October 31, 2009
staying in Moscow
for free
Some hints & ideas, or perhaps even real offers

My long term clients please relax. Be assured that I am not likely to actually do that but as of recent I've been wondering what would happen if I was to just walk away on it all. For this reason I've been observing street people and their survival techniques, and also keeping my eyes open for opportunities to get a roof and a few cubic meters of comfortable heated space around my body should I after all dare to give up on work, bills, schedules, a huge load of unfinished tasks, and other little things that, together, add up to modern yet quite real slavery. Thus this page, where I share my observations and ideas, and where, with some luck, you will find specific bits of information.

An occasional offer of free accommodation in exchange for English practice, will also be posted here and on the Rooms & Homestays page.

Street living in Moscow

  • Subway ventilation outlets make great places to sleep. A couple of great ones near Metro Alexeyevskaya. A list of addresses where you can find warm space will be compiles in the foreseeable future.


Homeless people and dogs keeping themselves comfortable at -10C on top of a vent on Ostozhenka, opposite the Pashkov house near Metro Arbatskaya. Several of these are available, entirely free, along the cast-iron fence. The neighbourhood is beyond prime. Public washrooms are within walking distance. Lots of cafes and restaurants for any budget. Internet cafes on the Arbat. Lots of police and security.

Bathing and Laundry for Clean Street Living

This sign No. 4 Zvonarsky Pereulok between Neglinka and Rozhdestvenka, near Metro station Kuznetsky Most and Tsvetnoy Boulevard promises to do your laundry and small mending within two hours. Sandunovsky Baths are considered a cultural treasure of Moscow. Although Moscow bath houses in general have a reputation of places of vice and sin I am yet to hear any such stories of Sandunovsky.

CAMPING IN PARKS

  • As far as I know camping in public areas is NOT contrary to any laws or rules. I'll be checking on that to be sure. Do expect to be hassled by the police though. Once they discover you are neither a threat to public order nor a money bad you are likely to be left alone. Being a foreigner you enjoy an extra layer of protection.

BASEMENTS, ATTICS, & ABANDONED BUILDINGS

  • Possession is 90% of ownership here. The common understanding here is in favour of squatters' right. If you see a building or another structure (kiosk, storage container, etc.) that is not used, move it and make it your home. Jan. 24, 2010 Not much so in large cities but in the countryside if you see livable space and ask neighbours and they OK it is yours.


This shed for garden containers served as a home for two homeless from August to late November. I spoke to them and was pleased to hear that they were not hassled by the police and property caretakers. Further, many local residents and businesses regularly hired them to do odd jobs, and for the winter they were offered a street sweeper's job and a warm livable basement.

KNOCK ON DOORS

  • I don't guarantee success in big cities but in remote countryside many babushkas will be happy to see you as their guests. Just make sure to settle for the night long before the sunset because after dark even the most hospitable rural dwellers turn paranoid and may let their dog loose on you etc. I regularly receive invitations to stay from babushkas to whom I give a ride when travelling to or from my dacha.

A selection of Russian hitch-hiking resources in English

Some general hitch-hiking advice on waytorussia.net

A story by a Dutch hitchhiker in Russia

I nearly always interview hitchhikers I pick and ask them about their experiences. The answer I consistently get from those with some international hitch-hiking experience is that Russia is by far the most hitch-hiker friendly place on the face of this planet.

MAKE FRIENDS

  • I am, thanks to my disposition, not at all an expert at making friends. In fact, I'm a good person to ask how to get rid of humanity when too much of it wants a piece of you. But, if you have the right personality, this is the best method to find housing and much more. I heard of this done successfully on a regular basis - but you've got to have the right disposition and attitude.

LOOK FOR YOUR ILK

  • Get in touch with members of your out-of-the-mainstream church, gang, sexual minority group, those who passionately share your hobby, or whatever. The greater the deviancy, the more problematic is the relationship with the society as a whole, the warmer the welcome. I knew one vegetarian who was swamped with offers of free accommodation. What's more these were mostly from young women! Mind you the guy was full of charm inside and out. Think of what sets you aside from the rest of 7 billion of them and contact your yet unknown friends.

language skills in exchange for accommodation

  • This is a true and tested method of solving your accommodation problem. Post notices on language boards in the Internet. Advertise through newspapers. The notice board in the Library of Foreign literature is an excellent place to contact your potential host.

  • The nouveau riche will happily hire any educated speaker of English or other European languages to tutor their children. The procedure is to advertise yourself via language or child care forums, or to contact an employment agency that specializes in domestic help.

Russian sites dedicated to English and other languages:

  • [coming up]

  • ......

HOSPITALITY / APARTMENT EXCHANGE

Seems to be catching on in Russia. Try these:

See also the Budget/Alternative travel section of my Russian travel, work, and living resources

Try www.letmestayforaday.com

FARM SLAVERY

  • During the agricultural season, from May to October, there is an acute shortage of men capable of work in the countryside. Old women (babushkas) form the backbone of village economy. When unable to work they still manage and orchestrate the process by hiring men to do heavy manual labour, often in exchange for food and especially strong drink. That's your chance not only to save but to enjoy undiluted reality tourism. I know of one young man who is doing his 3rd year on a small horse farm. Unfortunately, this fellow's sensitive nature keep him from telling his story for the benefit of other bum style travellers.

Two Americans, Philip and Tomke, picking up garbage along the Volga near the city of Staritsa, where I keep my "dacha". To read more about my countryside project proceed to www.russian-horse-rides.com or http://www.staritsa.info/eng.htm

Making walkways from natural flat limestone at my dacha near Staritsa. Four hours of work per day got Rodriguez from Argentina a roof over his head, abundant if simple food, and unlimited access to horses to ride.

DACHA SITTING

Speaking of dachas, these are usually left unattended in the winter. The risk of theft is great. Even if nothing of criminal nature takes place, a wooden house left on its own for the winter will present a sorry sight in May. Many dacha owners would be happy to have you occupy their properties if you convince them you have the skills and responsibility to tough it out on your own in the Russian countryside.

TRADE YOUR POSSESSIONS

  • Got something of value, easy to transport, yet useless to you? Use it to pay for accommodation. Laptop computers that can support Windows 98 or higher make perfect trade items. At the moment of writing this page I know someone who would be delighted to offer you a room for many days in exchange for one.

TRAIN STATIONS, OVERNIGHT TRAIN TRAVEL, AIRPORTS

  • Buy overnight tickets. The third class (cow wagon) fare for an 10-12 hour train ride will typically be $30-40, which is on par with cheap hotel, plus you will be getting somewhere.

  • No money even to buy tickets? Then sleep at the train station. Many of them have free "rest areas". Others will offer you a bed for a fraction of what even a cheap hostel would cost.

  • A story of sleeping in Moscow' s Sheremetyevo airport: http://www.sleepinginairports.net/europe/moscow.htm. Sheremetyevo has cheap food in the small store on the 1st floor and in the staff cafeteria on the 4th.

Sleeping at airports
 www.sleepinginairports.net

  • Domodedovo has fewer cracks to hide it but there are showers. Lots of people sleeping on the second floor, and local security don't seem to hassle them. A further advantage of Domodedovo is several 220 volt electric outlets on the 2nd floor. You can easily get to nearly the center of Moscow from there by cheap train or bus. The cheapest ticket is probably 50 roubles ($1.50). An efficient commercial airport, with no vestiges of the Soviet days such as a cheap publicly accessible staff cafeteria in Sheremetyevo-2. .

SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS

  • These are available for Moscow residents who found themselves homeless only. My guess is that they would not turn you away at -30C no matter what. I will be checking into what municipal shelter will and will not do for non-residents. Perhaps someone will look into that, and send me an eyewitness report. A translation of the poster will be nice too.


Click on the picture to see a readable version.

CAMPER VAN


Got this thing in March of 2008. Before that, being uncapable of travelling more than 200km per day, I was often forced to resort to hotels. This thing has a bed inside, some living space, and a gas heater. I can comfortably live and work there for several days. Major highways these days are well equipped with washing facilities so staying clean is usually not a problem even in the winter.

Any other ideas? Please share. Theorizing on the subject of living without a job, money, home, relations, purpose etc. is especially welcomed. The cheap-moscow.com board may be a good place for this sort of discussion.

More offers of free/at cost accommodation in exchange for English to be added soon.

Related pages:
Misery Tourism

Offers of free or "at cost" accommodation

Dec. 19, 2008
Kiyv, Ukraine. An offer of free accommodation on a small farm near Kiyv in exchange for work. Contact me and I'll put you in touch with the host. Jan. 23, 2010 The offer is still valid.

Added Feb. 23, 2008
Alla will take you camping and canoeing, with accommodation in tents, entirely for free. Some info about Alla on her
Room for rent page Jan. 23 2010 Offer still valid.

 

Marisha (Chisinau, Moldova) could use a farm hand at her small retreat near. If you are in Europe and are dreaming of getting rid of your old car, you can also use it to pay for her services. It will be taken into calculation based on its price in Moldova, which is noticeably higher than in West European countries. See www.marisha.net

 

Speaking of farming and such, Pasha, the owner of this site, would take a Western saddle in exchange for accommodation, horse riding, or other services. And the logic of free associations takes me from saddles to sitting, and from sitting to sitting in front of the computer. Do contact me if you have a combination of both writing and technical skills to work on sites related to travelling to Russia.

 

Received Feb. 12, 2005
HI   ONE OR 2 ROOM IN MOSCOW IN A TWO ROOM FLAT IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE PER NIGHT. MAXIMUM 2 TWO PEOPLE CAN STAY. RUSSIAN STUDENT WILL TRY TO STUDY ENGLISH WITH YOU.  goodfornothing@mail.ru

 

A list of people who put up "Free guide in exchange for English" notices at the Library of Foreign Literature:

Ksenia, 550-1737
Sveta, 282-6674, 8-10pm
Anna, 369-3758, 11am-2pm, 7pm-10pm
Nadia, 923-6777

The list is courtesy of Thomas Peters, who also presented my horses with civilized thick rubber-covered bits.

This list is quite old (2002 or 2003) but you may want to put up your own notice there. Assistance doing do is available if you are not yet in Moscow.

 

PLEASE NOTE: 

This information on free homestays is was compiled and made available for no other reason than to help travellers who want an immersion experience and hosts who want exposure to English or whatever. DON'T CONTACT ME WITH REQUESTS TO ACTS AS AN AGENT TO SET YOU UP WITH HOMESTAYS UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO PAY FOR MY SERVICES.

 

Many hosts who submitted their information to my Rooms/B&B/Homestays page are in part motivated by their desire to learn English. In some cases it will be appropriate to ask if conversation practice or other services, such as babysitting, can be used in place of merely financial contribution.

 

Out on the street with no money? Here is a poster with a list of resources to the homeless. A couple of years ago I've been to one of these shelters in search of a worker for my rural project and was impressed with how clean the place was and how well-looked after were its residents. Presently I'm reproducing a photo of this poster. Perhaps someone will translate it into English? - Added Feb. 15, 2007

 

 
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