Entries Tagged 'Tips' ↓

But seriously.  I’ll be back to Expatriette.com full time in 2008.  In the meantime, I’m editing Expatriette, the novel/girl’s guide to mod travel (due out in winter 2008).  And reading lots of travel blogs.  My current favorite:  Jetlagged:  Navigating the Unfriendly Skies.  A close runner-up is Patrick Smith’s Ask the Pilot, which makes me snort or giggle every time I read it.  Read it for his humor and fresh perspective on air travel.  A pilot friend has assured me it’s “pretty much spot on.”

Thank you for all of the friendly emails recently (most of them reminding me what an awesome resource Expatriette is)!  I’ll be back to a regular posting schedule in the New Year and invite anyone interested in writing a column on a regular basis to contact me at info {at} expatriette {dot} com.

 Best wishes for a wonderful, travel-savvy holiday season!

My grandmother, when she drops me off at the airport, tries to get me there no less than two hours before the plane departs. And that’s for a flight in the Continental United States. I travel with carry-on, which makes it even more difficult to understand. I’ve attempted, several times, to tell her that technically, I only need to get to the airport 15 minutes before departure if I’m not checking anything. She’ll hear nothing of it. We inevitably leave the house around 4:30 am for a 7:30 flight.

People call me the Master Packer but I think it’s because when I look at my luggage and start packing, I am considering it through the eyes of the TSA. Rather than fight the system, bemoaning the lengthy lines and “stupid” security measures, I work with them. This is how. Continue reading →

There’s a downside to every decision we make in life. The choice to be a rootless traveler is no exception. Here are some of the major drawbacks and possible solutions to the biggest I’ve encountered. Continue reading →

I practice yoga during every long-haul flight I take. No amount of lotion, water or sleep can help your body the way movement can while you’re on the plane. I also practice when I’m at the gate. People used to stop and stare even though I tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. People don’t stare anymore. You really can do it anywhere now.

Where?

The best place I’ve found on the plane to do a modified yoga routine is either in front of a partition in the center of the plane (there’s more than one on the 777s) or near the bathrooms. I can think of only one time that a flight attendant has asked me to sit down and it was because we hit some turbulence. Normally, they will politely ask about my routine or start talking about their own yoga routines amongst themselves. I rarely see someone practicing back there, so space is available. (One side note: If you have an hour or two to kill in the airport, there is almost always a sanctuary/prayer room where you can practice a full routine. The rooms are often carpeted in case you carry a mat with you.)

Why?

When you’re on a plane for upwards of seven hours, doing ANY movement (even simply standing) is a good idea. I see people fall asleep and remain motionless for the duration (except to eat). That’s cool and all but your circulatory and immune systems (you know, the ones responsible for pushing those germs you’re sitting in for hours out of your body) love it when you circulate the blood and energy inside of you.

What?

Try modified versions of the following:
Mountain pose (stand up straight and lengthen from feet through crown)
Reaching your arms up
Lunges against the partition
Mini-backbends using hands to press of ceiling if you can reach. Don’t hate me if you can’t.
Twists of any sort
(Remember to wash your hands after you touch any surface.)

Who?

You!

Okay, a couple final points. If you’re in first class, you may find flight attendants foisting booze on you most of the trip. As insane or religious as this advice may seen, abstain. You’ll thank me when you land. Your body is going through enough without asking your kidneys and liver to process alcohol.

And while we’re talking about kidneys, do them the favor of getting yourself an aisle seat. Evacuate frequently and don’t worry if people think you have a bladder the size of a peanut. I do. I don’t care what people think.

Finally, I’m not a doctor but if you take melatonin and use this handy sleep calculator from British Airways, you may just figure out a way to beat jet lag.

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Further reading: I wrote this photo-article (okay, it’s totally cheesy) Take-Out Yoga two years ago and it shows some of the stretches I do in-flight (and at my desk). It may give you some ideas about how to create your own personalized routine before you fly.

A quick search of “best places to live abroad” nets you pretty close to nothing. Since my house burned down I’ve known that I’m going to go abroad again, but am having a tough time narrowing it down. I tend to go for the long haul rather than a couple of weeks, so when I buy my ticket, it will be one-way. So, where to go? What are the criteria? Continue reading →

Why Chibi is the Way of the Future

Chibi became a part of my vocab within a week in the elementary schools in Japan (for a quick visual of the traditional meaning of the word, take a look at this page. Be careful. Your eyes might pop out of your head, anime-style.)

I’m taking the word chibi one step beyond the “small/cute” dichotomy as it’s traditionally applied to children and small people. I’ve extended it to refer to small things, small things in packages or tiny things well-compartmentalized. Chibi is linked, in my mind, to the store MUJI which changed the way I shop for good. Tiny plastic containers, compact toothbrushes, more plastic. When you walk into a MUJI store you’re put at ease by the smooth jazz on the overhead speakers, the muted colors of the clothing and the sheer amount of plastic. Plastic molded into practically any shape imaginable. Miniature bottles of make-up (the plastic is either clear or opaque in almost every case), chopstick and bowl sets and chibi lunch box sets. Heaven is molded plastic.

Back in the Land of Big

So of course, when I returned to the States after more than three years in the land of small, I felt flabbergasted. At Starbucks I had to special order a “short” coffee! People glared when I threw out the second half of my sub sandwich! I was back in the land of mega-super-gigantoid. Continue reading →