Accommodation
There are different types of accommodation tailored to the needs and tastes of each. The hostels are rare in Russia, being necessary to resort to other types of accommodation in different cities of the tour.
On the date on which update these lines (October 2010) Hostel Traveller's Guest House has left, fortunately for his clients to exist (see story) at least I have not located anywhere, although some of its agencies affiliates continue working (Star Travel, Infinity Travel) there are unreliable. In 2005 the hostel options were limited, and it was only a matter of luck of finding a hostel honest. Today the choice is much wider in Moscow and other Russian cities, but Siberia is still an underdeveloped region in this regard (not so in some specific cities), which renders it more challenging to the eyes of travelers. The reason I took the TGH book at the first trial that appeared in almost all the information he had sought, for what I thought it might be a good place to spend a few days. Intuition does not always a good work.
In cities where there are no hostels, hotels tend to be a resource that does not always fit into the pockets of travelers. On this basis, one can stay in the house of a Russian family and happened to know something more about their culture and society directly. For this there are several agencies, one of them is known as HOFA, but I never receive any response, which made me doubt their reputation. At the end I searched on my own and found several agencies Siberia (in Novosibirsk and Vladivostok), and got immediate response from their leaders. The result was great, great experience, despite initial hesitation to hire these services.
You can also visit the komnaty otdykha, present in many Russian stations, ideal for short enstancia in a particular city. Is basically a shared room with 5 or 6 passengers (usually Russian), and a shared bathroom but clean at the same plant. I know that at some stations are not allowed access to foreigners. It is important to have a minimum knowledge of Russian language to respond to questions from the "friendly" receptionist. For fans of ferrecorril is highly recommended, one is immersed in the railway station activity.
Another aspect that works well is the word of mouth from other travelers on the road. Always a crossroads and exchange of views in a city, so you can go with the advice of those who come to visit a city where we are headed. Such was the case for lodging in Ulan-Bator. It takes a couple very nice Mongolian-Korean, all in a perfect arrangement.
Finally, in Beijing there are plenty of hostels, one gets lost in his list of accommodations. Which is picked up near Tiananmen Square, and his impeccable facilities have nothing to do with traditional housing. Suitable for individuals, couples or groups who go free. Travelers seeking social relations environment preferred over another, much smaller and family.
One thing to keep in mind. Given the magnitude of the journey, not always possible to comply with the planing of the trail we had made, and can be altered by a thousand different causes. While a trip to Russia requires a certain organization, at the end there are always unforeseen long trip. Book all not a bad option, but leaves no room for improvisation, to travel freely without being "tied" to get to a certain place at a specific time. The first part of the Trans-Siberian in 2005 is based on the first advance reservation model, while the second part and all the Trans-Siberian 2009 is based on a much more free to improvise on the road.
