Russia is not Paris. It is a way cooler place to visit. You can find replica of Eiffel tower in Las Vegas and Frenchmen in any cosmetic department of Macy’s, but you can’t see the Red Square and real Russians anywhere but in Russia. Unfortunately, Russia is not cheap to visit. It is super far away from America (if you don’t believe me look at the map), so the airfares can kill any inclination to travel to Russia. Fortunately, there are ways around this problem.
No, you don’t need to cross from Alaska to Russia, there are simpler ways to get to Russia. First of all, consider going in an off-peak season. Airfares from America the to Russia double in price each summer (up to $1,200), so you can save 50% by going in Spring ($600). Of course summers are way warmer than springs, but saving 600 bucks should give you a pretty warm feeling too. By the way, I forgot to mention that the best way to book
Now that we have bought a ticket, it is time to get a visa. The process usually takes about 2 weeks and costs about $200 if you are using a help of an agency or $170 if you are applying on your own. Use the help of an agency not to worry about visa invitations, applications, and arrival registrations. There are plenty of agencies specializing on this.
Now that we have a ticket and a tourist visa we are ready to take care of our living arrangements. The best idea is to stay with a friend. A decent hotel will cost you about $100 per night so if you are staying with a friend for 5 days, you can save 500 bucks on hotel. Russians are very hospitable and if you have met someone 5 years ago, it is OK to contact this person and ask to stay at his place for 5 days.
If you don’t have any friends who live in Russia - make them. It is super easy considering how open-minded and hospitable these Russians are. The easiest way to make Russian friends is to find a Russian club in the nearest university and go to its meetings couple of times. Chances are that you will be invited to one of the parties. Once you meet a Russian at a party you can get him to promise you anything, including to stay at his/her place when you visit Russia.
$200 that we have left is not much, but it will be enough to get by, if you eat at home, if you use subway and not taxis, if you don’t go out. To make the most of your trip, of course, it is better to have about $100 per day, but $200 will suffice to see Russia and the Russians.
There are more strategies how to make your travel to Russia more affordable. For instance, some agencies offer complimentary visas with their tours to Russia. For more insights, travel advice, price comparisons call “Travel All Russia” 1.800.884.1721.
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