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dude86
Frequent Guest
Joined: 15 Mar 2006
Posts: 63
Location: USA, Massachuttes
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 Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:52 pm Post subject: travel alone |
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| What is it like traveling alone to russia for the first time? |
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overseas_expat
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Joined: 11 Jan 2005
Posts: 620
Location: Moscow
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| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Probably depends a lot on whether or not you read/speak Russian. If you don't--it could be a b*tch. |
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MrSpice
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3436
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| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 5:37 pm Post subject: Re: travel alone |
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| dude86 wrote: | | What is it like traveling alone to russia for the first time? |
If you travel to St Petersburg or Moscow and stick to the centers of both cities you will be fine with little or no russian (by little, I mean, walking with phrasebook and knowing 2-5 words). There are some signs in English and some younger people speak English). There are lots of foreign tourists in St Petersburg in the summer - especially in June when the days are long (White Nights) and most of them don't speak Russian. |
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dude86
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Joined: 15 Mar 2006
Posts: 63
Location: USA, Massachuttes
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| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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| well i am planning on going to saint petersburg and i will be meeting trhe two girls i have been talking to at the airport and they will help me translate for me and i can the the best saying "I don't understand" but what is it like going from airport to airport? |
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MrSpice
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Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3436
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| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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| dude86 wrote: | | well i am planning on going to saint petersburg and i will be meeting trhe two girls i have been talking to at the airport and they will help me translate for me and i can the the best saying "I don't understand" but what is it like going from airport to airport? |
I hope these are not some random girls that will scam you out of your money and other posessions (not that it's common, but being a foreigner that does not speak any Russian will make you more vulnerable). Getting from the airport in taxi is the same in St Petersburg as getting from the airport anywhere else. Possibly, it's not as organized. Many hotels in St Petersburg nowadays offer pick-up service. I.e., they can pick you up at the airport for 25-40 dollars. Otherwise, you just hail a taxi. I heard they charge foreigners more than russians, so feel free to bargain.
Allow more time when you fly back - when I was flying from St Petersburg last June there were huge lines in the airport. I spent 1.5 hours or so going through passport control and bagage checks.
In Moscow, airports are really far from the city center. In St Petersburg, the pulkovo airport is not that far from the center. I heard traffic jamps are really bad in Moscow.
I would suggest you to learn a few phrases and some basics of the Russian language just to get by in case you need to. |
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dude86
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Joined: 15 Mar 2006
Posts: 63
Location: USA, Massachuttes
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| Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:42 am Post subject: |
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| Well the girls have been helping me learn some russian words and prashes but they said they will help me and as for leaving the airport i think being there 2 hours before the flight would be good, since thats how long you need to be there before your flight here so much securtity. And i have wonder what is the saint petersburg airport (led) like is it big, small easy to get around?? |
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camarks
Moderator
Joined: 30 Sep 2005
Posts: 273
Location: Richmond, VA USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:56 am Post subject: |
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| Pulkovo Airport is small compared to what you would expect for similarly sized city in the US. It's not too hard to get around, but I've never flown out of it (just arrivals). Arriving two hours before your flight is probably fine there, you might only need more time if flying directly from Sheremetyevo in Moscow to the US. The security check-ins for those flights can be quite long. |
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MrSpice
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Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3436
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| Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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| dude86 wrote: | | Well the girls have been helping me learn some russian words and prashes but they said they will help me and as for leaving the airport i think being there 2 hours before the flight would be good, since thats how long you need to be there before your flight here so much securtity. And i have wonder what is the saint petersburg airport (led) like is it big, small easy to get around?? |
I spent a long time in lines to get through security and passport control last June in Pulkovo. Allow at least 2 hours. To be safe, allow 2.5 hours before the flight. My taxi driver got into a pertty bad traffic jam before we arrived in the ariport too. |
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JamesB
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Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 11:00 pm Post subject: Train from Helsinki |
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| Have you ever considered flying first to Helsinki, and then taking the train to St. Petersburg and/or Moscow? Arriving at a train station is much easier since you just have to basically walk across a street to get to the metro. |
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dude86
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Joined: 15 Mar 2006
Posts: 63
Location: USA, Massachuttes
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| Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 4:25 am Post subject: |
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well i was going to fly from Boston Logan internation airport to Heathrow in the UK then from there i would take british airways right into LED airport and get off the plane and meet the girls  |
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natasha1982
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Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 46
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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I'm going to Russia this summer, and we are first flying to Sweden, then in 2 days taking a ferry to Tallinn (beautiful place), then taking a train to St Pete, and then by train-to Moscow. Waaay cheaper this way and much more interesting if you ask me. We got tix to Sweden 500 bucks both ways, intead of Moscow for 1200.
MrSpice, funny that you have the same Russian way of thinking, lol. Dude86 should watch out. These girls may turn out to be nice, but may turn out to be not so nice and scam him dry. Watch out, dude |
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charles
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 179
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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| natasha1982 wrote: | | I'm going to Russia this summer, and we are first flying to Sweden, then in 2 days taking a ferry to Tallinn (beautiful place), then taking a train to St Pete, and then by train-to Moscow. Waaay cheaper this way and much more interesting if you ask me. We got tix to Sweden 500 bucks both ways, intead of Moscow for 1200. |
Lucky you! i started a thread trying to find cheap airfare for this summer, but unfortunately you joined this site just a few weeks too late to help me (I already bought tickets). I tried the Tallinn option, but it came out the same price (and three days travelling instead of one). More interesting, yes. But how did you find $500 airfare to Sweden? I couldn't find anything to Europe for less than $1000 (from Seattle). |
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natasha1982
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Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 46
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry to hear that  Always be on a lookout for cheap deals, etc. The tix we got were an offer that last for literally two days. After taht it went back to 500 one way+enormous taxes. Just keep your eyes peeled next time, and google in cheap ticket deals, etc. If you want to travel out of season, ie March, April, etc, try travelzoo.com 2 years ago hubby and I snatched Belgium tix 250 bucks r/t. Now that was cheap! |
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dude86
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Joined: 15 Mar 2006
Posts: 63
Location: USA, Massachuttes
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| Posted: Wed May 03, 2006 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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| I really meant to say, What is it like traveling alone in general not just to russia but to any where. Because if i can go on my trip i am just worried about going to heathrow airport and not knowing where to go. that what i really want to know about |
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charles
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 179
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed May 03, 2006 5:29 pm Post subject: travelling alone |
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Travelling alone is total freedom! Or do mean just the transit portion of your trip, ie. the flights? Sitting on an airplane and passing time in airports is boring, no matter if you're alone or with friends ... bring a book, or music. I had a 12-hour layover in Heathrow once, at night, stuck in the international transit area. It sucked. Heathrow is a confusing, messed up airport (last time I was there) but you won't get lost. Everyone speaks English of course.
So you're just going to meet these girls in the St. Petersburg airport, and then turn around and fly home? Or are they going to show you around the city, country, etc.? |
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