No excuses: "I move people" - An interview with the head of web projects Igor release gear
Motivation Inspiration / / December 19, 2019
Igor release gear - Project Manager "Open Planet". This is a unique site about travel. Why is it unique, because the traveler's resources - thousands? In fact, it is one of the few portals that tells about tourism for people with special needs. This disabled, elderly, mothers with small children and other people for whom the journey requires more logistics than to collect the suitcase and buy a ticket.
In an interview with Igor Layfhakeru he gave valuable advice to people who love and want to travel (including, despite the limited mobility).
The origins of entrepreneurship
- Hello, Igor! Good to see you in the project "No excuses."
- Hello, Anastasia!
- Traditionally, I am asking you to talk about his hometown and childhood.
- I am from Moscow. But still I am trying to understand the root I Muscovite or not. There are two approaches. Some believe that fundamentally is considered the fourth generation; the other, that the first.
My grandparents came to Moscow in 1930. They were villagers, but came to the capital in search of a better life.
- And you do not pull into the village, to nature?
- The roots, of course, felt. I myself feel gorgeous in nature, even in spite of his limited mobility.
In Russia, the very nature of the barrier, in contrast to Europe, where, even in the forest have groomed tracks.
But for me, still be in the country - a complete thrill.
- Because in the Russian nature - the most beautiful? :)
- It is subjective. I visited many places. Nature always beautiful. I feel comfortable in the Crimean Bakhchisaray, and in the plains, and in the Russian Plain.
For me, more important is temperature. I do not like the cold. Over the past 17 years that I have a wheelchair, I have every year less and less like winter.
- How you were a kid?
- curiosity. I quickly learned a lot. I read a lot, pages memorized verses.
On this subject there is a family "brand" story. I was 3 years old, and I knew by heart "Borodino". On May 9, we always went to a friend's family, where my grandmother Zina - partisan, went through the war, "iconostasis" orders and medals. The parade then started at 9 am. We arrived, the table was laid already. With the opening parade of adults drank the first glass of "For Victory", and after the end of the parade, as a rule, comes "my way." I put on the stool and I read "Borodino".
I still remember quite large pieces of this product. :)
- I mean, you score an A in school? With such a memory ...
- Not at all. Excellent student at school is the one who is intelligent and well read and erudite. High achiever - the one who likes the teacher, who is diligent and studious.
I was not.
I remember the first two classes in school, I frankly bored because my classmates studied what I had long known.
In addition, my mother raised me by herself. She had her own tasks - work, part-time, earning money. I was left to myself and not spend a lot of time for textbooks, and on the street with friends.
It then has the class to 7, I had companions who can be called intellectuals. With them we, instead of chasing football, played in a kind of state. It was the kind of world that we built based on numerous books read. We had our own money, titles (I was - Duke), we published their laws, fought with fictional enemies, etc. But among the rest of the guys we have, of course, were "freaks". Although it does not have worried - it was interesting.
Well, not difficult to guess that the good grades I had only humanitarian subjects.
- After school I went on a humanitarian path?
- It so happened that in the 8th grade, I skipped more than half the teaching hours. I said, "Man, in Grade 9 we will not take. If you want, go to another school. " I like to imagine that this new people pour into the established team... Of the alternatives: to find a new school or go to college - I chose the latter.
But I did not understand what I want. I liked to read dozens of books swallowed. However, it seemed that learning - it's not cool.
Now, with age, you realize that to learn - it's very cool.
In the last 3-4 years I have learned a lot (and in the Higher School of Economics and the British Higher School of Design).
So I decided to go with someone else for the company. I had a friend who was also not in the 9th grade. He decided to enroll in college refrigeration units. I told my mother that I would go with him. She did not mind. I bought a guide to prepare for the exams that I listlessly flipping through and realized that a little too much math ...
And one day, my mother came and told me that my documents filed in the printing college. I am very surprised. I asked my mother why? She said, "Well, you do not know what you want? And this is a good restaurant next to the house. Then he went to college. "
Mom's strategy was absolutely correct.
- You really went to college then?
- Not. :) I have 3.5 years of departure to college, but the institute is not entered. Not because they failed the exam, but because it is simply not done.
I was already an adult so - I would like an independent life.
- I Went to work?
- I started to work much earlier. As I said, my mother raised me alone, provided, as best she could. But still not enough. Classmates and dressed better and had some "things-dryuchki".
In 14 years and wanted to have girls like and dress fashionably. So I began to look for a job. I found fairly quickly. I always seemed older than he really is. Therefore, I was able to settle down to the station to unload cars Savyelovskiy.
Excellent work has been - with the men, dragged the 50-kilogram bales of tobacco.
- Where did you so much enterprise and hard work?
- Example mum. She was already over 70, but I've never seen and do not see it just relax. For her vacation - a change of activity. I am the same. When I lie down on the couch and pick up a book, or turn on some movies, I have a question in my mind: "Do I deserve this ...". So for me it was always strange how people can spend days doing nothing, and for them - is this normal? Just interesting ...
- How to spend first paycheck?
- I bought shoes. Yugoslav. :)
- Igor, what do you think, wheelchair - it is a reason not to go to work?
- I asked this question.
For me, the determining factor - working or not. All work must.
As my friend, if a person is ill, his place in the hospital if you need rehabilitation - in the rehabilitation center, but then he has to go to work. There are no alternatives. Otherwise existence is pointless.
But, unfortunately, for many, a wheelchair - it's really an excuse not to work. I call these people "space tourists." Because their year is composed like this: first one rehab center, then a couple of weeks at home, then the other, a little house again, then somewhere in the resort. All year held in rehabilitation centers for trips where they, in fact, do not go for treatment, and hang out.
– Michael TeslyukWho recently was a guest column "No excuses," said an interesting thing about how it is important to distinguish between rehabilitation and adaptation.
- Important. But rehabilitation is needed. If it is real work on oneself, not just a pastime. I, for example, once a year for a month I go to a rehabilitation center to get specific for a physical burden and pump up weakened back muscles.
open planet
- Igor, how is it that, having begun his career with the unloading of cars, you're now in charge of Internet projects?
- In 1997, I became ill. The disease led me into the carriage. Having a hard primary path of adaptation, I realized that, when I fed my feet, passed. You need to look for something new.
I bought a computer. Began to think, no matter what profession I would like to learn in the IT-sphere? Wrote on a piece of the options and realized that most of all I feel closer to "Web design".
I found the guy who taught me the basics. Under his supervision made the site one, then another - already own. And off we go.
- It's just beginning to generate income?
- No, the first money on the Internet I got a different way. He worked for a British company, which carried out case studies. They collected statistical information on paper. My task was - to transfer data in digital form and encoded.
Jobs, strangely heavy. It must be very careful and have perseverance. But for 2-3 months, I was the fastest encoder in the agency and earned US $ 35-40 per day.
But then, this work has disappeared. I became involved in all sorts of projects in the field of development and support.
- One of them was Invatravel.ru?
- Yes. Invatravel.ru or "discovery of the planet," as we now call this project - it is a site on tourism for people with disabilities. We are positioning as an advisory service. Content have a unique - it is a personal experience of physically challenged people traveling.
- What do you spodviglo to create such a resource?
- Too own experience. I believe that you should always do what you know well, what do you have expertise. Here coincided three points: I understood on the Internet, in the life of physically challenged people (myself many years such is), and I was interested in travel.
Travel the way, I have always loved. Always been easy-going. You know, there are people who say, "Oh, you, I'd better go home - I like to sleep in my own bed!". Here it is not about me. I can sleep anywhere: on a strange bed, on the floor, in a tent on the ground, if the heat ...
Moreover, it seemed to me that doing a site about travel, I myself will travel more. :) In fact, it is certainly not the case. To travel a lot, you need to be engaged in that revenue.
- Your "easy-going" is not even crippled disease?
- At first, it crippled. Just had to go all the way to realize that you have lost something, and something gained.
I have a friend, absolutely blind. It has in this respect a whole theory. It is very simple.
If a man loses something of its physical capabilities (the ability to walk, see, hear, etc.), he (as compensation) gets something in return. Always.
Here's what comes in return, he calls "ekstrabiliti". They are different, but there are all the people who have physical limitations.
I agree with this theory.
- What is your ekstrabiliti?
- As my wife says, I move people. :) Perhaps, indeed, my ekstrabiliti instead lost the ability to walk upright, to be able to organize some things remotely.
- For example, to manage a remote team of authors on Invatravel.ru?
- Including. The "Open Planet" started out as a personal blog. I did not have enough information when I was going to go somewhere: in RuNet data on the availability of a place practically no, and English-language sites information, often irrelevant. I decided to do a website where I will share their experiences.
After some time understood - there are still people who have this information and they are willing to share it. They can be divided into 3 types. The first - those who can write the text, that is, it is not difficult, and even like to translate verbal in epistolary. Second - those who can only tell. At the same time, one can only talk, because they do not want to write the text, and the other because it is physically difficult to fill the text on the keyboard (they we interview). And the third - the people who can neither talk nor write, but they have great pictures of his trips.
- Your audience - people with disabilities?
- Not only. It is very different. Someone draws information for themselves, someone for their loved ones.
Was, by the way, it is a wonderful story. One girl set out to "give" his elderly mother, who under 70 and who goes bad, Venice. Find the information on our website, then call me for more advice. In general, her mother saw Venice. Then they called and profusely thanked the tube. I said that the best gratitude - trip report. Thus an article entitled "Venice for the elderly."
- You are the only resource of similar subjects in RuNet?
- No, there are others. But they did not generate, did not create. Almost all their content - copy-paste. Therefore, they are not our competitors.
To me "Open Planet" - a constant search. I well understand the life of physically challenged people, so try to make the most useful project for them. For example, I have a car, I have no need to go to work by public transport. But one day I take and go to the office by bus. This turns out to become.
Life hacking for travelers
- Igor, share with our readers life hacking for people with disabilities, who love and want to travel.
- Unfortunately, the world (even Europe) still Friendly to people in wheelchairs. Therefore, hack №1 - Be ready for it and do not be afraid. The world is not rolled ramps. From time to time we will have to ask strangers for help. This is normal.
Haq № 2 - Always check and double check the information you find on the web. This is especially true reservation. Booking.com - a convenient and time-tested system, but we must understand that this is just an intermediary. In other words, if the hotel wants you to enforce your terms, then it is not a decree Booking.com. When you reserve a room through the system, the hotel does not appear in front of you obligations. Do not be lazy to call / write to the hotel and duplicate information from the application Booking'e (you, for example, in a wheelchair, you need such a condition). Do not hesitate to ask the staff to do for you to your hotel room, measure the width of doorways, if the photos you have any doubts as to their adaptability.
Haq № 3 - pre-contact with the service, which deals with the help of people with limited mobility at airports. Call and warn that such a date, about a time you arrive at the airport and you need help. Keep the phone and electronic contacts in his address book.
Haq № 4 - if you take a car to rent, then rent it properly. As is usually the case? Ran, gave the keys, ran on. It is not necessary to do so. Ask the person who takes your car, check if everything is okay with it and write you a proper paper. This will save you from force majeure debiting your card.
Haq № 5 - if you are traveling on your car, find out how it should be marked for parking. The fact that there are countries where a sufficiently universal icon "disabled" on the front and the rear window, and there a country where the right to use a dedicated parking are only those who have pasted local icons.
Haq № 6 - to buy insurance with little time to spare. It's not expensive. For example, if you go from 1 to 10 numbers, then take the insurance from 1 to 11, or (better) than 12. Why? Because the insurance company if the insured event occurs on the last day of the insurance period, strongly prevent to provide treatment in the country of residence. They will do anything to put you on a plane and sent for treatment in Russia. But if you have stock in one day, it will be harder to do so.
The traveler can not go back
- Igor, which you need to go?
- According to many. Personally for me this - how to live several lives simultaneously. After all, the scenario that I have here, in Russia, it is very intuitive. I say in Russian, talk to a certain circle of people to do certain things.
Abroad scenarios are quite different.
Where people do not speak in Russian, they have a different culture and a different life. For me it is very interesting, because at the time you yourself become different.
They say, well worth a visit a couple of European countries, and in the Old World can no longer ride - all the same. Nothing like this. I drove from Germany through Austria by car in Northern Italy. Even such close countries as Germany and Austria, were quite different, not to mention Italy. Even regions of the state are very different.
And another aspect. There is a movie "Broken Sky", where one character says that a tourist is different from the traveler so that the latter may not return. For me it means a lot. Because a person must be where he is well, where it is harmonious. And this is not necessarily the country where he was born ...
- You found the place where you do not want to come back?
- Not yet. I have not always been.
- Where you are going to go this year?
- From the nearest plans - Netherlands on May holidays, we are going to ride hendbaykah.
- Igor, ponaputstvuy Layfhakera readers. It is also our tradition.
Do not be afraid to try new things. This can dramatically change your life. My change. And that's great!
- Thanks for the conversation!
- And thank you, Nastya!