For me the period of November till the beginning of March hitchhiking is sometimes a bit less easy, especially if the trip starts after work. Next Sunday wintertime starts. The clock goes back one hour. One hour less light means that hitching with the “thumb” method, standing on the roadside, becomes much less effective when the clock strikes 6 pm. As weather conditions in October and November tend to be less good the chances of getting rides drop further. In contrast with the warm days, drivers tend to open their windows less quickly; the cabriolets to which it is so easy to yell “hey, can I go along with you” during traffic jams or on rest areas in summer are nowhere to be seen.

Snow gives a lot of contrast! A hitchhiker is so easily seen! Besides that, if there is a lot of snow, traffic often goes slow, and it becomes easy to stop for a hitcher. Of course there is a backside. The hitcher should take care ~ like anyone ~ because the roads get slippery.

But it is not all that bad. If just I start during the period with daylight I will usually make it. Once I go it may become dark, since I’ll only change cars on motorway service areas. In the Netherlands almost all of them are quite busy until 8 pm, while some service areas are busy until 10 pm.

Indeed, after it gets dark, hitching a ride on a Dutch ramp may become a bit awkward.