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'''Laos''' is a country in South East [[Asia]] surrounded by [[China]], [[Vietnam]], [[Cambodia]], [[Thailand]] and [[Myanmar|Burma]]. Hitchhiking is fairly uncommon, and sometimes people will ask you expect money. Check out the [[Asia phrasebook#Thai|Thai-Lao phrasebook]] for moneylanguage pointers.

Hitching in '''Laos''' is very much divided to different between the north and south part of the country. While in the south it is relatively easy to hitchike for hitchhike 300 KM kilometers a dayand people don't commonly expect money, in the north it's hard to go more than 150 a day. it -- on some roads, expect to cover only as much as you can get pretty hard, and that was also [[User:Worldhitch|Worldhitch's]] experiencewalk in a day. It can take a long time to be picked up, as just a few cars drive on the so called 'highway'. the highway is , often just a dirt road, paved randomly, one lane eachwith random pavement sections. Looking at the amount of cars (in January 2011 and 2012) there are '''around 1 (pick up, car, truck) per 6 minutes'''. Very This makes travel in Laos very different than from hitching in Thailand. But even in the north it is still possible to get a lift. Solo HH hitchhikers can get a ride between villages with one of the many motor bikes that stroll roam all over the country Near the border with Vietnam, on the road 7 , there are many logging trucks, coming from China. They speak no English most of the time. Try the pickup trucks and point that you want to sit in the back. It helps to say in advance that you have no money and it can also be a good idea to have a local person write down a few sentences like "have no money", "short distance is ok" etc. There are more than a few improvised pickups that will give you a ride for less money than the organized busses. sometimes it seems cheaper to go with these pickups Because from the as out of 10 hitches, you need to pay 3 of themif you don't make clear in advance that you're looking to travel for free. [rule of thumb: 30-40,000 kip per 100 km for a real "hitch", or 10,000 per person (per 30km) for a bus-truck.

Still, if you are determined to hitchhike for free through Laos, it can be done, even in the north (the south is very easy, similar to Thailand). Since almost nobody can speak English, and they will expect a payment for the rides, it is essential that you make yourself understood: a [[hitchhiking letter]] may help a lot with that, and will also help you to be helped by the locals in order to find free rides to your destination. Aside from that, be prepared for the long waits(or walks), have lots of patience and do it mostly for the fun!

In the '80s a lot of people went to [[Russia]] for their studies, and these are often people who have cars these days, so you might be able to use your Russian skills. English is not very common outside of cities and tourist destinations.

It is illegal (?) to sleep outside in Laosas the government wants tourists to spend their money on guest houses. If you are caughtDon't overly worry, you will be fined. however -- [[source requiredUser:Zenit|Zenit]] was woken up by police once when camping in plain view on the road and only had his passport details taken. On many more occasions nobody bothered him.