Getting to Russia

Our Russian odyssey began when we saw the art and architecture of the former Eastern Block cities (Vienna, Budapest, Prague, and Dresden). After these great experiences, we looked further east.

We decided that a trip to Russia should include both Moscow and St. Petersburg, as they are close together, and both are very important population and cultural centers (if not geographic) of the country.

A good travel guide is essential for any trip, and we have been satisfied with the combination of Lonely Planet (Moscow, St Petersburg) and DK eyewitness series (Moscow, St. Petersburg) guides. DK has wonderful pictures and maps, and takes a very factual approach to sites of interest. Lonely Planet is more wordy with less pictures, but makes up for this with a plethora of witty, opinionated writing. Neither book alone seems to completely satisfy practical and useful needs, but the two complement each other to fill in the gaps. When we were out and about, I carried the DK book with me in my jacket pocket.

In addition to these books, we of course used the internet to obtain the most current information we could find. Along the way, I learned about the process of obtaining a tourist visa.

At first I thought I would be able to book everything on my own. After all, we have traveled to a few places in Europe, and previously we had no problem locating resources on the internet in order to make a smooth trip. However, the more I tried, the more I realized that navigating Russia was going to be more effort than I was used to. As an example, when attempting to book rooms through the internet, every single web site I tried to book rooms through came up as sold out or unavailable!

I found the Russia Travel Group by chance, and liked the website and information. I emailed the contact on the page and Maria soon emailed me back a proposed itinerary with hotel choices. I made my selection, and ultimately sent a check for a 50% deposit. Soon afterwards I received the support documents needed to apply for a visa.

Next I visited the Russian Embassy website, and went to the consulate for my region (Washington, DC). I downloaded the application for a tourist visa, and filled it out for both of us. We paid $100 for each visa, and attached 2 passport sized photos (various consular sites have various instructions) and signed them both. We also later learned that we needed a cover letter; the cover letter is written by me (the applicant) and lists the dates of visit, purpose of visit, and locations to be visited. We also sent our passports to the consulate. About 10 days later we received our passports with visas attached inside.

We then booked our airfare, and paid the remaining 50% to the Russia Travel Group.

Our trip ran exactly as spelled out in our itinerary.