TASMANIA is becoming a popular destination for hitch-hikers and it is easy to understand why.
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Hitch-hikers believe Tasmanians are more friendly and more willing to lend a hand than other parts of the country and even the world.
As Miroslava (Micki) Šafrová, from the Czech Republic, puts it: "the smaller communities, the easier (hitch-hiking) is".
Miss Šafrová and partner Filip Va'Vra have been in Tasmania for three weeks.
Two weeks they had a car with them, but the past week they have been leaving it to luck.
"So far it's been very, very good, we've been very lucky," Miss Šafrová said when the pair were leaving Launceston earlier this week.
"We got a ride with a bus, that was transferred into a van, that was really cool.
"Tasmania is definitely the easiest place to hitch-hike ... although Utah was easier."
The longest the pair have had to walk on this trip in Tasmania - it is Miss Šafrová's third time to Tasmania hitch-hiking and Mr Va'Vra's first - was five kilometres, when they were near Perth.
She said it was sometimes nerve-wracking waiting to be picked up.
"Whenever people pull up you look at them and you have the choice whether to get in the car or not.
"You have to have really good judgment and you have to wash up and don't look like a bogan."
Miss Šafrová said the best places for hitch-hikers to stand was somewhere they could be seen from a distance and she recommended hitch-hikers have extra cash on them to offer as petrol money.
"People are more friendly and willing to show you places if you give them gas money," she said.
Susan Munroe is also trying her luck at hitching rides after arriving in Tasmania this week.
Before Wednesday, she hadn't hitch-hiked in the state before, but had throughout much of the world.
"I was in Victoria last week and hitch-hiked," the US woman said.
"It was relatively easy. The longest I had to wait was an hour.
"I got picked up by a couple from Geelong and they took me right where I wanted to go and took me for a scenic look down the Great Ocean Road as well."
Miss Munroe said from what she had heard it was even easier to hitch-hike in Tasmania and her plans were to hitch-hike to the Walls of Jerusalem, before walking part of the Overland Track and Frenchmans Cap.
"So far here it seems a little more laid-back and open (to hitch-hikers)," Miss Munroe said on the second day of her Tasmanian journey.
"It seems like there are a lot of people here who do a lot of hiking and trekking so they seem to understand what it's like when you're trying to get into a remote trail head."
Miss Munroe said she liked hitch-hiking because "it's obviously much cheaper, which is nice, and I really like the sense of adventure, not knowing what's going to happen.
"It makes the journey a little bit more of an adventure rather than just getting from point A to B.
"Most of the time you meet really interesting and kind people and it's just a way to get more of a local flavour into your trip."
She said one of the best adventures she had had hitch-hiking was in Chile, Patagonia.
Miss Munroe's tips for others hitch-hikers include:
"I try to find out from them where they are going before I say anything, so then I can be like, oh no that doesn't work for me, see you later.
"Make sure people know where you are going and that you're hitch-hiking.
"Have your mobile phone on you and trust your instincts.
"You don't have to feel so desperate for a ride that you get in with anyone."
HITCH-HIKING is legal in Tasmania, however Tasmania Police has advised against it.
"Tasmania has a reputation for being a friendly place for tourists, but for a public safety perspective we don't recommend it," Inspector Mark Wright said.
"From a hitch-hiker's perspective, you don't know who is driving the car and similarly if you're a motorist and you stop for someone, you don't know who that person is."
Mr Wright said in most cases people should let commonsense prevail.
"If you have any doubts, don't get into the car or don't pick someone up," he said.
"Kindly just say 'no thank you' and move on."
Many Tasmanian companies also advise against taking hitch-hikers, with many having conditions in place about not picking up hitch-hikers in company cars.