Results tagged “Visas” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Okay, I admit it: before a recent excursion to Russia, I could do little more than find it on a map. Having scored an embarrassing four out of ten on Traveler's Worldwise Quiz on Moscow, I was clearly starting from scratch when it came to preparing for this trip.

Now that I've been, I know that Russia is incredible and definitely worth a visit, but you ought to be in the know before you leave. Here are a few helpful tips to get you started.

• Apply for your visa early. You need a visa to visit Russia--and to get one you need someone in the country to sponsor you. Usually your hotel or a Russian travel agency will act as your sponsor. Be sure to apply for your visa at least three weeks in advance and make sure all the information on it is correct before you go.

• Keep your papers with you. By the time you leave Russia, you will probably have enough slips of paper to fill a scrapbook--there will be a form for just about everything you do, and yes, people will ask you for them. The first important document you'll receive (besides your visa) is the Migration Card you get upon arrival. You'll give half to the customs official when you enter, and keep the second sheet. Don't lose it! You need this form to exit the country. 

It's less than a month to senior editor Norie Quintos's trip to Kenya (her third) with her teenage sons (their first). Here's how she's been prepping. This is the second in a series of blogs on the trip. Click here to see the first.

Kenya currently remains under a U.S. State Department travel warning due to "threats of terrorism and the high rate of violent crime." (Many on-the-ground experts say this designation is unfair, undeserved, and politically motivated, but that's another story). I consulted the travel intelligence folks at iJet, who said that if I avoided the northwestern border areas, as all safari itineraries do, and practiced basic personal precautions, there was no reason to stay away. As with any trip to a developing country, or any trip really, I wanted a tour operator that would be able to respond effectively should the unexpected and unlikely happen. There are many established safari companies that fit the bill. The one I selected--New York-based Micato Safaris--maintains deep ties to Kenya; its Kenyan founders still reside in Nairobi. The company also uses the services of a group of aircraft-supported physicians if medical treatment is necessary.