Looking for any advise how to proceed with a couple of ladies that I have been in contact with for 2 months. They invite me to the Ukraine?? Much appreciated..
Take a lot of dollars with you, wear black slip on shoes, wear a black leather jacket, smoke alot, Joking. Hmm Money is key, Make sure you get a reasonably priced apartment, pay for taxis yourself, make sure if she insists on using an interpreter they charge less than 15 dollars an hour. There are so many pitfalls its unreal, plenty of advice will follow i am sure.
If the agency is getting the apartment for you, beware. Sometimes it's a good deal, sometimes a complete ripoff - depends on the agency.
Check out www.ukrainefare.com and www.welcome-to-russia.com for a guide price on what you SHOULD be paying. If the agency charges more, don't be afraid to tell them you'll book your own arrangements. It won't be a deal-breaker. If they insist on you using their services, walk away
Any independent apartment provider like those above (there are others) will pick you up at the airport and return you, and usually provide all the same services as the agency, so don't feel tied to the girls' agencies (or the girls themselves if you're speaking to them directly. Sometimes they're getting 'commission' for arranging a foreigner for a friend).
Whichever city you visit, research it online and get a basic layout (I usually print some stuff out), including an alternative hotel, taxi and agency (just in case any of your original arrangements don't work out). If you mention the city you're going to on here, someone will probably have good personal recommendations.
Euros and USDollars are easy to exchange there, anything else can be difficult in the smaller cities.
DON'T GO unless you've spoken to the ladies, video preferable, phone at an absolute minimum. You should also have their own mobile number (and have tested it, so you know it's them). It's essential for contacting them when you land.
Very true, at this time of year you can get a pretty well equiped apartment for 50-60 dollars a day or cheaper if you are not fussy. Again beware of taxi rip offs if you get charged more than 10 Hrivna per mile in ukraine i would be asking questions. Food over there is whatever you want to pay, cigarettes and alchohol are very cheap. Do beware if the girl insists on using agency then really think hard, do your research on some sites and find out how much apartments and airport transfers are, if she comes at you with inflated prices then shes on the take and its all about how much she can get out of you from there.
I would recommend using an agency on your first trip. You will move past the agency once you meet a woman that is serious about you or you become familar with travle in the FSU. If you get stood up at least the agency will still be there to introduce you to other women. THere is a good chance that you will be stood up. Regardless of why this happens, you will have already incurred most of the cost of your trip just getting there and it will be a good learning experience. I used an agency on my first 2 trips to the FSU before I learned enough to travle about. The agencies I used were helpful and the cost of an apartment was + or - $5.00 per night the going rate. The cost of a private car pickup was the largest cost that I was able to remove and only the city that was a 5 hour trip. I paid $150. The driver had to drive there and then return, so for him it was 10 hours plus the layover. If you do get stood up then the agency can introduce you to other women. Unless you are very lucky, experience is all you will get on your first trip. You can see it as a positive experience or just that you got scammed. Both will have some degree of truth.
Ask for references here on the agency. Have apicture and names of anyone picking you up at the airport and leave a copy with a friend. Don't go with anyone you don't know and that has not been introduced to you in advance.
Let it not be forgotten that many women are on the payrolls of agencies whereas they encourage guy(s) to visit merely to revenue as much as possible out of him including accommodation, transport etc!
Ivor I understand this well. I think that I inferred as much. Still there are private scammers out there as well and probably much more insidious and dangerous. If someone travels to a place and cannot even read the road signs, it is much more complex that travel in the west. We can give advice as to what are unrealistic costs and as to what behavior is a red flag, but what is in a woman's mind, he is on his own. The agency is a business and ethics can be rewarded and dishonesty can be presented here on this forum. Would you advise your son to travle to a strange country alone and without the where-with-all to move about without professional assistance?
Rodan, you don't need to explain to me regarding 'private scammers' but that another, still ongoing, situation that I'll refrain from commenting about except to say that a UK court has recently judged in my favour for my circa $1,000.00 suing of the UK police ..... it's best you don't ask. :)
My previous post to 'pepper' regarding price/location was/is to establish if he is being scammed or not, that's all!
As it is defined on this forum,,,,, we are all being scammed, but the best they can do is scam us for 50 years and we can saddle them with children and use up all their youth and beauty in retribution. If they laugh at you, laugh back, at the end, everyone had a good time.
Im with the others in this case. First time? prepare to have everything go wrong, lol.
you should ALWAYS have a backup plan and then a backup for that.
I know it might sound bad on my part but I would suggest all first timers spend their first night in Kiev at one of the hotels that has a strip club on site. pick a girl and "get it out of your system" first night so you dont get taken by the first girl that pretends to like you. you will spend 150 bucks in all and she will look as good as anyone you actually date...and she is a sure thing;)
c'mon, Danny, I wasnt advocating unsafe sex. One should always be safe but
suggesting he have a "date" so that he can relax and not be hung up about being with a
pretty slavic girl;)
Some of us can now call ahead to our favorite club and ask to have specific kind of
girl:)))
It might not be right for everyone but it is a lot of fun
Why bother with strip joints? I was told every hotel has an arrangement. Just ask the taxi drivers hanging out front. They will either bring you there or have one delivered to your room.
I just arrived back from Ukraine last month after spending a week and a half there. Am a Kiwi-London boy. Good learning experience. Expected to be scammed/kidnapped/murdered and all of the above. Pleasently (sic) surprised, only ripped off a couple of times, but in the scheme of things, nothing on the UK. Met with 6 girls in two weeks, 3 duds, 3 really geniune ones, and of those genuine, 2 I really clicked with so now have decisions to make. 1 each in Mariupol and Melitopol. Travelled around by bus and train, both of which better than expected. Used the agency a lot, but definitely won't have to for next time around. Any questions, pm me!