Traveled 13,000 km Through 400 Hitchhikes
Spent Only $20 on Transportation in One Year
A woman in her twenties who traveled the world for a year with only 20,000 won is drawing attention. She revealed that she was able to travel the world by spending almost nothing on transportation thanks to hitchhiking.
According to the Daily Mail in the UK on June 30 (local time), Courtney Allen, a 26-year-old woman from Toronto, Canada, boarded a flight to London at the end of 2023 for a three-week trip to the UK. Upon arriving in London, she chose to hitchhike because high-speed train fares were too expensive, and this experience led to a year-long journey across Europe and Africa.
Courtney Allen, a 26-year-old woman from Toronto, Canada, who traveled the world by hitchhiking
The first person to give her a ride was a middle-aged woman. Allen recalled, "She was warm and cheerful. She even gave me some of her own money." The journey that began this way continued through Wales, Ireland, the European continent, and all the way to Africa.
From December 2023, over the course of about a year, she crossed 16 African countries from Morocco to Cape Town, South Africa. She hitchhiked about 400 times, covering approximately 13,000 kilometers, and spent only $20 (about 25,000 won) on transportation. Half of this amount was for a ferry to cross the Congo River.
Allen said, "When you hitchhike, you get to be with the people of the country," adding, "You get to experience life as a 'local,' not just as a traveler." She continued, "You can have experiences that aren't on TripAdvisor and discover places and lives known only to locals through hitchhiking. This method of travel offers a value far richer than money."
In May, she once again set out on a journey with her backpack. This time, she started in Guangzhou, China, and is making her way back to southern Africa. Currently, Allen is in Russia and has traveled over 5,000 kilometers by hitchhiking.
She said, "Many people ask if it's dangerous for a woman to hitchhike alone, but I believe the world is generally safe. If you are a woman hitchhiking alone, many people will look out for you." However, she emphasized, "Everything depends on your intuition. You have to be able to judge the atmosphere within the first three seconds."
Nevertheless, concerns about the safety of women hitchhiking alone still exist. In reality, there have been numerous cases of sexual crimes, violence, and disappearances related to hitchhiking. In some countries, it is even illegal to board a stranger's vehicle without permission due to safety issues.
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