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Travel Advice \ Health & Safety
Medical / Evacuation Insurance
If you have a Medical Insurance at home, you need to call your provider and ask if they will reimburse you any medical expenses (if occured) during your travel based on the receipts from a foreign doctor. Please be aware that your home insurance is not valid in countries of former USSR, Mongolia and China. Cash in most cases is the only method of payment if you want a good doctor, unless you are in the city with your Embassy. Most Embassies, particulary in capitals, offer medical help to their citizens or recommend local doctors. If you don’t have a travel, medical insurance or need an evacuation one, we recommend purchasing membership from International SOS.
SOS is the world's leading medical and security assistance company specializing in emergency evacuation and 24-hour help for any travel emergency.
DOT's Safe Travel Tips
For tips on flying safely with laptops, cell phones, and other battery-operated devices, please check this page here.
Immunization / Vaccination:
Unless you will be traveling to rural areas, particulary in Central Asia, Mongolia, China, there are no specific requirments for vaccinations. Yes, it is a good idea to make sure you are up to date with diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and tetanus. If you will be in the provinces, it is recommended that you are immunized against hepatitis A and typhoid and receive immuno-globulin injections. Tick-borne encephalitis and lyme disease have been reported in Siberia. For information on vaccinations and other health precautions, US travelers may call the toll-free numbers of the international travelers hotline of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747), may use the CDC autofax service at 1-888-CDC-FAXX, (1-888-232-3299), or may access the CDC home page on the Internet here
Medical Facilities and Standards:
The general perception about former USSR hospitals as the worst nightmare is still there. It is probably for the best that you hope for the worst, but few words on current situation might help. The health system of former USSR countries, Mongolia and China are no longer a state monopoly. This means that private clinics and doctors are available, and most certainly, new oil and industrial boomers such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, China are buying best medical equipment available on the market. Can they fully use it or not, it is a second question, but fancy clinics with good doctors are there today. Different story with Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and most of the rural areas. Be prepared for poor medical services there, often with minimal or no medicines at all.
Safety:
While issues of crime in Russia are greatly exaggerated, in Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, for some reason, they are often downplayed. In realty, it is somewhere in the middle. The good news, in most cases, the issue is predictable and preventable. Large cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Beijing, Tashkent are sure do carry some of the dangers of any such city worldwide. The type of crime that is of concern to tourists is still rather isolated and can be avoided in great part with common sense. The most common ones against foreigners are pickpocketing and bag-snatching. Travelers should be especially cautious when taking public transportation, and in crowded public areas such as markets, the Central Post Offices, popular tourist sites. When going out at night and taking taxis, stay in a group. Avoid walking alone through the city after dark. If you see groups drinking heavily at the beer kiosks, walk around them. They aren’t usually purposely dangerous, but they are drunk, which means they could do something stupid. On the trains, make sure your valuables safely packed away.
Terrorist Warning:
Terrorist activity has escalated in Central Asia and remains an issue in Chechnya Republic (southern Russia) and Caucasus (Georgia). In the border areas near Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgystan violence can still flare and some areas are mined. For more information, we recommend to visit Travel Warnings (US department of State) for up-to-date information.
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Health & Safety | |
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Sokol Tours reserves a right to cancel your trip if you fail to obtain health / evacuation insurance when required. Medical Release (Waver) form is also mandatory for certain tours and destinations. While accidents can occur anywhere, whether you are at home, work or on vacation, the stress of having to deal with these problems in a foreign country can become a hassle if not prepared. Most important is to approach this issue rationally. Both, over and underestimation might prevent you from realizing your long time dreams. If you are an experienced traveler, most likely you already know how to plan emergency situations, but if not, and for general information, please take few minutes to read our recommendations below:
If you have a Medical Insurance at home, you need to call your provider and ask if they will reimburse you any medical expenses (if occured) during your travel based on the receipts from a foreign doctor. Please be aware that your home insurance is not valid in countries of former USSR, Mongolia and China. Cash in most cases is the only method of payment if you want a good doctor, unless you are in the city with your Embassy. Most Embassies, particulary in capitals, offer medical help to their citizens or recommend local doctors. If you don’t have a travel, medical insurance or need an evacuation one, we recommend purchasing membership from International SOS.
SOS is the world's leading medical and security assistance company specializing in emergency evacuation and 24-hour help for any travel emergency.
For tips on flying safely with laptops, cell phones, and other battery-operated devices, please check this page here.
Unless you will be traveling to rural areas, particulary in Central Asia, Mongolia, China, there are no specific requirments for vaccinations. Yes, it is a good idea to make sure you are up to date with diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and tetanus. If you will be in the provinces, it is recommended that you are immunized against hepatitis A and typhoid and receive immuno-globulin injections. Tick-borne encephalitis and lyme disease have been reported in Siberia. For information on vaccinations and other health precautions, US travelers may call the toll-free numbers of the international travelers hotline of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747), may use the CDC autofax service at 1-888-CDC-FAXX, (1-888-232-3299), or may access the CDC home page on the Internet here
The general perception about former USSR hospitals as the worst nightmare is still there. It is probably for the best that you hope for the worst, but few words on current situation might help. The health system of former USSR countries, Mongolia and China are no longer a state monopoly. This means that private clinics and doctors are available, and most certainly, new oil and industrial boomers such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, China are buying best medical equipment available on the market. Can they fully use it or not, it is a second question, but fancy clinics with good doctors are there today. Different story with Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and most of the rural areas. Be prepared for poor medical services there, often with minimal or no medicines at all.
While issues of crime in Russia are greatly exaggerated, in Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, for some reason, they are often downplayed. In realty, it is somewhere in the middle. The good news, in most cases, the issue is predictable and preventable. Large cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Beijing, Tashkent are sure do carry some of the dangers of any such city worldwide. The type of crime that is of concern to tourists is still rather isolated and can be avoided in great part with common sense. The most common ones against foreigners are pickpocketing and bag-snatching. Travelers should be especially cautious when taking public transportation, and in crowded public areas such as markets, the Central Post Offices, popular tourist sites. When going out at night and taking taxis, stay in a group. Avoid walking alone through the city after dark. If you see groups drinking heavily at the beer kiosks, walk around them. They aren’t usually purposely dangerous, but they are drunk, which means they could do something stupid. On the trains, make sure your valuables safely packed away.
Terrorist activity has escalated in Central Asia and remains an issue in Chechnya Republic (southern Russia) and Caucasus (Georgia). In the border areas near Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgystan violence can still flare and some areas are mined. For more information, we recommend to visit Travel Warnings (US department of State) for up-to-date information.
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© 2010 Sokol Tours supported by BTM Team |
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