Moscow, Moscow!
I’ve been thinking about visiting Russia at some point next year – there’s borsch, and gorgeous Metro stations in Moscow, and the beautiful State Hermitage in St Petersburg, and also lots and lots of vodka. The only problem is how to get there.
I’m used to hand assembling my travels – find a flight, then find a hotel, then arrange transport. If you get a choice of holiday deals from a travel agent, you might not get exactly what you want, but there is the advantage of sometimes getting a better deal than you could booking it yourself – plus not having to worry. It’s all done for you – you just have to pays your money and takes your seat.
I think we take the EU for granted – you just need a passport and you’ve got unlimited travel across 27 countries. It’s only when you go outside the EU that you realise that the rest of the world is carefully wrapped in red tape. To visit Russia, for example, what you need is a lengthy checklist:
- Find a hotel and book the dates you want.
- Receive a letter of invitation.
- Send it off to the visa company with your passport, application form, photo, and – if you’re un/self-employed – provide a sheaf of bank statements.
- Pay £50 for the visa, £26 for the service, and £7.40 for your passport to be posted back to you.
- Finally, book your flights.
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