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IPPNW Baltic Bike Tour 2006
- Medical Students Cycle for Peace -
August 21st - September 6th
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Travel essentials
 
Bike

First things first: you will need a bike for this trip. While some people will have no problem getting their bikes to Tallin by checking them in as luggage on the flight or by transporting them to Estonia by ferry, bus or train, the other students will have to buy or rent bikes in Tallin.  Renting bikes is approximately 6-9 Euro per day (see also http://www.citybike.ee or  www.bicycle.lt/en/main/rent).

For those bringing their own bikes, please make sure that they have all necessary gimmicks like lights, functioning brakes, a few gears, good tires with some grip and - most importantly - a comfortable saddle. A carrier would be useful if you don't want to carry all of your stuff around with you on your back all the time. Also be sure to bring a small repair kit and an air pump that fits your bike.
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Visas


Estonia

Students from European countries and many other states will not need a visa for Estonia, others will find this website very useful:  http://www.vm.ee/eng/kat_132/915.html It also has a list of countries that do not need visas. If you need further assistance or have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at balticbike@web.de. When applying for an Estonian visa, please note that you will spend the time from August 20th-25th in Estonia (and some days again after the conference, if you have to return to Tallinn from Helsinki because your return flight is from Tallinn - this might require a multiple-entry visa. Please check this with your embassy)

Russia

The Russian visa is another story. Since almost everyone will require a Russian visa, we've gathered the most important information you will need below. A useful website is also http://www.visatorussia.com/
As a foreign resident you will need a visa for Russia. With all the requirements, it might seem a little scary at first to apply for a visa, but all in all it won't cost you more than about 80 Euros in total and the trip through Russia will definitely be worth it.

You will need the following things for a Russian visa:
  • a passport-size photo, signed on the back
  • a completed application form, which you can get from a Russian consulate or embassy or at HERE
  • a proof of health insurance abroad (if youn don't already have one, this can be easily obtained at most health insurances)
  • a passport with 2 blank pages (!), valid for at least 6 months after departure date for Russia
  • around 40 Euros for the visa fee (depending on which country you apply from)
  • an official invitation (voucher) (~30 Euro), which you get from a travel agency (for example http://www.visatorussia.com)

You can mail the documents listed above to your closest embassy or consulate (together with a stamped and adressed return-envelope). This will probably be the cheapest option and you will get your passport back within three weeks or so, depending on the country you're applying from. The other option is going to the consulate or embassy yourself, in which case the visa can be given to you within a matter of hours (at least in most countries, so check that before you go there), but will most likely cost a little more. When applying for a Russian visa, please take care to get a tourist or transit visa that will cover the week from August 25th-1st of September, as this will be the time you spend in Russia during the tour.


Finland

As most students who will be participating in the bike ride will also take part in the IPPNW World Congress and require a visa to  Finland anyways,  this should not be the big problem. Official invitation letters are sent out to you by the Congress Bureau after you register and state that you will need one. If you need further assistance or have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at balticbike@web.de. Also, here are two useful websites where you can find your closest embassy, read up on visa regulations and check if you even need a visa or not. When applying for a Finnish visa, please make sure that it covers the entire time that you're in the country (the tour will enter Finland September 1st and the conference lasts until the 10th). Also note that in case you fly to Helsinki and take the ferry to Tallinn, you will need a multiple entry visa. Please check this with your embassy.  Here's a useful website: http://formin.finland.fi/doc/eng/services/entry/visadoc.html

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Money

It's always hard to calculate these things, but in general, these will be the expenses of the trip:
  • around 30 Euro for the invitation to Russia
  • around 40 Euro for the Russian visa (more or less, depending on where and when you apply, etc.)
  • travel to Tallinn (see Section "Getting there" below)
  • possible expenses for a bike (buying a used bike in good shape, which will get you around the Baltic and which you can sell again after finishing should not be too expensive, so that we probably won't have to rent bikes)
  • around 15 Euro a day for food (accomodation will most likely be free of charge on the way, as we will try to live with locals or pitch tents)
  • the IPPNW World Congress and the student pre-meeting will cost separetely (see www.ippnw2006.org)
That leaves you at around 300 Euro plus costs for the bike plus travel to Tallin. We know that this is a large sum of the money and that's why we have come up with some innovative ways of raising it:
  • first of all, you could try to raise it in your community, university or amongst family and friends. Remember that this is trip is for a good cause, uniting medical students from all over the world in an effort to attract public attention to the dangers of nuclear weapons, bring across their message that nuclear weapons are bad for people’s health and support the movement for a Nuclear Free Europe. Below you can download the press statement, which you can distribute and use for fund raising purposes. A neat way of doing this is letting people sponsor your kilometers. As you know, we will be driving for 880 kilometer. If you take 1 euro for every kilometer, the money will be sufficient not only for your own travels, but also for supporting students from developing countries. For this purpose, we will set up a kilometer bank, where you can check how many kilometers have already been sponsored and how many are still needed.
  • in addition to the above mentioned options, you can try to contact local businesses, banks, insurance companies, bike retailer, etc., which would be interested in using this trip as advertisement. You can also go to local newspapers or radio stations and talk about your plans - they will no doubt love it and this publicity will in turn help with the fund raising. Also use the press statement below. A great way of getting your kilometer bank filled ;)
  • if you are an active student in your national IPPNW affiliate, you can contact them and ask for possible subsidies. We will also contact all IPPNW affiliates and encourage them to support their students in this endeavor
  • finally, if you are a student from a developing country, there might be a possibility of receiving a subsidy for coming to the IPPNW World Congress. We are still looking into the possibility of receiving this subsidy despite not flying directly to Helsinki but rather taking the last couple of hundred kilometers by bike. Please contact us and we will let you know how things stand.

Press statement

Use this to convince people to support your trip or distribute it to local media in order to raise the awareness of the population about this topic. If you translate it into your national language, please send a copy to us at balticbike@web.de so that we can publish it online.


Getting there

No clue how to get to Tallinn? Here are some suggestions (remember that some airlines and bus services offer bike transport, while others do not - so check before booking and don't worry if you can't bring your bike - high quality bikes are available for rent in Tallinn) Also note that you could fly to Helsinki, take a ferry to Tallinn, start the tour and end up back in Helsinki in time for the conference and your subsequent return flight from Helsinki. That might save you a multiple-entry visa to Estonia, but will require one for Finland... Think about it and get informations from the embassy.


Weather

The climate in this region is temperate, with warm summers and severe winters (but we're biking in the summer ;).Average temperatures range in summer are around 20-25° C (usually July is the hottest month), although occasionally the temperature may rise to 30°C and hot sunny days are not rare, but you never know when it is going to rain. At this latitude, the sun is about half way between the zenith and the horizon at noon, passing for around 18 each day.The water in the lakes is rather warm in summer because they are shallow and broken up. To some extent this also applies to the sea. Thus in July the temperature of the water in the larger lakes is from 18° to 20°C in southern Finland, while the smaller lakes are even warmer. Around the inner islands and the lakes in southern Finland the water is as warm as on the northern coast of Spain, and around the outer islands and in the lakes of northern Finland the same as on the coasts of Cornwall, Kent and Holland.

Liability

Of course there are a few things that could go wrong, which we cannot account for now. Amongst these are:
  • Bike damage, flat tires, etc., for which case we have repair kits and a bike expert on board
  • Personal injury or sickness, in which case we have a bus accompanying us so that no one gets left behind
  • Bad weather, which we cannot do much about. It's the end of August, but just in case let's bring rain coats
  • Theft in the larger cities (gotta watch your stuff - and your bike)
Of course, we will take all precautions we can and feel that the risks are minimal, but in the end we cannot take any responsibility for any of these events or others. If problems arise regarding visas, if your pasport gets stolen on the way or you fall and break a leg, these are all things we can deal with with the support of our "ground crews", but we cannot assume liability in any of these and therefore warn every participant to take necessary precautions as well. A health insurance will be necessary for the period of the trip in any case (for the Russian visa) and we can assist in finding an insurance company if you need help. Again, we as organizers of the trip are also going and feel like we're no taking any unnecessary risks, but we cannot be held accountable if anything goes wrong. So much for the legal side, sorry, but that had to be included at this point ;)

 
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