Traveler Rimvydas Širvinskas, also known as Makalius, who has visited more than half of the world, is convinced that travel is never just for knowledge: it is for the body, for the soul, for shock, for surprise, for relaxation, for love, and for relaxation. For everything, because the list of what we travel for and what we bring back is endless. Rimvydas singles out his top 12 things that you should experience at least once in your life.
See wild animals in the wild
"There is nothing more beautiful than animals in the wild. The most exciting trip of my life was to Kenya. First of all, the experiences made me cry for a long time after returning from the trip, because it was hard to believe that I was able to fulfill my dream - to see with my own eyes what shows about nature and wildlife shows on TV on weekends.
I'm against keeping animals in zoos, dolphinariums, I don't visit them and I don't recommend them to others, because I'm sure that wild animals should live in freedom, and we humans can only enjoy the opportunity to observe them in their natural environment.
In Kenya, I was in the mood for a long and tedious search for them in a driverless jeep, but I was surprised that I didn't have to do it at all - I saw a lioness with her cubs on the first day just a meter and a half away from me! It is remembered for a lifetime.
I am often asked about sharks in the Maldives and how dangerous they are, so I can answer that there are a lot of them here, especially the so-called "nurse sharks". It is a myth that sharks are the biggest evil in the oceans, that they are very dangerous to humans and that as soon as they "smell" a person or blood, they send and attack. It's really funny when I publicly share images from travelers swimming with sharks and receive messages that we probably don't want to live anymore, we risk too much that we'll be eaten soon," smiles R. Širvinskas.
Makalius says that he also had impressive experiences with wild animals in Malaysia, observing free-living orangutans and elephants in Sri Lanka.
Surprise yourself with the little things
"I remember when during the pandemic, after a long hunger for travel, I went to neighboring Latvia. What's so impressive about that, you ask me? I tried the gourmet route there: I visited a shiitake mushroom farm, tasted the most delicious cheeses, talked to young farmers and was simply amazed at how many wonderful things are just around the corner and how many interesting things can be made from, for example, garlic.
Nobody is surprised anymore when you are oversaturated with everything. Then you just need to rest, miss the excitement and the feeling of waiting for the trip - and everything will be like new again", Makalius has no doubts.
Go on an exotic trip and feel new experiences
"The first exotic country I visited was the Philippines. I traveled its islands for more than two weeks.
Despite the cultural differences, the dazzling beauty of the islands, invisible beaches, completely different local life, I also had new experiences: I ate woodworms, I realized that you can drive 100 km in 8 hours, I learned how not to trip on a tarantula or how to cure traveler's diarrhea with bananas and local black tea.
The first experiences in exotic countries leave a huge impression. Try it - it will be really interesting," R. Širvinskas sincerely advises.
Travel off-peak
Makalius cheerfully remembers India, the province of Gujarat, where he was invited as a travel blogger to present an unvisited place in the country: "I felt like the biggest star, the locals wanted to touch me, they kept asking me something, they kept looking at me, there were those who followed me. Very interesting feeling. What was memorable was the salt lake, the hotels that were established just two months ago, luxurious tents with beds, excellent showers, and televisions."
To the question of whether there are still so many non-tourist places left today, R. Širvinskas says that there are practically no such places left: "Even those that declare themselves "non-tourist" yearn for tourists, and it is precisely with such phrases that they try to dissuade them. In my opinion, Lithuania is a non-tourist destination (just don't be offended!). And in vain, because living here is wonderful for me. But maybe that's why I'm happy to live here, because like in Paris or Barcelona, in Vilnius, a bunch of people don't come up to me to ask where the Eiffel Tower is (smiles, author's note).
In order to avoid mass tourism, you can travel around the country during off-peak, cold or rainy periods, when, to be honest, the weather is often great."
See what human hands can create
"Nature is amazing, but what humans can create is just as unique. Houses on the water in the Maldives, when you can see an impressive underwater world under your feet every day, luxurious Dubai or Singapore are built on the desert, which is a complete idyll for living, creating, working, and tourism. We have so many beautiful things in this world, created by ourselves, so let's just travel, grab life by the handful and get to know more and more", invites R. Širvinskas.
Learn from your mistakes and keep things simple
"Everyone expects absolute perfection from a travel expert, so I started sharing my travel mistakes, which are usually very funny, to let everyone know that no matter how much you know, there will still be something you didn't think about." We are all human beings first.
And I still get stuck on those tourist hooks, and I accidentally fall into a tourist place to eat, and I forget something, I don't think about my travel plans. But I always tell everyone - don't even dare to call such things a problem. Replace it with a nicer word - a challenge that you have to deal with and move on from.
Issues such as de-identification work very well. I myself am not at all worried about mistakes, we all make them even if we think we know everything, so I invite you not to be that perfect, because traveling is not about perfection, but about multifaceted experiences", assures R. Širvinskas.
As an example, Makalius remembers a trip to Kazakhstan, when wearing fabric shoes and short jeans (it was +23 at the bottom of the mountains) he went to the mountains at an altitude of 3500 m. I also had a similar experience in Montenegro - going up to the mountains and spending the day at a temperature of just a few degrees in shorts.
R. Širvinskas also remembers more fun adventures, when he took part in a photo session dressed strangely and ended up in the local newspaper, or when he tried to order a pizza with chicken in a pizzeria in Sardinia, where no one spoke English. Then I had to play chicken and thus achieve my goal.
Welcome an important holiday abroad
"Welcoming holidays in foreign countries is a wonderful experience and, of course, memories for a lifetime. For me, the most fun is celebrating birthdays and New Year abroad. It is better not to go abroad for Christmas, because it is not so impressive, because not all countries celebrate it, and those that do, usually do it in the family circle. So if you fly to celebrate, it's with your whole family.
I myself have welcomed the New Year 6 times in the Maldives by wading into the Indian Ocean, watching fantastic fireworks, listening to music played by DJs on the seashore. It is such a unique experience that it is always fun to repeat. It's also interesting that although the locals don't celebrate New Year's as usual for us, they are no less cheerful, benevolent and in a festive mood," observes Makalius.
On his birthday, R. Širvinskas met abroad several times - one of them was even very successful - he flew in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon (JAV). He received the flight as a gift. "After he wanted to know how much such a flight with a landing at the bottom of the canyon would cost, if he wanted to repeat it, the answer was 600 US dollars per person!" But the impressions buy back all the money", says the traveler about the memories that will last a lifetime.
There were also other experiences - a birthday planned in Mexico, in a luxury hotel, not that it didn't go well, but it didn't happen at all, because he arrived with a cold, felt very bad and slept all day.
"I really enjoyed meeting and celebrating my birthday in Lithuania with a group of friends - apparently, I will repeat such a stay, and I will go on vacation after that," Makalius thinks.
Go where you wouldn't normally go
"I'm a total lover of heat, I would never think of traveling to a place where it's very cold, but I was taken to Northern Norway, the city of Troms, for my birthday. It was such an incredible experience that it is still one of the most amazing trips of my life. I was greeted by three new experiences - the polar night, the northern lights and a night in an ice hotel. It was an absolutely fantastic time," recalls R. Širvinskas.
When asked if there are any countries to which he would not travel today, Makalius answers that he is not at all attracted to South American countries because of the feeling of insecurity that he does not like when he travels. "During my travels, I want to relax and not be under constant tension. So I think I would be very surprised if I managed to go there, although I almost guarantee that I would be very happy (smiles, author's note).
Walk along the most beautiful beaches in the world
"How I regret not seeing the Seychelles before!" Of course, it is not easy to see something more beautiful, and the eyes get used to beauty, but believe me, there really are beautiful beaches all over the world, so just travel and discover them.
Whether it will be the famous Copacabana beach in Brazil, or the wild beaches of Australia, the blinding white sand beaches surrounding the islands of the Philippines or Thailand, maybe it is Bala beach on the Greek island of Crete. There are so many fabulous beaches that life would not be enough to visit them all, so it is worth choosing the best ones and seeing them at least once," R. Širvinskas has no doubts.
Go on a longer trip for yourself
"I remember a time when everything in my life was too much for me. Within a few days, I planned a trip to Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia and went on a month-long adventure with my significant other. I also took a notebook, in which I wrote a travel diary, examined my state of health and made plans for the future. This was my biggest discovery," says R. Širvinskas frankly.
The traveler says that he didn't want to join the many "self-discovery" camps organized around the world, he just needed rest and disconnecting from the rest of the world worked best for him.
"All the joy of the trip was enjoyed only by my eyes and I saw everything in reality, not through a phone camera. "Indeed, I myself will rest and recover best alone or with the closest person", says R. Širvinskas and smiles that although there will not be many photos from such a trip, he recommends everyone to experience exactly such a trip.
Tailor the trip to your interests
R. Širvinskas laughs that it is difficult for him to combine the trip with his hobby, because his hobby is traveling, but he succeeds: "I have a passion for concerts of world stars and it doesn't matter that I am not a fan of all of them, but I like to watch concerts live. I remember I had a dream to see Eurovision up close, and I saw it, but the most interesting thing was not to watch it myself a concert, and behind the scenes.
Maybe your hobby is photography, vinyl records, formula -1, books, movies, hiking, food - you can adapt the trip to all your hobbies and bring back even more impressions".
Don't just dream, but also travel to follow your dreams!
"Vietnam, New Zealand and Japan are my three biggest dreams that I must fulfill in the near future. I'm already planning one! I also really want to improve my skiing, so I'm doing Alpine routes.
Planning trips according to your dreams is the engine that starts so much that you can't stop later, and you don't need to - the world is so small, at the same time so big, so diverse that it would be a sin not to know it," R. Širvinskas invites you not to stop traveling.
The text was prepared by Vaiva Arnaše
