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Now the "Precautions"
Money
Take
just enough cash. You can always use an ATM
machine
for more.
Regarding the cash: take only currency in
very good condition. If the currency is damaged,
marked in any
way, faded, or practically anything but new,
it won’t be
accepted.
Take “new” currency if possible. Maximum
$100 notes.
The reason for these restrictions is not
that the guides or
vendors want to be difficult. Their bank
will not
accept damaged currency and therefore it
becomes
useless to them.
Take at least one ATM card or Credit Card
that works in
an
ATM machine.
Be
sure your financial institution is notified
before you
leave that you will be using it in the
Russian
Federation. If you do not, they may see the
transactions as potentially fraudulent and
“lock” or,
worse, “swallow” your card.
If
you can take two different cards or copies
of the
same card, make sure they are in different
places,
preferably with different members of your
party.
Clothes
Take warm, water resistant clothes. I
suggest you
take some form of neck warmer like those
that can be ound in motorcycle stores.
Take warm, comfortable tops that can be
layered at
least 3 deep and can be folded into a small
package.
Take lined, leather gloves.
Take shoes that are comfortable and don’t
show
dirt easily.
Consider a small backpack so that extra
clothes are
available and can be easily carried when not
in use.
Believe me, this is important.
Even in June of 2005 when my family went
with me
they FROZE in Moscow. It was unusual but it
can,
and did, happen.
Documents
When you
arrive at the airport ( or train station)
and complete the
customs' form, there are two identical
parts. The
Customs agent takes one part and you keep the
identical other part.
Keep this!!
You will need to have it for customs when
you
leave
Russia.
Make copies of your passport picture page
and visa.
Place the copies in your bags and keep one
on your
person. It is a lot easier to explain a lost
passport or
visa if you can show a copy of it.
Make copies of your airline/train tickets.
Same
reason as above.
Ask your guide
to write a note in Russian explaining where you are
staying and her phone number so that if you have a
problem or become an accident victim, the authorities
can know to call her to assist you (assuming this
happens while you are not with her).
Have this note
on the person of each member of your party. Also include emergency contact data in the USA in Russian.
If you are
traveling with children, be sure that the babysitter has
a note saying that your children are yours and how
to reach your guide and vice versa.
Drugs
Take enough of
any prescribed medicine to cover your trip. Carry
spares in a separate bag or with another member of your
party.
Don’t
take anything that is illegal in your home
country to a
foreign
country.
Communications
If you want to communicate with home:
Any cellular phone provider can sell you a
phone that has the European frequency. Some
are automatic. Some require using the menu
to switch to the
European
frequency.
With such a phone you should be able to
make/receive
calls or send/receive text messages.
Your guides can send/receive text
messages to your phone. This is an excellent
way to communicate with
them when you are
not together.
Example: you are all at the Peterhof Palace.
The doors
are not open yet and you want to stroll
around. If you
have your phone the guide will wait in line
and will send
you a text message when you should return.
If you fear the
high cost of roaming in Russia or you do not have a world
phone, rent a phone from us.
We will provide
you with a phone that has a Russian phone numbers.
Incoming calls are free and calls within Moscow or
St. Petersburg (city dependent) are very inexpensive.
If you want to
use a conventional phone get a Sam’s Club phone card.
To use the Sam's
card in Russia, call the AT&T number 325-5042
(St. Petersburg), 755-5042 ( Moscow) .
When the
recording asks for the number you want, dial the 800
number on the card, then follow the prompts.
(Yes, you dial
the AT&T number. It asks you for a phone number. You
put in the 1-800-xxx-xxxx number on the back of
the card. Then you get the familiar prompts that you
are used to.)
If you are at a
non-touch tone phone, let the recording ask for a number,
wait and eventually it will ask for you to “say” the
numbers.
This happens for
every step in the process. It takes a long time but can
be helpful to know. Try it before you depart to
understand.
Health Concerns
Ask your health insurance provider how they
would
cover your expenses incurred for health care
while on
your trip. For some it is just a matter of
making sure
you get the proper documentation. Better to
know
before you need it.
Most Russian medical facilities will not
accept your
insurance but many providers will reimburse
you if
properly documented.
If you have
ANY health condition that your guide would
be well
advised to know about, tell her. These
include food
allergies, diabetes, and history of any
other condition
that may affect your mobility or fatigue or
ability to be
too far away from “facilities."
Sometimes,
like on the bus to Novgorod, facilities maynot be
available for an hour or two. Ask before you allow
yourself to be placed in a potentially
compromising
position.
Don’t drink
tap water. Bottled water can be purchased
at any of the
many convenience stores.
Take a small
amount of bathroom tissue on your person. Not
all restrooms are stocked.
Ladies: Make
sure that your hotels have hair dryers.
They are not
as common as in US hotels. If yours does not, it
is not a problem.
Take a small
hairdryer. Note the watt requirement on
the dryer.
Buy an electric converter and be aware of
two things
when you buy:
• The wattage rating on the converter is as
high or higher than the wattage requirement of the
dryer
• That the converter has the adapter for
Europe (not the
United Kingdom)
Take several
small bottles of hand sanitizer. It is
generally not
available in the stores and you will find
you use it
often! The public places that do have bathrooms you
may use often do not have soap for hand washing.
Getting Along
Russians are
great people but anyone, including a few Americans I
know, can have a bad day. Avoid letting someone who
may not be as enthusiastic as you are about
something cause you to think that all
Russians are not
friendly.
Also note that
some things are just different.
Anytime that
you think the rules are a bit cumbersome remember how a
Russian would feel if they had to stand in line
in a typical
American DMV.
Moral: You are
visiting to see and experience different things. If
everything was like home it wouldn’t be
interesting.
Ask your guide about tipping. Different
places expect
different things. Your guides are there for
you. Listen to
them.
Business Transactions
DO NOT (did I say this loud enough)
allow anyone to do ANYTHING for you without knowing in
advance how much they expect to be paid. This
includes porters in train stations, artists on the
street, CAB DRIVERS, ANYONE!!!!
Does this
mean that everyone is trying to rip you off? NO. It just means that if someone does, it
can ruin your whole day and give you an unnecessarily
bad attitude about all the nice people.
If
anyone wants to help you with anything –
ride, bags, anything – nicely ask the price.
If you can
not communicate with the person (you should have had a guide), hold up the amount
of money that you think is fair and ask “OK”?
If they nod
or say “DA” then it probably will be.
Scams
Scams are everywhere in the world. The best
way to avoid
being a victim is to avoid people that are
just walk-up
strangers. If you have your guide with you,
they will know
better than even try them on you.
1.
American Cell phones
differ in that we have a relationship with the
phone company as follows: You use the phone, the
company sends you a bill.
You are expected to pay.
Many countries primarily
operate on a pay as you go basis, so it is
impossible to be charged more than
you have prepaid.
If someone comes up to
you and wants to use your cell (mobile) phone,
politely refuse. If they persist (and they might),
steadfastly refuse and put the phone in your pocket or
purse. Some persistent scam artists will
practically take it out of your hand.
The scam is that they
will dial a number that charges a huge bill to your phone
and they collect. You will not know until you get
your bill!
2. Someone comes up to you dressed very
businesslike. They say they are
residents of the USA (or wherever you are from), but they
were originally from Russia and are now here to visit
friends or relatives.
The conversation is very
lively and friendly and you are asked to join your
new friend for a harmless soft drink.
Then another friendly
stranger begins to speak to you both as if he is a
lonely traveler also. Before you know it you are involved
in a card game or some other game where "small"
(like 1 ruble) sums are wagered.
The scam is that the two
people are working together.
They teach you a game or
play one you know and deal you what appears to
be a hand that can not lose. Then they work hard to
keep you raising your bet until the stakes are high.
The hand ends and you
have lost all of your money on a technicality. Be
careful.
If you fall for this and
try to forcefully take back your money, there may be a
third accomplice – a police officer (or someone that
is dressed like one).
Police
If you are alone and the police stop
you, be polite.
Politely ask for an English speaking officer
to come to
where you are.
If
all they want is to see your passport, give
it to them.
They may just want to look at your visa to
see where
you are staying. If you are alone and
inebriated (bad
idea) or they think you might be, they may
ask to see
your wallet.
If
that happens, politely ask for an English
speaking
officer. If that can not be arranged or you
don’t feel
comfortable insisting, then ask to go to the
American Consulate.
If
that is not practical and you don’t mind
letting one of
the officers see your wallet, then do it.
While one officer
looks in your wallet, the other may try to
talk to you.
Politely pay attention to the one that has
your wallet
until he gives it back, then resume the
conversation
with the other officer.
I
think that this is a mostly harmless trick
that some
late night officers use to “lift” just a
little money from
your wallet – not enough money for you to
notice, but
enough to make their day.
Please be aware. I do not
expect that anything
unpleasant will befall you on
your trip, but my training
has always caused me to try
to think of all eventualities
and to prepare for them
instead of waiting for something
unexpected and then be caught
off guard.
I LOVE
Russia and especially the lovely, attentive
people
that will make your trip so memorable. I
wish you
a VERY
wonderful trip and hope that you will report
back
on the
many things that you see and do.
Steve Fowler |
