Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
72
WOMEN TRAVELERS
There are no restrictions on women's
travel or activity in Russia. Soviet planners
succeeded at employing women in every
sector of the economy, but failed to change
traditional views on gender. As a result,
Russian women go to work all day
and
do
all the cooking, cleaning, child-care, and
shopping. Russian men retain traditions
such as opening doors for women, carry-
ing women's bags (even strangers'), and
picking up the check when in a restaurant
or bar. Women traveling alone should be
careful walking the streets at night, as you
could be mistaken for a prostitute or oth-
erwise hassled. Check out the award-win-
ning website
Journeywoman
(www.
journeywoman.com), a “real-life” women's
travel-information network where you can
sign up for a free e-mail newsletter and get
advice on everything from etiquette and
dress to safety. The travel guide
Safety and
Security for Women Who Travel
by
Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer (Travelers'
Tales Guides), offering common-sense tips
on safe travel, was updated in 2004.
For general travel resources for women,
go to www.frommers.com/planning.
British travelers
should contact
Holi-
day Care
(
&
0845-124-9971
in U.K.
only; www.holidaycare.org.uk) to access a
wide range of travel information and
resources for seniors and persons with dis-
abilities.
FAMILY TRAVEL
Russia can be a daunting place with kids
but an unforgettable experience for them. A
major challenge is the Cyrillic alphabet—
but you can turn that into a family game by
setting out to learn its 33 letters together
(many are the same as in English), and then
sounding out street signs together (“Look,
pectopah means restaurant!”). Travel with
small children is difficult, since few restau-
rants have highchairs, and nothing is
stroller-friendly—even the pharmacies have
steps and unwieldy doors. Because Russians
travel infrequently with their children,
there are few hotels with specifically kid-
friendly services, though that doesn't mean
they're hostile to families. Also be prepared
for unsolicited child-rearing advice from
well-meaning Russian grandmothers, who
always seem to think that children are
underdressed no matter what the tempera-
ture. Russian
circuses
are world-renowned,
and the
Moscow Zoo
(p. 155) and
Gorky
Park
(p. 150) are good family destinations.
There are several puppet theaters in Mos-
cow and St. Petersburg.
Recommended family travel websites
include
Family Travel Forum
(www.family
travelforum.com), a comprehensive site
that offers customized trip planning;
Fam-
ily Travel Network
(www.familytravelnet-
work.com), an online magazine providing
travel tips; and
TravelWithYourKids.
com
, a comprehensive site written by par-
ents for parents, offering sound advice for
long-distance and international travel with
children.
To locate accommodations, restaurants,
and attractions that are particularly kid-
friendly, refer to the “Kids” icon through-
out this guide.
3
SENIOR TRAVEL
Russians have great respect for their elders,
but the country's modern history has been
brutal to them, wiping out their savings,
shriveling the value of their pensions, and
leaving them without cheap healthcare just
when they need it most. Russians over 60
qualify for discounts everywhere, including
reduced admission on public transport and
to many museums and other attractions.
However, many tourist sites offer this dis-
count only to Russians, and charge all for-
eigners a separate, inflated price. Also note
that Russian sightseeing requires a lot of
walking and ubiquitous stairs.
Many reliable agencies and organiza-
tions target the 50-plus market.
Elderhos-
tel
(
&
800/454-5768;
www.elderhostel.
org) arranges worldwide study programs
