Mandatory bans for citizens of the USSR while traveling abroad

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Due to the latest events in the world, many were in isolation for several months. That is, traveling abroad was inaccessible. But for most people in the USSR, it was generally inaccessible. Well, those who were lucky enough to get a chance to get behind the "Iron Curtain" had to deal with some prohibitions.

1. Preliminary mandatory check

To obtain a special permit for a trip abroad, it was required to go through thorough checks and go through a number of bureaucratic measures. Passing a questionnaire, serious checks of other family members, as well as recommendations from management from work and the trade union. These steps were mandatory and there was no way around them.

It was enough one bad word from colleagues, a boss, a trade union member to make not only this trip, but also all subsequent ones over the course of several years. The term was calculated not in a year or two, but in tens of years. In the Soviet Union there was even a special document governing the rules for traveling abroad.

For those who were lucky enough to obtain permission for a long-awaited trip abroad, detailed instructions were given on how to behave and other rules. A lot of things common to the Soviet people were very undesirable.

2. Any questions were resolved exclusively through the guide

Tourists traveling to other countries had no right to maintain a trusting relationship with the local population and hotel staff. All questions that arose during the trip had to be resolved with the help of a guide or the person who was in charge of the tourist group. Something similar is told by modern tourists returning from North Korea.

3. You can not visit restaurants and cafes alone

Soviet people had no right to enjoy a cup of coffee and loneliness somewhere in a cozy little restaurant or cafe, to enjoy local cuisine. And it's all about the risk of meeting an anti-Soviet element. And this means that the honor of the great state will be discredited.

4. Do not use local guides for sightseeing

Soviet tourists were offered special routes developed in advance. They walked and drove along them in a group, to whom a guide was assigned. In the case of independent rest, a citizen of the USSR did not have the right to use the services of a guide from this country. And again it's all about risk, but now the recruitment of our man.

5. It is strictly forbidden to walk in questionable places

In the Soviet Union, a very serious violation on the part of our citizens abroad was visiting establishments of an entertainment nature and brothels (bardels). Our citizens have high moral and ethical principles, and this is incompatible with such visits.

6. It was forbidden to accept gifts

Those who traveled abroad were not allowed to accept any gifts from foreigners. Absolutely all goods, both industrial and food, were banned. Of course, it was possible to import goods into the USSR, but their quantity and names had strict restrictions.

According to the established rules, jeans could only be imported in a single copy / skif-tag.livejournal.com

According to the rules, a person could bring home from a trip only one pair of jeans and a denim suit. Well, if they wanted to bring more, then everyone simply put them on.

It is clear that not all tourists followed these rules and, of course, not always. There were those who violated them. But the punishment, if suddenly a person was caught, was severe.