Total Expenses For A Tourist In Kazakhstan: Fill & Download for Free

From my experience, by far the most important thing on a roadtrip is the companions you choose. All other things can be solved given enough time and money. Last summer I drove with two friends 26000 km around Central Asia, Siberia and Eastern Europe. It was a massive success as you will soon be able to read on my blog in English.So, the first step is making a team. You have to consider that you will be sharing many hours with these people in the confinement of a metal and plastic cocoon. They will make it an experience to remember or hell on earth. The aspects to consider:1. You should act like a team. We all have strong points and shortcomings so do and help with what you are best at and accept defects in others without making a fuss out of it.2. People react differently when tired, hungry or under stress. Keep an eye out for these situation and act accordingly with understanding. Don't take personally anything that is being said at times like these.3. Be open to one another. It will open up discussions that you never had before and you will connect on a much more deeper level.4. Trust them. You cannot control everything, therefore you should let the others make their own decisions for the team.Now that you have who to go with it is time for planning. This is important from the perspective of how much you would like to spend time and money during the trip on solving problems or enjoying it. The more you plan ahead, the less likely you will encounter unforeseen events. I'll start the list with the elements that apply to all trips then add the ones that are more specific for longer roadtrips.1. Chose a vehicle. It should be as reliable and comfortable as possible. If you don't already own it, make a research of the best models out there. If you have a choice from several vehicles, use the one that is in best condition for the trip. We have made a choice of a spacious, cheap and resistant car, the Dacia Logan.2. Plan an approximate route. You will most probably want to visit some wonderful places and people so add them to your route and make a map. Google My Maps is excellent for this. Now you have the route and you can decide how much time to spend in each part. First you should keep in mind that things will take longer than expected, so do not put too many things in little time. After you have this figured out, don't set it in stone, use it more as a guideline. You will find places where you want to spend more time or people you'll want to know better. Flexibility is key. We made a general outline in an excel spreadsheet and used it as a guideline.3. Read about the travel conditions of the places you will visit. Most likely if you go somewhere, you'll not be the first one. Search for accounts of people who did that before and learn from them. You will find excellent advice or nuggets of information but some things can also be exaggerated so take that with a grain of salt. We were prepared even for river crossings we actually did in Mongolia.4. Prepare your car and check your paperwork. When on a roadtrip you don't want to have some expensive breakdown that costs you time and money or getting a hefty fine because some expired paperwork so do a good general revision and replace the worn out parts and check your papers that nothing is expired or expiring during the trip(insurance, car inspection, your passport).5. Pack light. On the road, you will realize how little you actually need from all you brought along. You can also make a budget for emergency purchases in case something pops up. We brought along one backpack each mainly containing clothes for approximately 10-12 days, some personal hygiene stuff and gadgets(camera, phone, tablet). Things in common was the camping equipment, car parts and tools.6. Update your navigation. Having a good navigation will help you a lot. You should use something with an offline mode to save on data charges and battery consumption. We brought two devices with different maps: Here maps (App on Windows Phone) and Open Street Maps (App on Android, Window Phone and IOS) and they worked perfectly. We never got lost, even in the steppes of Mongolia, where actual roads rarely exist.7. Get a guide book. Having a guide book will help you in choosing landmarks to visit, finding cheap accommodation and general introduction into an area. Also works out in the moments of boredom to bring in a conversation subject. One of us had a Scribd account and got the books from there8. Bring a tent and some camping equipment. In some places you might not be able to find a suitable place to stay in or you might just want to enjoy the nature more. Camping can be a pleasure if you have the right equipment. You need a decent tent, some folding matresses and a sleeping bag. What could help more and is easy to carry is a gas stove and some cutlery.9. Have a food stash. On the road you might be in the situation you can't find a store nearby or just not enough time to stop for food. It is therefore good to have a stash of snacks you can fall back on in case of need. We had nuts, seeds, chocolate and some canned food just in case.10. Have s long playlist of music and audio books/podcasts. After you talked for several hours, you might want to just lay back and relax. Having some good tunes or some interesting stuff to listen to can help a lot.11. Plan your visas ahead. Traveling is fun but the bureaucracy sometimes involved is a huge pain in the a!#. You can sometimes pick up a visa faster in the neighboring countries but it can also take longer or you can be refused. If that happens it can really upset your plans or even detour you seriously. It took us 3 months to get the 8 visas we needed. We heard of other travelers who had to wait 1-2 weeks for certain visas or detour through other countries because they were not given visas.12. Know the weak spots of your vehicle. If you go on a very long trip, something is bound to fail and you should be prepared for that. Either bring a spare part or factor in a service on the way, but make sure you will find the part there. The best way to find these problems is to talk to a power user of the vehicle of your choice. We talked to lots of taxi drivers and a rally team to know what can go wrong with our car.13. Bring some spare parts and tools. When you know the weak spots, you can bring along the parts that are needed for the fix as long as they are not too big or heavy to carry. Some expensive parts are also not worthwhile bringing. What you can do is take advantage of the return policy of some part suppliers. Buy them, keep the receipt and in case you haven't used them during the roadtrip, just return them, but be careful, the packaging must be intact. We did this and saved around 300$. As for tools you will need a good key set, duct tape, rope, wire, glue and such.14. Get some books about the places you visit. Sometimes while on the road, you will be wondering what happened there in the past or why a landmark is famous. Have some history books and learn a bit more deeply about the place and expand your mind. It will also start some excellent conversations.So now you have the preparations done and you are ready to go. Here are some on the road tips:1. Split the task of driving. Fatigue at the steering wheel is one of the principal causes of accidents. If the driver is tired he should immediately take a break or let someone else take the wheel. As a passenger you can notice more around you, not just traffic and relax more. We solved this by taking 2 hour shifts of actual driving time. When the time was up, the next one would continue.2. Respect the traffic rules. Traffic fines are expensive. You don't want to spend your money on them, although sometimes they happen. Look out for the limitations and be careful what illegal maneuvers you make so that you minimize the risk of a fine. Don't do these unless you are very sure of what you are doing. Otherwise, in most countries oncoming drivers will signal you if there is a police patrol up ahead. Also beware of the driving culture in other countries. The more you go east, the more chaotic it becomes. Don't become angry and don't get into arguments with locals. Even if you win, it will just make you angry and spoil the fun of the trip.3. Learn to smile and negotiate. If the police stops you, be polite and talk calmly. A good attitude can take you a long way, especially in western states. Admit guilt if it is the case and ask for a smaller fine or if possible, only a warning. In eastern states, many times you are facing corrupt officials who just stopped you to get a bribe. Remain calm and negotiate the fine to a minimum. Invoke all sorts of reasons, like needing money for accommodation or gas. Also bargain for things you buy when it is the case or someone just wants to overcharge you because you are a tourist. We got 3 fines in total of 24$. The best story was when we negotiated from 100 to 4 $ a fine in Kazakhstan.4. If something goes wrong, don't worry. Given enough time and money, almost anything can be solved (unless huge legal or health problems). If things turn to worse, just calm down and consider the situation. People you will meet on the road will be mostly good at heart and try to help. Things will work out one way or another. Getting stressed out will only cloud your judgement and you'll make hasty decisions. We were hit from behind by a Russian driver in Kazakhstan, we went to a service and after 3 hours of negotiation and tension it all worked out well. In Turkmenistan our car got stranded in the sand of the desert and we found a local to tow it out.5. Make the atmosphere as pleasant as it can be. Whenever on a long trip, all sorts of problems can appear. Instead of making them worse, try to help out and mediate them. Things will calm down much faster and everybody will have an excellent time, instead of constant tension and quarrels.6. Stop often. One of the main reasons of a roadtrip is to see new things. It is much better to see them up close then from the window of a car. Make stops on the road to make contact with new people and see all the beautiful things on the way. And who knows, maybe people on the way will tell you about secret places.7. Bring plenty of water. You have to drink at least 2 liters of water per day and it is easy to get dehydrated. Make sure you have at least this amount of water per person and plan ahead if there is no water source for several days. In case of a survival situation, water is much more important than food. And remember, you have a food stash, just in case.8. Don't worry about food and accommodation. On the way, most of the time it will be quite easy to find accommodation and a small restaurant. Don't make reservations because they take the flexibility out of your journey. In a worst case scenario, the kindness of people will always be there.9. Always have some cash on hand. When on the road, especially abroad credit card fees can be quite high and exchange rates better at local dealers than at the bank. Have some cash on hand for any case. Maybe you'll need some food, water or pay some local taxes.10. Have some power source in the car. Nowadays you can use your gadgets for everything but battery life is so small. Have a USB charger and cables for energy.11. Mind your personal hygiene. When traveling in a small place like a car, on a hot day things can get quite sweaty. Shower every day and stay considerate towards other people.12. Have a small trash can. On the road, garbage will pile up pretty fast. It is very uneducated to leave it on the side of the road in case there is not trash can so have a place in the car where you can store it and get rid of it when possible.13. Buy a local sim card if you need one. In some countries you will want to have a data connection for information on landmarks, communicating with people or just passing the time. The local rates usually are much better than the roaming fees. Buy a sim card and share the internet connection.In the end remember that you are on an adventure with good friends and enjoy your time. Deepen your connection, explore the unknown and learn new things. You will be able to see things from the perspective of others and help you grow to be a better human being.Good luck!P.S. The photo album of the trip:Mongol Rally 2015 | FacebookP.P.S. Some places we stopped along the way:

Agreed on those answers that mention China and Central Asia. My experience with China was that in big cities, especially ‘first tier cities’ like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, one would find no lack of English speakers. One would find no lack of English speakers in some of the larger, more established cities with a lively tourism industry too, e.g. Chongqing, Chengdu, and a financial center like Shenzhen. The problem non Chinese-speaking foreigners usually face would be when one tries to buy tickets in a train or bus station, where counter staff are just not used to handle foreigners, let alone English-speaking foreigners. English is actually taught from Primary levels in China, though way too much effort is put in grammar rather than actual usage, which results in the average Chinese national having no confidence in his or her ability to hold a normal conversation in English, barring conversations like ‘how are you’ and ‘what’s your name’.At least, many signs are bilingual, though awful translations are everywhere due to the widespread use of internet translations. Hence do not be surprised to see signs like ‘please slip carefully’ in public toilets with an ‘imported’ sign at the entrance.Venture into the autonomous regions of China, and you will find that they have their indigenous languages in addition to Chinese, hence ‘bilingual signs’ would be what is shown in the picture. This is a picture I took in Korla, which is in the Xinjiang Autonomous region. The languages are Uighur and Chinese, warning people to value life and not to tread over the frozen river in winter.I had the same experience in Kazakhstan, meeting very few English speakers in Astana. All taxi drivers speak only Russian or Kazakh. Only expensive places might have English speakers, hence a poor person like me would have to order from a menu that looks like the picture attached.The first item from the second category says ‘Borsh’, Second item in third category says ‘Plov’, with the last thing on the page saying ‘coffee’. I guess that made my meal. The food was good by the way.The English proficiency map may be accurate, and I am inclined to believe it if my experiences in Poland and Vietnam were congruent with it. I was in Wroclaw only 5 years ago, asking for directions when all the person could do was point in a general direction and say ‘tree star metre’. Thankfully I had some experience in Slavic languages and could guess that she meant 300 metres in that direction. I think the French definitely are better in English comparatively (au contraire to the map).Vietnam is only good in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city, as well as all places with a huge influx of tourists. Step out of the old quarter in Hanoi and you can forget about having a conversation in English with the locals. Ditto for Ho Chi Minh City outside districts 1 and 3. Cantonese or mandarin are the more common foreign languages of district 5, and you would even have warning signs that would be helpful to foreigners but are somehow totally unhelpful owing to the average foreigner not having a grasp of the Vietnamese language. The third photo is a sign I saw on a bridge in Vietnam.It says, do not assemble as a crowd, and do not bathe in the river (*wink* to all vietnamese speakers). I saw also on many roads saying ‘do not drive in the opposite direction’, very helpful indeed!Anyway, we as globetrotting citizens of the world should not just subsist on one language. Afterall, isn’t it an essential part of the ‘thrill package’ when we explore different lands and different cultures? English is widely spoken and useful, though we should also learn other languages so that we can experience the whole gamut of human thought, since to a large extent, language determines our thought processes.

Oh, lots of them, depending on your interests. Those are not necessarily cities, I included smaller towns and natural landmarks in my list as well. I have to say that even if you explored both Moscow and St. Petersburg in great detail, you haven’t seen even 5% of Russia. Of course not all places I listed here worth more than a brief one-day or even a several-hour visit.First, the Golden Ring. May be boring though, if you aren’t interested in religion, because the majority of landmarks around the Golden Ring are churches and monasteries: Yaroslávl (+ Kalyázin, Úglich, Mýshkin, Pereslávl, Rostóv Velíkiy), Kostromá (+Plyös), Vladímir (+Súzdal and Bogolyübovo). There are 3 to 7-day tours, the route was opened for foreigners 50 years ago, so these places are used to tourists, foreign and domestic alike.In Moscow region (1–2 hours by train): Mónino (aviation museum), Nikólo Póle, Kolómna, Sérgiev Posád, Dmitrov, Zvenígorod, Mozháisk, Sérpukhov, Tarúsa;In 2–4 hours from Moscow by train or car:• Kaluga (space museum) + Bórovsk (mostly because of dopey local graffiti).• Túla (arms, samovars) + Krapívna• Ryazáñ + KasímovIn St. Petersburg (Leningrad) region:• Tsárskoye Seló (Púshkin)• Peterhof (Pétrodvoréts)• Oránienbáum (Lomonósov)• Pávlovsk• Gátchina• Výborg (aka Viipuri)Between St. Petersburg and Moscow:• Nóvgorod Velikiy• Stáraya Rússa• Pskov + Izbórsk, Óstrov, Pechóry, Púshkinskiye Góry• Tver + Torzhók, Ostáshkov (with steam-driven train ride from Bologóe every Saturday morning), RzhevRussian North:• Vólogda + Velíkiy Ústyüg• Kizhi and Málye Korély (open-air wooden architecture museums)• Valaám, Kiríllo-Belozyörski monastery and Solovkí islands (these three are monasteries, so religion overload).• ArkhángelskIf you’re really persistent and have some decent stash on your bank account, you can try to get to Manpupuner (Máñ-Pu-Pu-Nýör) in Komi Republic. It’s a natural landmark and reserve, and you’d better charter a helicopter…Karélia (the capital is Pétrozavódsk, known as Peetari among Finns) is popular among youth and outdoor fans for trekking and canoeing, although if you’ve been to Finland or Sweden you’ll see nothing really new there. Get decent insect repellent, Russian mosquitoes are nothing like African or Brazilian — not infectious but fierce.Center:• Vorónezh and the region• Pénza• Saránsk• TambóvWest/South-West:• Smolénsk• Bélgorod• Kursk• OryólKaliningrád region is an exclave squeezed between Lithuania and Poland. Until 1945 the city was known as Königsberg and the land was Eastern Prussia. You have to take a flight from Moscow or St. Petersburg to avoid additional border crossings.Along Volga river (apart from Yaroslavl and Kostroma):• Nízhni Nóvgorod• Cheboksáry• Kazán (+Bolgár, Sviyázhsk)• Samára• Sarátov• Kamýshin• Volgográd (ex-Stalingrád)• ÁstrakhañOn summer there are river cruises from either Moscow or St. Petersburg, of varying price, comfort and length. I’d recommend a 15-day one from Moscow to Astrakhan and back. 1st or 2nd class cabin with daily tours ashore will give you a unique insight and experience. I was on such cruise when I was 5 years old, remember it pretty well, although we took only the first part of it, down to Astrakhan. Of course, a lot changed for 30 years, but many things rather became better.South:• Rostóv-na-Donú +Novocherkássk• Krasnodár (this place is actually terrible… an example of what and how not to do a lot of things… sort of a village that wanted to become a city so much that didn’t notice when it happened some 200 years ago)• Mineral Waters Region (Minerálnye Vody, Kislovódsk, Zheleznovódsk, Pyátigórsk, Geórgievsk).• StávropolBlack Sea Coast and Azov Sea Coast traditionally are the resort for those who can’t afford or don’t want to go abroad for suntan and sea bathing. Service there is inferior to Turkey and Bulgaria, and prices are at least comparable if not higher (of course you can do it really cheap, but for the combination of camping and seaside vacation I’d rather recommend , yet there are natural landmarks there as well.Crimea is not advisable due to weird (mildly speaking) political situation: you can easily become persona non-grata in Ukraine, which itself has a lot to show to a tourist regardless of what goes on in its South-Eastern parts. Last time I’ve been there was in August of 1993, a lot changed there since and I don’t think I want to go there. Although there are huge pieces of history and a lot of natural landmarks there and, of course, I’m not in position to really discourage your from going there. At that, I won’t go there until the things clear and will refuse any assignments to that part of geography. For me Crimea doesn’t exist since 1994. Don’t want to ruin my childhood memories, apart from anything else.Caucasus Region:First of all, it is not as dangerous there as you may imagine, although a degree of caution is advised, as well as a local fixer/guide. Republics of Caucasus live on their own in many aspects… Nevertheless:• Derbént in Dagestán rightfully claims to be the oldest city of the Russian Federation and has a fortress to prove that.• Rural Chechnya and Dagestan offer really spectacular landscapes and experiences.• Mountains themselves, quite reachable from the Mineral Waters region which is sort of a hub for alpininsts. Elbrús at 5642 meters is the highest point of the European continent.Urál region (north to south):• Perm + Kungúr Ice Cave,• Nízhni Tagíl• Yekaterinbúrg• Sátka (industrial town)• Zlatoúst (industrial town)• Orenbúrg (not exactly Ural, it’s between Bashkiria, Ural, Kazakhstan and lower Volga region. Not really popular as a tourist destination, but that adds value)Siberia:• Tomsk + Tobólsk• Irkútsk (+ Lake Baikal)• Krasnoyársk (+ White Pillars)• Altai mountains (that will require a car and someone from Barnaúl, Novosibírsk, Biysk or Górno-Altáysk who knows the area. Dyor's Altai Ride 2008 – here is my report from 9 years ago. It’s in Russian, but pictures speak for themselves (I purposefully shot mostly landscapes).• If you’re wealthy enough and have a lot of time, maybe you can try getting to Putorána Plateau, one of the least explored places in the world and in Russia itself. It’s a natural reserve rather than a tourist attraction. You would like to have a long-distance seaplane (made in Russia… more specifically, in Samara) or a long-range helicopter.• Given time and effort, Kodár mountains and Chára Sands (yes, the real desert amidst Siberia!) may bring you a lot of wonderful pictures. These are protected territories and you need a helicopter or some really durable 4×4 to get there.• Khakássia (capital: Abakán), Buryátia (capital: Ulán-Udé) and Týva (capital: Kyzýl, this region is the land of its own and may be not the safest area for non-locals) may offer a great deal of wilderness. Taiga at its finest. Get reliable local driver though and lots, lots of insect repellent. Anti-encephalitis vaccination may be of a good use as well, because you don’t want to take chances with ticks. Vaccination doesn’t exclude tick repellent, since apart from encephalitis they may also get you Lime disease aka borelliosis that still has no known cure and it’s only your luck and immunity that get you out of the woods, so to say, if you contract this thing.Great, quite popular and not always really expensive way to see a lot of Russia is to take a Trans-Siberian train. Speed, comfort and prices vary, the fastest train needs 6 days and 2 hours to get to Vladivostok from Moscow via Vladimir, Nizhni Novgorod, Kirov, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Tyumen and then along the Transsib itself (one-way ticket will set you back approximately $600 plus 100 to 200 more for food). Other trains are slower and cheaper, may be boring or a bit more dangerous if you’re really careless (although not anything like walking around Detroit or LA after dark). By plane it’s 8.5 to 9.5 hours one way, and you never leave Russian airspace during a flight. Anyway, rule number one always and anywhere is do not drink liquors, especially with strangers, period.Yakútia is a country within a country: vast, with extreme climate (−55°C in January and +45 in July are nothing special) and a lot of barely touched or untouched nature, because being ≈5.5 times France by area, it has only about 1.3 million population, 0.3 of that living in Yakutsk. Well… Central Polar Canada may be some equivalent, but the climate is drier in Yakutia.Chukótka is vast and scarcely populated, but from the American side of Bering Strait things aren’t much different nature-wise. I won’t say that Alaska and Chukotka are totally similar, of course not, but the 49th state is much better explored… and there are bush pilots there ;).Far East: a lot of wilderness, but Vladivostók and Khabárovsk are quite popular among Chinese tourists (just because they are nearby and are sufficiently European, read: exotic) and have a history of their own. Sakhalin and Kuril Islands are hard to get to and you’ll need a permit from Border Control Service to get there anyway. Nothing too difficult, but it may actually be easier and more interesting (if way more expensive) to get a cruise from Anchorage or Seattle to Sapporo, Yokohama or Busan via Russian Far East. Also, such cruises often include Kamchátka peninsula, although not in detail it really deserves. Kamchatka is the land of volcanoes and geysers no less than Iceland, but in very much different way.So, that was a brief overview. Really brief. I have to add several things.First: in the USA, wilderness and wildlife are much more accessible than in Russia. Both countries are vast and have a lot to show, but in the US things are a lot easier in many aspects.Second: you may encounter a bear (and get away intact in the worst-case scenario) somewhere in Wyoming or Utah much easier than anywhere in Russia.Third: many things may be eye-opening.