Hitchhiking Detours: At the Edge of Comfort on Europe's Roads
DOI.
Special Issue
By.
Michael O'Regan
Pages.
90 - 109
Date.
22. Jul. 2025
Abstract
This study explores the experiences of leisure hitchhikers on Europe’s roads, drawing on “detours” as a framework. Utilising interviews with 16 active hitchhikers, the research reveals how detours— whether imposed by drivers or tactically seized by hitchhikers—lead hitchhikers to develop capacities for resourcefulness, imagination, and solidarity within structural constraints. Key themes include the unpredictability of detours, heightened feelings of vulnerability, chance encounters, and how these diversions shape hitchhiker subjectivities and self-narratives. This research contributes to our
understanding of how individuals navigate and find meaning in experiences at the edge of their comfort zones, while also illuminating how detours can help cultivates a form of mastery and even resistance. In conclusion, detours, it was found, are not always negative and often serve as catalysts for personal growth and skill development.
understanding of how individuals navigate and find meaning in experiences at the edge of their comfort zones, while also illuminating how detours can help cultivates a form of mastery and even resistance. In conclusion, detours, it was found, are not always negative and often serve as catalysts for personal growth and skill development.
