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Author Topic: Checklist before you travel to FSU  (Read 125663 times)

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Offline sloopiek

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #75 on: April 24, 2010, 10:18:30 AM »
Johnny, the Aeroflot kiosk, it is in the Arrivals hall? 
My GF has sent me my itinerary for my time in Novosibirsk.  She is almost as excited as I am, and it seems she has every minute of my 10 days planned for me already.  I just want to be with her and to meet her mother, but I will be at the ballet, at the reiki center, attending a Russian version of an American musical, and visiting her workplace with her so I can meet her  "chief" (reminds me of "Get Smart"; sorry about that, Chief).
Packet and ready to roll.
And thanks again to all of you. tiphat
Rich

Offline JohnnyBGoode

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #76 on: April 24, 2010, 11:42:35 AM »
Yes, it is at the opposite end of the arrivals hall along with all the other kiosks - you can't miss it. If your flight is late there will likely already be a line of passengers who already missed their connections. Just get in queue and don't be surprised in someone weasels there way in front of you or everybody (common occurance in FSU).

It sounds like your lady has a fun filled schedule for you while there. I spent a month in Novosib this past winter (effin' cold) and had a fabulous time. I saw a couple ballets and operas while there and they were all incredible. I could also recommend a couple clubs for live music and arts if you are interested.

Offline Olga_Mouse

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #77 on: April 24, 2010, 01:28:38 PM »

Deplane,
passport control,
pick up checked baggage,
customs,
find Aeroflot transit desk for check in,
boarding pass,
and shuttle info for flight to Novosibirsk,
find shuttle to terminal D,
through security,
find gate...

Not quite...
...
customs
find Aeroflot transfer desk
shuttle bus to terminal D (aha, with all your luggage!)
check-in for the domestic flight (getting rid of the luggage & getting boarding pass - unless you'll get it in LAX)
security screening
boarding

NOTES:

1) If both legs of your flights, international & domestic, are in ONE e-ticket under ONE reservation code - in case of international flight delay you will be transferred automatically to the next Aeroflot flight.

2) As the luggage allowance is different for Trans-atlantic (piece concept: 2 pieces x 23 kilos) and domestic (1 piece x 20 kilos), don't be surprised if while checking your luggage in for the domestic flight the non-smiling lady will try to charge you for the overweight.

I'd recommend you to browse Aeroflot website, and print out the paragraph which says that in your case "transatlantic" luggage allowance applies for the domestic flight as well.

IN BRIEF: Be focused, know your rights & be ready to fight   :) Forget everything you've learned about "customer service" while living in USA; Russia is a jungle, thus the jungle law applies: ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVES  :biggrin:
Leaving Russia is not an emigration, rather an evacuation.


Offline dazzer

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #78 on: April 24, 2010, 01:53:06 PM »
FSU travel checklist....

Passport, flight tickets, hotel/apartment reservation receipt, money, suitcase, clothes, wash/shower/shaving stuff, travel clock ( with alarm faciltiy ) and a Russian/English translation book, that just about covers everything   tiphat
« on: January 14, 2010, 02:18:43 AM »
Would she be offended to get a text without telling her ahead of time?

Offline WestCoast

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #79 on: April 24, 2010, 02:35:15 PM »
FSU travel checklist....

Passport, flight tickets, hotel/apartment reservation receipt, money, suitcase, clothes, wash/shower/shaving stuff, travel clock ( with alarm faciltiy ) and a Russian/English translation book, that just about covers everything   tiphat

Checked with your doctor or community health clinic to make sure that you have any vaccinations needed for travel to the FSU?  Usually this must be done months ahead of time as some vaccinations take several months to become effective.


                                                                       
andrewfi says ''Proximity is almost no guarantee of authority" and "in many cases, distance gives a better picture with less emotional and subjective input."

That means I'm a subject matter expert on all things Russia, Ukraine and UK.

Offline Manny

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #80 on: April 24, 2010, 05:05:06 PM »
We don't need vaccinations for the FSU. They don't have much we are likely to catch that we didn't get jabbed for at school.
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #81 on: April 24, 2010, 05:35:24 PM »
Manny, with all due respect as you are correct, however one should keep in mind that the safety and building codes, and their compliance, is so different from East to West that there are two shots which one should have updated before entering Russia:

1 - Tetanus

2 - Vodka!  :chuckle:

Offline dazzer

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #82 on: April 24, 2010, 05:56:17 PM »
We don't need vaccinations for the FSU. They don't have much we are likely to catch that we didn't get jabbed for at school.
True in our times, but what a great shame we didn't have this during the likes of the Crimean war, where we lost far more men to diseases than we did to the Russians  :( .
« on: January 14, 2010, 02:18:43 AM »
Would she be offended to get a text without telling her ahead of time?

Offline WestCoast

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #83 on: April 24, 2010, 08:07:05 PM »
Manny, Mendy is of course correct, a tetanus shot is good no matter where you travel.  Depending on how many tetanus shots you've had you may need a boost shot every 5 - 10 years.  Another vaccination that I got a number of years ago is the Hepatitis A & B combo vaccine.  This combo is 100% effective after about 1 month and is suppose to last for at least 10 - 20 years. Hep A or B can be contracted from eating food prepared by people who have the disease or from improperly sterilized equipment used for dental work or manicures etc.  Considering I've heard of cases of hep A in major cities in North America and Europe I'd certainly consider taking this vaccine for a trip to the FSU.  

Most of us travel to cities and other relatively urbanized parts of the globe but for those that are travelling off the beaten path:

Typhoid Fever Vaccine - Typhoid fever is caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi, which are transmitted among humans through ingestion of contaminated food or water. Most cases are acquired abroad under conditions of poor hygiene.  A booster series is necessary every 5 years.  I've had this vaccination once and a booster shot once.



andrewfi says ''Proximity is almost no guarantee of authority" and "in many cases, distance gives a better picture with less emotional and subjective input."

That means I'm a subject matter expert on all things Russia, Ukraine and UK.

Offline bobt333

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #84 on: December 21, 2010, 10:07:56 PM »
Hi mendeleyev

One question, if bringing a laptop for personal use while in Russia that you will bring with you when you leave, will it have to be declared if the value exceeds 65 000 RUB?
No, but one caveat....never bring to Russia something you can't live without later on.

Get an decent older laptop and use it for foreign travel until you're comfortable, and it can even be left behind to teach Mama how to do email, Skype, etc, in prep for when you will take her daughter away.

I realize this thread hasn't had recent posts, but I'll ask anyway... I've read on the travel.us.gov site (I think) that upon departure at customs officials "SCAN" your computer and that this can take extra time. Is this true?

And when you say "but one caveat....", what do you mean? How common is it to lose one's laptop in the customs process?

I've been to Ukraine 5 times and have never had a single hitch with my laptop, and one time I even brought two laptops (one to leave behind) and no one seemed to care (and I openly admitted it).

Thanks
Bob


Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #85 on: December 21, 2010, 11:15:30 PM »
Well anywhere you travel on a flight your laptop will be scanned at security these days--that is normal.

In recent years I couldn't imagine there being a problem at customs unless an agent is looking for some money on the side. Doesn't happen often enough to get much publicity. If you've had no problems earlier then you shouldn't have issues now.

Offline dbneeley

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #86 on: December 21, 2010, 11:45:16 PM »
When I returned to Ukraine in early September, I had both my new laptop and a new netbook (as well as a number of other items I had purchased in the U.S.) and it wasn't a problem.

I would not suggest bringing such items in their original boxes, however, as that may be a flag for customs to assume you are bringing them for sale.

David

Offline bobt333

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #87 on: December 22, 2010, 06:34:23 AM »
Hi mendeleyev

Well anywhere you travel on a flight your laptop will be scanned at security these days--that is normal.

I think I may not have been exactly clear in my question. By "scanned" I don't mean the typical "please remove the laptop from the bag and put it in a separate tray to run through the scanner".

I'll be making my first trip to Russia next week (I have been to Ukraine 5 times and know the system there) and in my research on Russian customs laws I discovered http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1006.html where it says:

"There are no restrictions on bringing laptop computers into the country for personal use.  The software, however, may be inspected upon departure.  Hardware and software found to contain sensitive or encrypted data may be subject to confiscation."

That doesn't sound like the typical "scan" on the xray machine. How would they ever find "sensitive or encrypted data"? I'm guessing that the travel.state.gov is just inaccurate or misleading, but wanted to confirm with some experienced Russia travelers.

Thanks much!
Bob

Offline sparky114

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #88 on: December 22, 2010, 06:47:48 AM »
Hi mendeleyev

Well anywhere you travel on a flight your laptop will be scanned at security these days--that is normal.

I think I may not have been exactly clear in my question. By "scanned" I don't mean the typical "please remove the laptop from the bag and put it in a separate tray to run through the scanner".

I'll be making my first trip to Russia next week (I have been to Ukraine 5 times and know the system there) and in my research on Russian customs laws I discovered http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1006.html where it says:

"There are no restrictions on bringing laptop computers into the country for personal use.  The software, however, may be inspected upon departure.  Hardware and software found to contain sensitive or encrypted data may be subject to confiscation."

That doesn't sound like the typical "scan" on the xray machine. How would they ever find "sensitive or encrypted data"? I'm guessing that the travel.state.gov is just inaccurate or misleading, but wanted to confirm with some experienced Russia travelers.

Thanks much!
Bob


Bob

I have been in and out of Russia more time than i can remember and have never had any problems with taking multiple laptops or note books so i would not worry  ;D

Mark
Today is only one day in a life of happiness

Mark

Offline dbneeley

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #89 on: December 22, 2010, 06:54:58 AM »
Hi mendeleyev

Well anywhere you travel on a flight your laptop will be scanned at security these days--that is normal.

I think I may not have been exactly clear in my question. By "scanned" I don't mean the typical "please remove the laptop from the bag and put it in a separate tray to run through the scanner".

I'll be making my first trip to Russia next week (I have been to Ukraine 5 times and know the system there) and in my research on Russian customs laws I discovered http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1006.html where it says:

"There are no restrictions on bringing laptop computers into the country for personal use.  The software, however, may be inspected upon departure.  Hardware and software found to contain sensitive or encrypted data may be subject to confiscation."

That doesn't sound like the typical "scan" on the xray machine. How would they ever find "sensitive or encrypted data"? I'm guessing that the travel.state.gov is just inaccurate or misleading, but wanted to confirm with some experienced Russia travelers.

Thanks much!
Bob


Having a detailed examination of the contents of a laptop is a rare thing, but customs agents of many countries have done so in the past--where there is some reason their attention is called to a particular individual.

It does not happen so often that it should be worrisome, I think. You are probably more likely to have something like that done upon entry into one of the countries currently enforcing copyright laws or if you have a name the same or similar to that of someone suspected of various offenses--kiddie porn springs to mind, for example.

If you're the normal kind of person, though, the likelihood of this sort of thing is remote...at least when you are traveling into or out of a major port of entry.

David

David

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #90 on: December 22, 2010, 08:06:34 AM »
Bob, thanks for the explanation. You should have no issues at all. Were you a journalist or scientist, depending on the cities visited you might (usually not) have such an inspection if they were worried about photos/plans from military installations, etc, but for such an inspection to happen would be rare indeed.

Offline Geraldneoft

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Checklist before you travel to FSU
« Reply #91 on: March 03, 2019, 05:48:09 AM »
I know it is the time of year to visit family and friends but sometimes discretion is better than valour. Forecasts look pretty depressing. Lanes closed on M4 and M6 in UK and snow due in the SE. Is it worth it? Or at least please look at latest forecasts before setting out and take it slow and careful.
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