Can you cross a Russian border without a visa but with knowing names of Putin and Orban?
Here is a funny story from our support team.
Hunting is all about enjoying the beauty of and interaction with nature. Before you gear up for your dream hunt to enjoy all this though, you need to know what you’re getting into. Paying attention to all the details and knowing the right questions to ask your outfitter up front will help make your hunt a success. But, as we know, in real life everything is not always this smooth.
A group of Hungarian hunters found a capercaillie hunt in Russia on our platform. After a few e-mails and phone calls with an outfitter they booked their hunt, finalized their itinerary, and bought tickets for the internal high speed train.
Our support team suggested help, but the hunters refused as they were very confident after discussing all necessary questions with the outfitter directly.
Finally the due date came – and off they go to Russia! … Or so they thought.
The hunters went to the Schwechat International Airport in Austria and arrived at the check-in desk. The desk clerk from the airlines started to check the passports before pushing the luggage to the belt:
– Desk Clerk, “Where is your Visa?”
– Hunter, “What kind of Visa?”
– Desk Clerk, “The Russian Visa…”
– Hunters, “Aaah, for us Hungarians it is not necessary for sure! For Austrian citizens it is required, but for us Hungarians it is not!”
– Desk Clerk, “But…”
– Hunters, “Listen! Mr. Putin and our prime minister, Mr. Orban, are very good friends! They are building a nuclear power plant at a reasonable price for us… We do not need a visa for sure!”
The hunter was so confident that he was very close to winning the battle, but the oldest and most experienced clerk at the next desk pointed to the screen which said “Visa needed”. Terrible news, but it was true. Caught up in the excitement of a new hunting adventure, everyone simply forgot about the visa issue.
The hunters were close to despair and then they then called BookYourHunt asking for help. Of course we found a solution and all visas were issued in 2 days and the outfitter changed dates without any extra costs. New tickets were booked and a BookYourHunt representative met the hunters in the airport.
5 days later in Russia the happy hunters were with 2 capercaillie birds, 2 black cocks and a huge bear as well.
Who knows, maybe referral to close relations with Putin and Orban can help Hungarian hunters cross the Russian border without a visa, but for sure we don’t recommend trying it! So be careful with international trips and travel. Don’t gamble on your hunt of a lifetime, book your hunts through BookYourHunt. You are still dealing directly with the outfitter, but you will have much more support with no extra costs. As you can see, protection and support can prevent a lot of potential problems and are vital in some cases.
