It used to be that flying was a special occasion. People got dressed up, the food was good, and it was something to be enjoyed. As the price point dropped, the riffraff started to travel, and airlines started to lower the quality of the travel to lower cost and improve their profits. Now you see people dressed like slobs, acting like the plane is their living room, with no regard for the people around them. There are even websites dedicated to these people. Any schmuck with a credit card can fly. While we can’t control what everyone does around us, there are things that we can do to try to make our own flights a little less painful. Here are a couple of tricks that I’ve been using for years on longer flights to help make them easier and more comfortable.
Costa Rican Beer
If someone offers you a good Costa Rican beer, they’re not your friend. They’re lying to you. There’s no such thing as a good Costa Rican beer. Before I get into this, I would like to remind you that I’m not a beer snob. I’ll drink pretty much anything you put in front of me, although I’m not a fan of the trend towards excess hops. Aside from that, I like beer. But not Costa Rican beer.
Surfing in Costa Rica
I was about halfway into my first 90 minute surfing lesson when the hangover hit. There I was, floating on the waves, under the warm Costa Rican sun, bobbing lazily in what most people would consider a tropical heaven, and my head was pounding like a 2 year old with a new drum set. I was paying less attention to the timing of the waves and more attention to wondering whether I could throw up in the water without anyone noticing. It also occurred to me that smart surfers didn’t surf drunk and good surfers wouldn’t surf hungover. Since I was neither smart nor good, I was both drunk and hungover. Pretty impressive, since I’d only been in country for less than 4 hours. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Witch’s Rock Surf Camp and Tamarindo
My buddy Al and I landed at the Liberia airport in Costa Rica on Wednesday shortly after lunch. Getting through customs and immigration was lightning fast. I don’t get out of domestic flights as quickly as I got through the Liberia airport, which was a really nice change of pace from the usual hassles of international travel. We found our shuttle bus driver, and he told us that we were waiting for one more person, so we should hang out with 2 other people who were riding with us and that he’d be with us in about 30-45 minutes. Al and I took advantage of the window of opportunity to
Be aware
As the holiday season approaches, more of us will be taking trips to see family and friends. Most of those trips will be domestic, visiting the cities and towns that we grew up in. But no matter where your travels take you, from Akron to Zanzibar, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Always pay attention to who’s touching your bags and when. Don’t let them out of your sight, and make sure they’re secured. It’s easy to get complacent when you travel often or when you’re tired from a long day of travel. Taking things out of your bag may take a few seconds, and that’s what we are usually on alert for. But it’s quite easy to put something in.
Packing for your trip
Your flights are booked, you know where the embassy and hospital are, you may have a list of restaurants you want to try or sights you want to see. You’re a few days out from your trip, and you’re starting to pack. I tend to start packing about 3 days before the trip. Generally, what I take on the trip isn’t stuff that I use when I’m home, so I can pack early. If I find that I’m missing something necessary, I can get on Amazon and get it shipped to me within a day or two and still be ok. If you’re like my friend Cristina, you’ll start packing the night before the trip and spend about 8 hours trying to sort through things to figure out what to bring and what to leave behind. Either approach is valid (but mine is better). Wherever you’re going, there are probably a few things that are staples for almost any trip.
Before Your Trip
Congratulations! At this point, you’ve hopefully booked your flight and your hotels, you know where you’re going and when. You haven’t started packing yet (that’s next week’s post), but you’re starting to get excited about the trip. There’s a couple of things that you’ll want to do to make sure your trip goes smoothly.
Pre-Planning
There’s a lot to do when you’re getting ready for a trip. From the time that you start thinking about getting out of town to the time that you finish doing laundry and getting the airplane funk out of your clothes after your return, there are a lot of things that need to be covered. I’d like to dedicate a few posts to some of that planning process. These are tips and tricks that I’ve picked up (or made up) over the years. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments!
Travel Bags
As I prepared for my last trip and started to think forward to my next trips, I realized that the bags that I have, while adequate, weren’t going to cut it. One bag is purely a duffel style. It’s great and has a large capacity, but uncomfortable to carry for a long period of time. The other is more of a backpack, but it doesn’t sit well on your back. I’ve used it for years, but it’s not quite ‘right’ for a long trip. So off to the internet I went, looking for something better.
Naples
I highly recommend visiting Naples. Fly in, tour the city for a few hours, and then go somewhere else.