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