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Staying healthy while traveling
While I was looking through pictures for the Adventures in Patagonia trip description, I was struck by how beautiful Patagonia is and wondered how I had forgotten that. Then I remembered - I got bronchitis the third day of the trip and coughed my way through the next two weeks. While it be no means ruined the trip, it certainly had an impact.
Here are some tips that may help you avoid the same fate. I've followed them and haven't been sick since.
1. Wash your hands. Wash your hands before you get on the plane and wash your hands when you get off. Aside from that, wash them before meals, after using the bathroom, and at bed. Use soap and water for 20 seconds. This is by far the most important thing you can do.
2. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer for those times you can't wash your hands.
3. Stay hydrated when you are flying (the rest of the time too, of course). Humidity is kept low in airplanes since humid air is heavier and causes the plane to use more fuel. When your respiratory tract is dried out, it is more susceptible to invasion by germs. Take an empty plastic bottle through security with you and then fill it up on the other side.
4. Try not to be too stressed or overly tired when you start. Stress really does make you more susceptible to germs.
5. Some people swear by Airborne, Vitamin C, echinacea etc. There is no scientific evidence that they help prevent illness but they don't hurt either.
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Is Greece safe?
I'm asking this question because, after two years of full trips, our registrations for Island Hopping the Greek Isles are way down. Other international trips of a similar price are doing fine, so it seems quite specific to Greece. And with pictures of protesters turning to violence in Athens, you might think Greece is teetering on the edge of civil breakdown. It isn't. Greece is definitely going through a hard time but it continues to be one of the safest, friendliest countries in Europe.
However it is likely that strikes will continue, perhaps increase. And while they do not pose physical danger to tourists, they threaten disruption of services. Fortunately we work with a Greece company. Since strikes are always announced at least 24 hours in advance, they can arrange additional private transportation.
Bottom line: If Greece is on your bucket list (and honestly, if it isn't, it should be), don't let pictures on TV news keep you home. To get a better picture of what's really going on in Greece, read this blog.
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A Conference for Women Hikers
Trail Dames is a hiking club "for women of a curvy nature", although all women are welcome, with chapters all over the East Coast. This year they are organizing The Summit, a conference for all women hikers and backpackers, June 24-26 in Harrisonburg, VA. If you are looking for a chance to meet other women with similar interests and perhaps learn a few new things, check out the description. The Summit looks to be a lot of fun as well as well as educational!
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2012 Trips
All of the winter and spring 2012 trips are posted on our website, with the exception of a couple trip extensions and our new trip to China, all of which should go up this week. Check out the trip calendar for a quick overview.
And incidentally, two 2011 trips that were formerly full have had cancellations and now have a space: White Mountains Holiday and Hiking Scotland's Highlands and Islands.
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Wilderness and a bed
As I get older, I enjoy camping less. I'm not ready to give it up completely yet, but I see a time in the not far distant future where the benefits simply don't outweigh the costs any more. And yet I know my heart will always yearn for wilderness, for solitude, for places where there are no city lights or internet connections.
If this resonates with you, take a look at Hiking Hut to Hut in British Columbia. If you watch the video- yes, it actually snowed last year. But when you're sleeping in a warm hut, an unusual event like that is exciting rather than scary or uncomfortable. If your heart is longing for wilderness this summer and you love hiking, but sleeping on the ground no longer appeals, please join us.
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