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Useful Information
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Our reservations staff will be pleased to give you advice and help on any aspect of your travel arrangements. Telephone bookings are treated as provisional and held for 48 hours pending receipt of a signed booking form and the appropriate payment. Please note that insurance and payment for standard visa service will automatically be added to your invoice unless you indicate otherwise on the booking form. So that we may assist you swiftly in an emergency, you should advise the details of your insurance policy if it is NOT to be arranged as part of the Russian Travel Company recommend insurance.
YOUR GROUND PACKAGE PRICE INCLUDES
- Accommodation.
- Transfers to and from the overseas airport where these are itemised in the package. (Combination holidays also include additional transfers required to complete the itinerary where stated).
- Meals as shown on the pricelist.
- Services of RTC representative in Russia.
- Excursions and sightseeing trips where these are itemised on the price list.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE GROUND PACKAGE PRICE
- Holiday insurance
- Visa service for UK citizens
- Excursions and sightseeing trips which are not shown as included.
- Hotels may make a charge for amenities such as cots, meals for children, sauna, beauty salon, or sports facilities, and these should be paid for locally. Any charges for damage to or loss of equipment should be paid locally.
- Local accommodation taxes (payable locally - approximately £2).
- Flights
HEALTH & SAFETY
All the hotels in this brochure are carefully selected, and we ensure that they offer acceptable standards of quality and safety. All comply with local fire and safety laws and regulations. Few countries, however are as stringent as the UK in setting general standards for safety, hygiene and fire precautions, and the local authorities in Russia and the other countries listed in our brochure may not have adequate resources to monitor and enforce standards. We suggest that you familiarise yourself with the layout of hotel buildings or ships and the means of escape in the event of an emergency. We also recommend that you check the depth and means of exit before using a swimming pool.
In many countries, the standards of hygiene and the quality of service may differ from those in the UK. You should take care with your choice of food and drink as dietary changes can give rise to stomach upsets. A free leaflet is available from the Department of Heath by telephoning the Health Advice Line on 0800 555777, or from your General Practitioner.
Poverty in some areas can be more prevalent than others. It is, thus, prudent for visitors to avoid a great show of wealth. In general your common sense should prevail, but avoid walking around cities at night.
If you have any heath or safety concerns, please notify the hotel/ship management and your RTC representative immediately. We want you to have an enjoyable and safe holiday.
VACCINATIONS AND HEALTH
There are currently no mandatory health requirements for UK citizens visiting countries featured, and travelling from the UK; citizens of other countries or those recently returned from infected areas are advised to check with the relevant authorities. Inoculation against diphtheria is generally advised for travel to Russia, however we recommend that all travellers check with their own general practitioner. Protection against Malaria, Hepatitus A, Typhoid, Tetanus and Polio are all recommended for travel to China. Please seek medical advice at least six weeks before travel. Airlines require that women in the later stages of pregnancy should produce medical evidence of their fitness to travel; details on request. It is very important for all travellers to have adequate holiday insurance which provides comprehensive medical cover including repatriation in case of serious illness. RTC cannot be held responsible for the failure of clients to comply with any health requirements or recommendations.
PASSPORTS AND VISAS
A full ten year passport is required for all travellers. However if infants and children are on their parent's passport (where it is still valid), they may still travel on this passport providing the parent is also travelling. If your passport shows that you are a British Subject rather than a British Citizen, or if you are a citizen of a country other than Great Britain you are advised to check with the relevant embassy/consulate since entry conditions may vary.
For all visas your passport should be valid for at least 6 months beyond your return holiday date.
Full British Passport holders require visas for entry to Russia, China, Mongolia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic States which must be obtained in the UK before travel. China and Belarus visas require one full empty page for the visa stamp. Where RTC are requested to obtain visas on your behalf a visa service charge will be made. A Russian visa takes about three weeks to process. Two months advance booking is recommended in order to process more than one visa. It may be possible to arrange visas in less time, however this service is more expensive. Please enquire for further details. If you require a visa and your visa application is refused or delayed for any reason by the authorities, through no fault of RTC, thus delaying or preventing your departure, we will not be liable for any costs incurred, or for any changes to the arrangements or loss due to cancellation.
It is recommended that you carry photocopies of your passport and visas which are kept separately to the originals.
CURRENCY - THE ROUBLE
It is illegal to trade in Russia using foreign currency (eg. US dollars or sterling). By law, you must use Russian roubles for all cash transactions. You can exchange money using official outlets, banks or hotels, in Russia. At the time of printing £1 sterling - approximately 40 roubles.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Although the holidays we feature are not specifically designed to cater for persons with special needs, we are pleased to offer advice for any client with special needs on request. Certain accommodation may be more or less suitable or convenient than others. Similarly the level of specialist service may vary at different airports and with different airlines. Please note that in order to comply with airline regulations your flight provider will require that detailed information with regard to any special needs, assistance and facilities is made available when your flight booking is made. Some airlines place restrictions on the number of passengers with special needs they can carry. In some cases confirmation of special services, if available, may not be given until shortly before travel. We therefore suggest that all component parts of your holiday are discussed with us in advance of booking so that we can advise accordingly and pass information on your behalf.
CLIMATE
Average temperature details for Moscow and St. Petersburg are shown below. Bearing in mind changing weather patterns throughout the world, this information should be for guidance only and we cannot accept any responsibility for weather conditions at the time of your visit. Details about other countries available on request.
BAGGAGE
Please see the terms and conditions of the airline for baggage allowance and restrictions (details on request).
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
These will normally be forwarded to you at least 10 days before departure. We have representative agents in Moscow and St Petersburg and their name, address and telephone numbers are shown on your travel itinerary.
TRANSFER AND TRAIN INFORMATION
Approximate transfer times to hotel by private taxi or car: Moscow (from airport to centre) 1.5 hours, St Petersburg (from airport to centre) 1 hour. These times are based on direct transfers to the specified accommodation, and may take a little longer during peak periods. Approximate time from Moscow to St Petersburg by overnight train: 8 hours. The Trans-Siberian train takes approximately 6 days 6 hours to travel from Moscow to Beijing. Train schedules may be subject to change or delay without notice.
CITY INFORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT
City information is given as a guide and we believe it was correct at the time this brochure went to print. Some advertised facilities may not be available or fully operational at all times for a variety of reasons. In peak times all venues are at their busiest and service may suffer a little. We have no control over any development work in the cities. However if we learn of any development near to the accommodation we feature, and which is likely to affect the enjoyment of your holiday, we will do our utmost to inform you if there is time prior to your departure.
ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES
Accommodation featured in this brochure has been selected by members of our staff and descriptions are based on the information available at the time the brochure went to print. Our descriptions are based on assurances from the hoteliers that the facilities shown will be available during the duration of this brochure. It must be remembered however that the brochure is produced up to 12 - 14 months in advance, and, inevitably changes may occur.
Even though we feature some of the best hotels in each city the accommodation may still occasionally be considered more modest or different to British standards. In some places our rating of a hotel may reflect a hotel's character, ambience and location, as much as its facilities. Single rooms or twins for sole use may vary in standard and position. We are willing to request a hotel to place an extra bed in a twin room and a reduction may be offered. It must be understood, however that floor and drawer space may be cramped. Extra beds may not be full size, and may be roll away, fold up or sofa beds.
Descriptions show the type of accommodation and the facilities on which the holiday price is calculated. Any applicable supplementary charges are shown in the price panel. Additional charges may apply to facilities such as tennis, squash, gymnasium or sauna. It is possible that some facilities within a complex may become temporarily or permanently unavailable (e.g. for cleaning or maintenance) and we will inform you of any significant changes as soon as we are made aware of them. Such situations are beyond our control. Please contact us if you require any more specific information about the cities or accommodation facilities.
ROOM ALLOCATION & CHECK IN & OUT
All hotels operate the standard international practice with regard to check in and check out times. Thus you may have to wait some time for your room to be ready if you have an early arrival time. On your departure day you may have to vacate your room some hours before your departure. Often hotels arrange for one room to be allocated to departing guests for changing etc., and we will endeavour wherever possible to provide storage for your luggage. However any baggage that is left in storage or in our representative's or local agent's care, is left at the owner's risk. Usually we cannot confirm a particular room, as they are normally allocated on a first come first served basis.
MEALS AND SERVICE
The meal basis for each hotel is clearly indicated. Buffet style meals are offered by many hotels in full or in part, and these may be hot and/or cold. In general, standards or menus may not always be the same as in the UK and meals will vary according to the hotel.
SINGLE TRAVELLERS AND UNDER OCCUPANCY
Our contracts with the hotel owners are based on a price per room while our holidays are sold per person, including other elements. Therefore the price per person for a lone traveller must include the total room cost, and thus the supplement charged merely reflects the cost to us. In some hotels, there may occasionally be a room designed for single occupancy. In this case there will normally be a supplement but this is usually less than when a single person occupies a double room. Single rooms are often smaller and sometimes less well-appointed. We do not know in advance which room you will be allocated as this is normally done by the hotel shortly before your arrival.
SPECIAL REQUESTS
We must be informed of any special requests at the time of booking and the details confirmed in writing in the relevant box on the booking form. Your request will be passed on to the relevant supplier and we will do our best to meet your requirements but no guarantee can be given unless this is specifically agreed by us in writing at the time of booking.
CHILDREN AND INFANTS
Child discounts in respect of accommodation are limited. Where available, and for the purposes of prices, children are those minors who are over 2 years and under 12 years, and infants are minors who are under the age of 2 (on the date of return travel). Please note: we cannot accept bookings for unaccompanied children under the age of 16.
Any child accommodation discounts if available are subject to the following conditions:
- A deposit of £100 per person must be paid by all members in your party at the time of booking.
- Children and infants must be within the age range on the date of their return travel. Their ages and date of birth must be stated at the time of booking and detailed on the booking form. Any changes made later will be subject to an amendment charge.
- All children must share a room with two accompanying full paying adults in order to qualify for a child discount (and subject to the availability of a three or four-bedded room).
INFANTS
No holiday deposit is required for an infant not occupying a seat and/or standard bed, but there is a administration charge payable which will be added to your confirmation invoice. Details on request.
Cots (if available) must be requested and confirmed at the time of booking. There may be a local charge for this, and it is recommended that you provide your own cot linen. Experience has proved, that for peace of mind, it is better to carry a compact 'travel cot' from the UK
IMPORTANT - Should you fail to correctly declare the date of birth of infants or children, and/or falsely claim reductions for children, the whole party may be refused permission to continue with the holiday arrangements unless the proper holiday cost plus the appropriate amendment fee is paid. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss, delay or alternative travel arrangements made for the party as a result.
OUR ADVICE
We hope that we have given you an idea of what to expect. However problems can occur which are beyond our control, in which case you should take them up with our local representative or local agent and/or the hotel/ship. Most problems can be resolved in your hotel/ship without spoiling your holiday. Most holiday complaints occur as a result of choosing the wrong holiday so please choose carefully, and seek our advice. You may also discover that local people want to help, but do not always understand things in your terms. Please be patient, and we are sure you will come away with pleasing and lasting memories of a very enjoyable holiday
Russian Travel Company Ltd., registered in England No. 3930903. Registered Office: Ashdown House, 2 Eversfield Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN2 2AS.
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