FAQS

HOW SAFE IS IT TO BOOK WITH YOU?
We are a fully bonded tour operator, registered in the UK, where EU law requires us to protect your travel funds. We are full members of the Travel Trust Association (TTA) www.traveltrust.co.uk - your travel funds are held frozen in a Trust Account until your trip is complete, and only then released to us by the TTA’s approved Trustee.  The Russia Experience Ltd is a member of AITO (www.aito.co.uk )-the Association of Independent Tour Operators, a government-regulated professional body of more than 150 tour operators. Between them AITO members take over 1,400,000 satisfied people on holidays throughout the world every year. We are mandated to uphold the high professional standards and stringent financial safeguards which is implicit in membership of the TTA and AITO.

AREN'T VISAS A NIGHTMARE THAT TAKE WEEKS?
Needn’t be! We do the whole thing for you. Russian visas need proof of booking from a Russian registered outfit-we do all of this behind the scenes. Get your booking form into us at least six weeks prior to departure, and you’ll avoid express visa costs. If you do book less than six weeks prior to departure you still will be able to go, if the trip is available but you will need to pay express fees, please check with us how much these will be as they are dependent on what passport you hold and how much time we have.  We’ll also need the original of your passport to get your visas and this must be the same as the passport number you gave us when you completed the original booking form.

DO I NEED INSURANCE? DO I NEED VACCINATIONS?
We do require you to have Travel insurance to take any of our trips. For rates please contact our reservations department. Which policy you purchase is your own choice. The Russian Consulate also requires you to have Travel Insurance to obtain a visa. No vaccinations are mandatory but you would be well advised to get informed advice on this (not every GP may be as well informed on the latest health developments in these locations). Particular concerns are Cholera, Typhoid, Hepatitis B, Tetanus and Diphtheria. Tick-borne encephalitis is a small risk on some Siberian trekking routes there is a vaccine available. But the risk is VERY small and our leaders observe safety procedures. We also suggest you take a First Aid kit, to include a Sterile Surgical kit.

WHY IS IT EXPENSIVE TO MAKE EN-ROUTE STOPS?
A Trans-sib secret that no guidebooks seemed to have grasped goes like this… non-stop international tickets are still priced accordingly to old bilateral agreements dating back to the Soviet era which cannot be broken, even now! But if you introduce stops into the your trip these sectors are priced commercially by Russian Railways…so you only get the benefit of state subsidised fares for part of your journey.

CAN I STAY EXTRA NIGHTS?
In Moscow and St Petersburg, yes!  But the train schedules on some of the less than frequent routes make altering the stays almost impossible.  Adding or removing odd days will almost never work.  We always include two nights in Moscow prior to your Trans- Siberian journey and two in St Petersburg is the standard if you buy a St Petersburg add on-but “there is stacks to see, and I wish I had stayed longer!” is always the feedback we get!

HOW MUCH SPENDING MONEY WILL I NEED?

This depends on what lifestyle you plan pursuing on your trip! The information pack we provide will give you an idea of current costs. Eating and drinking are very similar to most European cities, although Ulaanbaatar and Beijing have upscale versions if you have cash to flash! When itineraries take you far from the shops or cafes we often include meals. Russian souvenirs tend to be fun and low priced so you will be able to stash your pack full of Russian goodies!

FAMILY STAYS:
What should I expect? Some of our trips feature options staying with local families. Although sometimes this is for practical reasons (e.g. no other kind of accommodation is availablenomad stays in the Gobi for example) it also broadens the trip experience-two way interaction with the places and the people that live there. We're not promising luxury-we're promising a slice of life! People who live in harsh climates and terrains are naturally gregarious, and you will learn and experience more with them than you could ever absorb in a month staying in a sterile Western style Hotel.

SPECIAL DIETS:
Meat features strongly in the national cuisine of most of our destinations. As a team the Russia Experience employs several vegetarians and we have never starved! But for when you are off the train you must advise us prior to departure if you have any special dietary requirements. If you have anything more complicated than a lacto-vegetarian diet consider that in some of the remote places you are to travel this could be a considerable problem-and stock up accordingly.

TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN:
There are no serious downsides, and the infrastructure of travel and accommodation works well if you’re taking children along.  However, Communist-era thinking very much treated children as small adults, with little or no provisions or amenities. So priming your children is essential if they are not going to get bored. Take supplies of books and fresh comics secreted in your suitcase English reading material in unavailable for both children and adults alike. The journey is however the most fantastic introduction to a world they will have never known and they will meet many local children along the way, who will be very curious about their lives so take photos of home! Child prices are on application.

HOW MUCH PRIVACY DO YOU GET ON BOARD THE TRAIN?
All our standard trips are based on 2nd Class Rail in Russia which is 4-berth compartments. You’ll be sharing with any travelling companions who book with you, of course plus other train passengers. It’s possible to buy yourself more privacy than that with an upgrade to 1st Class (2-berth compartments) BUT this is in very short supply and some trains don’t have it at all. An alternative is a “buyout” of a four-berth compartment-which could be for one, two, or three travelling companions, prices on request.

ARE THERE SHOWERS ON BOARD?
Most of the main long distance (24 hrs+) on Russian Railways (but not on Mongolian or Chinese) now have a pay-to-use shower. You have to go to the “Special Services” wagon. One use is R50-90pp (prices are set by the varying train operators). No towel or soap is included in the price, we hope you have your own!

WILL I MEET OTHER TRAVELLERS?
Very likely-especially in the Summer months.  There is only one train a week for instance between Mongolia and Beijing (incredible, but true) so a bit of bunching is inevitable for the last section!

DOWNSIDES:
There are no serious downsides or dangers in visiting our destinations, and there is no need for woman travellers to worry in fact the men get the worry as Russia has an old take on a new annoyance sexual harassment by aggressive ladies of the night. A firm nyet should get rid of them! Dressing-down is recommended for both sexes anyhow the lure of conspicuous wealth is the biggest draw for unwelcome attention. Also remember that it is law to have your documents on you at all times in Russia-spot-checks are routine. The cops know this and if you don’t have them on you, will march you down to the Station to waste half a day of your trip and cost you a lot of troubles.

WANT TO CUSTOMISE YOUR TRIP?:
All the trips in the brochure have a pre arranged schedule however if you would like to customise your journey with longer stays, or special requests for instance, please check with us and we will see what’s possible. Note that no alterations will be possible once your trip has commenced. 

Email info@trans-siberian.co.uk

We strongly advise all our clients to check the latest Travel Advice from their own national Foreign Ministry. This information is constantly updated and so printing it here would deny you access to the latest information. We will willingly provide you with a print-out of this information if you do not have access to the internet to check it in person.

BOOKING CONDITIONS:

1.	Your contract is with The Russia Experience Ltd. The Russia Experience Ltd are a fully bonded tour operator, registered in the UK, where EU law requires us to protect your travel funds. We are full members of the Travel Trust Association (TTA)www.traveltrust.co.uk-your travel funds are held frozen in a Trust Account until your trip is complete, and only then released to us by the TTA's approved Trustee. The Russia Experience Ltd is a member of AITO (www.aito.co.uk)-the Association of Independent Tour Operators, a government-regulated professional body of more than 150 tour operators. We are mandated to uphold the high professional standards and stringent financial safeguards which is implicit in membership of the TTA and AITO.
2.	All bookings are accepted on a request basis only. Acceptance of a Booking Form does not imply availability of a trip.
3.	No booking will be accepted without a completed Booking Form and either a Deposit or, according to the payment schedule applicable, full payment. Deposits are non refundable in all cases.
4.	The Trip Balance is due 60 days before commencement of your trip. Late payment may cause cancellation of all or part of your trip, with no refund payable.
5.	No travel documents will be issued until full payment has been made.
6.	We accept payment by cash, travellers' cheque’s and bankers' drafts and credit cards. We accept personal cheques subject to clearance, for which 10 days must be allowed.
7.	The responsibility for obtaining and carrying correct visas, passports and other travel documents remains with the passenger.
8.	If we have to cancel your trip for unexpected reasons, you will be offered a full refund of all funds paid over to us, or the offer of a trip of substantially equal or better quality if appropriate.
9.	If you wish to cancel your trip, we require written notice and will make funds to you in accordance with the table below, calculated from the date which we receive written notice.
IF YOU CANCEL YOUR HOLIDAY: NUMBER OF DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE WHEN WE RECEIVE YOUR CANCELLATION. SHOWN AS A PERCENTAGE OF YOUR TOTAL HOLIDAY PRICE. Over 60 days before commencement Deposit only 59-40 days before commencement 50% 39-14 days before commencement 90% 14 days or no show 100% * The trip price does not include visas, visa processing fees, travel insurance or guidebooks, which shall be 100% forfeit in all cases.
10.	We are required by EU regulations to ensure you have travel insurance which covers repatriation if required. If you do not purchase insurance, you must confirm to our satisfaction that you have made alternative arrangements.
11.	We have made it clear in all sales materials that it is common and accepted practice for transport methods employed on our trips to run with delays, or to run below operational standards that would be regarded as normal in Western Europe. We cannot accept any claim for indirect or consequential loss arising from the failure of transport suppliers to conform either to timetables supplied by us or to their own timetables. We cannot accept any claim for shock, loss, distress, whether mental or financial, arising from deviations from operational standards by transport suppliers whose services form part of our itineraries (whether original or amended).
12.	We cannot be responsible for the safety of passengers or their belongings and for this reason we recommend strongly that you take out adequate travel insurance.
13.	If circumstances force us to amend your itinerary or the services with it, we shall notify you in writing as soon as possible. If the change arises during your trip, our representatives will make every effort to contact you personally. We reserve the right to substitute alternative transport or accommodation in the interests of the safety of our passengers and/or the successful completion of the itinerary.
14.	If you require us to change your booked itinerary, we will do everything possible to facilitate this, subject to your agreement to meet the costs which may be incurred. An estimate of these costs, in writing, will be provided before proceeding.
15.	We believe the descriptions of the services and facilities in this brochure are fair and accurate. In the event of faults or omissions by ourselves or those acting for us, appropriate compensation may be payable. Such cases will not include cases caused by war or threat of war; changes in transport timetables; denial of border entry for any undocumented reasons; riots; civil unrest; disasters of natural or nuclear origin; terrorist activities; declarations of autonomy or independence by areas not recognised as such by the United Nations, or decisions relating to foreign nationals made by the elected or de facto leaders of such areas; and such other circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
16.	In the event of illness, accident or cases described in Condition 15 above, we shall provide all reasonable help to passengers. Our assistance shall not replace the assistance to be expected from travel insurance up to the limits of cover of the policy recommended by us, nor shall it replace the assistance of the Consul responsible for you whilst abroad.
17.	Claims for compensation will be accepted in writing only, within 30 days of final included service. We are unable to consider any claim where the assistance or advice of our local representatives has been unsought, rejected or ignored.
18.	Passengers who fail to join the trip by the means or at the time and date they previously advised us within at least 14 days' notice shall forfeit all subsequent services up to such time as they can be reasonably be rejoined. Any re scheduling so caused shall be at the passenger's own expense. Departure without notification from the itinerary may result in forfeiture of subsequent services. “No-show” passengers shall forfeit all subsequent services if they fail to notify us of intention to rejoin their itinerary within 72 hours of their original arrival date. Expenses arising from unscheduled departure from the itinerary cannot be recovered from us.
19.	Tariffs shown in our leaflets were accurate based on prices and exchange at the time of printing. Should the prices of the services rise, or be adversely affected by exchange rate movements, we reserve the right to make a surcharge. If you have already commenced your booking by paying a deposit or full payment and completing a Booking Form, and the price increase should amount to a differential of more than 15% compared with that in the invoice issued to you (inclusive of visa handling, visa fees, travel insurance and airport taxes) you will be entitled to withdraw your booking and receive a full refund of all money paid over to us, with the exception of visa fees, which shall be forfeit in any event.
20.	With the exception of diving none of our activities require special training or above-average levels of fitness or mobility. If you are in any doubt about whether you should undertake them, you should consult your medical adviser. We are unable to refund any money in respect of services from which you withdraw after arrival. With reasonable notice, alternative versions of most of our activities can be organised for those of you who have special needs, and a section on our booking form invites information to enable us to plan for your needs in this case.
21.	At all times passengers are bound by local law and jurisdiction in their chosen destinations. Passengers, who depart from the selected itinerary, either geographically or chronologically, are advised that they may be breaking local immigration regulations, which at best will result in delay and inconvenience, and at worst may result in arrest and imprisonment, in neither of which cases are we able to assist in any material way. Passengers are advised that local duties and levies are frequently introduced, amended or increased without warning, and whilst we do our best to inform passengers of what local costs are likely to incur, we cannot guarantee that further costs may be imposed or increased subsequent to our recent information. Such costs remain the passenger's responsibility.
22.	We do not organise air travel to or from our destinations. Passengers are advised to ensure that agencies with whom they organise such services are properly bonded and certified to conduct such business. On request we can provide details with a recommended agent for many localities.
23.	The Russia Experience will not accept responsibility for any additional or alternative travel arrangements (including the use of local guides and the purchase of services and excursions) that are made independently by its clients and that are separate, or in addition, to the booked and ticketed itinerary.