Travel Weekly: Travel to Russia article

http://www.travelweekly.com/Europe-Travel/Travel-to-Russia-already-down-takes-another-hit-amid-flare-up/?cid=eltrb

The Viking Truvor is still sailing Russia's Volga River. ;)

KI could not access the link, could you please check it?

http://www.travelweekly.com/Europe-Travel/Travel-to-Russia-already-down-takes-another-hit-amid-flare-up/?cid=eltrb

Sorry that I am unable to copy and paste the article. For some reason, my Safari won't allow me to copy it. Or maybe it is the Travel Weekly website. :eek:

Interesting. Thanks for sharing the link.

We just got back from St Petersburg on a Viking Oceans cruise. We asked our private tour guide whether they've seen a fall off in their tour business. She said it was really bad last year, but this year they were almost back to pre-Crimea levels. But if tensions continue to escalate, the tourist industry will no doubt be the first to suffer. However, this year seemed crowded with Asian tour groups. We noticed a subtle difference in the economy from when we were last there in 2012, but it wasn't huge. It did seem that we Americans were not as cheerfully greeted however.

Interesting article, Di Princess. Thanks for posting. Wow, the last time we needed a Visa for Russian, it was a long process of filling in info that we considered really unnecessary. But, we did it and got our Visas in time. Now, they want fingerprints. I'm so glad we took our Russia River Trip four or five years ago. We got to meet the most wonderful young people working aboard the ship during their summer break. We had some meetings with them and they answered questions about their lives from large amounts of us tourists. They were so hopeful that Putin would NOT be re-elected and they would have a better life than their parents and grandparents. Of course, their hopes didn't come through and things are very difficult there. So sad!! Sheila

Interesting article, Di Princess. Thanks for posting. Wow, the last time we needed a Visa for Russian, it was a long process of filling in info that we considered really unnecessary. But, we did it and got our Visas in time. Now, they want fingerprints. I'm so glad we took our Russia River Trip four or five years ago. We got to meet the most wonderful young people working aboard the ship during their summer break. We had some meetings with them and they answered questions about their lives from large amounts of us tourists. They were so hopeful that Putin would NOT be re-elected and they would have a better life than their parents and grandparents. Of course, their hopes didn't come through and things are very difficult there. So sad!! Sheila

It is indeed, Sheila...We appear to have been in Russia around the same time and it was truly wonderful. We were on the Tolstoy and did the pre-trip to Ukraine. While in St. Petersburg we were having dinner at a local restaurant and the couple next to us asked where we were from and the conversation that followed lasted through dinner, too many vodka shots, and for several hours while we got to know each other and solve all the world's problems. It was the highlight of the trip for us. :D

Hi Hydrokitty,

We are getting to the end of our traveling days and were fortunate enough to visit St. Petersburg in 1990 when there were lines for food and toilet paper. The sidewalks and streets were all cracked. We took the ship's tour since that was the only safe way to get around. My DH was able to buy a Russian hat on the street from someone and sneak it back on the ship past the Russian authorities. It turns out it was a policeman's hat. Someone was able to make a quick $10.00. It adorns our hat rack along with other hats we bought on other trips. He passed the hat around the coach and people put money in it for the wonderful gal guide who was leaving us to pick up her little boy in the countryside where her parents lived. She started to cry and said to us that it was sad that our governments make us enemies but the people would like to get along with each other. Years later, when we went back the next time, things were booming and designer shops were everywhere. We took the river cruise four years ago so we could see Moscow and now I'm so happy we did. We took the Metro in Moscow and in St. Petersburg and people heard us speak English and got up to give us their seats. I asked our guide about it and she said that they were thanking us for coming to visit and showing us respect.

shoshona2,

hmm, it´s not just the Russians getting finger prints.. each time I enter the US I have to give my finger prints too ;)!

The Russians make it easy: Everything your home country is asking for a Russian to get a visa they ask from you.

I had to give a proof of my current income, my business phone number, my business email addy.... It´s pretty unlikely that a German would use a tourist visa to Russia for staying there permanently. Of course it´s more like the opposite way.

steamboats

shoshona2,

 

hmm, it´s not just the Russians getting finger prints.. each time I enter the US I have to give my finger prints too ;)!

 

The Russians make it easy: Everything your home country is asking for a Russian to get a visa they ask from you.

 

I had to give a proof of my current income, my business phone number, my business email addy.... It´s pretty unlikely that a German would use a tourist visa to Russia for staying there permanently. Of course it´s more like the opposite way.

 

steamboats

In 2012 we didn't have to provide fingerprints for our Russian Visas, BUT we had to give an almost comical history of our families, careers and jobs, including military service....not only were you IN the military, but what was your rank, your branch, your specialty, your job and where were you stationed. Also had to list every foreign country we had visited within past several years, which since we retired was quite a few! But it was worth it....I loved every second of that trip.

H Steamboats and Hydrokitty,

When we left Moscow, I had a very young Russian man checking my passport at the airport. He looked at me and then looked at the year of birth and said, "This is not your passport"! I smiled and said it is my passport and I was 74 years of age. I guess his grandmother looked like a typical older Russian. We had seen many of them while sightseeing. Since I am from sunny California and most of us benefit from the outdoor life, my friends and I do not look old. I did NOT want to miss my airplane home and stay in Moscow one more moment than I had to, so I kept smiling and my DH did the same. He let us through Security.

Sheila

Many countries have a reciprocal visa process. If it is cumbersome for Americans to get a tourist visa, it just means that it is cumbersome for their nationals to get a US tourist visa. Finger prints are an additional thing ever since we have internationally operating terrorists. More and more countries feel they have to know exactly who is entering and leaving.

Many countries have a reciprocal visa process. If it is cumbersome for Americans to get a tourist visa, it just means that it is cumbersome for their nationals to get a US tourist visa. Finger prints are an additional thing ever since we have internationally operating terrorists. More and more countries feel they have to know exactly who is entering and leaving.

To be perfectly honest, Floridiana, I don't have a problem with that!!! :D

Also had to list every foreign country we had visited within past several years,

Have to do that for Global Entry applications as well. My husband and I went in for interviews the same day (it was quicker to get appts in MKE during a trip visiting family than to get them near our house) His interviewer didn't ask anything about where he'd visited. Mine wanted to know why I'd gone to each country....

Many countries have a reciprocal visa process. If it is cumbersome for Americans to get a tourist visa, it just means that it is cumbersome for their nationals to get a US tourist visa. Finger prints are an additional thing ever since we have internationally operating terrorists. More and more countries feel they have to know exactly who is entering and leaving.

We have done the visa process for Russia, China and India. All others, like Australia, Indonesia, Argentina, Turkey, etc. have an easy way to pay for the visa or admission fee, usually on the internet or upon admission to the country.

The Russian visa asked the most probing questions, regarding military experience, etc., but the Indian visa process was the worst. Also, once you dock in India the insane bureaucratic process continues. It took us two hours to get off the ship in our first Indian port.

Every country has the right to determine who enters and how people are screened, but Brazil is the one country that we have not gone the extra mile to visit, since, our consulate (for our area of the USA) requires an applicant to appear in person, which would mean going 900 miles just to apply. Apparently, Brazil is angry and how the USA scrutinizes Brazilians applying for visa to the USA.

I am so glad that this is turning into a Happy Thread. I love hearing everybody's stories. I loved the Baltic on the Star Princess. No visa needed for our private tour group that I arranged for 14 for 2 days in St. Petersburg. I loved it! I would love to do The River cruise.

Thanks everyone for you nostalgic stories. :D

but Brazil is the one country that we have not gone the extra mile to visit, since, our consulate (for our area of the USA) requires an applicant to appear in person, which would mean going 900 miles just to apply. Apparently, Brazil is angry and how the USA scrutinizes Brazilians applying for visa to the USA.

Yours is not in Miami? We did it via mail about 3 years ago. The Orlando Sentinel wrote an article about the difficulty Brazilians have to get a tourist visa for the USA. They would love to come to Orlando in greater numbers. Disney is popular.

Yours is not in Miami? We did it via mail about 3 years ago. The Orlando Sentinel wrote an article about the difficulty Brazilians have to get a tourist visa for the USA. They would love to come to Orlando in greater numbers. Disney is popular.

Right it was Miami, so it was not 900 miles, just about half that. Still, ridiculous. I can wait until Brazil chills a bit on the visa process.