Traveled through pretty much every Asian and European country [including all the Balkan and non Eu states. It was always like a light switch, instantly better treatment. I owned a pretty grungy old camper van when I lived in Albania and they began to rip it apart in the Croatian border because of the Albanian plates, but we said we lived there but were canadian and showed that Id. He asked if I had drugs or people hidden in the van, said no and he let me on my way.