Traveling to Russia next month. Any advice appreciated.

I know I did this on GD yesterday, but I got a lot of good travel tips and thought maybe the lounge crowd might have some more to add.

I'm going to Russia, Estonia, Finland and Latvia for the first time and would love any input.

for the dogs)

never let a band of gypsies get too close (even if they appear friendly - because they'll pin your arms and empty your pockets)

if you're planning to get to know people bring some cheap mix CDs as small gifts

buy a cheap CD / phrase book pack and start listening now - even a very little language goes a long way - and listen to the CDs over and over until you've got the words memorized the way you would every note from every song on your favorite album. Russian will get you pretty far in three of those countries and might help in Finland as well.

buy one of those belts that looks normal but hides money

little flag souvenirs, postcards, pins, and other stuff from the USa and your hometown will make nice thigs to give in exchange when your hosts surprise you with a present

CARRY KLEENEX PACKS TO USE AS TOILET PAPER. Not all public places will have toilet paper, and in fact many do not.

Carry a disposable lighter and Swiss Army knife whever you go, as well as those little sanitary napkins.

If anything else strikes me, I'll post it.

I was pushed around by a band of gypsies in Paris last year. They claimed not to speak English but when I told them to F*ck off, I think they were shocked that this came out of the mouth of a 60 year old grandmother, and they left. :) But it sounds as if they are a bit more aggressive in Russia.

I live in the Keys and have a bunch of trinket souvenirs to take along for gifts. I'll be in St. Petersburg, so when I was in St. Pete, Fl. last month I got some postcards from there. Thought they'd be amused.

I have a money belt.

I have one of those language translating machines which works amazingly quickly and easily. I don't speak any Russian, but I speak, read and write Latvian.

Kleenex packs...I'll tuck some in my suitcase.

Lighter? I put some in my suitcase, if they don't confiscate them.

Thanks!

pepper spray, but it isn't difficult to find in St. Pete.

You can smoke in most places over there, but NOT IN METRO STATIONS. Even if you don't smoke, though, the lighter is absolutely necessary because you may need to defrost something, or someone might ask you for a light in exchange for the directions you asked for.

BTW, "fuck you" and "fuck off" are pretty much understood in every language, so those gypsies might not have spoken English after all.

I think the most important thing to know, even though it should be common sense, is that you NEVER pet a stray animal. In a country where most people use paper clips instead of curtain hooks to save money, one of the many other corners they cut is rabies shots.

I'm going with a friend who chain smokes so maybe she will make lots of friends!

Have filed your stray dog warning in my head, and I bet I'll remember. Not fond of the thought of rabies shots.

most Marlboro Lights (the most popular brand) were counterfeit ones from places like Poland (you can tell by comparing the numbers on the UPC symbol on a real one to what's sold in the kiosks). I wouldn't bring a ton of them, though, because a buddy of mine says real American ones are easier to find. Still not effortless, but easier.

You know what they didn't have over there when I was last there (2003)? Grape bubble gum. All other flavors, but not grape. Kids love it.

Maybe I'll run into a kid or two. :)

kids love it.

Sadly, those kids are as likely to ask you for a smoke as they are to ask you for gum. :(

If you take a debit card, especially - a friend's daughter got messed up when there was a block on use of it in Russia. She couldn't get access to her account.

traveling and it will enable them to make sure your cards work.

Make 2 copies of all travel papers; leave one set at home with someone you can easily contact, and secret one set away in your carry on luggage.

Don't drink coffee or sodas 24 hours before leaving to avoid swelling of the feet/ankles. Get up and walk around as much as you can.

LEARN KEY PHRASES for basic communication!!!!! Yes, no, thank you, hello, good bye, I'm from America, etc.

They cut off my Master Card in London last year when I tried to use it, even though I had called and cleared it before I left. Then they called my house to notify me that someone in London was using my card. My husband answered and said, "Yes, my wife is there right now." They told him that they couldn't talk to him because he wasn't the card holder, and they cut off the card. Good thing I had my Am Ex with me. :)

That is his name in English. :)

I will be in Latvia for a while staying with relatives after my tour trip, so if I bump into him, I'll tell him you said "YO"...:)

There are so many places I'd want to see there. The Winter Palace, the place where Yusopov killed Rasputin, the other various palaces and the artwork included, so much history there.

I am going with a tour group and the tour includes the Hermitage and Winter Palace. I am taking two digital cameras just in case. :)

you can avoid border hassles.

I hate border hassles.

Now, since I live in the Florida Keys, can you please tell me what snow shoes would be??

but different

LOL!

what a great trip!

I live in Key Largo, and my entire wardrobe consists of shorts, tank tops and sandals. And not many teeshirt shops here sell mittens and boots. :)

:)

my family in Latvia, and I am traveling with a tour group (Go Ahead Vacations) that I have used for several years, because it is very inexpensive and they have wonderful trips. This particular tour trip goes to St. Petersburg and the Baltics.

Thanks for the gorgeous pics! The architecture in St. Petersburg and Riga is fabulous too, and I guess Helsinki as well, so I will be plenty busy playing tourist photographer there.

I got pinned at a tournament in Bulgaria by a guy who got his ass whupped by Russians after that. :)

I'd rather shop and try on cute hats, anyway. :)

And, plus looking good never hurts either. :)

:silly:

places are wonderful! Are you going alone?

Russians are very friendly and often very pleased if you know even a few Russian phrases. Moscow is rather hectic - be careful of drivers, some of them are psycho and drive on sidewalks. St. Petersburg is gorgeous and a little slower. Many of the subway stations in Moscow are beautiful - the subway is an easy way to get around.

March won't be as cold, though obviously take warm clothing - layering is best.

The suggestion to have a few gifts on hand is EXCELLENT - Russians often give gifts, and what you bring doesn't have to be big or bulky or expensive, it's just the thought.

Depending on where you stay, do take disinfecting wipes, packs of kleenex, etc. If you're going to be in the nice hotels, you have nothing to worry about, but if you're doing more of a budget trip, do take things for your comfort, INCLUDING pepto bismol, anti-diarrheal tabs, etc... mostly just b/c of the difference in native germs that your system will adjust to. A lot of Russians know some English, too (esp. in the hotels).

Finland is WONDERFUL and Helsinki is one of my favorite towns in Europe - a national capital w/o the overwhelming size of, say, Rome or Moscow. The train from St. Pete's to Helsinki is a nice way to travel.

Finns study English in school, and almost everyone you run into will be fluent...

All the standard info about being careful about your money, etc., is good advice.

Have a wonderful time!

I buy them by the three pack here, but never thought to pack some. I'll throw some in a zip lock baggy.

I'm going with a friend I met last year on a tour trip. In Paris we ditched the tour activities and spent the rest of the trip exploring the city, and had a great old time. Once we got home we started to email and then decided to take another trip since the company has such reasonable prices and no one's getting any younger! :) I have family in Latvia so it was the obvious choice, and although I've never been there, I'm fluent in the language. So I'm betting we will be able to get into tons of trouble in Riga!

Helsinki was an optional day trip via ferry from Tallinn, Estonia, so we decided that we had to do it as well. For an extra hundred bucks it would be a sin to miss it. I'll tell them you said hello!