first time travel to russia
 

im looking to travel to stavropol region of russia this spring/summer. ive never been to russia before, or traveled abroad at all for that matter, i will be traveling alone, and i dont speak any russian. im looking to go for about a week, and i will be staying at someones house. i really dont know anything, about the visa process, how to exchange money, make phone calls, or anything. any information will be appreciated. everywhere i go while i am in russia i will be accompanied by my friend who lives there, however when i fly in i will land in moscow and then take a connecting flight to stavropol, and during this time i will be by myself. i hope the people who work at the airport speak english.

I would strongly advise you to get at least one good guidebook -- one that includes a section on basics (visa requirements, getting money, making phone calls) and a phrase book. There are many. You can browse some at your local bookstore or library before buying.

I would also encourage you to learn to transliterate from Cyrillic to English, as being able to do so will likely prove helpful.

While you may, indeed, encounter people who speak English, I would not assume that everyone can or will. Try to learn to say at least a few civilities in Russian (hello, thank you, please) and be patient.

Traveling solo can be incredibly rewarding -- here's a thread that you might find inspirational:
http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...collection.cfm

Good luck and enjoy!

Having a smart phone with you would be INCREDIBLY helpful. If by chance you are in the US and have T-Mobile, they have free unlimited data overseas in most areas. I used my T-Mobile smart phone in St. Petersburg last year, and the phone with free data worked great. I used it to navigate the local bus system without reading Cyrillic or consulting a paper bus schedule. I also used Google Translate not only to translate spoken English into Russian (you speak English into the phone; it speaks Russian out) or vice-versa, I also used it to translate Cyrillic text real time (use the phone's camera to zoom in on the text and it will show you the translated English text on top of it.)

Other US phone carriers may have data plans that will work in Russia, too. Not sure. Otherwise, you can take an unlocked smart phone with you (or try to use your current smart phone and unlock it for use with another phone company) and buy a pre-paid SIM card in Russia for it. Have your local friend help you buy the SIM and activate it, etc.

If you want to call home to the US from Russia, try the free Google Hangouts Dialer app on a smart phone (or tablet perhaps). You can make FREE calls to the US this way (even to landlines), when you are on WiFi or if your phone has mobile data. I used my phone while in St. Petersburg to make calls home to family and friends a few times, even using my T-Mobile mobile data, and the calls worked well - and completely free! (You can make calls within Russia too using Google Hangouts but not free - a few cents/minute via Google.) The quality of your phone call audio depends on the quality of the internet connection - that is, if your WiFi is poor, you probably won't be able to make a good phone call. If the WiFi is a good connection, you should be able to make good, clear calls.

thanks, the only place im worried about people speaking english is at the airport in moscow, but my friend says the employees do speak english there. one i get to stavropol ill be with her the entire time.

Have you looked at any travel advice about travelling to that region? It is not exactly bordered by safe regions. Seems an odd place for a first time visit to Russia for someone who has never been abroad. Have you ever met your friend in person?

You'll need to apply for a private visa. Look into travel insurance esp medical. Check to see what kind of mobile coverage there is in that area. I've been to Russia many times and I would not be comfortable with such a trip because of the region you are going to. The transfer at Moscow is the least of your concerns IMO.

The Moscow airport is big and you shouldn't waste anytime there - go straight to the gate of your connecting flight, by following the "Connecting flights" or "Transfer" arrow. The gate number of your connecting flight is shown on electronic board - make sure you're in the right Terminal.

The staffs at Moscow airport speak english, but not as much as at english airports, and you may find them cold at first, by Western norm. Don't worry, they are kind, they just appear cold on the outside. If you have any doubts/question, don't hesitate to ask the Information Desk.

https://travel.state.gov/content/pas...ry/russia.html - click on Safety and Security. If you decide to still go despite the advisory, you should check if your travel insurance will still be valid.

<<The Moscow airport is big>>. There are 3 airports in Moscow, SVO has several terminals but DME only has one.

im not going to Chechnya lol im going to stavropol. everywhere ive read about it sounds pretty safe and i will stay well within the borders. supposedly my health insurance covers international travel. when applying for a russian visa it says i need a travel voucher, which basically sounds like a receipt from the hotel i will be staying that. what do i do if i will be staying at someones house, not a hotel?

I can't answer the travel voucher question. I will tell something about my experience, though.

I had a hard time filling out the paperwork. If I had it to do again, I'd collect all info about education and work experiences ahead of time. I kept having to find all that information, and I'd have to start over again.

I found the Russian visa office very unhelpful. I finally contacted Red Star Travel in Seattle, and they were really good about helping me. I recommend them.

I finally had to send about $300 to get the visa. If I had it to do over, I would have arranged for tours for St. Petersburg. Just wandering around, as I usually do, did not work out well for me.

<<im not going to Chechnya lol im going to stavropol. everywhere ive read about it sounds pretty safe and i will stay well within the borders. >>

You've obviously not read the US Travel Advisory about travel to North Caucasus. Borders? You should stay within the city limits, not the just the borders. And yes you might have a totally trouble free visit, however if something does go wrong, you will be on your own.

<<supposedly my health insurance covers international travel.>> Travel insurance is not always valid for areas where your government have advised their citizens not to travel to. It would be prudent to check this with your insurance provider.

<<when applying for a russian visa it says i need a travel voucher, which basically sounds like a receipt from the hotel i will be staying that. what do i do if i will be staying at someones house, not a hotel?>>

The visa type you need is a <b>PRIVATE</b> one, not a tourist visa. You are staying in a PRIVATE HOME. Isn't your "friend" helping you with the private visa application? Your "friend" should know the rules for private visas, most Russians are very savvy when it comes to visa requirements for their country & has probably invited other foreign friends to their homes in the past. Your friend needs to initiate the visa application because they are hosting you.

http://www.russianembassy.org/page/private-visa

im really not worried about being in stavropol. once im there ill be with my friend the entire time. i live in detroit, which is much more dangerous, and honestly i have a much better chance of being the victim of an attack in france than there. and yes i will check with my health insurance provider, and if necessary, purchase additional travel insurance. and i have never heard of a private visa and neither has my friend, thanks for the information.

With all due respect, it really doesn't matter whether you or your friend have heard of a private visa -- what matters is whether it exists and is what you need. Please consult the source to which Odin directed you. Unlike posters on a travel board, that is an actual authoritative resource.

>> i have a much better chance of being the victim of an attack in France than there

Big thing to say for a person who has never traveled abroad.

>>and i have never heard of a private visa and neither has my friend,<<

Your friend is the linchpin for getting your visa -- so she had darned well better have heard of that - or study up quickly.

My brother lives in a much less toublesome part of Russia and he dad to do most of the legwork to get a visa for a friend to visit him.

BTW - It is very likely your health insurance will not cover you and it is very possible that any travel insurance policy (or any affordable one) would exclude travel to that region.

You seem very naive re travel to conflict zones . . .

Should have said >>and he had to do most of the legwork to get a visa <<

OP, you need to study up and get smart on the visa issue, but all this safety stuff is just longtime Fodorites trolling you.

what about money. where do i exchange american money? and this may be a silly question, but are my american credit/debit cards going to work anywhere there?

" 3 airports in Moscow,"
a good point.

I bought some rubles before going to Russia ( just in case)
Had no trouble using CCs or ATMs
But ,I was only in ST Petrsburg and Moscow...

To repeat: Get a decent guidebook. You will find answers to these questions.

really? thanks danon. any recommendations on guidebooks? how is the lonely planet series?