Book Reviews - Trans-Siberian Handbook (7th Edition)

Author Bryn Thomas
Published by Trailblazer in 2007

This Trailblazer guide has become 'de rigeur' for anyone travelling the breadth of Russia by train. Packed with information, travel tips and much, much more it also makes an interesting read on the daily commute to work.

My first experience of riding the Trans-Siberian was in November 1982. It was bitterly cold and the mood was very sombre following the death of Leonid Brezhnev (a former leader of the USSR). Heading east from Irkutsk, the weather closed in and the meagre list of available items in the restaurant car did little to improve your mood unless of course you were excited at the propsect of yet another plate of macaroni in red sauce!

Back in those days getting decent information about a long train journey was a difficult task - almost as hard as getting prime steak on the Trans-Siberian. Most information was gleaned from travelling friends or snippets in the press. The idea of a formal guide had yet to be thought of.

I have always loved train travel and despite the obvious privations of travelling across the USSR in 1982 it was still a memorable journey. The steaming samovars at the end of each carriage, the sullen staff who had never heard of service, the whiteout in a snowstorm near Chita ... the memories live on.

Had a guide such as this been available in 1982, then the task of preparing for the trip would have been easier and the uncertainties removed. The experience would not have been lessened and the journey would have been more relaxed. I might even have taken more food to escape the suffering endured in the dining car.

Bryn Thomas has done his homework and used his experiences on the train to form a well-written guide to what is one of the great travel experiences in the world. Today is a much easier journey with better food but it still requires some planning and forethought. Like all Trailblazer guides you soon get the feeling that they are practical, to the point and relevant. No wasted words or poetic prose. Just good old-fashioned hard information that helps you enjoy your travelling.

Reviewed 23rd March 2008 by Lou Johnson