Russian in Eastern Europe

If one were to travel around Eastern Europe would focusing on and being able to speak Russian well, or should one just become familiar enough of, for example, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian?

Consequently, how safe is Eastern Europe for an American traveling alone?

You're better off learning English. . . Slavic languages are not greatly interintelligible and not very many people know Russian, especially in Western Eastern Europe.

It's reasonably safe provided you have a brain. The cities should be as safe as any larger American city. Keep out of the ghettos and don't speak loudly in English like most obnoxious Americans do. You can hear em from a mile away. Try and blend in (ie, don't wear shorts and dont walk around with a fanny pack and a cowboy hat and a camera around your neck)

I also agree that English is more useful than Russian in Eastern Europe. Especially with Russia's history there in mind. I don't think a lot of people (especially in ex-satellite nations) will appreciate you speaking in the tongue of the former oppressor.

Besides, Russian is not greatly popular in Eastern Europe. Russia is seen like Latin America sees the USA, ambivalently and suspicious.

So I'd say, learn English, and also learn common phrases in the local language.

"Consequently, how safe is Eastern Europe for an American traveling alone?"

Much safer than travelling in the USA, by any means, also Eastern Europe is less Anti-American than the Anti-American Western Europe.

<<Try and blend in (ie, don't wear shorts and dont walk around with a fanny pack and a cowboy hat and a camera around your neck)>>

Tourists always seem to wear exactly that, though >.<

Russian is very much spoken in Eastern Europe and maybe more than either English and German especially in Slavic countries but people do not speak it as much as possible.

This thread is created again by those hispanic fanatics to belittle Russian after belittling French, German, and even English and Portuguese. They're just envuious because Russian is easier for the Slavic countries in Eastern Europe to study than Spanish which has no place in that region therefore their dream to for it to become the 2nd most studied in Europe will not materialize because of Russian's postion in Eastern Europe.

Eastern Europeans laugh out loudly whenever they're asked if they're interested to lear Spanish because they find it impractical.

<< dont walk around with a fanny pack >>

Ha! God I hate those things. So dorky.

can mainly speak for Czech Republic:

A) Older people here tend to have a very basic grasp of Russian, but the events 1968 still linger in the national psyche so it's been long stigmatized and the knowledge is passive. Only a few young people will know any Russian, but would be more likely to use it since they studied it by choice.

B) If you know Russian it can still be an asset; while outside of the sub-branches inteligeblity is fairly low; similar logical constructs and roots exist. A person knowing Russian should grasp the basics of Czech quicker than say an English-Spanish speaker.

C) In Czech and Slovakia: English is "the language" now, German 2nd and then probably Russian. Anyone under 35 will speak communicable English and many younger people enjoy speaking English, and the majority do it quite well.

D) Every Ukrainian I know speaks Russian, and there is a high mutual inteligeblity among East-Slavic Languages.

E) Eastern Europe is very safe, even more so than London or Paris... unless your going to Trans-Dnistr or Kosovo.

F) No Czech would laugh at the idea of learning Spanish, it's quite fashionable here; just as English has been since the 90's. Still it's comparitive uselessness to a Czech keeps many people from really commiting to it.

lol I would probably have a backpack... No fanny packs, no camera slung around the neck, no loudly speaking English, etc.

In former Soviet Union countries, Russian is highly understood among the people who are over 35.
Belarussian and Russian are almost perfectly interchangeable and Ukrainian and Russian are somewhat mutually intelligible. So you may speak Russian in those two countries.

In other Eastern European countries, the ones that are more tourist-friendly such as Czech, Poland or Hungary, Russian is not that widely used so just stick to English.

Czech, Poland and Hungary are safe enough to travel alone and you won't get much trouble if you have a common sense. (probably much safer than traveling to Mexico or Brazil)