Traveling to Russia with other children

I know our agency allows travel of other people besides the parents, but there are additional fees to pay for the other people traveling (besides the extra airfare). I think the fees might be for extra hotel lodging and trans. fee. since it might require more space then the driver who will pick you up has. We have not traveled with children for an adoption....we are waiting for our first trip right now, but we are not taking our 2 kids with us when we go simply because they will most likely be in school over our 2 trips. Their grandma is going to come stay with them here at our house.

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Ok, we have made our first trip over and I will tell you, our children (especially our son) could not have done what we did. Our daughter is 9 and she might have been ok, but I think it was better she stayed home. Our son is 6 and he could not have endured what we did on that trip. The plane ride alone would have been tough. It was hard leaving them behind, but they were in good hands with my mom and definitely had a lot more fun than riding on a plane for 16.5 hrs each way.

We just came back from Russia 2 weeks ago with our newly adopted daughter. We brought our son age 6 with us on the second trip. He was great. We had to wait out the 10 days so we really couldn't have left him for 3 weeks. It was pretty boring for him at times in the hotel but he was fine on the flights and we had a 9 hour internal flight to Moscow. I think it was a good experience for him to return to Russia and see his sister's adoption. I think it was helpful for him to understand his own adoption on another level.

Definataly check with your agency. My trip was a long time ago but it would have been tough on a four year old. I had long layovers and lots of waiting. Another family that adopted when I did had two children with them and they were not allowed to bring them into the courtroom. They were not told this until right before court. Their children were around 6 and 8. They were told to leave them out in the hall. Luckily for them we were early for our court, so we watched them. They were still nervous since all they knew about us was that we were american and adopting also. I was afraid we would get called in early or thier court would run long or something and we would have to leave her kids. I know that most of the cars were very tiny and their idea of how many people fit in a car was not the same as ours. There were not seatbelts in most cars and no carseats at all. People drive scary. One hotel we stayed in was filthy. We had to drink sparkling water which didn't taste good, and so I had issues with trying to not get dehydrated. The only other thing I found to drink that was safe was pepsi light (diet) and it was expensive. I would check with your agency, because they are going to be familiar with the region you are going what type of accomodations there are and transportation and what the judges are like.

Emphatically, no. I was just in russia, our last trip was in february. I have a five year old son, and while it would have been a great experience for him, I have some problems with bringing sibs. #1, this visit is about your adoptive child. You need to focus all your energy on your adoptive child, and that is impossible with older sib in tow. The visits, the prep, going to different offices for notary, medical exams, etc., you need to be on your A game, totally focused on the task at hand. Especially for the visits, those are soooo important for you to totally focus on your adoptive child(ren). #2, its relatively safe, and its a great experience, but I think we would be naive to say that americans are never targeted in foreign countries. People have VERY strong feelings about americans. We're loud, we're obnoxious, we feel entitled, these are the stereotypes. When I was in Russia, we kept as inconspicuous as possible - just put our heads down and got done what needed to be done as quietly as possible, without drawing attention to who we are and where we're from and why we're here. Can't do that with a little kiddo! And its important to not totally stick out like an american sore thumb, why put yourself out there as a target? Can't do that with a little one. In a perfect world, great idea!! Great experiences, great family togetherness. But unfortunatley we don't live in a perfect world. Forgive me for being strongly opinionated about this, I'm not normally so strongly opinionated, and I hope for that reason this carries some weight for you. I feel this way because I've been there recently and the memory of the things we went through are fresh. I cannot imagine taking my oldest, no way. Don't get me wrong, most of the people were so nice, nicer than your everage american! And they love children, they all dote on children. Its just not a hot idea. And it will make your life a lot easier to leave your child with a trusted family member or friend. Or, for 2 of our four trips, I went alone and my husband stayed home with our two older kiddos. Good luck!!!

There are several things to consider. 1. Russian protocol. In general, you will find that siblings are not allowed into the orphanages, because of the possibiity that they will be sick and spread germs, causing all the children to come down with a bug. Your other children will usually have to remain outside the courtroom, as well, to preserve decorum. As a result, when you go to visit your new child, you will have to have someone in your party remain elsewhere to supervise your existing child. If you can, bring another adult, such as Grandma or an aunt or friend, if you plan to bring your other child. 2. Some agencies prefer or require that you not bring other children, even if you bring another adult to help out. It makes for more complexity in arranging for drivers, for one thing, since the cars are often small and there may not be room for an entire party in one vehicle. So be sure to choose an agency that welcomes siblings, if you plan on bringing your current child. 3. Above all, consider the personality and habits of your current child. Is he/she an adventurous eater, or does he melt down if there's no macaroni and cheese of the right brand? Can he sleep comfortably in a strange place, or does he believe that a new room will have monsters, that the linens don't feel right, that it's too dark or too bright, etc.? Does he need to travel with 39 stuffed animals and scream if he's limited to one? Can he sit still in an airplane if you provide some toys that are not too loud or messy? Does he freak out in the presence of strangers who may want to pat his head, or does he enjoy meeting new people and showing off his talents? Does he catch every bug going around, and become unbearably grumpy, or is he fairly healthy, coping well with the occasional virus? A flexible child with a good sense of humor may be a valuable asset to travel, helping the new addition to your family overcome the fear and shock that goes along with getting a new Mom and Dad. But a child who is very rigid, easily upset, or sickly may make your travel hellacious. 4. The issue about health is very important and should be reiterated. If your child has any chronic medical conditions, talk to your pediatrician about traveling with him. Remember that access to American-style medical care may be limited, especially if you are going to a remote area. Even if he doesn't "flare up" often, you may be too anxious about his wellbeing to give enough attention to your new child. Sharon