30 Hitchhiking Horror Stories From Around The World

1. A mystery disappearance

Image source: Reddit

A hitchhiker received a ride from a stranger back in 2002 in Alaska in a remote village. As they drove deeper and deeper into the wilderness the behavior of the driver was becoming more and more erratic. They were miles from civilization and neither the driver nor hitchhiker were ever seen again.

2. The cabin in the woods

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Two friends were hitchhiking to a festival in Germany and they accepted a lift from an older man. They started to approach a cabin in the woods, completely isolated. The friends immediately knew something was up and they could see strange symbols painted near the trees. They made an excuse and ran away but later heard of some strange tales of disappearances that involved woods and strange symbols.

3. A ginormous accident

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"I was backpacking and ended up alone in the middle of Botswana. I was waiting to hitch a ride and I was there for some time. I finally caught a ride in a pick-up truck, and then we met another car on the way. Suddenly a group of hippos charged at the other car!" Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in the world.

4. Misguided help

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Two friends were taking part in a competition where they had to hitchhike as far as possible and see who could reach the furthest. On their 4th stretch hiking a ride, a man told them he'd take them as far as possible. The next thing they know they're at his ex-wife's house who starts telling them not to be scared. They continue in the car with this very eccentric man who then tells them to get out, nowhere near their next checkpoint!

5. The ominous stories

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A hitchhiker got a lift with a man of a similar age in his truck, he was heading north and told him he'd take him as far as his journey. On the way he starts telling him about hitchhikers whose journeys have ended badly which makes him question if he was about to! Thankfully, all was good but it was a tense 3 hour journey.

6. Threatened for money

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One girl was hitchhiking with her friend as they were trying to get to the next state without spending all of their money. Anyway, this driver seemed very charming at first but suddenly he pulled up at a gas station so that they could withdraw money and demanded everything they had from them!

7. Hitchhiking in the dead of night

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Hitchhiking in the middle of the night is never recommended. A guy from Boston found out the hard way when he was hitching a ride (a ride he had caught in the daytime) with the promise that the driver would take him somewhere he could stay. However, he deserts him in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night!

8. Broken down with a complete stranger

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A man was hitchhiking through Texas with a couple who he described as very strange. They weren't threatening, he just found the whole experience super awkward as nobody was talking and they were driving in silence. He couldn't wait to get to the end of the ride...until they broke down and were stuck together in the car for another 5 hours with nowhere nearby to go.

9. Three's a crowd

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One woman was hitchhiking and she accepted a lift from a seemingly kind stranger who was heading in the same direction. The journey was normal with nothing strange to report until she heard movement in the back after around an hour and the man alerted her 'It must be waking up'. She turns around and comes face to face with a lion and asks to get out of the van immediately.

10. Mannequin mad

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On another occasion, there was a very strange report from a hitchhiker who had experienced a slightly disturbing drive in a pickup truck. He had got a ride when it was slightly dark and he woke up a few hours later to the light. When he woke up he saw several mannequins and dolls in the back staring at him. The driver did not explain as to why he had this creepy collection.

11. Banging from the boot

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One hitchhiker reported a truly horrifying incident when he was in a van being given a free ride, but he could hear something in the boot. He didn't know what it was or even who it was, but there was banging coming from the rear of the car. The driver denied it.

12. The Impersonator

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One driver took a hitchhiker and pretended to be someone completely different from who he really was. The persona hitchhiking realized later that he had ended up in the pickup truck of somebody on the run from the law! He saw the picture in the news a week later and had to alert the authorities.

13. South African tourist horrors

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South Africa can be dangerous for tourists, and hitchhiking is not advised, especially in certain isolated areas. There was a series of terrible cases where unsuspecting tourists were being picked up by drivers and ended up meeting a terrible and tragic fate.

14. The driver who wouldn't leave

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Two girls were catching a lift in Philadelphia when a super friendly guy came and offered them a lift. They started to get uncomfortable and the man was too familiar. They made an excuse to get out of the car, but a few hours later they saw the exact same car had followed them to their next stop!

15. Creepy behaviour

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It was 2005 when this young lady hitched a lift from a guy at the gas station. She'd done it countless times but this time the guy tried to hit on her and started to eye her up and down. He then started making suggestions to which she had to close down and he got so angry he stopped and let her get out.

16. A group of suspicious-looking people

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One young man spoke of his experience hitching lifts. He did it all the time, but this one time he wasn't sure if he wanted to get in the car, only he really had to be somewhere. Anyway, none of them could speak the language so he could hear them laughing and joking the entire way and he had no idea what about. He just felt something was off. But in the end, they dropped him as promised! So the guy thanked them for their help and for being so nice to which one of the men replied 'today yes, tomorrow not so nice...'

17. An unlikely threat

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A woman had chosen to get into a car with another woman who had two kids because it seemed like the less threatening choice. She stopped for gas and took out a cheque to which they refused and said they only took cash. After some disagreement, she very vehemently threatened him which really surprised her. She then informed her passenger she had been hired by a man who was currently following her.

18. Suspicious packages

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While a guy was hitchhiking with his girlfriend to France they caught a lift near London. They got in with a group of guys who all seemed in good spirits. They were on the way to a party. Yet the driving became reckless and they put the music up so loud that we couldn't hear each other. They tried yelling for them to stop the car but it took half an hour for them to hear.

19. The Texan ghostly hitchhiker

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In Texas, there have been numerous reports about a ghostly hitchhiker wearing a cowboy hat. Numerous people have reported seeing him. Only when they go to pick him up he vanished and nobody ever sees him again. It's not even certain if this guy is real, or whether he is an entity.

20. Getting in with the wrong crowd

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A group of women picked up a hitchhiker near a depot spot. They had some packages in the back. There were three women and they all seemed a little bit on edge. We were driving through some police checks and they told him to act natural. Wondering why he wouldn't, he later realized they had a bunch of illegal things in the back!

21. 5 in a car

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This guy's car breaks down on the side of a road so he hitched out of necessity and ended up in a car with this older man. He says he'd take him to the nearest gas station, but passes one and then says he's just stopping off with a friend. The guy starts to panic as 4 more guys get into the car next to him. He made his excuses to leave because it was getting a little bit squished in there...

22. Drunk driver

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This girl was finishing her late shift and the usual bus she caught had gone. A red car was in the area and she asked if she could have a lift, feeling like she had no other options. He said yes and started driving around 1000 km and it was clear he had been drinking. He pulls over to use the toilet and she dives out of the car and hides in the bushes until he drives away!

23. 'Take the wheel'

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When you're hitching a ride you don't actually expect to end up driving like this guy did. They were on a highway and a young man had hitched a guy with a man around the same age as him. He'd been driving normally until he said he needed to get something from the back and told him to take control as he literally just let go of the steering wheel.

24. An absent driver

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One girl was in the car hitchhiking to the next town. But the driver giving her a lift said he was getting out to get some water. She'd sat in there for about an hour when she realized something was definitely up. The police came and she found out she'd been left sitting in an abandoned stolen car!

25. The Highway of Tears

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There is a remote stretch of road in British Columbia, Canada, where a series of indigenous women have mysteriously vanished whilst hitchhiking. Each case still remains unsolved despite it being clear that there is clearly foul play involved and these women need justice!

26. The Green Man

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In South Africa, there have for years been reports about a vision of a hitchhiker who died. People claim they can see him just waiting on the side of the road where he was before he died, in decaying clothes, still trying to catch the destination that he never managed to arrive at.

27. The silent ride

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A couple hitched a ride with a young woman in Spain, who obliging picked them up (without saying anything). The couple tried to make conversation, but there was no reply. In fact, 3 hours went by and they hadn't exchanged a single bit of conversation. When it came to the end of the journey, she just opened the door, no smile, no way, nothing.

28. Man on the run

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This story was from the perspective of the driver, who picked up a young guy who looked super agitated. He was worried he was in trouble so decided to stop and help him to which he seemed super grateful. Only the real reason he was agitated didn't become clear until later...he was on the run from the police who were following him!

29. A line of cars following you

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A couple was travelling in a different country and they had found themselves lost and completely off track with no way to get back. They caught a lift with two men who started to drive. They looked back and they could see a line of cars following them. They had no idea where they were taking them and they pretended to need the toilet to get out of the car!

30. The abandoned destination

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One man picked up somebody at the side of the street as he was going in the same direction. He had never heard of this destination, but the passenger had told him it was along the same route. Asking for instructions on the way he set off. Only the destination he had given him didn't exist. It was a completely made-up place.