The first trip that I remember the most:
It was when our daughter turned about ten years old. However, many years have passed, with age I can confuse.
Once, on a weekend, the husband, who had bought a badly beaten clunker by the time with the proud name of Zaporozhets, announced: “Let's go to the forest!”.
He also informed that he was taking us to the Count's Reserve, behind wild strawberries.
Since he did not take the initiative in travel issues so often, for the sake of creating family traditions and strengthening the cell of society, I certainly agreed. Previously, she only timidly asked if there was a river nearby. It was a 35 degree heat, and I wanted to swim until stupid.
I replied indignantly that the main thing on this trip was the collection of sweet, beloved by his heart berries, and not at all some kind of stupid river there.
I was young, inexperienced, and not scandalous (at that time!))), So I did not further object. I sat down with my daughter in a red-hot torture chamber, depicted joy and anticipation of the trip on our faces, and we crawled away from the place under the ecstatic hooting of the local boys who had already written on the dirty door of our Auto “Wash me!”.
We drove a long time. Three hours, stopping on the road every half hour, and cooling the steaming motor.
They asked passers-by for their way, sincerely trying to help, they directed us to the right and to the left, as a result, we almost got lost, but after a long ordeal we still arrived in the forest!
A narrow track, broken by tractors, led to the grove, besides it was in a shallow ravine, and there was no way to go to the clearing. The machine squandered its belly on the ground, but there was simply no longer any chance to remain in its red-hot captivity.
I suggested that my husband let me and my daughter go so that he could drive on and find a parking place, and at that time we walked a bit.
No sooner said than done! Happily flipping out of our metal bug, we cheerfully walked along the side of the road. Misha went on. After a few seconds, I suddenly heard a strange buzz ...
It was getting stronger, and it got really bad on my nerves.
Trying to determine the source of the noise, my daughter and I began to intensively turn our heads, then wave our hands, then squeal heart-rendingly!
In general, to do everything what to do when meeting with an angry swarm of hornets was in no way possible!))) I still do not know whether my husband crushed their nest with a wheel, or my spirits were so irritated ... We rushed heartbrokenly from the swarm away to our typewriter, blushing in the distance.
Most of all I was afraid that these creatures bit the child. I ran and screamed: “Misha! Misha! Misha! pi..pi ... pi..pi .. Give the car back! ”
Want to know her husband’s reaction? he stood, and smiling, waved his hand at us))
When I sweaty, red, and panting, shoved myself and the child into the car, I brought it down on him ... you yourself understand that (now - my vocabulary is already much wider than it was once!)))! And asked why he didn’t come after us, do you know what he told me ??
“But I didn’t hear! I thought you were running and waving your hands, I am happy! ”))) Dumb scene.))))

But our tests did not end there! We drove somewhere half a kilometer to break away from the swarm. (And I’m not making it up!) It’s just a miracle that they didn’t bite us!
Finally, we settled on a forest glade, and finally decided to do what we arrived for. The daughter and husband went to look for wild strawberries. The child went into the bushes, and .... yelled in an inhuman voice from fear. A little - almost stepping on a huge viper.
My patience finally burst, and I immediately demanded that we be taken from this gadyushnik.
Since my daughter supported me in every possible way, my dad decided not to argue with two angry women, put us in our ancient car, and drove forward. He said it would be shorter! After a few meters, we were stuck in the sand, and I had to push the car))) Mom dear !!! We pulled it out, though this feat my poor back still remembers!
We left the forest and saw a wonderful lake ahead. I began to beg to stop the car.
Husband clenched his teeth, he said that he would not stop, and in general, he was tired, and we should go home.
To which I vindictively replied that we all - anyway, will return here! Having gone astray for about twenty minutes, and having not found the way, we really returned, after which we were graciously allowed to swim. Well, we came off!)))
After that, one of the locals, to the great joy of my and my daughter, showed us again what a roundabout road along which we returned home for about four hours, and I began to doubt that we were going to our native Voronezh, and not to Moscow. Why to joy? Yes, because this road passed through all the children's camps and rest houses, and there were not a few great places for swimming there. So the goal of the trip, even if not the one that was planned at the beginning, was still achieved by us!))))) (The husband reads from under my arm, while I write, sniff angrily, and says that the car was not ancient !))) If you consider that in the winter the stove did not work in it, and, on the contrary, I worked as a wiper, then probably he is right!)))) The main thing is that we love him with any machine !!!

Probably, even the most package tourist will develop certain habits over time that simplify not only such a routine thing as travel fees or booking tickets and hotels, but also behavior in various situations in a new country for you.

So, our 10 useful traveler habits:

1. Make a list of things that are planned to take the road. This will greatly simplify and speed up the collection and will not allow you to forget something really important.
2. Do not take unnecessary things. If you are not traveling in a package tour, then extra things will be a burden and excess weight during transfers. During, as an experiment, we managed with small 35 liter backpacks.
3. In advance, upload detailed offline maps of the area where you are going to the smartphone. There are many specialized applications for this. We already wrote.
4. Print hotel reservations and tickets on paper in advance. We once got a situation where the post office where the contacts of the next reservation were stored simply blocked due to, as it seemed to her, suspicious authorization in another country.
5. Always take at least 2 bank cards of different banks when traveling and keep them in different places, for example, in different pockets. In our case, these are even 3 cards: Sberbank, Tinkof and Corn. Also, necessarily $ 300-500 in reserve in the form of cash in the third pocket.
6. Explore the main prohibitions of the country in which you are going. Walking in short shorts in non-sightseeing places of Ankara or disrespecting even the portrait of the king in Thailand can lead to trouble.
7. Think and analyze more intensively than at home. Think twice before taking an excursion in the first available place. Do not buy souvenirs where there is a large cross of tourists, etc.
8. Dine in a cafe for locals. Without this, in our opinion, it would not be possible to plunge completely into the atmosphere of the country. Better - only dinner at a party with a local family.
9. Make it a rule that the main thing is documents and money. Losing all other things is unpleasant, but not so critical. If money can be secured with bank cards, then documents need special control and care.
10. Charge the batteries of the camera, smartphone and other necessary gadgets in the evening! It will be very disappointing to miss a lot of interesting shots due to a dead battery.

Here is such a not very large list of the main habits that we have developed during our travels. We hope you find it useful.

Services that we use in our independent trips:

Search and purchase of air tickets
Aviasales - for us it is No. 1 of all search engines, we use it only because it is convenient and reliable, without "pitfalls".
One Two Trip! - A surprisingly convenient search engine where you can find and purchase not only airline tickets, but also railway ones. In addition, it is also easy to book a hotel or hotel. By following our link you will additionally receive a 500 rubles discount on the purchase of an airline ticket!

Search and booking housing

1. - A world famous search engine where you can find and book accommodation from guesthouses to luxury villas. Reused and highly recommended.
2. Hotellook is a service for finding and booking accommodation from the creators of Aviasales.
3. Airbnb - reservation and rental of apartments, rooms, houses at locals. It is checked on itself, everything is fair, we recommend. Booking via our link you will receive a bonus of 2100 rubles, which you can use when paying for housing. To do this, you will need to create your account on AirBnB.

Car rental
- A great alternative to traveling on intercity buses and trains across Russia. Prices are often lower than public transport, and comfort is much higher.

Rental car service aggregator at local rental companies. You choose a car as if at a local rental, but through the service, booking by credit card, from which only 15% of the cost is charged. The guarantor is MyRentacar. You can choose not only the class of the car, but also the specific car, accurate to the color of the body and type of radio. But most importantly, the prices for this service are the same as if you yourself came to a local rental company!

Eastern Travel Traditions

Since modern tourism focuses primarily on European countries and partly on North America, tourism research is usually characterized by Eurocentrism. Nevertheless, the contacts of the Christian and Muslim world, which were already discussed, also influenced the formation of cultural traditions, including travel traditions. In addition, the religious pilgrimages of the East are superior in scale to similar phenomena in the Western world. Along with Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostella, Canterbury, Loreto, the centers of attraction of both religious and educational tourism were and are Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu shrines of the East: Mecca and Medina, temples of Benares, the sacred river Ganges (Ganges), Buddhist temples and monasteries in Tibet, India, China, South-East Asia etc.

In the Rig Veda, the oldest written monument of the Indo-Aryans (XI-X centuries BC), the inhabitants of India, who came from the north-west, in poetic form, in particular, sacred placewhere the waters of the Ganges and Jamna rivers merge. According to the Rig Veda, bathing at the confluence of these rivers provides heavenly bliss and that those who voluntarily die there will gain immortality. This is the first mention of Prayag (modern Allahabad), the largest religious center of ancient and modern Hinduism, where since the 7th century. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gather annually at the end of January - beginning of February, and once every twelve years (greater Kumbhamela) the celebration attracts millions of people and is, apparently, the most populous pilgrimage in the world.

In the second century BC. The Great Silk Road from China to the Mediterranean took shape, along which not only traders, but also missionaries, Buddhist monks, who, according to archaeological sites, visited Syria, Egypt, Libya, and Greece, traveled over the millennium.

It is worth mentioning the journey of the Chinese monk Xuan Jiang to India in the first half of the 7th century .. after the Buddhist sutras, His "Notes on the Western countries in the era of the great Tang Dynasty" include the first description of religious holidays in Prayaga with the confluence of almost half a million believers. Celebration in those days was held once every five years and lasted a total of 75 days. Both Hindus and Buddhists and members of various religious sects made sacrifices and participated in the rites.

From Xuan Jiang's notes, we learn, in particular, about mass religious suicides based on the belief that one who died in the holy waters during the celebration will gain immortality (the law prohibiting religious suicides was passed only at the beginning of the last century).

In the Middle Ages, a genre of adventure novel developed in Chinese literature, in which information about real travels and fantastic events related to the philosophical layers of the story intertwined in a bizarre manner. Notes by Xuan Jiang on his pilgrimage to India served as the basis for one of the most popular novels of the 16th century. "Journey to the West" by Chang'an.

Of particular importance not only for Eastern, but also for European culture, was Arab learning. The European Renaissance owes much to Arab science and culture, which has accumulated in the libraries translations of ancient authors, which later became the property of Europeans. The cultural and scientific achievements of the Arab world were perceived by enlightened Christians, mainly through Spain, the western tip of the Arab world, where the libraries of Toledo, conquered by Christians in 1085, became a center of attraction for European intellectuals, who at first were primarily translators.

Starting from the 8th-9th centuries AD The countries of the Arab world experienced a period of cultural and scientific upsurge, especially tangible in comparison with Christian medieval Europe. At the court of the heirs of Harun al-Rashid, the most significant sources of geographical information are collected and translated, the nature of which is indicated by their names: Al Khorezmi's Book of the Earth's Picture, which was a rework of Ptolemy's Geography with the addition of Arabic and Iranian materials; original guides - “Books of ways and states” (descriptions of the routes of merchants and pilgrims, often with their own observations of the authors and descriptions of various sights), “Miracles of the countries”, “Curiosities of the Earth”, etc.

Testimonies of Arab merchants and travelers 9-10 centuries. are the most comprehensive source of information about Eastern Europe and Ancient Russia, in particular. For example, ibnFadlan, a merchant who traveled from 921 to 922. as part of the embassy from Baghdad to the Volga Bulgaria, provides valuable details about the mores and customs of Slavic and Scandinavian merchants, which he observed on the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks." A record in length and duration was the trip of Ibn Trampoline (14th c.): When he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca as a 20-year-old young man from Tangier (Morocco), he traveled throughout the Arabs of the inhabited world known to the Arabs. For 24 years of wandering, he visited the shores Pacific, in the Volga Bulgaria, in Mozambique, Moorish Spain. Western Sahara, Arabia. In his conversation, he, like Herodotus, provides a wide variety of information about the countries he visited, captivatingly tells legends and entertaining stories. A special place in the composition is occupied by stories about Muslim relics and holy places (Mecca and Medina).

As in Europe, around religious and shopping centers An appropriate network of services is being formed in the East: from the sale of relics (for example, in Mecca - “Kisva” patches, brocade cover of the main shrine of the Kaaba Muslims) to the services of the so-called “bayadere” (Indian temple dancers). In Muslim countries, caravanserais and pack animals were provided with shelter and food for three days at the expense of the treasury (this was reported, in particular, by Athanasius Nikitin in his “Walking Over Three Seas”). After this period the traveler had to either pay or go on.

In ancient China and ancient India, there was a well-developed and well-maintained network of roads (in China, tea houses were located near the roads where you could drink tea at a reasonable price, and in India, trees were planted with trees to protect travelers from the sun). It is interesting that in China, when laying roads, they thought about how to protect travelers from evil spirits, which, according to traditional Chinese ideas, move only in a straight line ("evil takes the shortest path"). Accordingly, the roads were winding and the paths tangled - which was more like medieval Europe than Ancient Rome.

In some cases, the service system was delivered quite modern. So, in India, during the already mentioned pilgrimage to modern Allahabad (to the place of confluence of the sacred rivers), the so-called pandas, who inherit this position, have been leading the ablution ceremony for a long time. This organization includes hundreds of families who have divided all of India into districts; the richest pandas send their agents to travel and look for new customers. Each new pilgrim is required to conclude a written agreement stating that the next visit will apply exclusively to his panda, and he will bring detailed documentation to customers. Hundreds of hairdressers also live at the expense of the pilgrims (today, the whole ritual, which was quite difficult in antiquity, has three main points: bathing, shaving, and paying).

In the 19th century, according to the modern Indologist, the “entrepreneurial spirit of the Europeans proved to be here”: As a pass to paradise ... a tax on pilgrimage was introduced. Interestingly, the measures taken by the English. by the government (a strict procedure of movement, requiring only certain streets and through certain gates; the issuance of documents certifying the right to ablution; the presence of troops in case the crowd tries to break through force; the rules designed to eliminate the abuse of tax collection) organically merged with the traditional the order that secular authorities established already in the Middle Ages, as we saw on the example of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

The more you travel, the more experience you have gained. You begin to understand the mistakes that you made before, and you can correct them without much effort. This allows you to save money, get rid of unnecessary worries and travel much more convenient. Get all these habits to make every trip a pleasant one.

Create a list of necessary things

If you make a list of everything you need in advance, it will be more convenient for you to pack your suitcase and you will not forget anything. Experienced travelers always make lists - it’s convenient to collect them before departure, and to pack things before returning home.

If your friends or relatives were already in the place where you are going, they will be able to offer you where to eat, which museum to go to and which public transport to go to. Close people know you well, so they can give advice that is suitable for you personally and which is tested on their own experience.

Pack in advance

You should have the habit of gathering at least a day before the trip, ideally you should do this even earlier. If you pack slowly all week before you leave, you can pack your bags in your bag when you think of them. So there is less chance that you will forget something. Do not wait until the last moment, otherwise you will begin your journey with stress and you can forget about something.

Make multiple copies of important documents

You should have copies of your ID and insurance with you, and also leave the route with relatives or friends. If you lose something, the necessary copies will be sent to you. Original documents should be kept in a safe in the hotel, and only copies should be carried with you, which is much more convenient and safer.

Always carry a water bottle with you.

Bring a water bottle with you everywhere - you can easily fill it and drink during the flight, as well as the whole trip. You never know whether you can buy water at any time, so with a bottle you will be very comfortable.

Constantly charge your devices

Bring adapters and chargers with you wherever you go. If there is a power outlet where you are setting up for dinner, be sure to use it. Charge all devices at night while you sleep, so that in the morning you have a full battery that lasts as long as possible. In this case, you do not have to face inconvenience.

Try to get there early.

Go to the airport in advance. Come early to the train station. Do not be late for the restaurant where you have the reservation. If you are in an unfamiliar country, you never know what the problem is, so the best solution is to go out early to anticipate the problems. This is especially true for traveling by plane. Avoid being late so as not to run into trouble.

Do not keep money in sight

You should not openly demonstrate your money, it doesn’t matter whether you are in your hometown or traveling. Keep money with you, but not in sight, never put anything of value in your back pocket - this is the place from where it is easiest for a thief to steal anything.

Download maps to use them without internet

You can pre-download parts of the map that you will especially need so that you can use them even when you do not have wireless Internet. You can navigate around the city at any time, even if you are in a completely unfamiliar country for the first time.

Take photos of important details

Take a photo with the address of your hotel, your route, your tickets, parking space, departure confirmation numbers, checks, hotel rooms. Do not rely solely on your memory. It is likely that you will be glad that you have these useful photos on your phone.

Remember when your passport expires

If your documents become invalid soon, you may have a problem. In many countries, travel is prohibited if three months or six months are left before the passport expires. Be sure to follow this and update the documents on time.

Learn to take a minimum of things

Try not to overload your bags, take a minimum of things - only what you really need. Try to be limited to one bag - so it will be much more convenient for you to move around, besides you will not worry about luggage.

Iceland is one of the most unusual and original countries on our planet. This island state, inhabited by the descendants of the Vikings at the end of the 9th century, is lost in the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. The isolation and solitude of the island influenced the customs and traditions of Icelanders, who are quite rare and unique.

Family traditions

It will be unusual for any foreigner in Iceland to find out that Icelanders have no surnames. What the Europeans are accustomed to understanding by a surname is an patronymic among the inhabitants of the island. Thus, if a person, for example, is Ragnar Olafson, this means that Ragnar is the son of Olaf. However, by the last name Icelanders do not like to call each other. Communication among themselves is limited to names.

Culinary traditions

Despite the scarcity of local flora and fauna, due to the harsh northern climate, the cuisine of Iceland is extremely diverse. Most vegetables and fruits are imported into the country, but Icelanders grow carrots, cabbage, potatoes and cucumbers with tomatoes on their island. Traditional and popular dishes in the country are sour milk, fried puffins (this is a type of bird) and their eggs, soaked bull eggs in curdled milk, smoked lamb, salmon marinated in spices, chopped sheep liver and rotten shark meat. Coffee is very popular on the island. When visiting the cafe, the fee is taken exclusively for the first cup of coffee, all the rest are free. Tradition to travel

The inhabitants of Iceland love the beauty of the nature of their land. The adult inhabitants of the island have SUVs and small farms or nature houses outside the city limits. The descendants of the Vikings love to travel. For their voyages, they often choose not other countries or resorts, but the territory of their own country. A good tradition is the annual visit to historical places and natural monuments.

Folk traditions

There are only two seasons in Iceland - winter and summer. Half a year in the country, half a night. To at least somehow diversify their lives with long boring evenings, Icelanders, in addition to various family games, became addicted to knitting. Currently, in cities this tradition has already outlived its own, but the inhabitants of farms, moreover, both men and women, enjoy knitting. It was because of such a massive enthusiasm for knitting that, from an ordinary hobby that turned into a national tradition, the famous Icelandic sweater appeared, which is called “lopapeisa” or abbreviated “lop”. Such things look like warm jumpers or sweaters, decorated in the upper part and near the throat with a national ornament. For export, such clothes are made from imported wool, as the yarn from the wool of local sheep is very prickly. Due to the fact that sweaters are very warm and practically do not allow moisture to pass through, they are often used as outerwear.

Literary and musical traditions

Icelanders are especially proud of their national traditions in literature and music. Real events from the life of ancestors are passed down from generation to generation and are performed to music using national musical instruments. Such instruments are organ and harmony.

In modern music, which is closely connected with Scandinavian music, one can clearly hear the ethnic tunes characteristic of Icelanders. The country has several music groups that have received worldwide recognition.

Literary national pride is, of course, the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Icelandic writer Hadldour Lasness. His works, inspired by the plots of sagas, brought the author worldwide fame.
Holiday traditions

The main Icelandic holiday is the Winter Holiday. His tradition was to put on his pants only on one leg and jump barefoot on his bare leg around his own house. The Icelandic Winter Festival is celebrated widely with an abundance of refreshments and spirits at the table. Jumping in the frost in the snow around the house is not prohibited, but it is also not mandatory.

Traditionally, one of the main and most beloved holidays was the New Year's Eve. At its celebration, the inhabitants of Iceland set fires and dance around them, singing funny songs.

After the celebration of the New Year, the inhabitants of the island celebrate their most traditional holiday called “Yule”. At its celebration, bonfires must be lit, but in places specially designated for this, due to the fact that the festival is dedicated to the goddesses of fate. The traditions of Yule are very similar to the traditions of the celebration of Christmas. Icelanders also dress up the tree and hide gifts under it.

Icelanders celebrate the holiday of the first summer day with great scope - Sumardagurin Firsti. A number of popular beliefs are associated with these pagan festivals. Frosts on a festive night were a good sign. Icelanders believe that the thickness of ice on water will be the same as the thickness of cream on milk throughout the year.

At the peak of the holiday of the first day of summer, Iceland celebrates the holiday of the first day of winter. During its celebration, Icelanders organize various competitions and organize many festivals.

The main public holidays are Independence Day, celebrated on December 1, the Day of the Head of State and the Day of the Proclamation of the Icelandic Republic.

It is no stranger to Icelanders to celebrate some of the generally recognized holidays around the world, such as St. Nicholas Day, Catholic Christmas, Valentine's Day and Lutheran Easter.
Other traditions

Icelanders are extremely punctual. When making an appointment, it is better to arrive at the meeting on time or even a little earlier. Being late for meetings is considered bad form.

The use of the word "peasant" in communication, moreover, in any language, is also considered bad form. It is considered to be offensive. In Icelandic, the word "farmer" replaced it. Settlements adopted on the European continent called a village or village here are called a farm. On the island, according to its inhabitants, there are generally only two types of settlements - these are urban settlements and farm settlements.

In the case of an invitation to visit, it is customary to give the owners any, even purely symbolic, gift. Icelanders are very welcoming and hospitable.