I remember searching about this topic online, before going to Russia, and almost no results came up. For some reason, I used to think that it could be difficult to Hitchhike in Russia, and even dangerous. Nope!
Russia was one of the easiest countries I have ever hitchhiked! I didn’t have to wait on the road for much longer than 10 minutes in each and every place I staid.
Everybody who pick me up from the road was incredibly kind and generous. Either families, men or women, they were always trying to help me. From my experience in Russia, I believe that Russians are generally kind and caring people. All my Couchsurfing hosts were amazing too! Above are a few examples of my great experience of Hitchhiking in Russia:
– I got a direct lift, from Murmansk to St. Petersburg, which is about 1300 Km! It was a Russian man, coming back from delivering some fish. We did a few stops so he could rest and sleep a little bit. And so, did I!
– Travelling to big cities, mainly to the capital, it can be a bit tricky by hitchhiking. It is easier to get a lift because many people are going there, but because they are such big cities, most of the times people are not going where you are going or to the centre. Not the case about Moscow! A young man picks me up just outside St. Petersburg and he is going to Moscow. He is such a nice guy and we have some really interesting chats! When I show him the address of my Couchsurfing host, he says: “I know this place! That’s is the area where I live!”. What? I know, quite interesting, right? He drives me all the way to where I have to go.
– Dimitra, Nikolay, and their lovely French Bulldog, Solomon, drive me all the way to Nish Novogorod, and again to the exact place I have to be, even though that would take them away from their original destination. During our journey together, they also invited me for lunch, and Nikolay gave me as a gift / souvenir, some delicious home-made cakes, which are traditional from this Tatar region. The cookies look so beautiful that I even feel sorry for eating them.
– Munrat, a truck driver, after driving me for some time, helps me to find another truck driver who is going to my destination. With the second truck driver, Sergei, I travel for the whole next day, meaning that I slept in his truck for two nights. He offered me not only food for this whole time, but as well for a shower and sauna in a truck stop. I only took the shower.
I wish I had staid longer in Russia. My plan was to go all the way to Siberia, into Mongolia, and then coming back to Kazakhstan. All of these by hitchhiking. And I am sure I would be very well succeeded, if I hadn’t had to leave the country because some political measures were taken. What a shame! Russia I will miss you!
