Writer. Funny guy. Knower of things.
It’s one thing to not feel 100% like yourself when you’re traveling. Long flights can leave you dehydrated and you’re bound to get the squirts on one of your trips. But if you feel really sick – the kind of sick that has you calling home to tell your mother that you loved her – then your best bet is to find a doctor.
There’s no shame in seeking medical help. It might just be the difference between you telling the tale yourself someday or the NY Post doing it for you with an awful pun.
When you’re out and about for the day, you can’t get picky about where you do your business. Your options are: a) try to hold it until you get back to your hotel, b) find a restaurant that will let you use their facilities, c) use a public toilet, or d) drop a deuce on the sidewalk and hope your friend picks it up in some newspaper and throws it out. My advice is to spend some spare change, hold your nose and use the public toilet. It may be soaking wet, but that’s probably from the self-cleaner.
Note: Your friends have every right to shun you for the remainder of the day once you emerge from the public toilet. It is fair to assume that you are now a biohazard. But at least you didn’t poop your pants.
One way to prevent getting sick on the road is knowing how your food was prepared. While you may be wary of street food, at least you can watch the purveyor prepare your meal. And, unlike a fast food restaurant, a street vendor can prove the origin of your meal.
I ate this lamb’s body in Djemaa el Fna square in Marrakech, Morocco. This fella gave me its tooth. I politely declined to keep it. It remains one of my deepest travel regrets.
While travel should be about cultural exploration and leaving your comfort zone, sometimes it’s nice to have a tangible reminder of home to soothe you through a particularly challenging stretch of your trip. Be it a favorite sweatshirt, a stuffed animal from your childhood or a pair of hole-riddled socks that you’ve had since you lost your virginity, having something that puts you back in your happy place is an essential packing item.
What’s your creature comfort? Is there something comes with you on all of your trips? Leave a comment below!
Cats love shiny things, being aloof and indignantly watching you scoop up their feces. They don’t do much in the way of physical activity, yet they always seem tired. They’ll sleep on the floor, the windowsill and your face.
So, how’d the SkyRest handle this finicky feline? It’s not shiny, it invaded her space and had nothing to do with her feces. In other words, she hated it. And so did her brother.
This may have been the first negative review for the SkyRest, but take it with a grain of salt. I mean, are you going to believe a couple of cats over one much cooler dog?
Special thanks to Gwen and Peter for tolerating me tormenting them with a pillow that they clearly hated with great feline fervor.
Check out previous SkyRest Tests and my full SkyRest Tests Flickr gallery.
Travel exposes you to cultures, faiths and appearances that are unlike anything you will find at home. Interactions with people who are different than you often lead to new experiences, interests and, if you’re lucky, friendships.
You may just realize that your new friend looks and sounds nothing like you but is more similar to you than anyone you grew up with.
I refuse to use the word “staycation.” It’s not even a word. That said, sometimes you simply find yourself at home and with nothing to do. Rather than just twiddle your thumbs and have another lazy weekend, turn your home into the great outdoors. Urban camping is one of my favorite hobbies and makes even the coldest January day in New York City feel like summer in the woods.
Simply set up your tent (in my case, a Big Agnes Big House 6), stock your apartment with a few camping essentials and keep everything nice and simple. Franks and beans are a perfect campsite meal. S’mores made on the stove will generate tons of smiles. And having a dog with you fills the wildlife requirement. Heck, we even had a campfire (on the TV)!
Check out the video above to see how a Manhattan apartment can be transformed into a rustic escape.
And take a look at my photos to see how you can have an adventure without ever leaving the house.
