I'm smiling as I read this conversation, because I can empathize with both Daniel and Liam, even though they have expressed quite opposite opinions.

I've visited Romania several times on my moto, and plan to go back again sometime in the not too distant future. It's a fascinating country, it's generally not very expensive, and the people are - for the most part - pretty nice.

All that notwithstanding, I fully appreciate Daniel's frustration. It's not at all uncommon - in fact, it is almost to be expected - that people and businesses will "try you on for size", and if they can get away with charging you a higher rate than what they might charge their next-door neighbor, they will. On top of that, a couple of people tried to rob me (with violence) in Romania last time I was there, and that is something I have never experienced before (and hope I won't have to experience again).

Sometimes, the 'small rip-offs' aren't even worth protesting. If it is a 10% overcharge on a small purchase, it's not worth getting stressed about. For larger purchases (hotels, etc.), one just has to be mentally prepared to challenge and negotiate. For personal safety, I guess we have to be more alert and more judicious than we would normally be in our home country.

I wrote a fairly lengthy trip report about my visit to Romania (and neighboring countries), if anyone wants to look it over, it is here: Notes from a September 2011 ride through Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece.

Michael