Americans travel to Russia. Is it safe?

Old Mar 18th, 2014, 11:58 AM
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Americans travel to Russia. Is it safe?

We are a couple in our late 60's planning an 8 day trip to Moscow and St. P in late April. We are concerned that the current political situation may present safety or confrontational issues. Have there been any recent reports of Americans being targeted by Russian authorities or citizens? How concerned should we be about our personal safety. Other issues?

We are experienced int'l travelers.
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 12:09 PM
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Will you be with a group or are you traveling independently?

I think this would be the time to be part of an organized tour, whose managers would be in charge of the safety of their clients and who'd keep themselves informed and proceed accordingly. They'd also be the ones to contact about your concerns.

If on your own, watch the state department traveler information site among others:

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...n-ukraine.html

http://moscow.usembassy.gov/sm_050513.html
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 12:20 PM
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I would go on a day trip off a ship in St. Petersburg.

But this is not a good time to visit Moscow. Don't be surprised if some countries visas are cancelled.
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 01:14 PM
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Does not seem to be a good time to visit Moscow...but then for me it has never been a good time to go there.
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 01:24 PM
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but then for me it has never been a good time to go there.

Precisely
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 01:36 PM
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Moscow is a long way from where the problems are, people are still travelling to Moscow and Russia generally & life continues as usual. But then for me anytime is a good time to visit Moscow. Until there is a government issued travel advisory advising against any travel to Moscow, I would still travel there.
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 01:48 PM
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The embassy link I posted above was outdated. Here's one for today:

http://moscow.usembassy.gov/sm-03182014.html

Here's one that will have updates:

http://moscow.usembassy.gov/warden.html
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 01:53 PM
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Odin, is your name один ?
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Old Mar 19th, 2014, 10:27 AM
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we are travelling independently
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Old Mar 19th, 2014, 10:32 AM
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"Don't be surprised if some countries visas are cancelled."

I have heard of visas being cancelled - I don't have any hard facts, just word of mouth from American friends who travelled to Russia very recently. They were fine, but reported that visas for people arriving after them were cancelled.
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Old Mar 19th, 2014, 01:52 PM
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I have travelled to Russia several times (although I have to admit that I am not American).

You will not notice any confrontational issues, just normal daily life. Ukraine is very far away from Moscow.

A couple of years ago, the USA had an issue with a Caribbean island called Grenada. Had foreign tourists trouble with travelling to New York or Washington D.C.?

Same with Russia. There are loads of American tourists and business people in Russia and they are treated in a civilized way.

Speaking of Visas: Selling visas is a big business for Russia. They make a lot of many from visa fees. Why should they stop that business?

Western press has a total misconception. What happens in Ukraine is for Russians as if in China a sack of rice falls over.

For me, Sankt Petersburg is the world's most beautiful city. Moscow is interesting (but no match to the former capital). Enjoy your trip!
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Old Mar 19th, 2014, 04:16 PM
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It shouldn't be a problem I think, and I'm sure you'll be safe in the big cities like Moscow or Petersburg.

People in Russia mostly friendly to the tourists.
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Old Mar 30th, 2014, 07:53 AM
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Good question given that we plan on being there in June.

We will be taking the Tran-Siberian Railroad to Irkutsk prior to transferring to the Trans-Mongolian Railroad to Ulaanbaatar and Beijing.

Our visa applications are currently being processed at the Russian Consulate in Houston. They are due back by April 8. We will let you know if there are any problems that may be relevant.

My experience in similar situations is that tourist typically travel under the radar. It is a good idea to keep one's opinions to herself/himself and focus on the travel experience...not the politics.

Tourism is a major industry in Russia. I doubt they want to jeopardize that source of foreign revenue.
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Old Mar 30th, 2014, 09:36 AM
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I would be more concerned about going in April - which can still be winter - esp in St Pet - than about any problems that Americans might run into. We have been to Russia independently several times and never had any problems.
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 05:22 AM
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Hi,

Russia is safe for traveling. People in Russia are very friendly. Russia is developing it's tourist business, authorities tries to make Russia attractive for tourists and I don't remember any bad cases with tourist involved.
Moreover, Russians actually love a lot of American things, like movies and brands, a lot of Russians love to travel to USA. So, you'll be safe and shouldn't be concerned.

Just be aware that there are a lot of people in Russia who doesn't speak any English. If you need help, ask younger people in their 20s and 30s. And always have your documents with you. In big cities in Russia the police can ask you to show your documents. It's a normal procedure in Russia and the police doesn't check only tourists, but mostly locals.

And check the weather forecast, it's cold in Russia in April, the weather can be very different, it can be snowy or really warm, difficult to predict.
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Old May 10th, 2014, 05:12 PM
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Are you back from your trip. How was the safety? We are looking at going on a river cruise in July and wondered.
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Old May 12th, 2014, 10:59 AM
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Hello all,

Just returned from 10 great days in Moscow and St.p. We experienced no incidents at all. We didn't encounter ANY anti-American hostilities. Customs and immigration were perfunctory.
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Old May 19th, 2014, 01:58 AM
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Every day I see Americans in the streets of Moscow. They look good.
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Old May 21st, 2014, 12:36 PM
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Dmitriy...great news!

We will be there in three weeks.

Keep an eye out for us.
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Old May 24th, 2014, 09:20 AM
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I visited in Moscow in late April and found the people there to be quite friendly. I had expected problems at the airport and potential hostility from some Muscovites, but nothing like that happened.
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