Organized tour or independent travel? How to organize a trip (trip) independently and cheaply Organized trips.

Fortunately, we all realized long ago that you can move around the world without a travel agency, and even save money at the same time. But what if you don't have time to plan a difficult route, but you don't want to go with a group of tourists either? Agencies are at your service to help organize independent travel... No hassle in buying tickets and hotel reservations - everything will be done for you until you go to the airport.

Makemytrip.com.ua

The agency offers the organization of combined tours for relatively affordable money. For example, you can go to Bali, Hong Kong and Singapore for 1400-1500 dollars, and visit a 10-day tour in Italy for 400-500 euros.
The agency helps to plan an itinerary and redeem tickets, reservations hotels, advises on visas and charges 70 euros per person for its services. Even if you are not going to use Makemytrip services, I recommend subscribing to their page on Facebook - useful links and news about promotional airfare are posted there.

Mandruy.com

The company "Mandruy is Cheaper" appeared on the market relatively recently, but already has a whole army of fans on Facebook... The agency offers individual tours of good prices- for example, 10 days of the beaches of Brazil - for $ 1099 with all flights and meals, or a week vacation in Greece for 300 euros. At the same time, traditional tours appear on the company's website, the price of which is no longer so low compared to tour operators. All in all, don't forget to compare before buying!

I love asia

As the name suggests, the company offers travel arrangements in Asia. Through iloveasia, you can book a group tour with an excursion program, and an independent trip with a personal guide, and even get assistance in organizing a move to Asia for the winter. All this pleasure is not cheap - services for organizing an independent travel up to 15 days will cost 180 dollars, longer - 310.
A group tour to four countries will cost an average of $ 1400 without the main flight; if you plan on your own, you can meet this amount with a flight. At the same time, the program is very rich and well thought-out, it includes excursions and activities, so if you have a lot of money - use it! And still, the life of the company can be monitored in

From Rostourism. In 2014, which is associated with the beginning of the crisis, 42 921 tourist trips abroad among citizens of the Russian Federation. In 2017 - 39 629.

Yes, there is definitely a downward trend. But 7 or even 8 percent is not the number that can “kill” the market. People travel, and in the TOP-20 for 2017 there are Germany, Israel, Italy - countries with far from the lowest prices.

If so, where are the customers?

Many travel companies emerged in the first decade after the collapse of the USSR. At that time, people, in front of whom the "Iron Curtain" had just collapsed, just had to hand over a plane ticket and a hotel reservation, and that was all. The man is happy. He has escaped to see the world and can tell his friends how it is abroad.

Time has passed, and now the bulk of potential clients for the tourism business are children of the 80s and 90s. With a different worldview, more free and independent.

They do not want to lie belly up on the beaches of Antalya. Is that once a year, when you need to "walk" parents and a small child. And they don't want to crowd with dozens at all strangers around the next cathedral or monument. They can organize their own vacation via the Internet, without intermediaries.

What do they want? Vivid, juicy impressions that are difficult to get on your own. Flight to hot-air balloon over Cappadocia. Walk through the "secret" courtyards of Istanbul. Drive to the "Hobbit Village" in New Zealand. Participation in a national holiday. They want to make their dreams come true and sparkle with beautiful photos on social media.

Conclusion: the market is changing, and you need to change along with it.

Promising niches for the next few years

So we come to the main thing. You can talk as much as you like about how the world is changing, but where to run? What can you do to attract the current generation of tourists hungry for variety and experience?

First of all, move from standard solutions to unique ones. Develop your own routes, establish relationships with new format tour operators, collaborate with private guides.

And most importantly, treat the tourism business as creativity, and not as a craft. Creativity is in vogue today - in the broadest sense of the word.

Here are some examples of fertile niches:

Organization of individual tours. People who have money do not want to travel like everyone else. Give them the opportunity to order a tour from you with the most flexible conditions, without standard solutions. Large tour operators such as TUI and PAC are already beginning to explore this niche. They organize trips according to individual requests to almost any country in the world, without reference to ready-made "packages". There are also small private companies like White Label Travel, which specialize in the premium segment. But this part of the tourism market can still house a lot of companies.
Organization of thematic tours. Bike trips, diving tours, cooking classes - find the destinations that are interesting to you and in which you can offer something unusual. It is with this approach that Velovuyki, which organize cycling trips across Europe, or Safari tours, which specialize in diving tours and dive safaris, have become popular in their niches. By the way, large tour operators also often make such programs - designed not for a wide audience, but for individual thematic segments. This means that the market exists.
Organization of author's tours. Bloggers have huge readership, and many of them specialize in travel. In partnership with them, you can develop unusual programs. For example, one of my favorite Travel Inside projects has grown out of a purely blogging format. They do not have a special thematic niche, they use a different approach - they gather their own warm audience that travels only with them. You can do the same or partner with popular bloggers and organize tours together.
Organization tourist groups in a club format. Accommodation, transportation, entertainment and sightseeing are the bare minimum for organized groups. But you can go further and arrange parties, socializing and other elements of team building while traveling. One Life and Mikhail Kozhukhov's Travel Club can be prominent representatives of this format. Their clients are not just groups that meet every few days and say goodbye forever. No, they have been traveling with them and with each other for many years.
Organization of tours in Russia for foreigners. All the same approaches can be used within your country (unusual, author's, thematic tours). As examples, you can take Express to Russia or ExploRussia, as well as foreign companies such as Responsibletravel, which organize tours to Russia for foreigners. They focus not only on history and typical walks in the center of Moscow or St. Petersburg, but also on natural attractions, holidays, national cuisine... The market exists, but is not yet filled with competition, and the scope for new business is huge here.

Personal experience

I started working in the tourism business in 2015, at the height of another crisis. Most of the clients are from the countries of the former Soviet Union. At that moment, my husband and I managed to intuitively find the right direction and we founded Time 2 Travel club - a company for organizing individual travel.

Which worked well:

Experience and personal example. We travel a lot in Europe and Asia, we constantly post about it on our social networks, and clients trust our advice on choosing attractions and hotels. Moreover, they want us, as people who have seen everything with our own eyes, to advise them on the best options.
Individual approach. We do not offer ready-made tours, but we ask what the client would like. Yes, often the choice comes down to one of a dozen popular countries, for which we already have blanks. But this is how the client gets involved in the process, begins to plan the trip even before the payment is made, feels that this is his trip, his dream is coming true. And, as a result, he goes with us to the very end, and does not look at how competitors are doing there.
Honesty. We play openly and tell our clients: this is the cost of the trip, this is our commission. Oddly enough, bargaining is extremely rare - apparently, they understand that the earnings on one trip are not so great, and they do not fantasize about huge hidden commissions. Also, we always honestly tell people what they pay for, why one option is more expensive or cheaper than the other, what to expect on the spot. This is highly valued and pays off handsomely in the form of positive reviews.

With the organization of individual tours, it was a good decision and we decided to go further. Now we are expanding our business and will soon launch an online project under the same name Time 2 Travel - a search engine that will unite organizers of excursions, tours and tourist attractions, as well as travelers who are looking for unusual experiences.

Photo: on

This new project grew out of our pain as travel organizers: it is difficult to find quality excursions and entertainment. When clients ask to arrange a walk in Istanbul or Paris, the last thing they want to do is get to the standard " historical background"Several hours long. I would like to find a person who loves this city, lives for it and will not just tell and show, but will give travelers an impression.

Here we can again return to the issue of vacant niches in the tourism business. Agree, a tour guide is not the rarest profession. But if you do not work like everyone else, but do something unusual, truly high-quality and from the heart, and not according to standard templates, it will be much easier for you to find your audience and sell your services to them at good prices.

A few key words

Free niches constantly appear on the market and it is not so difficult to find them. What you need to do is watch how people's preferences change. Yesterday they just wanted an organization within the framework of "visa, ticket, hotel" - it was necessary to meet these needs. Today they want entertainment, experience and beautiful photos- these new desires need to be satisfied. Tomorrow this will also change and other tourism destinations will begin to gain popularity.

To keep your finger on the pulse, it is good to read regularly social networks and forums, listen to feedback, and most importantly, ask your audience directly. This should all be part of an ongoing and regular workflow.

Don't be afraid of negative reviews. When a client says they were missing something, they give you the most valuable free consultation and are actually pointing out what can be improved. In the same way, you can follow the reviews of competitors and get ideas: what their customers like, what they don't like.

With this approach, you are unlikely to have a shortage of ideas. Of course, then there is a lot of work to implement the plan, but this is already a topic for another story.

Good afternoon, dear reader.

The innovations affect the features of transporting groups of children. First of all, this information is intended for the personnel of childcare facilities, as well as drivers of travel companies involved in the transportation of minor children.

Organized transportation of a group of children

Since July 10, 2015, the concept of "Organized transportation of a group of children" has been changed in the traffic rules:

"Organized carriage of a group of children" - the organized carriage of eight or more children in a bus that does not belong to a fixed-route vehicle.

"Organized transportation of a group of children" - transportation in a bus, not related to a shuttle vehicle, a group of children of 8 or more people, carried out without their legal representatives, except for the case when the legal representative (s) is (are) appointed (and) an accompanying (s) or designated healthcare professional.

As before, organized transportation has the following features:

children are on the bus;
the bus is not a public transport;
the number of children is 8 or more.

A new sign of organized transportation. It is carried out without legal representatives of children... Let me remind you that the legal representatives of the child are parents, adoptive parents, trustees or guardians.

So if children with their parents travel on a bus, for example, an excursion bus, this is not an organized transportation of children and the rules of organized transportation do not apply in this case.

However, there are situations when even in the presence of legal representatives, transportation is organized. For example, there are 8 children on the bus. The parents of one of the children act as an accompanying person. Transportation in this case is organized and requires compliance with the rules.

Accompanying children with a traffic police car

First of all, the changes affected the list of documents required for the organized transportation of a group of children:

c) a decision on the appointment of escorting buses by a car (cars) of a subdivision of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as a subdivision of the State Traffic Inspectorate) or a notification of a negative decision based on the results of consideration of an application for such escort;

c) a copy of the decision on the appointment of escorting buses by a car (cars) of a subdivision of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as a subdivision of the State Traffic Inspectorate) or a copy of a notification about the organized transportation of a group of children;

Until July 10, 2015, for the carriage of children, the original of the decision on the appointment of an escort or the original refusal of escort was required. Starting from July 10, a copy of the decision on the appointment of an escort or a copy of the traffic police notice is required.

Consider the related clause of the transportation rules:

10. The manager or official responsible for ensuring road safety, organizations, and in the case of organized transportation of a group of children under a charter agreement, the charterer or charterer (by mutual agreement) ensures, in accordance with the established procedure, the filing of an application for escorting buses with cars of the State Traffic Inspectorate.

10. The head or official responsible for ensuring road safety, organizations, and in the case of organized transportation of a group of children under a charter agreement, the charterer or charterer (by mutual agreement) shall, in accordance with the procedure established by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, submit a notification about the organized transportation of a group of children to the Department of the State Traffic Inspectorate in case the organized transportation of a group of children is carried out by one or two buses, or applications for escorting convoys by cars of the State Traffic Inspectorate, if the specified transportation is carried out in at least 3 buses.

Submission of a notification about the organized transportation of a group of children to the traffic police department is carried out no later than 2 days before the day of the start of transportation.

Until July 10, 2015, the head of the group had to submit an application to the traffic police for escorting buses with traffic police cars.

From 10 July support request served only if the carriage is carried out by three or more buses. In this case, the traffic police will send an escort car.

If the children travel in one or two buses, then another document is submitted to the traffic police - notification of organized transportation of a group of children... In this case, the escort vehicle is not highlighted.

Documents are submitted no later than 2 days before the start of the trip.

Attention! The deadline for filing a notification with the traffic police has been changed from October 1, 2019. It is 24 hours for urban and suburban travel and 48 hours for intercity travel. This issue is addressed in.

In any case, the team leader must have with him either a copy of the escort request or a copy of the arranged transportation notice.

Documents for organized transportation of children

d) a list of a set of food products (dry rations, bottled water) in accordance with the range established by the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare or its territorial administration, in the case provided for in paragraph 17 of these Rules;

d) a list of a set of food products (dry rations, bottled water);

Starting July 10, 2015, when transporting children, there must be a food kit list. Previously, such a list was required only if the estimated travel time was more than 3 hours.

Requirements for drivers carrying children

8. Drivers of buses carrying out organized transportation of a group of children are allowed to drivers who have continuous work experience as a driver of a vehicle of category "D" for at least 1 year and have not been subjected to administrative punishment in the last year in the form of deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle or administrative arrest for committing an administrative offense in the field of road traffic.

8. Drivers of buses carrying out organized transportation of a group of children are allowed to drivers who meet the following requirements:

those who have worked as a driver of a category "D" vehicle for at least one year out of the last 3 calendar years;
have not committed administrative offenses in the field of road traffic, for which an administrative penalty is provided in the form of deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle or an administrative arrest, during the last year;
passed pre-trip instruction on the safety of transportation of children in accordance with the rules for ensuring the safety of transportation of passengers and goods by car and urban land electric transport approved by the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation;
passed a pre-trip medical examination in the manner prescribed by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

As in the past, drivers who carry out organized transportation of children should not be punished by deprivation of rights or administrative arrest during the last year.

Prior to July 10, 2015, drivers were also required to have had continuous work experience as a category D driver during the last year. This requirement is becoming more loyal to drivers. From July 10, it is enough to have one year of experience out of the last three years.

For example, the following situation may have occurred earlier. A person has been working as a category D driver all his life. However, half a year ago he switched to a new job (also as a driver). During the change of workplace, the seniority was interrupted for 1 day. Until July 10, 2015, such a driver was not allowed to organize transportation of children. There is no such restriction after July 10.

Passage of pre-trip instruction on the safety of transportation of children.
Passage.

Situations in which a healthcare professional is required

12. In the case of organized transportation of a group of children in intercity traffic by an organized convoy for more than 3 hours, according to the schedule, the head or official responsible for ensuring road safety, the organization, and in the case of organized transportation of a group of children under a charter agreement, the charterer or freighter (according to mutual agreement) ensures that such a group of children is accompanied by a medical worker.

12. In the case of organized transportation of a group of children in intercity traffic by an organized convoy for more than 12 hours according to the traffic schedule, the head or official responsible for ensuring road safety, organizations, and in the case of organized transportation of a group of children under a charter agreement, the charterer or charterer (by mutual agreement) ensures that such a group of children is accompanied by a medical worker.

Previously, a medical worker was required for shipments with an estimated duration of more than 3 hours. Starting from July 10, a doctor when transporting children is needed only on trips, the duration of which exceeds 12 hours.

This requirement has made travel arrangements easier. Many one day excursions children can now do without a health worker.

Admission to the bus carrying children

A new clause has been added to the rules for organized transportation of children:

18. In the case of organized transportation of a group of children by buses, it is prohibited to allow on the bus and (or) transport in it persons who are not included in the lists provided for in subparagraph "e" of paragraph 4 of these Rules, except for the appointed medical worker. This prohibition does not apply to cases established by federal laws.

Only persons on the accompanying list or on the list of children may be admitted to the bus.

For example, the parents of one of the children who are not on the preliminary list will not be allowed on the bus. Also, additional children cannot be taken on the bus.

Nevertheless, the organizer always has the opportunity to add to the list of people who need to be taken on a trip.

Requirements for buses carrying out organized transportation of children

The latest change in the rules for the transportation of children for today:

3. To carry out the organized transportation of a group of children, a bus is used that meets the technical requirements for the transportation of passengers, is admitted in accordance with the established procedure to participate in road traffic and is equipped in accordance with the established procedure with a tachograph, as well as satellite navigation equipment GLONASS or GLONASS / GPS.

3. For the organized transportation of a group of children, a bus is used, from the year of production of which no more than 10 years have passed, which corresponds in purpose and design to the technical requirements for the carriage of passengers, is admitted in accordance with the established procedure to participate in road traffic and is equipped in accordance with the established procedure with a tachograph, as well as satellite navigation equipment GLONASS or GLONASS / GPS.

The postponement is due to the fact that many organizations have not yet managed to update their bus fleet. The rest of the requirements for buses are valid from July 1, 2015.

Attention! From October 1, 2019, an additional requirement has been introduced that the bus must be equipped with seat belts. This question reviewed in.

This concludes the review of the updated traffic rules and rules for the organized transportation of children. discussed in a separate article.

Good luck on the road!

In the described situation, parents can act as accompanying persons, the number allows. You are not obliged to take the deputy director of the school on the bus, the law does not require this.

Good luck on the road!

Natalia, Hello.

In this case, 2 notifications should be submitted. The second notification should be submitted to the traffic police at the place of the beginning of the second transportation, i.e. in the traffic police of another city. This can be done through the traffic police website, instructions are given in.

Good luck on the road!

Natalia-35

Hello, is it allowed to transport skis on a school bus transporting children-athletes to competitions (by region), because skis are classified as hand luggage?

Good day. We are planning a trip with children to another city. We will order a bus. Each child will be accompanied by their legal representative. A total of 24 children and 24 adults. Do you need a traffic police escort? If so, who should report the trip? Carrier or customer of the bus? Distance 450 km

Vladimir-348

Please clarify whether you need a child seat or restraint when transporting a tourist bus at the request of a child and up to what age?

Anastasia-97

Hello. If we have 26 children, 16 parents and 2 teachers. Do we need to apply to the traffic police?

Anastasia, Hello.

Indicate how many children out of 26 travel without their parents.

Angelica-8

We are going with a children's group to Belarus from a travel agency, 30 children + 4 teachers. Is it necessary to draw up documents with a notary if there is a written consent from the parents for each child?

2016-08-22T18: 11: 50 + 00: 00

Hello again, dear readers. Finally, I got around to writing the final article on organizing the trip yourself... Even when this was not the case, many friends and acquaintances asked how I manage to travel on my own, book tickets, find hotels or travel companions. In principle, many of them have the same questions, so I got the idea to arrange everything in the form of a small plan or a guidebook for those who are just about to start organizing their travels.

This article will be both introductory and final, because first I had to write all the useful posts on this topic, and then combine them into a single guide. I want to say right away that all articles, tips and examples are mine. personal experience which I tried on myself and still use it. So if you have any questions or misunderstandings, you need help, or maybe you want to add some more to the list. important information, be sure to write to comments.

So, below is the list of articles that I have included in the topic “ How to organize a trip yourself”:

How to organize a trip yourself and cheaply

This list will be visible at the beginning of each page that is included in it. This is to prevent the reader from getting lost in the links. And the current article that you are in (for example, now we are on the page from the first paragraph) will be inactive and highlighted in a different color. It's simple. Naturally, only the most important planning points in my opinion are mentioned in the list, which is why I ask you for feedback from me, if you suddenly think differently.

Now, let me tell you how the organization of an independent trip takes place with me, at the same time I will briefly go over the points from the list.

1. Obtaining a passport via the Internet... Of course, what a trip abroad without a passport. No, I don’t argue that there are several more post-Soviet countries (Kazakhstan, Abkhazia), where you can get with a Russian passport, but we don’t want to limit ourselves to the “near abroad”, right?

I am glad that with the development of the Internet, many operations with securities have become much faster and easier, therefore I always get a passport in the same way. On which site it can be done, for how long, at what price and under what conditions is it better to take, as well as a list required documents for getting and a couple of practical tips you will get by reading the corresponding article under paragraph number 2.

2. Route planning... Next, you need to decide, where will I actually go? And after the answer to this question is received, I begin to draw up a route through the country (countries) where I am going. For many, this particular point is a stumbling block, but I assure you that there is nothing complicated about it. Of course, for a beginner, you will have to spend some time, but then your efforts will be more than compensated for by the fact that you will begin to easily and quickly draw up routes in any country, even in which you have not yet been. You can find out about this in the article paragraph number 3.

3. Obtaining a visa... Oh how! Someone might say, “Where did this item come from? He is not on the general list! ”. That's right, it is not there, because for each country obtaining a visa is individual. That's why I said that I included only the most important points on the organization of the trip, I will not describe obtaining a visa to all 200+ countries, especially yesterday, for example, in South Korea, a visa was needed, but today it is no longer.

But to make it easier to navigate this issue, because in any case it will be necessary to find out about the need to obtain a visa to a particular country, I will cover this issue a little.

It would be nice to find out for a start do i need a visa to the country where I am going. Personally, in this case, I do it simply: I go to Yandex and write "visa Japan" and see what they give me. There are, of course, a bunch of sites where there is a whole list of visa-free or visa-free countries, but I do not trust them, because it is not known when this list was updated and whether it was updated at all. If you are still interested, then the best site (in terms of relevance at least) in my opinion is this one, but, again, be sure to double-check the information.

If you need a visa, there are several ways to get it.:

at the embassy of the city of Moscow - I often use this particular point, since it is the cheapest and easiest for me (despite the fact that I am not a Muscovite), I still go through Moscow;). However, it is a good idea to know what documents are required to apply. I deal with this issue on the same site that I gave above, but you can go according to the standard scheme - “google”, and the most correct one is to go to the consulate's website (though sometimes infa is only in English). And it would also be nice to have friends in Moscow who would take the documents if you don't need a personal presence.
at the embassy of another country - this is if you have a lot of time and are traveling in more than one country.
upon arrival in another country - this item is not valid for all countries, which you also need to find out. There are also options for obtaining a visa when ordering services in the form of air tickets in the country or hotels (a very expensive option)
through a travel agency - the easiest way for those who do not live in the capital, however, you will have to pay for mediation. Accordingly, the farther from Moscow, the greater the “duty”.

4. What to take: card or cash? Choosing a plastic card... Money is the eternal question of humanity :). I think the title of the title speaks for itself. We decide in what form to take money with us, in cash or on a card? And if a card, which one is better? You will find answers to these questions in the article under №4.

5. Buying a train ticket via the Internet... Since I am very far from the capital, and I fly mainly from Moscow, I often have to think about railway crossings. It is a pity that Russian Railways has no competitors, but if you make a purchase via the Internet, even the monopolist will find a couple of “tasty” offers. I wrote about this and much more in the article item No. 5.

6 and 7. Search and purchase of cheap flights... The key word here will be “cheap”, because unlike railroad, airlines are competing, and how. But finding a cheap ticket is not so easy among the many “tricky” offers. So be sure to read not only the buying method itself ( item no. 7), but also the nuances of search engines that will help in your future experience of purchasing air tickets ( item no. 8).

8. Finding Cheap Accommodation: Book in advance or search locally. Of course, apart from all the tickets, we still need a roof over our heads. Since we are talking about independent travel, then we will look for and book a hotel on our own. There are two ways - booking in advance (via the Internet) and on the spot. What is better and better quality, you will definitely learn from the article point number 8.

9. List of things to travel... It would seem that the most banal point, well that I myself can not put together? However, personally, I always keep with me a standard list of the most necessary things for all types of travel (mountain, long, leisure), so that I don't suddenly forget something. Of course, a couple of items from the list can be easily removed or added, it all depends on the preferences of each individual.

10. Airport: how to check in for a flight... Many travelers now giggle, reading the title of this paragraph, apparently completely forgetting how they themselves first stood in the huge lobby of the airport in confusion, not knowing where to go and who to turn to. But I remember, and that's why I wrote about how painless for my nerves it is to check in for a flight, which you can read about in paragraph number 9.

The last two paragraphs No. 11 and No. 12 rather additional, however, lately I have increasingly come across questions from others on these two topics, and therefore included them in the list. Who entered our group

Summer is a time of pilgrimage trips, which are conducive to vacation, the weather, and the desire to strengthen the spirit before the start of the new working year. Many companies, both ecclesiastical and secular, offer today trips to the shrines of Russia and abroad. Which one should you choose? Or maybe take a chance and go to some monastery on your own? Our correspondent shares some secrets on organizing such trips.

Your own organizer

If you decide to visit some famous monastery - Optina Hermitage, Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery - it is quite possible to do without the help of pilgrim services and organize the trip yourself. In our age, when every more or less famous monastery or temple has its own website on the Internet, this is very easy to do. In advance, you need to go to the site of the monastery, find there the page "Pilgrim". It usually contains information about hotels, the procedure for booking them, as well as the peculiarities of the monastery's charter regarding pilgrims and visitors, the amount of donations for religious services. Here on the site you can get acquainted with the history of the monastery, its shrines.

By dialing the phone number of the pilgrim service, you can not only book a room for the required number of days, but also ask: how is the food in the monastery - is there a refectory for pilgrims, a cafe, how do they work? In some monasteries, meals are provided for pilgrims completely free of charge, but it is assumed that if you come for several days, you will definitely take part in obediences with the blessing of the abbot or dean. There are cloisters where you can eat for a donation, the amount of which is determined by your financial capabilities (do not forget, of course, about the voice of conscience). In some monasteries (especially large ones) the cost of the meal is clearly defined (as a rule, you are not expected here to stay behind to wash the dishes, but it would be useful to offer your help).

If the monastery has adopted any special restrictions for pilgrims (time of accommodation in a hotel, stay in the monastery), they are usually indicated on the website or will become known to you from an oral conversation with the staff of the pilgrimage service. This does not apply to the most elementary requirements: a decent and chaste appearance, a ban on smoking and alcoholic beverages, a respectful attitude towards inhabitants and workers. It is assumed that a person traveling to holy places must know about this a priori and strictly observe. For a long stay in the monastery, a blessing is asked from the abbot.

Arriving at a monastery, it is appropriate to recall the good old proverb: "They do not go to a strange monastery with their own charter." It is unacceptable to criticize the monastery meal, the requirements for pilgrims. Monks are usually only photographed with permission. It is all the more unacceptable to scrutinize the inhabitants of the monastery, ask them questions about how and why they ended up here, whether they have a strict abbot, how often they offend them, etc.

It is no secret that not all monasteries can afford to maintain pilgrimage hotels at the level of a five-star hotel. In addition, it also has its own daily routine and rules of conduct. If you are not ready for this, it is better to look for a secular hotel in the same city. There will be more comfort, but there is no such feeling of belonging to the atmosphere of the abode.

"+" Freedom is perhaps the main plus of such a trip. Having organized your trip, you can arrive on a convenient (including weekday) day for you. You can leave whenever you want, including earlier or later than the scheduled date. You can be at the service as long as you want, just walk in silence around the monastery and its environs, get to know the life of the monastery better.

"-" If you want to get acquainted with several monasteries at once, learn their history, visit the sources, visit several churches and do not risk driving your own car, this option is not for you. In addition, in some monasteries there will be difficulties with excursions - they are often ordered for a group.

Parish travel

It's great when you can go on a pilgrimage trip with the abbot and parishioners of your church. Joint pilgrimage trips not only allow the priest and parishioners to venerate the shrine, attend a divine service in a famous monastery, but also unite people, expand their horizons, educate and promote churching.

Such trips are organized by the abbot or, with his blessing, one of the temple staff. The route, the list of pilgrims, the cost of the trip are determined in advance. First of all, active helpers of the temple are sent on such trips, because the pilgrimage is a kind of encouragement.

If suddenly you have such an honor - to organize a joint trip, you should plan the route in such a way as to combine the worship of the shrine and acquaintance with the historical, memorable places our homeland. It is advisable to plan the services of a guide or to arrange an excursion with the inhabitants of the monastery. In addition, the priest, organizer, or one of the educated laity should, either before or during the trip, tell about the holy places where the group is going. It will not be superfluous to recall the rules of conduct in the monastery, to talk about the Orthodox attitude towards shrines. When determining the route, the organizer must take care of the accommodation, meals, rest of the pilgrims. As a rule, only the cost of the trip is charged to the pilgrims.

"+" The most important and very significant plus is a trip with like-minded people. You are insured against unpleasant acquaintances and surprises, you will not be introduced to church superstitions, and you will not be offered to commit meaningless actions. The cost of such a trip, as a rule, is lower than in the company. Although at times the announced price may not seem small to you, keep in mind: many travel companies do not include food in the price.

"-" There is no way to be alone, to independently choose the route and time of stay at the shrine. It is imperative that the participants are required to obey the priest and the organizer of the trip (in fact, this is a plus for spiritual life, but out of habit it may seem like a minus). You will have to leave your piously ardent desire to write a note in this particular church, to bathe in this very spring, to buy an icon at the moment when the bus is already running, you will have to leave at home. But the main disadvantage is different - this is a troublesome business and parishioners gather infrequently, as a rule, once a year, or even less often.

Professional pilgrims

Pilgrimage services at temples, monasteries, and sometimes at the Diocesan administration are very common today. The organization of such a service is carried out by individual employees who develop several popular routes, find pilgrims, and calculate the cost of travel. Typically, these services operate on a commercial basis.

Trips around historical sites with famous monasteries and temples, they are also organized by secular travel companies. But if you want to get acquainted with the holy places, devoting the maximum amount of time to this, difficulties await you. A secular company will not devote much time to divine services, they will tell you about spiritual traditions and shrines in passing (and not always correctly). Most of the time will be spent on buying souvenirs and visiting secular organizations. One friend of mine with travel agency went to Jerusalem. As a result, for several days they got acquainted with the agriculture and industrial enterprises of Israel and were very happy that they managed to escape for one day on a tour of the holy places. Therefore, it is better to familiarize yourself with the route in advance.

"+" You can go on a pilgrimage at any time. Many pilgrimage services organize trips specifically for weekends and church holidays, which allows you to plan your vacation. You are devoid of organizational concerns: pay money and forget about the material side, focusing on the spiritual. In addition, the group will help you in case of unforeseen health situations.

“-” Anyone who can pay a certain amount is sent to such trips. Today there is a kind of fashion for "spiritual tourism". People far from the Church travel to monasteries and temples, vaguely understanding what they are looking for there. On the one hand, such trips are a type of missionary activity. There are many known cases when a person went on a trip as a tourist and returned as a pilgrim. But at the same time, such people are often not accustomed to attending divine services, do not understand what is important and what is secondary in an Orthodox church, with their conversations and actions they can embarrass the faithful parishioners. One group brings together people of the most varied degrees of church-going. For some, five or six hours of monastic service is a long-awaited joy, for others it is hard labor. The same applies to a fast meal, talking on the bus, etc. You need to be prepared for this.

In conclusion, I would like to say that any pilgrimage trip is labor and spiritual exploit. You should not count on mental and physical comfort if you go to work in a monastery or even just pray at revered shrines. And the more you are willing to endure, yield and humble yourself on this trip, the more joy, and most importantly, spiritual benefit it will bring you.

Marina Shmeleva

Bishop Pokrovsky and Nikolaev PAKHOMIY:

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