With love along the way: stories of couples who met on a journey

Traveling is a great way to meet true love, to make stronger the feelings in a couple, and even to propose marriage. On July 8, the Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness, couples who have met on trips will take part in a simultaneous marriage registration. The wedding ceremony will take place at the II All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Connecting hearts." It will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA on July 8-10.

Wonderful travel love stories happen not only in movies, but also in real life, and the reality often surpasses the boldest fantasies of film directors. Sweethearts for whom the trip became a start of dating, a test of feelings, and a chance to propose marriage, shared their stories with us.

Love is a huge country

The story of Artyom Kandalin and Maria Rachkova began in a strikingly romantic way: quite by chance they took tickets to adjacent seats on the plane. Artyom flew to Sochi on vacation, Maria was on a business trip, but for both of them this flight was the beginning of a serious relationship. Difficulties did not frighten them: Artyom served in the internal affairs agencies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chuvash Republic, but he went to see his dear one to Kazan  every week. A year later, on the very anniversary of their acquaintance, Artyom proposed marriage to Maria. Now the couple dreams of traveling together, including with future children.

Victoria Chevtaeva and Alexander Trefilov know for sure that for love, the distance is not a hindrance. One day, Vika went from her native Krasnoyarsk to Krasnodar on vacation, but traveling to the South gave her, besides exciting impressions, an acquaintance with her fiance-to-be. For a while, the couple lived in different cities, but traveled around Russia together. At first, Victoria and Alexander moved in together in Krasnodar, but then they went to the bride's homeland in Siberia. The next point on the route of Vika and Alexander will be a wedding in the very center of Moscow, and then ... time will tell!

Non-random meetings

Sometimes our destiny makes interesting turns and forces us to get back to the very beginning. That's exactly what happened to Alexander Smolensky. After school, the young man moved from his native village of Bryukhovetskaya to the city of Kislovodsk, and was about to pursue his future in that city. In the fall of 2024, Alexander went to visit the places of his childhood, and one evening he met Elizaveta Bortnikova. The young people spent almost the entire vacation together, and when Alexander came back to Kislovodsk, the relationship went on online. Despite the distance, the feelings of the young people did not cool down. Already in December, Alexander proposed to Lisa to become his wife, and the girl agreed.

Andrey Tadyrov and Arina Alchina from the Altai Republic believe that there are no random things in love. Although their acquaintance in 2019 turned out to be brief, three years later the young people met again by chance in Gorno-Altaysk. The coincidence is even more surprising as by that time Arina had left the republic to study in Novosibirsk. A date was warm, but not promising. Arina got back to her studies, and three months later, while having the last class of the day, she received a message from Andrey. The young man wrote that he had come to see her to Novosibirsk. Arina did not believe it, but she came to the appointed place — and from that moment the united route of the future family began. Even  a marriage proposal Andrey made on the way — during a horseback riding journey around the picturesque Altai lakes. Of course, Arina said, "Yes!"

On the way to harmony 

Traveling reveals the best in a person, Stanislav Burakhin and Kristina Ponomareva from the Voronezh Region are sure of this. The young people met at work, went to the cinema on the first date, but only during a joint trip to Anapa they started to feel like two halves of the same whole. On that trip, Stanislav and Kristina realized that they could not live without each other. And on March 8, 2025, Kristina received an unexpected gift from her dear heart — a marriage proposal. The sweethearts will say "Yes" to each other on an equally symbolic date — July 8, the Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness.

Traveling brings people closer, teaches them to rely on each other, and reveals a person from an unexpected side. An example of this is Mikhail Sozinov and Anastasia Zaitseva from the city of Murom. They met on a dating website, and their next date made them high in the most literal sense — the young people took a paragliding flight together. They traveled together to more than 40 cities in Russia, and are not going to stop. And of course, Mikhail proposed to his dear one during a trip — in the mountains, against the backdrop of breathtaking natural landscapes. The couple will definitely continue their joint travels -- after a brief stop in Moscow to get married at the All-Russian Wedding Festival. 

A story with a sequel 

Couples of travelers in love are not going to put their lives on pause after the wedding. On the contrary, the newlyweds are planning new routes. For sure, many of them will be inspired by "the Journey Across Russia" exposition at the National  Centre RUSSIA. On the area of more than 3 thousand square meters, not only the cultural and natural attractions of our country are presented, but also the key achievements and innovative developments that Russia is proud of. You can feel like a seasoned traveler right in the pavilion — the VR technologies produce an effect of the total immersion. In the "Heart's Zone", you can send a digital postcard with a love confession for your dear one and for your country. The exposition is a space of vivid impressions and new ideas, where each stand makes you fall in love with the nature and the culture of Russia, and invites you to explore its ancient cities and protected areas which exist in every region of our country. 

Love has no boundaries, and in this sense it is very similar to a journey. Maybe that's why long- and short-distance trips are so fruitful in respect of new acquaintances, and that's why they help you to really get to know people. And this is how the destination point becomes the starting point for a new route — hand in hand to the family happiness.