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The Tomsk adventures: How I got to Russia for around $1000

While looking around for flights to Tomsk, I was startled to find out return flights averaged well above $2,000 on Singapore Airlines.

For a budget that was half the price of the airplane ticket, that was difficult to achieve. So here’s what I did:

1) Look around for domestic flights with international airport bases

Flights into Tomsk were administered by several carriers, including S7 and Aeroflot. A check on their websites revealed most of them had arrangements with Asian airports. If you’re willing to risk your miles programme (mine is Krisflyer), see where these hubs are. A simple check on Skyscanner will help.

One of my friends found a flight via West Air to Urumqi as their only long-haul flight, averaging at below S$300. The catch is that the website is in Chinese and you would need someone to buy the ticket for you using a Chinese credit card, so call up your friends in good places if you need to.

S7 Airlines flies to destinations such as Shanghai and Bangkok. This is where I found prices going for much cheaper than what I had searched for with SIA and Emirates. But this still did not cut the mark. I had to do more.

2) Find out where else the airline flies to, that’s near your destination

Russia is known for a myriad of towns and airports, and finding one that S7 flew into and was just a few hours away from Tomsk was not a big problem. The nearest airport from Tomsk is in the city of Novosibirsk (the third-largest in Russia), some four hours away by train. Another airport was in Krasnoyarsk, some 11 hours away by train.

S7 Airlines only flies from Moscow into Tomsk, so there was no avoiding taking a longer route that would cost more. The smarter option would be to drop off in a nearby city and find your way in.

3) Connect it up using a variety of transport methods

One of the fantastic modes of backpacking has always been to travel where it is unconventional - and the much-touted Trans-Siberian Train provided a cheap alternative for travel. (Many have documented their journey from Beijing to Moscow via train in one week, and there is a possibility to travel further to London. Close your eyes, clutch your heart and do it.)

Through pass.rzd.ru, I found a cheap seated cabin for S$8 from the city of Novosibirsk to Tomsk. The train provides sleeper cabins that cost ten times more, which is useful for longer train rides, but I didn’t need one for a four-hour train ride with a seat that reclines at around the same seat pitch as an economy-class plane seat.

Other options include renting a cab or hopping onto a sleeper bus. My friends who went to Urumqi hopped onto a bus to Almaty in Kazakhstan for a nominal sum. Rocky roads are par for the course, but so is turbulence too.

Be mindful of transit times as you are doing this - have at least 3 hours in between layovers so you can comfortably grab your bags and head for the next check-in. Between saving up and catching the next mode of transport, do the latter so you won’t incur additional damage.

4) If you need to, grab an Airbnb

Taking unconventional routes would mean trips of a slightly longer duration. If you are going to be stuck with long layovers, do yourself a huge favour and look up a cheap hostel in the area - my hostel in Novosibirsk (Dostoevsky Hostel) was just S$7 per night. It could make all the difference between falling sick en route to your destination or at least having some proper sleep.

Trying to sleep in an airport or transit area that is unsafe and that you are unfamiliar with may only cause more trouble than harm, so for a few dollars, save yourself the trouble of having to wake up every hour to check that your belongings are intact.

If sleep isn’t a priority, check in your baggage at the airport’s left baggage counter so you have the freedom to walk around without having the word “tourist” be labelled on your head. It’s worth the added safety.

5) Don’t forget to plan your routes between transit points

Novosibirsk thankfully has an Uber service, so catching one was a breeze from the airport to the hostel and to the railway station. Unfortunately, no such service exists in Tomsk, so be careful while planning how to get to your next destination. Flagging a cab in the middle of the road may be a tourist trap - a better option would to find out what taxi apps are in the area. Russia uses the Yandex and Maxim apps, where cash payment is possible - cab rides can go for as little as S$2.50 for a 10-minute ride.

If you are the adventurous sort, try and look into their public transport system - metros, buses and the like. These will be cheaper options but beware of safety concerns as you are making your way to the destination. Arm yourself with a SIM card of that country if you need to make emergency calls or WhatsApps and book cabs.

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So in case you’re not the reading sort, here’s a tl;dr:

- Search domestic airlines with international airport destinations - Search nearby cities the airlines travel to - Connect everything up with budget airlines, trains, coach buses etc. - Leave 3-hour layover time between each transit - Get a SIM card to book taxis to your next transit point if needed - Get a cheap hostel for long layovers (and make new friends!) - Check in your baggage at the airport for shorter layovers - Take the city’s public transport - but at your own risk, if you’re unfamiliar

I spent the following:

SIN - BKK: SGD146.99, Tigerair BKK - OVB: RUB40615 (SGD890.05), S7 Airlines round-trip OVB - TOM: RUB451 (SGD9.88) Train 142H

TOM - OVB: RUB451 (SGD9.88), Train 143H OVB - BKK: Cost in BKK-OVB flight, S7 Airlines

TOTAL: SGD1056.81

Have fun! Do you have any tips for cheaper travel?

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things I’ve learnt from Tomsk, part 1.

1) Siberia is, well, cold. Minus 10 degrees, it gets to minus 30 degrees in January and February.

2) Russian words have suffixes that are influenced by the word’s “gender”: words ending in consonants are masculine, words with “ah” are feminine and worlds with “oh” are neutral gender.

3) The word “neutral gender” was said in class. And the lecturer did not realise the irony.

4) Wearing one pair of long johns is necessary in this weather. Wearing two pairs of long johns is ideal.

5) The buses over here are called “marshrutka” and cost 17 rubles (40 cents) per ride. Flat fare, to anywhere on the route.

6) Tomsk is known for their wooden architecture - early houses were built log-cabin style, with los stacked atop one another.

7) In their culture, decorating your windows is essential to shield homes from bad spirits. It’s the reason why their windows are ornate.

8) A plate of food here in Tomsk averages at 300 rubles ($8) if you’re in a restaurant. In their cafes, food nears 150 rubles ($4).

9) The typical Russian “fast food” is their blini (pancakes). The Russians have not developed a major appetite for fast food chains - such outlets were only introduced in the last 20 years but they are catching on slowly.

10) Their blini ranges from savoury ingredients to sweet ones. Berries, sausages etc. And for everything savoury, add a dollop of sour cream to top it off.

11) Tomsk is known as a “university town” - with Tomsk State University being the oldest and most established. Other universities include a polytechnic university and a vocational one.

12) Because of this, their population is younger and slightly more liberal. It has led to the opening of a burgeoning nightlife here, with restaurants having university menus and bars and clubs popping in many areas.

13) In university education, the top few who ace their exams will receive cash rewards from the university. A typical workload consists of 8 to 10 exams - many of which will be taken after the New Year.

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