Changes

Nevertheless, people will in most cases be glad to give you a ride and as an conclusion, hitchhiking is extremely easy in this country.

It might be wise to learn at least some basic Arabic to communicate with locals. Not many people speak more English than the ''Welcome to Syria'' phrase. Sometimes you can find old people speaking French. Especially for explaining your hitchhiking intention (and to ask for the way the driver goes), it is an absolute advantage to know some Arabic.

=== Border Crossing ===

Most European tourists can get their visa directly at the border, but of course check your local embassy for country-specific visa requirements. When entering Syria, you also get an entry/exit card. Don't loose it, you need it when leaving the county. When leaving [[Syria]], you additionally have to buy an exit/return-ticket at the border checkpoints. These can be bought in most cases in little supermarkets just in front of the ''we stamp your passport''-offices. As in August 2008, the price for an exit card was 550 Syrian Pound (500 SYP exit card, 50 SYP taxes).

* ''Hatay checkpoint'': This checkpoint is easy to reach via Reyhanlı (Turkey). Passing the border by foot is no problem, but it might be wise to hitch a ride after crossing the Turkish checkpoint, the distance to the Syrian checkpoint is around 4 km. Behind Syrian controls, hitch your way towards [[Aleppo]] (~65 km). Don't wait for trucks to pass the border and give you a ride, you can be much faster with walking to the next village and catching a ride with some motorbikes or pickups.

;Lebanon