Hitchhiking in Slovakia

Hitchhiking in the Slovak language is called 'autostop' and to hitch a ride is to 'stopovat'. The hitchhiker is 'stopar'. It is, mostly among younger people, one of the most popular ways of traveling in the country or discovering other places in Europe.

Random hitchhiking, as a rule does not involve financial compensation. If the journey is a longer one, the hitchhiker should ask the driver, whether he would like a payment for his kindness. Most drivers, however, are happy to have a companion for the trip and don't ask for anything more.

Hitchhiking in Slovakia is relatively safe. Of course, one has to follow the commonsense rules: to be careful, to take note of the registration number of the car, not to get in a car if the driver or any of the passengers look strange, etc. Just the same rules as in any other European country apply. Although there are odd cases of violence involving hitchhikers, the numbers are very few considering the number of happy hitchhikers who got to their destination safely.

Of course, young couples with backpacks on sunny days on well frequented roads have much better chance to stop a car than individuals on dark, lonely stretches of highway.

The customery signal for a hitchhiker to use is a slightly raised straight hand with a raised thumb and closed fist.

If you are on a busier road or plan to travel to a more distant location, it is advisable to write the destination on a sheet of paper or cardboard. For foreign destinations, use 'WIEN' for Vienna and 'PRAHA' for Prague. Inside Slovakia, two-letters code of the district is usually the best way to communicate. The codes for the ten largest cities are the following:

• BA - Bratislava
• KE - Kosice
• PO - Presov
• NR - Nitra
• ZA - Zilina
• BB - Banska Bystrica
• TT - Trnava
• MT - Martin
• TN - Trencin
• PP - Poprad

On local roads, you will be probably happy to get to the nearest larger town, so no identification of the destination is necessary.