How to go Hypergridding

CHANGE
Hypergrid technology is developing all the time, so check back here, as thing change I'll try to update the information provided.

PATIENCE
Lots of things can affect your ability to hypergrid: spelling mistakes, your internet connection, your computer, the internet connection of the grid you're trying to go to, the diligence of respective grid managers and so on.
If you don't go armed with patience, you probably won't go very far at all. Forced logging out, crashing, freezing, lag and general time-wasting are intrinsic parts of this activity.
If you get messages like 'Unable to verify Identity' or 'Region not found' don't assume the grid is not there. 

VIEWER:  
Firestorm is the most popular viewer for opensim. Make sure you get the OpenSim Version, not the SL Only one. Other viewers are good too, check this page for a list of compatibles. I like Singularity. Radegast is another viewer that is super simple and can be very useful if you need multiple avies open. More than one Viewer gives you options, and the best of all worlds in an environment with so many variables. 

WAYS TO JUMP 
There are  5 principal ways you can Grid Jump. The basic - and most important one - is number 5.
1. someone can send you a TP - yes! you can IM with and teleport a person, if you have an IM open with them, even if you're on different grids!  This being Opensim, things don't always work smoothly  because individual grids may be configured slightly differently .. hence the other options of how to gridjump, here below.
2. You can use a Landmark. Hypergridding Landmarks sometimes have 'HG' at the beginning of their name. Bear in mind that Landmarks will stop working if the region is moved, or there are changes on the grid, so old LMs often fail. make new ones. If you're in IM with someone, but the Teleport option is greyed out, try making a Landmark and send them that.
3. You can jump through a portal - sometimes called a Blamgate, This script, developed by Pathfinder Lester and refined by Shaun Emerald of Sanctuary Grid, allow you to step from one grid to another. The portals are open source, so you can copy one and modify it for your own use. 
4. You can click on a hyperlink, like Second Life's SLURLS. Currently (April 2015) there are several competing forms of OpenSim 'slurls' and most do not work with all Viewers or with all Grids. Websites like HG Business collect data from participating region owners and publish information about which sims are online, which have people on them, and upcoming events.
5. You can use your Map, and a hypergrid address (which looks a bit like a website URL). If you like to Keep It Simple, then learn about this method. 

HG ADDRESSES
Every grid has a unique address. A few smaller grids use all-number addresses, most people put the name of the grid in the address, followed by a domain name (like .org or .com) and they all end in a port number like 80, 8002, 9000
Here are two examples
hg.osgrid.org:80
grid.avacon.org:8002

If you paste this address into your viewer's Map search box, it will take you to the 'main' sim of the grid, usually arranged as a Welcome area. 
You can add the name of a specific sim to the HG Address to go direct to your chosen destination

Here are two examples
hg.osgrid.org:80:Exupery
grid.avacon.org:8002:safari

You may also see the same address in the hop format, like this 

hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/Event%20Plaza/128/128/22

You can copy paste this into your Map also. If it doesn't work, try taking off the hop:// at the beginning, and the coordinates at the end, and try again.

Sometimes that will work fine, sometimes you'll get a 'region not found' message. If you know the region exists, just remove the name from the end of the address, and TP to the Default sim of the grid, which is almost always their Welcome area, and then open the Map again and look for the specific sim - you'll now be able to see all the sims in that grid and search more easily for your chosen destination. Check for typos.

GOING HOME 
You can't get lost in Opensim. Before you go Hypergridding, make sure you have set Home somewhere on your home grid. Even if you don't have a sim or parcel on the grid, you can usually set Home in the public sandbox or on the Welcome area. If you find yourself in some weird or or laggy place, press CTRL SHIFT H. That will take you home. Otherwise, log out. When you log back in, you will be on your home grid. You can't log back in to a 'foreign' grid using the My Last Location feature, so if, while out on the Hypergrid, you need to relog due to lag or rezzing issues, make sure you grab a LM of the place on the 'foreign' grid so you can get back there.

ADJUSTING 
Don't have ridiculous expectations. This is not a place for where do-nothings thrive; people tend to be busy, but kind. There are many kinky places - but there aren't a lot of pick-up joints. Your computer will take a while to get used to the voodoo of opensim, so cut it some slack. Set graphic quality low, gradually make your draw distance high. Your avatar is not going to be as finely honed as your SL 'self' - get over it. Be prepared for attachments to disappear or show up late when you TP. Be self reliant - there are few people, less commerce, and no Search facilities on most grids. Be ready for some pioneering adventure - or stay at home!

Your First Hypergridding Steps

1. If you don't already have one, open an account in one of the bigger open sim worlds like Osgrid or Kitely or Craft. Just like SL, there is no charge for making an avatar. Every world has its pros and cons, its own style, you may find your first choice of grid is not your final choice. Be flexible, don't be afraid to try another place!

 
2. To find destinations to visit,

•  you can go to opensimworld.com This wonderful site by Satyr Gator will show you places where visitors are welcome. It works by linking the website to a beacon present on the actual sim, which transmits information like if the sim is online, if there are people on it, and so on. This site tells you which regions are up, and if there are people present, so you can find some company, perhaps. It is not a complete list of every grid and/or region out there, but it is a good place to start. 
• Use this blog archive! This blog tells the story of our Safari adventures, and at the end of each post you will find the HG Address of the destinations, which you can use to go visit yourself. There is also a Page of Grid Addresses in this blog.
• Join groups on Facebook that promote the hypergrid, like Hypergrid Happenings.
• Discord also has a lot of opensim people, if you join some of the bigger groups like Hypergrid Explorers and Creators you will find many friends.

3. If you have trouble jumping to a specific region on another grid, try doing 2 jumps - first go to the 'main sim' or Welcome sim of your chosen grid: (LBSA on OSGrid, Hydra on Craft, Accueil  on Francogrid, for example) and then look for the name of the region.

 How to gridjump

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•   At the bottom of your viewer screen open the tab marked 'MAP' and highlight the sim name in 'Search'
• Paste the grid address you copied from the Hypergrid Business web page (save it on a Notecard too, for further reference). Then press search. May take a moment for the Map to locate your destination.



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•  The hypergrid address often includes the precise sim (the red 'optional' bit in picture 2) - if you remove that, the remaining part of the address will serve to take you to the grid's Main Welcome sim. From there, you can simply tp locally to the place you want, using the sim name, as you would in Second Life. Most Welcome areas have TP boards to take you to their main points of interest, too. 

•  When the map has found the sim, you'll see it in detail. Time to press Teleport!! 

*~*~*~* teleport swishy sound*~*~*~*

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• Notice how my nametag now includes my home grid name.
• When you arrive at you destination, be patient while the new sim loads, remember the system may be very different from the sim version you just left. May take a while for all your 'bits' to catch up with you (hair, shoes, a/o's and skirts sometimes tarry -  for the best results, use a viewer based a/o... (that's Control Shift O). 

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• Have fun exploring! Items 'bought' in one grid and carried to another will make the journey, but don't be too hasty in teleporting back home, they need a little time to show up in your Inventory. If you shop and run, you may get home with empty folders!