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= Next step. Travelling to Russia =
== How long does it take to get a visa to Russia or Ukraine? ==
If you have a passport that does not expire for least six months after the dates of your travel, we will fax you the visa support documents within 1-2 business days. Then you need to apply to the consulate for the visa. Visa processing to Russia takes about 2 weeks, but you can pay extra money to have it ready even the same business day. Add the time for mailing the documents to the Consulate and back. They accept express delivery, including FedEx next day, and can send you the documents back the same way if you provide a prepaid waybill. You can go in person to a Russian Consulate in New York, San Francisco or Seattle and get the visa the same day. It will cost around $300. Processing time is similar for a Ukrainian visa.
== How safe is it in Russia? ==
It is quite safe in Russia and other CIS countries if you know where to go and what to do. It might be somewhat dangerous if you are lost and on your own. If you stay away from unsafe neighborhoods, don't flash your cash and follow the basic safety rules, you are going to be ok. It's a good idea to have the woman you are visiting pick you up at the airport and show you around.
== Can I bring my laptop to Russia? Do I need an adaptor? ==
Yes, you can, but you may need a simple adaptor. As far as the customs office is concerned, there are no restrictions on bringing your personal laptop across the Russian border. Standard voltage in Russia and all other European countries is 220 volts (it is 110 in USA). This means you will need a step down transformer (an adaptor that changes voltage) for electric devices other than a laptop. Those could be bought at Sears or Radioshack at $20-$30. Laptops are the lucky exceptions in that they do not need a transformer, because their chargers normally take in any voltage from 110 volts to 250 volts. There may be laptop chargers out there that would not take 220 volts, but we have not seen one. Please check your charger first, before you fry your laptop! The acceptable voltage ("AC in") should be printed directly on the charger. However, even if your laptop can take 220 volts, you still need a simple adaptor. The reason is that the Russian electrical outlet has 2 round holes, while the American plug has 2 flat prongs. There is no way to fit one into the other. So you need to buy a cheap ($1-$3) adapter that has 2 holes for flat American prongs, and 2 round prongs on the other end, to plug into the Russian outlet. You can buy such adapters at many places, RadioShack, Sears, or even your local WalMart. Network and phone connectors are the same as in US. All of this applies to all other countries of the CIS.
== How can I connect to the Internet in Russia? ==
If you are staying in an expensive hotel in a major city, they may have Wi Fi connection. Please check with your hotel first. Needless to say that Wi Fi standard is the same throughout the world so you won't have any problems. If this does not apply to you and you have to use good old dial-up, read on. 1. If you don’t mind using a public computer, there are a lot of Internet cafes in almost every city of the former Soviet republics. Just ask the hotel personnel or a taxi driver. The is usually about $1 per hour. 2. If you want to go online from your own laptop, it may be more difficult. Unfortunately, neither Russia nor any other CIS country has a nation-wide dial-up Internet provider, like AOL in the USA. So you have to find a local provider in the city where you are staying. Again, the hotel personnell could help you locate one. You can also find one on the Internet before your trip. You should be prepared to prepay your Internet access in cash, because local providers normally do not accept credit cards. The rates are usually $.50-$1.00 per hour. Another option is to take your laptop to the nearest Internet cafe and ask the staff to connect it to the Internet. They are always willing to do so at a regular hourly rate.
== Will my radio/CD player/boombox/other electronics work in Russia? ==
Yes, but you need an AC adapter. Standard voltage in Russia and all other European countries is 220 volts (it is 110 in USA). This means you will need a step down transformer (an adaptor that changes voltage) for electric devices other than a laptop. Those could be bought at Sears or Radioshack at $20-$30. We have decent ones for sale for $15 plus shipping. Contact us to order one.
== Will my cell phone work in Russia? ==
It depends on your provider. All European providers use the GSM standard, so if you are from a European country, your phone will work fine in Russia. You are likely to be charged premium roaming charges, so please check with your provider. They may have a calling plan that covers Russia so you won't incurr roaming charges.
In USA: Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint use the older proprietary CDMA standard. Those phones WILL NOT work in Russia at all. On the other hand, T-Mobile and Cingular use the more widely accepted GSM standard and will work in Russia. Usually you do not need a quad-band "world phone". In Russia the most widely used frequency is GSM 1800. Most GSM phones offered on the US market can operate on this frequency. On rare occasions in Russia you may encounter coverage by the older GSM 900 standard. To get a signal in these locations, you have to have a phone that can work on this frequency. Consult your cell phone manual or call your wireless service provider to find out what frequences your phone can operate on.
Normally, with USA providers like T-Mobile and Cingular, your roaming charges in Russia will be about $1.50 per minute, which is a lot. If you need to call a number in Russia from your US cell phone while in Russia, you will also incur international long distance charges (alternatively you can use our calling card to at least save on the latter). But there is a better way if you have a GSM phone. It is a bit complicated but you will not only get decent rates for calling Russia and USA, but you will also get a Russian cell phone number without spending a lot. The easiest way would be to buy a cell phone in Russia, but prepare to spend about $150 even on a basic one. What you can do instead is buy a SIM card in Russia and insert it into your US phone. The SIM card comes with a brand new Russian cell phone number, and if you purchase it in your destination city, you will get local calling rates. SIM cards are sold at every wireless store and cost about $5. There is one last trick, though. To prevent their customers from switching to a competitor, T-Mobile and Cingular are now "locking" their customer's phones so that a SIM card from a different provider cannot be used. To use a Russian SIM card you have to "unlock" the phone. You can find such a service locally (usually in cell phone repair shops) or just type "unlock phone" on eBay.
Russian cell phone providers offer prepaid service only. They do not offer monthly calling plans. Airtime is somewhat expensive, compared to US. Local calls are 5 to 15 cents a minute, long distance calls are 15-80 cents a minute. International calls can be as high as $3 per minute. Calls made from 9 PM to 6 AM are about twice cheaper than daytime calls. You can prepay any amount at any wireless store or any bank. There are also special machines in most supermarkets which accept payments for cellular service. They have an English interface as well.
There are a few cellular service providers on the Russian market, and we are reluctant to recommend a specific one, but if we absolutely must recommend one to a foreign traveller, we’d go with "MTS". It's not the cheapest one, but it seems to be the largest, has the best coverage and has wireless stores everywhere. Plus, it also operates in Ukraine and other CIS countries.
== How do I call Russia and other countries of the former USSR? What does it cost? ==
In most cases, you need to dial 011 if you are in the US; next the country code, then the area code and phone number. The country code for Russia is 7, for Ukraine it is 380, for Belarus it is 375. If you dial directly from your home or work phone without using a calling card, or signing up for a special international call discount program with your long distance provider, the cost may be very high ($2 per minute or even higher).
Remember, if you get stuck, you can always call our bilingual operator/interpreter toll-free 1-866-974-6453 and have her dial the number for you. She will stay online and will interpret your conversation real time.
== What is the weather like in Russia? ==
Russia is a vast country and it's impossible to describe its climate in a few sentences. In fact we have written a whole article about it. But generally speaking, the climate of the central parts of Russia where the majority of our clients travel is not as bad as portrayed in movies, and somewhat resembles the American Midwest, only a bit colder but less windy. For other parts of CIS read on.