Travelling to Russia - A Cautionary Tale

Ok, so apparently i decided to do something stupid/amazing and go to russia. I don't really know anyone over here and i don't know russian, apart from maybe a few phrases and how to ask if the person speaks english.

Anyway, i booked the trip about 4 months ago now, and i thought it was all smooth sailing. That is until i realised that i needed to get a Visa which would cost me £165 plus i needed to travel to London which meant i needed to spend about £60 just travelling there for 5 minutes. Now that wasn't too bad in and of itself, but then to realise there were still more expenses, airport luggage, travel to and from the Airports.

Safe to say i completely misunderestimated the whole endeavour, but unfortunately, the order was non refundable, so i was determined to go no matter what. I managed to start my trip yesterday, after about 2 days of anxiety making sure i had everything with me and that i could get on the place (my first time flying anywhere of course) i managed to get to the airport and get through security. Now never flying before i didn't know what to expect, but i was gonna have to wait for a few hours, so i thought that i would try some of the airport food. That was my first mistake, so after forking out 3X the normal amount for an all day breakfast that i wouldn't have even paid £3 for (£15) i managed to get on the plane to my first destination Frankfurt. Now this flight wasn't too bad, i spoke to a nice german woman who told me of her experience with flying, and i was delighted at my first take off, stomach dropped as we lifted off, and i thoroughly enjoyed my flight, however this was only for 1 hour, and the delight soon wore off on my second leg.

I had to fly from Frankfurt to St Petersburg in Russia. Now i thought i had this all in hand, however no more losing of the stomach and that delightful feeling, just lifted off instead. The air in the plane was stale and spelt of someone's feet, But i managed to fall asleep thinking i could sleep the 3 hour flight away. I awoke after 30 minutes and could not drift back off. I spent the next 2.5 hours in silence listening to german and russian people talking away, while the bad smell only got worse, the belarusian person next to me drinking jagermeister, and the flight feeling like an indian bus during rush hour.

However i thought don't worry the hotel looked amazing from the pictures, i'll get there get a good night's sleep and i will be fine. I was so wrong, so here's the thing when you get to a russian airport, you have to go through passport control. Now the problem is this takes about 1 hour due to the wait, which means that you are standing constantly for at least 1.5 times longer due to getting off the plane and getting your luggage at the same time. Mistake number 2, i stated that i was travelling from London, however the latest ticket i had stated from Frankfurt, so i had to spend the next 10 minutes explaining to someone who only spoke basic english, and me who speaks no russian, that i travelled in 2 parts.

I managed to explain in the end and she let me through. I spoke to a very nice taxi driver who couldn't do enough for me, wish i could have given him a tip. Now i arrive at the hotel, the outside, looks kinda dingy, but i thought maybe the inside is better it's just the architecture of the building. I was SO WRONG, i get inside and it feels like getting into an old, old Hotel from like a bad 1950's film. i literally have 2 single beds in my room, and a beside cabinet... that's pretty much it, that's pretty much all the room i have. Nothing at all like the original pictures from the website. I knew i chose a cheaper option, but i did not expect this.

On top of that, i thought that due to the exchange rate, that only a few hundred spending money would be fine, again i was wrong, i have gone through a 3rd of what i brought with me in the first day. That is because i needed to buy Water, cups, my own food, Also Russia has a Metro rail system which is very handy, however you need to pay about £5 for 20 trips. So if you are doing a lot of travelling it would be worth to get this to help, but again very expensive.

I guess the moral of this story, is never assume anything with be what you expected or easy. always bring more than you need, be prepared to spend a lot of money, and finally LEARN THE LANGUAGE before you go.

Anyway i hope that you found this post interesting, and i will be posting more about my exploits here when i have the time.