When you are hitchhiking, getting picked up has a lot to do with getting people to like you, but when they are whizzing past at 80 kph you don’t get much time to establish trust.

I’ve been hitchhiking around the planet for years, with the Australian Flag on my backpack.
Standing beside the road, with my thumb out, I feel that the flag helps make a connection with drivers – it sends people a message saying ‘hello, this is who I am!‘.
Recently, though, I have started to question whether the Aussie Flag really expresses what I’m about. There are many things I love about my home culture, but the flag symbolises aspects of Australia that I do not identify with, like nationalism, colonialism, racism, and elitism.

Surfing through cultures is one of the most exciting and inspirational aspects of travel.
I’m in Thailand, then I’m in Morocco, I’m in Australia, then I’m in France, I’m in hippy world, I’m in redneck land… I begin to realise, I love all humans, from all tribes. I’m equally happy wherever I am, as long as I can retain my own identity, as long as I feel free.

I see myself as part of a global family, not a member of an exclusive club. I am an independent person, with a right to exist, in liberty, and community, wherever I go. I don’t want to belong to a nation-tribe. My loyalty is to people, not an institution.

To better reflect my identity, and better express my intentions toward my fellow humans, I have chosen a new flag for myself. Here is the design drawing I did yesterday:

So, today, it’s craft time!

1. Cut rectangle of recycled white fabric (formerly grandmother’s shower curtain).
2. Make paper stencil of grinning face emotion.
3. Yellow spray paint… all over hands… crap.
4. Black felt tip pen…
5. Bam! Smiley Face Flag!

This is what the finished product looks like on my bag:

I like it!
I think my new flag will be a great one to hitchhike with!
This symbol is universally recognised, it will make people laugh, and it definitely says who I am… plus: it’s super high-visibility, so it’s great for road safety too!

If you like the Smiley Face Flag, please fly one yourself! The Smiley Face Tribe welcomes all humans, regardless of where and who you are.
There’s even somebody selling Smiley Flags on Ebay, if you aren’t into arts and crafts :-)

Have a happy day, and remember:
a hitchhiker is just a friend you haven’t met yet!

 
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