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The 'hippie trail' is a term used to describe the journeys taken by hippies in the 1960s and '70s from Europe, overland to and from eastern Asia. One of the key facts of the hippie trail was the desire to travel as cheaply as possible mainly to extend the length of time away from home, thus usually the journeys were carried out by ''thumbing'' (hitchhiking). A number of cheap private buses also traveled the route, picking up and dropping off people en route. There were also trains which traveled part of the way, particularly across Eastern Europe, through Turkey and to Tehran or east to Mashhad, Iran, where public or private transportation could be obtained.
Such journeys would typically start from countries in Europe, typically London or Amsterdam. Many from the US took Icelandic Airlines to Luxembourg, and passed through 'key' spots such as Istanbul, Tehran, Kabul, Peshawar, Lahore with Goa or Kathmandu being the usual destinations. Kathmandu still has a road nicknamed ''Freak Street'' in memory of the many thousands of hippies who passed (and occasionally still pass) through. An alternative route was from Turkey via Syria, Jordan, and Iraq to Iran and then east. Further travel to southern India, Sri Lanka, and all points east to Australia were also undertaken.
A simple guide for travellers was available from Trailfinders in London. This stapled together "A4 bundle", updated by those already on the road, warned of pitfalls and places to see and stay. This was known as the BIT guide.
Many on the hippie trail were driven by the ideals of 'finding yourself' 'seeking God' and 'communicating with other peoples' ideals fundamental to the hippie movement. Western Europeans, North Americans, Australians, and Japanese comprised the bulk of travelers. Ideas and experiences were exchanged in well known hostels and hotels along the way, such as the Pudding Shop in Istanbul, or the Amir Kabir in Tehran. Many carried a backpack and, while the majority were young, older people and families occasionally travelled the route. A number drove the entire distance.
In the mid-1970's a number of operators attempted to commercialise the route. Some of the more successful at taking paying passengers included Transit Travel, AutoTours, Sundowners and Top Deck.
The overland suffered from political changes at the end of the 1970s. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the Shah was deposed by an Islamic revolution in Iran. Still, Sundowners and Top Deck pioneered a route through Baluchistan. Top Deck continued its trips throughout the Iran-Iraq war and later conflicts and took its last trip in 1998.
With a loosening of immigration in Iran the route has again become somewhat feasible, although conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and some parts of Pakistan makes the route difficult to negotiate.

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See also

External links

See also

★ Lonely Planet

★ Grand Tour

External links

★ "Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to India" [1]

★ Steve Abrams' Diary (includes downloadable PDF file of entire diary)

★ Beyond the Beach - An Ethnography of Modern Travellers in Asia[2]by Klaus Westerhausen. Published by White Lotus [3],Bangkok

★ "On the Hippie Trail" - An impression of the Hippie Trail in 1968

★ Road to Goa - pics and stories from a 70's 'trail' bus driver[4]

★ A journey from England to India & Nepal in 1973 - On The Hippie Trail.[5]

★ Overland from London to Kathmandu in a Double Decker bus 1980-1981.[6]