Gathered here under one cover are the previously scattered tales of my hitch-hiking life. As the sub-title implies, however, they are more than mere travel tales; for the common, unremarkable act of hitch-hiking cloaks a quite remarkable instrument of personal growth and guidance. This is so because it is uniquely capable of removing the hitch-hiker from the realm of the planned and predictable. Life happens, then, on a course of events over which we have only the barest remnant of control (accepting or rejecting an offered ride). In this rarefied state of being, amazing things become visible for the perceptive observer. Without the protective shield of control, one begins to see elements of real life most often otherwise hidden by the myopia of pursuing a goal under one's own drive and handling - the normal circumstance of daily life. The 'real life' I invariably discover, when hitch-hiking, has been filled with instances of providence and synchronicity. So much so, that it has implanted in me a deeper, richer understanding of how life really works - if we let it. These tales are packed with such instances, making this book both a pleasure and an enlightenment to read.