List of things to take to the Ukraine

[ghost of moon goddess]

Cook ?  What's that ?

Celluloidheros, you are not a gastrosexual ! Are you?   

[ML]

Cool my phone is a multiband phone but dont know if it's GSM, I will check thanks

Quite simple.  In USA,

ATT and TMobile are GSM.

Sprint and Verizon are CDMA.

There is one CDMA carrier in Ukraine now.  Velton, but their coverage is probably not as widespread as the GSM carrriers MTC,  KyivStar, Life, BeeLine, Golden and a few others.

Plus with CDMA phones, there is not an easy to change chip as there is with GSM phones.

Highly recommend you buy an unlocked, quad band GSM phone on ebay.  No need to sign up for a carrier.  Just buy the unlocked phone and slip in the chips as you move around from country to country in Europe.

[Muzh]

Highly recommend you buy an unlocked, quad band GSM phone on ebay.  No need to sign up for a carrier.  Just buy the unlocked phone and slip in the chips as you move around from country to country in Europe.

NYET. Wait until you get there and you can buy a brand new iPhone 3 for about $200 which will be way cheaper than buying a good unlocked quadband phone on eBay.

BTW, the iPhone will work with both GSM and CDMA. The CDMA in UA is relegated to the cities ONLY.

[ML]

Just checked on ebay.  Can get for $39 used and $59 new Motorola Razr.

[JR]

Quite simple.  In USA,

ATT and TMobile are GSM.

Sprint and Verizon are CDMA.

There is one CDMA carrier in Ukraine now.  Velton, but their coverage is probably not as widespread as the GSM carrriers MTC,  KyivStar, Life, BeeLine, Golden and a few others.

Plus with CDMA phones, there is not an easy to change chip as there is with GSM phones.

Highly recommend you buy an unlocked, quad band GSM phone on ebay.  No need to sign up for a carrier.  Just buy the unlocked phone and slip in the chips as you move around from country to country in Europe.

I bought TWO new, unlocked phones (Samsung, T-Mobile) on ebay: niether would work with my chip from the Ukriane. I had my blackberry unlocked and it works fine with any of the half dozen SIM cards I've installed.
One of the easiest ways around this is to buy a phone at your destination. The downside is that the English characters will be SMALL(((
 
Also don't forget to pick up a outlet adapter for charging.

[ML]

I bought 4 new unlocked GSM quadband phones on ebay.  One Motorola, 2 LGs, and one from Hong Kong without even a name!!.

All worked fine with SIM chips in Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, France, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Finland, and UK.

[celluloidheros]

Celluloidheros, you are not a gastrosexual ! Are you?   

   Now that's funny.  as a matter of fact.  My first long term GF of like 15 years (Her name was Lisa)  now she was my doctor and I was her first patient.  I worked on her for 3 months before she agreed to have lunch with me.  I invited her to my place and cooked a nice rainbow trout and wild rice dish.  I burned the rice but she was impressed that i had backup rice in the oven keeping warm.  Well after lunch, i took her upstairs and that was it, 15 years of fun.  I always asked her if it was my cooking or something she saw while giving me my physical that attracted her.   

So yes, i am a Gastrosexual so look out ladies.    I can make Spaghetti, Pizza, Ramon Noodles, mac n cheese, Lucky charms, you name it. 

Gordon Ramsay's got nuthin' on me girl. 

[SMS60]

Just checked on ebay.  Can get for $39 used and $59 new Motorola Razr.

I bought 2 of the refurbished Razr's unlocked. I think the same $39 price. Worked perfectly with assortment of sim cards overseas. Good for basic phone and txt messaging.

They are GSM quad band. 850/900/1800/1900.

[TheWongs]

I always assumed that any unlocked quad band works in Ukraine. We take phones there every time we go for her sons (they tend to lose, damage and drop them in the sea a lot). If you have any problems, there is hundreds of phone shops, second hand shops and markets where you can get a second hand phone very cheap. I dropped my good phone down a toilet one night while I was a little bit p***ed and was meeting a lady the following day (I had to text her in the morning to arrange it). I just got up early, went to the market, bought a phone for about $15 - $20, sent the text and met the lady. No problem at all. The guy in the shop even changed the menu's to English for me. 
 
You can walk into almost any shop or market and buy good TP. The people there tend to use the "rough stuff" because it's cheaper and they have more important things to spend money on. I always take a roll, but that's only for the train journey we have to take from Kiev to Kerch (23 hours).
 
If you don't speak any Russian, it would be good to learn a few words. The people respond very well if you show that you have made an effort... The ladies love it too!    Not saying you should learn the language, just things like hello, goodbye, please, thankyou, two beers please. You know what I mean...
 
If this is your first trip you are in for a great time! The people are great, the historic buildings and monuments are interesting, the nightlife is non-stop and the women are beautiful! I love it there! 
 

[steste1122]

For the record, Verizon has several world phones that operate on cdma and gsm.

I was thinking when I travel to russia in may i might just turn off the cdma and use wifi to make calls with skype, since there is an app for that.  Works just as good as any other option, and can do video as well, although calling mobile to land lines are extra.

[ML]

For the record, Verizon has several world phones that operate on cdma and gsm.

Let's be careful in our wording.

Verizon doesn't make any phones.  Verizon is a carrier along with Sprint, ATT and TMobile in USA.

Phones are made by Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson, LG, Samsung, Apple, et al.

[chivo]

Gordon Ramsay's got nuthin' on me girl.

You've received good advice on what to bring, now a little on what not to bring. And that would be too much of your "own" sense of humor. Best to check that at your front door on your way out.
 
Not saying you're NOT funny, but if you take the sense of humor you've been using on the forum, it will more often than not fall flat on deaf ears.
 
When you talk to the girls, speak clearly and slowly with basic English, no slang or cultural references and try to keep the humor as you understand it to a minimum. This is not saying you shouldn't be yourself, most certainly do, just understand this difference about humor. You can thank me later  .

[mendeleyev]

You can make the luggage lighter by dropping "the" from the name of Ukraine. That should save a few kilograms.   


Phones are cheap and so are SIM cards. If you have a Quad band phone like a Razr, etc, bring it and buy a SIM card at a phone store. They're plentiful and easy to get and a young kid who speaks some English is generally just a few steps away to explain it to you.

Voltage is 220V, type C plug (northern European) so you'll need a converter. A laptop has built in converters but things like cell phones and hair dryers do not.

When traveling to the former FSU, North Americans should remember that this area uses 220 volts standard electricity. That is double the 110 back home so to keep from burning out your phones, cameras and other appliances you'll need to bring a voltage converter. As Russia also uses the Northern European type C plug, you'll need an adapter too.

I recommend this one called the "Walk About" as it adjusts voltage as needed, includes surge protection and includes a USB plug which makes it possible to charge more than one thing at once.



The Walk About electric converter with USB.
Buy it: http://www.walkabouttravelgear.com/electg.htm

This unit already includes the type C plugs for Europe that you'll need when traveling in the former Soviet Union. Here is what standard 220 plugs look like:




Standard outlet plugs in Northern Europe and the EU, type C.

[mendeleyev]

What are the clothes shops like there, like can I buy a few shirts  or bring them all from home.

Bring from home but pack light. Russians/Ukrainians aren't under the impression that clothes must be changed every day.

You can buy clothing here, nice things, but sizes aren't cut the same and enjoy some shopping and take home some cool things for yourself without the burden of needing to purchase here.


WI-FI:
Results will vary. Most rental apartments will have wireless. Some hotels will or will have an area where you can hook up. If not, buy a dongle at the phone store.

Internet Cafe locations are common.


If you have meds or wish to bring vitamins or cold meds, bring them. Toothpaste and shampoo, etc, can be purchased very easily almost at any metro station if you have someone to speak Russian for you.

Stealing or losing camera happens from time to time, mostly losing them, and I use multiple SD cards and/or an upload site for photos every couple of days so that a lost camera doesn't mean I lost all the pictures taken.

[Patagonie]

NYET. Wait until you get there and you can buy a brand new iPhone 3 for about $200 which will be way cheaper than buying a good unlocked quadband phone on eBay.

BTW, the iPhone will work with both GSM and CDMA. The CDMA in UA is relegated to the cities ONLY.

Muzh, are you sure that you can get an iphone 3 for 200$. I have a lot of doubt, first there are not so many shops which sell it in Ukraine, second Apple for what i know don't have any officials in Ukraine, third the price i saw about iphone last november was at least the europeans prices in euros. There are chineses copies of iphone, but i don't know what you can get with such mobiles.

[Faux Pas]

You've received good advice on what to bring, now a little on what not to bring. And that would be too much of your "own" sense of humor. Best to check that at your front door on your way out.
 
Not saying you're NOT funny, but if you take the sense of humor you've been using on the forum, it will more often than not fall flat on deaf ears.
 
When you talk to the girls, speak clearly and slowly with basic English, no slang or cultural references and try to keep the humor as you understand it to a minimum. This is not saying you shouldn't be yourself, most certainly do, just understand this difference about humor. You can thank me later  .

Excellent advice IMHO

You can walk into almost any shop or market and buy good TP. The people there tend to use the "rough stuff" because it's cheaper and they have more important things to spend money on. I always take a roll, but that's only for the train journey we have to take from Kiev to Kerch (23 hours).
 

This I just don't get. I have never been to Ukraine but I have traveled all over Russia and have not found anywhere TP wasn't available at the very least to buy. Why would one pack TP in a suitcase? Is there really a butt hole so sensitive it requires special TP? 

[Muzh]

Muzh, are you sure that you can get an iphone 3 for 200$. I have a lot of doubt, first there are not so many shops which sell it in Ukraine, second Apple for what i know don't have any officials in Ukraine, third the price i saw about iphone last november was at least the europeans prices in euros. There are chineses copies of iphone, but i don't know what you can get with such mobiles.

Pat, go the any store outside the Sumskaya Metro station in Kharkiv and you'll find one. Same iPhone you'll get here. Can you say contraband?

[Muzh]

You can make the luggage lighter by dropping "the" from the name of Ukraine. That should save a few kilograms.   

Thx 

Phones are cheap and so are SIM cards. If you have a Quad band phone like a Razr, etc, bring it and buy a SIM card at a phone store. They're plentiful and easy to get and a young kid who speaks some English is generally just a few steps away to explain it to you.

Voltage is 220V, type C plug (northern European) so you'll need a converter. A laptop has built in converters but things like cell phones and hair dryers do not.

Point of information. I bought some unlocked RAZRs on Daily Steal and the converter's plug was the Northern Europe plug with an adapter for USA and worked fine in UA. The US converter we originally had, and "made" for the US, worked fine in UA with a NE adapter.

Same for my Nikon and JVC SD Video.

[Misha]

A laptop has built in converters but things like cell phones and hair dryers do not.

I agree about the dryer, but are you sure about cell phones? It seems to me that I have plugged in my iPhone with an adapter in the 220v parts of the world without any problems.

[Muzh]

Oh, not to mention my laptops.

[Jack]

I can't really comment on the price for i-phone 3 in Kharkov but can regarding the i-phone 4 in Kharkov.  I can assure you there are no i-phone 4 phones for $200 in Kharkov.

For the last 1.5 years no one in Kharkov has asked for an i-phone 3, only the i-phone 4 and over the last 1.5 years every trip to Kharkov, and Lugansk, I am bringing in i-phone 4's.

I go to ebay, you have to know what you are looking for. There is a difference in these i-phones and some do not work in Europe, some do not have sim cards, some are locked. With the i-phones I end up buying I will pay in the ball park of $500 to $600 each.  I'll add about $50 to my cost to cover the shipping and my time and when I get to Kharkov, and Lugansk, always have people who have asked me to get them this phone and are paying $550 to $650.  As of today I have not bought an i-phone 5 because no one has asked for a 5, only the i-phone 4.

[ML]

Voltage is 220V, type C plug (northern European) so you'll need a converter. A laptop has built in converters but things like cell phones and hair dryers do not.

Virtually all  phones sold in USA will easily handle the voltage here and in 220V countries.  Same for electric shavers and camera battery chargers and mini DVD players.

Best to always read the specs but, after all, mobile phones are designed to be 'mobile.'      These specs usually read 110-240 V.

[ML]

Here is the 'scoop' on toilet paper.

Yes, you can readily find American quality TP in many shops (and certainly in supermarkets) in most cities in Ukraine.

However, you are unlikely to find ANY TP in many public places, as you are accustomed to in USA.

You may or may not find a beginning supply of TP in the apartment you rent.

Best procedure.

1) Roll a quantity of TP around your hand until you  have approximately the bulk of a folded handkerchief.  Put this inside a zip lock baggie and put in your back pocket.  Carry it with you every day of your  trip. Your gals will swear you are crazy (if they see it), but then they will also ask to use your stash at some point.

2) Find a standard sized roll of TP at your house that has about one fourth to one third left on it.  Pull out the cardboard center.  Yes, this  takes a little playing around, but can be done.  Then flatten the remainder, put in a zip lock baggie, and place in your carry-on luggage.

This second source will save your ass when you arrive at apartment with the runs and discover there is no TP there.  It will also serve to replenish your back pocket cache if you encounter the same during your flights, etc.

[Muzh]

I can't really comment on the price for i-phone 3 in Kharkov but can regarding the i-phone 4 in Kharkov.  I can assure you there are no i-phone 4 phones for $200 in Kharkov.

For the last 1.5 years no one in Kharkov has asked for an i-phone 3, only the i-phone 4 and over the last 1.5 years every trip to Kharkov, and Lugansk, I am bringing in i-phone 4's.

I go to ebay, you have to know what you are looking for. There is a difference in these i-phones and some do not work in Europe, some do not have sim cards, some are locked. With the i-phones I end up buying I will pay in the ball park of $500 to $600 each.  I'll add about $50 to my cost to cover the shipping and my time and when I get to Kharkov, and Lugansk, always have people who have asked me to get them this phone and are paying $550 to $650.  As of today I have not bought an i-phone 5 because no one has asked for a 5, only the i-phone 4.

Jack, last summer while going to meet with Terry I was caught in a nasty rainstorm so I got into the big "mall" right next to the Sumskaya metro. I believe "Friends" cafe/nightclub is next to it. As I walked down the hall all you could see were cellphones for sale. There was even an "official" Apple banner and paraphernalia.

I asked my friend Natalka (she's with Maidan) if this was real. Her hubby who's a techie asserted these phones came from the same place in China that ship them to the west.

My wife has an old classmate who lives in Kyiv and he asked us if we could get him an unlocked iPhone and he would pay me when I got there. When I told him I could find one for $400 he declined because he could find it cheaper there.

[Misha]

Jack, nobody is asking for an iPhone 5 because they don't exist yet