My latest (and 3rd) trip to Ukraine was pretty much the same old thing for me again. I did notice a few things though. First, mandatory health insurance is no longer mandatory. Anyone travelling to Ukraine should still consider getting a health insurance policy at home that allows for evacuation to the US, should something serious happen.
This last trip, I spent all my time in Zhitomir. I was at Babuska's apartment with her, my wife and mother-in-law for a week. Not exactly my vacation of choice, given the apartment is slightly larger than an efficiency apartment. Actually, I've lived in efficieny apartments that were bigger... If your wife pressures you to do this, hold out and rent an apartment for yourselves. My wife now understands and next year things will be different.
I found out something odd with one of my credit cards. I had several thousands of dollars to draw against, yet I was unable to get cash from the card. I assumed it was because I neglected to contact the bank before I left, to let them know that I would be charging overseas. Sometimes a bank's fraud department will flag such transactions and not allow them to go through. Turns out it was because there was a daily limit on how much I could take out. If I had taken the money out over 2 or 3 days, there would have been no issues. As it was, I just used another credit card to get the cash I needed. It does make sense to check with your bank before you go, however, and let them know where you are going and also if you have any daily limits...
Pickpockets still abound. My wife and I had a pair try to steal from us. They were acting like a couple of arguing drunks, walking up from behind us. Luckily, they were not successful in stealing anything. One thing that was nice was a pair of pants I purchased over there. It had dual pockets. An outer pocket for simple stuff and an inner, zipped pocket to put your valuable stuff in. Nice idea. I'll have to look for more of those before I go over again.
There is a common moneychanger scam going on over there. Many people choose to change their money on the streets, instead of the bank, as the street people give lower exchange fees. However, they often try to run the following scam. A person needs to change $100 into hryvnas. The scammer takes the (5) 20 dollar bills from the person then "realizes" he doesn't have enough hryvnas to make the exchange. So he gives back the twenties, folded over and says he will be right back. The scammed person opens the folded 20s to find that the only 20 he has is the one on the outside. The rest is just paper. For me, a 2% exchange rate at the bank is a small enough fee to know that I won't be scammed. I would avoid street changers at all costs.
If you are dating a local lady, then the bazaar is a good chance to find something good for a cheap price. Warning, being American doubles the price for you. Still, we got a beautiful tea and coffee set for $15 or $20 that would easily have cost close to $100 here. Also, quality leather goods are about half the cost over there as they are here. If you have the time and your lady knows where things are, buy a little big and have a seamstress modify any clothes to your size. It's very cheap and you get very nice fitting clothes.
You can take a taxi from Borispol airport to Zhitomir, but we found it cheaper to take it to the edge of town, then find another taxi there to take us to Zhitomir. Warning, the nicer (i.e. more expensive) your suitcase looks, the higher the rate you are going to be charged. Also, I wouldn't try this unless you have a native Ukrainian already with you.
Agencies are expensive. But you usually get what you pay for. I have used a local Ukrainian travel agency one time and a local native the second time to make arrangements for me. Both times cost me a lot more money than if I had managed to do it alone. However, I don't suggest that first timers try to manage all these details on their own the first trip. Bite the bullet and use an agency or local person to handle your arrangements. After you've been there a time or two and have learned the lay of the land, then feel to tackle your own arrangements. Personally, I would make living arrangements for myself, or through the inlaws, and still let a local agency take care of the transportation, if I could do it the way I wanted now.
Medicine. As always, I recommend that people bring their own pharmaceuticals with them. I usually bring an analgesic, an antidiarheal, and a headcold medicine. You may choose to bring a few other things, as well. Otherwise, you may have Babushka try to put onion juice up your nose...
Passport copies. It is a wise thing to make photocopies (color if you can afford it) of your passports and stash them among your luggage. Make sure to photocopy your entry visas as well. That way, if your passport gets stolen, it is a lot easier to get it replaced over there.
Advanced Parole. My wife had few issues with the advanced parole. She simply maintained the attitude that her paperwork was right and that we verified this with the Ukrainian Consolate in Chicago before we left. The agent she talked to had to ask a senior customs agent about the paperwork. He took one look at it and said "no problem, she's good to go." I think the whole thing is attitude...
Water Rationing. Make sure you have some water saved up before about 6pm hits. Sometime between 6pm and 10pm they shut off the water. Keep some extra stored up for the toilet and bathing, as well as any water you need for cooking or drinking (after boiling it for a long time, of course). If you are in a 3 star or better hotel you might not be affected, but in Zhitomir everyone was affected, hotels and all.
Hope this helps...
