The Linger Longer: Driving the Trans-Siberian: The Ultimate Road Trip Across Russia

by Chris Raven, Simon Raven, The Raven Brothers

Ever had the desire to jump in your car and keep driving? Well, that is precisely what The Raven Brothers decided to do whilst stacking boxes of frozen oven chips in a -30 degrees freezer. With a squeaky foot pump and an SAS survival guide, the travel writing duo fired up their rusty Ford Sierra and headed east. After clocking up over 12,000 kilometres, quite literally living in the car, they miraculously arrived in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan. What the brothers had in fact done was to drive Russia’s new Trans-Siberian Highway, a staggering eight years before the road was completed. With only very limited skills of wilderness survival and, virtually zero knowledge of the internal combustion engine, Simon and Chris skip over ten time zones in the beat up petrol engine saloon they used for work. Driving through endless rivers and canyons in a bid to cross the notorious Zilov Gap in darkest Siberia, the trusty heroes capture the true spirit of overland travel during a life-altering journey into one of the world’s last frontiers. Along the way they rub shoulders with Chechen criminals, escape highway robbery, trade banana flavoured condoms with Russian cops, meet an eccentric cast of characters at truck stops in darkest Siberia, endure torturous road conditions and enter into a race to the finish with the Germans. Surviving the journey by the skin of their teeth, the brothers are forced to confront their worst fears in a toe-curling comedy of extreme road trip adventure. Priding themselves on going it alone, The Raven Brothers have been noted by Lonely Planet for their talent to portray an “accurate view of what to expect”.

Paperback

First published June 22, 2006

Reviews

[Frida · Rating 5 out of 5]

How funny to see the cover of the original version! The first edition of this book was roughly edited and distributed to tourists across Thailand. I bought the new edition in London in 2015. A classic tale of how it feels to go it alone.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot quite come to recommend this book as most people would, I think, feel the authors are a couple of goofs. While they are goofs, these twenty-somethings who endeavor to drive from the UK to Vladivostok in a beat up Ford they purchased for 300 pounds touches the hearts of some of us with a diehard travel bug. If you're one of us, buckle up and enjoy the ride.

[Frida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in Thailand in 2006. It was roughly edited but the story led me to travel all over Russia. I bought the new 2015 edition a few years ago and I had to smile at the brothers persistence. A truly great journey that captures the spirit of adventure.