Travel 2.0

Prior to my recent jet-sets from Cleveland to Hawaii (9 hours) and Beijing (13 hours) I had only travelled relatively short domestic distances by plane. For a flight lasting longer than the average person's workday, I couldn't imagine the lengths passengers would go to avoid muscle pains, trapped-in-an-aircraft-for-a-day-with-a-bunch-of-strangers-aphobia and, perhaps worst of all, boredom. 

Thanks to a new generation of journey-friendly products and services I refer to as Travel 2.0, and a few calisthenics exercises, a long flight in coach can turn out to be a surprisingly positive experience.

In-flight Entertainment

My under the seat carry-on bag contained the usual self-entertainment items -- a book, magazine, iPod, headphones, cards, snacks, etc. -- but I barely read a page.   Thanks to the mini TV screen mounted directly in front of my face, I was thoroughly entertained by movies (I Love You, Man; Marley and Me; Eclipse; Wizard of Oz; 40-Year-Old Virgin; Cars; The Proposal), TV shows (The Office; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Project Runway; History Channel selections), music (a dozen channels of different genres) and games on demand.  Time flew by (no pun intended) just as quickly as if I were sprawled on out my own comfy couch watching TV on a Sunday afternoon ... except, I was sitting upright, surrounded by 100s of strangers in a dimly lit cabin of a Boeing 747.  Just like home!

Bonus: Regular headphones with a standard connector work just fine in the arm rest plug -- no need to purchase the flight-specific set like the old days. 

If you book a flight with touch screen options, you can easily select music, videos and flight info channels; and the trivia games allow you to play against fellow travelers on board.  You're goin down, lady in 28B! 

When you're ready for a snooze, set your screen to the map of your flight route.  It was surreal to wake up and realize that we were directly over the North Pole on our way to the opposite end of the world.  High-fives to Santa and all the penguins!

iPads

I was amazed to see how many iPads were popping out of the overhead bins.  Mostly surprised by the fact they didn't belong to adults -- kids ages 4-12 were the ones with the $499 toy!  Parents smartly loaded them up with kids' games, coloring apps, videos and Dora eposides before making the trip.  I found myself wishing I had one of my own, and also relieved that the kids were being so calm and quiet while we were in the air. 

Muscle Stretches & Seating Tips
On both of my flights there were people who stood up most of the trip.  Parents walked up and down the aisles with their babies, older couples stood together and chatted in small groups and many passengers did ankle lifts and lunges to keep the blood flowing.  When I wasn't sleeping, I made it a point to get up at least once an hour (try to get an end seat if you can, for easy exiting), to stretch my neck, legs and back. 

For extra back support in your seat try using the blanket or pillow provided by the airline for a lumbar roll.  Wear comfortable, breathable shoes, and layer up for better temperature control.  The air tends to get stale, so even if you're getting chilly, you might want to switch on your air vent for some circulation.  Bring your own blanket and neck pillow if you're able, and an eye mask and ear plugs are helpful for a more comfortable sleep.

Food Service vs. No Food Service

My flight to Beijing was 4 hours longer than my flight to Hawaii, but felt much shorter.  How could that be?  Food service makes all the difference.  Try to find a flight that serves a meal and/or snack every few hours.  Eating makes the time go by much faster by breaking up the trip into smaller chunks.  If no food is provided, make sure to bring substantial snacks for yourself and eat every 3-4 hours.  Drink plenty of water and avoid concentrated sugar drinks (like cranberry and tomato juice) toward the middle and end of the flight. 

Many International flights offer complimentary beer and wine, which can help you sleep and calm your nerves. 

What are your long flight travel tips? 

Packing for a Roadtrip to the Beach!

Can't wait to kick back & soak up the sun!

Only a few more days until we hit the Pennsylvania Turnpike (aka my nemisis) for sunshiney East Hampton, NY.  It'll be a week of family fun on the beach!  In case you're revving up for a roadtrip yourself, here are some tips from a seasoned roadtripper:

Have Cash on Hand:

Pulling up to a tollbooth when you have no cash (or easypass card) feels like the worst thing ever.  Plan ahead to have small bills on hand.  Bring a couple 20s, a few 10s, some 5s, 1s and a roll of quarters.  Quarters may come in handy for street parking later on, depending on your destination.

Road Snacks:

You're going to the beach, so who really wants to stop for body-bloating fast food on the way?  Not me.  Instead, pack healthy, car-friendly road snacks.  Some of our favorites are granola bars (with fiber so they fill you up), string cheese, apples, bananas, lean beef jerky, combos and something sweet like mentos or starburst.  Don't forget gum, energy drinks (coffee!) and lots and lots of water.  Make sure to bring some napkins in case of spills and a bottle of travel purell (antibacterial hand liquid) to use before eating. 

We've found that bringing your own callapsible cooler on wheels is a great way to tote these snacks, and then again to use on the beach!  Bring a re-freezable ice pack to keep your drinks chilled.

Music / Books on Tape
No one likes to drive in silence for 10+ hours, so be sure to plan accordingly.  If you and your driving partner/possy like the same music, you're in good shape.  Bring your iPods with auxilary hookup and shuffle through your mixes, or grab your old CDs for some great throwback favorites.  If you have enough time, create a mix made special with this trip in mind.  Every good roadtrip deserves a themesong!  If music gets old, take a break and pop in a book on tape or comedy CD.  Be careful though, just because you're into the plotline, doesn't mean the rest of your group is anxiously awaiting the next 8 discs. 

A good comedy CD makes an hour on the road fly by, but the reverse is true for terrible comedy.  If you forget to pack any of these things, don't worry!  As long as you have a good positive attitude for the road ahead, just turn on a local radio station.  You'd be surprised at some of the gems you might find.  When was the last time you heard Lisa Loeb's "Stay"?  Yeah ... me neither, until roadtripping on Maui.  It must have come on 4 times in one day!  ... an extremely unexpected theme song of the trip. 

Beach Things

I've already mentioned the collapsible cooler, which I highly recommend double-dutying for the beach, but other than that, some other beach necessities include:  beach sheet/blanket, umbrella, sunglasses, small iPod speakers with water/sandproof casing, towels, beach chair, drink coozie, playing cards, sunscreen, snacks, cornhole boards and bags, a frizbee, a ball of some sort, and a big beach bag to bring it all in.  If you're riding a bike to the beach, remember your helmet, and be sure your beach bag is some sort of backpack. 

One of the awesome things about taking a roadtrip to the beach is the fact that you can personalize your beach fun.  If your family has a game you love to play in grass, chances are you can play it on sand too.  Our favorites are cornhole and bocci ball.  You'd be surprised how much a little bit of sand can change the game completely!  Since you don't need to worry about checking bags or packing limitations, you can bring whatever you want.  A major beachday plus!

The most important thing to remember when roadtripping is to keep an open mind and have a positive attitude.  Driving in the car for an extended period of time is not comfortable, but you can make it great with some creativity and positivity (creatisivity?!).  If you get lost, make a memory in an unexpected place, then turn around.  It's all about how you look at it.  You're not lost if you love who you're with!

Bikini Found .. x2!

I thought it was hopeless.  Would I never find a bikini I love as much as my little black bandeau?  Was I doomed to roam the beach forever in a morbid shade of noir?  OK ... a little dramatic, but still!  My time left before taking to the skies for Maui were dwindling, along with my motivation and optimistic shopping attitude, when I found myself in the sale racks at none-other than my bff, Target.

There they were -- bright, bold colors and funky bikini styles calling out my name.  "Try me! Try me!"  I couldn't resist.  Since they actually had all the right sizes, I felt the need to proceed to the dressing room. 

Aloha good fit!  I found myself actually enjoying the image staring back at me.  Green happens to pull just the right hue from my sunkissed skin to make me look even tanner.  I was in luck!  Struggling to choose between a plain aqua blue/green twist bandeau and a slightly dimmer shade of green with gold sparkle designed bandeau, I chose to splurge and get both, for a grand total off ... drumroll please ... $60! 

I'm not kidding.  After months of searching the racks ... Yesssss!  Two perfect new bikinis called out to me and I answered ... "Yes, you may accompany me to Hawaii, thank ya very much!"

Pack Light, Be Happy

Having a vacation on the horizon is the perfect excuse to buy a few things whole new summer wardrobe.  I'm not much of a shopper, but when it comes to sundresses, summery sandals, beach bags and shades, you can color me happy! 

I just purchased this little ditty yesterday at American Eagle.  Not a typical AE fan, I was surprised to find such a comfy sundress for cheapish.  It'll be great with a belt and flip flops in Maui!  Speaking of Maui packing, if I learned one lesson from Mexico, it's that you really don't need to pack much other than a couple bikinis, PJs and a sundress for each day.  Add in a couple coverups and one or two adventure (hiking, walking, bike riding) outfits and you're good to go!  I definitely packed too much for our honeymoon.  I didn't even come close to wearing it all, and believe-it-or-not, having a myriad of clothes to choose from made it *more* annoying to get dressed. 

Especially if you're in a tropical place, you just want to throw something on and go ... not stew over the piles of tank tops and bottoms you brought "just incase".  Buy key items you know you'll be excited to wear!  Pack light, be happy.  That's my new travel motto. 

Carry-on packing is key.  Summer clothes are small and light, so should your carry-ons be.  If you're checking a bag, bring only essentials on the plane -- purse items, makeup, bikini, one change of clothes.  The less you have to lug through the airport between connecting flights, the better.  For our Maui trip, our plan is to check one bag between the two of us, and carry a light rolling duffle on the plane stocked with essentials only.  We'll let you know how it goes!

Sidenote:  I just purchased these Ann Marino heels yesterday too.  So far, I'm a fan.  Pairing them with dark skinny jeans today, but they'd be great with a dress too! 

The search is still on for a new bikini.  Nothing's really calling out to me this year.  I've had a standard black bandau for the past couple years, so I'm thinking it's time to brighten it up a bit!  

Quote of the week: 

Stacie:  "We have to get you a Hawaiian shirt to wear."

Adam:  "Do you think they actually wear them there?   I don't want to look like a tourist ... "

haha ... It's Hawaii!  If you can't wear 'em there, where can you??