Don't panic: Matthew Karsten doesn't want to kill you.

(Not that there was any suspicion — the 32-year-old travel writer has one of the most affable-looking mug shots on Twitter.)

When you're a driver picking up randos on the side of the road, though, it's a reassurance worth repeating.

Karsten, affability and all, just completed a trek across the United States, from the coast of Oregon to the shores of Maryland. The kicker: He hitchhiked the entire journey — 36 total rides — in cars and trucks, a Big Rig and a speed boat. He even flew via airplane at one point.

He documented the entire trip with photos and up-to-date entries on his travel blog, Expert Vagabond.

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"Hitchhiking isn't actually illegal in most states — a lot of people think it is," he tells Mashable. "But there are still a lot of vibrant hitchhiking communities out there that people don't know about."

Karsten has been writing for travel publications, including the Travel Channel, since 2010. His job is one of those too-good-to-be-true gigs: Move to a foreign country, make friends, wander around and blog about it. Earlier this summer, after a four-month stint in South America, he moved back to the East Coast.

"I had a conference in Portland in July, and some time to kill after that," he says. "I'd always wanted to try a long hitchhiking trip — I'd never done it more than a few hours — so I figured I'd buy a one-way ticket and hitchhike my way back east after the conference."

Image: Matthew Karsten

He expected the trip to take two weeks. It lasted five. He had no particular end point in mind, really — the only rule was his destination needed to be somewhere along the eastern shoreline.

After flying to Portland and attending the conference, he caught a bus north to the town of Seaside, Ore., where he would begin his trek — officially — from the coast. From there, it was thumbs out and fingers crossed.

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Karsten says the most exhausting part of the trip wasn't soliciting drivers from the side of the road — it was talking to them. They weren't boring — far from it, actually — but having the same conversations over and over again, and feeling obligated to even keep a conversation going, grew tiring after a few states.

"You're kind of 'on' all the time," he says. "It ended up being a little exhausting somedays ... You're asking about their lives, they're asking why you're hitchhiking. There were some silent moments, I guess, but for the most part you're just always talking."

Some highlights included hopping a freight train from Portland to Washington state during a full moon; catching a ride with "John," the inventor of the Ultimate Pancake Sandwich; and traveling for 1,250 miles with a married pair of truckers from Tennessee.

Oh, and the plane?

"There are these small municipal airports all over the country," he says. "I showed up to Ohio University Airport with a sign that said, 'Flying East?'"

Unfortunately, he was asked by security to leave. But, thanks to one of his Facebook postings from a few days earlier, his friend nearby set him up with a pilot flying to West Virginia. Facebook FTW.

Here are some of our favorites photos from his blog:

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

Image: Matthew Karsten

"It was an incredible experience, and I'd definitely do it again," he says, "but I was really worn down after five weeks. Standing in the sun, not knowing where I was going to sleep every night — it takes a lot out of you."

Karsten is heading to Mexico in a few months for his next trip. You can read through his most memorable reflections, from past journeys and upcoming ones, on his blog.

Do you have any crazy hitchhiking stories? Share them with us in the comments. And check out Hitchwiki for expert hitchhiking tips and tricks.

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Image: Matthew Karsten