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So you’re in Russia and having a mad time of it. But what about your poor parents worrying themselves silly: how to get in touch?

In central Moscow and St Petes there is no problem finding Internet access, at about 60 roubles an hour. (Samsung is currently offering 30mins free access in Moscow on Ulitsa Tverskaya). In smaller cities there is usually one Internet café. Access can be slow.

It is free to call home numbers from a home phone, so Russians have no real need for public payphones. In the past public phones were all call card (cards sold at the Metro ticket booth). Now there are more coin phones but they aren’t the most reliable and don’t make international calls.

A better way to phone home is find a call centre. You tell the assistant where you want to call and for how long, and then dial the number.

Mobile phones are the latest fashion accessory right across the country. A good idea would be bring your own mobile, making sure it’s unblocked first, and buy a SIM card in Russia (Legally you have to be registered to buy a SIM so bring your passport when getting it; if you just have a Tourist Visa there could be problems buying one). A SIM card is around $5.

If you want to send letters or postcards home charting your progress, be warned! The Russian postal service is infamous for its bureaucracy and sluggishness (it can take up to a month for letters to reach home). My friends spent five hours trying to send packages to Ireland. This involved itemising every object and sewing everything into a pillowcase for extra security! Give your letter to the post office to send instead of looking for a post box.