I'm new here and of course I have questions!! :)

[Crow331]

OK so I have only been thinking about this whole "meet a russian woman for love, marriage and children" idea for about 6 months (obviously this is just a broad statement). I'm 37 years old and ready to get married and have children (but ONLY with the right woman). I've always liked the way European/Russian etc women approach love, family and children, how they put these things first in their lives and that's what I'm looking for. I have dated a few European women here where I live and have gotten along great with them. Anyways, I've been on match.com, eharmony and even jdate (though I am not jewish!) expanding my horizons trying to find the love of my life. Well now I am obviously thinking of expanding my search ... globally!    I found this website a few days ago and have been reading endlessly ... my eyes are bugging out!    Anyways, great site, very informative.

Here is my basic question/idea to start as my first posting. I am going to Paris and Prague on vacation in September and I was thinking that "maybe" I would consider venturing to the FSU "IF" I met someone online that I was interested in between now and September. I've been looking at Elena's Models website for a couple months and I read good things and bad things about it and I also have read some posts here and I am obviously leary of getting scammed and have read the horror stories. So I was wondering if it was possible for me to join a site like Elena's Models "just to see" if I hit it off with someone, maybe she could possibly meet me in Paris or Prague instead of me going to FSU? That way I think that I would know that she was really interested in meeting me and I wasn't being scammed, if we sort of met "half way". I know very little about the laws and such over there. Can women travel freely to places like Prague or Paris if they have the means (money)??

I have never joined a website like Elena's Models before and have sent them several emails with questions, but have received no response so I'm not even sure how legit they are! Anyways, this is just all an idea in my head at the moment and I'm just looking for thoughts.

Thanks!

[Jazzyclassy]

Well  Dear Crow, welcome

Your  words about to find a right woman , made my day today , thank you so much to make my mood absolutely bright )

I would like to advise you to read , look through this forum and many topics here, if you  are truly  interested in russian women .....

right now with your attitude and perception of FSU it is very early and difficult to say about your great success here, plus remember russian women are not toys or somebody whom you will just have fun with and then carry on searching for your Right woman , you better stay where you are  really right now!

Eventually I think you will find the right woman , you seem to be sincere opened person , things should be great with you am sure:)

Maybe you should find women in Paris and Prague , cos it is slightly difficult for russian women to travel so freely all around the world, not only the money issues sometimes money  is nothing , it is the attitude  of the other countries to russian women  , they usually refuse them with visas , cos of silly prejudices. So if you want to meet russian woman you need to come and visit her in the first place, or at least find such alternative country where she has no problems to  visit  like Bulgaria or something like that.

Enjoy the forum  and never lose your own opinion

[DKMM]

Sorry Crow, JC is right.  If you want to play this game, you have to go there.  Opinions will differ but the 2 most common strategies for a 1st timer is to use an agency to set you up on dates or write a bunch of girls in a relative narrow geographical area and seek them out on your own.  Or sometimes a mix of both.
I think one thing a newbie has to adjust to is these girls aren't nearly as desperate to leave as you might think.

good luck!

[Lily]

Eventually you could consider joining Freepersonals.ru. May be some Russian and Ukrainian women are modest enough to consider themselves as 'models' and therefore would be hesitant to join Elena's...
btw, the www.neznakomka.ru just cam to my mind. It is free and even allows posting videos. Not many foreigners, though.
In September 2006 they organized an online beauty contest - really exciting event.

[SANDRO43]

it is slightly difficult for russian women to travel so freely all around the world, not only the money issues sometimes money  is nothing, it is the attitude of the other countries to russian women, they usually refuse them with visas, cos of silly prejudices.

Jazzy, the reason why tourist visas to UE countries may be refused to ANY woman OR man from ANY non-UE country is very simple and not due to silly prejudices: consulates must verify bona-fide tourism (and not otherwise) intentions of applicants, which implies return travel tickets, financial capabilities of subsistence, medical insurance, etc.

Usually no problem if you buy a package tour in your country, your travel agency will apply for your visa and it will be granted, because the above requirements are automatically satisfied. In short, the objective is to have REAL tourists, and not possible would-be immigrants (other types of visa are available for that, and they are not as easy to obtain).

To Crow331 : a package tour may too be expensive for many FSUWs with a comparatively low salary, so they expect to meet you on their home turf (except for scammers, who'll ask you to pay for it ). BTW; welcome to RWD !

[ScottinCrimea]

Welcome to the board!  The others are right about the need to go there.  If your purpose in having them meet you somewhere that you are already traveling to is to save money, you're already off track.  Even if they could get the visa, most FSU women couldn't afford the trip and it's not good for you to pay for her to travel the first time unless it's a relatively short distance by train, etc.  There are many ways to go about this.  Some will say that you must write to many and visit many on your early trips to maximize your chances.  Others will say this causes problems and better to focus on one.  Read the board, weigh the pros and cons and make your own decision about that.  As for me, I wrote to two, narrowed it down to one and came to Ukraine to visit only her.  Four years later we are happily married and I'm living with her in her home town of Simferopol.  Many here like to talk about how difficult and expensive it is to find the right FSU woman and for them I'm sure that's true.  Sure it's different in many ways from finding someone in the West, and the travel does add expense, but keep in mind that there are many failures here and many successes and it most often has more to do with the man searching than it does with the woman or the situation.  So read the posts and listen to the advice but be selective about who you choose to agree with.  If your pursuit ends with you together with anyone near the quality of my wife, you'll be a very happy man.

[Kuna]

Welcome to RWD Crow,

I'd agree with Scott and others... Seriously, you can't imagine what it is like in FSU or what the women are like until you visit.  I'd really encourage you to try to include even a few days in Kiev to get a feel of what a larger city is like.  Of course as you travel across FSU you'll find different cities and regions to be vastly different.

If you're serious about finding a wife in Russia or Ukraine you need to trust that it can be done.  That doesn't mean you should trust everyone you meet though.

Remember, you can't get scammed if you don't give over money.  Read the posts here... feel free to participate in the discussions and ask questions when they arise.  You'll know when it's right and what the right way is when it's time.

Again,  welcome to RWD... and best of luck to you!

Kuna

[I/O]

Crow331 Good to see another new name here.  I believe the number has topped 2000 now so that in itself stands testimony to the information available here.

It can be a bit of a raucus crowd, but you will get it pretty much unwrapped and that IMO is the best way.  Take the time to read the FAQ section at least once and for the better a couple of times.

If you want someone from the FSU, there is only ONE way to find out if it is for you and that is go to the FSU.  If you plan to be on the European continent, I strongly urge you to arrange a visa to at least one FSU country (Some you wont need a visa for) and go, take a look for yourself.  

Some prefer the major cities and others prefer the provincial cities.  I see merritts in both and as such I'd suggest you try to visit a couple of each and get a little feel for things.  If you can organise to meet a lady on your first trip, all well and good, but my advice FWIW is don't be too hung up on that side of things to start with.

Elenas Models is another website.  It appears to be one of the better ones. The owner lives quite near my city and is ligitimate enough.  Lily has given you a couple of leads and I WOULD listen to a Russian woman if I were you.  As for scamming, you will come across many, don't get lost in pretty pictures and flowery words.  Write for a while and set them up to meet.  You will usually find who is who in the zoo fairly quickly.  Remember you have not been scammed until you have sent money to someone who is not who they say they are.  

Generally speaking, Russian women who are good wife material look like good wife material.    

As for how many to write or visit, we all have our own ideas about that and it is a contentious subject.  One of the very experienced guys made an excellent remark a few days ago on this subject.  Whether you are a visit many or visit one type of man is not important, decide which suits you best and stick with that.  We each have our different styles of doing things and dating.  Your own style will be the one that will serve you best in the long run.

All the best.

I/O

[Crow331]

Thanks for all the well wishes!

I'm actually taking this vacation to Europe with my mom, who has never been, so breaking away to Russia to meet women isn't really an option this time around 

I was thinking that I might just join a site and hopefully find "one good one", someone I really hit is off with, to correspond with like crazy between now and September and hopefully meet her in Prague, if the circumstances were right. I know the no-no's about not sending money to someone you don't know, but is it possible to buy someone a plane/train ticket in their name where they would have no way to gain financially? If a woman didn't show up and I lost out on the money for the ticket, so be it, I would be willing to take the risk, as long as I know that the plane ticket money didn't go in her pocket, ya know? It's not like I'm looking for an engagement out of this trip or anything, just looking for a chance connection with someone that I could continue to correspond with and come back and visit in the FSU at a later date. I would probably indicate in my profile that I was coming to Europe and only interested, this time around, in corresponding with someone who might be able to meet me there if we hit it off.

I obviously need to think about this whole thing some more, but I'm just trying to gain some knowledge   It might turn out that I won't be able to meet anyone this time around and I'll have to come back another time and spend all my time in the FSU.

Lily thanks for the websites, I'll check them out ... as far as "models" go ... I live in a town where models and beauty is plentiful and have dated plenty, but I don't need a model, or "model looks", I just want someone who is beautiful and sexy ... TO ME! 

[SANDRO43]

is it possible to buy someone a plane/train ticket in their name where they would have no way to gain financially? If a woman didn't show up and I lost out on the money for the ticket, so be it, I would be willing to take the risk, as long as I know that the plane ticket money didn't go in her pocket, ya know?

IIRC, someone here said that this was possible with flight tickets purchased via credit card.

[RussianGal]

IIRC, someone here said that this was possible with flight tickets purchased via credit card.

Yes, you just need to know her passport information to book a ticket.

[Crow331]

Does anyone know of any russian websites that feature russian women already in the U.S.?  I have had a profile on Holostyak.com for a little while, but have only met 2 women, as not many on there are from Los Angeles.  Any others out there? Thanks

[groovlstk]

http://www.missingheart.ru/

Here you can meet Russian and Ukrainian women who've already arrived in the US on K1s and ditched their mules

[RussianGal]

Does anyone know of any russian websites that feature russian women already in the U.S.?  I have had a profile on Holostyak.com for a little while, but have only met 2 women, as not many on there are from Los Angeles.  Any others out there? Thanks

Here are 605 pages of RW living in LA. All in Russian though..
Good luck.

[Crow331]

Thanks for the help RussianGal, that site looks great!  I wish they had a translation button like on Holostyak!! Maybe I can get my friend Elena to come over and help me translate and get a profile going! 

Groovlstk ... LOL ... Mule ... funny!  Thanks!

[DKMM]

You can find them easily here.  In fact, just the other day I was standing on the street, a car went by, hit a patch of gravel, and crashed into a wall.  I ran over and out popped two RW gabbing away.  Very fun to help them understand our system here while practising my Russian.  They were shocked that a sorta Russian speaking American would come running to their help so quickly.

Long story short, she's having me over for tea next week.  You just never know when and where you find RW.

[Gator]

You never know when one may run into you (or come close as with DKMM).  They are everywhere.  My son's best friend is Russian - his parents emigrated to USA many years ago, one a doctor and the other a musician.

Forgot to mention - the Russian parents are divorcing, so there is another RW on the market competing against AW (and not to forget a RM competing against AM).

[Sculler]

Crow,

Welcome. I am also new to this site. I have been working through Elena's website for the past five months in preparation for my trip to Russia in a couple of months and have found a potentially nice woman. I will know more when we meet. I chose the Elena's Models site because it seems to have the best reputation out there and they seem active in the anti-scam department. I have not gotten the impression from the women I have corresponded with from that site that they consider themselves models. Most view it merely as a place to meet western men. A lot of them even say they are not models, even though they are very attractive. But there are plenty there who I think do play the "model card". Elena's even has a search function that can list posting by profession that does include models (also doctors and a few other professions). The thing I liked about the site was the many ways to sort the listings by a wide range of preferences, height, weight, hair, eyes, location, religion, etc. It also has a keyword to find those that may list certain activities or personality traits.

My limited experience and research has given me these few pointers to consider:

1) Free sites are prowling grounds for scammers so be careful and follow the rules of engagement (10 Commandments) strictly. The cost will be less, but there will be much more "chaff" to sort through to find the good nuggets.

2) Pay sites, such as Elena's, will attract more serious minded women and possibly more educated and professional women, which is what I was looking for (though not those in the "oldest profession") and may have found. Working through agencies may also decrease the number of scammers you will deal with, though I was contacted by one woman that was a scammer. I discovered her scam later on an anti-scam site. She stopped communicating with me because I was going through the agency (Elena's) and found someone else to bilk out of a couple of thousand dollars. You will pay more on these sites, but I think there is less "chaff" and the women may be more serious since they are investing some money. (Though I'm not sure how much they pay to use the sites. I assume it is much less than what we pay.)

3) "Romance Tours" attract women who use it for a night out with their friends for some fun, not necessarily women seriously looking for a foreign relationship. This advice has been distilled from postings on numerous other websites, not first hand experience (since I haven't been there yet). So I will back down from this position if refuted by someone who has actually participated in them.

I hope there is something here useful.

1x

[Crow331]

Thanks for the info Sculler ... helpful indeed. I will probably check out Elena's as it gets a little closer to my trip to Europe

[SANDRO43]

Crow, you might also have a look at Bride Ru (http://bride.ru/) .

[timothe]

I remember there used to be a way to get the contact info for all women at bride.ru by entering through the Russian language version of the website.  Is that still true? 
(I'm not looking myself, just curious)

[SANDRO43]

I remember there used to be a way to get the contact info for all women at bride.ru by entering through the Russian language version of the website. Is that still true? 
(I'm not looking myself, just curious)

Never saw this, I doubt it may be still possible if it ever were, the only page in Russian I can see there is for "Уважаемые Девушки!" to post their profiles .