Sheffield students recently completed a nine day hitchhiking challenge across Europe for charity.

150 students successfully hitchhiked from Sheffield to Belgrade, as part of a challenge set by “Bummit”, the official University hitchhiking society.

The students passed through six countries, leaving Sheffield on the 28th March, and arriving in Belgrade on 5th April. The society exceeded their goal, raising over £40,000 for five different charities. 

Robin Hibbs, 23 , completed the challenge with his two teammates. He said: “It was absolutely incredible. I didn’t know the two girls before Bummit and now we’re inseparable. We made memories and friends for life.” 

Bummit was founded in 2003, and has raised over £1.3 million for charity since. The students crossed through France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Serbia.  

Robin continued:  “A strong highlight was sitting outside Hungarian Parliament on Day seven. The whole building lit up under the dark sky. It was an unreal moment.”  “The three of us reflected on how far we’d come.

“Savour every moment. Sometimes it’s easy to forget to take it all in and appreciate the amazing places you’re seeing.”

The Big Bummit happens once a year, with the “Baby Bummit” happening in autumn, to a location in the UK.  

The students were left to organise themselves, including sleeping arrangements. Max Murray John, 20,  who also took part, said: “Most of the time we booked hostels late notice. We brought a tent just in case things got really dire!” 

Max continued: “Waking up at lake bled to the most beautiful sunrise over the lake is definitely something I’d do again. Hitchhiking is definitely now a viable option as a way to travel.”

Students received a safety briefing before leaving and emergency contact details.. Robin said “There was one point where we all felt quite unsafe. A man said he could take us across the border if he used our driving licenses. He seemed very desperate to get across. It shook us all up.”

With the Big Bummit happening again next year, Max said “I would definitely recommend the challenge to others, it was an amazing experience meeting so many new people and hearing some brilliant stories!”

The fundraising figure sits at £40,921.28. You can still donate to Robins team at https://givestar.io/team/robin-becca-and-libby