Visa Woes and Booking Insights

Whining About Schengen and Useful Tips for Booking

I have to say, getting a Spanish visa in Moscow is way easier than doing it in London!

Today, I spent nearly six hours in line (five hours and 45 minutes, to be exact) trying to get in for a walk-in appointment without the premium or normal slots, which are nearly impossible to snag. They closed the doors right in front of me!

What's most frustrating is that I was first in line for the walk-in for the last three hours, convinced I would succeed. If I hadn’t gone out for coffee this morning, I might have made it in time!

But that’s not all I learned today. I discovered something amusing about Booking.com.

Over the past two years, I’ve accumulated around 40 reservations there (some real and some later canceled for visa purposes), but I faced a situation like this for the first time.

If you select accommodation with free cancellation and no prepayment needed and click on "pay at the property," it doesn't mean you won't be charged.

It turns out that some hotels now require a guarantee for your reservation, which in my case was €936! Yes, that money will be refunded if you cancel, but what do I need with such a "free" booking?

If you don’t pay, the reservation will be canceled within 24 hours. This can be quite problematic if you’re carrying that document to the visa center!