Changes

Its common knowledge Russians like to drink vodka. And , but you will unlikely meet a drunken driver unless you go deep into some village area; driving drunk is heavily penalized in Russia so majority of them like people never wants to drink vodka in their cars. Be aware of drunken drivers, but run the risk if there is at least a single police checkpoint on the road (on trunk all the major roads (transsiberian , there are so many [[police]] checkpoints) and drivers don't want to run the risk of getting caught drunk. Then againBut, Russians who own a car are not very probably to be the worst alcoholics and drinking and driving is heavily penalized just in Russia. In general, just do not jump into case you encounter a car with a drunken driver (you will know by smelling if you are so unlucky to meet inside – wave him away and wait for a sober one) and you will be fine.

To increase your safety If the area feels unsafe you might want to hitchhike from police post to police post. The police posts situated on all highways with intervals of about 100 km. These posts, commonly called Post DPS, are good places to hitchhike since cars will drive by slowly, and police is always close. You can also ask the police officers to help you get a ride which really might work. Be prepared to be asked for your ID or even run a cell-phone check (verification that your cell is not in the stolen cells database), though.

Especially the southern provinces [[Dagestan]]Also, there is a possibility to get a lift by talking to drivers on gas stations. You will not be misunderstood, but since there are almost no highways and you can point your thumb anywhere, wasting time on a gas station waiting for cars is not preferred, [[Chechnya]] (worldwide most victims)unless there is heavy raining, [[Ingushetia]]or the spot is bad etc. If there are two of you, [[North Ossetia]] one can hitch on the road and [[Kabardino-Balkaria]] have problems with landminesthe other one ask people on nearby gas station; that really might bring you a lift faster.But the "default" method of hitchhiking in Russia is still thumbing on the roadside ;)

Especially the southern provinces [[Dagestan]], [[Chechnya]] (worldwide most victims), [[Ingushetia]], [[North Ossetia]] and [[Kabardino-Balkaria]] have problems with land-mines. Hitchhiking in Russian is "Autostop" (Автостоп). It literally means "stopping cars", and is basically the only word 100% understood as Hitching (i.e. traveling by getting lifts for free). ===Girls and solo-hitching=== Many Russian girls do hitch alone, and still scary stories seldom hit the news lines. It does not at all mean that the country is free of perverts, and almost all of the solo-travellers travelers (not necessarily gilsgirls) will tell you stories accounts of some sexual harrassment harassment they have encountered while hitching. 99% of such encounters end OK with nothing more serious then words but if you do not want to be asked for sex – or to hold a camera while somebody is masturbating – consider finding a travel buddy.Somehow, Russians are still very amused by foreigners, and many report that travelling solo traveling even extremely long distances, like Central and Eastern Russia, for a foreign girl who speaks some Russian is absolutely safe since she is treated like someone 'from the outside' by virtually everyone. Keep in mind that being a foreigner you are somewhat protected from some issues that Russian hitchhikers face on the roads.

Police in Russia just loves to check IDs and you can get a hell lot of troubles if your papers are not in order (being asked for a bribe is the least). You do have to have your passpport passport with the visa and other papers you get while crossing the border handy. A good idea is to put them in some transparent waterproof bag – the immigration card is absolutely soviet style, and will not survive even the light raining.

Also, Russia still does not have a freedom of movement. That applies to both natives and foreigners; officially, you have to register in 3 days while staying in any city, village, etc. Practically, villages and towns should can be neglected, but please do register once you arrive to a big city (especially Moscow), unless you are planning to stay for less then 3 days. Keep in mind that Normally any hostel or hotel you stay in will normally do it for you; even if you are staying at some friend's you might ask them their staff for help too.If you do not plan to stay for a long time just have some strong evidence that you have just arrived. Buy a hamburger and keep the receipt before leaving some handy nice town or city you pass by (but make sure there is the place's name on it). The train or bus tickets are the best means to persuade the police cops you are not hanging around St.Petersburg for half a year already, so you might take a short ride on a local train from time to time to have a set of tickets marking your way.