Hitching
always involves
an element of
risk, but it can
also be one of
the most
rewarding ways
to travel -
especially if
you can speak at
least elementary
conversational
Spanish. It is
getting more
tricky to hitch
in Argentina:
some truck
drivers are
prohibited by
company rules
from picking you
up; others are
reluctant as it
often
invalidates car
insurance or you
become the
liability of the
driver. And in
general, it is
not advisable
for women
travelling on
their own to
hitch, or for
anyone to head
out of large
urban areas by
hitching: you're
far better off
catching a local
bus out to an
outlying service
station or road
checkpoint and
trying from
there. In the
south of the
country,
hitching is
still generally
very safe. In
places such as
Patagonia, where
roads are few
and traffic
sparse, you'll
often find
yourself part of
a queue,
especially in
summer. Always
travel with
sufficient
reserves of
water, food,
clothes and
shelter: you can
get stranded for
days in some of
the more
isolated spots.