There are risks to hitchhiking of course, but I honestly think that the biggest risk is getting into a car accident. And that, of course, is the risk you take any time you step into any car, whether you're hitchhiking or not. I think the risk of something really bad happening (like getting raped or robbed) is quite low- but that also depends on what country or area you're in. As a woman, I wouldn't hitchhike alone in most Muslim countries or many developing countries, and after this incident I didn't want to hitch alone in Mongolia. But having said that, there are also some really wonderful things about hitchhiking which you rarely hear about, like the kindness that strangers share with you and the variety of interesting people you get to connect with. I will try to demonstrate all of this in my upcoming blogs :)