As readers of this blog will no doubt attest, travel really helps to shape one's outlook on life. And while the ways in which it does varies from person to person, it's hard to argue that the overall impact isn't positive.

There is an interesting article in the New York Times today about the travel boom in Russia, which is seeing Russians from essentially all walks of life traveling in greater numbers than ever before. It's an obvious change from Soviet days, when travel was limited to those held in the communist party's esteem (and even then such travel was strictly monitored), and it speaks to the relative prosperity to be found today in the world's largest country. Russians have tons of cash, and they're using it see the world.

In 2006, 7.1 million Russians took trips outside the former Soviet bloc, compared to 2.6 million in 1995, the Times says, citing the Russian government. Turkey alone sees 2.5 million Russian tourists a year, surpassed only by tourists from Germany.

But Russians are not just heading to Turkey. They're heading pretty much everywhere. I'm writing this right now from Montenegro, a little country with a disproportionally large tourism industry that is driven mostly by Russians, who not only arrive in droves on cruise ships but are deciding they like the coastline here so much they're buying up as much of it as they can, sometimes directly from Montenegrins eager for some quick cash.

The Times' article notes that many of these destinations favored by Russians know exactly who is buttering their bread: they are setting up services and amenities that cater specifically to them. Along the Montenegrin coast, Russian is the unofficial second language, and many young tour guides and hotel help are fluent in it. Sevastopol, Ukraine, a pretty place on the Black Sea, is another such destination, more Russian, locals say, than Russia itself. There Russian is the official language, the Russian flag snatches at the wind, prices are quoted in rubles, and the attractive harbor is alive with swank nightclubs featuring the same turbo-house music loved in Moscow.

So what? As one person the Times interviews says, traveling and interacting with other cultures is helping to broaden (and soften) Russians' world view, something that might seem obvious when we forget that this is a relatively new phenomenon there.

The Russian writer Viktor Yerofeyev puts it best, telling the Times: "Through all this travel, we are seeing a change in mentality at home. People are now seeking pleasure, whether it is in the night clubs of Moscow or in restaurants. Travel is a continuation of that pleasure. Just to have pleasant lives, not to suffer, to feel positive. Their life compass changes, from 'I don't care about anything' to 'I would like to have a better life.' Travel is a part of this. The world is becoming part of their lives."

Filed under: Europe, Russian Federation