Little person having to hitchhike, covering miles (3,5)

I believe the answer is:

tom thumb

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'little person' is the definition.
'Tom Thumb' can be an answer for 'person' (Tom Thumb is an example). I am not certain of the 'little' bit.

'to hitchhike covering miles' is the wordplay.
'hitchhike' becomes 'thumb' (I've seen this before).
'covering' indicates putting letters inside.
'miles' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'to'+'thumb'='tothumb'
'tothumb' going around 'm' is 'TOM THUMB'.

'having' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tom thumb that I've seen before include "Fairy story hero" , "Diminutive person" , "Panto character" , "Tiny hero of nursery tale - digital?" , "Tiny child of fairy tale" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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