Tips that will make traveling to Russia for the World Cup a breeze

This week, AirHelp revealed helpful tips on how to have seamless travels to Russia for the World Cup.

The World Cup is expected to attract over 1 million soccer fans to Russia this year. AirHelp, world’s leading air passenger rights company, wants to help travelers create the best experience possible. AirHelp recently discovered that most people traveling over-seas need guidance with their rights, so they are providing tips for travels to ensure a safe and memorable trip to the World Cup.

AirHelp utilizes the help of local experts and shares the most valuable tips to travel to Russia. Even though Russia is generally a safe place to travel to, there are still some recommendations that are worth taking advantage of. Once you have arrived or are exiting the airport, downloading the apps Uber, Mytaxi, or yandex is the best option to get a good deal and save money. Uber and Yandex are the same company in Russia, so do not worry if you order one and the other shows up.

"Stopping a taxi on the street can quickly become super expensive, so use an app. Using an app for taxis also has some security benefits, as your route is trackable, and the name of your driver will be known," says Eugene Lonski, Country Manager for AirHelp Russia.Lonski also advises travelers to book hotels via apps and authorized personal before arriving. Walk-ins typically result in extravagant prices.

"Hotels for the World Cup will get fully booked fast, so book your room as soon as possible to avoid having to sleep on the streets, which is illegal," states Lonski.

While in Russia, it is strongly advised to not tuck away or lock up your passport in the hotel’s safe. Due to the high volume of people attending the World Cup, it is smart to keep identification documents on you at all times. There is a high possibility that an officer will ask to see your documentation before or even during the event. Precautionary tasks will take place in areas surrounding the stadium as well, so do not be alarmed if you are asked to walk through a metal detector or an x-ray machine in the subway or train station. Russia is known for having many occurrences with currency forgery, which means it is very important that you do not have any currency exchanges with an unauthorized person. If you must conduct an exchange, always use currency exchange points or preform any transfers at a bank. Once again, having your passport will help make this process move a long much smoother. Everyone wants to know the most effective ways save time and money, access the stadiums, and travel visa-free to Russia, and theses next tips will tell you how.

Buying a local SIM card for cellphone or data usage will save you a good bit of money. Since you are outside of the EU, roaming prices will increase dramatically. It is much more cost efficient to pay 5-7 euros for unlimited calls and internet, rather than pay 3 euros per minute because your phone is roaming. As stated many times before, a passport will be required. Identification is a must everywhere, even if you just want to connect to the WiFi in a restaurant, or a shopping center. To help with translation, an app with speech options is ideal. Not every city can speak the same level of English as the other so it can get difficult to communicate at times. An app for the subways and cities will help tremendously while figuring out how to get around. Maps.me is a perfect example of an app to use because it is accessible even when you are offline.

While on the subject of subways, it is strongly advised to stay away from the subways in Moscow and St Petersburg during rush hour. As a common courtesy, while on the escalator stand to the right because the left is for the people who want to pass. A “TROIKA”- travel card is the best option if you plan to use the subway as a main form of transportation because it is rechargeable in a machine and it can be used for buses, trolleybuses and trams. Before leaving, it is a good Idea to download registrar for FAN ID if you want to watch live matches. This is a required document to receive access to the stadiums for all spectators and any carrier is rewarded visa-free entry into Russia. You can apply for your FAN- ID at: www.fan-id.ru.

Keep in mind, if you rent a car in Russia, they have a zero driving under the influence police. So, make sure that you are at 0.0% blood alcohol content at all times while driving. AirHelp knows all the ins and outs of flight disruptions and passenger rights and they want to give some additional advice to people traveling home from Russia. It is extremely important to arrive at the airport no later than 3 hours before your flight is scheduled to leave. "

There are dual security controls at Russian airports. First, one directly at the entrance, and then of course after check-in as well. This process gives extra security but is also extra time consuming, so make sure you arrive at the airport in time. You will not be eligible for any compensation from an airline after missing a flight due to security control queues," explains Lonski. As an experienced traveler, Lonski made sure to put an emphasis on having a printed copy of your boarding pass because electronic versions are not allowed just yet. If you are flying from Russia on a European airline, do not worry, EU- regulations still apply.

Flight problems: This is where AirHelp provides assistance with passengers’ rights. There is always a high chance of a delayed or canceled flight or instances that involve travelers getting denied access to board the aircraft, passengers have the right to receive financial compensation of up to 600 euros per person that is involved in the unfortunate situation, but the departure airport has to be based in the EU. The customer will have up to three years to accept the compensation. Although there is compensation, if instances such as unannounced strikes, storms, or medical emergencies take place, the airline is not obligated to offer compensation to the passengers. To help flyers receive the compensation they deserve, Airhelp launched a new tool to allow flyers to track eligible flights. The new tool has the ability to pinpoint flights that go back as far as three years by connecting to the flyers inbox via Airhelp.com.

This is all done with the permission of the customer first. AirHelp’s app allows the passengers to view compensation eligibility whenever that need to. The app will even let you check right there in the airport to see if the flight problem qualifies for compensation from the airline. If you are interested in getting AirHelp, it is free and easy to download at the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

AirHelp is the world's leading flight delay compensation company, helping passengers apply for compensation following delayed, cancelled, or overbooked flights. Since the company's start in 2013, AirHelp has served more than five million travelers, and has processed more than 300 million euros in total claim reimbursements. AirHelp has offices in five cities across Europe and additional offices in Asia and North America. AirHelp is available in 30 countries, offers support in 16 languages, and employs more than 500 employees worldwide.