Our Chief Travel Specialist, Natalia Pakhomova, a world-class resource on Russian travel, shares her insight on what you should consider when shopping around for the a trip to Russia.
Rule 1: Don't overpay, but don't underpay either
When it comes to trips to Russia more money does not mean better trips, at the same time, looking for the cheapest offer is not always a good approach.
Why paying more is not the best way to go.
There are plenty of companies out there that charge $5,000 or more per person for a typical 7-day trip to Russia. As an expert in this industry, I assure you that, unless this price includes 5-star hotels, you will be overpaying for your trip. A quality tour with 4-star hotel accommodation located a few minutes away from the Red Square, private guides and driver, airport transfers and museum entrance fees should not cost more than $2,500 per person. This price includes some of the best guides in all of Russia. Our popular
Treasures of Two Capitals Tour is an example of this. The nice thing about our tours is that they already include the Russian visas, which costs up to $300 per person!
Why paying less is not a good idea.
You can surely find prices lower than $2,500 per person for a 7-day tour of Russia, but be prepared to sacrifice some comfort and convenience. For example, you can choose a 3-star hotel instead of a 4-star accommodations or take fewer guided tours and explore more things on your own, you can remove airport transfers and use the public transportation or arrange your Russian tourist visas yourself. I would not recommend downgrading anything in your tour without an expert advice because a badly planned itinerary could ruin your entire trip, easily.
You can still have a great time, but make sure that you book your trip from a credible Western travel agency. If your plan is to try to save more by going straight to local suppliers, you are opening yourself up for surprises that are not always pleasant. As a foreigner in Russia you are vulnerable, your rights as a client are not protected by American laws. For example, if a guide does not show up or if an airport transfer is not arranged, if you are placed in a different room or even a different hotel than originally agreed upon, you will have no leverage in this situation with a Russian-based company, there is no one to hold accountable.
Rule 2: Pick the right time for your trip.
Generally speaking, 2010 is a great time to go to Russia. The ruble, Russian national currency, remains weak, which means that for the same price you can get better hotels and guides, save on restaurants and souvenirs, and any other expenses. You will also save on airfares as the airlines offer various discounts to encourage you to fly during the weak economy.
The ideal time to travel is during the high season sometime between the middle of May to the middle of September - when the weather is right. I would like to note that if you travel at other times through out the year, you can save even more on your trip.
When planning your visit to Moscow I would recommend to plan your trip for a weekend when you can get great weekend specials for hotels, also you can avoid massive traffic jams which occur during the business week. When you plan a trip to St. Petersburg, I would recommend staying in one of its fine mini hotels, such as
Herzen House Hotel, which offer good deals throughout the year.
Rule 3: Go with a package tour or a river cruise.
When you buy a package tour or river cruise most details are already included in the price. If you book a package, all you will need to be concerned about is some spending money for restaurants and souvenirs, as well as for optional tours. Unfortunately many companies will offer you a low price up front but upon your arrival at your destination they will add on various other charges. You can avoid this by picking the right, all-inclusive tour or river cruise from the right company.
Choosing the right company for your tour
When someone offers you a deal that is too good to be true, it probably is. They are probably cutting you short on something, most often it is the services of guides, less comprehensive excursions, or inconvenient hotels. Remember, a hotel that is too far from the city center or an amateur guide could spoil your entire trip. You should closely investigate to identify where the savings coming from. I'd recommend speaking with an experts to get a professional opinion on the subject. Please, feel free to contact me at any time if you would like to hear my opinion [
send an email].
Don't overpay for river cruises.
There are many companies which offer Russian river cruises. They can be divided in two groups: companies that charge over $5,000 per person and companies that charge from $2,000 to $3,000 per person. The companies in the first group will tell you that their cruises are superior, but we don't think so. Some years ago, when carefully analyzing the market and while choosing suppliers we have discovered that the difference between the $5,000 and $3,000 cruises is marginal. In reality, as we discovered, the ship classes and cabins, the cruise programs and the professional level of guides are nearly identical. The difference is usually seen in few added perks such as a free bottle of wine.
My recommendation is not to overpay for your cruise. For $2,000 that you are saving if you book with us you can easily book the airfares to Russia or use it to bring a friend or family member with you on the cruise. You want to book from a trusted name, naturally.[
Our cruises]
One thing that you want to keep in mind is that you can always get some discounts! When you call us, ask your travel specialist if there are any discounts available. We offer senior discounts, AAA discounts, early-bird discounts and so fourth.
Rule 4: Book from a trusted name - the most trusted name, preferably.
Russia is a distant and very unique country. Expert trip planning is essential for a great trip. Too often have I noticed that companies which offer tours to Russia have people who have never been to Russia organizing tours for their clients. Too often have I heard very generic answers like these: - there are no traffic jams, Russia is a great place, you will love it, and so on. I know it is a great place, but you will love it only when your trip is not spoiled by poor planning. You want to pick a company who will know these details and how to avoid such things as 3 hour traffic jams.
We've seen clients who booked from other travel agencies wandering around the Hermitage on their own trying to follow our guided tour. Way to often have we dealt with situations when clients of other travel agencies arrived to Moscow to discover that their hotel is not booked and they contacted us to solve the problem (and we did, of course). This is not to say that we have never made mistakes. We have had our share, but we have learned from them and put mechanisms in place to ensure that mistakes never happen again.
What makes someone an expert in travel to Russia? For us, it is someone who was born or lived in Russia or one of the former republics. That's why all of our travel specialists are native Russians, because no one will know the destination better than them. Secondly, we put out specialists through rigorous training about out products. As a result, we probably have the most professional team of Russia travel experts in the US.
Rule 5: Never let your company change rates on you.
Unfortunately, it has become a common practice in the industry to offer lower rates just to charge you more once you get to the airport or check in to the hotel, once you get aboard the ship or arrive your destination. We understand that competition is tough and companies try to make their advertising more appealing by lowering the rates, but we don't believe in small gray font underneath offers. In the market of travel to Russia, too many companies have resorted to similar tactics.
One of examples of such, what we believe, dishonest practices, is to change the price of tour or cruise after it has been purchased by referring to clauses about port and fuel charges or currency fluctuations. We believe that customer should not care what the currency fluctuations are. Once you have booked a tour, you can expect the price not to change, just as when you order something online, you don't expect someone to call you and say that your price has changed during the delivery. Never let companies do this. Ask them whether they reserve the right to change the rates on you and what happens if you refuse.
You don't need to ask us. We strictly adhere to the principle of, what we call, a fair price in travel. Once you place your reservation, we will not come back to you and ask you to pay more for your trip. Simple. Honest. And the way the rest of the industry should go.
1-800-884-1721
