Posts in category: Everything Else

When you think of places to go for a quick trip, you probably start off by thinking of places close by.  Of course, nothing is wrong with that. But have you considered picking a distant location while fully maximizing the short stay?!

For a recent trip, this is exactly what I did and it turned out to be one of my best trips ever.  I left L.A. on a Thursday at noon and arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland the following morning at 6am local time after a 9-hour direct flight.  My 3 girlfriends and I had the best time on this vacation.  We did everything we set out to do, except we didn’t see the Northern Lights – which was completely out of our control.  Here are some tips for going the distance on a quick trip:

1. Nonstop flight.  There’s no time for multiple stops and layovers and changing planes.  Time is of the essence!  You need to board your flight and be at your destination when the plane lands.  

2. Plan, Plan, Plan!  I get it that not everybody likes to plan.  Some people like to get there and let the chips fall where they may.  Nope!  For this scenario, to maximize your time, plan your activities so you can see and do as much as you want during your stay.  Research your destination and have an idea of the things you want to do so you can book your activities in advance.  

3. Hit the ground running!  We arrived in Iceland at 6a.m.  By the time we got through customs, stopped in the airport for coffee, met up with our other friends who arrived, got a taxi and went to our hotel, it was 10 a.m.  We dropped off our bags, showered and were on our way to start the day.  On longer trips lounging around might work, but on shorter ones you’ll lose a valuable portion of your time.  

4. City Center! Another thing is to make sure you’re staying central to as many of the things you plan to do as possible.  When you have 48 hours or so at your destination, the last thing you want to do is commute everywhere.  Of course, tours and activities might require a trek, but stay where you can travel right outside your hotel for food, shopping, etc.

These things all help me to maximize my time on a short trip.  Even though I don’t have a lot of time, I still want to see and do as much as possible.  And of course, some people go away for the weekend and take pleasure in not ever leaving their room.  Just know that jetting off for a weekend of fun and adventure is absolutely possible, even if it involves a few thousand miles to get there.

One of the biggest struggles I have with traveling is keeping up with my workouts. If I’m not traveling with my kids, I’m trying to maximize every possible second of sleep that I can! Then, once I leave the hotel for the day, forget about coming back to do an evening workout. If my kids are with me, it’s even more unlikely that I will workout during the trip. 

If I fall off on my workout routine while I’m traveling, this will almost always be a setback when I get home. Now, my schedule is all thrown off and it’s harder to get back in the saddle. 

As much as I’d love to give up on working out and simply enjoy myself, I’ve had to force myself to find ways to get in quick, yet efficient workouts while traveling. 

Mini workouts

Here’s the thing. I’m not going to be cooped up in a hotel looking out the window at the beautiful city I’ve been dreaming about leading up to my trip. So I try to maximize my time with shorter versions of my usual workouts. 20-30 minutes goes a long way when you make the time count. 

Pack portable workout aids

It’s amazing what you can do with 2 simple items: a set of resistance bands and a jump rope. These two items can easily fit in a ziploc bag and barely take up space in your luggage. 

Local Workout Classes

This is a really fun way to immerse yourself in local culture and get in a good workout. If you’ve got the time, this is a fun experience. Byron and I took a class in Spanish in Mexico City and had so much fun. I’ve also taken group fitness classes offered at my hotel/resort. 

Walking

I don’t know about you, but when I travel I do a lot of walking. For me, when the weather permits, this is my preferred method of getting around. I’ve taken trips where I did a lot of walking and clocked over 25,000 steps a day. And the best part is it didn’t feel like exercise. 

As much as I’d like to break from working out while traveling, it’s really not an option. I force myself to workout to compensate for the additional calories I inevitably consume while traveling. I’ve found that curbing guilt with workouts helps me to enjoy my indulgences even more.

Since she’s been old enough to read and write, any trips Elle’s taken have included educational components before, during and after. And believe it or not, she loves it! 

Occasionally, travel will require us to miss a day or so of school. When this happens (and we only do this on rare occasions) we make arrangements with her teacher to take a packet of work for the days she’ll miss. 

Here are a few things we do to make sure that each trip includes some educational fun. 

BEFORE

Elle loves travel so much that she is sometimes instrumental in deciding where we go. She has a bucket list of domestic and international places she wants to visit. Once the destination is planned, She has to do research of the top landmarks/activities in that city for kids. For example, in preparation for London she chose Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye. She also wanted to visit Brixton. She had to research each place and describe things like where it’s located, when it was built, what’s special about it, etc. Her research also includes learning the currency in the country we’re visiting and common words and phrases in the language. 

DURING

It helps that Elle is a copious note taker and loves bringing a journal everywhere she goes. On trips, she brings a travel journal and everyday (throughout the day and/or at the end) she’s writes about the day’s events. She also takes pictures and picks up momentums (guides, brochures, etc) from places we visit as well as souvenirs. 

AFTER 

Once the trip is over, we print her pictures and make a photo album of her trip. Scrapbooking is one of her hobbies, so it’s really fun for her. She includes brochures, metro stubs, receipts, foreign currency, etc in the book. If the trip was during the school year, she’s also done presentations for her classmates about her trip. Sometimes, she brings little trinkets for them as well. 

I do these activities with Elle because they bring a fun and educational component to our travel. She’s learning about global citizenship and respect for other cultures/norms. For me, this is equally as important as the trip itself!

One of the interesting things about traveling more is deciding where to go. Some people have a place or two that are high on their list and they only look for those places. Other people strictly go where good deals are and they’re open to anywhere. I’m somewhere in the middle. 

Over the years I’ve found a few things that help me decide where my next travels will take me. Here are some of the ways I narrow down my choices:

Make A List

I’ve always started the new year off with a comprehensive list of my goals. For the last 3 years, that list included much more travel which I break down by location. Each year the list has grown tremendously. 

My list usually starts with the places I’m most interested in visiting and haven’t been yet. I like to see if I can combine any of the places on my list to make it easier to get through my list. It also helps me figure out when is the best time to travel to a certain destination based on cost, season, weather, etc. 

For example, with Europe, because generally countries are so close and easy to get to, I almost always try to do at least a couple countries per trip. 

To Repeat or Not to Repeat

One of my biggest challenges with picking a destination is, do I go to a place I’ve been before and want to repeat, or do I try a new place?!? This is always hard. For instance, some of the places I’ve been but are currently back on my list are: Lisbon, Cartagena and Mexico City. I loved all of these places and would be down to go back anytime. Byron absolutely loves Cartagena and Mexico City and is always throwing them out there to return. But I feel conflicted. There are so many places I haven’t been and I feel a sense of urgency to get to those places first. On the other hand, I like going back to places I’ve been, already having that familiarity and getting to have a non touristy experience. 

I decided that since getting to new places is my priority right now, I’d limit myself to one repeat place per year……unless a great deal comes up, then all bets are off!

Good Flight Deals Are Key

I don’t care if I’ve never been or if I’ve been a hundred times…..I’m only going ANYWHERE if the price is right! I refuse to pay astronomical prices for flights, particularly since frequent travel is essential to having a travel business. There are a few ways I keep up with the best flight deals. I LOVE the site formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights that currently goes by, Going. If you’re interested in traveling more, you should subscribe to this service ASAP! You get great deals emailed to you. But you have to be able to act fast because those prices don’t usually last more than a day or two. I also subscribe to The Flight Deal for more great info on great deals. I frequently use my Skyscanner app when I want to be more proactive about seeking tickets out myself. However, Google flights is almost always my starting point. It allows so many options and gives the best pricing options. Give me a good flight deal and I’ll go almost anywhere in the world!