What is the proper protocol when hitchhiking? Should you pay the driver for the ride? I have done a lot of hitchhiking over the years and have just assumed that it was a courtesy on the part of the drivers. I hitchhiked home all through high school but that was 60 years ago and payment was never part of the expectations on either side. I am planning on hiking the Fox River Pathway in Michigan this summer and if I cannot find a ride I am planning on hitchhiking. I hitchhiked this trip a few years ago and I ended up with five different rides. Now I see some folks talking about paying the driver. Due to my past experience it just never occurred to me unless someone went out of their way on a special trip.