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Last October we advertised looking for people to travels through Russia by motorhome with us, we got no reply's and finally travelled with two Australians vans that had travelled from Singapore to Europe overland for eight months during 2005. I might add that they were originally New Zealanders who emigrated to Australia.
We travelled about 5000 km through Russia during the 30 day tourist visa we obtained before we left New Zealand.
We used a Tom Tom 730 that had Russian maps built into it, they had all the main streets in the smaller towns mostly, but we got to the city had a reasonable coverage so we did not have to rely on maps, although we did carry them and referred to them occasionally.
Travelling by GPS no longer roadsigns or a lack of them a problem nor does the Russian alphabet present a problem because the GPS talks to you in your own language.
My wife, Luda, from the city of Rostov on Don, first of all was reluctant to travel in Russia by motorhome so we first went by a group in 2006 and found no problems, then went with two vans this year and found no problems, now she would be happy to travel by ourselves and I think the main original problem was that she was able to read the Russian newspapers and all of the bad news that all newspapers delight in publishing, and for that reason I am inclined to think that the last person to ask about safety in any country sometimes is the local person.
People talk about the theft in Russia, all I can say is that we had a portable folding table on the bicycle rack secured by a strap that would take two seconds to undo and it stayed with us through our whole tour of about six months and 19,500 km. Checkout the map at
http://www.ivan.co.nz/t8/finished%20tour.html and of our tour through Russia at http://www.ivan.co.nz/t8/2008-D.html
Do you need to speak the language or have an interpreter? It can be handy if you're shopping for a pacific item or you can buy those little books which have a lot of pictures in them for almost every type of product, and it certainly is a disadvantage to speak Russian if you get stopped by the traffic police because then they can have a conversation to you or through your interpreter. We have a policy that Luda did not talk in Russian to the police, so when they stopped me driving my German registered motorhome because perhaps they could speak German, and I greeted them in English, they did not know what to do and three times waved us on.
Like most non English speaking countries most young people speak some English so language is not a reason to stay at home.
I would be happy travelling through Russia with only English as a language and a Tom Tom GPS.
At the Dusseldorf motorhome show there was a Russian stand for the “Russian motorhome club” or some similar name, they supplied a book in English on travelling by motorhome through Russia, and they also have the first copy of the Russian language motorhome and caravan magazine.
In the magazine they give an interesting statistic that currently there are about 1000 motorhomes and caravans throughout Russia, we actually saw three Russian registered motorhomes on our travels, and they had their first motorhome show last June.
What are my thoughts about travelling through Russia by a motorhome?
First of all the roads were a trial in some places, but not sufficient for us not to return to do this trip again.
We used no motor camp's, camping wild every night, often by a stream or a car park or whatever we could find. At no point that I feel unsafe during any part of my travel, in fact I have felt more unsafe in England on several past occasions.
The GPS we had was adequate for all of our travel even though in the more remote areas there were only main roads but this can only improve.
We found cash machines everywhere, like you do now on every country.
The supermarkets have as much food, clothing and everything else as we would expect in the West in fact some were better than what we have in New Zealand.
Any questions please feel free to ask.
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I do wish people would not write such articles...!
Wilbur; you've got me all excited after reading such a positive report of your travels. We'd love to go to St Petersburg but don't fancy an organised trip with coachloads of others. Another trip we've long thought we'd like to do is to Estonia but have been put off the idea of continuing into Russia.
You've made it sound so possible.
Thanks for your account and don't be surprised if you get lots of queries.
Just off to fire up TomTom.....
G
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Hi Harry
When did you last break down anywhere?
With proper check over you should have no problems, they do have Fiat garages in most big citys, if you stop on the side of the road you can flag someone down and they will stop, you would have a phrase book to help you with the lingo, a GPS to show you the way, a special piece of paper with Russia / English phrases like “My motor has blown up please take me to a garage!” and others!
The road was the worst from Murmansk to St Petersburg but there was a lot of traffic so you would have got help easy, probably even a tow from one of the many trucks.
It would be a lot easier that in the remote Highland roads of Scotland with little traffic!!!!
Don’t just think about it ….do it
Look at my travels on http://www.ivan.co.nz/tour-index.htm and see what we do!
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The last time we broke down was in June this year, on a motorway about 35km from Perugia in Italy! Well, it wasn't a breakdown, just the infamous fifth gear problem on the Ducatto. We nursed it into Perugia and then went through the Safeguard/AA roadside Assist system and were directed to a Fiat garage - of which there were about 8 in Perugia!
We have done quite a bit of m/h travelling on the continent and worked for a couple of years in southern Africa so I am reasonably comfortable abroad. Also, LOL, we have just been in the Highlands and Islands for three weeks! I am, perhaps, not so comfortable with a m/h that you can't give a bump start to, or push into a layby.
But I am of a similar mind to yourself in just giving it a go - the real horror stories are rare and they can occur anywhere. But apart from yourself there isn't anyone else in this forum, I think, who has actually done it.
Harry
______________________________________________________________ Above us only sky
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Harry....
.....there is a point it "Greater" Europe that if you see a GB number plate you get a surprise, but you always see "D" and "NL" so where are the great wanderers of yesteryear? Where are the “Cook’s” the Stanley’s, perhaps because it has all been done or perhaps it was only one or two from the whole population! ….but then look at all the people that went to NZ by sailing ship over the last 150 years, last year a young English couple arrived next door so they still travel, but just not by motorhome, is that just for going to Blackpool for a weekend!
I would like to know some answers for my own curiosity….
Wilbur
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Morning Wilbur
We've had the same experience of the disappearing GB plates - in Scandinavia, Greece and Morocco. Many seem to limit themselves to France and Spain - though clearly, our youngsters are penetrating every other part of the globe by air in increasing numbers - the Australia round, Thailand, South America etc. So the self-imposed limitations on m/h travel must have more to do with:
Cost - of ferries, diesel, repairs
Time - let's face it, you have to be retired with a wad to go far
Fear - of how to get out of scrapes in remote parts, hijacking, road conditions, foreign drivers, police corruption
Better not say any more - I'm putting myself off again!.
Though one thing more - modern motor homes seem to get flimsier and flimsier. As more gadgets are packed in they have to be made lighter and lighter to avoid overloading. And why do they have to be so 'posh' - spotlights on stalks, great bulbous glass-fibre mouldings on the outside, etc. Ground clearances also seem to be shrinking - with the risk of scraping the underside on rough terrain. I'd rather be in one of those trans-Sahara conversions with 4x4 and 500mm ground clearance for some of the roads we've been on - or even a half-track!
Harry
______________________________________________________________ Above us only sky
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