Below is a trip report from my client Russell, a 42 year old man from the UK who travelled to Belarus in October 2001 and stayed in the city of Minsk on one of our personal tours. If any other men have experience of travelling to Russia and the FSU and would like to share their experiences with other men please let me know and maybe your story can be posted here! Contact me

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I have compiled a trip report for you to use if desired, which gives quite a few tips etc. on Minsk, getting there etc.. My journey started way back in July, when I found myself alone, aged 42, divorced, and disillusioned with relationships with women in my home town of Sheffield. I had just acquired internet access, and had read about certain sites concerning Russian brides etc.. after a lot of perusing the different sites and women from all over the former USSR, I decide that if I was to go somewhere, I wanted to keep it simple.

My criteria was to be able to fly to a city, where there are lots of available women, who are looking for the same things in life that I am.. Companionship, mutual trust, loyalty, love. etc.. someone to be my soul mate!! I completed the personal search criteria, for women from several countries, and discovered that Belarus had the most women, which fitted into my criteria.. I printed off the photos, and highlighted the ones from Minsk, retrieving my 'top ten' girls'  addresses. I then completed my opening letters and sent accompanying photos.. Some of the girls had email addresses, and so I was able to contact them direct. To my joy I had a 50% response within 10 days, and chose the best 3 to continue my correspondence with.  It was now September, and within 3 weeks of my initial contact, I decided that I had to go to Minsk to meet with these girls, as they were not only gorgeous, but intelligent and also serious about moving to England, and other western countries..

Hot tip number 1...Ensure you send a photo with your opening letter. I believe the majority of the girls are interested in how you look, not what you look like. I had comments about my hair and eyes for some reason!! I paid my deposit, and I contacted a travel agent in my home town who specializes in Eastern Europe, to book my flight. I decide that I did not fancy flying with the Belarussian national airline, 'Belavia', which flies direct from Gatwick, so I booked a flight via Vienna, with Austrian Airlines, costing about Ј350.  There are several airlines to contact who fly indirectly to Minsk, Lufthansa and LOT, the Polish airline.. Phil's agent faxed the official invite to my travel agent, and I managed to acquire a 'tourist visa', from the Belarussian embassy in London , as I had an invite from a tour operator in Minsk. It cost only Ј15, and took less than 2 weeks to process.

Hot tip number 2... Try and get an invite from a travel agent in Belarus to keep the cost down, as a standard visitors visa costs a lot more. I used the 'Tourist Agency', 21, J.Kapula Strasa, 220030 Minsk, Belarus.. (375-17) 2891436 or fax.. 2261304. I flew out with Austrian Air, from Heathrow on the 19th October 2001.. Due to a delay, I missed my connection in Vienna, and those lovely people at Austrian Air, put me up in the Crown Plaza Hotel overnight, so I had the bonus of 24 hours in Vienna, a beautiful city. The next day I flew into Minsk, with Lauda Air, and arrived to lovely weather with clear blue skies. Immigration, was a breeze, and all I was asked was why I was in Minsk ??.. as a 'tourist' of course!!. I had to declare how much money I was bringing in to the country. You may also want to declare any expensive electrical items such as Laptops, Camcorders etc. It is best to take low denomination dollars, $1s, $5s and $10s, which you  can exchange for rubles, at about 1450 to the dollar..

Hot tip number 3... The dollar is widely used in Minsk, to exchange for Rubles. Each of the 'touristy' hotels can exchange dollars, and also there are exchange booths in the larger department stores and some banks. You can also acquire money with your credit a card. I was met at the airport by Nataly, (Phil's agent) and Alex, her husband, who drove me in to Minsk. It took about 30 minutes. The drive takes in several tourist attractions, which all seam to be war memorials or some other form of disaster... I arrived at my apartment, which looks a lot worse from the outside, than it actually is. It was clean and  warm. One quirk is that the government control the central heating, and how much hot water you get. I had my own 21 year old 'au pair', Julia, who cooked my breakfast each morning, and spoke perfect English. She was a gem, always helpful, offering tips, on where to go and I appreciated her company and conversation first thing in the morning. If you go with an open mind and do not raise your expectations, then you will not be disappointed. There was a TV, video and mini hi-fi, to keep you entertained.

Hot tip number 4 Invest in a copy of the 'Lonely Planet guide to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus', it is full of tips for the tourist, and it is worth knowing about places of interest, where to eat etc., before you go. I already had 3 dates set up with women I had chosen, but also another 10 on standby, just in case.. I was only going for a week, so I may not have the time to meet all of them, but it is best to meet more, otherwise you might not meet your perfect partner.. My first meeting was with Angela, who I had already spoken to on the phone from England.. She spoke good English, and we had a great night, with drinks at 'Patio Pizza', an Italian restaurant in the city centre.. We  agreed to meet again the next night (Sunday).. Sunday Lunch I met Natalaya, and I needed an interpreter. She was very cute, but shy and timid. We had a good chat, but after 2 hours the conversation became strained, and I decided to call it a day !!

My second date in the afternoon was with Maya, a banker, who was absolutely gorgeous, and spoke very good English. She took me to a Russian cafe bar, where we had a long conversation and also made each other laugh a lot. I had forgotten I was meeting Angela again, so had to make my excuses to Maya and dash off to meet Angela. We went for dinner in a typical Russian Restaurant. great food and they brewed their own good beer on the premises. We had some photos taken, and sank a few vodkas. I really liked her, but I was also thinking about my previous date Maya, and phoned her the next day to arrange a dinner date for Monday night.. We met, but it was a disappointment. She was not the same as before, quite aloof, and in fact decided to go home after just 3 hours..

I was not deterred, and the next day, took the agencies advice, and agreed to meet more women, and boy was I glad.... I met with Natalaya number 2, a 27 year old  nurse, who's personality I instantly fell in love with. She was so determined with her English, and tried so hard to impress me. I could tell she was more serious than the others, and what was really cute, is that she carried her Collins English/Russian dictionary everywhere. After 2 hours our meeting was over, and I immediately asked her for dinner the following night. We met, had dinner, and talked into the small hours. The next day, she finished work early, and again we talked and talked. We were very attracted to one another.. I decided she was the one for me and that night I asked her to come to England to spend Xmas with me. She was shocked, as I was the only one who had written to her, and I believe that she underestimated herself as one who would be attractive to someone from the west. It takes all kinds to make the world go round, and after the offer had sunk in, she agreed to make the trip.

Hot tip number 5... You may meet the right woman the first time, or it could be the last date you have. The girls are not expecting to be carried off into the sunset, by a knight in shining armour!!.... Although they may be disappointed if you do not arrange to meet them again, they will not take it personally. All the women I met, told me they wanted to be loved, respected and cared for, and give the same in return. They are unspoilt by western attitudes, they are not materialistic. A shopping trip for them means buying necessities, not luxuries, although most of the girls make a real effort to look good all of the time.

It was my last day, and Natalaya took the morning off work, so we could share our final few hours, before I left for home. If everything went to plan, we would be together again in 6 weeks time.. We walked around Minsk, took some photos, and had them developed within the hour. I bought some souvenirs, and chocolates for Natalaya's mother. We visited the British embassy, where I registered myself, and found the documents for Natalaya's visa application. I left her with $50, which is the fee for the application. I also copied my passport and visa to prove I had been to Minsk, along with a few photos of us together, outside a famous tourist attraction, which would help when she submitted her application ..We said our fairwells, and both agreed to be patient until we were together again.

I was picked up by Alex, and driven to the airport. You need to get rid of all your Rubles before leaving the country, and have to fill yet another declaration form in, to check if you are taking anything illegal out of the country. The departure lounge looks like the waiting room at the local job centre, but it is well organised, no hitches, and I arrived safely back in London, within 4 hours, including my connection in Vienna...On the train home, I phoned Natalaya, and she said she felt like she was in a dream. Everything had happened very quickly, but when you are both looking for the same things in life, there is no need to waste time when you have found that special person.

Hot tips number 6. This may be different for other Russian countries.. I had only know Natalaya a few days, but  we decided to apply for the visa as soon as Natalaya had all the relevant documents. As long as you are honest and sincere in your intentions, then you will not have a problem. Applicants need to be prepared, with all relevent information to accompany the application. Visit the 'foreign  and commonwealth office' website, where you can see an application form in English, and it also provides guidelines for the 'sponsor' or 'invitee'. I faxed Natalaya, an invitation, addressed to the British Embassy, stating our relationship as 'friends', the dates of her visit, stating that I would support her financially whilst she was in England, confirmed my marital status, occupation and annual salary, which was supported by copies of my salary slips and other  personal details. The only reason a visa will be refused, is if you give the Embassy, the impression that your intentions to visit England are dishonest. On the 6th of November, just 11days after I had last seen Natalaya in Minsk, she took her application and supporting documents in to the British Embassy. After 20 minutes and a few personal questions about me, she was given the good news that her application had been successful, and she collected her passport that evening.. So far so good!!!! Russell November 2001