My first trip to Russia was from Jan 19 to Feb 7 of this year on a single entry tourist visa. Now I would like to plan a second trip in mid-May, largely for the purpose of having a non-legal ceremony at a church in my fiancee's home town so we can involve her family and friends. This should be 90 days (but just barely) if that matters.

Should I just apply for a second tourist visa the same way I applied for the first one? Is there anything I need to know? Am I worrying for nothing?

Yes, this should be mostly strait forward, just apply and register the same as you did before.

Should I just put down that the purpose of the trip is "tourism" like I did before?

Mind you, I would like to see the interior of the Cathedral On the Blood...

I was little confused by your original post. Do you plan on staying in Russia around 90 days?
In that case you should apply for a private visa which will require your fiancee to go to the OVIR and make an invitation. The private visa is good for 90 days as all tourist visas are limited to 30 days. Also in my opinion registering a private visa is easier and gives you more flexibility than the tourist visa which favors hotel accommodations for each day you are in Russia. And a private visa is cheaper than a tourist visa based on the prices offered online for the invitation form. Although it does require a few more steps and you actually receiving the invitation.
Also be careful not to mention that you are "married" under the church-ceremony. Don't' bring any pictures of that "wedding" to US immigration officials to avoid unnecessary confusion.
Otherwise good luck! Lots of cool pictures on your site.

No, I'll be there for about a week. But you touch on something I wanted to bring up anyway: For my second trip we are planning on spending minimal time in hotels, maybe just the first night, and the rest of the time (excepting travel) will be at her parent's place in Almetyevsk. Will this be okay? Or will I have to ask her to send me a letter of invitation? Will I have to register in Almetyevsk as soon as I arrive? (she was warning me today about the long lines of foreigners who want to work in the oil industry, which I would have to stand in in order to register my presence for a four day stay ).

No matter what visa you use if your stay is longer than 72 hours you must register. Since you are going to be staying in her home you will have to register at the OVIR, unless you can find a hotel that will do the registering for you without you having to rent a room there. This "scam" and go "around" of official registration laws has been tough to do as of lately. Also most OVIRs won't register a tourist visa anyway. I am shocked at the long wait. Usually the OVIR has special hours during the day when they register foreigners. Coming at the right time with all the documents filled out and bank slip paid will speed up the processes. Your fiancee should call there and find out the exact procedure to make things easier.

Does this mean I should NOT get a tourist visa? Will I need her to send me a letter of invitation?

Even 2 Tourist visa's would not cover the length of your stay (30 - 90 days ?) What you want is a "Homestay" visa. This Visa is good for 90 days. Your Significant other will have to go the OVIR office
and arrange an invitation. You can find information about "Homestay" visa's on the Russian Embassy website.

If you plan to go in May, you should get started now. There is no telling how long the OVIR will take to issue an invitation. Then you will still have to apply to the Embassy.

Getting a homestay visa is nearly impossible now. (I've tried - it isn't worth the trouble). That being said, an un-registered tourist visa is not a major offense in Russia. My last one wasn't registered (I tried for two days, paid a few fines for going to the wrong offices, learned the hard way...) In the end, it didn't matter.

I think the best bet now is to either:

o get a business visa that can be registered anywhere. [Probably preferred by Russian authorities, since these cost more]

o get a tourist visa and don't register it. Worst case, you pay a 1,000 rbl fine if you get caught.

NEVER OVERSTAY A VISA. The penalty for this is serious. They won't let you leave Russia. For months.

In general, in Russia, plan on keeping a crisp $100 bill in your passport. If you get stopped on the street, it is best to give whoever is stopping you a "tip" for their trouble. $50 is reasonable outside of Moscow. FYI - the bribes I've paid in Russia have been for my wife's papers, not mine. Even her FSB connections haven't been enough to sort out these problems. They have helped for many other things, though.

Others on here can post their experience about the difficulty or ease of registering a tourist visa at the OVIR. Like I said before, officially the OVIR should refuse to register tourist visas. If you do not plan on staying at a hotel go with the private visa. Email your fiancee a copy of your vital passport page and have her make the homestay invitation. It will take roughly 4 - 8 weeks to get the invitation letter to your fiancee. Then have her send a certified letter using Russian post. You should receive it about two weeks later. My estimates are based on my experience from the OVIR in Western Siberia.

I think he said it would only be for a week.


As for the type of visa, I have done it both ways and I have found it was easier to get the tourist visa here in the states using one of the online services. The homestay visa requires the special invitation letter which she must apply for from the OVIR, wait for it, and then send to you. You will then send it along with your passport to the Russian embassy here for the visa. Time might well be an issue even if you start now.

I have never had any issues getting my tourist visa registered at the local OVIR.

You might have her ask around to find someone who knows someone at the OVIR (it's the way things get done there) that can help you get the process completed quickly.

And if you think you will be making more trips back within the year I might suggest looking into a mutiple entry business visa.

In the Central Region (Voronezh, Lipetsk) this is generally not possible. We have tried a few times. From what I have heard, Moscow is much easier.

(By not possible, I mean it would take 5-10 visits to various offices to get the necessary paperwork. In Lipetsk, they wanted letters from the police, employer, FSB, etc for the person sponsoring the invitation. Each of these letters would take the better part of a day to get). For us, the effort was more than for an I-129F and AOS combined. (hence, why we have never been able to get one).

As a side note, the folks at the local OVIR office were excited to meet me in Lipetsk. I was the fifth (#5!!!) American to ever try to register there. Ever. This is a city of half a million people. Many Italians, though. They still made me pay fines, though.

I guess the process for getting an OVIR invitation various widely by region. So much for Putin's centralization plans. My fiancee simply had to fill out a basic form, with a few details from my passport and get a slip from the government bank that she paid the fee. She did everything in less than a day. Then they actually called her when the invitation was ready for pickup.
Why did you have to a pay a fine? If you came within 72 hours not counting holidays and weekends there was no reason for that.
My favorite story at the OVIR was a Ukrainian pensioner visiting her kids in Siberia. She crossed the border into Russia by train on Monday but the train didn't arrive into Tomsk until Thursday. The officials made her pay a 1000 ruble fine for late registration. And Ukranians don't even need visas, they just need to register. She was fighting it out when I was there. I hope she won her case.
On a side note, my fiancee did have to affirm and sign that she was going to be my "sponsor" in Russia. It always makes me laugh because I am coming from America and end up spending more than she makes in a year in one month.

Russ, you over paid drastically. I've paid for my wife's paper's as well. But 250 rubles ($8) in Novosibirsk and 100 rubles ($3) in Sochi. I would never give them anything more. I speak perfect Russian. I claim to be a poor student. I talk with them kindly. Joke with them about my experiences in Russia. Tell them how much they'd be respected in America and how much money they'd make. I even invite them over for tea. This tactic even got me out of a 300 ruble fine for making an incorrect left turn while driving because the sign was hanging about 100ft in the air and I couldn't see it! These officers know how much Russians make per month. It is unrealistic to ask for more. Only if the officer begins to insist that we go down to the station would I consider raising the bribe beyond 500 rubles. I've been to Moscow as well. And talking is the best, just as long as you are not in a hurry. And the best of course if to let your fiancee do all of it. And just sit back and watch. Don't be the "rich" American throwing his hard earned dollars around, unless it is absolutely necessary.

This was in Moscow. They had already searched my wife, so the question wasn't "how much will you give me," but "how much do you have." The took almost all the money in her wallet. The choice they gave us was pay, or be detained (and thus overstay my visa - we were going to the airport). This happened just outside the Kremlin.

Renewing her Russian passport was quite an ordeal (pay a fine for it expiring while you were in the US), Then keep paying fines if you get caught without it. (It took months to get a new one).

BTW - they did nothing about my un-registered visa. Didn't even give the registration card to passport control at the airport.

My first trip I registered with the hotel which is no problem.

The second trip we stayed in an apartment. I took some bad advice and booked a hotel room for one night. The intent being to bribe the hotel clerk to register the visa for my entire stay. No success on that.
Thus we went to the OVIR. Olga filled out a form and they registered the visa no problem or payment.
This was in Bashkortistan.

Hopefully the process will be a smooth and easy when I travel there next month.

Though as was previously stated all areas of Russia are different.

It is amazing the differences in everyone's experiences in Russia.

While I was there, I was never checked by anyone. On the way out from SVO, the guy checked my papers, but didn't look at them too hard. I remember thinking to myself "next time, I'm going to save my money and just not register." Especially since my next trip will be to the Far East where there is slim to no chance of registering at the hotels without getting hosed and the OVIR is "closed," or open, but the rate to register is another $50. I'll probably just play dumb at the airport if they ask.

Speaking Russian definately helps. If you don't speak it well (which I don't.... not enough to talk my way out of trouble or a $50 bribe with the militsa anyway) I've heard the best approach was to play dumb and say over and over in English... "I don't understand... I'm going to have to call the American Embassy." But, like I said, I was never stopped. I think maybe I was never checked because while there I tried to blend in with locals as much as possible. I hung out with a group whenever I was without my fiancee. A group of drunk twentysomethings will hardly ever raise an eyebrow from the cops. It seems that most cops only messed with "obvious" foreigners or people by themselves. Or, the older guy speaking English to the young beautiful girl. Just speaking English is enough. Take a long pull from your Baltika 6 and just say "AAAAAAAhhhhhh!" while briskly walking by them.

I stayed in my girls apartment on my first visit and we tried to skirt the system. She had a friend that worked at the local Intourist hotel and I went and payed some money for her to register my visa and stamp my immigration slip. Unfortunately it was stamped for a 2 day stay but I was there for 2 weeks. I knew there might be trouble when her and her friends prompted me about what to say, a few days before we were to fly to Moscow from her home in Rostov-on-Don. Sure enough at the airport for the domestic flight when they checked my ticket and passport they pulled me aside and started with me. I just kept telling them I didn't understand, and that I stayed in the Intourist hotel 2 days then moved to another hotel and didn't bother to register. Fortunately my girl was helping me and asked me if I had $20 US. I gave her a $20 bill and she stepped into a room with the man and returned just a few minutes later. For $20 we were off the hook and even "escorted" the rest of the way through security! My girl was furious and told me he just wanted the bribe.

Of course I was very nervous in Moscow leaving the country and wondered what troubles I might have. NONE. They hardly even looked at my papers. From then on we registered at the OVIR and never had any trouble.

The only other time I was stopped was leaving Red Square because I was running my mouth in English. A policeman pulled me aside and wanted to see my documents. We had just arrived and the hotel had my passport for registering so I only had to show my hotel card and that was sufficient. He let me continue and no bribe was necessary. I did see many young men being stopped by police in the Metro following the rash of Metro bombings.

Getting a homestay visa may take a very long time, mine took 3 months and then forever to reach me by mail, had to scramble to get a tourist visa instead and then getting the OVIR to register it required a letter from the tourist company to the OVIR office stating I had changed plans and was going to stay with friends, it also required a good friend to someone in the office helping us out. Russian tourism is down like 10 percent this year, if they would use a friendlier approach to people in regards to visas it would certainly help. Anyway its easier to stay in Moscow and use an internet visa provider who has an office in Moscow, thats a slam dunk.

Holy Smoke! I'm glad I didn't try to get a homestay visa last fall when I was planning my first trip!

I had been thinking I would just go back on a tourist visa and stay with my fiancee for about 8 days (not at a hotel), and if a 1000 ruble fine is the worst that can happen, well that is less than one night in a hotel. But reading this thread just now I was reminded about having to go through passport control in Moscow so now I am wondering if I should take the time to (try to) register at the Almetyevsk OVIR (on my tourist visa).

For the amount of time and effort involved in even trying to register a tourist visa, I wouldn't even bother. You (at a miniumum) still end up paying some type of fine, plus wasting a day with OVIR. If you think US GOVT offices are depressing, you will be shocked. The exception to this advice is if you are in a hotel anyway - let them register your visa there. You can legally get away with 3 day "gaps" in registration if you claim you were travelling. Not sure how much I would push this, but in theory, as long as you change cities every three days you are ok. Someone looking for a bribe won't see it this way.

On the practical side, I have not heard of anyone having a problem bigger than the 1000 rbl fine for unregistered visa. I don't know of anyone being denied exit from Russia because of this. It doesn't seem to be a major offense.

(Visa overstay is a big deal - don't consider it).

DISCLAIMER: These are my opinions, but know what you are doing before following my advice. My advice includes breaking Russian laws, which is sadly a fact of life in some cases. Don't blame me if you are arrested/deport/sent to the gulag.

I sure worry about not registering and thinking you will just "pay the fine" and everything will be OK. That puts you at their mercy and you never know... I seem to recall one guy telling me it cost him $100.

I have not had a problem registering my visa at the OVIR, but we did check in advance and made a contact at the office so we had a persons name and they were expecting us. Payed the small fee at the bank and brought the receipt and were in and out in less than half an hour. Not sure what one would expect if they just showed up at the OVIR.

Does anyone know of anything worse than this happening?

The guy at the airport that got my $20 told my girl that I could be banned from returning to Russia, but I really believe it was just a scare tactic to get some money. I have never heard of anything worse than the $100 fine.

Hmm, well if a 100 dollar fine is the worst thing that can happen that is still less than the cost of staying in a Kazan hotel for two or more nights... way less than staying for five nights or so.

What is the bank fee you mention?

I'll ask Diana if she knows anyone who knows anyone in the OVIR to see if she can arrange something ahead of time.

I think the bank charge was 25 rubles although one time we did not even have to have that receipt.

Of course if you plan on just "paying a fine" on your way out of the country and you get stopped at the airport they can really screw things up if they pull you aside and keep you for a while. Just long enough for you to miss your flight.

I am in the same boat as you here. Twice my fiancee ordered the private invitation without any troubles paying half of what it costs for a tourist visa. I received the invitation with no problems in 2003 and 2004. Similarily we registered at the OVIR in less than 1/2 an hour + 1/4 hour at the bank with the 25 ruble fee. No fines or bribes. All legal. No hotel tricks and the like. Nobody was even expecting us at the OVIR and we didn't know anyone there. My fiancee simply called and asked what time they do visa registrations and we showed up accordingly.
I guess some people just have more trouble than others.

My first 4 visas to Russia were all tourist visas. On my fourth trip, although I properly registered my visa in Moscow, I traveled to areas of Russia where my official invitation and visa ‘did not’ specifically authorized me to travel. I was stopped by local police and fined 3 different times for not having a visa or invitation specific to my place of travel. The total of the 3 fines was 3800 rubles.

I have never been asked for my visa (passport) by authorities in Moscow or St. Petersburg, except when arriving and departing the airport or stepping on a train.

You should be able to acquire a tourist visa from a visa-related business in Moscow, and list Almetyevsk as one of your cities to visit. You have 72 hours (not counting the weekend) to register your visa after your arrival. You could arrive in Russia, go to Almetyevsk, get your fiancé, and then go to Moscow for some days and to register your visa.

I have traveled in Russia with a business visa during my last 3 visits. I acquired the invitation and received a 1-year multi-entry within a period of 3 or 4 weeks.

The business visa costs a little more to acquire, originally, but you can make up the difference in cost with multiple entries.
You are supposed to carry proof of a recent (within 6 months) HIV blood test -- I went to the nearest AIDS clinic and had it done for free. I simply carry the test results with me while in Russia.
You must register the business visa a second time once 6 months has passed from the date it was originally registered.

I do not know if the option of using a business visa is available to you in Almetyevsk - that is - receiving the invitation and registering it there. You may want to contact some of the visa-related businesses that are there and ask them about it.

It seems to me that you could use the same company I use in Moscow. They sent my invitation and registered the visa. It took 5 days for the actual registration, but I was given a receipt to use in place of my visa while my visa was in the process of being registered. You could list Moscow, Almetyevsk and a third vicinity as the areas you will be visiting. Although you are legally allowed to list 6 or 7 places, this particular business limited me to 3.

The company I use: http://www.visatorussia.com

I certainly wish you the best.

I used this company for my first tourist visa and will probably use them again. They seemed pretty good.

I'll be there for a little over a week, maybe a week and a half... A one stop flight from JFK to Kazan. We'll stay in a Kazan hotel on the first and last nights and I was considering registering at the cheapest, seediest hotel in Almetyevsk for a day or three in the middle of that period (the hotels in Almetyevsk are either very bad and full of prostitutes, or very expensive and full of oilmen).

I have used www.russia-visa.com and they have been very good. All my information is in their files so all I need to do is type in my passport number and name and pay. I send them my passport and they keep me informed with e-mails when they receive it, when it goes to the embassy and when it will be returned to me. They also have affiliates in Moscow and St Petersburg that can register your passport.

The part about this whole process that has always puzzled me is the use of companies for issuing and registering visas. It is essentially paying someone "extra" for the same government service. In political science this is very inefficient. The second part that puzzles me is why people rely so much on these companies rather than their own fiancees who are citizens of Russia and know their system best?
In comparison, imagine if your fiancee prior to arriving to the US, paid some firm $100 to pick her up and help her fill out forms for her Social Security card. This hypothetical firm took orders online and said getting a SS card for K1 visas was quick and easy. I'd imagine you'd be shocked. Because you were just as capable of walking into the SSA office and helping her fill out a one page form. And in hind sight you know she'll get the card and there is no reason to pay a firm. And if there are problems you know how to get them solved here in the US.
And for those that argue convenience and ease, my hypothetical firm is both
The same reasoning applies to visa registration and the booking of hotels and apartments. (Again, imagine your fiancee paying some firm or guy in the US an extra $50 per night to be able to place an order for a hotel in Las Vegas - through their translated, convenient, and simple website).
This was just some food for thought. Because it always makes me laugh to think that sending your passport directly to the Russian consulate with your ordered tourist invitation, which should be given out for free or a minimal charge to anyone who books at a Russian hotel is less reliable then sending the passport to a firm (extra cost), who then pays a courier (extra cost) to take the passports to the consulate. And the scenario gets even funnier if you happen to live within 25 miles of the consulate.
My final advice on this is to use the private visa if you know you are going to Russia, going less than twice a year, will be staying with your fiancee, and you are planning your trip more than 4 months in advance.
Otherwise default to the tourist visa for hotel stays and short notice trips.
And for people that go frequently the business visa is the best.

I can vouch for this! I missed my flight on the last day of my visa. It took me 4 days, and help from both American Embassy and Russian Embassy before they would give me an extension to leave. My tourist visa sponsor was in Volgograd, and they were not at all helpful - 'cause I was in Moscow when my visa expired. But at least I got out of there in one piece, and rather quickly at that! The visa extention cost me an extra $110, hotel for 4 days, and lots of worrying. The only good thing was that my fiance stayed with me the whole time!

Now I have to answer 'Yes' to that question about overstaying a visa. And I had to go in person to the Russian Consulate office in Houston to get my last 2 visas! What a pain in the ... neck! Hopefully in the future, I can just mail in the visa application without the "interview" for my tourist visa.

Okay, MONTHS might not have been exactly right, but it can certainly take longer than four days.

They don't really care why, either (flight cancelled, airport closed, serious illness). You will still have problems.

Plan on leaving at least the day before your visa expires. Good safety tip.

Months might be closer than you think! Austin got off easy in my opinion. When I was getting my private visa registered at the OVIR I discussed visa overstays with the person in charge over there. She told me that a lady from Israel had over stayed her visa, was denied boarding at the airport in Moscow, and sent back to Siberia where her visa sponsor was. Then 1 month later through a court order received a stamp in her passport that she could exit Russia and a 5 year ban on re-entry to be placed in her file. I don't know if that file makes it back to the Russian consulates in the US or even circulates within the Russian computer system, but what a pain in the butt. Poor lady probably lost her job back home and all that good stuff.

Yes, I know I got off easy. Four days is extremely fast!

I only spent about $3000 in expenses trying to get out (hotel, additional airfare, cost for new visa, etc). And my boss (and his boss) was very understanding. Most other places I know would tell you to get lost after missing only one or two days of work.

Maybe they gave me a break because I tried to get the visa extension the last day of my then-current visa. I should have stayed in the "transit" area of the airport. It would have made things a LOT easier. But I was stupid then. I'm a LOT more seasoned now! Now I get a visa for 30 days, even if I'm only going to be there for 1 or 2 weeks. Sage advice for anyone traveling to Russia!

You said you might stay in a hotel the first night. That would register your visa and you would not need to worry about it. It only takes one stamp on the back of your entry card to fulfill the requirements. There are services that will register it if you don't but most are in the major cities. If there is a hotel where you are going they can probably register your visa for you too but they will charge you for a one night stay even though you don't get the room.

The stamps have dates on them -- in theory there should be no gaps over 3 days.

In practice, this should work fine though (for a short trip).

I would've been running across the border in that case!



Good idea! When my Algerian visa was issued, I requested that the visa dates extend a few days before my actual trip, and extend to at least a week after my expected departure so that I don't get caught up in an overstay!



I'm so sorry to hear about your guys visa issues!! I never realized the issue in Russia was that difficult to navigate around with.

BTW - OP those are awesome and beautiful pics of Russia! I may visit one day, but, too afraid of visa problems?? lol

Ironically this is one of the suggestions given by Russian officials if you think you are going to overstay your visa. It is much easier to cross over the boarder and get another visa back into Russia then it is leaving Russia with an expired viss!

One should never heed the official advice given by our government:
"Unexpected and irrational features of the restrictive and complicated Russian visa regime will surprise even seasoned travelers" http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1006.html
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=131660

Well planned tourist visits are as simple in Russia as any where else. Assuming you are staying in hotels and going through official tourist channels. I'd be more concerned about the outrageous prices for tourism in Russia which is starting to to hurt that sector of their economy.

=== From the site above:
By Russian law, travelers with an expired visa may not check in at any hotel, guesthouse, hostel, or other lodging establishment in Russia. There are no adequate public shelters or safe havens in Russia and the Embassy or the Consulates General have no means to accommodate such stranded travelers.
=== end quote===

Planning to leave Russia on the last day of a visa is dangerous, in particular by air. If your flight is cancelled, you are basically screwed. Aeoroflot may not check you in for the flight, or a future one - waiting in the airport may not be an option. Remember, my wife was not allowed to check in for a weather-delayed flight, nor a future one.

If you are in this situation, the best thing to do is leave Russia by any means possible, flying to any country you can. From St Petersburg, driving/train/bus/flight to Finland is your best choice. From Moscow, a seat on any flight at almost any price will be cheaper than staying. Kiev may be cheap, no visas were necessary last time I checked.

I've been to Russia twice and never stayed in a hotel. I rented a private apartment and had my visa registered by a local travel agency. That only took a few hours and a coupla bucks. No big deal at all. For each visa I put my fiancee's address as the place I would be staying during my visit only because I wasn't sure I could rent an apartment. I was successful in renting a place both times, and never changed the address on my visa application. No questions where ever asked.

How much was the apartment? Where? What service? Etc., Etc., Etc.!

I did it twice, once in Sochi and then once in Moscow.
Both time were through Russian run agencies in the US.

The first time they arranged the apartment and got the visa including taking care of the invitation and registering me in Sochi.

The second time it was not only the same for Moscow, they also make the flight reservations AND because my passport had less than six months they expedited the renewal of my passport FIRST and then walked the new passport over to the Russian Consulate.

I did pay extra for it all because it was a drop-dead rush.

Hi again, I got back last Thursday, I stayed in hotels the whole time except for a three day period (Saturday night through Monday night), which included Sunday. At passport control they seemed to be debating whether to hassle me or not but eventually waved me through without any questions.

Getting this big honkin' framed crossstich picture back to the United States (a gift from Diana's aunt, so that when I looked at it I would remember Russia) was a bit of an adventure though... but that is a story for another time.

Welcome back tuekros. Glad to hear everything went well on your trip. Did you even register your visa at all? Each hotel maybe? Or, did you just say "forget it" and passport control went ahead and waved you through?

Oh no, I registered at each hotel (Izmailovo Delta in Moscow, Shalyapin in Kazan) and did everything legally.

Any fees for that, or did they just do it as part of your stay?

I don't think there were any additional fees - Diana paid for the hotels and I paid for the restaurants

The trick is to get registered for the whole duration of your stay... I've done this and not had any trouble, even when traveling and staying at various locations (different cities). I once tried to register again at another location and they looked at my current registration and told me it was unnecessary to register again.

For my future visits I'm getting a one year, multi entry, business visa. I have heard that this is the easiest type of visa to register and they like it because it's the most expensive but I've been told that with this type of visa you may register it at any place you like... Hotel, OVIR, service agent, etc... With 3 trips over the next year this visa will actually save me money over multiple tourist visa's.

In the past I have been turned away from OVIR with a tourist visa and had to jump through hoops and pay for a nights stay at a hotel that I was not staying at just to get the damn thing registered for only 1 night but even with that I was not given any trouble when leaving.

Dave

That's awesome! I would so be getting the better part of that deal! Elena loves to eat "soup and salad" just about everywhere we go. With hotels being so pricey.....