AFAR – September 2019

42 AFAR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019

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wander

1. Azart
   What it is: “Russia is a tough,
   cold place, so Russians grab
   at happiness with both hands,”
   Russell says. Azart (or “ardor”)
   is the burning urge to lunge at
   everything life throws your way,
   no matter the consequences.
   How to find it: “[In Russia]
   there’s this idea that you’re seek-
   ing heat all the time,” Russell
   says. That desire combines with
   a willingness to suffer, which
   explains Russian bathhouse
   culture. A bathhouse session is
   not only about sweating pro-

fusely but also about smacking

yourself with birch twigs and run-

ning outside afterward to cover

yourself in snow. The Yamskiye

Bani bathhouse in St. Petersburg,

said to have been frequented

by Dostoyevsky and Lenin, is a

good place for travelers to start.

Russians also chase heat in

conversation: They skip the small

talk and immediately dive deep.

In their homes they call this

posidelki, or “kitchen talks.” Vodka

can help facilitate the kind of no-

B.S. conversations Russians seek

and excel at. As travelers are not

likely to be spontaneously invited

A ROAD MAP TO HAPPINESS

What makes people satisfied is different in every culture. Your passport can

be a tool for understanding those unique types of contentment.

by Billie Cohen

In her new book The Atlas of
Happiness: The Global Secrets
of How to Be Happy, U.K.-born,
Denmark-based author Helen
Russell takes readers on a round-
the-world trip—not to the usual
tourist attractions but through
distinct concepts of happiness
that have evolved in 30 countries.
She illustrates each via locals’
personal experiences.
Here, Russell walks us through
five of the book’s lesser-known—
and often misunderstood—hap-
piness ideologies, with practical
advice for channeling them on
your next trip.

into a stranger’s kitchen, they

can shoot for razgovory v poezde,

or “train talks.” And not on just

any train—the Trans-Siberian

Railway, where everyone is

crammed together on a multiday

journey across the sprawling

route, sharing food, sharing

space, and swapping stories. It’s

a surefire way to experience the

distinctly Russian combination

of excitement, risk-taking, and

suffering that leads to happiness.

“It’s hard to explain,” Russell says.

“It’s not a comfy, cozy kind of

feeling. [It’s] more like you feel

really alive.”