A few words on the preparation

I started to prepare, at least, to prepare my parents "morally", even a year before the trip. This immediately solved the problem, which often stops people of all ages even before the start of the trip. I do not want readers to have illusions about my loved ones. These are quite "normal" people who fetch mushrooms twice a year and worry every time I go on a hike, even for two days. However, not only did they let me take such a long trip, but they also reassured my other acquaintances who expressed doubts about the feasibility of this idea. The secret here is simple: remember! The main slogan is "GRADUATE!" Plus the absence of all kinds of lies or half-truths. Your parents must be sure that you will not be lost under any conditions, you will survive with the same success in the polar tundra and in a populated and unknown city. Before traveling, negotiate in advance with your parents on the frequency and methods of communication. It's very soothing for them. Even if they know that you are "somewhere between" Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk, they will be warmed by the idea that you will send them a message from Irkutsk. Remember the parents! Personal training should begin with planning the route. It is useful for each team to have a road atlas. After having mastered the methods described in the book "Practice of Free Travels", you will be able to move on the main roads of the European part of Russia with the same confidence that Muscovites travel along the metro lines every day. In this case, you do not depend on your money, your food or your friends in the cities that are on your route. To achieve even greater autonomy, it is useful to have a good backpack, a small tent, a sleeping bag and a foam mat. To this "traditional" list, I add: a soldier's melon, a large mug with a spoon, a stock of cereals and pasta in plastic bottles, for two days of "autonomous" food. It is also useful to take a tape to listen with the driver in the car; Sidushka-penopopu, a notebook for journal entries in which you will record all kinds of useful information: times, addresses, phone numbers, etc. Remember that the hitch must not look like a tramp. To do this, you need the usual hygiene items: soap, towel, comb, toothbrush and toothpaste. Separately, it must be said about clothing: in addition to the usual requirements for heat preservation, comfort and not airflow, the hooking of clothing must distinguish it from the premises. In summer, the choice is not great: a bright t-shirt, a tourist cap, a "kivnik" around the neck, it's probably all the arsenal. In summer, the choice is much richer: a bright combination, a variety of anoraks, trousers and overalls in yellow or orange fabric. I limited myself to an orange caprone anorach. During the night, I put on my feet the orange fabric covers with a reflective tape sewn on them. On the hands - the same sleeves. But, if I had the money, I would have sewed a suit - it's a lot cooler and more practical. Here, it may be everything. The essentials - do not forget your passport! As for the money: I took 200 rubles in cash, and I had a number of PVP books that I was hoping to sell in remote areas. (I must say that 80% of them were given for all kinds of reasons.) I spent the same amount on food: pasta, dehydrated mashed potatoes, sugar, tea and chewable cookies on the way. There was not enough money for the popular with a lot of sublimated meat. You ask, "What if there was no money at all?" I will answer: then I would have gone anyway, but there was nothing to buy bread on the way, I would spend more time on the visits to make. Maybe two or three days must have been hungry. There are no limits to savings! When I left Irkutsk, I had about four rubles. After returning from Lake Baikal in September 1998 with our colleague Olya, we traveled all over Crimea. We spent 10 dollars in two weeks to visit all the museums and tourist sites of Crimea. And this despite the magnitude of the financial crisis! Here, perhaps, everything is a matter of preparation.