Topics
Reference topics
The reference is divided into four topics, in the order travellers usually run into questions. First you choose a holiday and a seller, then you gather your documents, then you think about insurance and health, and finally you set off — where a few pointers can come in handy too.
Most ruined holidays could have been saved by one question asked at the right time. These topics help you work out which question to ask, and whom to ask.
The topics cover what an ordinary traveller deals with: buying a package, documents, insurance, the trip itself. We do not review destinations, compile rankings or analyse the inner workings of the travel business.
Choosing a holiday
What a package tour is and what it includes, tour operator versus travel agent, checking the register, the contract and prepayment.
- How to choose a holiday and check the tour operator
Eight steps from choosing a destination to paying, with examples and a checklist at the end.
- Five checks before you pay
A short list on the home page: what to do before you hand over money for a holiday.
- Before buying a long-haul holiday (in Russian)
Checks for a long flight: the register, the contract, what is included, insurance and entry.
Documents and visas
Passports and their validity, visas and e-visas, children travelling, official sources of requirements.
- How to check entry requirements (in Russian)
Five steps, plus the signs of intermediary sites that charge for what you can do yourself.
- Answers on documents and visas
Passport validity, e-visas, consent for a child's travel — short and to the point.
- Passport, visa, e-visa
Plain-language definitions in our glossary.
Insurance and health
Travel medical insurance, the excess and the insured event, vaccinations on a doctor's advice, swimming and sun.
- Medical insurance and the excess
Insurance terms in the glossary: what the policy covers and what stays with you.
- A seaside holiday in Russia (in Russian)
Notes on the season, the journey and accommodation, plus a reminder about lifeguard signals on the beach.
- Collection: holidays with children
What to read if you are travelling with a child.
On the road and at your destination
Long flights and jet lag, countryside breaks, what to do if services are cancelled or replaced.
- How to choose a countryside retreat (in Russian)
Six steps to choosing a holiday base and a list of things to confirm before you arrive.
- If a trip falls through
Answers on whom to contact when a holiday is cancelled or changed and how to write a complaint.
- New articles
A feed of reference articles with preparation dates.
Read next
- Guides
How to choose a package holiday and check the tour operator: steps, mistakes, a checklist. Plus the article catalogue.
- Questions
Short answers on buying a holiday, documents and visas, and what to do if a trip is cancelled or changed.
- Collections
Reading paths: a first trip abroad, a holiday with children, a weekend in the countryside.
Sources
- Federal Law No. 132-FZ "On the Fundamentals of Tourist Activity in the Russian Federation"
- Unified federal register of tour operators (Russia)
- Official country websites on entry requirements
Information is correct as of the date the material was prepared. Laws and requirements change: check the current version of Russian Federal Law No. 132-FZ in official publications, and check a country's entry rules on its official websites before every trip. Outside Russia, package travel protection works differently, so check the rules where you buy.