What We Promise You

We promise to provide professional and personable guides and service people, whose goal will be to give you the trip of a lifetime. Those that are associated with our tours are all there to help serve this purpose and will do all in their power to insure you are happy. We also promise to give you a tour laced with history without beating our viewpoint of history over your heads. It has always been our policy to set forth the facts of what happened in this region and let you decide how you feel about the matter. It is not our place to dictate how you should feel, so this is not on our agenda. Lastly the services provided to you will be the best available in any given region. Be this the hotel room, the food, or the bus and driver.

Some tips that might assist you on the trip will be provided in this section. We feel that being honest with our trip goers is very important so we are both frank and blunt in this section. We want you to know what is ahead and have no surprises in store for you, unless they are good surprises that is! Before the trip you will get more detailed information that will assist you in getting all you need in place for our adventure.

First: Do not let traveling in Europe or in Russia scare you off. Since September 11th the market place in Europe/Russia has been safe and these areas want to have US travelers to return. While personal safety can not and will not be ignored, please do not let the shock jocks that are now mainstream media scare you into not going. Finland is a wonderful place and very friendly to Americans. It is one of the most cultured and hospitable nations in the world. Travel in Russia in not as easy but is indeed safe. When you sign up for the trip a travel guide will be mailed to you addressing these and other such issues in detail.

Second: We want you to come into these trips with an open mind. The region we will travel is indeed not well known to many here in the West, and it is our main goal to show you a side of history you might not have been exposed to in the past. If you come into this trip with a closed mind then rest assured you will not have a good time. The history of this region will be presented to you by those that lived through it, which is not the norm on many such tours that are lead solely by US-Western guides.

Three: Do understand that women are MORE than welcome to go on the trip. In the past we have done trips with women as well as trips without women and too be honest there was no real difference in the results. We do want all women to understand that much of this trip will focus on World War Two history and some of the areas we will travel will be remote. While the time in Finland and in Saint Petersburg Russia will be spent in areas well suited for the "finer" things, some of the more remote areas will be no frills. The more inaccessible regions around Lake Ladoga are pretty rural without having a lot of facilities in place. This should not be a real issue but again it is best to know this ahead of time. The comfort level of the trip is the best we can do but there is no way around the fact of how "non-frill" small sections of the trip will be. All outlets we visit or stay will be suitable and the best available in a given area.

Four: You will get a do's and don't list from us that will assist you more with the general questions. If there is something you really MUST know, please contact Tuco@mosin-nagant.net and he will assist you.

Five: If you have ANY health issues we need to be aware of YOU MUST share these with us in the informational form we provide. If you do not provide such information then you might not be allowed to travel with us. This is done for your safety. The same goes for diet as we need to know if you have any special needs due to medical reasons. We will do our best to work around this diet and will inform you up front if there is nothing we can do. Those that are on special diets need to be aware that while in Russia the food is basically whatever you get, as the food services in Russia can be tricky. That is one reason we bring our own Finnish field kitchen along but the traveler needs to be warned there is a limit on what we can do in regards to special diets.

Six: The rates are for a double room so you will have a roommate. If you are a non-smoker and do not want to room with a smoker, this is information we need to know ahead of time. If you want a single room we can work something out but there will indeed be extra charges passed on to you. If you have someone you want to room with us, you must let us know ahead of time to insure this can be done. Also note that children under 18 are not allowed unless this is cleared with the tour leaders.

Seven: You need to speak with your health care provider to make sure your coverage will cover you in Europe. Most plans do but the way health care is now it is best to be sure. AAA and other outlets offer a cheap supplemental traveler's insurance that you might also want to look into. We do not and can not provide any such health coverage so you are required to have this in place.

Eight: We will be doing some walking so please keep this in mind. Some of the areas of the battlefields will require some hiking so you must be ready for this. In the past we have had men and women of all ages with us and never had an issue. Still we feel it is always best to put this up front so you know what we will be doing ahead of time. Do bring a good pair of walking shoes or boots as you will need them.

Nine: Look forward to having a great time as we are here to please!

Ten: As those that take these trips are mainly collectors or historians some of the best information comes from conversations taken up with fellow travelers. We have been blessed to have many weapons and history experts travel with us and all are more than willing to share their knowledge. If you are a new collector or new to the history of this area - you can rest assured you will learn much and also be welcomed with open arms. With Battletours we leave ego at the door.