Finding your Zen Moment While Traveling

Many women travel to escape their busy lives.  When they travel, all they can think about are quiet afternoons to read their books and sip a glass of wine at their final destination.  The travel experience we often find instead are chaotic airports, delayed flights, hotel rooms not ready on arrival, lost luggage, etc.  This experience is anything but ‘Zen-like”.

To try to find your Zen moment when your travel plans go sideways

Ditch the crowds

If you are in a crowded lobby or airport, seek out a corner behind a wall or a corridor out of the main thoroughfare.  Close your eyes, read a book, whatever it takes to turn the volume down in your head.

Plug in

Take your headphones and drown out the crowd.  Whether you plug into your laptop, iPod or mobile phone, just a little bit of background noise can help center you.

Hit the VIP Lounge

Many airlines today now sell day passes to their VIP lounges.  While not inexpensive, if you think you may have hours to wait instead of minutes, open up your wallet for a place out of the sea of people.  Hint:  Head towards the non hub airline for your airport.  If the airline isn’t based in the city you are in, the lounge is less likely to be full.

Build a luggage fort

Yes, I am serious.  If you are stuck in a hotel lobby with nowhere to go, take your luggage and setup a few “boundaries” between you and mobs.  It’s a temporary solution, but it may buy you the 10 minutes of Zen time you need to avoid a meltdown.

Seek out a peaceful setting

Even in a crowded city park, you can focus on listening to the wind blow through the trees, and not the honking horns from the taxis 100 yards away.

Make a connection

Talking to another person can help you keep your calm, or if nothing else, help you commiserate.  Just make sure you find a “Steady Sally” and not a “Nervous Nelly” to talk with.

Just remember, if travel throws you a curve ball, focus on the real goal – that quiet afternoon reading your book and sipping a glass of wine at your final destination. Ahhh.

Travel First Aid Kit

Whether traveling through the woods behind your home, or across the desert in Africa, you want to think about what type of first aid kit you should have available.  First Aid Kits are not hard to build, and often the easiest way to build one is to buy a basic kit and customize it for your trip needs.  As you customize your kit, you want to consider

·         What items must you have on you - prescription meds?

·         What items may be hard to find or replace - certain drugs cannot be found in every country

·         How large is your group – just you or many people?

·         What will conditions likely be – wet, dry, hot, cold?

·         How long will you be out – a few hours, days, or weeks?

By answering the questions above, you can begin to build your list of contents to include.  As you likely cannot bring everything available in your kit, you’ll have to decide what is necessary, and just nice to have.

Basic First Aid Kit for the outdoors may include:

• Elastic roll bandage
• Adhesive tape
• Adhesive bandages, assorted sizes
• Gauze pads
• Triangular bandage
• 2nd Skin in small plastic container
• Moleskin and molefoam
• Alcohol Wipes
• Antiseptic ointment
• Mirror, small and unbreakable
• Safety pins
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Bulb irrigating syringe
• Antacid
• Antihistamine (Benadryl, etc.)
• Anti-inflammatory (Ibuprofen)
• Hydrocortisone cream
• Latex exam gloves
• CPR face shield

You’ll also want to customize your kit to include additional items such as:

• Traveling in countries with poor sanitation - antibiotics, diarrhea meds, electrolyte powders
• Traveling way off the beaten path – wound management kit
• Traveling with women – tampons or sanitary napkins

Other Items to Note:

·         Proper storage of your kit is critical.  Try to find a soft sided waterproof bag for your items.  A plastic Tupperware container works too.

·         Storage is also important.  Leaving your kit in your hot car week after week will break down many items very quickly.

·         Many drugs have a specific shelf life.  Open your kit frequently to make sure your items are still within date.

·         Restock after a trip if you used any items.  Going back out with a half empty kit doesn't serve its point

·         Know how to use the items you have.  Don’t know how to use any items?  Take a local first aid class through the Red Cross or Community Center.

Hiking for Your Health

Have you ever been out hiking and seen someone not smiling or happy on the trail?  Chances are, the answer is no.  While many people include “Improve Health” as a resolution for the New Year, most people don’t say “Improve Health and Have Fun While Doing it.”  They view their efforts around health as an extra chore or burden they must carry.  Little do they know there is an easy way to improve health and have fun at the same time - by hiking!

There are countless health benefits to hiking, including:

Improved Mental Clarity

Once I get in the zone on a hike, some of the ideas that pour out of my head are the most fruitful in my personal and professional life.  I go home after my hike with a clearer sense of purpose and a more detailed “to do” list.

Endorphin Release

After 45 minutes of hiking, my heart is pumping and the endorphins are flowing.  For the next 2 -3 hours I am smiling, laughing, and thinking of only how great the world really is.

Great Cardio Exercise

Whether you are just starting out on a shorter, flatter hike, or pushing yourself on a hard, uphill climb, hiking is great cardio exercise.  Swing your arms to get your heart pumping.  It beats another day at the gym!

Catch up with Friends

Hiking with a friend is a great way to catch up and connect.  Many women don’t have enough time in the day to connect with others and it’s a great alternative when someone asks you to chat over coffee.  Ask them, “What about a hike instead?”

Exercise your Animals

If your dog needs a good run after staying in all day, take them with you.  Not only are they great company, but they’ll also benefit from the exercise and fresh air.

Discover & Explore

Many women enjoy going someplace new and exploring the unknown.  Research a nearby trail and hike it with a friend.  Not only will you have a sense of accomplishment from hiking, but you’ll also be able to share with others your new trail discovery!