Hitch-hikers’ guide to crossing U.S. for free... AND getting home unscathed!
THE backpacking adventures of Lilly Quinn and Sarah Little are probably regarded with a mixture pride and a little anxiety by their families and friends.
But when the two young women revealed their latest enterprise, those closest to them must have been rather more worried than usual.
Miss Quinn, 29, and Miss Little, 25, announced that would be crossing 48 of America’s 50 states – without spending any money.
However, the seasoned travellers accomplished their feat with little trouble and came safely home.
They hitchhiked, ate cakes from coffee store bins and once used dating app Tinder to ensure they had somewhere to sleep. For a roof over their heads, they largely relied on Couchsurfing – a social networking site connecting travellers with those willing to host them. Their only expense was a £300 flight each to Boston. Between May and October last year, the duo travelled more than 13,650 miles across the ‘lower 48’ adjoining states and back again.
They took in many of country’s major cities including Miami, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles and many landmarks such as the Grand Canyon and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
‘Having no money meant we were pushed to get out there and meet as many people as possible,’ said Miss Quinn, from Oxford, who is now in Australia.
PR and marketing worker Miss Little, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, added: ‘I’d been reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac about his travels across America, and felt really inspired by the idea of hitchhiking.’ The pair have a hishotels tory of adventuring, and met in a bar while they were both travelling in India in 2013.
They concocted their plan to tour the States early last year and set off in May.
Friends and family thought they would not be able to manage without money. Miss Little said: ‘It was quite hard to get across we literally wouldn’t spend anything.’
Every morning, they would hunt online for free things to do in the local area. They found food through social networks or by volunteering at projects which offered food to those willing to help out for a few hours.
Kind-hearted strangers who offered them lifts would also treat them to meals. Apart from Couchsurfing, they enjoyed six nights in paid for by people they met along the way. Six more were spent in a tent they had brought from home just in case.
Some of their hosts tried to sneak money into their bags but they gave it to charity. The pair say they have learned more about the generosity of strangers and are ready for a new challenge.
‘It made me realise how easy it is to spend unnecessary money,’ added Miss Little.
They said they were made to feel before they set off that they would be vulnerable travelling independently because they were women and even struggled to find insurance for their trip. Miss Quinn said: ‘Travelling solo does have different safety concerns but this is true for all, not just women.’