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Autor - Valeri Shanin :
Translated into English by Eric Nag-Eye
Now it is probably impossible to know into whose head there has come an idea to stand on the roadside and to raise a hand. But hitch-hiking, or autostop, as a public movement, has already 75 years history. It appeared at the beginning of the twenties in America in the car boom times. At that times there appeared a notion, which became to be generally accepted in English-speaking countries - "hitch-hiking". - a lock-on; - walk of journey, wandering. Thereby, hitch-hiking is considered to be a displacement by using any fellowing transport means: cars, buses, train, planes, ships...
In sixties hitch-hiking, under the name of autostop, appears in the Soviet Union too. It was established an enourmous organization, named "Autostop", which had a local regional branches in all country. According to official data it consisted of circa 80 thousand members. Also it was thought out original method i?eaoiai of financings of movement and raising of attractiveness of hitch-hiking among drivers. Each hitchhiker before roaming on the road had to gain special pocket-book with coupons. One pocketbook by the cost of 1 rouble was sufficient for 500 kilometers of way aproximately. Filled coupons, in which, with precision to within 10 kilometers, was a cancelling past distance, hitch-hiker returned to driver. Driver has sent collected coupons to "Autostop", where they were played as ticket lottery. On them it was possible to win valuable bonuses and prizes, including even cars and motorcycles.
In 70-s organization of hitchhikers became remind of beurocratical den and split, and hitch-hiking movement decayed. Only individual enthusiasts, creating general surprise, prolonged to travel on the limitless ranges of the Soviet Union.
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New wave of fascination by the hitch-hiking arised at the beginning of 90-s. This, in many cases, was connected with that, that for the first time during many years ordinary Soviet people got a chance to leave for abroad. And simultaneously it turned out that the majority of them simply had no money for such trips. Afterwards economic default broke out, as a result of what all a little bit intelligent people - physicians, teachers, scientists - found thenselves in a situation of penniless students. But delays in payment of salaries and bankruptcy of enterprises have left workers without money.
Now 80% of population of Russia can not fly not only by plane, but even go by train. Optimists do believe that such situation should not last always, and circa through twenty years we would travel around world as some rich American old women. But impatient fans of journeys can not expect. And for it now hitch-hiking is a single real way out of this situation. Finally, as it is well known, this is absolutely free way of displacement. But it is impossible to say that they make hitch-hiking because of only despair. hitch-hiking is a unique possibility to see a surrounding world and test themselves. That's why hitch-hiking possesses not not only ordinary or post-graded students , who want, for example, to visit a scientific conference abroad under the full absence of money for trip, or enthusiastic traveliers, intented greatly to reduce road expenses, but as well the seekers of adventure.
Fascination by hitch-hiking is alike infecting by the influenza. No concrete knowledges and preliminary information for the journey by hitch-hiking is not required, but usually person starts hitch-hiking only after contact with already "infected": accidentally having read a book or newspaper about hitch-hiking, having looked TV or having talked to his friend, who had had com from hitch-hiking journey. How one guy said: "I liked to travel whole of my life. Whole winter had I spared money for one trip by train in summer. And here I got the book " hitch-hiking". During one summer I've managed to visit all places, about which I had dreamt for several years. And I even managed to spare some time". But Eugene Zasekan and Victor Fedotov from Kouznetsk once saw hitch-hikers in the TV programme "The Endless Journey" for the first time: "All of them were in the yellow T-shirts on. So, when we decided to go to the Groushin Festival, we started to find such T-shirts. We failed to do it. That's why, had to buy white ones and paint them yellow". So rows of hitchhikers are renewed by new enthusiasts, who in their turn also become a source of for their own friends. But establishing of hitch-hiking organizations turns a spreading of hitch-hiking to the real "epidemics".
Creation of "School of hitch-hiking"
I liked to travel whole of my life. As a student I accompanied geologists to Siberia and Kamtchatka - not to earn, but to see world. In 1983, I absolutely accidentally discovered hitch-hiking - the best, to my mind, way of roaming.
For several years I travelled hitch-hiking nearly all republics of the USSR (except Kirgizia and Tajikistan), but in 1991 became to travel hitch-hiking abroad. Returning from roamings, I willingly shared my experience with friends. And once upon a time Stas Rayevsky, my colleague -psychologist, gave me an idea to organizine "Coarses of hitch-hiking " for the hitch-hikers, beginning to travel gratis. In announcement to launch these courses (in April 1994) there was a responce only from the beginners, but as well as from experienced, advanced travelliers. But after publishing of book "hitch-hiking: Travelling Gratis across The US and Europe" I began to get letters from readers with requests to advise on concrete technical questions and offers on the personal meeting. So circle of accomplices became to increase, like snow avalanche.
In June 1995, "School of hitch-hiking " was officially registered as a nonprofit organization, with all correspondence attributes: seal, bank account (bank soon ravaged, but to transfer a zero count to other bank was useless), certificates (well, still we don't have membership fees yet), uniform (yellow T-shirts with an emblem).
During 5 years of existance of "School of hitch-hiking " nearly 300 persons became its members. Some of them became "professional hitch-hikers, others travelling hitch-hiking only during summer vocations or student holidays. On regular weekly meetings constantly new people come: for consultations before the trip across certain country, with the desire to share their hitch-hiking impressions or to find a partner for future trip, for to take part in competitions and expeditions.
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