The Pechora region of the Komi Republic is famous for its natural attractions. Travelers are attracted by the Ural mountains, endless forests, and the largest river in the European north - Pechora. But anyone who has been here at least once will hardly argue that the special wealth of this region is its original creative people who are always happy to have guests. And today I decided to spend one day among such people in the village of Byzovaya.

The village of Byzovaya in the Komi Republic is known all over the world - in the mid-twentieth century, a site of an ancient man was discovered next to it, which was named Byzovaya. Scientists from different countries participated in archaeological excavations. They found that people lived here 30 thousand years ago. And today these places attract lovers of guest tourism. From Moscow to the capital of the Komi Republic, Syktyvkar, is 1,400 kilometers. The plane covers this distance in 1 hour 40 minutes.

From Syktyvkar to the regional center of Pechora - 500 kilometers. By plane, travel time is one and a half hours. The village of Byzovaya is located 18 kilometers from Pechora. By car or regular bus the journey will take about half an hour. The village of Byzovaya was founded at the end of the nineteenth century by people from the Izhemsky region, famous for its reindeer herders. There is no tundra near the city of Pechora and no one grazes the herd of deer, but these animals can still be found in Byzovaya.

I go to the Opanasenko-Shakhovs’ house where I am greeted according to all the rules of traditional Komi hospitality. Of course, not in every Byzovsky house such a solemn meeting with an ethnographic slant awaits guests, and today rarely does anyone flaunt around the village in ancient outfits. These people are simply passionate about the history and culture of their ancestors. In the same way, not for tourists, but for themselves, the owners keep reindeer in the village yard. Reindeer are a kind of tribute to the memory of my grandfather, Martyn the reindeer herder, who was the first to settle in the village of Byzovaya.

Unlike their ancestors, today's Byzov reindeer herders have no practical benefit from animals, but they have a lot of troubles and worries with them. In summer, deer molt and need to be protected from gadflies and provided with special food. Only in winter do the inhabitants of the tundra feel truly comfortable in Byzovaya. In addition to the food supply, reindeer are very different in character from horses or cows common in peasant farming. Once upon a time, Anatoly Petrovich was an avid hunter, and now, caring for deer, it’s as if he is paying off his debts to the wild.

Village life for him and his wife Nadezhda Vasilievna began only a few years ago, with their retirement. This life is full of various hobbies. Games with animal bones are considered the oldest in human history. According to archaeological excavations, they were played by almost all peoples of the world. The Komi game "shek" or "ankle" experienced the peak of its popularity in the nineteenth century. Ethnographers noted the widespread passion of local boys for this particular pastime. It’s easy to understand their passion when you try to play for yourself.

Shek is addictive from the first move. Although the rules are simple, knocking out a suitable bone with a click turned out to be not at all easy. An untrained beginner in a battle with such dexterous professionals is doomed, but I realized this too late. Games, rituals, and traditional activities of the Komi people are a distant past for this family, but part of an exciting modern life. Two rooms of the village house are equipped as a museum. Clothing, household and labor items, and everything here is authentic, all of this was used by their ancestors. The Opanasenko-Shakhov family remembers its ancestry well.

Past generations here seem to be in a single circle of life with today and the future. The museum has toys that grandparents played with, and next to them are handicrafts made by grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All this is in natural unity in a big friendly family. Museums are remarkable because here you can touch every exhibit with your hands and not only touch it, but also try it in action. For example, this antique gramophone, model "Friendship". Year of purchase: 1947. The thing is mobile, autonomous, and does not even require electricity. Let's see how it works.

Among the exhibits of the home museum there are those that would be the envy of a large local history museum. Due to the fact that in 2011 the Pechora River was very flooded, it was very heavily polluted, and when the flood began, when the river began to flow, it lifted all the upper villages, lifted all layers of the earth and brought such an exhibit to our shore. At first we thought that this was a bone from a mammoth’s leg, but today groups of scientists have repeatedly visited us and they suggested that this bone was located on the mammoth instead of a shoulder blade. In the museum collection is the skull of a baby mammoth, which is also very interesting for scientists and archaeologists.

This is not even in our Pechora Local History Museum. In 1962, a kilometer from the village of Byzovaya, archaeologists discovered the site of an ancient man. It turned out that 30 thousand years ago people came to these lands and built themselves a home from mammoth bones. To this day, the Pechora River sometimes washes the remains of prehistoric animals to the surface. Here, at a sharp bend in the Pechora River, local residents have found mammoth bones and tusks since ancient times. Since no one had ever seen this animal, a legend arose that a huge mouse lives underground and digs mysterious passages there.

But as soon as she takes the wrong road and comes out of the river cliff to the surface, she immediately turns to stone and crumbles into pieces. The remains of mammoths can still be found here today, of course, if you're lucky. The village of Byzovaya in the Pechora region of the Komi Republic. I came here to stay in the house of the Opanasenko-Shakhov family. These people study and preserve the traditions of the Komi people. In memory of their ancestors, reindeer herders, they raise reindeer in the village yard. The hospitable hosts taught me the ancient folk game “shek” and showed me the home museum filled with strange exhibits. It turned out that mammoth bones could be found not far from the village and I also decided to try my luck.

The search for the remains of a prehistoric animal turned out to be such an exciting activity that I walked for a long time along the banks of the Pechora River, but to no avail. But at this time the owner of the house, Anatoly Petrovich, succeeded in another Pechora entertainment - fishing. He decided to catch grayling for lunch in one hour. The idea may seem too bold, but only for those who do not know this person. Anatoly Petrovich turned out to be an old river wolf. Most of his life he worked as a captain at the Pechora Shipping Company. He knows the river like the back of his hand. And there is no need for him to roam the open spaces in search of half-empty places.

The very first cast of the fishing rod brought quite a weighty grayling. This could have been attributed to luck if history had not repeated itself over and over again. Obviously, the catch in this case is ensured not so much by luck as by experience, skill and proven, competent tackle. Anatoly Petrovich fly fishing. This technique requires serious skills and not every fisherman is able to cast correctly. In general, there is a lot to learn from this man, especially since the former captain is happy to share his experience and even writes stories. Most of the stories are from my own life.

Once upon a time, Anatoly Petrovich set records on Pechora - he towed as many barges with cargo as no one could. For labor merits he was awarded the order. He became a big boss in the shipping company, and then gave up everything and went into geology just to be closer to nature. And now, having settled in the village of Byzovaya, I am sure that there is no more soulful and better place on earth. Even a short walk along the banks of the majestic Pechora, through the village with its leisurely, measured life, allows you to feel why my new acquaintances fell in love with these places so much that they settled here forever.

Nobody specially planted these birches on the steep bank of the Pechora. Nature itself arranged the trees in slender lines and an alley was formed, which locals call the “Alley of Love”. The name is easy to explain - if you walk along it to the cliff, landscapes open up that will make any heart tremble. It's hard to find a better place for romantic explanations. And in good weather you can see the Ural Mountains from here. The picturesque Pechora expanses are filled to the brim with life. Swift light swallows are circling over the cliff. They arrived in the spring from tropical countries, but their nest is here - on the banks of the Pechora.

The triumph and grandeur of the picture is woven from millions of moving, trembling colors. A powerful ancient river, along the banks of which mammoths once roamed, carries water as if through time, making you forget the worries and bustle of everyday life. However, you shouldn’t forget about such pleasant things as lunch. While I was walking, work was in full swing in the kitchen. The hostess Nadezhda Vasilyevna and her granddaughter Nastya decided to pamper the guests with dishes of national cuisine. Shangi, known among many peoples of the north, is baked here not from wheat, but from rye flour, as they did in Pechora a hundred years ago.

The fillings for such village cheesecakes come in a variety of varieties: from cereals, berries and mushrooms, but the most popular in these parts is from boiled potatoes. These are the shangs that Nadezhda Vasilyevna puts in the oven. She is not just the mistress of the house, but the main keeper of traditions that maintain a living connection between times and, according to traditions, prepare food in elegant costumes so that the joy of the festive moment is transmitted to the dear guest.

The aggressive environment of megacities is extremely tiring for people, so many city dwellers strive to acquire summer cottages and rural estates, where they go to relax at every opportunity. For those who, for various reasons, cannot afford to buy and maintain a country house, agritourism can be an excellent solution - a relatively new direction that involves living in rural areas away from big cities, with the opportunity to take part in various cultural and leisure events.

Considering rural tourism as a business, it should be noted that it is equally of interest to both vacationers and farmers who have at their disposal a sufficient amount of resources to comfortably accommodate several guests. Moreover, tourists perceive the processes familiar to local residents as exotic, and therefore willingly take part in field work, care for animals, rent boats for fishing and pick mushrooms, thereby bringing the owner of a village hotel a good additional income.

Business Features

The main feature of rural tourism is the accommodation conditions: guests are accommodated in old log houses or in antique-style manors, located in areas with untouched nature, far from industrial enterprises and multi-story concrete buildings. With the exception of complexes with complete historical reconstruction, such village hotels provide visitors with amenities at the level of resort apartments: the rooms have bathrooms, air conditioning, televisions and refrigerators, and guests are provided with three meals a day in the dining room.

The main meaning of this type of vacation is to separate the residents of megacities from the usual bustle and immerse themselves in a leisurely and measured rural life. In addition, the tours are also educational: many townspeople have never seen an authentic folk costume, sat with a fishing rod at dawn or milked a cow.

In Russia, rural tourism attracts mainly women, whose share in the target audience reaches 70%. Living in a village may also be interesting for other residents of megacities - married couples with children and young people who give preference to a healthy lifestyle and a clean environment.

Another fairly broad category of tourists are foreign citizens who want to get acquainted with cultural traditions and folklore. For such guests, the natural environment, national flavor and authenticity of rural life are sometimes more important than the presence of a TV in the room. Considering that foreigners select vacation spots mainly via the Internet, it is necessary to develop your own multilingual website with colorful photographs, descriptions of services and price list, as well as regularly post advertisements on foreign travel forums and social networks.

Collective outdoor trips are also common in the corporate environment: managers of various companies buy such tours for their employees in order to conduct events aimed at strengthening team spirit and developing ways of interaction between employees. Such clients usually rent a hotel for a period from several hours to two or three days and pay significantly more for this than ordinary private visitors.

Finally, the concept of rural tourism development implies close interaction with tour operators: companies interested in cooperation on favorable terms will not only post information about home hotel services on their website and in advertising materials, but will also help in developing a high-quality tourism product, organize transfers and entertainment program.

Types of rural tourism

Clients of home hotels have different requirements for organizing their holiday: some simply want to spend time in nature, others are interested in hunting and fishing, others come to the village to get acquainted with folklore and folk crafts. In accordance with the list of cultural and leisure activities, several of the most popular rural tourism programs are distinguished:

1. Medical tourism. Its goal is to study the means and methods of traditional medicine, collect medicinal plants, as well as carry out health procedures that are in demand by people with various diseases;
2. Historical tourism. It represents a complete immersion in authentic ancient life, including accommodation in reconstructed huts with minimal amenities and meals with dishes of Old Russian cuisine;
3. Rural ecological tourism. It involves living in a remote village with the telephone turned off, without television or the Internet. Various cultural events contribute to complete immersion in rural life;
4. Sports tourism. In this case, the countryside is used as a platform for various sports competitions, hiking, orienteering, rock climbing, rafting, and horseback riding;
5. Educational tourism. This type of rural tourism involves the study of classical folk crafts - pottery, artistic painting, wood carving, weaving wicker products, embroidery;
6. Agricultural tourism. Includes active recreation with the opportunity to take part in basic agricultural processes, including grazing livestock, collecting firewood, field work, haymaking, hunting, fishing, picking mushrooms or berries;
7. Folklore tourism. Aims to study folk art, rituals, oral tales and songs, visit historical places and museums, as well as festivals and fairs held in rural areas;
8. International tourism. This type of tourism in rural areas may include one or more areas of interest to foreign guests - the study of folklore and folk crafts, history and medicine.

Advantages and Disadvantages

An entrepreneur considering how to open a rural tourism business should pay attention to the characteristic features of this activity and take into account their positive or negative impact on the operation of the enterprise as a whole.

The advantages of agritourism include the following factors:

1. To open a home hotel on a farm, you do not need to obtain a hotel license - just register as a peasant farm or individual entrepreneur;
2. This direction is considered a priority, thanks to which the entrepreneur has the opportunity to participate in the rural tourism development program;
3. If you have a subsidiary farm, you can reduce the cost of food for guests by using environmentally friendly products of your own production;
4. The hotel owner does not have to pay rent;
5. Using the surrounding natural resources and the potential of the region, you can create an exciting program of cultural and educational events;
6. At this stage, the industry is characterized by a low level of competition;
7. To organize rural tourism you do not need to have experience or special knowledge in this field.

At the same time, negative factors can significantly complicate the work of an entrepreneur and lead to additional expenditure of resources aimed at overcoming the consequences of their influence:

1. Rural areas often lack the infrastructure and resources necessary for tourists to live comfortably;
2. The activities of home hotels are not regulated by law;
3. Under the influence of urbanization, villagers quickly forget traditions and lose their identity;
4. The development of rural tourism in Russia is hampered by the rapid decrease in the number of able-bodied residents of villages and villages.

Required Resources

Of course, not every village will be attractive to tourists: in some settlements there are no attractions or interesting natural resources at all. Therefore, it is advisable to open a home hotel in a region known for its cultural traditions, crafts, architectural monuments and beautiful landscape.

A big advantage will be the presence of a nearby forest and any body of water - a lake, pond or river: visitors will definitely be interested in such active recreation as fishing, swimming, going for mushrooms or berries. Accordingly, the entrepreneur will be able to make money by providing guests with various equipment - boats and catamarans, bicycles, fishing rods, mushroom picking kits.

When choosing where to start rural tourism in such an area, it is necessary to pay attention to the availability of any such resources and evaluate the possibility of using them to develop a program of cultural and leisure activities. In addition, to serve and entertain tourists you can use:

• The estate. Several rooms are allocated in the house for guests to stay, and the surrounding area is put in order, flower beds and lawns are laid out here, gazebos, barbecues and swings are installed, and parking spaces are arranged;
• Pets. Maintenance, feeding and grazing of chickens, sheep, pigs, cows and horses will become part of the entertainment program, and the use of livestock products will provide visitors with fresh milk, meat, eggs;
• Garden. For urban residents, ordinary agricultural work will become an active and educational holiday - many of them have never seen potatoes, carrots or corn in the natural environment. In addition, dishes made from these vegetables can be served at the table in the evening;
• Orchard. Gardening, harvesting and processing may also be of interest to tourists. Fresh apples, pears, plums, cherries are eaten or used to prepare various desserts - pies, jams, preserves;
• Russian bathhouse. Bath procedures are used for health purposes, supplemented with homemade kvass or herbal tea. Fans of extreme relaxation will want to jump from the steam room into a snowdrift or into an ice hole with icy water;
• Craft, hobby. Various master classes dedicated to wicker weaving, pottery, woodworking, soap making and other works typical of rural life will help attract and interest customers;
• Special knowledge. The hotel owner needs to learn the art of receiving guests, get acquainted with local historical, architectural and landscape attractions for excursions, master the preparation of national cuisine, and also improve communication skills in foreign languages ​​to serve foreign guests.

Arrangement of rooms and territory

An estate that claims to be a home hotel is subject to fairly high requirements designed to ensure maximum comfort for guests. Therefore, when landscaping the local area, it is necessary:

1. Remove all debris from the site, repair paths, sow lawns with grass and flowers, if possible, find and install carts, their wheels, and antique agricultural machinery as decorative elements;
2. Provide parking space for visitors' cars;
3. Clean and put in order the paths to the well, spring and reservoir;
4. Avoid proximity to abandoned and dilapidated houses, garbage and manure heaps, livestock farms and other sources of unpleasant odor and noise;
5. Ensure the availability of telephone communication, satellite television and the Internet (many guests will want to immediately publish photos on social networks);
6. Install artificial lighting on the site;
7. Arrange rest areas, install gazebos and garden benches, hang hammocks.

Premises intended to accommodate guests must be equipped with ventilation, lighting and heating systems, bathrooms and showers. Of course, some tourists, in pursuit of historical authenticity, will want to live with stove heating, wash from a stream and sleep on beds, but the majority of visitors will prefer a minimal set of amenities:

Living room equipment

Name	Qty	Price	Sum
Bed	9	8 000	72000
Wardrobe for outerwear	3	4500	13500
Linen closet	3	6000	18000
Chair or stool	9	1 000	9000
Dining table	3	2500	7500
Chandelier or wall lights	3	2000	6000
TV	3	9 000	27000
Air conditioner	3	18 000	54000
Router	3	1500	4500
Electric kettle	3	1000	3000
Mini refrigerator	3	6500	19500
Bedspreads	9	2 000	18000
Pillows	9	500	4500
Blankets	9	2 000	18000
Bed sheets	18	500	9000
Toilet with cistern	3	4 000	12000
Shower cabin	3	12 000	36000
Mirror	3	2 000	6000
Washbasin	3	8 000	24000
Mixer	3	1 000	3000
Boiler	3	5500	16500
Large towel	18	500	9000
Small towel	18	300	5400
Rug	3	500	1500
Clothes dryer	3	1 500	4500
Garden tent	3	3500	10500
Garden furniture set	3	6 000	18000
Brazier	3	700	2100
Set of dishes	3	5 000	15000
Hammock	3	1000	3000
Total:			450000

The area of ​​guest rooms is selected at the rate of at least 6–7 m² per person for double rooms, or 5–6 m² per person for triple rooms.

Catering

Three meals a day are included in the basic package of home hotel services. To organize it, it is necessary to equip a small dining room for 10–12 people, in which you can also install a samovar and place sweets on dishes to organize tea drinking at any time of the day. It is possible that this particular place will become a center for guests to communicate and exchange impressions after a busy day.

The basis of the menu for tourists consists of simple and unpretentious village dishes prepared from farm products. This may include:

• Vegetable salads, homemade pickles, fresh herbs;
• Homemade milk, sour cream, cottage cheese and cheese;
• Cutlets, meatballs, homemade sausage, dumplings, kebab;
• Fish and fish dishes;
• Various porridges, navy pasta;
• Baked potatoes, boiled with herbs, stewed with mushrooms;
• Fish soup, cabbage soup, pickles, vegetable and cold soups, borscht;
• Homemade eggs, omelettes and scrambled eggs;
• Pies, honey gingerbreads, pancakes, pancakes, homemade jam;
• Compotes, herbal and fruit teas.

You need to be prepared for the fact that some guests who adhere to a vegetarian or medicinal diet will find the village menu unacceptable and will want to prepare their own dishes from products they brought with them or bought from the farmer. For their convenience, you need to equip a separate kitchen, equipped with all the necessary utensils and household appliances:

Guest kitchen equipment

Name	Qty	Price	Sum
Set of pans	2	3500	7000
Set of frying pans	2	3000	6000
Knife set	2	500	1000
Forks, spoons	2	2900	5800
Gas stove	1	6000	6000
Cutting boards	2	800	1600
Kitchen utensils	—	3000	3000
Food processor	1	3000	3000
Fridge	1	15000	15000
Washing	1	600	600
Mixer	1	1000	1000
Total:			50000

Leisure organization

Few guests will be satisfied with the opportunity to simply live away from the noise of the city, swim in a clean river, take a steam bath and look at live cows: usually people interested in agrotourism are attracted by slightly different goals - immersion in rural life, active recreation, participation in agricultural work. In addition, many people buy family tours and bring children to the village who grew up in the city and have never seen wildlife. Therefore, a set of various cultural and leisure activities is being developed for guests, including them in the basic package or offering them as additional services:

Agricultural holidays:

• Picking berries, vegetables and fruits, working in the fields and gardens;
• Pumping out honey, excursion to the apiary;
• Feeding and driving animals to pasture, working as a shepherd;
• Baking homemade bread;
• Setting up a smokehouse, smoking meat or fish;
• Collecting sour cream and whipping butter;
• Tree felling and firewood preparation.

Active leisure:

• Hunting and fishing;
• Horseback riding, sleigh rides, excursion to a horse farm;
• Water procedures, swimming in a river or lake;
• Hiking and cycling;
• Bath health treatments;
• Picnics;
• Access to recreational equipment - balls, badminton;
• Conducting photo sessions with pets.

Educational rest:

• Getting to know local customs, rituals and folklore;
• Participation in celebrations, invitation of folklore groups;
• Conducting master classes on folk arts and crafts;
• Excursions to museums, inspection of architectural and natural monuments.

Investments

When developing a business plan for rural tourism, it is necessary to take into account that the work on arranging a home hotel is not limited to repairs in the rooms: to ensure an acceptable level of comfort and organization of leisure for guests, you will have to tidy up the local area, install air conditioners and satellite dishes, and purchase equipment. It is also advisable to have at your disposal a small minibus to transport tourists to their vacation spot and organize excursion trips.

The list of costs associated with creating a hotel of three triple rooms will include the following items:

Investments

Name	Price, rub.	Quantity, pcs.	Amount, rub.
SPD registration	—	—	2000
Renovation of guest rooms	75000	3	225000
Guest room equipment	150000	3	450000
Kitchen equipment	50000	1	50000
Yard landscaping	150000	1	150000
Installation of a septic tank for 6 m³	80000	1	80000
Touring bikes	10000	4	40000
Boats	40000	3	120000
Sports equipment	—	—	20000
Development of an information site	—	—	20000
Transport, minibus	350000	1	350000
Total:			1507000

Unfortunately, farm owners engaged in providing rural tourism services do not physically have enough time to serve guests, care for animals and field work at the same time. Therefore, the company needs to hire several hired assistants:

• Technical worker for laundry, cleaning rooms, washing dishes;
• Animator-guide for excursions and master classes;
• Cooks to work in the kitchen.

Expenses for the year

Name	Amount, rub.
Utility payments	36000
Equipment repair	20000
Marketing expenses	30000
Property insurance	10000
Transport costs	24000
Chef salary	180000
Salary for a tour guide-animator	180000
Cleaning lady salary	180000
Payroll tax	164700
Administrative expenses	24000
Food	369000
Insurance premiums for individual entrepreneurs	27600
Total:	1245300

Revenue and profitability

Agrotourism as a business involves the formation of a tourism product from a whole range of basic and additional services. By default, this includes accommodation in a separate room, three meals a day, the opportunity to contact animals, engage in outdoor activities and agricultural work. When developing a pricing policy, you should take into account the tariffs of similar rural hotels located in the Perm Territory, Karelia and Altai: here, each day of stay costs a tourist 1200–1500 rubles.

Green rural tourism: Where to start...

To increase the competitiveness of an enterprise, it is recommended to reduce the cost of services during periods of falling tourist activity and thereby attract customers who want to save money on their vacation. Thus, taking into account seasonal fluctuations in attendance, a farmer renting out three triple rooms can receive an income of 1.74 million rubles during the year:

Home hotel income

Guests on average	Person-days	Tariff, rub./day	Income, rub.
Summer	80%	7,2	648	1300	842400
Autumn	30%	2,7	243	1000	243000
Winter	40%	3,6	342	1200	410400
Spring	30%	2,7	243	1000	243000
Total:					1738800

An increase in the profitability of an enterprise is facilitated by the provision of a set of paid services, the list of which is formed depending on the resources available in a given area: for example, if there is a horse farm, you can organize horseback riding, and if there is a reservoir, you can rent out boats and fishing rods. When drawing up a business plan for agritourism, it is necessary to analyze all available opportunities, and then develop a price list taking into account depreciation of equipment and the cost of cultural and leisure activities:

Additional income

Thus, the total annual turnover of the home hotel will exceed 2 million rubles. Taking into account current expenses, it is possible to calculate the main economic indicators of the project and the expected payback period:

Calculation of economic indicators

Conclusion

When developing rural tourism, one cannot stop there. In order for visitors to return to the hotel every year, the quality of service should be constantly improved, the surrounding area should be landscaped, and new excursions and entertainment events should be developed. However, the most important factor contributing to increasing guest loyalty is the special homely atmosphere that must be created on the farm through the constant display of hospitality, kindness and readiness to provide guests with the necessary assistance at any moment. At the same time, gratitude and enthusiastic reviews from clients will serve as a worthy reward for your efforts.

14 voted. Grade: 5,00 out of 5)

Hospitality network is a community of people who offer a stay at their home to other members of this community. As a rule, we are talking about stopping for several days. Arrangements for arrival are most often made through specialized websites. In addition to universal networks, there are networks aimed at specific groups of people: cyclists, Esperantists, etc.

How does this work

To use the services of the network, you need to register (usually on the website) and, if possible, fill out a questionnaire as completely and interestingly as possible, which other participants can see. After this, it becomes possible to search for people with whom you can stay (a place where you can stay is called a “list”), a forum, etc.

To agree on “registration” you need to write a letter to the person with whom you can stay. The letter states the dates of arrival/departure, travel goals, plans, hobbies and everything else that may interest the interlocutor. Often, when searching for a “registration”, letters are sent to several participants at once, since the reply letter may contain a refusal (the owner may be busy these days, be in another city, he may have already agreed with other travelers that they will come to him on the indicated days, and you may simply want to relax without guests). They also exchange phone numbers through letters and/or arrange a meeting. It is better to agree on “inclusion” in advance, although some participants are ready to receive a guest literally a couple of hours after they agreed on the site.

As a rule, on such sites it is possible to write a review about another participant. The review briefly describes how and where you met the participant, what interested him, whether there were any negative aspects, and the general impression of the communication.

Members of such a community must treat each other with respect, take into account each other’s habits and traditions, because representatives of different cultures often meet in this way.

No money is taken for accommodation, but, by agreement with the owner, the guest may be required to buy food for themselves, wash dishes, etc.

Through such networks you can not only find where to stay, but also arrange a meeting with local residents. Thus, even those who cannot receive guests can also participate in the exchange of hospitality: they can meet travelers, tell them about the city, show them interesting places.

Many members of such networks hitchhike.

Story

The idea of ​​exchanging hospitality was first implemented in the international non-profit service Servas Open Doors, which opened in 1949, the mission of which was formulated as “world peace.” The very next year, the Intervac service appeared, the priority of which was cheap travel. With the spread of the Internet, the number and variety of such networks has increased dramatically.

Advantages

Compared to hotel accommodation, hospitality exchange has a number of advantages:
* Opportunity to meet interesting people, like-minded people.
* An opportunity to get to know the life of local residents from the inside.
* Allows you to save on housing.
* Most of these networks are international; traveling through them provides good practice in learning foreign languages.
* Local members of such a network can help a visitor find his way around the city, meet/see him off, and help in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Safety

Since the use of such networks implies a very rapid transition from communication on the Internet to close communication in real life, much attention is paid to security. The main security tools are:

* Availability of reviews from other users. Before meeting an unfamiliar member, you can read what other community members think about him.
* Recording of negotiations through the site by the site administration.
* Indication by participants of their passport details.

Existing hospitality networks

There are many hospitality chains. Now most of them have their own websites on the Internet. Networks differ from each other in the number of members, focus, and site design. Many people are simultaneously members of several hospitality networks. Depending on the country, one or another network may be more popular.

CouchSurfing is the most developed service for finding kind people who are ready to let guests in absolutely disinterestedly and free of charge. The database contains more than 2,000,000 people from more than 240 countries. The project is proud of its base, which contains only the most cultured and respectable people. Free service.

HospitalityClub is exactly the same service as CouchSurfing, but has a smaller base of countries and users. The database contains more than 325,000 people from more than 205 countries. It is also possible to simply find people who will show you the city, recommend good cafes, clubs and, in fact, just communicate with the locals. The service is free.

WWOOF - connects travelers with farmers and peasants from different countries who need additional labor on the farm and who in return provide tourists with housing and food.

Caretaker is a search for people who need caretakers for their home while the owners are away without paying rent, although in fact the service also offers options for exchanging houses, working in exchange for housing, and other options. Use of the service is paid - $30 per year.

Organicvolunteers are the same as WWOOF and Housecarers, but with a much wider choice of housing type: from simple houses and apartments to informal rooms in student dorms and housing of religious sects in exchange for "understanding" of their religion. Cost - $20 per year.

Globalfreeloaders is an ordinary house exchange service. The main condition: after registration, host guests at home for six months. Free use of the system.

Servas is the same home exchange service, but recognized by the UN as the most charitable. The reason for this, apparently, was the mandatory interview with the person providing his home to check his integrity.

Be Welcome is a cross-cultural exchange network that helps you share your home, meet and help others on the road.

flatjump.com is a free global travel community.

WarmShowers is a network aimed at cyclist travelers.

HelpX.net - hundreds and thousands of people around the world offer people food and shelter in exchange for help with their work. HelpX is an online directory of small private farms, ranches, hostels, restaurants, wineries and even yachts that invite volunteer helpers to visit for periods ranging from a few days to several months. The portal is focused on mutually beneficial cultural exchange combined with an active vacation. Work for every taste, but no more than 30 hours a week (4-6 hours a day), for this you get free food, free housing and often free wi-fi.

Most of us prefer to relax by the sea in the summer and in the mountains in the winter, while autumn and spring are excellent times for sightseeing tours and cultural recreation. However, many have already become bored with this traditional pastime, and more and more tourists are now seeking a more exotic and unusual holiday. That is why we have compiled a rating of types of tourism that are now gaining momentum in their popularity, but still remain something extraordinary for ordinary tourists. So, we offer you the TOP 10 most unusual destinations of modern tourism.

1. Space tourism

This is probably the rarest type of tourism. Literally very few people can afford to relax in the vastness of space. The price for space tours is several tens of millions of dollars, and therefore not everyone can afford this type of vacation. We can only guess what unforgettable impressions arise in a person who looks at the Earth from its own orbit.

The idea of ​​space tourism arose back in the 60s of the 20th century. Today, few travel companies can offer you vacation options in space. A really existing space tourism product is a flight to an orbital station. However, if you think that space tourism is not in demand, then here’s a fact: to date, about 6750-0_bgblur_00 people have signed up and made a deposit for suborbital space flights. So in the near future, most likely, a flight into space will be something akin to an ordinary vacation at sea.

2. Jailoo tourism

This is one of the most exotic types of modern recreation. Jailoo tourism is tours to the most remote places from civilization, inhabited by aborigines. It is there, without communications, running water or electricity, side by side with local tourists that they live according to the laws of the tribe. The name “jailoo” is translated from the Kyrgyz language literally as “mountain pasture”. This type of tourism originated in Kyrgyzstan; Western tourists here for the first time tried to live in yurts with local shepherds in the 90s of the 20th century.

The lack of benefits of civilization in such tours is more than compensated for by memorable walks, clean air, and immersion in the local ethnoculture. Today, many leading travel agencies in the world have included jailoo tourism in their services. Tours are offered to the savannas of Africa and the steppes of Asia, the jungles of the Amazon and the tundra of Siberia. This type of vacation will be truly memorable and will be suitable, first of all, for those who are bored with traditional travel.

3. Polar tourism

While some people love hot golden sand, scorching sun and warm sea, others prefer snow-covered expanses and frosty air. More recently, individual cruises to the Northern Arctic and Antarctic have begun. To everyone’s surprise, the tours became so popular that hundreds of tourists wanted to be in such unusual climatic conditions for us. The pleasure is not cheap, because a flight or a trip by ship, equipment, as well as the services of a polar guide are by no means cheap.

It is on such polar tours that vacationers can feel like real pioneers. This unique expedition will allow you to plunge into the world of ice and snow, see unusual polar animals and birds live, and enjoy the beauty of polar landscapes and landscapes. Tourists can visit the drifting ice of the Arctic Ocean, Antarctic glaciers, mountains and volcanoes.

4. Cinematographic tourism

The film industry has fascinated us since its inception. Many films are filmed in the most beautiful corners of the Earth. And the created scenery is often not disassembled, but left as a museum exhibit. It is to such places that film fans make a kind of pilgrimage.

One of the most popular places to visit is Hollywood, an area of ​​Los Angeles built specifically for filming, and today it has become the center of film companies and film sets.

No less in demand are Dracula's Castle in Romania, the Hobbit hut in New Zealand, the scenery for the filming of "Harry Potter" in the UK, the "floating" rocks of a natural park in China, which appeared in "Avatar", medieval Scottish castles from "Braveheart", beauty Malta from Glaidator and many other interesting places.

5. Ecotourism

Eco-tourism has been popular for quite some time. People, tired of civilization, prefer to go on vacation to literally uninhabited islands and remote corners with nature untouched by man. A true ecological tour involves abandoning all the benefits of civilization and completely unifying with nature - no mobile phones, navigation systems or even insect spray!

Ecotourism has several unbreakable commandments. Tourists should be very careful about the places they visit; the place where they spend the night, for example, should look the same after the tourists leave as it did before they arrived. Among the host countries for eco-tourists, the leading countries are Kenya, Laos, Tanzania, Nepal, New Zealand and South Africa. There are many places for so-called “green” tourism in our latitudes.

6. Wreck Tours

Diving is also not new for tourists. Everyone who vacationed on the seas could enjoy the beauty of the underwater world with scuba diving or a mask. But tours to sunken ships are something new. Sunken ships fascinate anyone; a vessel hidden by thick water - military or peaceful - is always surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. Therefore, if you are already tired of looking at marine flora and fauna, then with the help of tours to sunken ships you can feel like a real explorer as part of an underwater expedition.

Today anyone can look at ghost ships with their own eyes. Swim nearby and look through the porthole - a person with an average diving level. But only a very well trained diver can get inside the ship. In addition, it is worth remembering that if we are talking about a depth of more than 40 meters, diving will require special equipment.

7. Gastronomic tourism

Gastronomic tourism is by no means tours for gluttons. These are carefully selected trips to learn more about the food culture and the main features of the cuisine of a particular country. National cuisine can tell about the culture and other features of a particular country no less than museums and other attractions.

Gastronomic tours are divided into urban and rural (“green”). The former offer a promenade through restaurants or culinary workshops, while the latter offer a simpler option, for example, self-harvesting of local produce, cooking and tasting dishes.

You can also choose a more highly specialized tour - a cheese tour in France or a beer tour in Germany. True, in the countries of Asia and Africa, fans of gastronomic tourism should still restrain their own appetites so as not to shock the body, pampered by European cuisine.

8. Guest tourism

If you have watched the famous American comedy called “Exchange Vacation,” then you can fully imagine what guest tourism or home exchange tours are. At our latitudes, this practice is not very common, but Europe and America have long learned to save on vacation, or more precisely, on accommodation. There are special sites and databases of people who are ready to offer their housing in exchange for yours for a short period of vacation.

The most important thing in this matter is to coincide with the rest period. And this option is also possible: guests from another country or city come to you while you are at home. And when you have vacation time, it will be your turn to come visit. At the same time, there are many who want to “wave without looking,” and therefore even a resident of a Ural village may have a chance to relax in a villa on the sea coast.

9. Stalking tourism

This relatively new type of industrial tourism is somewhat reminiscent of the plots of computer games. The program of stalking tours includes visits to cities, plants and factories, territories and buildings, abandoned and collapsing. This is usually done for the purpose of exploring such places, which is why in England it received the name “urban exploration” (urban exploration).

Many travel agencies offer to visit abandoned cities, ghost towns, which for one reason or another have been abandoned by people. One of the striking examples is Chernobyl in Ukraine. Despite the danger of radiation contamination (although many argue that there is now less of it in Chernobyl than, for example, in Kyiv), many tourists are ready to pay considerable sums (by Ukrainian standards) to get into the restricted zone.

10. Agritourism

This type of tourism is somewhat reminiscent of eco-tourism, but here you are not going to a deserted place. Quite the opposite: you come to some village where agriculture is well developed. It could be a dairy farm or a winery with plantations, the choice is great. Here you are unlikely to be able to relax in the broad sense of the word. You will get up at dawn and do all the work that farm workers do - mowing grass, milking cows, growing vegetables, making cheese or wine.

Photo: Couchsurfing is a large Internet project founded in 2004. The word itself translates from English as “couch travel”

Planning long trips from Khabarovsk is not so easy. You often have to book rooms in hotels and resorts relying on your own intuition - there are not many of us who often travel to other countries and can give practical advice. And the cultural program is often limited to a guidebook.

Well, just a couple of mouse clicks on the Internet - and in an instant you turn from a timid tourist into a welcome guest who will be greeted, provided with free accommodation, and introduced a little to the culture of another country. Joke? No, couchsurfing, but simply guest tourism!

The idea of ​​couchsurfing is extremely simple: people are ready to host guests from other cities and countries at home completely free of charge. You just need to register on the site and fill out the form in detail. And then, when planning your trips, you send out requests to people you like.

As a rule, the duration of such an exchange is limited to several days - enough to chat, take a walk and not get bored of each other. However, no one forbids staying for a longer time if the owner himself agrees to it, or, conversely, staying literally for one night.

Worth a try

Why is couchsurfing so good, and why does it attract so many people? Because it's free. This system allows you to cross off the “accommodation” column from the list of travel expenses. And even if you are going not for two days, but for two weeks, just change your place of residence more often. By the way, you also save a lot on food by preparing all your food at home in the kitchen, rather than spending money on it in cafes and restaurants.

But the most important thing is, of course, cultural exchange. The Internet and tourist brochures will certainly tell you about the most famous places to visit. But wait, how much can a person learn, for example, what life is like in Khabarovsk, just by visiting Glory Square and sitting on the embankment?

The hosts will show you their hometown as you would never see it yourself. You can find a person based on their hobbies, and if you are a lover of nightlife, then you don’t have to come to visit an elderly history teacher - choose your own!

Safety rules

Is couchsurfing dangerous? Of course, there is always a risk. And as a last resort, you should have money to stay at a hotel. The owner of the apartment may get lost or get sick and not meet you - anything can happen. Fortunately, the site's responsiveness is so high that a replacement can be found literally in one day.

By the way, the fact that you are going to someone now does not mean that later you will be obliged to host this person. Among the hosts there are those who do not travel anywhere themselves, but welcome guests quite actively.

Some of them even rebuild their own homes, set aside special rooms for travelers and almost devote their entire lives to communicating with foreigners, turning their home into a guest house.

And vice versa - there are tourists who only visit, but never host. And there are those who cannot provide housing, but will happily show you the city and treat you to a cup of tea.

Cities from the inside, alive and real, with their language, rhythm and mood - that’s what couchsurfing is. Tens and hundreds of people, stories, lives told by people of a completely different culture and mentality. This is a new, huge world full of bright impressions. But be careful – this type of holiday is very addictive!

Stanislava Krapan

Couchsurfing in Khabarovsk

This trend is quite new for Khabarovsk. The official couchsurfing website has its own Khabarovsk community, where foreigners leave advertisements looking for a host, and our “activists” communicate with each other.

Elena Stelmakh
Experience in the project - 3 years

“Guest tourism is simply an unforgettable experience in life! I myself surfed first in Vladivostok, and then went to America. And all the people with whom I lived were kind and hospitable.

When I went to Vladivostok, I was very worried. I was sure that Russians can only behave well with foreigners. However, I was given a very warm welcome and had a great weekend.

Later she began to receive guests herself. I lived with a Spaniard, a Frenchman, a Japanese and a Greek. The guys traveled alone and stayed from two to four days. The Japanese was simply delighted with Khabarovsk. This was his first trip to Russia, and he photographed absolutely everything.

The Greek stayed in Khabarovsk for a very short time. Our city became the 11th Russian city on his list. Here the traveler got bored and went to Vladivostok to look at the sea. The Spaniard is a journalist. He filmed a film here about how the Spaniards live in the Far East, and then made some kind of story about Jews in Birobidzhan. Nevertheless, he liked it in Khabarovsk. The Frenchman was also pleased and said that we have a beautiful city and gorgeous cathedrals.”