Hitchhiking in India: The ultimate guide

Here at Meet us on the Road, we’re no strangers to hitchhiking. Having travelled all over Asia, hitchhiking wherever possible, we’ve learnt a thing or two about how, when and importantly why you should try hitchhiking on your next adventure. Not only will you save money on public transport, you will probably have some of the most memorable and authentic experiences of your entire travels! Hitchhiking lets you connect with locals in a way that few people will really experience, and in our opinion is one of the best things you can do. This is our full guide for hitchhiking in India!

Note: This article applies to India only, and whilst all experiences in this article are our own, your experience may differ. Exercise common sense and caution at all times, and if you get bad vibes from a car that stops, wait for another one. Don’t take any unnecessary risks! If in doubt, check the Hitchwiki here.

Why hitchhike in India?

Our hitchhiking journey started in Thailand as a way to save money (read more about that here), and this still serves as one of the main benefits of hitchhiking in general. Whilst a 5-6 hour bus journey might cost you between 500-1000 rupees (5-10 euros) in India, hitchhiking is completely free! Not only this, but from our experience, Indian bus journeys are often uncomfortable, cramped and potentially dangerous! (Indian bus drivers are some of the craziest we have ever experienced). Compare this to the back of a nice air conditioned SUV, and hitchhiking becomes a no brainer!

Note: Bus safety in India is a real issue, and whilst we may joke about comfort in a bus compared to an SUV, bus accidents do happen frequently in India. In areas such as Himachal Pradesh there are multiple bus accidents daily, with some leading to loss of lives. In general, paying slightly more for a private bus company with AC versus a state bus usually also leads to improved safety. We chose to hitchhike in Himachal Pradesh specifically to avoid safety issues with buses!

Other than just saving money, hitchhiking allows you to connect with like minded locals and have some authentic local experiences and conversations with them. We met many lovely people during our hitchhiking efforts in India that invited us to their houses, offered us Chai (tea) and shared some really useful information and tips with us on places to visit and things to do, that we could only have learned from a local!

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Where is it safe to hitchhike in India?

In our opinion, if you use common sense and exercise caution, hitchhiking can be safe almost anywhere. Generally we try to avoid large, populated cities and stick to quieter roads outside of busy areas. In New Delhi we would not even attempt it! 

Areas where Indians go on holiday themselves, such as Kerala, Goa, and Himachal Pradesh, are great options as you will likely find many Indian people on holiday driving their own vehicles from big cities such as Chandigarh or New Delhi. These people are more likely to give you a lift compared to those who remain in town. Areas where tourism, both domestic and international, is low, are likely not the best places to try hitchhiking.

In this mapping, we ranked the regions we visited according to our perceived level of security.

The green zones on the map are tourist hot spots; the mountain regions are particularly quiet and less chaotic. In these areas we found it easy to find lifts and felt very safe. The yellow areas are touristy but more intense regions to visit, due to the amount of people and local culture / customs. We recommend greater vigilance in these regions, especially near cities. Red zones are regions where we do not recommend hitchhiking, as there are issues with safety and the practice of hitchhiking is not widely known.

If you need to try hitchhiking in a large city, you can do so close to police officers or a police station for extra security. You will likely have many tuk-tuks and taxis stopping for you, but if you persist you should be able to find a lift (you can also ask a driver that stops to bring you further away from the city centre, or to a gas station, where it should be easier to catch a lift). Alternatively you can just take public transport to the edge of town and then start hitchhiking from there. It is likely much easier and quicker, and you can avoid the chaotic Indian city centres!

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How to hitchhike in India?

1. Stick to daytime, and don’t travel at night

Travelling in the safety of daylight is the only way we would recommend hitchhiking in India. You should aim to start as early as possible if you intend to travel a long distance. If you need to travel very long distances, with journey times of 12 hours plus, it often pays to take a sleeper bus or sleeper train. Not only are these more comfortable, they offer you the ability to sleep through the long journeys!

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2. Don’t use a sign

We have always preferred the “No sign” method, both in India and anywhere else. Standing on the side of the road and sticking out your thumb works just fine, and you will likely stop more people than using a sign with your final destination on it. In our experience it is better to ask the people that stop where their final destination is, then jump in if they’re headed in the same direction you need to.

3. Stand on the main road out of town

Position yourself on the only road out of town in the direction you need to go. This sounds like common sense, but we tried for a while to hitchhike from the centre of towns or cities, and whilst people may stop, most will just be running errands around town. If you go to the edge of town and stand on the main road, the only traffic going past will likely be people making long journeys.

4. Beware the yellow licence plates!

In India, taxis, trucks and government vehicles have yellow licence plates. Generally you want to avoid getting a lift in these, as they will often expect you to pay afterwards. You can catch a ride in the back of a truck, but expect your journey to take much longer than if you took a car (but it is still a fun experience)! Some of the 4x4s you see with yellow licence plates don’t look like taxis, but often are. If in doubt you should always confirm with the driver before getting in that the lift is indeed for free!

Top tip: Even avoiding the yellow license plates, you can still run into issues where people expect payment. We hitched a ride from Manali to the mouth of the valley in a tourists car, and he demanded payment afterwards much to our surprise. Confirm with the driver before getting in that the lift is for free!

5. You can afford to be picky

Be picky with the ride that you take, don’t jump in the first car that stops! If you are intending to hitchhike for a long distance, you can afford to say no to a few ride offers if they look uncomfortable or cramped. People in India love to stop to offer you a lift, and waiting times won’t be long, but if the option is between the back of a truck or an air conditioned 4×4 car with empty seats, your back will thank you for choosing the latter.

If you happen to get into a car and realise afterwards that it feels unsafe, don’t be afraid to ask them to stop and let you out. A few times we got a lift and the driver was driving recklessly, or speaking on the phone and not paying attention to the road, so we decided to get out and take another car. You can just use an excuse like you need to use the bathroom or want to stop to eat.

Is it safe to hitchhike in India as a female solo traveller?

Generally yes, but with some extra caution and vigilance. Some parts of India are known to be less safe for women, and hitchhiking alone could lead to risks. Take a look at the map above to see which areas are the safest and which areas are best to be avoided. If you find yourself in the red zones and want to hitchhike, one tip is to go to a hostel and find other people and hitchhike with them!

All the recommendations we have listed in the article so far are valid for everyone, but even more so for solo female travellers. Below we have some specific rules to follow for solo female travellers to make your experience as safe as possible:

• Avoid hitchhiking in the evening or the dark. Start travelling in the morning if you need to go a long distance, and stop before it gets dark.
• Always make sure you stand in crowded areas, where there are houses, restaurants or hotels. In this way, if problems arise you can ask for help.
• India is a conservative country in terms of clothing, and it is best not to attract attention with short or tight clothes. Favour long trousers and loose t-shirts.
• Prefer couples or families for a lift, especially for long distances. In general, avoid accepting rides from groups of single men.
• Make sure your phone is charged, in case you need to call or update someone about your location.
• If you have accepted a lift from a man, do not hesitate to ask to get off if you feel uncomfortable. You can make up an excuse, such as that you need to use the toilet, or simply ask to get off.
• If a guy starts making strange requests, do not be afraid to be rude, refuse, and say that you are married (even if it is not true).
• To increase your safety, consider buying pepper spray to use in the case of a real emergency.

Need to know! Your FAQs on Hitchhiking in India answered

Did you find out hitchhiking guide for India useful? Leave us a comment down below and let us know! Planning your own trip to India, or already had positive or negative experiences hitchhiking in India (or anywhere else?). We’d love to hear about it!

For more articles on India, check out the rest of the blog.