See America from the window of a truck

INFORMATION DESK: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS

I love the big trucks on the USA interstate highways. How do I find a company or a travel agency that will enable me to travel (as a paying guest) in one of those trucks? I will send you a toy truck from the USA if you solve my problem. Thank you in advance.

Prof Dr Harald Husemann

Germany

The travel editor replies: There doesn't seem to be any commercial body in the UK or the US dealing with this sort of holiday. Specialist companies we contacted suggested that the only way to go about the trip would be independently - basically, hitching around the US.

Hitching is forbidden on freeways and interstates, so the places to pick up a ride are at service stations or truck stops. State laws vary but though hitching is technically illegal, it is still common practice with truckers who want some company and travellers who need a free ride.

Obviously, we strongly recommend that neither men nor women should travel alone. But due to drivers' insurance regulations (they are not allowed to take passengers), it may be easier to get a ride as a lone traveller. Union 76 truck stops often have hundreds of trucks travelling to all parts of the US.

We suggest contacting the tourist boards of the regions in which you would like to travel. As a compromise, contact TrekAmerica (tel: 01295 256777) which arranges camping/driving holidays: a fun way to see the US by road without taking a Greyhound bus or hitching.