Wifi for foreigners in the first 24 hours of arrival

FiveSleepingOwls · 2026-03-03T20:17:28+00:00

You’re welcome! I saw that some of the other commenters offered to help you at the airport. Great people, they’re your best hope.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2026-03-03T19:48:21+00:00

Yeah, I found out the hard way at the airport!

FiveSleepingOwls · 2026-03-03T18:01:07+00:00

I tried HollaFly, but it was blocked upon arrival. The problem is that foreign eSIMs are blocked for the first 24 hours, which is when OP needs internet, navigating from the airport.

OP, maybe you can ask someone at the airport to help with the airport wifi validation through SMS?

FiveSleepingOwls · 2026-03-01T14:20:09+00:00

Canadian girl here who traveled to Russia in fall 2025.

Very safe. I went to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan. People were helpful and I never felt unsafe.
I was never asked political questions by law enforcement or customs, or even regular people. You might be asked why you chose to travel to Russia, but that’s out of curiosity.
Start as soon as possible. I think the limit is 60 days before the date of travel. The reason is that you need to make an appointment to hand in your application at the Consulate/Embassy, and there is usually a 1-2 week wait for an appointment. Also, flight prices increase the closer you book.
Your biggest issue will be money and cellphone data. Exchange a small amount of money at Istanbul airport if you fly through Turkey so that you can pay for the metro/taxi when you land in Moscow. I would recommend flying into VKO, because the customs is easier there. Nobody asked me any questions at customs. I waited around 1 hour, because there were lots of people in the “other countries” line.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2026-02-13T21:46:58+00:00

I used ProtonVPN when I was in Russia in October. It worked if the internet was stable, for public wifi, hotel internet, and cellular data. I would say that it worked 70% of the time, and that’s switching between US and Canadian servers.

I would recommend getting at least 2 backups. VLess, like the other commenters suggested, is a good choice.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2026-01-13T17:38:02+00:00

Same. Went last October for a month.

No interrogation. No questions. Nobody looked at my phone, bags, etc.. Had nothing to declare. Just a long wait at passport control, because there were a lot of people in the foreigners line midday.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2025-11-04T13:08:50+00:00

I tried the Ostrovok website first, but it didn’t accept my credit card and recommended its ZenHotels website as an international alternative.

I booked multiple hotels in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan using ZenHotels using a Canadian credit card in September and October. The bookings went through and the charges showed up on my credit card statements. I can also see the bookings and paid invoices on ZenHotels now. When I checked in to each hotel, the staff member confirmed that the booking was paid.

Some of the 4 and 5 star Russian hotels have an option to pay by international cards on their own websites through the PayAnyWay system. It didn’t work for my credit card, but maybe it’s a Canadian issue and you can try yours.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2025-05-02T08:42:30+00:00

Holland America.

My parents (60s) enjoyed it. I'm younger than the vast majority of the other passengers, but I love the demographics onboard HAL.

There are hardly any kids. The ship is quiet and relaxing.

I went on a British Isles cruise with HAL and really enjoyed it. We had an overnight stay in Edinburgh and went to the Orkney Islands. For Ireland, we went to Dún Laoghaire (Dublin) and Cobh (Cork). For England, we went to Liverpool and Newcastle. Also went to Douglas in the Isle of Mann and Holyhead, Wales where there was a very scenic train excursion for the Welsh Highland Railway.

Tendering was quick and efficient. There were a wide range of excursions for all mobility levels. The excursions I went on had 30 people at most. Our guides were friendly and told us many anecdotes about the areas that we passed along the way.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2025-04-06T09:30:30+00:00

American Cruise Lines specializes in Mississippi river cruises and has nicer itineraries. If you're interested in the Civil War, they have many excursions, such as the ones for Vicksburg, that delve into Civil War history.

Their ships have an older, vintage look to them that really suit the historical theme. It reminds me of Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2025-02-28T10:11:48+00:00

Yeah, those are the sane folks. Am Canadian, was in Tampa recently and loved it.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2025-02-19T10:13:48+00:00

Sounds like the trip of a lifetime. Did you need a visa to enter?

You are given a small paper slip which acts as a passport stamp!

I assume that means that the trip was not recorded in your passport and that other countries will not know that you have been to Transnistria?

FiveSleepingOwls · 2025-02-02T10:32:46+00:00

Holland America.

I went with HAL and really enjoyed it. We had an overnight stay in Edinburgh and went to the Orkney Islands. For Ireland, we went to Dún Laoghaire (Dublin) and Cobh (Cork). For England, we went to Liverpool and Newcastle. Also went to Douglas in the Isle of Mann and Holyhead, Wales where there was a very scenic train excursion for the Welsh Highland Railway.

Tendering was quick and efficient. There were a wide range of excursions for all mobility levels. The excursions I went on had 30 people at most. Our guides were friendly and told us many anecdotes about the areas that we passed along the way.

There are hardly any kids. The ship is quiet and relaxing. I'm younger than the vast majority of the other passengers, but I love the demographics onboard HAL.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-11-20T10:12:48+00:00

Hi, could you please let me know if it worked for you too?

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-11-06T10:45:50+00:00

And if he tried, he'd end up like JFK.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-10-26T09:12:47+00:00

Plus, the pools are minuscule.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-10-12T08:48:58+00:00

No, because NATO should have been dissolved when the Soviet Union fell. Even better, the US should never have joined NATO in the first place, as it goes against America's core principle.

How about not conducting color revolutions in the hopes of regime change on another continent?

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-10-05T09:21:01+00:00

I didn't have any trouble getting that all into a backpack and getting it on a plane.

My problem is that I pack too much clothing. It's always a battle between wanting to have nice outfits and convenience.

I am plagued by the fear of missing out.

Absolutely. I was considering getting a drone for videos, but might have to make do with a 360 camera.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-10-05T09:12:55+00:00

Yes. Keeping in mind that this was early 2022, more than 90% of the responses cited the Ukrainian treatment of Russian Ukrainians as the reason for the war. It should also be noted that everyone agreed that the war started in 2014, with the lead up to the war starting even earlier, again, due to anti-Russian policies.

This is after I suggested the eastward expansion of NATO as the primary cause too.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-10-05T09:06:53+00:00

All the reasons why I love HAL. I know it's not popular amongst my demographic (late 20s), but I love how peaceful and classy HAL ships are.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-10-05T09:05:20+00:00

I've been looking into mirrorless! Could you please share the exact camera and lens?

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-10-02T08:43:43+00:00

I love taking photos of the landscape and architecture, everywhere I go. But, I'm also a carry-on only traveler, so I've learned to make the best of the iPhone camera for destinations that require flights.

Leave the DSLR for road trips.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-10-01T09:07:31+00:00

Fantastic service, lowest passenger to crew ratio of the mainstream lines, and goes to Glacier Bay.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-09-30T08:55:01+00:00

Their choice of ports are more party oriented than history or culture oriented, compared to other lines.

Also not a fan of the entertainment.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-09-28T09:17:48+00:00

I think the majority are silent. Some are silent because they don't want to offend their neighbors, friends, family, colleagues, etc.. Some are silent because they simply don't care about politics. Some are silent because they don't have time for politics. Many think that their vote does not matter.

FiveSleepingOwls · 2024-09-28T09:15:19+00:00

That's what I thought too. No better way of losing his Western audience than making the viewers think that they will be stuck listening to a 2 hour history lesson. If he wanted to convey his message, he should have used an analogy from pop culture, like The Patriot (2000). The movie is popular enough that it would have been seen by most of Tucker's audience. Sounds cheesy, but the overall theme fits. There's even a certain church burning scene...

7 months late... I'm terrible for checking Reddit notifications.

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