Charlie, 19, has hitchhiked to Italy: “Feels crazy”
19-year-old Charlie Klang from Växjö just graduated from high school.
But his student trip was a little different than his friends’.
He hitchhiked all the way from Sweden to Italy – without spending any money.
When Expressen reaches Charlie, he has just arrived at his final destination: Pisa in northern Italy. He has gotten there solely by hitchhiking with strangers.
– The goal wasn’t really Pisa itself, it was to complete this big thing. Being there feels crazy, he says.
The journey began in his hometown of Växjö and then went down to Malmö, through Germany and France to finally reach Italy. In total, Charlie has hitchhiked with 23 different cars.
– I’ve met people along the way who liked what I do and wanted to give me a little money for accommodation and food, so it feels crazy to say it, but I’ve spent zero kronor of my own money.
During the seven nights he has been on the road, he has slept with friends, in hostels and on people’s couches. One night he slept in a car with one of the drivers.
The biggest risk
The idea came to him last spring when high school ended and the dream of a bigger adventure could come true. Charlie says he’s always wanted to challenge himself and that a trip like this was the perfect opportunity to do just that.
The best part about the hours on the road has been all the people he’s met – the conversations with people he’d never meet otherwise. He’s aware that there are risks to hitchhiking, but says he hasn’t experienced anything unpleasant.
– I want to see the good in people and actually think that the biggest risk of doing something like this is ending up with someone who is bad at driving and has a crash, says Charlie.
Looking for new challenges
He has documented the entire journey on his TikTok channel and has received several cheers and people who wanted to follow the journey. Now he will rest for a few days in Pisa – but he is already excited about the next adventure.
– There will definitely be something else exciting, but I don’t think I’ll hitchhike back to Sweden, he says and laughs.
