In this post I’ll write some information that one would really need to know for the sake of convience, when hitchhiking in Georgia, Armenia or Turkey.
First of all, about the inventory I took with me.
I wore:
- NovaTour (Adventure) 45l trip bag;
- Technica tracking boots with Gore-Tex (it’s rather crucial to have at least any sort of tracking boots!);
- hiking pants, a t-shirt and a jacket.
In my bag & pockets:
- Passport (of course), $200;
- iPhone 3Gs (without GPS) + headphones (you’ll really need a piece of narrow metal to remove the phone card);
- Galaxy Note 10.1 (with GPS and maps preloaded);
- chargers (probably the most necessary thing);
- a large towel-like plaid;
- several t-shirts, shorts (wore them in hot seaside), warm jacket and ear sets;
- gloves, several pairs of socks, necessary underwear.
I also recommend several apps to use:
- Google Maps (ios, android): map preloading can be done by adjusting the necessary region and simply entering “ok maps” in the search bar);
- Maps With Me (ios, android): here map preloading is mostly free;
- GPS Status (ios, android);
- Converter+ (ios)
- Google Translate (ios, android): available offline (with primary language preloading) on Android tablets;
- Turkish Dictionary (ios, android);
- My Tracks (android): if only you need to record your route;
- Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr: to post the whole stuff!
Important tips:
- Always keep some water with you! At least two 0.5l bottles.
- Use tracking shoes instead of gumshoes, sandals or sneakers. Otherwise you’re going to come up with callous and wounded feet. You can take two pairs, one for long dusty walks, another for hot beaches.
- Also take some extra clothes (not too much), as it’s always very pleasant to wear fresh clothes after taking a shower or having a bath.
- It’s a good idea to turn off the phone and a tablet, while you’re not using them. And turn them on only in cases of need. Don’t forget to charge them everytime you have an opportunity.
- If you are to run out of local money, change your currency as soon as you find an exchange spot. In western Turkey working banks, ATM’s and currency converting points is somewhat rarity. However Turkeys do accept dollars (not euro!) in the majority of stores and supermarkets.
- Don’t take too much money with you, cause the more money you’ll take, the more you will definitely spend. Take the maximum of $15 per day.
- But even if you did take a lot of money in case of some unpredictable circumstances, don’t blow off your money hastily on unworthy and expensive souvenirs without even trying to haggle. Most of sellers are ready to decrease the price twice as low as its primary cost.
- The last notation can be applied even in hotels, as they do NOT have a fixed price for a room, especially, when they’re nearly empty.
- Hitchiking works everywhere, you just need to be more patient. Never agree imediately to pay for giving a lift, you’ll definitely find another car, who’ll hitchhike you.
- For the most efficiency, you should stop for a hitchiking only when you reach the very border of the city, where the highway starts.
- After about 1am it may be quite hard to pick up the car (but not impossible), so if you see that the cars are getting to rare on the road (like 1 per 10 minutes) it’s a good idea to find a motel to spend the night.
- When stopping the car it’s a useful tip to name the following city on the highway (not the place where you go), especially if the destination point is too far away.
- And the last tip of course, never ever plan your trip! Cause it’s too boring… Trust the chance and randomness and you’ll get the maximum of pleasure from traveling!