5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TRAVELING TO RUSSIA

Two weeks ago I visited St. Petersburg for the second time. It was a school trip with the students who studied Russian. I lived with a family for 5 days. They were absolutely great and I really enjoyed my stay there. Here are 5 tips for a person who's planning a trip to St. Petersburg or to Russia. All the pictures in this post are from my trip to St. Petersburg.

1. Apply for a visa early!

We applied for a visa about one month before the actual trip, but I recommend to apply for it as soon as you have booked your flights. The application process can take some time and that's why it's extremely important to send all forms that are needed in time. If you are required to fill out some paper and the customs officer keeps the other half of it - remember to keep the other half safe! It's your return ticket and the officers need to see it when you leave the country.

2. Learn the basics of Russian

In general, people in Russia do not understand English very well. For example, my family didn't know a word in English. Luckily, I knew the basics of Russian and my host sister knew some Finnish so we could communicate. If you don't have time to study the basics, study at least the alphabets since in the Russian language there're a lot of words that are similar to English, so if you can read the text, you might actually understand it because you can connect the words to similar words in the English language.

3. Bring some water with you

It is not safe to drink tap water. Therefore I recommend taking a water bottle filled with water. Of course, you can buy water bottles from shops but it's way easier to have some water with you so you can drink whenever you feel like it. It's also better to take drinks without ice since the ice is usually made of tap water.

4. Avoid talking about politics

Some people might enjoy talking about politics with you, but not everyone. And since the political situation can be quite tense between some countries, it's better just to avoid that topic. Also talking about Stalin or some parts of Russian history might not be wise since some people might be easily offended.

5. Don't come into the country by car

The border process might take a long time and that causes a massive line. That's why you should cross the border either by bus or by train. Buses get to bypass cars and therefore the process will be over faster. 

I hope you enjoyed these tips and they're helpful for you! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
-TH