Travel Tips for the CIS & Eastern Europe

Since I constantly receive letters, phone calls, and E-mail from our members with questions about travel to the CIS & Eastern Europe, I decided to dedicate a column to answering the most common ones.

Is it dangerous?
In my experience, traveling to the CIS and Eastern Europe is no more dangerous than traveling to New York or Los Angeles. I have been all over this part of the world and live half-time in Moscow, and I've never had any problems whatsoever. The people who have had problems are almost always careless and fail to use good judgement, such as getting involved with strangers, leaving valuables unattended, roaming around the streets at night alone, and so forth. Anyone who exercises prudence and common sense should not experience any problems.

What should I take with me?
If you plan to visit the major cities such as Moscow or St. Petersburg, for example, you can buy just about anything you need, though there is not nearly as wide a selection of brands as there is in the West. You do NOT need to take such items as toilet paper and razor blades, unless you are traveling to the more remote regions. In that case, you should view it almost as a camping trip and take an ample supply of any critical items. Also, you should know that if you travel on CIS-based airlines such as Aeroflot, they have very strict baggage weight restrictions - plan on packing lightly or paying some hefty excess baggage penalties.

What is the food like?
Many people are surprised to find that the food is not much different that in the West. Russians and Eastern Europeans eat basically the same things we do, though often at different times of the day. For example, don't expect to be served cereal, bacon, eggs, etc. at breakfast. Generally, bread, cheese, and deli meats are served in the morning. Similarly, you will not find much in terms of sandwiches or burgers except in the largest cities. My advice is to go with the flow, knowing that you will soon return to the foods you prefer. Otherwise, you will make yourself miserable.

Should I travel there in the winter?
If you're the type who would like living at the North Pole, yes. If not, you might want to stay away from the northern regions of the CIS from December through February. Personally, I don't mind being there during those months, for a week or two. As long as you take along some long underwear, a parka, gloves, etc., you can keep yourself fairly warm when you're outside. But if severe cold bothers you, stay away from this area of the world in the winter.