Don’t go by yourself! Although it is harder to get a ride as your group gets larger, I would not have done it if I wasn’t with Jordan. Buy a road map so you always know where you are, where you are dropped off and which road you should start hitching on to get out of town...
Ride a motorcycle. Or find some other hobby that similarly gets you outside. I like motorcycles as there's an inherent satisfaction to operating the machines, and there's a good sense of community between bikers, I can see anyone ...