Hi guys, i've been planning this trip for some 3 years now, and as most i have read countless pages on everyone's experiences..
My situation is slightly different.

My work schedule is working 28 days on 28 days off. so essentially i am planning my trip around this.
think/say what you will this is how it is to be done.

Now hurdles, i have visited the Russian consulate in Sydney, Australia and was asking how i can manage to organise visa's for such a journey. Lets just say that Yuri wasnt very helpful.

So my scenario requires me to enter and exit Russia three times. at various locations.

Question:
1) is it just possible to get three, one month visas. e.g. use one visa, go back to work, apply for another one during the 28 days at work, then return?

2) is it possible to apply for a 6-12 month special visa for non standard visits? if applied through correct authorities?

3) should i look for another route?

Thanks guys!

If I understand you correctly I think your whole plan has a few potential problems, to start with you will be flying back and forth between your work and wherever you are every 28 day and presumably leaving your bike there and picking it up again. Apart from the expense this will often be impossible as you will not be permitted to leave many countries without your bike.
Secondly this tight schedule leave no room for problems such as getting ill or getting stuck somewhere for whatever reason and being unable to get back to work, it sounds like one very stressful way of travelling which not what it should be about.
I would suggest that you do what most people do and either speak to your employer and get a leave of absence for a year or so, or just pack the job in a get it or another back afterwards, you will enjoy what should be the trip of a lifetime more without the hassle.

Hi Dominic,

question 2):
It is possible to get a multiple entry visa for Russia. Although these are business visas. No worries, it should be no big problem to get one. I found an agency in Germany that did this for me. Sending the passport, money and some papers and a few weeks later I had my Russian business visa.
I'm not sure about Australia, but I could imagine that something similar exists there.

Google turns up with lots of links:
https://www.google.de/search?client=...NYeGtAas7IHYBA

Good luck and enjoy Russia. Its a beautiful country!
Cheers from Berlin
Patrick

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Mark I would usually agree with your judgment, but as you know life throws you some curve balls, i work a volitile profession. original plans were to leave the company i was previously at at the commencement of my trip next year, but they went bankrupt, so i have just started with this new company. and in all honesty i think its a good send, the ability to be based in Myanmar if i wish opens up europe/asia via singapore. I have been planning this for three years thus far. I believe there is no point waiting for a better time, as you will always be waiting. but again, i do appreciate your comment.

OnkelKarle.
this is the kind of answer i was after
thank you! in a matter of fact, I spent a year of my life as a young teenager some 15 years ago in Moscow?

Cheers again
Dominic

I also plan on a world trip for quite a while.. But together with my working situation and the job situation of my girlfriend (a just upgraded career) - it was not a good time to start.

We have looked after the biggest possible time off - and end with 2 months.

Not enough for the world, but we did a transafrica in these weeks

We had now the chance to get a idea about overlanding, we are prepared for starting again. But we wait for the optimal time.

I suggest that you did trips that fits your time plans - and wait till the job-situation change.

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I have to disagree with Mark. Most countries allow you to leave without your bike, including Russia . I regularly do shorter trips. It just requires you to be really organised. In cheap countries like India on SE Asia you are can rent a bike. Clearly flights are not cheap, but that's a given with this type of bike travel.

There is a lot of information on Russian visas on the hubb. Try the search button at the top.

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A good point I had not thought of and might suit your travel/work plans better than taking your own bike, worth thiking about.

Sounds like a nice opportunity to me, though you would need to be organised. Perhaps you work in the type of industry where your employer pays your flights after each shift, which would be fantastic. The problem of leaving the bike in a country is not really a problem, but perhaps finding a safe place to leave it will be. Travelling on and off like this, you might be able to stay in trip mode all the time, with just short interludes of work, which you can get through with the anticipation of jumping on the bike within a few weeks. Sounds pretty good actually

You need a multiple entry visa for russia, which by necessity is a business visa. You need no legitimate business in Russia, just pay the right people (i.e. a Russian visa agency) and go. A one year multi entry business visa would be perfect for you, as you can stay 180 days, and enter / leave as frequently as you wish.

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Hey Guys,

thanks again for the comments. I have done SE asia, i have done rented bikes.

my plan for this trip came when i came to the conclusion there were to many places i wanted to see and constant renting of was expensive

there might be better times for some. I suspect this isnt my only trip i will be doing in my life so i need to get on with it.

Besides this point, thanks danielsprague i am now looking into this!

For the Russian leg of the trip as others have answered a Russian 1 year multi entry visa will cover the practicality of entering and leaving the country regularly. For the bike you just need to make sure the paperwork has an exit date on it thats late enough to cover your multiple entry and exit strategy. I found Russian customs relatively easy to deal with and getting the right date shouldn't be a problem (there are threads on this in the Hubb if you search). As for leaving a bike there all towns have (a) secure parking lots which charge about $4-5 dollars a night so compared with all your other costs won't break the bank for a months storage and (b) often have active motorcycle communities withwhom I suggest you could also probably arrange storage.

How easy the European part is depends on whether you have any EU citizenship - very easy with that. Otherwise I believe that EU countries have (for some nationalities at least) a tourist visa rule of no more than 90 days in 180 days rule that applies across the whole EU (ie in the present day of linked data banks you cannot spend up to 3 months in UK, followed by up to 3 months in France etc as backpackers used to do- it is no more than 3 months total in the EU).

Can't provide any comment on African or American legs of the trip.

An issue I suggest about a 28 day on / off trip is going to be culture shock. It always takes me 2-3 weeks to get into a trip (probably longer in a challenging place) and for me I'm not certain I'd be able to enjoy what you propose. However only you can judge whats best for you - what you propose can certainly be done without too many complications. Good luck.

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