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Also, make sure to keep an eye on the road - if the driver makes sudden turns and other similar actions while driving it is likely that he is either a taxi driver or that he thinks he is doing good by bringing you to the local bus station, and would expect some money from you. You therefore will have to be reiterative on stating that you travel by '''autostop'''. This kind of driver behaviour usually is Women hitchhiking alone do not valid for encounter more issues than the company car or truck drivers': they are already salaried and won't be offering a taxi service to youaverage European country.
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[[Hitchhiking]] in Albania can go surprisingly well. Even though Albania is still one of the poorest countries in [[Europe]], the country's living conditions have improved greatly in the past years.
People are usually friendly and ready to help. Be aware that hitchhiking is not part of Albanian culture and most some drivers will expect money, since private taxi is a major form of public transport. Make sure that before you board a vehicle the driver is not an informal cab-driver. It can A simple 'no taxi' phrase should be especially enough to avoid misunderstandings. Some found it useful to learn "por.... jo para.... jo problem?" (but.... no money... no problem?) and ask it as they stop (yes/no = po/jo, and mirë (pronounced mir) = fine/good). Some drivers will refuse to take you for free, but still every other driver should pick you up. Hitchhiking with a sign can be useful to differentiate yourself from the other people using public transportation.
Also, make sure to keep an eye on the road - if the driver makes sudden turns and other similar actions while driving it is likely that he is either a taxi driver or that he thinks he is doing good by bringing you to the local bus station, and would expect some money from you. You therefore will have to be reiterative on stating that you travel by ''Only few 'autostop'''. This kind of driver behaviour usually is not valid for the company car or truck drivers expected money from us. A simple 'no taxi: they are already salaried and won' phrase should t be enough offering a taxi service to avoid misunderstandingsyou. --[[User:Klaudyna|Klaudyna]] 21:45, 22 February 2010 (UTC)''
[[File:tirana.jpg|right|thumb|typical road scene in Tirana]]
==Border Crossing==
Be careful at the borders, because officers can be corrupted and there are many problems with smuggling of cigarettes, drugs and guns. Border controls are more "exact" than in the rest of the [[balkansBalkans]].
*[[Montenegro-Albanian border crossing]]
*[[Qafë-Thanës-Struga border crossing]]
**''[[User:Quarim|Quarim]] had problems at the border check to [[Macedonia]] (direction [[Struga]], [[Ohrid]]) in 2008, he gave a bribe that the officers let him pass.''
**''9[User:Klaudyna|Klaudyna]] reports a very different experience: ''We crossed the Macedonian - Albanian border on foot and started hitchhiking straight after crossing, about 100 meters away from the officers. We thought it's was going to bring us in trouble and we were trying to be as discreet with it as possible. They noticed us of course, but their reaction was quite different from what we expected - they stopped a car for us and told the driver to bring us to Tirana coz there is not much traffic and otherwise we would have waited forever.''
==Eating & Drinking==
