Wool gloves and mittens

I just returned from another trip where my wool mittens saved someone's hands whose synthetic gloves had gotten soaked and useless. I love synthetic materials for long underwear; capilene, polypropylene, thermax etc really do keep insulating after they're wet and they dry quickly. I am a little less sold on their reported ability to "wick" moisture away because my skin still feels damp - but the point is that even if I feel damp but I'm not cold, unlike the times I've worn cotton in cold weather.

Synthetic gloves, however, are a different issue. They may be able to handle dampness that comes from your hand sweating. But if your gloves get wet because you are hiking in the rain or whitewater rafting and temperatures are cool or cold (and why else would you be wearing gloves?), they are worse than useless. Really, bare hands are better.

But better still? Wool. Outdoorspeople used wools for years as their major insulating layer. But wool is bulkier, heavier, and takes longer to dry. So for long underwear, synthetic materials have been a major improvement (although newer forms of wool have been making a comeback in this area). For mittens and gloves however, in any situation where your hands are likely to get wet, wool wins hands down.

Sea kayaking in Greece, May 2011

Greece offers the world traveler so many sites to see. Being in Athens alone is a powerful, unbelievable experience - to be standing beneath the Acropolis, one of the oldest monuments of Western civilization feels exciting and humbling. But there are also places to satisfy the adventure traveler as well. And to us, we think there is nothing better than combining physical activity with historical exploration and, of course, delicious food.

The first time we offered a Greece trip, in 2007, we offered a sea kayaking trip. Not only was it a unique way to travel in Greece, it was a way to combine physical activity, the ease and tranquility of kayaking, exploring the geological features up close, camp on remote beaches, all while visiting small villages and eating in local tavernas in a part of Greece fewer tourists visit.

For the past 2 years we traded paddles for poles (trekking) and have offered hiking in the Cyclades - also a wonderful way and part of Greece to see! For 2011, we hope to offer both. The kayaking trip is back on the schedule because, basically we like it and want to promote kayaking in countries you probably wouldn't think of for paddling destinations.

But why is this trip for you? You love kayaking. You want to go to Greece. You want a trip where all the details are taken care of and you can truly relax. You want to experience more of Greek food than Gyros. You want an active vacation in a destination worth spending another week in seeing the historical sites.

Or how about - The color of water that is a deep blue like no other I have seen. Contrasting with the white cliffs and the green olive trees makes the sea even more magnificent. Swimming in warm seas that create spectacular buoyancy. Wind patterns that, for at least half the day, leave the seas really calm - which make for excellent paddling, swimming and snorkeling. Fresh fruit breaks. Stopping at small Greek fishing villages that are all the more special because we have gotten there by our own physical power. Visiting the Acropolis, the island of Ithaca (homeland of Odysseus) and Delphi. Not to mention the food - greek salad, souvlaki, fresh fish, skordalia, olives, wine, beer and Greek coffees - Opa!

Seriously - don't you want this to be your vacation? - deb

Hydration Packs

We have written in previous blogs, newsletter articles and in the notes section of our packing list about hydration packs. But now that it is summer, and hot outside and we really will feel more thirsty I wanted to emphasize again why this piece of equipment is superior to water bottles.

For those of you who are not familiar with this - a hydration pack is a water bladder (usually 50-100 oz./1.5 -3 L ranges) that fits inside a lightweight backpack and has a long tube that stretches from the water bladder, through the pack and around to the front of you (when you wear it). There is some type of bite valve on the tube that allows you to "bite and suck" when need be, but it closes off when you want it to just hang loosely. I got my first Camelbak hydration pack for bicycling, but now I carry it for hiking and sometimes even bring it for kayaking as well.

1) You will drink more, drink more regularly and stay better hydrated. With the tube in easy reach of your hands and mouth, you can drink as you move along, as often as you want or need to. You don't need to stop and get your water out of your pack, take your hands off the handlebars of to get your bottle out of its cage or even stop paddling very long for a quick drink.
Plus it is fun to drink from a long straw!

2) The fact that it is fitted in a fanny pack or backpack, means you also have extra room to carry camera, wallet, rain jacket, bike tools, snack, etc. The packs vary in extra cargo sizes, so pick one that is right for you. Some people object to wearing a pack while they bicycle, but honestly I hardly notice mine, and being better-hydrated makes it worth a bit of sweat on my back.

3) The water stays cold/cool longer. How many times have you stopped to drink out of your water bottle on a hot hike only to find it the palatability of bath-water? The hydration pack keeps the contents of the water bladder cold for quite a while, especially when you put ice in it. You can also freeze the bladder when it is half full, take it out the following day, top it off with water and the ice chunk will melt even more slowly than ice cubes throughout the day. The top layer of water is not always cold, but there is nothing more refreshing than sipping through that layer and hitting icy cold water in the middle of a 50 mile bike ride or 10 mile hike. You can also try and blow the water in the tube back into the bladder after drinking.

4) You can carry a larger quantity of water. Getting a 70 oz or 96 oz. bladder allows you to carry a lot of water pretty easily and all in one space. You would need 3 to 4 water bottles to equal that. You don't have to fill it totally full if you don't want, but I have been on several hikes and bike rides where I drank everything in the pack. And as you drink, the bladder empties, as opposed to drinking out of a bottle - you still have to carry the bottle around once it is empty. Better for traveling on a plane as well - takes up less space in your luggage for the equal or more water capacity.

5) Though I find that my bladder has stayed much more clean and less smelly than any of my water bottles, they do need to be cleaned, as does the tube. It is inadviseable to put flavoring in your water in the hydration bladder due to the difficulty of thoroughly washing the tube. In that case bring a smaller water bottle for your Elixir/Gatorade/Crystal Light/etc. and leave the bladder for water only. Most bladders have wide mouth/ziplock-type opening which makes it easier to clean as well as to fill with ice and fill in a variety of water sources (though many bladders are not compatible with water filters)

The hydration pack is certainly not suitable for every situation (like winter sports or high altitude trekking). But more often than not it is the ideal choice for staying superbly hydrated while being active in the outdoors. Won't you convert today? -- deb

a shampoo alternative

We got an email from a woman yesterday with a suggestion of an item to add to our packing list and also along the theme of packing light. Since it is a bit hard to describe in a short list, I thought I'd post more about it here.

Lisa writes: I now carry bar shampoo after repeatedly having my little bottles of shampoo crushed and spilling out in my suitcase or backpack - even through zip lock bags. After my shampoo bottle got crushed while I was in Nepal, I used some of the solid shampoo one of the other ladies had. She works for the airlines (travels a lot) and she has been packing solid shampoo for years. It was great. It doesn't stay as "wet" like normal bar soap, you can dry it off with a towel. You make the lather by rubbing the soap between your hands and then washing your hair.

It comes in a metal tin, but any metal tin to transport it will work. The other good thing about bar shampoo (I use Lush shampoo) is that it doesn't have to go into that little baggie you have to put all your liquids in at the airport.

I (deb) have not tried any of the solid shampoo bars, but what i read on the internet certainly makes it compelling: Solid shampoos have no preservatives (no liquid content so they don't need any), need very little packaging and are very light to carry around with you. And - Shampoo Bars – They last longer than most relationships!

Zen and the Art of Traveling

I almost had an emotional meltdown in the Atlanta airport yesterday. Seriously. First my plane was delayed coming out of Paris, then there was no gate available when we arrived in Atlanta, and then I had to wait 25 minutes for a piece of luggage that I had paid an extra 60 euros for to take it through customs- and it never arrived. By the time I realized it wasn't going to, it was 15 minutes before my connecting flight to Baltimore and I still had to go through customs, drop my other bag off, go through security, and then take the tram to another terminal. I got there probably 5 minutes after the gate closed. And although they rebooked me on another flight that was supposed to leave 2.5 hours later at 9:30 pm, I almost started crying. Partly because I had been so close, partly because they had lost my bag, and probably mostly because at this point I had been in transit for 18 hours. (Had I known that this next flight was going to be delayed 30 minutes so I missed my ride home from the airport and ended on a SuperShuttle that wandered all over downtown Baltimore before finally depositing me at home at 1:30 am, I probably would have had my meltdown.)

So I was on the verge of tears and thinking that traveling had gotten to be such a hassle that maybe I would just give it up. The total absurdity of that thought brought me to my senses. After all, I had just had an amazing 10 days in Italy and here I was getting home 4 hours later than I planned - not 4 days, like the people stranded by the volcanic ash which would have been me if the trip had been 3 weeks earlier. 4 hours. And I had been in Italy!

The truth is that airplane travel is more of a hassle these days. Planes are more crowded, all the airlines are trying to generate money with a variety of fees, morale among airline employees is low and it often comes out in their customer service, delays are common, and if your flight is cancelled for any reason you could be delayed for days. For some people that may be enough to make them decide not to travel, a rational response. But for me, the thought of giving up travel is a nonstarter. I love travel: I love going to new places and returning to places I've been before, meeting new people, trying new food, and thinking new thoughts. And now that I've had some sleep, I know that not only is the hassle of travel well worth it, I even get to practice accepting things as they are. And one more thing-it has confirmed my intention to never have more than a carry on bag ever again.-- Marian

Get motivated to exercise

Surefire
 Tips 
for 
the
 Motivationally
 Impaired

One of the more toxic myths about exercise is that it has to be something you endure. Not true. Somewhere between the windowless gym and the mind-numbing routine, many of us have forgotten that staying fit should be FUN. If enjoying yourself while you workout sounds like good advice, check out these surefire tips from our partner Fit for Trips to help you sustain enthusiasm and stay on the fitness track, no matter what.

Play
 hooky

At least once a week, skip the dumbbells and exercise routine and go play soccer with the kids, take the bike for a spin, hit the tennis courts, dust off the sea kayak and put in for an evening paddle. Or gather up some friends and shoot hoops at the park like you did when you were a raucous teenager, but with the adult after-perk of a celebratory beer. And remember, fun doesn’t necessarily mean easy. Your kids will outrun you, outsmart you, and basically whip your a..ss, but you’ll be so busy laughing and wheezing you’ll barley notice.

Tune
In

If sweating in silence isn’t your gig, crank up the iPod and travel the world with global music playlists from NationalGeographic.com
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/resources/downloads.html
listen to a Best Seller from Audible.com , or prep for your trip with free language
guides from Worldnomads.com
http://journals.worldnomads.com/language-guides/

Meet Up
Tired of going solo? Meet other local fitness buffs, trade tips, find a workout/gym partner and stay motivated with like-minded friends at Fitness.Meetup.com, the world’s largest network of local groups. With 3,290 groups, 440,044 members, in 1004 cities across 24 countries Meetup for fitness is a no-brainer for connecting locally or globally.

About Fit for Trips:
Fit for Trips has partnered with us to provide customized pre-departure fitness programs for active travelers wanting to be in optimal physical condition for their next adventure. For more information on trip-specific programs visit: www.fitfortrips.com .

travelling with cell phones

I resisted getting a cell phone for a long time. I believed if I was away from work or home, messages could always wait. It wasn't until I started guiding more that I decided it was a good idea for me to have one. The office could get a hold of me if need be, participants, and even my family (and vice versa). I also realized that it was a great resource for making local calls to outfitters, hotels, or even 911.

I find that now, when I travel, I always take my phone with me, especially internationally. This creates a host of complications as you need a phone that is GSM compatible and unlocked, have a converter to recharge the phone battery (or use a solar charger), and a local sim card or a cell phone plan that doesn't charge you an arm and a leg to use the phone on roaming. (see here for more information: http://www.ehow.com/how_2111795_use-cell-phone-internationally.html)

Many people opt to leave their cell phones at home when they go on a trip, particularly an international one. I say: don't! We have had 2 trips just in the past 2 months that had folks with major travel delays. One woman left her cell phone at home and while she was able to find a pay phones to get in touch with me, it cost her a fair amount of money, plus she had to wait to find a pay phone. The others were stranded due to the volcanic ash situation and had to get in touch with us several times for updates both to their travels and how they would meet the group when they arrived. Fortunately, both times the guides had cell phones that could be reached as well.

I definitely still prefer trips where I am away from electronics and truly "out of touch". But I also bring my cell along. You can always turn it off and stick it in your suitcase! It is good to have, just in case. - Deb