publications. Stephan Schlei – from Ratingen, Germany; hitchhiked more than ; the Guinness Book of Records, before all hitchhiking records were removed, once said that he was the World's No. 1 Hitchhiker. Devon Smith – listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for most cumulative miles hitchhiked (1973 to 1985), over ; held the record for hitchhiking all 48 contiguous US states in 33 days during 1957 Colleen Stan, who was kidnapped by Cameron and Janice Hooker, and tortured and abused for seven years before Janice helped her escape. Kinga Freespirit (b 1973 d 2006) – travel writer, book author; hitched five years in cars, a boat, plane. Andrzej Stasiuk – writer, journalist and literary critic. John Waters – filmmaker, writer, actor and artist; author of Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America. Nedd Willard – writer, artist and journalist. Trevor Daneliuk – Self-proclaimed professional hitchhiker documenting and livestreaming hitchhiking on Twitch. In popular culture Film Literature 1939 – The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, opens with a hitched ride. 1957 – Jack Kerouac immortalized hitchhiking in his book, On the Road. 1971 – Ken Welsh's "how to" book on hitchhiking around Europe, titled Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe, is rumored to have inspired the title of Douglas Adams' 1978 classic book. 1973 – Kurt Vonnegut's perpetual protagonist, Kilgore Trout, hitchhikes halfway across the country in Breakfast of Champions (also known as Goodbye Blue Monday). 1976 – Sissy Hankshaw, the protagonist of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins, becomes legendary as a hitchhiker in part because of her unusually large thumbs. 1977 – "The Hitch-Hiker", by Roald Dahl 1978 – In his cult classic The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (first broadcast on radio in 1978), Douglas Adams postulated on interstellar hitchhiking. 1984 – Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein described interdimensional hitchhiking in his book Job: A Comedy of Justice. 1996 – Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer 1998 – Round Ireland with a Fridge by British comedian Tony Hawks: hitchhiking around Ireland with a refrigerator, as a result of a drunken bet. 2003 – Evasion by CrimethInc. 2012 – "Mute" short story by Stephen King about a hitchhiker. 2019 – Jens Kropp Per Anhalter durchs Leben (Twenty Six) ISBN 9783740749705 2021 – Escape from The Front by Erwin (Erv) Krause ISBN 978-1-6655-1478-7. Will Kraft encounters a colorful host of characters while hitchhiking to Montana. 2022 -