena Saturova, member of PASL n.49 in January 1992 between Ust’-Nera and Sasuman in East Yakutya, Russia.

   The maximum temperature

The maximum temperature, which was during hitchhiking trip, was:

  • +55°C. It were for hitchhikers, Alexey Vorov, president of PASL (n.4), Andrey Kuritsin, member of PASL n.19, Ol’ga Bandurko, member of PASL n.35 and Andrey Leipi, member of PASL n.36 in summer 1981 near Ashchabad, Turkmenistan.
     
  • +50°C. It were for hitchhikers from Vilnius Hitch-hiking Club expedition to Iran and Pakistan Vladas Sapranavicius and Inga Garnyte in ancient city Bam (S. Iran) in middle of July, 1999.

   Visited countries

The largest number of visited countries have:

  • Benoit Grieu, French hitch-hiker, has been hitch-hiking in about 170 countries.
  • Pavel Trcala, hitch-hiker from Czech republic. He has hitch-hiked in 108 countries.
  • Dainius Kinderis, member of Vilnius Hitch-hiking Club, Lithuania. He has hitch-hiked in 62 countries (Europe, Asia, Africa and North America).

   Slowest hitch between two points

The most slowly hitchers are:

  • Ruth Cleece from UK. She got a half-mile ride taking 45 minutes on a steam-roller.
  • William Innes from Scotland, UK. He got a ride on a milk float on ‘collection’ day and it took 4.5 hours to travel 2 miles from North London to the start of the M1.

   The longest journey

The longest hitchhiking journeys were:

  • Benoit Grieu has been hitch-hiking since 1979 and till now he still hitch-hikes almost every day. During these years he has covered about 1,500,000 km not staying more than 3 months in one place.
  • Expedition “Autocolumbus” by Sant Petersburg Autostop League in 17 February 1992 – July 1993. The trip started 4 hitchhikers: Alexey Vorov, Mikhail Dutkevich, Kiril Baranov and Victor Grigor’ev, but finished only Alexey and Mikhail. The route was around the World via 25 countries in Europe, Asia, South and North America. The length of the route ~83,000 km. The amplitude of temperature was since –55°C till +41°C.

   The longest wait

The longest waiting record was made by:

  • Alexey Vorov. He waited for a lift 6 days in Chucotka, Far North, Russia. During this time he went 50 km by foot after he waited 3 days for the second lift in country Komsomol'skij till got a lift to Majskij (50 km) and after also 3 days of waiting for a third lift. The minimum temperature in his travel was -55°C in country Tyoplyj Kluch  (Chucotka).

All these records will be clarified and there will be more details, concerning these records. If someone has made the similar result please register with all details by sending them to us. Also various new records are welcome.

Also please pay attention to this fact – there are not the officially proven records. There are only claims of hitchers about
their extremes. This list of records is for us – hitchhikers (we should be happy for our colleges, not to be envious!), for novices
who do not know anything about hitching, but they are proud of their only travel abroad.