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'''In Hitchhiking in Romania is usually very easy, despite payment for the ride is often expected''', although foreigners often usually aren't asked for anything. Make sure you're expecting to go for free before you get into the car, otherwise you might find yourself in a ugly situation. People expect to be paid for giving a ride, but if you tell them in advance that you are unable to pay, some most will take you anyway; when talking with the driver say "Fora Bani" (without money) or "Nu am bani" (I have no money"). It If you'll end up paying, it is still cheaper than trains and buses though. The local currency is the Leu (pl. Lei). When hitchhiking, it's best to hold a sign with the name of the place you want to go. The most common method is using the 2-letter county code for the place you want to go.
Getting a ride can sometimes be difficult, as some of the cars that pass seem tiny, ancient and packed with more people than there are seats. This is probably due to the low rate of car ownership in some areas, and the fact that hitching is still a common way for locals to travel, particularly in the country. Getting a lift in a truck is fairly rare much easier in Romania compared to than in Western Europe: drivers don't care too much of the surrounding countriesinsurance, and they even pick up more people at a time despite it's illegal.
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'''Romania''' is one of the newest members of the [[European Union]], located in South-East Central Europe. It shares a border with [[Hungary]] and [[Serbia]] to the west, [[Ukraine]] and the Republic of [[Moldova]] to the northeast, and [[Bulgaria]] to the south.
In most of the cities there are unofficial but locally known places for hitchhiking that you can ask to the people. But It might be a good idea to hitchhike a little bit further, because people stopping there are expecting to make some money.
Many cities, such as Timișoara, have specific places where one can hitchhike from. They are interspersed around the city, so just ask someone where the nearest one is. They look like bus stops but you will notice they have no bus numbers or maps. Some are intended for short distances, e.g. towns and villages within 50 kilometers of the city, and others for longer distances, such as to the next major town or city. At these stops, there are unofficial taxis (called sharks) waiting there at most times of day that charge a fixed rate of about 6 lei (less than 2 USD) per person for a short distance, but they will only go if the car is full. If you are willing to pay for the other seats they will take you straight away. Regular cars often pick people up as well, and the advantage to this is that they will take you without demanding the car be full and you can give them a 5 lei note for about a 20k ride. However, that rate is not fixed, so some may argue a different price is appropriate.
