Retired couple from Perm blogs about budget travels to warm countries

Retirees from Perm started a travel blog on Yandex Zen. In it, they show their interesting life while traveling, review places, and give useful advice. Their channel has become popular and has already gathered 59 thousand subscribers. 59.RU spoke with the authors and learned more about their trips.

The blog of the Perm couple is called «Retirees Can»t Sit Still«. It began with an article they published in 2019, telling about their first independent trip. »Before 2012, my husband and I only went on package tours: to Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, Thailand,« the author says in the blog. »And we didn«t even imagine that one could travel independently, without guides and travel agencies.» In the latest article, the bloggers recall how they started traveling at all: «In 2009, we thought: we should go on vacation somewhere abroad. After all, all our acquaintances had already been to Egypt and Turkey more than once, but we didn»t even have passports.«

The blog is run by the Perm couple, 68-year-old Andrey and 59-year-old Svetlana. Andrey worked in restaurants and cafes, and then started a small trade business. Svetlana, before retirement, was also an individual entrepreneur, and before that worked for 17 years as a music teacher in a Perm school; now she sings in a vocal ensemble. The couple has three adult children.

Recognition and Gifts from Followers

Svetlana and Andrey mainly travel to Southeast Asia and Russia. They have already been to Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Cambodia, Turkey, Egypt, and Cyprus.

The family calls the trip to the Philippines in February last year the most memorable journey.

«We went there for the first time, swam in the ocean with sharks, with schools of sardines,» Svetlana shares her impressions with 59.RU. «People go to the Philippines mainly to see the underwater world, as it is very developed there, to go snorkeling – you swim with a tube and look at fish. Sri Lanka was also very memorable for its wildlife: we have cats and dogs running around, but there, monitor lizards, monkeys, peacocks stroll, lemurs jump on branches. You sit on the balcony, and monkeys jump on branches, or a peacock walks nearby, or a monitor lizard.»

Snorkeling – swimming on the surface of the water to observe the underwater world using a mask, breathing tube, and fins.

Svetlana shared with 59.RU how the idea came to start a channel, show people travels, and talked about its goal.

«First, experience accumulated, a baggage of travels since 2012: we went every winter to spend the winter in Thailand, Vietnam,» says Svetlana. «We really wanted to tell and show about it. The mission or goal is to show that even retirees can go to a warm country, because we travel on a budget, and I show it.»

The couple comes up with ideas for filming and articles together.

«We walk together, discuss what else to tell. In travels, the topic finds itself. At home, I deal with the theme of diary and savings: I write a little diary about how we live ordinary daily life in Eysk (on the Azov Sea), tell where to save, where what discounts, what cashback, which banks we use, and people find it interesting.»

Over the years, the couple has started to be recognized in other countries – their fellow countrymen subscribers often approach them.

«On the beach in Sri Lanka, people who had previously read our articles approached us,» Svetlana joyfully says. «They were very grateful for the useful information and even brought small gifts from Russia.»

How to Decide and How to Save

The blog author gave advice to beginning travelers who don«t know where to fly and how to decide to go abroad.

«If people are afraid to go independently for the first time, then I would advise going through a travel agency on a tour, everything is thought out there: travel, transfer, hotel,» says Svetlana. «To Turkey, Egypt, Pattaya, Phuket, usually everyone goes, there it»s very interesting for beginners. In tours, you can gain experience on how it«s all done, and then plan your vacation independently.»

Now Svetlana and her husband don«t live in Perm; six years ago they moved to Eysk, on the Azov Sea. Acquainted couples live there, somehow they came to visit them, and they liked the city: »Very pleasant for life in retirement.«

The traveling retiree revealed what money they travel on: with her husband, they spend their savings, and a small income also comes from Yandex Zen.

59.RU correspondent asked Svetlana how to save on travels.

«You can use early booking promotions or last-minute tours,» shares the blogger. «I»m subscribed to many groups in Telegram, specifically for travelers, and to various bots that offer last-minute tours. You specify there from which city you want to fly, for how long, what star rating of the hotel and how many people, and this bot will send two or three offers a day. There are very wonderful prices: to Turkey for 35,000 rubles (about $350 at current rates) or to Egypt for 40,000 rubles (about $400 at current rates). You need to use all sorts of bots with last-minute tours and tickets.«

Earlier we told about a blogger-fisherman from Lysva who collects thousands of views.