From Vladivostok to Rio: Checked routes and useful tips

If we saythat in the summer you especially want to go somewhere far away, then skrivim soul. I want to travel all year round and preferably more often: in the mountains, to the ocean, in a forest hike or a city in which you have never been - all options are good. We regularly publish travelers' stories and their useful tips on what you should pay attention to during the trip, how to prepare for it, and what sights you should not miss in any case. In this material we have collected the best stories from all over the world - from Bali to Portugal.

Hiking above the clouds and cheeses in the valley of Chamonix

These two days we spent in dense fog on the "warm-up" trails on the border of clouds. Preparation is simple: a pair of sandwiches and a bottle of water in a backpack - and you can go even for the whole day. It goes at first tightly, breathing gets off, but the farther, the easier. Yes, and quickly stop paying attention to this discomfort: wet, thick and even too green forest reminds of all fairy tales at once. Pines, ferns, mosses, stones, blueberries, strawberries. Ate - washed down with water from the stream. On the trail now and then with someone you disperse or overtake other groups or lonely runners: Bonjour - Bonjour.

In Rio with friends: cachaca, favela, football and TV shows

One of the best features of Brazilians is their unwillingness to change something, if it already works well. Their special lazy hedonism is manifested in everything - the city looks pretty much like the jungle with all its development, high-rise buildings, business centers and shopping malls. Everything is preserved in its original form, Brazilians have never been innovators and not apologists of the construction site. Therefore, wherever you are, there you can always see a palm tree, an old building and graffiti. The latter is on almost every building - and crazy beauty. Brazil's most advanced architect, Oscar Niemeyer, is essentially kitsch and commie, and the fact that he is the founder of modern Brazilian architecture says everything about Brazilians: what difference does a high-rise building live when you can get to Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, or even better walk.

At the height: How to go to the Alps as a volunteer and have a rest with benefits

Almost on the border with Italy in the mountains are five forts, built at the beginning of the XIX century and named after members of the royal family of Savoy. The whole ensemble of fortresses is called Esseillon. Each year, a detachment of volunteers repairs Fort-Victor-Emmanuel during July and August, and the fortress of Maria-Theresa is already in good condition thanks to the volunteer restoration and the Association of Forts Esseillon. Getting to the fort is difficult, but interesting. We almost missed the train from Cannes: it turns out that in order to get the tickets purchased on the website of the French railways, you need to have with you the card with which they were paid. All this turned out ten minutes before the train departed, we did not have time to cancel the tickets and return the money, so we had to buy new ones.

How to travel with children: California in 3 weeks

We had a pretty ambitious plan: first drive through San Francisco, Napa Valley, Yosemite National Park, and then go along Highway No. 1, enjoying ocean views, towards Los Angeles and Santa Monica, where you can bask in the sun for five days . When planning the route, we, of course, thought of the children. Kira at that time was eight months old, and she didn’t care where she was taken, but three-year-old Sasha already had her desires. For example, we knew that Sasha would not want to live in a national park for a week and climb waterfalls every day, as we would like. And we, in turn, did not want to spend the entire vacation on the playground in San Francisco. Therefore, we are looking for compromises.

California on a gig and skateboard for 21 days

The road to the forest lies through the mountains, steep serpentines, and near the mountain river flows rapidly. After the canyons and deserts - a breath of fresh air, especially since the forest exceeded our expectations. The trunk area of each adult sequoia exceeds the area of my room, while the area of General Sherman, the largest tree on earth, is 31 square meters. m - almost my one bedroom apartment. The age of each adult tree is about two thousand years. Half a day we kicked giant bumps, chased lizards, and poked around in the snow.

India - Nepal by bus and train in 38 days

Having lived for almost two and a half months in Goa, we have learned all the basics of Asian life: always and everywhere you need to have fun and bargain with a smile - the Indians love it. If we talk about food, then “Momo” is especially kindled in the heart - according to the type of our dumplings, there are vegetarian ones. And if you want meat, you will have to go to the seller and choose with your own hands what kind of white hen he will hack today. From Goa we first got to Mapusa, where we bought sleeper-bus tickets. In general, sleepers are a great Indian phenomenon.

From socialists to bourgeois: How to drive around France in 35 days

French markets and fairs are worth the fun. By September, local merchants from villages bring all kinds of yields of ruddy apples, fragrant pears and ripe plums. They sell bread, meat and cheese of their own production. Someone even puts up for sale pets. In Tours, in such a market, we saw a palm-sized pig and a tiny lamb, which together fit into a shoebox.

To Portugal for yoga and surfing

Strong legs help us to fight with wind and current. We regularly work on them all over the week in a variety of asanas; a strong wet diving suit saves us from cold water. The first surf in my life begins with jogging, stretching and general instruction. A tall and incredibly tanned native of Bulgaria, who has lived in Portugal for 15 years, tells and shows what to do with the board, how to properly tie it to your foot, how to jump onto this very board, and several times strongly reminds that after falling into the water you should always be grouped and keep your head.

How to break into the surf camp in Bali and get on the board from scratch

I probably will never forget my first lineup. That day I learned what surfing is. And this is above all the huge omnipotent ocean element, for which you are just a grain of sand. The ocean may not let you in, or it may not let you go, it can be carried ashore, and it can be carried backwards, it can knead and pull to the bottom. At first I fought the ocean and tried to resist. She was afraid of him, angry and annoyed. But the instructors helped to understand that you need to watch the ocean, learn to understand it and calmly perceive all the failures and batches, because you cannot tame the element.

Moscow - Vladivostok by train in 27 days

On the shore of Lake Baikal you look into the distance - and it is breathtaking Transparent calm water, steep cliffs, dense coniferous forest. Right on the spot, we bought a ticket for the motor ship that goes through Baikal. A pretty girl-guide, quite quickly telling the prepared excursion, advised us of several secret places of Baikal, where it is actually better to go, where go-goers rest, where are the camping sites, and where are the small houses-hotels. Meanwhile, from the water, the seal, the charming local seal, looked at us for a few seconds and dove back under the water. I think I will definitely return to Lake Baikal, but somewhere far away from civilization.