Travel To Russia

Visa information and support for travellers to Russia. www.russianvisas.f9.co.uk

This press release was received by TimeshareUK.com author and is reproduced here for the web community benefit

The St. Petersburg International Hostel (SPIH), Russia's premiere western-style budget accommodation, announces the launch of its new web site ( Website ). Packed with valuable and otherwise hard-to-find information on travel in this fascinating and alluring country, it is the one-stop site for anyone thinking of a trip to Russia.

The website helps visitors of all ages prepare to experience as never before the beauty, art and culture of historic St. Petersburg and Moscow, from shoestring budget to top of the pops.

From questions about safety, practicalities, services and travel to complete descriptions of the Russian Visa Process, www.ryh.ru is the Russia visitor's best friend. The hostel provides the invaluable service of Russian visa support for all of its guests. A Russian visa is necessary to enter Russia and www.ryh.ru has made the process quick and easy.

The site provides access to city guides; country guides; arts, cultural and entertainment activities; travel safety tips and advisories; transportation information and railway schedules; hostelling guides; travelogues; weather and news reports; currency converters; an ATM locator; a language translator and a range of other vital information and services for the experienced or first-time traveler to Russia.

St. Petersburg International Hostel President Steven R. Caron, commented, "While I have seen an upsurge in interest in travel to Russia over the nine years I have been here, I've been concerned about the limited availability of accurate and useful travel information, as well as the confusion and frustration that travelers often face when they embark on a trip to Russia. My Russian partners and I opened the St Petersburg Hostel eight years ago to provide a traveler- and budget-friendly place to stay and to make travel to Russia an easy, memorable and fun experience from start to finish.

"Our new web site, which is the culmination of several years' work and collaboration with a number of travel resources, is a significant step forward in expanding on the travel concepts we first established with the hostel," Caron continued. "We created the site to further simplify the process and take the mystery out of traveling to Russia and her neighbor states and to encourage travelers of all ages to visit this exciting and beautiful part of the world."

ABOUT THE HOSTEL
SPIH is a totally renovated and modern facility that has kept its pre-revolutionary Russian charm with parquet floors, high ceilings and spacious rooms. It is located directly in the historic city center, just five-minutes walk from the metro, the main Moscow Train Station and Nevsky Prospect - Russia's grandest main boulevard, which runs from the majestic Hermitage and Palace Square to the Alexander-Nevsky Monastery.

A delicious breakfast is included with each night's stay. English movies are played nightly. Unique walking tours of the city occur daily. Internet access is available. Moscow trips are only a night train away.

It is also the only hostel to be a member of both Hostelling International and Russian Youth Hostels. These accreditations guarantee each guest high- quality budget accommodation and service.

In 1992 American Steven R. Caron of Laguna Niguel, California and his Russian partners were pioneers in bringing high-quality western-style accommodation to Russia, which allowed budget travelers to see and experience Russia as never before.

Caron and his partners created the first Russian hostel recognized to meet the rigorous standards of Hostelling International, and subsequently established and continue to administer the Russian Youth Hostel Association (website) consisting of a network of hostels throughout Russia.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in theater and business, from the University of Southern California in 1989, Caron left his home in Laguna Niguel for Russia. He began studying Russian theater and culture and the language. During his years living in St. Petersburg, Caron traveled extensively throughout the CIS and Eastern Europe.

On his journeys, he found that hotels for foreigners were very expensive and Intourist tours too limited and poorly arranged. Most foreigners find hotels limited in services, frustrating and not up to western standards. Caron decided that to offer an inexpensive and service-oriented alternative to "Intourist" that would provide a friendly environment and help foster the interaction of peoples from varying cultures and encourage feelings of goodwill and understanding. Hence the hostel in St. Petersburg.

In 1995 the hostel opened Russia's first full-service student and youth budget travel agency called Sindbad travel ( http://www.sindbad.ru/en ). Located in the hostel Sindbad not only services the hostel's guests but also young Russians who want to travel abroad. Since 1995 Sindbad has expanded with offices at the St. Petersburg State University and in other CIS countries like Ukraine and Georgia.

In the future Caron plans to expand the network of hostels and Sindbad travel throughout Russia and the rest of CIS.

For Further Information:
St. Petersburg International Hostel
3rd Sovetskaya ul., 28
193036, St. Petersburg
tel. +7 (812) 329-8018
fax: +7 (812) 329-8019
Sindbad travel
3rd Sovetskaya ul., 28
193036, St. Petersburg
tel. +7 (812) 327-8384
fax: +7 (812) 329-8019
email: sindremovethisbitbad@sindbad.ru