New, Improved Guide to Russia

Researchers and writers at Lonely Planet Publications spent 2 1/2 years developing a mammoth guide on the USSR. Then, just as the book was being printed, the USSR dissolved. Now six writers have re-researched the region, recorded the changes and produced a comprehensive guide for independent travelers.

The 952-page guidebook, “Russia, Ukraine & Belarus: A Travel Survival Kit,” takes readers from the history and politics of the region to details on where to stay, how to get around and what to watch out for.

Although it’s a hefty $27.95, it offers solid advice that could pay for itself in the first few days. It directs travelers to clean, safe budget accommodations and points out potential pitfalls, such as, “Don’t change money with people who approach you at the money-changing booths at [Moscow] Sheremetyevo-2 Airport: They have been known to give worthless, out-of-date bank notes.”

The guide is packed with practical information, from the 123 maps that can help you set up your own sightseeing tours to tips on how to secure doors on Russian trains so that they won’t be opened while you’re sleeping, and the location of the world’s busiest restaurant--a McDonald’s, where homesick travelers can join the 30,000 served per day for a Big Mac.

One of the most popular sections will probably be the 33-page chapter on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which is composed of three main lines that stretch across eight time zones, or about one-third of the way around the world. The information ranges from the line’s history (in the winter of 1904 a temporary track was laid across the frozen Lake Baikal and the first locomotive plunged through the ice) to where to buy tickets, what to pack and what you’ll find at the short station stops.

The authors also point out that “stopovers have traditionally only been made at Irkutsk and the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator. However, now that visitors are more or less free to travel around at will, there’s no reason why other towns and cities shouldn’t be visited.”

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A new, free hostel guide has been published by the Scottish Tourist Board. Designed as a pocket guide for those taking to the open roads with a pack on their backs, it includes sections on general travel advice, a guide to where to visit and stay, useful contacts and addresses, and a full-color map of Scotland.

Copies are available free from local tourist information centers around Scotland or by contacting the Central Information Department, Scottish Tourist Board, 23 Ravelston Terrace, Edinburgh EH4 3EU, tel. 011-44-131-332-2433.

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Airhitch, the 26-year-old company that arranges dirt-cheap standby fares on flights across the United States and to Europe, Hawaii and the Caribbean, will extend its services within Europe this summer.

The company sells empty seats on commercial airlines at greatly reduced rates (one-way fare to Europe from the West Coast is $269). The hitch is that travelers must be very flexible.

For example, travelers bound for Europe must be willing to depart on any day within a five-day period, and to leave from and fly to any city within a specified region. So someone who wants to fly from Los Angeles to Paris might have to depart from San Francisco, or fly into London.

For its first season of intra-Europe service, Airhitch will offer seats mainly on flights to or from London, and will service destinations as distant as Istanbul and Morocco. Rates will range from $79 to $129. Passengers must be ready to travel at any time within a three-day period.

Airhitch plans to open new offices this summer in London, Miami, Boston and Washington, D.C. Established branches include New York, Santa Monica, San Francisco, Paris and Prague. Information: (800) 397-1098.