Russia has come a long way since the communist government has become more democratic, and I use this word loosely, the style of government. In many ways, Russian citizens live their lives in the same way that Americans do, and with most of the modern comforts that Americans have. Many of the controls that previously gained access to block travel and restricted the freedom of its residents are no longer in place or are briefly respected. This small comprehension of the reign, as always, opened the door for foreigners to travel more freely, and thus the wave of tourists arrives in Russia with ever increasing regularity. Russian capitalists serve tourists as an important source of income for this emerging economy. This is great for tourists and for those who have always been interested in what is behind the iron curtain and wants to look. As for myself, who is one of those who are looking for a more adventurous travel style, I am grateful for the opportunity to travel and spend a considerable amount of time in Russia.
The discovery of new worlds such as this does not come without problems, although, unfortunately, if you are going to travel around Russia, you must be ready to meet at least some of them. This does not mean that traveling to Russia is more difficult, because in general it is not. For comparison, in Russia it is much more difficult to travel than in any other modern country, but when problems arise, it is usually difficult to overcome them in Russia, and that is why preliminary planning and preparation help extremely. When a quick cell phone call in America can solve most problems, but in Russia, where most American cell phones do not work, you can quickly become paralyzed because of your inability to quickly solve problems, especially if this person is not very experienced with foreign travel. This is sometimes the first awareness that Americans know about how comfortable things are in America. Russia is a big country, and it seems that when problems arise, they occur in the same way.
First of all, do not let anyone, as I say in this article, scare you away from visiting Russia. It is true that Russia is not the Garden of Eden, but it is a great place to experience, especially if you want to get away from the tourist traps of major cities. In fact, most of my travels in Russia were in the eastern half of the country on the territory known as Siberia, and I am pleased with this fact. This in itself has allowed me to develop a craving for this country in such a way that most tourists will never be. This is another world in Siberia. The government control of Moscow seems very far away, and it seems that you are in a peaceful world where people are simply engaged in everyday life. This is also where I live on a temporary basis, and it just adds to the experience, but this is for another article. In Russia, besides taxi drivers and those who want to sell something to tourists, most of the people you meet will be very friendly. The problem is that you probably will not meet the majority of Russians, because they do not participate in communication with foreigners or strangers. In my experience, I have found it difficult for Russians to meet, but once the introduction has been made, they usually turn out to be very friendly and hospitable people.
If your travel plans for Russia include a flight to Moscow from any international location, most likely you are flying to Sheremetyevo Airport, and about this article. It is easy to get through Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow, but this requires some preliminary information and knowledge, or you will have one of those problems that I mentioned above, and changes in what you lose and get ripped off very badly, trying to solve the situation . Russians working at the airport face the same stresses that everyone who works at airports has to face, and most often when you need help, it will be on one of those days when they prefer not to be there, and they are more than happy to shuffle you to someone else to solve your problem. Usually it is someone else who is waiting to help you and take you for as much money as they can get at the same time. They will solve your problem, but it will cost you dearly. Some prior knowledge will allow you to avoid this situation all together.
The first advice I will give you about going to Russia is to buy at least a few rubles (their currency) before you arrive in the country. It’s true that you cannot be so good with the exchange rate, so don’t use your entire budget at the moment, but buy at least a hundred dollars or so. When you arrive, you will need rubles before you come across a place to exchange cash. In addition, if you fly to Aeroflot, the Russian national airline, you will get more for your money on the plane if you use rubles. I noticed that the transfer of flight attendants to US dollars was very poorly calculated. In principle, attracting rubles with you will make life much easier, and your first experience in Russia will be positive, not stress and complexity.
I was surprised the first time I flew to Sheremetyevo Airport because it is not a big airport in terms of the size of the terminals. Since Moscow was the capital of Russia, I expected Sheremetyevo to be a large airport, but only for the eyes, this is not so. The only thing you need to know in advance is that the airport consists of two separate terminals, and they are not located close to each other. In fact, they are probably within a mile or more. International Terminal - Terminal 2 Severemo. The internal terminal is Terminal 1. First, we will focus on the International Terminal, Terminal 2. When arriving here from an international location, exiting the plane, you should simply watch your passengers as you enter the terminal, and your path will pass along the corridor, lined with glass, for what it sees, as the whole circumference of the building. I remember thinking for the first time in this corridor, that it seemed to me that I was shown on everyone else in the terminal on the other side of the glass wall, waiting for departure.
At the end of this corridor you will find yourself on the stairs leading down to the customs and immigration checkpoint. Again, just follow your fellow travelers, and in front of you will be a line of cabs that look like a paid car back in America. Several lines will be formed, but most of them are for the same thing, and it just passes. After you climb to the booth, you will need to present a passport, visa and immigration form, which is issued to the airline prior to arrival. This is all that is needed at a customs checkpoint, but be sure to fill out an immigration card on the plane, since there will not be time to do this once you enter the terminal. They will check your documents and scan your passport to your computer, and then they will mark your passport and immigration card. They call it a migration card. The whole process takes only a couple of minutes, and there should be no problems. Once you pass through the checkpoint, you will need to go to the baggage zone, which is located directly in front of you. You will see conveyor belts.
At Sheremetyevo Airport, if you arrive on an international flight, as we discussed, and move on to an internal flight for other destinations, you will need to take luggage and transport it directly to Terminal 1, there are signs on the domestic terminal that if you have less than 4 hours, your luggage will be handed over to you, but my balances have always been longer, so I have no experience with that. I always had to collect my luggage, carry it with me and recheck it in Terminal 1. I have no experience in transferring less than 4 hours, but I would not leave the Terminal and my luggage, not knowing for sure that it is transferred. If time is available, I will hang out and see if it will appear on the conveyor belt. In addition, this is your best opportunity to meet fellow countrymen, because everyone is waiting there, and you can always hear English conversation.
As soon as you collect your luggage, there is a corridor with the inscription “TRANSIT” right behind you, and here you will exit. It's not hard to find, because all you have to do is follow the crowd. When you leave the baggage claim area, there are officials standing around the TRANSIT sign to theoretically check baggage tickets, but I never checked in Sheremetyevo. I have seen them check others, so I think they should do it randomly. I just try to act as if I know what I'm doing, I do not look into my eyes and keep moving. It’s not a problem for them to check baggage tickets, but I just prefer fewer breaks. This “TRANSIT” corridor will lead you directly from the front of the terminal, and you will not be able to change the currency, but you will need rubles to intercept the “TRANSIT” bus to terminal 1.
This is the moment when knowledge of the transition becomes very soft. It is important to know how to navigate between terminals without losing the hand or foot of the taxi bandits. When you leave the terminal, they will constantly bother you, but if you keep moving and don't say no or just shake your head, no, then everything will go smoothly. When you are outside, in front of the terminal you have two main options for your transfer. You can either catch the official transfer bus for a few rubles, or take a taxi and sign at least one of your children. During my first trip to Russia, I was advised how to take a transfer bus, and I am glad that I was. Subsequently, I spoke with fellow travelers who told me how they paid up to $ 80 (US) for a taxi to take them on a 5-minute journey between terminals. Later, in my own experience, I had gangster taxi drivers who approached me with offers between the previously listed $ 80, up to $ 20, but nothing was below that. The transfer bus is perfect, and I would tell someone to use this option.
As soon as you step outside the terminal to catch the transport bus, you will need to find the sign of the transport bus, located on one of the building cushions in the very first row towards the city. As soon as you find it, just stand there and wait for the right tire, as shown in the picture I included. Do not use a green stripe or a red or red stripe. They stop at the same general simplicity, but these are city buses, and if you take one of them, you do not know where you will end up. The transport bus you are looking for is a white bus with blue stripes. He also has a price posted in the window, and the published price is 15 rubles, but I learned that this price informally changes depending on the mood of the drivers and the number of packages you have. On my last trip, I had 3 big bags that put a little effort into getting to the bus, and he charged me 30 rubles, which still converts to about $ 1.50. That is why I said to transfer money before arriving in the country. The transport bus runs once an hour, and in my experience it is very timely.
I heard some complaint about waiting for the bus, but personally, sitting for several hours on a plane, I welcomed the opportunity to get up and inhale some fresh polluted Russian air. In the end, you came to experience Russia, right? If you want to go back to the departure terminal to get the currency, you can, but I don’t because I don’t like to carry extra baggage and have everything I need to scan it again. There is one thing you need to know about! If you want to eat, visit an Internet cafe, shop or buy snacks, it is best to re-enter the international terminal and do it now, even if it means dragging luggage, because there are very few of them, in fact there are almost no support services (for example, souvenir shops, Internet cafes) in the domestic terminal.
After a 5-minute trip, a transit bus will take you directly to the domestic terminal. When you find yourself inside, you will see that it is very small and spartan, and if it is not overcrowded when you arrive, it will happen soon. What you need to do is find a place as quickly as possible and sit with your luggage up to two hours before the scheduled flight time, and then you can check in and check your luggage. Yes, you really have to sit with all your luggage. The goal is to find a better place, sit down and stay there. When you find a place, if you are so lucky and you decide to get up, if someone does not save it for you, it will disappear soon and you will stay until another one opens, and, since everything is probably know this rule until it is time for them.
During my first trip, I had a wonderful place at the end of a row with a lot of space, but I decided that I wanted a snack and went after it. When I returned, there was no more room, and I stood for 3 hours, looking at the place I lost. One of the good ideas is to find a friendly person who speaks your language while being back in the baggage claim area at the International Terminal. Have fun talking, make friends with them and maybe talk together at the internal terminal. Usually I usually meet fellow Americans on the plane or in the baggage claim area, because you can hear their speech and introduction in these circumstances is not difficult. On my last trip, I met an American, and we took turns looking at each other in the baggage, while various excursions were made at the snack bar, telephone, smoke break (outside, as it is not allowed in the terminal) and rest room, It makes life extremely better if you can do it. If you are alone, you should take your luggage to the common room with you if you do not have a friend to help you see it.
In the internal terminal, the regiment is almost the same as at any other airport. Flights are announced two hours before departure, and this happens when check-in begins. You must be careful to listen to flight announcements, as they are announced in Russian and what you can hope for is to hear the destination city and flight number. If you are not sure what you have heard, or just want to check on your plane, there is an electronic cabin that you can check to see if the flight is flying, and yes, it has an English page. He will tell you whether your flight is worth and which gate number you should visit. The gate numbers are somewhat confusing, although, as the board can say, you must register at gate 27, but gate 27 is not visible until you pass through the security gate numbered 1 - 4. You can pass through any security lock and then you will see gate numbers. Regular documents are required upon check-in and it is not difficult to communicate. Manual signals are used very effectively.
If you leave the country, the same procedures apply for transportation between terminals. Accounting for customs duties in Russia is not so difficult if you have the proper documents and it is assumed that you entered the country legally. Russian customs agents are not as thorough as in the United States, but once you get into the protected area, and TSA, Delta, or contract security officers look for your bag to carry, it is as thorough as in the United States. Then, when you enter the actual landing gate, your bag will search again. This time it will be local companies or Russian like-minded people. The last time I passed by, there were people dressed in two different forms checking bags. One form looked more official, so I chose those who found themselves in Russian form. I do not know exactly who these inspectors are, but the fellow traveler with whom I made friends chose another group. They spend 10 minutes searching for cracks in the bag and discover everything that can be opened. Those who were looking for my bag, moved things inside, quickly looked and passed by. I am not saying that in this situation you must follow skills or methods. I was just lucky, but it shows how much diversity you will encounter in each situation.
In general, a trip to Russia is no more difficult than in any other country, but preliminary planning is always reasonable. Learn as much as you can before you go, and don't quite aim at your travel agent to provide this information. My agent did not tell me anything about the two terminals at Sheremetyevo, and I would be lost without advice from my Russian friend, whom I was going to visit. Russia is a beautiful country with many wonderful people and not seeing military uniforms and Russian architecture, which we have seen in many photos; иногда легко забыть, что вы были в коммунистическом Советском Союзе. Если вы хотите мой совет, выйдите из больших городов, таких как Москва и Санкт-Петербург, посетите некоторые из небольших городов или даже отправитесь в Сибирь, как я, и испытайте чудо другой стороны России.
