Current Country Count: 26.

Country Count
May 2015 (with Russia)

With Russia added to the list, my country count jumps to 26! Woo. My goal for this trip will be to not pull a Snowden, see some amazing sites, and hopefully improve my Russian. I think that’s doable…

I found this image through a quick google search: “In Soviet Russia, party finds you!”
Source of image: http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Soviet_party.png

Trip Background: As a frequent follower of TheFlightDeal.com and ThePointsGuy.com, I am always on the prowl for a deal. Back in January, the following post popped up on my Facebook feed:

January 2015 – Flight deal of a lifetime

$314?!?

You better believe I was on Delta’s website in a heartbeat. Russia has been on my list for awhile but I thought there was a mistake. Some fares come along that sound too good to be true (see The Points Guy’s article on $50 tix from London to JFK) and this felt like one of those tickets. But after some digging, it seemed to be legitimate AND it was being sold by a reputable airline. So I bought a ticket for mid-May and then proceeded to find someone crazy enough to join me. Thankfully it took only a couple hours and then we were on our way!

Note: Delta has a 24 hour refund policy so if you find a deal like this, make sure Delta’s policy is still active, and then buy it knowing full well you can cancel with no fees within 24 hours.

For more information on how to get a Russian visa, which was an adventure in and of itself, check out my other post entitled “How to…Get a Russian Visa,” the first in my series of “how to” posts which break some of the logistics down into easy to follow steps. (I’ll update this link in a few days so you have something to look forward to. Also be on the watch for my Moscow and St. Petersburg posts once I get pics.)

Our plan for the trip is as follows:

Day 1: Moscow – Independent exploration

Day 2: Moscow – Tour (The Must See’s)

Day 3: Moscow – Tour (The Driving Tour)

Day 4: Moscow – Independent exploration

Day 5: Take train to St. Petersburg / Explore St. Petersburg

Day 6: St. Petersburg – Tour (The Must See’s)

Day 7: St. Petersburg – Catherine Palace Tour

Day 8: Train back to Moscow

Day 9: Return to America

Please note that the links here are to the tour company we plan to use. There’s no endorsement here…yet! Once we finish the trip, I’ll add links here to my TripAdvisor review page. 

As you can imagine, I’m super excited. Watch out for updates in the coming week. Until then, dosvedanya!