Travel agency offers ‘vaccination holiday’ from Switzerland to Russia

While some countries have powered through the early stages of the vaccination drive, Switzerland has done so much more slowly. 

But for anyone who is tired of waiting for their jab and is concerned about whether they’ll be able to take a summer vacation, there appears to be a solution. 

People who don’t want to wait for their Pfizer or Moderna shots in Switzerland can now travel to Russia to get inoculated, according to Travel Inside Magazine.

READ MORE: Why is Zurich’s vaccination rollout the slowest in Switzerland?

A Norwegian travel agency, World Visitor, is recruiting people from Switzerland, among others, to get Sputnik V vaccines in Moscow.

The agency is offering two options: for 1,499 euros (CHF1,662), the tourist will fly to Moscow twice, get the two jabs at the airport. This way, no visa to enter Russia is needed.

In between, the traveller will stay in Istanbul. 

The second option, which costs 1,999 euros (CHF2,216), includes flying to Moscow twice, staying for four days each time, and having the vaccine administered in a local hospital.

For anyone seriously considering the plan, the costs are likely to be higher. 

In addition to the flat rate fees above, you are expected to shell out for the doctors fees/medical expenses and an interpreter to make sure there’s no communication breakdown. 

While the fee includes a booking for the vaccine, it does not include the fee for the vaccine itself. All in all, these additional costs are estimated to stack up to “a few hundred francs”. 

Swiss citizens are particularly sought after by the Norwegian travel agency due to the ease in which they can get Russian visas, Swiss newspaper 20 Minutes reports. 

There’s also something in it for Switzerland’s hard-hit domestic travel market.

Swiss travel agencies which act as a mediator between the budding vacationers and the Norwegian company will get a ten percent cut.