Viktor aspidov about hitchhiking. Traveler Viktor Aspidov: even a novice tourist can ride around Europe for $500 for three months

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A traveler from Moscow Viktor Aspidov conducted a training on hitchhiking in Veliky Novgorod. He urged Novgorodians to travel more and believe in good fellow travelers, and not in films about road maniacs.

Viktor Aspidov has hitchhiked to 70 countries around the world and is now teaching Russians how to ride a ride and what not to be afraid of.

— I came to Novgorod by hitchhiking. He is in my veins. Hitchhiking in Veliky Novgorod with its special effects of rescue and survival. I've been to Novgorod several times when I went on business trips in Russia, or just hitchhiked on the weekends. This time I drove at night, it was cold. The driver went to bed and was only able to take me to the turn, to the entrance to Veliky Novgorod. I had to walk a little, and the final gesture good will was on behalf of the woman who took me. Although women are less likely to drive, and less likely to take hitchhikers. In general, hitchhiking is great in Russia, said the hitchhiker Viktor Aspidov.

Victor's criteria for a good hitchhiking are as follows: waiting time (how long you stay on the road), travel time depending on the composition (you can move quickly alone, or four of you), the hospitality of the drivers who take you into the car, and the hospitality of the people who stop traveler.

- One Kazakh, who gave me a lift to Central Asia, said: "Allah said to help two people: mother and traveler." And for some time now my mother is a traveler (she is 58 years old), so it turns out double support. By the way, a trip to Asia breaks all sorts of myths about this people, some unhealthy claims against migrants. People from these warm countries very hospitable and kind, we were met and received by whole villages, - shares Viktor Aspidov.

Hitchhiker advised Novgorodians to expect only the best from travel and people. “What you expect on a trip will come to you” - this is a kind of motto of hitchhikers, which always comes true. People in other countries and cities treat stoppers as travelers who need to be sheltered and shown around the city, and not like a tourist with a full wallet.

— Hitchhiking for me is a way to learn and receive information from the outside world, from the primary source. Initially, when I was going to hitchhike, I had no fear of people. Hitchhiking is a phenomenon for people who are not afraid of people. We logically and simply relate to the existing reality. The world is full of wonderful people, and hitchhiking was a confirmation of my worldview. There may be fears that someone will not stop for a long time, it may be raining, it may be cold, it may be necessary to sleep outside of comfortable conditions. But I can’t imagine that a maniac or some kind of murderer can stop, - he thinks Viktor Aspidov.

It should be noted that in the "Novgorod League of Those Who Traveled" in social network over a hundred participants.

Evgenia Lamakh: Viktor Aspidov - Russian traveler, theorist and practitioner of free travel, documentary filmmaker, journalist and hitchhiking tutor with his community in contact and youtube channel. Victor recently celebrated his big anniversary: 80 countries behind him, and almost all - hitchhiking! Victor, is it true?

Viktor Aspidov: Good afternoon, Evgeniya. Yes, many travelers measure their movements in thousands of kilometers. I only need counting countries. Hitchhiking for me is the maximum combination of pluses: transport, acquaintances, communication, my way of knowing the world, and, of course, the opportunity to get to the destination of the trip in a good company.

Evgeniya: Wow! How do you usually find travel companions?

Victor: I often travel alone, but I am always glad to have good fellow travelers, and they, most often, are found by chance: either already along the way, or on VKontakte, and even created a group for this there. And you can virtually feel a person by asking him specific questions, even by the reaction to questions, sometimes something becomes clear. Of course, I choose interested and not lazy, mostly girls. A couple of guy + girl on the roads are most likely to pick up.

I find the good in everything. For example, when you travel alone, you are your own boss, you know yourself like five fingers. And in a couple it’s much more fun, and in order to avoid disagreements, we resolve all issues as they arise, and don’t hold a grudge: you can’t say now - it will accumulate like a snowball, and someday it will cover.

Evgeniya: What is the most important thing in travel for you?

Victor: It is better to plan trips and prepare for them. And at the same time, it is very tempting to just go out for a piece of bread with a passport and go towards the unknown with the very first ride ... This feels incredible freedom. Surrender to chance. Maximum time and minimum money. Spontaneously, naturally and lively.

Hitchhiking is the brightest and richest type of travel and the most effective way to get to know the world. The first and most important thing for me are people, carriers of culture: characters, habits, mentality. If it were not for people, for example, I would never have seen spearfishing in Cyprus and have not seen a rodeo in Guatemala, I would not have known the life of the Indians in Colombia and much more.

Evgeniya: What are three things you always carry with you when you travel? Maybe a bag of native land?

Victor: No, everything is more prosaic: a backpack, a passport, a camera. When I travel, I take pictures and shoot videos, post them on my youtube channel, collaborating with production. I speak Russian fluently and English, while traveling in Latin America, he learned Spanish, and in Turkey - a little Turkish. Such knowledge helps me a lot - I can focus not only on Russian-speaking viewers.

Evgeniya: Viktor, tell me, what unspoken rules should any traveler follow on the road?

Victor: Tricks that I follow:

Road letter and note

A travel certificate is a document with seals that confirms that I am a traveler and I have a conscious goal. This is such a simple tool that helps you visit attractions for free. The note describes the essence of your hitchhiking trip and helps you communicate with drivers and everyone around you. Such documents must be in English and the languages of the countries to which you are going.

Smartphone applications.

The smartphone is now simply irreplaceable. I shoot videos and take pictures with it. I have offline applications saved on my phone that help me navigate the terrain, suggest foreign words, and much more.

local names.

I advise you to take a local name, especially if your real one is not found in the country of travel. You have no idea how close it is! Having tried it once, now I always do it, it immerses you in culture - people smile, remember you more easily, trust more and open up in communication. Yes, I feel more like myself.

Gesture "open palm".

On the road, I catch cars with an open hand. Such an ancient psychological technique that shows that I am in front of you at a glance, I have nothing in my hands, I am harmless. And often I put my backpack forward - they say, look, I'm a traveler. And so I'm more visible on the road, especially when my shoulder friend, and my clothes are bright colors.

I present to you a hitchhiker, professional traveler, journalist, lecturer, author and participant in various hitchhiking reality projects - Viktor Aspidov. He has already seen the world in his years - 77 countries are behind him.

Victor successfully gives lectures and conducts master classes on hitchhiking and a free lifestyle, liberating and inspiring many people with his example for free travel and a vibrant life.

On the road in northern Argentina while traveling with the project "Two Americas, One Russia."

Hey! And immediately, it seems to me, the main question: what prompted you to hitchhike?

Once I had no money, and I dreamed of seeing the world. Having learned from friends about such a tempting method, after making inquiries, I set off. And then hitchhiking became my philosophy, my university, my life, because that's how the most interesting trips turn out.

Are you traveling alone?

I often travel alone, but I am always happy to have a good company of 1-2 people, but preferably no more, because the more people you have with you, the more difficult it is to catch transport due to lack of free places and your freedom is more limited by the desires of others.

What do you think: are there many like-minded hitchhikers?

There are a lot of my colleagues on the roads of the world, and a hitchhiker is different from a hitchhiker, but the desire to move outside the box, dilute the routine with unforgettable moments, unites many.

What difficulties or dangers do you face while traveling?

The biggest difficulties arise when more than one car stops for you, and you have to decide which kind people to sit with when they want to show local beauties that you did not know about, and there is a question of time and a dilemma of choice.

When you are cordially invited to visit with each other and you have to decide who to go to, and as a guest you find yourself at a table that is bursting with incredibly tasty, cooked with love, foods and drinks, and you have to taste everything, and then you are tempted by alluring offers to live here …

And trifles, but still it frightens and upsets some, for example, sometimes it can snow, rain, shine on you, a person or even a group can watch. There can be catastrophes comparable only to the end of the world - you lost some of your things on your own or with someone's "noble" help, but I'm sure that this happened to everyone in ordinary life, and, strangely, the apocalypse was not followed. Personally, no one harmed me while hitchhiking along the way, as either good or very good people stop.

So many trips... there must have been funny cases, can you tell us about some?

Yes, of course there were many. For example, in Poland, when I asked if the driver was going to Wroclaw, he answered that he was nearby. I relied on the commonality of the Slavic languages, and on the way it turned out that the Pole was going to the city of Radom, which was off our route.

In one of the reality projects with me on central TV, while hitchhiking, one of my tasks was to stop the car and arrange an overnight stay with the driver in a maximum of 15 minutes. In a few minutes, I stopped three cars: on Rublyovka, Kutuzovsky and in the center of Moscow. Imagine, the very first driver invited me to an overnight stay after a few minutes of communication and without a knife to my throat! At the same time, it turned out to film the whole action on a video camera.

And there was also a task with a tractor driver, but not at all similar to tasks from mathematics textbooks. AT Yaroslavl region I was encouraged to stop the tractor, the tractor driver and I sang songs, he invited me home and to the bathhouse, and then he called me to go fishing! A lot of very interesting things happened. Favorites from the hitchhiking reality project with me are posted on the youtube channel. It also provides answers to various questions about hitchhiking.

What should you take with you on the road? (which you can't do without)

Hitchhiking is freedom, and the less we have, the more we approach its absolute, and as practice shows, we lose less. It is advisable to take clothes so that you are not judged for exhibitionism, hygiene items if you wash and brush your teeth, although there are people who are above this, a change of underwear if you plan to wash, documents and a backpack where you can put everything. The rest can be dispensed with if the head works, and you use your tongue not only for eating. Then you will have to walk a little, and everything missing will appear as needed. The most important thing in hitchhiking is that you learn to understand how little a person needs to be happy, you find the truth, you begin to appreciate what you have and are content with the gifts that the Universe gives you.

77 countries - pick a couple more expensive places for you. And why are they special?

One of the most expensive places is Oslo and in general the whole of Norway, if you are talking about a wallet. And if it's about what is dear to my heart, then there are many wonderful countries with wonderful people. I can single out Latin America, the Middle East, the Caucasus and Asia, which are incredibly good for their kind, cheerful, open and hospitable people. Europe is also not indifferent, and at the same time, of course, Russia and Ukraine are especially close to me in a kindred way.

If you are hitchhiking, then in many places on earth the journey is fraught with pain in the stomach from frequent laughter and overeating. And also wrinkles from frequent smiles on your face and from the generous local sun. If specifically about countries, then the experience in each of them is unique in its events, meetings, adventures, sights. For me, the most important thing anywhere in the world is people, because I love them, and they are the main carrier of culture. Without human factor it is impossible to know the culture of the region, and you can dive into it most deeply thanks to hitchhiking. Everywhere on the planet, many beautiful people are revealed by simply voting “for them” on the track. Do you want to become a modern Diogenes and find real human people? Then pack your backpack!

How many languages do you speak?

His own, Russian, English, Spanish and a little bit of many others. Car dealerships and the homes of hospitable drivers and members of the travel site couchsurfing.org are the best audiences. To learn how to swim, we need to jump into the water and row if we want to live, and to master languages, we need to hit the road if we want to live ... happily and interestingly. There is a saying in Laos for a reason: "A person who knows one more language has another life."

On the road, you communicate for free, you easily memorize words on positive emotions and immediately put them into practice, unlike boring, ineffective and expensive courses in your city. In general, hitchhiking is cheaper than staying at home.

Do you plan to write a book about your adventures?

Firstly, any person writes his own book of life, which, unlike the writer's book, cannot be rewritten. Every day is just a page, if you are stuck in a routine without bright moments, when you hitchhike, then a day can become a whole book full of adventures.

Secondly, people began to read less, but travel more and write about it, so I don’t plan to write something global yet, because the need and relevance are important. Although, for example, my story "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Canary Islands" became the winner of an international writing competition with a prize - tickets to Morocco. As you can see, there was a good incentive. There are a lot of different notes, many of which, as well as recordings on radio and TV, online publications, I post on my page in