Welcome to my website dedicated to Hitchhiking Tips and Backpacking Travel insights. My name is Claudio Adrian Dobre; I am a hitchhiker and adventurer from Europe. Hitchhikers from Europe know me simply as “Adrian”. Started to hitchhike in 2004 and every year I hitchhike around 10000 km. I built this website with the purpose to help and inspire people to travel by hitchhiking; learn to travel by hitchhiking with my hitchhiking tips and backpacking travel insights based on my personal experience accumulated during the years. On this page there is only some personal information about me, for the tips and insights please see the category Hitchhiking Tips & Backpacking Insights or open the menu.
Starting with the moment when I was more or less 15 years old I always felt I don’t belong to this world and that I would live in such a way that once I will be dead – as we common mortals refer to this term – my name would echo in eternity.
Already at a very young age I was pretty much a rebel. Then, the older I got the more I naturally stepped out of the society. I never liked to be like the people around me – the ordinary people, in my eyes – and I think a strong identity always characterized me. Even now, through my personality I always end up naturally behaving in a way which makes me stand out from the crowd. I never liked the paths that society invited me to take and so I never did. I always did everything following my own thoughts, ideas and heart – I don’t know if I did right or wrong, but I know that there are people who may disagree with me completely and at all levels.
I always felt a strong connection with Nature. When I am outdoors, surrounded by nature, I feel like my energy is being regenerated. Sleeping under the stars, making a fire and cooking food on it are some of the things I enjoy. Yet, my favorite color is not green, but red.
My favorite animal is the Wolf – I identify myself with the wolf. Maybe because of the wild spirit and the sense of freedom that I feel that both are deeply rooted in me.
I am adventurous and I believe traveling is educational – each trip we make is an investment we make in ourselves that improves us. I don’t travel to a place with the purpose to have a vacation; I travel to a place because I am curious to see with my own eyes and feel what that place is like. I hitchhike and I enjoy sleeping in my tent, or simply under the stars – I find both activities adventurous and exciting. I hitchhike for the adventure that hitchhiking brings – and more in general the journey – an adventure which unfolds as the trip goes on. One of the aspects that I like about hitchhiking is the fact that through the process of facing and overcoming the difficulties that may arise along the journey one develops abilities that are useful in many other areas of Life. I believe in reincarnation and, like the ancient Egyptians, I live my life believing I enrich my essence from any experience that I live in any moment, getting ready for the next life. To me, the concept of “wasted time” does not exist. I believe in karma.
I am pretty spontaneous and direct in speaking – I say what I think and I do what I say. And I like people who are like this. Some describe me as challenging too. Of course, people who are not used to hearing simply everything get easily offended by my words. There is no way I enjoy people who make excuses. To me, when it’s about doing something “I can” and “I can’t” do not exist – instead, what does exist is “I want” and “I do not want”. I truly believe that when people really want something, they do everything to find a way to achieve what they want. I believe nothing lasts forever and Life is made of moments. I believe that dreaming about something and believing in myself is the first step to achieve what I dream about. Life taught me that to become a stronger person, I have to face my fears. I know that the glory belongs to those who pursue their vision. I listen to my instinct and to my heart, as I know they will always drive me on the right path.
I enjoy people who are spontaneous, adventurous and a little crazy. Then, I enjoy people who smile and laugh often having a positive attitude towards life, people who are honest and have the courage to say what they truly think no matter how painful this can be, who keep their word and do what they say, simple, culture-oriented, open-hearted, who don’t dismiss places and other people without giving them a chance first and who do not judge other people; from this it’s easy to understand that the people I less like are the very opposite of these. I like people who understand when it’s time not to take life too seriously and know how to enjoy each moment of it, and know when it’s time to take it more seriously yet not so seriously. I find it amazing how we meet thousands of people, and none of them really touch us. And then we meet one person, and our life is changed forever.