Winston Churchill famously described Russia as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." I…read moredidn't realize how incredibly true his words are ... even today ... until I tried on my own to obtain a tourist visa to visit Russia. Byzantine procedures. The vetting is beyond what America considers "extreme" these days, and I was close to just giving up. Then a little Yelpishness led me to Russian-American Consulting Corp., a tiny office in the bowels of a private Russian parcel service in Brighton Beach Brooklyn. The boss (Lena) sorted me out right quick and for a reasonable fee -- I had my visa in about two weeks. I admit it was uncomfortable turning my original American passport over to a complete stranger along with loads of personal information and payment in advance ... but don't let that deter you. Lena knows Russia and the ins and outs of travel there. She even does ticketing at rates that beat the published fares on the internet. RACC is not the most convenient business to get to, and there are no weekend hours -- which accounts for my 4 star rating. Still, I consider it the best service of its kind in the metro area and well worth the up charge over the basic Russian consular fee. Top Tip: Don't bother filling out a Russian visa application online. Waste of time. Lena will do it for you in 10 minutes -- just come prepared to answer the dozens of personal questions the enigmatic Russian government asks for. You can pay by credit card -- but there is a 4% fee if you do.

Disclaimer: I've never been to the Brighton Beach location, but I have been to their 34th street…read morelocation in Manhattan twice and used their website extensively, so will speak to that in my review. Both times, they exceeded my expectation in helping me obtain a visa to Russia. They are extremely thorough and professional and defy cultural stereotypes by being upbeat. The first time I applied for a visa, I had no clue about what I was doing; an employee walked me through the visa application step-by-step, didn't charge a fee for that (as I learned later, the agency that the consulate officially outsources to charges a $25 fee for that), and didn't make me feel stupid when I had a question. I was so pleased with their professionalism, that I used them again when I needed to apply a second time for a Russian visa. I also very much like the fact that their website is designed to support the user. Someone with a solid knowledge of web design and foresight clearly created it. They have a flash demonstration of how to fill out the online visa application step-by-step. You can order a hotel voucher right from the website and it generates automatically, which takes much of the hassle out of filling out the visa application. Kudos to these guys!

I'm very thankful to Natasha for helping me with my tickets! She was professional, helpful, and…read moremade the whole process so easy and stress-free. Highly recommend her and the travel agency!

Extremely rude! I signed up for there affiliate program and I've gotten zero help thus farread more

Its been a long wait till out vacation time. It would of be great to stay someplace in the sun and…read morerelax on the beach. Would of been great to see something new and and visit an amazing place. Vacation could get to be very expensive. However when we contacted agency Happy Planet, our agent Marina Kroll, has surprised us time and time again. No one can beat her prices. She will make your wishes come true. The unbelievable deal that we got to Caribbeans, on Royal Princess cruise ship, was so amazing, we told everyone we knew. Just give her a call, and you won't be disappointed.

Had a great experience with Mila at Happy Planet - she found a fantastic deal for an all-inclusive…read moreresort and flight to Mexico, beating the cheapest Internet price by $500. She was also extremely helpful and patient dealing with payment issues due to bank spending limits. I would highly recommend her for anyone looking for a great deal and wonderful above-and-beyond service!

I needed passport photo to renew my passport , it took less then 5 min . Photos were ready right…read moreaway. It costs $12. P.s. it is inside the barber shop

Beware!!! This travel agency charged twice as much as the…read morehotel in cancellation fees. I had to cancel my travel plans less than a week before my scheduled travel date, because I had to have emergency surgery. Leanna said the hotel did not care under what circumstances I had to travel; the charge would be half the cost of my room, which was a little more than $600.00. When I called the hotel several times, each representative confirmed that the maximum cancellation fee was $300.00. She refused to reimburse the extra $300.00+ she charged me. Since I had a credit, I attempted to make reservation at the same hotel when I was able to travel. I asked for a copy of the agency's cancellation policy, but Leanna refused to provide one. I reminded her that the agency was obligated to provide a copy of its cancellation policy. She sent an ambiguous copy a day later, after I threatened legal action. After I questioned the vague cancellation policy, she cancelled my reservation and told me it would cost me more money to rebook the same reservation. Leanna still has my money. She did not "uncancel" the reservation I made and she refuses to refund my money.

Terrible travel agency. The agent I got wasted my time with my booking, accused me of losing…read moreinformation they supposedly sent but never did, lied about not being able to cancel my travel. I regret ever using them.

Typically, I am very much "do it yourself" vacationer. I always thought that travel agencies are…read morerelics of the past. Who needs a travel agent, when you can go to countless web sites, and book everything you want then and there, without even putting a shirt on. Vacation Spirit was recommended to me by a friend. Work was beating me up, and I had to get away. I prepared by researching options myself, in case I have to back out and went to their office. One thing I did not realize that travel agents are open encyclopedia of knowledge. Location I chose was fine, but it appears that hotel I researched was not as good as travel sites made it appear. Per owner's recommendation, I took another property nearby. It was much easier to access the beach, resort was newer, cleaner, and had better pool. I have to say I loved personal touch that Vacation Spirit, and their owner offers. My job planning future vacations just got much easier. They are not a big shop and I guess this is what allows them to offer personalized service.

Honestly, I could not believe the level of personal service I got with Vacation Spirit. Boris and…read moreMarina were on top of everything, answered any question I had. Made changes to my reservation should I need it. Got me an amazing price and itinerary. This was a big deal for me and the trip was smooth sailing. Thank you!

Bella's travel is a very good travel agency. They made my life much easier after my cruise ship…read moreicon of the seas was canceled. Why book with a travel agent they say?? Bella went above the call of duty to put me on another ship saving my pre booked vacation after the cruise. Definitely book with Bella as she's super knowledgeable, smart and very informative!

Stay away! Bella is deceitful, untrustworthy and conniving. We were hesitant to use a travel…read moreagent to begin with since we typically handle booking ourselves directly with airlines and hotels, but a family member recommended her. She promised us a beautiful Honeymoon suite and first class seats. We got coach and a room with no view. She promised that we would receive the miles + points for staying at this property, she booked under her name and kept the points to herself. She gave us "resort credit" which she personally handed to us, it might as well have been monopoly money. I paid additional fees once we arrived to stay in a decent room, on top of what I paid Bella for my "Honeymoon Suite". Also, we were hit with hotel fees upon arrival, meaning Bella removed them from so that it would seem she was getting us a cheaper rate. Worst of all, when I called her to address these issues, she was extremely rude and defensive, as if I was doing her a favor by sending her my business. She would call me non-stop to get my CC information and to book the trip, only to then disappear once the transaction was processed. No follow up, no check in to ensure my trip was going well, just a bait and switch. Bella is a true con artist. Stay away as far as possible!!

Trip to Spain Ispanskaya Ballada in October , 2017. Trip was purchased from American Voyager,…read moreprovider in Spain company Novovira. Absolute disorganization and disorder. Tourists from one group staid in different hotels and it took a lot of time to pick up people from all hotels in the morning. Bus seats are not assigned, every day people are arguing about seats. Several tours that were listed in trip itinerary were canceled with no money returned. On the way to airport to fly back to New York the bus came to hotel late and on top of that broke down in the middle of the road. As a result we came late to airport and missed our flight. With tremendous difficulties bought tickets to other flight with transfer in Morocco. Came back home to New York absolutely exhausted.