Some people, perhaps, will be skeptical about life on wheels during a sightseeing trip. They say, from fatigue after many days of traveling, even the peeing boy will not look so brave, and the hairstyles of the ghosts that hold their sabbath in the lights of the evening town hall are not so unnatural. And in general, everything is not the same, and the world outside the country is uninteresting, and the fireworks there are somehow black-and-white, not like on TV in colors and hues. That's it, we have arrived!
If anyone did have such feelings, it was probably in the first years of Ukraine's formation as an independent state. At that time, the tourism business was only beginning its development and, naturally, had no life experience. Today, the baggage of accumulated knowledge about foreign tours and the rules for conducting them is much larger.
Today, anyone wishing to ride on roads of non-Ukrainian origin and see the architecture and scenic places of European states, when coming to a travel agency, first of all asks - what he will be traveling on. And believe me, no one will ride on an Ikarus even with tinted windows and a built-in air conditioner. Among modern tourists, two-story beauties - Neoplans and other super-modern buses - are held in high regard. They have almost everything: very comfortable seats, an always working air conditioning system and lighting, mobile phones and working color monitors with a VCR, a non-clogged toilet with paper, a washbasin, soap and disposable towels, soft drinks and... drivers very devoted to tourists.
As a rule, Ukrainian travel companies hire foreign carriers. Their drivers know the roads, routes, pass-through features of border points, and places where tourists could do inexpensive shopping. As much as possible, foreign bus drivers try to master the tourists' language and often help guides draw attention to one or another picturesque beauty that opens only from a single spot. This is especially the case in mountains or cities located on hilly terrain. This is where tourists do not spare photo and video film. Can you imagine, no one sees this, but for you, such an exclusive. Beautiful!
During a foreign trip, a group of tourists, whether you like it or not, gradually turns into a collective. This becomes noticeable already at the end of the first day, when noticeably tired tourists gather again in a hotel cafe or bar and, over a glass of local beer, discuss what they saw during the day with new energy. By the end of the tour, all participants of the trip are as thick as thieves. Do we even need to mention the exchange of addresses and phone numbers?! Quite often, the creation of a so-called core of activists is observed, who subsequently travel in the same composition to other parts of the world. They have clicked, as they say.
Now about fatigue. This feeling is inherent in every person. You can get tired of everything, even of rest. And of the road, all the more so. But the tourism business industry exists to make itself profitable, and therefore interesting and attractive. For example, a travel agency with the fairy-tale name “Feeria” has completely excluded night transfers from its bus tours. Now, after a day excursion, people have the opportunity to take a shower in a hotel room, and then taste the delicacies of local chefs. At the same time, the hotel is chosen in a historical place. You go to bed, and outside the wide-open window with airy curtains, the chime of medieval bells spills out, after which the city falls asleep.
And here is the morning. You are cheerful and ready to perceive all new beauties with joy. Well-thought-out routes and trip schedules always leave a wealth of impressions. After one of these tours called “European Fireworks”, organized by “Feeria”, a successful businesswoman Alla Preobrazhenskaya from Belaya Tserkov, impressed by what she saw, wrote a series of canvases. The travel company helped the artist organize an exhibition of these works. Quite recently it was opened in the Kiev gallery “Aquarelle”. That's the power of impressions!
Now about the dangers on the road. Any journey holds something unknown, interesting, fascinating, and of course, dangerous. This is how it has developed historically. However, the latter actually happens extremely rarely. Many well-known travel agencies do not recall a case where a bus wheel fell off while moving. Tire punctures have happened, but professional drivers always quickly eliminate this minor nuisance. If something more serious happens, the carrier company will replace the vehicle with a new one as soon as possible. In addition, as compensation, for example, they will treat tourists to a cool beer - at the establishment's expense.
And guides always remind about personal safety rules at the very beginning of tours. For example, while walking through historical places, you should not turn your wallet inside out trying to buy a trinket souvenir and demonstrate the financial power of a Ukrainian citizen. A wad of banknotes will make not only a pickpocket shudder. And professional thieves who practice on tourists will surely turn your pockets into theirs. So, when leaving the bus or hotel room, take a small amount of money with you and try not to shock the local population with the level of the average salary in our country that obtained independence relatively recently.
The wave of pirate attacks and robberies of tourist buses on European roads has already subsided. However, to this day there are rules of conduct for tourists if such an incident were to occur. Again, a bus with Ukrainian license plates could be stopped, albeit with a small degree of probability. Therefore, domestic travel companies prefer to order local, European bus carriers for trips across Europe. It's more reliable.