24.07.2006
International Airfare
to and from RussiaSRAS is not in the business of selling plane tickets, with the exception of group educational tours and domestic flights not available for purchase outside of Russia. We recommend visiting sites like www.travelocity.com and www.expedia.com as well as checking directly the airline sites. Delta, for example, will often have promotional fares up that could match your schedule. Even better if you subscribe to get their e-announcements well ahead of your planned travel/study. For students, STA Travel offers some of the best rates available (including low costs for changing tickets). We have also personally had good experiences with Glavs Travel, a New York based travel agent specializing in travel and tickets to Russia (Tel: 1-800-336-5727 - ask for Tsilya and tell her Renee Stillings of SRAS sent you!). They usually get better deals with Aeroflot, Lufthansa, and Delta. Before you buy your ticket, there are several important issues you should be aware of: Types of tickets
Round trip tickets are almost always cheapest and we generally recommend them even if you are not exactly sure of your return date. Check with the travel company first about student discounts on both the ticket and possible exchange rates. (You may need to get an international student card first.) Other options include: a one-way ticket, an open-ended ticket, and a standard fixed ticket. Open-ended tickets as a rule are very expensive, though of course quite convenient. The one-way option varies, but is risky as you don't know what kind of prices will be available for your return ticket. If you think you may need to change your return date, we recommend purchasing a fixed ticket but please weigh the possible costs of changing tickets first. Costs involved with changing tickets
Student tickets are often changeable for only $25. Regular (non-student) tickets often have a change fee of $150 changes. These costs should be weighed closely with the cost of an open-ended ticket. There may also be a price differential between the two tickets that you will need to pay. Depending on the airline, this difference may depend on "high" and "low" travel seasons as well as the duration of your trip. For programs of more than a year
Another issue to note is that tickets may only be purchased a maximum of eleven months in advance. This means that if you are staying abroad for more than eleven months, you will not be able to purchase a round-trip ticket directly. Sometimes they will recommend that you purchase a round-trip ticket with a return date of eleven months in advance - and then change the return date to the date you actually need closer to that date. Make sure you understand any fees that may be involved in this. If you plan on returning to the U.S. during the course of your program (e.g. for the holidays), we recommend you buy a separate round-trip ticket for that trip. So, you might buy two tickets: one for Aug-Mar and a second from Dec-Jan. Even if you need to change these tickets, it is usually the least expensive option. Make sure to inform your SRAS consultant about your plans as soon as possible as there may be issues connected with your visa to consider as well. Be sure to inform SRAS about all your travel plans (including entry and exit dates) as soon as you know them. Declaring approximate entry and exit dates are necessary in applying for your visa. With any questions, please contact SRAS. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Find Out More!
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Journal for Students
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Sexuality and Gender... Questions or comments?
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