The truth about hippies in the sixties

The hippies in the sixties who were on the ‘hippy trail’ were almost entirely British or Australian, but probably mostly British, and there were also a few New Zealanders. There was also a very small minority of Germans.

The hippies on the hippy trail were mostly indifferent to the hippies in America. The American hippies were intent on halting the war in Vietnam. Few hippies on the trail shared their enthusiasm.
To many hippies, communism was an alien creed, it threatened their values, their lifestyle. As they saw it, where there was communism there was conformity, a powerful state, a secret police, low incomes, and few opportunities.
In this respect the hippies on the hippy trail were as conservative as any conservative American politician.
Where they probably did differ from these politicians, and where they differed from just about everybody else, was in their attitude towards consumerism, towards acquiring material things.
This doesn’t mean that hippies weren’t acquisitive, they would work hard to buy the things that they wanted just like everybody else. The difference was, they had no interest in material things, they wanted to buy experience – the travel experience.
No hippy on the hippy trail was ever poor. Everyone had access to several thousands of dollars, money they had worked hard for and saved hard for. As far as liquidity – easy access to cash – was concerned, the average hippy was more solvent than most people, whose cash might be locked into mortgages, credit card debt, etc.
They had to have this easy access to cash, it wouldn’t be a good idea to be broke in a foreign country – a foreign country which might have strict attitudes towards vagrancy.
Although hippies invariably had long hair, they were rarely dirty and unwashed. The hotels on the trail were cheap and every hotel had a shower. During the day, before hitting a hotel for the night they would often find somewhere to wash, even if it was in a washroom that was ‘for customers only.’

The hippy and the hobo

In some ways the hippies on the hippy trail were similar to the traditional hobos in America. Like the traditional hobo, they worked hard, like the hobo they saved, and like the hobo they were resilient and resourceful.
But unlike the American hobo, who thrived in a low-skill environment – fruit picking etc., many hippies had skills or professions. These qualifications could be useful. In quite a few countries on the trail there were job opportunies for skilled or professional people, especially if, like most hippies, they spoke fluent English.

Hippies and law enforcement

Few if any hippies ever broke the local laws. This might mean incarceration – days, weeks or months in a foreign jail, probably without proper legal representation.
Their relationship with the local police (and the army, as was sometimes the case,) was good. Local police officers hardly ever stopped hippies and demanded identification. If they were senior officers, who spoke some English, they might ask which country they were from.

Hippy drug abuse

All hippies smoked dope at some point, this depended on which country they were in, on its government’s attitude towards smoking dope.
Few if any hippies trafficked drugs – smuggled them through customs, it just wasn’t worth the risk. Few hippies became drug addicts, not for moral reasons or because they had superhuman reserves of willpower but because they were purposeful.
They wanted to experience things – experience different people and different countries. Drug addiction was being trapped in one place, being dependent on somebody else, immobility, not having the freedom to travel.
Nobody wanted that.

Love and peace, but only to a certain extent

Peace and love was fine but sometimes it was better to be a little tough. In most of the countries on the trail life was mostly about survival. Peace and love was a Western concept, an American concept, a by-product of prosperity, leisure and total democracy. The people in these countries had none of those luxuries.

Foreign languages

Some hippies didn’t learn a single word of a foreign language, others acquired a few useful phrases and a few – a very small minority, could hold entire conversations – basic and ungrammatical conversations maybe.

Unusual hippies in the sixties photo

In photo: hippy during the hippies in the sixties era,  on a highway at the frontier between Turkey and Syria.
Please be aware that certain regions of the middle east are no longer safe for independent travel. Consult your government for advice before traveling in this region.