[Sidney_Ivan]

Hi!

My husband and I are getting our dossier together for Russia. I have a couple of questions for all of you who have recently adopted/traveled.

How was the availability to use credit cards both inside and outside of Moscow?
If we can use credit cards in country, are there specific kinds (discover, mastercard, etc.) that are more frequently accepted?

What hubs did you fly in/out of in order to travel and do you recommend them?

We are a little worried to be traveling with fairly large sums of money in a foreign country. Do you have any tips or anything that could ease our minds a little on this?

What must have items made your trip easier/more tolerable?

Thanks so much! I'm sure that these questions have probably been asked quite a few times, but I'm not pulling up anything helpful when I run searches on them.

[Kasey]

We have made 4 trips to Russia. We used our visas and mastercards for our hotels, many meals and gifts. We used to it get money from ATM as well. Just make sure you notify your card company before you go, otherwise they may flag it as suspicious activity.

We also had to carry cash, money belts and one that goes around the neck. We split it up. We never had any problems, the first time it made us nervous, but after that, it was no big deal.

Good luck!

[Sidney_Ivan]

Thanks! I totally agree that splitting it up is the way to go.

[randloar]

We carried around the large sums of cash........we used our credit cards (visa) when needed but check with your credit card companies as some charge overseas fees of up to 3% of the purchase price (can add up for hotel etc).

For small places, souveniers, etc, we paid in cash that we got converted to rubles at our hotel, no problems with that at all. We only carried in our 'wallets' a small amount of money and the rest DH wore around his waist and I around my ankle...........we were there in winter, and I wore my mid-calf high boots the whole time.......and loved my ankle money belt as I put it inside the cuff of my boot and NEVER worried about it at all (no one could steal, or detect it was there at all). This wouldnt' work in summer, but guess there has to be some benefit to being in Moscow for a month in the dead of winter!!

To be honest, we paid a large amount of our cash out pretty quickly when we got there, so it wasn't as bad as it seems!

We flew through Munich, Frankfurt and London on our various trips and can only say that the bummer was at Frankfurt all the smoking everywhere.......

[RussianJen]

I've traveled not only to Russia, but also in Africa and Europe. For years I used a money belt for all my stuff - then I moved to Russia full-time, and did a lot of in-country traveling with serious amounts of money, passport, etc - all the important stuff.

May sound simple - but I realized one day that a great place is the inside pocket of your fleece/jacket/vest. I understand in the middle of summer this is dumb - but in winter, spring, and fall, it works great. Nobody can get to it, and, as opposed to a coat, you don't take a fleece off when you go inside, so it's always right there with you.

Maybe it's a villager thing (we live in a village), but most Russian women sew an extra pocket in their husbands' pants, on the inside of one leg (at the bottom), for the stuff they can't afford to lose. First time I decided to be nice and throw our Russian family's laundry in with mine, I discovered this!

Try to exchange your money at a bank or WU station, not the hotel...you'll usually get a better exchange rate....

[beckyww]

Credit cards in St. Pete and Moscow were no problem for us in 2006. We still carried $10K on trip #1 and $15K on trip #2 - the usual crisp, new bills.

Keith wore a belt pack and I wore a neck purse, each with half of the money, plus our passports. Plus we carried color copies of our passports.

When you start paying out the cash - it's thousands, and it goes quickly. So your supply is rapidly reduced, once it starts going!

Becky
The Woodworth Family in Beautiful San Antonio TX

[kretzklan]

Credit cards worked everywhere we needed them - however we got KILLED with the fees the company charged and wish we would have just taken more checks or even traveler's checks.

We flew direct to Moscow from Atlanta and then on to our region from there.
We used the neck money holders - they easily go under your shirt and would be hard to "rip off". But, honestly, I NEVER felt unsafe in any way. While in region, we didn't know what money they needed in stores and such - we would hold our our hand with rubles (both paper and coin) and they would take what they needed. We never got cheated at all!

Take a portable DVD player with the cords to attach to TVs in your hotel rooms. What a lifesaver that was - something to burn the time and relax all the craziness you'll be going through!

[Bcelli]

In the larger cities, credit cards can be used just as you would use them here in America. We accessed cash from convenient ATMs with our Visa. However, there was a $10 charge per access. so we started getting larger sums after we realized that. We paid for transportation and hotels with credit cards, but used cash for everything else. Not sure about the smaller cities and villages, though.

Money belt and neck pouch for big cash is a good way to do it. We each carried both and split up the cash between DH and I and between money belts and neck pouches. We didn't carry big money for very long though after we hit Russia. Ankle wallets are also good.

Sheremetyevo is the better airport in Moscow. It's newer, cleaner and easier to get out of with respect to traffic. We flew into Heathrow in London and out through Zurich once and through Amsterdam another time.

Beef jerky was our savior during our first adoption (in the dead of winter). If you take something to eat, make it something light and compact. Cheerios are good for toddlers as are Teddy Graham crackers. In warmer weather food is easy to get to, but winter has a way of biting through anything and if you have the option to skip a meal and eat rations that you brought, you might opt for that. Don't forget good padded socks and comfortable shoes - you'll likely do a lot of walking. Also - bring something for you for court. We got so excited with our first adoption that we completely forgot to bring clothes for us. I think our translator told the judge our luggage was lost. :-)

If your child is a young toddler as opposed to an infant, I would buy an umbrealla stroller IN Russia. That way you have something with a Russian label as a keepsake and you're only toting a stroller for the time you need it, not half-way around the world while waiting to need it. (Something we learned with adoption No.2. The price is pretty much the same, maybe a couple of dollars more, but not much more.)

And the Russian people - like most folks - will take their cues from you with respect to how they treat and react toward you. If you are warm, friendly, open and respectful - most importantly respectful - they will reciprocate. If you are suspicious, they will be suspicious of you. Same as anywhere USA.

Have a great trip.

[Kasey]

Talk to your card company, ours had the overseas fee statement, but we reminded them what great customers we were in terms of how many years we were with them, etc.. and they waived the fee. These companies will work with you, just ask and remind them that other companied would be more than happy to have your business.

[Jpride]

We were in Moscow and had planned to use mostly cash and glad that we did as our Credit Card would not work for our hotel (we used points, so it was just incidentals). We even contacted our credit card company to let them know we were going to be in Moscow and we still could not use it. I would take two and hopefully one will work.

We also used the money belts and neck purse. I also sewed a small "extra" pocket that I pinned to the inside of my pants, because of the huge sums of cash we were carrying over both times. We then split the cash between the three. It seemed to work very well.

[TweetyMom04]

Another wearer of the around the neck pocket.

DH got a pair of Paramedic Pants at an Army/Navy store. If you aren't familiar with these pants (or shorts) they have tons of pockets all over. We were in Siberia in the middle of winter, so the pants served many uses, carrying money, copies of passports, camera, tissues, and of course, something for DH to wear - ha, ha. He got a black pair and you have to look really close to see the pockets and even at that you'd have to feel the material for location of other pockets.

We wore black, blended and never had any problems, concerns or fears. We did keep our passports with us at all times. Once home, it was a weird feeling not to have to wear it 24/7.

We sent copies of our passports to family in the states before we left.

We had a one trip region (back in 2004). We flew from Atlanta to JFK to Moscow to Siberia. Upon return, same route. Grandparents and family met us at JFK to see the new Grandchildren, Cousins, Nephews, etc. After a long layover, we flew onto Atlanta and drove home.

If you can fly through or have a layover in Dusseldorf Airport (Germany) they have a great play area and changing facilities a short walk away. Munich is good as well. Frankfurt is awful for connecting flights. Did it once and won't go through there again. I've heard from several that went through Paris airport. We've not, but those that did state it was awful and wouldn't do it again. Small, crowded, perfume lingering carts everywhere.

Good Luck

[KellyKA]

Hey Everyone! I love all the advice so far but I do have a quick question.... When you are refering to a "credit card" is that only to real "credit" card or are you also refereing to debit cards with the visa or mastercard logo? I know they are used one in the same here and also refered to as a credit card regarless of if its credit or debit, but does it make a difference in russia? I dont have a real credit card... ( I def, need one for this adoption) but I was just curious about if anyone had any bad experiances using the debit vs a credit. ( sorry im not trying to hijack!)

[k8c]

I live in St. P.

You can use credit or debit cards. Yes, there will usually be a fee. Yes, contact your credit card company before you travel. Visa and Mastercard are most widely accepted.

When using a credit/debit card I am often asked for identification. Be sure you have a copy of your passport with you. (Some places won't accept a copy, however. Some will only accept the original passport.)

[DET62]

Some hotels will take credit cards and some won't. Find out before you go. Also, take both Mastercard and Visa - I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Moscow and they wouldn't take anything but Mastercard, in 2004.
Take a debit card, too, as you can get money that way, in the cities.

Take a money belt and put all but maybe $20 in there, under your clothes, and leave it on at all times. I put it under the bed while sleeping or showering.

Pay cash as much as you can, because the fees in foreign countries are steep.

Call the credit card companies before you travel, otherwise they may not authorize purchases.

Here's my list of MUST TAKE items, after 4 trips to Russia and 2 to Kazakhstan:

Phrasebook [learn a little Russian, too, to be polite]
toilet paper
hand sanitizer
snacks [I took granola bars]
pillowcases and sheets from home [comforting, plus most Russian hotels don't use sheets]
Vitamins
Motrin or Advil or Tylenol
Cold medicine, Pepcid
Melatonin [to help me sleep]
small sewing kit
calculator

I suggest you start a list NOW of things you want to take when you travel, and just keep it on the computer. Even if you don't need it for a while, it helps.

Good luck!
Dee

[DET62]

I suggest you do a separate list, besides travel, the MUST DO list - obviously call the credit card companies is on there.

Another tip - make copies of your passports and travel visas. Leave one at home with a trusted friend or relative who is easy to get hold of. Put another copy in your suitcase. If you lose your passport you will be glad to have the copies.

Ask your doctor here to give you a prescription for a mild antibiotic. Get it filled and take it with you. I got bronchitis and was absolutely miserable my final trip to adopt my daughter - and couldn't find any cough medicine that was decent.

Also, as a female, you might want to take a medicine for a yeast infection. They happen. Better over prepared than miserable. I loaned mine to another mother in Kaz.

Take comfortable shoes as you will do a lot of walking and stair climbing.

Closer to travel time, post for advice on traveling with a baby [if that's what you're getting]. Lots of good advice abounds.

Dee