Travel Tips: Be the Traveler (and Person) You’re Supposed to Be

Time for some new travel tips. Not to get terribly philosophical, but as time passes, shouldn’t we should consider evolving into the best person we can possibly be while we’re here on this planet? That directly relates to how we should be as travelers, too. Do you still travel as you did as a child? Probably not and that’s a good thing. Consider some of these ways that you can improve your travel ways so you can be the traveler (and person) you’re supposed to be.

Don’t take your health for granted: Seems simple enough, but when we are teenagers and in our twenties, we probably think that taking a multivitamin or calcium is for old people. Watching your weight is something you do for looks and not health. But that is so not true! Did you know that women generally begin to lose bone density in their twenties? There’s also a direct link to heart disease and diabetes with obesity so the healthier you are, the less likely you will encounter one of these or other diseases in your lifetime. If you can avoid them, you’re more likely to live longer.

Exercise, exercise, exercise: We’ve all had great excuses for not getting to the gym, but in the end the only one it really hurts is yourself. You’ve paid for your membership that you’re not using so it’s not a financially smart move plus you’re missing out on all of the extra energy you’ll get by getting in a workout. There are also added benefits of a daily workout like how it can reduce stress and help you get a restful night’s sleep. So no more excuses like you’re “too tired,” ok? Check out the commercial above that has just about every possible excuse for not working out covered.

Weight bearing exercise: For women especially, weight bearing exercise helps to preserve bone density, balance, strength, and can prevent osteoporosis. This is especially important while traveling as you have to lift your bags into the overhead bin of a plane, pull your bag up and off the belt in baggage claim, etc.

Drink plenty of water: There are so many benefits to drinking water including improving your skin, flushing out toxins, and aiding in weight loss. That is if it is toxin-free itself! Click to read some leading water ionizer reviews to help you choose which water filter to install in your home to make sure any water you drink is clean.
But in most places like the United States, it’s not only easy access, clean, but free. Even if you purchase bottled water, it’s probably less expensive than soda or a big coffee drink at Starbuck’s. When you consider how many places in the world don’t have access to clean drinking water, what’s really preventing you from drinking this amazing resource? Don’t forget to choose water over alcohol when on an airplane as you’ll feel less dehydrated after a long trip.

Reduce your carbon footprint: Are you tired of hearing eco this or green that? Don’t be! Everything that you do in your home and on your travels affects others. If you can do a few little things at home like installing a programmable thermostat and compact fluorescent light bulbs and consider carpooling, walking, biking, checking out alternative energy providers like Startex power, in the hopes of finding lower energy rates, or using public transport to get to work, there are many steps that people can take to reduce their carbon footprint. When you travel, consider taking a train or flying non-stop to your destination, carry at least one shopping bag (I bring a foldable one from home that slips into my bag easily) for shopping of any kind, carry your own bottle to add water to instead of purchasing plastic bottles of water, and patronize hotels and resorts that have an active “green” program.

Be considerate: Too often in life we run around focusing primarily on ourselves and not those around us from our family to our friends to our community. This is also true when we travel. Be considerate of the person on the plane sitting next to you or behind you. Yes, I mean YOU – the person who always feels compelled to recline your seat back as far as humanly possible as soon as the plane takes off causing me to become ridiculously claustrophobic. This is true whether the flight is 8 hours or 30 minutes so please remember there are other people on the planet besides yourself. When you start to become considerate of other’s needs, you find that the world is suddenly incredibly kinder to you. You know as they say, karma is a bitch.

Do a good deed: This is one of my favorite personal as well travel tips. I really do try to do a good day every single day without anticipating receiving an acknowledgment because it’s truly the right thing to do. From baking cookies for my husband to drop off a lunch for a homeless person standing in the heat, at the end of my day I know I went out of my way for someone other than myself. When you travel, consider doing a good deed for someone. This could be offering to help the single mother on the plane who is struggling with her crying baby to bringing a small box of chocolate with you to give to your flight attendant to bring some gifts from your hometown for your cruise cabin attendant to donating books to an orphanage while on your travels in Jamaica. I promise you that this will be what you remember most about your vacation more than anything else!

Stop worrying about what others are doing or saying about you: It’s incredibly easy to get wrapped up in competing with the Joneses, but in reality — no one is watching and quite frankly, no one cares. So does it matter if you have a huge house, luxury cars, and all the accompanying debt that goes with it? Probably not. When you focus on your life and what you’re supposed to do with it, all of the “stuff” that you own suddenly becomes less important and you might find yourself downsizing and getting rid of items that previously had so much importance in your life. Even if it means doing some research into something simple like how much are tiny houses on wheels, the idea of downsizing may be the answer to a much easier life, with little to no stress at all. Additionally, if you find that you’ve become the topic of gossip, don’t worry and certainly don’t entertain it. At the end of the day, whether someone has gossiped about you in person or on Twitter or FaceBook, who cares? There are people, children especially, that will go to bed tonight not having eaten any food so if someone has the time to gossip about you, find a way to let it go and focus on what’s truly important.

Have perspective on life: Letting go is important to having perspective. Rich people aren’t always happy so having more money won’t make you happy. The Notorious B.I.G. put it, “Mo Money Mo Problems.” Ask yourself why you’re always wanting more. Is it to have more or to do more? Can you be happy with that item (new TV, bigger car, a bigger house, etc.) or does the one you currently have fit your needs? When you travel, don’t just visit the touristy sections, but visit where real people live. There’s nothing like getting a dose of reality when you see people living in poverty adjacent to multi-million (or billion) dollar resorts.

Have PASSION: At the end of the day, if you’ve lived your life full of passion, you’ll be a happy person. If you hate your job, what can you do to change it? Do you need to go back to school? Have you been thinking about changing your career or moving? Stop thinking about it and do it! In an instant, years will have gone by and you’ll discover you’re still living the same life without passion and my guess, lots of resentment. Only you can change your life so do it and do it NOW! A life full of passion is infectious and you’ll be surrounded by others who feel the same way. There’s nothing better than being surrounded by people who are happy and full of joy about each and every day. If your passion is travel, stop planning for that “someday” future vacation and find a way to make that vacation possible now.

I’ve taken you from exercise to water to passion and then some through this set of easy to follow travel tips. I hope you’ll consider making one or more changes in your life to become the traveler (and person) you’re supposed to be.