05/12/2016
THE RUSSIA PROBLEM: To go or not to go
By JOSEPH P. GRIFFITH
Principal at International Travel Experts
Russia is one of those bucket-list places to which people say they’ve always wanted to go. There are reasons why many people haven’t. It’s an intimidating destination, distant, vast, strange, with a difficult language and expensive. As the world and tourism have opened up, those reasons have shrunk, and now perhaps the largest consideration is political. Depending on your outlook, this may be either the best of times or the worst of times to visit.
Full disclosure: Part of what my company does is book tours to Russia, but that’s not why I’m writing this. I’m trying to help travelers and travel agents decide whether now is the right time for them to consider traveling there.
As with any other destination, there are positives and negatives. There are a few places on Earth that are so problematic as to discourage any travel, but Russia is not one of them. Rather, like most places, it has its share of drawbacks but also some overwhelming reasons to go. First, the positives:
The cities: Moscow and St. Petersburg, the main destinations, are sophisticated and cosmopolitan, among the most interesting places in Europe. The capital’s attractions include the Kremlin and Red Square, elegant shopping and colorful nightlife. The canals and palaces of St. Pete make it a much different, more European experience. Winter is long and cold, but the famous “White Nights” make summer a brilliant time.
The country: The largest country on Earth contains the vastness of Siberia, the mysterious Far East, the immense freshwater Lake Baikal, the remote and beautiful northern Solovetsky Islands, the winter resorts of Suzdal and Vladimir and the romance of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The cost: Russia has traditionally been an expensive destination, both to reach and once you get there. But in the last couple of years, the falling ruble has meant great bargains for Americans, on everything from hotels to meals to luxury items. Airfares, too, have fallen; in the winter off-season round-trips from major U.S. cities can be as low as $350 to $400.
The people: If there is one thing I’ve learned in my travels to dozens of countries, it is that people are pretty much the same all over. Regardless of particular philosophies, they share the same hopes and fears, and a native curiosity makes them welcoming to travelers and eager to learn about them. The hospitality of Russians is legendary, and the traveler far from home is lucky to experience it.
And now, a few negatives:
The state of relations between the U.S. and Russia is at a low right now. There has been a good deal of rhetoric from each side against the other, not only by political leaders but also by the respective media. This is more prominent because of the visibility of those making the statements, but if you asked the average person on the streets of either country for an opinion about the other, the reaction would probably lean more toward indifference and open-mindedness than extremism. This really does not enter into the equation for tourists, who are unlikely to experience any hostility, or even hear the subject brought up. Person-to-person discussions, when they occur, are most likely to be civil and curious about another point of view rather than antagonistic.
People often say they wouldn’t want to visit Russia or some other country because of its leadership or anti-American rhetoric. Those same people often have no compunctions about visiting countries with poor human rights records or an unfavorable balance of trade with America. It all comes down to your personal beliefs and how strongly you feel about a country, and your own. Despite the rhetoric coming out of Russia in recent years, the political situation here may bode for a warming in relations.
If you have been offended by what has been transpiring between the U.S. and Russia, going there may not be a good choice for you. If you are encouraged by the turn of events, you may want to try it now. In any event, it’s best to keep an open mind and also to remember that politics do not make a country; people do. Honest dialogue and reaching out will always beat suspicion and fear.
Joseph P. Griffith is the principal owner of International Travel Experts.
