Its going to get hot!

[remiel6]

I don't believe that its ever easy to find that special someone. It certainly isn't for me. I'm 37 and will be getting married for the first time this year. The fact that this is a very difficult endeavor to begin with is one of the reasons why I humbly submit that if you don't write good letters and are not comfortable and cannot be intimate and personal in letters I think this is a recipe for disaster. I know many will disagree, and cite lots of evidence to do so, but hear me out. From my point of view why on earth would you travel 6000 miles to a place you've never been to before to see a girl you've written 5 or 6 letters to. I'm not sure you know her well enough to know whether this is going to work or not, but that's just my opinion. Expectations have a lot to do with this. If you struggle in relationships back home for whatever reason traveling to the FSU is not going to be some magic cure all for why your past marriage, or relationships did not work. Criteria number one to me that you must have to succeed at this is patience. If you do not have it, this is the wrong endeavor. Criteria number 1 that your significant other to be must have is patience.
I think most men are victims of unrealistic expectations and get bitten by trying to do to much. This is not a science. This is the problem I have with "methods" and "timelines" You are not trying to build a house here, you are trying to find a person to spend the rest of your life with. so with that in mind my advice is
Go out, be open minded, don't rush into anything, but don't wait too long either, and be flexible. You have to meet people and hopefully you will find the right one. Hopefully being the operative word.
Too many people try to turn this into a recipe for baking cookies or something. We are dealing with people here. They are by nature, irrational, unpredictable, and prone to change their mind for no apparent reason other than it seemed like a good idea at the time.

[dogspot]

I don't mind giving it the old college effort but it's the loss of time and money that concerns me... I'd personally feel like a loser if I went through the whole process and come up with nothing.

This is the wrong mentality when starting this endeavor, IMO. Chances are, you are going to make a couple, maybe a few trips over, and come back with nothing more than memories of a grand vacation. Perhaps this is the way people should look at this, rather than looking at it as a wife search. You are taking a vacation to a country that most of your friends, neighbors and peers have never dreamed of taking. You will be experiencing things that you probably never would have experienced had you not made the decision to get on that plane. It is a vacation, with the POSSIBILTY of meeting a special woman.

The problem with the 'loss of time and money' mentality begins when you meet a woman and you begin to see things in her character that you know you cannot live with, but the sex is so good, she is beautiful, and you have so much fun together. You've already spent a great deal of money on visiting her (and getting a close look at Russian life and culture that most tourists won't ever see) and used valuable vacation time to do it. Even though you like her, perhaps even a lot, you know that your future with this woman does not look bright. But you've invested so much time and money in this...Would you be able to let her walk?

[Faux Pas]

  I like the timeline that the OP provided but I think it's important to stress that the everyone needs to work within a timeframe that they are comfortable with... although you can't drag your feet either.

  This topic does hit home for me as I've been at a serious cross roads the past few weeks as to wether to jump into this search or back away. I'm not against any angles/situations that need to transpire in order to make my quest a successful one. However I've noticed that the majority of those who post on here and other boards seem to come up empty handed in the end. While some come up with nothing due to poor judgement or being merely a sex tourist, I'm still a little bit at a loss for words on why the honest guy still comes up with nothing. I don't mind giving it the old college effort but it's the loss of time and money that concerns me... I'd personally feel like a loser if I went through the whole process and come up with nothing.

   At the end of the day it seems to me that the numbers shift towards the fact that majority of those looking for a FSU lady are probably not going to reach their goal.

Cutting straight to the chase here GE you really should step back and evaluate what is important to you. The pursuit is froth with both time and money with absolutely no guarantee of success. Many of those that fail may ultimately just enjoy the thrill of the chase. Others are not capable of developing a loving, nurturing relationship no matter where they go, yet others are just unlucky in love. Many of these guys carry much baggage and failure is nothing new to them.

I say this because I do not believe the "perfect woman" exists anywhere in the world. The "perfect man" doesn't either but many men that look to the FSU seem to be on a quest to find that perfect flawless woman. She isn't there. I found one mighty close but the reality of the matter is, she isn't perfect (neither am I). 

The time and expense investment doesn't even start until you do actually find love. Until then you are just someone taking extended vacations for dates. The real investment of time and money starts then. Thanks to much agency hype and bravado all one needs to do is buy a ring, hop on a plane and pick out a wife. While some do that (highly not recommended) in real time, success doesn't work that way. It requires much face time for which us Americans have to go there. This alone requires much time and expense but it doesn't just stop there either.

Take stock of yourself and your priorities. If your money and time are more valuable than a FSUW, back away now. There is no shame in it. If you are still sitting on the fence hang around, read and make a decision later. Some guys want this badly and can't afford the money, time and/or both. It isn't for everyone and the trail is littered with failure

[Dave13]

The major reason for me posting this; it appears that many of the guys are not serious. Of course you can  take additional time to write letters, phone calls, but be realistic it's not a relationship until you met in person. I went the agency route, but I became friends with the people who worked for LTP. After we had the opportunity to get to know each other, over some good vodka and food, they shared some experiences and insights to this process. Many of the ladies in the agency's are very interested in finding a good husband to share their life with, so they join and some guy writes them and they get excited.
 Over the months the guy keeps saying I will visit you soon, most never get on the plane, the keyboard Romeo's. So, after this experience, the ladies say "I will believe it when I see it"!
   95% of the men who start this journey never go, always finding reasons why they can't!