EXPERIENCE SECURING RUSSIAN VISA?

I am applying for only three visas before I leave. Thankfully the rest that I will need, which are plenty, are available at borders or more easily in consulates along the way.

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Osipov Georgy Nokka)

Does anyone have experience getting Russian visas? If so, let me know about how you went about getting documentation regarding an invitation. It's required, at least for Americans, to include this as part of your visa application. It looks like the normal way to do it is to have a Russian travel agency take care of your first night's accommodation and this letter, but I have no way of saying what my date of arrival will be, so it makes things a bit tricky.

If I have to lose the money for this booking, then so be it, but I was just wondering if someone has some stories about going through this.