A millionaire picks up four hitchhikers on the side of the road in rural Ohio. It already sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. But when one hitchhiker, a guy named Woncho \u2014 yes, rhymes with Poncho \u2014 tells the story, it\u2019s not leading to a punchline. \u201cThat was one of the best rides ever,\u201d Woncho says. \u201cWe told him to drive around in circles so we could listen to him talk more.\u201d The millionaire driver had been a hitchhiker in the \u201970s. Back then it was just another mode of transportation. Safety wasn\u2019t on the radar. Getting rides was easy.<\/p>\n
Today, it\u2019s a bit of a different story for the modern hitchhiker. Technology can step in when a thumbs-up on the side of the road fails. Woncho \u2014 whose real name is Hoang-Chau Nguyen \u2014 has tried just about everything to go his own way. By the age of 21 Woncho had already hitchhiked across the 48 continental United States. \u201cI\u2019m kind of crazy,\u201d says Woncho, who\u2019s now 27. \u201cIt was uncharted territory. I was younger.\u201d<\/p>\n