Welcome to the home of Geo Hitch, the new and innovative location based activity that’s fun for the whole family. Prepare for adventure as you search for, track down and capture virtual HitchHikers from real life places using your own mobile device.
Mission
All a HitchHiker really wants to do is travel; and they want to do it with you! Yet they also have personal missions. Will you be the one to fulfil that goal by taking them to the Eiffel Tower? Will you realise their ambition by delivering them to the bustle of Times Square? Exotic Rio de Janeiro? Wonderful Waikiki Beach…?
No? Well that doesn’t matter! Your little pocket tourist is sure to appreciate every ride. Whether it’s a short trundle to the shops, a longer commute to work, a cross country visit to Granny Annie’s or a mammoth trek across the globe you can be a part of each HitchHiker’s history.
Rewards
With each successful drop off, you’ll earn coins and points according to how far and how fast you’ve travelled. With your rewards, why not:
Create your own HitchHiker – name them, choose clothes, assign a Mission and track your offspring round the world!
Buy a ticket – send your favourite HitchHiker to a friend’s house anywhere in the world!
Add to Backpacks – donate items to your passengers to boost your performance!
Upgrade your vehicle so you can collect that extra HitchHiker you had to leave behind!
Fun for all
Geo Hitch is a great way for individuals, couples or families to enhance their normal routines or discover new pursuits and locations. Whether you take life at a saunter or at a sprint, there’s always time for picking up a little one!
If you’re one to compete, make sure you hunt down the SwagBags for the thrill of stolen goodies! Visit the various Leaderboards and check out your progress against the world and your neighbours. Are you the best host to those in need?
Not going anywhere soon? Take the time to get closer to your passengers. Explore individual profiles, and investigate exactly how Backpacker Jack ended up in your neighbourhood.
Relationship
We at Geo Hitch think you’ll be amazed at how attached you become to your virtual little friends. You may find that some become more like family members!
It’s OK to keep them close – simply log their journeys as Daytrips to record your own movement throughout the year. But if you pluck up courage and say a fond farewell, be sure to track their journey across the globe.
Will your paths ever meet again…?
Have you dropped one?
FAQ
If you can’t find what you need here please get in touch.
Yes and no. It depends how you play. If you are the competitive sort, try and work your way up the various Leaderboards or earn trophies in the Challenges section of the side menu.
However, GeoHitch can also be played for fun. You will still be able to enjoy searching for HitchHikers and dropping them off without any care for the number of points you get for each journey.
The map shows what you can find in your area. Blue pins represent male HitchHikers. Pink pins represent female HitchHikers. Brown pins represent HitchHikers without gender. Black pins represent special SwagBags containing either bonus points, coins or extra items for Backpacks.
When HitchHikers are in close concentration, you may find that they merge together – click on the orange pin with the number to discover the types of HitchHikers.
Most likely your data connection failed so the pins could not load. Try refreshing your map by pressing the circular arrows, top right of map screen; or move to within range of a data connection source. If all fails, close down the app and start again.
This centres the map on your location at a particular zoom level. So, if you have been scrolling around the map and have lost your position, you can easily find it again with this button.
This a live position-tracking button. As long as the button is dark blue, your location (Campervan) will be constantly updated on the map. This is a useful tool if you want to monitor your position in relation to HitchHikers. NB: This will use more battery power than normal.
If the button is light blue, your location will not be updated until you refresh the map (top right arrows) or engage the live tracking system.
Search the map for any HitchHikers that are nearby. Click on a HitchHiker, and then click ‘Go Find’. You will be directed towards this HitchHiker. When you are within range (20m), the green button will light up and you will be able to pick up your HitchHiker.
Alternatively, make your own way to within 20m of the HitchHiker, making sure your map is refreshed (circular arrows top right of map screen). Tap the pin close to your location and you will be able to pick up the HitchHiker straight away.
You cannot pick up any HitchHiker that you were the last to drop. Someone else will need to pick it up and drop it off if you wish to add it to your vehicle.
Your vehicle may be full. Check the information bar near the top of the screen to see how many HitchHikers are in your vehicle and what its capacity is.
This map displays exactly where the associated HitchHiker has travelled, or more precisely been logged (either Daytrips or Drop Offs). You can zoom in to see exact locations.
You can choose what Mission your HitchHiker aims to fulfil from a long list, during the creation process. You also have an option to select no Mission. You cannot write a Mission of your own, as this would not be measureable.
If a HitchHiker comes into your possession and it does not have a Mission, you can set a new one yourself. Check the target icon in the HitchHiker profile.
You will receive points every time you complete a Drop Off. The number of points is calculated in a special way, according to the distance travelled from the Pick Up location, how long the journey took and how many items have been carried by the HitchHiker.
Adding items to HitchHikers’ Backpacks increases the number of points that will be earned. The more items in a Backpack, the more points you will earn when dropping off each HitchHiker.
Perishable items have a fixed points value and only last for one journey. Non-perishable remain in the Backpack for ever, and reward the carrier according to the journey length.
Great news! After you release a HitchHiker, you will receive points from that same HitchHiker the next time it is dropped off. And then again for another 4 journeys, no matter who carries them. So, take this into account when dropping off HitchHikers – don’t hide them where nobody will discover them!
If you log a Daytrip, you will receive certain points but the HitchHiker will remain in your vehicle. This can be useful if you are travelling to a final destination via somewhere else.
After a Drop Off, the HitchHiker will exit the vehicle. You will not be able to pick them back up until someone else has taken them for a ride, no matter how short.
Your data connection has probably failed. Check your connection. You may have automatically connected with a router that is not offering you internet access.
First, check that you are trying to click inside the allocated radius of your ticket (marked with a red circle). Only the Golden Ticket allows you to deliver a HitchHiker anywhere in the world.
If problems persist, close the app, restart and try again.
Yes. Every Drop Off you make will earn you 3 coins. You can also earn coins from completing Challenges in the side menu. You may also find coins inside special SwagBags on the street.
To fulfil a HitchHiker’s Mission (you know what it is when you press the target icon in its profile), you must drop off the HitchHiker in the vicinity of the place that has been set. Destinations have had success radii specifically set according to the specific or non-specific nature of the quest eg. Tower Bridge – drop within 100m from the middle; Eiffel Tower – drop within 300m of the base; Pompeii drop within 2km from the centre.
Yes. As long as you vaguely know the name of the HitchHiker, use the Search function in the side menu to locate the profile and last known position of any HitchHiker. If the HitchHiker was once in your vehicle, you can also use the Archive folder in the side menu.
No. Only Usernames of players who have dropped HitchHikers locally are displayed to notify other users of new activity. The community can only search for information about the virtual HitchHikers.
February always seems shorter than the other months for some reason ?. But it’s great for alliteration. So now it’s over, here are our five favourite Phlogs from February.
After 212 days of Daily Challenges, we have compiled a list. The list tells us who has held the coveted title of ‘First on Earth’ the most number of times. Are you in the Top 10? Do you want to know how the glory could be yours?
Everyone likes be be spoiled now and again. Why not go all out and treat your favourite HitchHiker this Valentine’s Day? Don’t leave it to someone else to make the effort.
Here are our suggestions how you could make a good impression and score some extra points this Tuesday. Quality time? Check. Gifts? Check. Act of service? Check. Physical touch? Er…
It’s 2017 and our HitchHikers have been working off the Christmas pudding around the world. Our few chosen Phlogs this month could be a reflection of a backpacker’s life. They reflect a little of the diversity of the physical world and a glimpse of the economic differences within different cultures. There’s also a suggestion that experiences need to be shared and celebrated with the ones we love…
HitchHiker Stevo was born at an early age. He arrived into the world on the 14th May 2016 in Geo Hitch’s home town of Carlisle, in northern England. He’s only just stopped running. Find out where he’s been and take a look at his pictures…
Geo Hitch can be played just for fun. It can be played just for the interest of seeing where your character ends up. But it is also a scoring game, where those with the most points will rise to the top of a leaderboard. So, if you’re the competitive sort (or you just want to know a bit more about how to play Geo Hitch better), you’d better read on for some top tips. We’ve forced one of our own, the Mazza-mind of the Geo Hitch algorithm, to part with some of his secrets.
The following has not been public knowledge. Until now.
Geo Hitch is committed to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust
When we launched Geo Hitch, we announced our long term support for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Cystic fibrosis is a life limiting genetic condition that affects certain parts of the body, such as the lungs and pancreas. In the UK, an astounding one in 25 people carry the faulty gene that causes it. When two carriers have the baby with cystic fibrosis, daily routines have to be carefully managed. Lifestyle can be dramatically affected.
HitchHiker Julien was born with a beard. He was born on the 22nd May 2016 in the Midwestern US state of Iowa. He’s had a busy life since then. Find out what amazing places he’s been to…
Whether you’re new to Geo Hitch or you’re an experienced HitchHiker, there’s probably something you haven’t tried in this real life adventure app. So, if you want a challenge, some fun and a break from your normal daily routine, here’s a list of things to try:
Our Geo Hitch players have been having a very happy Christmas by the look of things. They’ve been taking more Phlogs of HitchHikers all over the world throughout December. We’ve picked five of our favourite Phlogs that capture some of the holiday spirit: rest, leisure and quality family time.
We all know cowboys use lassos, but a Geo Hitch Lasso is so much better – find out how you can pick up some serious goodies and have even more of an adventure with one of our most popular features.
Our Geo Hitch players have been taking pictures of HitchHikers as they adventure all over the world – so we’ve picked our favourite Phlogs submitted through the app in the first of our regular monthly blog posts.
Seemed like a great idea: walk up the highest mountain of each of the three countries of Great Britain…in somewhere around 24 hours. “We’ll wait till summer when the weather’s better”. It happens every year – we expect the August British weather to deliver something actually resembling summer. For some reason, we always suffer from the same seasonal amnesia (or delusional denial) which leads us to believe we will need the sun cream, we will be able to wear a single T-shirt well into the night and there won’t be clouds enveloping every hillside in the country.
So we set off: determined to start, hopeful of finishing and happy to be supporting the struggle against Cystic Fibrosis.
We departed with a freshly decorated campervan. Now campervans have somewhat of a reputation. Yes, they’re iconic and “cool”, reflecting a by-gone age. But, yes, they’re very slow, unreliable and reflect a by-gone age! The best we could do was to ensure we had breakdown cover, hope the people behind weren’t in a hurry and learn how to best cope with the stalling!
Ben Nevis
The tallest mountain in the UK. We’d like to say it was imposing, but we couldn’t see anywhere near the top. The summit was shrouded in the mist, looking deceitfully calm. But at the base, things really were calm. With guide and swift, fresh legs we bounded up the well-constructed path…to half way.
Then the first casualty. Man down. Bad back and dodgy legs. If it had been a war, we’d have dragged Ish up to the top, or gone back down with him. But it wasn’t, so all we could do was wish him well, let him share his disappointment on Facebook and work our way to the summit.
We continued to ascend into the mist. The mist got colder. The wind got stronger. By the time the cairn eventually came, we were cold and soaked and blind to the wonderful views beyond. But not blind to our initial achievement. Yey, we’d conquered the Ben. The refuge afforded a slight rest, but as the shivers and stiffness approached, it was time to continue on our journey. We bounded down, admiring nothing but our feet, racing towards those beautiful fish ‘n chips…!
Scafell Pike
No sleep to be had in the van on the way to Cumbria. A small group of support walkers met us for the 4.15am start. At least they all seemed full of energy and blast off into the night!
The description of following few hours varies from “fun” to “horrendous” depending on which member of the Team you ask. I personally prefer the latter. Walking in the dark, attempting to find the path to traverse the river and limb the hill was fun. Continuing up increasingly difficult terrain, hiking up relentlessly steep contours onto a ridge blasted with icy winds and pellet rain was not my idea of a good time. Navigation became difficult as we stumbled between obscured cairns until finally we reached the summit. There was one thing on my mind… “Leave. Let’s go. Please!”
And whereas the trip down Nevis had been as a young mountain goat, bounding down the valley, there now hobbled a man beyond his age; propped up with walking sticks, wincing at his crippled joints. But back down to lake level we came.
Sleep came much easier on the way to Wales.
Snowdon
Perhaps a duvet has magical healing powers. There was some thought that the Geo Hitch team may be reduced to a single climber for this one, but it appeared that the duvet’s force is strong. The pain had gone and the stride was long. Snowdon quickly became the favourite mountain. Well made flat paths , something to see, steady slopes, interesting rock formations and surfaces that gripped. Surfaces that gripped! No more slips and falls on to one’s back, no more lost traction. Fantastic.
Then time slowed. The climb continued. Continued way beyond what the initial pace suggested. All we could see were more faces – faces of people coming down and the faces of the rocks going up. For a moment or two, the hike seemed as if it would be interminable. Then we reached the final ridge. This was when the winds came to make their final challenge and try to stop us from completing ours. But though the winds nearly managed to knock us off our feet, they didn’t. We stood our ground, made progress and touched the peak of Wales.
We had set ourselves a goal to help the fight against Cystic Fibrosis. With that as motivation, we’d managed to accomplish what we hadn’t done before. And that’s the way to live.
We released Geo Hitch to the world just over two weeks ago now; and we’re absolutely thrilled to see how far the app has travelled in such a short time! 25 countries including our home in England!
New dots are appearing on our map everyday, at home and in far flung places. It’s a big world and we’re conscious that a lot of users outside England may be feeling a bit isolated – we’re just hoping that they will enjoy the concept, be impressed with our delivery and begin to share with friends. It certainly looks like that is what is happening in some places in America.
We’re looking forward to marketing this new game in the future and seeing what impact a little bit of exposure has. Hopefully, if we continue to do well in the Virgin Media Voom Competition, we will have a much greater potential to announce ourselves to the whole world! (And translate the application to other major languages!)
It’s been about a week since Geo Hitch began to travel in public. It’s been an incredibly fast paced journey so far, especially with our entry into the Voom 2016 Business Competition reaching its climax in the next few days! (Geo Hitch Pitch and Voting opportunity here)
The Geo HitchHikers are now free to roam wherever they wish and each day brings great excitement to see where they have travelled and settled. We are delighted to have Users in 12 different countries – our dream of establishing a global network of players is approaching quickly!
We will do our best to let people know about this new game – we know it’s only going to get more fun with more people playing! But the best marketers of the game will be the players themselves. Tell your friends, encourage your colleagues and soon we’ll be able to bridge the gaps in the Geo Hitch Highway!
Martin and Jonathan, the co-founders of Geo Hitch, met up with Bruce and Luke from Bruce and Luke’s Coffee Roasters to explain more about the app. Luke advised that they were passionate about helping promote Geo Hitch which is why they’ve pledged on a sponsor package. Towards the end of the VLOG Bruce took a train journey within the app to somewhere wet in the Lake District and Luke got a short taxi ride somewhere 1.3km from HQ.
We’re really excited at Geo Hitch HQ to be able to enter the VOOM competition ran by Virgin Media. We’ve left it to the last day to enter the competition but we hope that with the support and backing of both the local community as well as the global Geo Hitch future community we’ll be able to ZOOM our way up the leaderboards. We are looking for both public votes as well as cold hard cash to help us stand a chance of getting through to the next round. Please help us in any way you can. VOTE, PLEDGE or SHARE our news and spread the word that we need you.
Great to see the Geocache community excited about moving Geocaches. That’s kinda what Geo Hitch is all about!
Geo Hitch takes the idea of discovery, and logging that find, and makes it more transitional and interactive. All our HitchHikers move with their hosts so if you want to pick up one in particular, you better track it carefully via the search facility and be ready to react when it gets dropped!
The rate of development of a cheese is influenced by various factors. The environment’s temperature, humidity and degree of air circulation all have their impact. Secondly, one must consider the actual acidity, moisture content, and salt content in the cheese itself. Also, let’s not forget that the size of a cheese and number of them also has a profound influence on the maturing process.
It is in this final stage of development that the art of cheese making becomes apparent. The cheese maker must use their experience and creativity once again to ensure the character of the cheese is cultivated appropriately, generating the delicious and satisfying product that everyone was expecting. The result of skill, patience, intuition, perseverance…
Design and development is a bit like cheese making.
We knew what we had. We knew what we wanted to produce. But the maturing process was very complicated indeed, and required constant attention.
Colours, icons, fonts, positioning, sequencing, domain names, business integration, creative freedom, app constraints, bugs, solutions, trade mark difficulties, tests, reviews- and that’s without differences of opinion.
But there’s something very satisfying about being able to taste that cheese.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-limiting inherited condition caused by a faulty gene that controls the movement of salt and water in and out of cells. This causes mucus to gather in the lungs and digestive system and creates a range of challenging symptoms. For more information click here.
What does Cystic Fibrosis have to do with Geo Hitch?
The Geo Hitch team have a close friend who has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Until our friend came into the world none of us knew what cystic fibrosis was. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust works towards a brighter future for everyone with cystic fibrosis by funding cutting-edge research, driving up standards of care and supporting people with the condition and their loved ones every step of the way. Raising the awareness of cystic fibrosis is just the start.
What is Geo Hitch doing?
Geo Hitch will pledge to raise the awareness of cystic fibrosis via various methods including promotional events held around the UK, in app advertising, carrying out fundraising events and other such methods.
We will also be donating £1 for every vote that we achieve in the VOOM 2016 competition including any votes already achieved to date. Any votes up to 23:59 on Monday 23rd May 2016 will be multiplied by £1 and these funds will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust on Friday 27th May. We are looking to raise a maximum of £10,000 on this occasion.
Get involved
Together, we have the power to create a brighter future for everyone with cystic fibrosis. But we need you to get involved with your time, money or voice! Don’t delay – whether it’s making a donation, taking part in an event, joining a campaign or getting your company involved; you can make a real difference today. To get involved click here or if you have an idea in which we can help please get in touch with us.
No? Well that doesn’t matter! Your little pocket tourist is sure to appreciate every ride. Whether it’s a short trundle to the shops, a longer commute to work, a cross country visit to Granny Annie’s or a mammoth trek across the globe you can be a part of each HitchHiker’s history.
