Let the 30+ Hour Travel to Asia Commence + Tips for Traveling Halfway Around the World
we are off! i am typing this half at the light-rail stop as we head to the airport and the other half with me sitting at the other end of the airport (more on that later).
today is the day we leave portland-oregon and travel through vancouver-canada, hong kong-china and finally arrive in kuala lumpur-malaysia!
i have had a few people ask me what i’m planning to do for these 30 hours of travel, what i’ve packed and how one prepares to travel more than halfway around the world. you know i love a good over share so let’s get this party started!
first-i received a sample of “natural xanax” in the form of essential oils. i’m supposed to put this on the bottom of my feet but forgot before we left so i most definitely just took my shoes and socks off at the light rail stop. i can assure you i’m not the first person to do this here.
otherwise i’ve prepared by drinking a lot of water yesterday, going to bed too late last night because my husband and i were getting too excited and brushing my teeth.
i’ve also been doing this free 21-day meditation in preparation for it to help calm my mind of my travel anxieties. i am putting it out into the world that it’s helping at a subconscious level.
our home is already prepared so that when we come back from our 2 week adventure, it’s organized and there is food for us to groggily eat.
now for the 30 hour travel day (with the longest flight being from vancouver to hong kong at 13.5 hours!)
first, it’s all about your clothing. do you think i want to sit in a tiny seat in jeans and a cute blouse? hell no. give me those yoga pants and a blouse when i’m 40.
you think i could do this in jeans?! yes, but not as comfortably.
here’s a tip for the ladies-wear a sports bra or something else without wires or clasps because that’s going to start digging into you around hour 12. also make sure you wear cotton underwear because well…it’s comfortable and breathable (yes i went there). comfy shoes and socks are also important and make sure you take a shower as a courtesy to everyone on the plane (i hope whoever sits next to me reads this).
also bring a light jacket because airplanes get cold and you can also wad it up and it can be used as a sleep device.
no jewelry besides your wedding ring because your skin starts to get uncomfortable by hour 17. make sure you pack any additional jewelry in your carry on!
now that the body is taken care of, how do you occupy your time?
let’s peak inside my trusty backpack that i carry around like a 12 year old.
most important is my iPod actually it’s the passports. you can’t go far without those.
second most important: iPod (also from former 8th grader days but it still works!) this is highly important because it contains all 7 audiobooks of HARRY POTTER. this is my biggest anxiety fighter and happy-world creator. i just take a little trip to hogwarts and grab some butterbeers with my BFFs and everything feels better. true story: i can only fall asleep while listening to this, which has been happening since i was 16.
one time i left it at a hotel under my pillow and had to have them overnight it to me.
*travel itinerary and notepad for getting work done (computer is also in there)
*my OG-kindle filled with free library books like “gone girl” (late to the party but i’m excited to be here)
*obviously snacks galore because i am american and need to eat every 75 minutes
*cards and cribbage because my husband and i loooove them
*neck pillow/eye cover for pretending like i’ll be able to sleep. hand sanitizer because sometimes other people don’t shower and wash their hands
*medication in case anxiety gets too crazy. holding off taking anything yet to give the ‘natural xanax’ a fair shot
(please note that my backpack now contains my chaco sandals, 3 pounds of almonds, a random shoe and hairbrush because our checked bag was over weight. booooo)
and now we sit and wait for our first plane to depart. when i get anxious when traveling, i tend to get a little snappy towards my sweet and patient husband so i’m working on not saying too much unless i can be nice. so far…pretty good.
except for when i asked him to plug in my computer last night after we watched ‘house of cards’ on it and instead he charged his. now i’m sitting at the end of the airport charging my computer. #slightlyjustifiedsnap
we dropped our dog off at the “joe and philip day camp” yesterday with sugar’s BFF lily! before we went over i was sort of a wreck. i have no idea how people are parents to humans because it was incredibly sad and depressing to drop her off. once she got there and they ran around and licked each others’ goodies, i was instantly relieved. lily is only giving her the side eye because she thinks sugar is a large white squirrel that moves too fast.
thanks for hosting her guys!
questions:
1) what are your travel essentials while on a plane?
2) do you have pets? how do you leave them when you travel?!
3) longest flight you’ve been on?
Alan Balthrop, DTM
August 17, 2014 at 10:20 am
My longest flights were going to and from Germany when I was in the Army. Dallas/Fort Worth to Frankfurt is 10.5 hours going and 11 hours coming home (go fig). In the days before I discovered motion sickness bands, Dramamine was my friend on trips like this.
My favorite airplane story is coming home on leave in 1989. We left Frankfurt at 10:30 A.M. Central European Time. They served breakfast on the plane (hey kids: once upon a time, airlines considered food, drinks, blankets and pillows a “service” and didn’t charge for them). Because of fear of getting airsick (never actually happened), I declined the first meal. Somewhere over Georgia they served lunch, which I also declined. The stewardess was very concerned: “Sir, you didn’t eat breakfast either. Are you OK?” I replied “It’s OK, Ma’am. I have Mexican food waiting for me on the ground.,” She smiled knowingly. “How long has it been since you’ve been home?” It had been 2 years.
That was the days before all the electronic things that can distract us in travel. Being a news-junkie, My iPad has the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News, Time, Columbia Journalism Review, and National Geographic ready to keep me connected to the real world while in the air.
As for books: I see your “Harry Potter” and raise you the late-Madeline L’Engle’s Time Quintet (“A Wrinkle in Time” and it’s 4 squeals) as my go-to books for when I need to relax for a while .
chelsea
August 19, 2014 at 12:53 am
whew those are some long flights and I often hear talk about how amazing it used to be to fly, alan! the room, the upgrade, the booze but now-less so.
what a great story of you returning home after 2 years and anxiously awaiting mexican food 🙂 sounds like you are a newshound with plenty to keep you occupied!
chelsea
August 19, 2014 at 12:53 am
oh! and now i want to read those additional books!!
Nick
August 17, 2014 at 4:10 pm
1) Noise cancelling headphones, a pen, and something to suck on. Though comfy socks will get one through alot.
2) No pets now, but we used to either have a friend house sit with them or they chilled at a dog boarding place.
3) Sydney to Dallas Fort Worth. 17-18 hours in the air non stop.
Discworld audio books are playing every night in our house, rather conditioned to it now.
chelsea
August 19, 2014 at 12:50 am
ahhh yes i need some noise canceling headphones-good call nick. and holy smokes…18 hours on one plane is intense! love that you have audiobooks on at night-what a fun thing to do while going about your business!
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Alan Balthrop, DTM
August 24, 2014 at 6:44 pm
http://www.amazon.com/Wrinkle-Time-Quintet-Books-1-5-ebook/dp/B00E71907M/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408930568&sr=1-1&keywords=time+quintet
Here is a link to all 5 books at once for the Kindle.
The published order was : Wrinkle, Wind, Planet, Waters, Time.
The chronology of the books was:
Wrinkle (x hour)
Wind (x + 1 year)
Waters (x + 6 years?)
Planet (x + 9 years)
Time (x + 26 years, viewpoint character change: Meg’s daughter)
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