Anyone who is not planning a trip like mine can feel free to skip this post. I got a lot of great information from random people's blogs when I was working on putting this together, so feel the need to "give back" to anyone who may come across this blog in the future.
I decided to arrange my internship through Projects Abroad, a company that matches people up with volunteer opportunities and internships in various countries all over the world. I decided to use Projects Abroad because they offer excellent support for the volunteers while being hands-off enough to (hopefully) allow me to do my own thing without being micromanaged or spoon-fed. I suppose I will find out before too long whether this was a good choice.
For my Russian visa invitation, I used Nevsky88. Because of my particular circumstances (multiple entries into Russia spaced over 3 months apart, coupled with nebulous plans for the end of the trip), the best option for me turned out to be a 6-month multiple entry business visa. Nevesky88 had by far the most reasonable prices for this service that I was able to find online, and I am entirely satisfied with their services. The Russian Consulate does not accept visa applications by mail, so I used Travisa Outsourcing to submit my application for me. I used them in 2008 for my Chinese visa, and they were great both times. Prices are pretty much the same at all 3 agencies that perform this service. The entire process, from first ordering the invitation to receiving the visa, took over 2 months, so be sure to start planning early if you require a complicated visa like mine.
Obtaining the tickets for the Trans-Mongolian train was probably the most complicated part of the planning process thus far. There are scores of agencies offering tickets, each one with a different price. A company in Russia called Svezhy Veter Agency offered the second-best prices I could find, but I easily chose to pay an extra $10 or so to deal with them, since they have a very good reputation and many positive reviews. I am updating this post to say that they did, indeed provide the correct tickets and that pickup was a breeze (save getting a bit lost on the way to their office). They also have gone above and beyond in helping me out with pre-travel issues via email. The Trans-Siberian Handbook was a great resource for planning the train portion of my trip, and I'm looking forward to using the book's kilometer-by-kilometer guide to the passing scenery.
As previously mentioned, I am using CouchSurfing to find a local to stay with in Moscow, and I wouldn't be surprised if I wind up finding another host or hosts for my travels after my internship ends. Anyone who is interested in travel for the purpose of cultural exchange should definitely explore CouchSurfing as a unique way to facilitate such experiences. On the other hand, anyone who just wants to avoid paying for a hotel should probably keep roght on moving. CS is about far more than finding a free place to crash, it's a whole different way of approaching travel and can even be somewhat of a lifestyle in and of itself.
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