kenav

We are thinking of going to Russia in September. My husband got a bit nervous after the bombing of the subway in Moscow this week. Also there was a bombing last Nov (I think) on the train between Moscow and St. Petersburg (which we would be taking). So he's thinking we should change our vacation plans.

Mind you, we live in NYC and can't forget 9/11, yet we still live and enjoy ourselves here.

My husband asked a woman he works for who is Russian and in charge of the Russian division at his company about traveling to Russia now. She said "it isn't a good time". Not sure if she's prejudice as she chooses to live here, not there. Her husband has "some ties" to the government. Not sure what that means! (Business?) She said the hotels will take your passport and you will be walking around without one. True?

Also said do not go to Russia on your own. Only with a tour group.

Yow!!

Anybody have any comments?

thursdaysd

Well, I was in Moscow right after the subway bombings in 2004, and I did fine. There were a couple of soldiers with dogs at the entrance to subway stations, but they didn't seem to do much of anything. I was essentially solo, just my home-stays and train tickets were booked ahead, with a few excursions.

The hotels will need your passport to register you. (This is common in Europe too.) Don't sweat it - just carry a copy - you should make copies of the picture page and visas anyway. For info on visas and registration see http://www.waytorussia.net/

laurie_ann

It depends on your comfort level. Would you have invited guests to NYC later in the fall of 2001? Would you have gone to London yourself in the fall of 2005? From a probability perspective Moscow/New York/London are no more safe or dangerous the week before or the week after these kinds of events. Of course, no one should plan a trip that they wouldn't enjoy.

Did your husband's colleague say why she would go only with a group?

L

kenav

thursdaysd - I know you need a passport to register at any European hotel - we have done that many times. However, they always gave it right back to us.

Did you know the language? How did you communicate?

laurie ann - Will ask my husband to ask the Russian lady why she said only go with a tour group.

Dayenu

My husband asked a woman he works for who is Russian and in charge of the Russian division at his company about traveling to Russia now. She said "it isn't a good time".

She may mean general political situation (are anti-american sentiments stronger these days?) or safety in general: in poor economies criminal activities surge.

thursdaysd

No, I don't speak Russian. I did learn the Cyrillic alphabet, which is a big help if you're going to take the subway, and will also let you easily read the words for restaurant, supermarket, internet, etc. I encountered fewer English speakers than I usually do, but since I had my train tickets and accommodation already arranged, I didn't have too much difficulty. Take a phrase book and a good guide book (make sure you have something with the words you're likely to find on a menu).

I haven't always had my passport handed right back to me, but I've always had it handed back before I left. The Russian rules have changed since I was there, but from the site I linked above: "normally it takes from a few minutes to a day to have your visa registered." You HAVE to get it registered within 3 business days, and you don't want to have to mess with it yourself.

kenav

Not sure if she meant anti-American feelings. Pretty sure she meant "stuff" that's going on with the government and problems with Russian vs. Chechnya. I think 2 weeks ago she was telling my husband he should go. But he really didn't have much time to talk to her then. Perhaps her thoughts about travel to Russia have changed due to the bombing.

Anyway - waiting for more Fodorites to chime in on this.

tatersalad

Interesting conversation; within 10 days we will be traveling to St Petersburg for a week then on to Novgorod for 2 days and on to Moscow for about 4 days. We are two independent people without tour group, don't speak Russian and plan to travel by train and use the metro, don't know anyone there and don't have any worry (for now). I will report back at the end of the month.

thursdaysd

Good for you, tatersalad. I really liked Novgorod - have fun!

alihutch

We travelled independently to St Petersburg (flew to Riga, then train to St P'sburg and flew back) 2-3 years ago and it was fine.
As for bombs, my Mother lived in central London during the blitz, which gave me a sense of perspective when working in London during the IRA bombings in the 80s and 90s.(and I heard one go off from my work, and several times got severely delayed trying to get home due to bomb alerts/incidents ) which then gives a perspective to relatively rare incidents in other countries.

Jean

alihutch, my mother also lived in London during the Blitz, and I've likewise thought her stories of the nightly bombings put the current events in perspective. "Keep Calm and Carry On!" What part of London was your mother in?

kenav

tatersalad - I'll be really looking forward to your report! I'll b t you'll have a great time.

The London Blitz - well that must have been something and I'm sure the English "carried on". But would someone go there at that time for a vacation? (Was anyone going anywhere for a vacation during WWII?)

Jean

kenav, you're right about vacationing in London during the Blitz, but there's just no comparing Moscow now to London then. In the Blitz, more than 40,000 were killed and more than a million homes were destroyed. It started with the bombing of London every night for two months straight.

amyb

tatersalad, please report back, I'm curious to hear all the juicy details about your trip.

To kenav, the original poster, I'm going to Moscow and St. Petersburg in September, and will continue to go unless/until the US State Department advises against it. That's what trip insurance is for.

thursdaysd

amyb - before you cancel a trip because of the US State Dept you might want to check the British Foreign Office and Australian and/or Canadian equivalents. The US tends to over-caution (if they weren't the US they might advise against visiting the US). Last year they advised against travel to Lebanon, while the Brits only recommended staying north of the Litani river. I went to Lebanon and had a great time.

alihutch

Jean,
My Mum was living in Fleet Street and started working in the Bank of England in 1943. My Granny always went to Smithfield market on a Friday, which was the day of the week that it was bombed. However Granny didn't go that day; very scary for my Grandfather who was a policeman and therefore knew very quickly what was going on.

Jean

alihutch, my mother must be a little older. Her family lived in Wimbledon during the war, but they were entertainers and worked in all the larger cities of England and occasionally on some air bases in England and British Army bases in France (before Dunkirk). She had several near-misses at home, on trains and in theaters, so I feel lucky to be here!

kenav

amayb - Are you gong with a tour group or independently?

kenav

oh - thursdaysd - I'v looked at the prices for the train between Moscow and St. Petersburg and they are high! Seems that flying is actually cheaper. Why did you choose to go by train?

Same question for tatersalad.

thursdaysd

kenav - I much prefer overland transport - you can't see much countryside from a plane! Plus I wanted to visit Novgorod on the way. But more to the point, this was one stage in a RTW by train - or at least Scotland to Saigon by train (17,000 miles, 7 months for that part - see http://wilhelmswords.com/rtw2004/index.html )