What to pack

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• Be sure to pack lightly.  Most people find that they packed too much for their trip and regret having to lug it all around.
• Bring good clothes, according to the season.  In winter you will definitely need a warm jacket and shoes.   You can buy one of the famous "ushankas", or fur caps with ear-flaps when you get to Russia. You will feel like you fit in more if you wear dark colors, as that is the style, especially in Moscow.  Many women remark on how well dressed Russian women are, and wish they had brought a more stylish outfit. 
• Voltage converter. Electricity throughout Russia is 220 volt/50 Hz. The plug is the two-pin thin European standard. Be sure to bring your own voltage converter and adapter, as most places in Russia do not provide them.
• Woolite and bungee cord clothesline, so you can wash clothes in your hotel room.
• Flat stopper, if you want to stop the drain in the sink or bathtub to wash clothes. 
• Antibiotics for yourself in case you get sick.  Ask your doctor to write you a prescription
• If you are traveling on an overnight train, or going to a smaller Russian town, you want to bring your own sheets and towel.  You will also want soap and some toilet paper.   
• If you are traveling in winter, bring good face and hand cream or gel to protect against cold weather.
• Small gifts for your hosts.  This could include chocolate, liquor, cosmetics, toys for children or postcards of your home town.
• Parents who have been to Russia to adopt children have tips about extra things you will want to pack if you are adopting:
• A journal and camera to record your trip so your children can read about it in the future.
• Scabies cream so you can treat your child immediately if he/she has it.
• Shoes and clothes for your child.  Bring clothes appropriate for the weather in Russia , as well as back home.
• Zip lock bags to hold things from sippy cups to soiled clothes.
• A Snugli carrier if you are adopting an infant.
• Freeze-dried food and snacks.

Phones, mail, internet & news

There are public telephones widespread throughout the streets of most Russian cities.  Some take tokens, and many take cards that can be bought at ticket booths in metro stations.  Be careful though, as different types of phones take different types of cards, and some pay phones do not allow for international or long distance calls.  You will be able to make calls from a private phone in your hotel room, which may be the cheapest way.  You must dial 8 and wait for the dial tone before calling a long distance number within Russia.  To make an international call, dial 8, wait for the tone, then dial 10 and the country code and your number.  Moscow has a directory service which can be reached by dialing 09.  Cell phones often do not have service for American companies in Russia.  Additionally, you will need to obtain permission to bring a cell phone into the country and get a certificate, which can take up to two weeks.  Cell phone rentals are available, and may be a better plan if you need a cell phone while you are there.

There are many of post offices and mailboxes in Russia, but service can be unreliable and very slow at best.  You will probably be better off using an international or national delivery service, such as Federal Express.

Internet access is available in most hotels.

The Moscow Timesis published five days a week and is Moscow 's most regular English-language publication.  Some of the leading Russian-language papers are the Kommersant and the Vedomosti.  Almost all Russian newspapers have Internet news sites now with English sections.  Some of these are Gazeta.ru, Polit.ru, and Pravda.ru.  The main TV stations are RTR, which is state controlled and reaches farthest throughout the country, ORT, and NTV, which is more popular among cosmopolitan Muscovites and Petersburgers, and represents a more critical view of the government.