travel tips – Page 2 – in thriver words

Travel Tip #11 – Buy on Location

It’s time to bring you Travel Tip #11. As I begin the countdown to my next trip, I’ve been waylaid by a knee injury. Three days ago, I could put no weight on my right leg. Of course the pain began on a weekend which has been followed by two days of icy roads. Rather than attempting to slide down my stairs and to the ER, my solution has been to put on a brace, take pain medication, and use my desk chair as a makeshift wheel chair. Of course it’s much cuter than the average wheel chair and coordinates well with my kitchen cabinets.
WheelChair
I’ve been thinking that the timing of this injury is fortuitous because the swelling has lessened on its own and I am in much less pain – as long as I spend most of my time in the recliner being still that is. Being stationary goes against my general nature, but it’s given me lots of time to complete Pre-washed list of the groceries I intend to buy once I arrive at my condo hotel. It’s also given me plenty of time to play 2048, but I still haven’t managed to beat that darn game!

As you may remember from Travel Tip #10, I’m going to carry a miniature bottle of olive oil and a multiple spice container full of paprika, curry, cayenne, garlic salt, salt, and black pepper along for the ride. These small containers will give me plenty of flavoring options while eliminating the waste that would be created by purchasing full size containers on location. And they’re small enough to carry even if I were flying rather than driving.

Once I arrive at my destination, I’m going to purchase the following:
Coffee
Plain Greek Yogurt
An Onion
Pre-washed Greens like Spinach, Kale, or Mache
Frozen English Peas (especially if the fresh greens aren’t available)
Potato or Sweet Potato or Rice
Baby Carrots
Bananas
Apples
Ground Turkey or Ground Beef or Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts
Cheese – whatever looks good to me at the moment
Hummus
Eggs if they have half dozens available

With these ingredients, I will most likely eat yogurt and fruit for breakfast some days and eggs with the frozen biscuits I’ve carried from home on other days. I’ll snack on carrots and hummus and apples and cheese, and create a one pot meal with the onion, greens, potato or rice, and a protein that I’ll either eat for lunch or dinner when I happen to be in the condo at meal time. My other mealtimes will be spent exploring local restaurants.

Sitting in this chair has also given me time to consult with my sister who typically follows a similar plan of eating some meals in and some meals out when she’s traveling. Since you don’t have the benefit of Travel Tip #10 from her, let me first tell you what she carries in the car: String cheese, Go-Gurt®, gluten-free pretzels, Welch’s Fruit Snacks®, gluten-free donuts, chili seasoning, salad dressing, and gluten-free protein bars.

Because she doesn’t like one pot meals, my sister’s vacation meal plans typically include crustless quiche bowls, rotisserie chicken, quesadillas, and chili. Here’s what her typical onsite shopping list looks like:

Onion
Baby Carrots
Apples
Bag of Salad
Eggs
Bacon
Ground Beef
Pouch of Tuna
Rotisserie Chicken
Canned Beans
Canned Diced Tomatoes
Frozen Tater Tots
Frozen Chopped Broccoli
Cheese
Corn Tortillas
Microwaveable White Cheese Dip
Corn Chips

Much like me, my sister’s crew prefers to eat breakfast in their pjs instead of going out. They usually eat lunch savoring local cuisine and then cook dinner in the condo or cabin. This is an even more budget friendly plan than mine.
tomatoes
Because I love shopping at a good farmer’s market, I may substitute some fresh local farm purchases when I travel in the spring and summer months. While I’m not sure that it plays well in the US, I’ve shared communal kitchens at RV parks in New Zealand with friendly strangers cooking silverbeet from a local vegetable and fruit market. If we had managed to catch any trout, we’d have prepared those for our newfound friends as well. Nonetheless, it was fun to fish in a snowmelt stream lined with tropical vegetation. It’s the kind of juxtaposition I love and the kind of experience I can’t have at home. That’s what makes a trip so appealing!

Or maybe a trip seems more appealing because I’ve been stuck in the recliner for days. I don’t know, but I know I’ll be prepared when I set out next month. I can’t wait!

http://www.gogurt.com/
http://www.welchsfruitsnacks.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Travel Tip #8 Speed Up Your Trip Through Security and Keep Your Clothes On!

Did you know you may be able to speed up your trip through security at the airport? If, like me, you feel like you’re always running behind once you’ve packed the snacks and headed out the door, you can benefit from participating in TSA Pre✓™.

TSA FAQ

If you qualify for this program, you’ll walk to a very short line, show your boarding pass and walk though a metal detector while your bag is being X-rayed. No removing items from your bag or clothing from your body. Let me qualify that – you might have to remove a trench coat, but if you want to wear your fancy boots that take forever to put on or take off, go right ahead because they will stay on your feet. You can also manage to avoid the full body scanner.

It’s unbelievable how much more pleasant a trip through the airport becomes when you remove the stressor of the regular TSA line. The requirements as listed on the TSA website are:
Q. Who is eligible for TSA Pre✓™?
A. Travelers that are eligible for TSA Pre✓™ include:
•U.S. citizens of frequent flyer programs who meet TSA-mandated criteria and who have been invited by a participating airline.
•U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents with a Known Traveler Number (KTN), sometimes referred to as a trusted traveler number.
•U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who are members of the TSA Pre✓™ application program.
•Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including those serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Reserves, and National Guard.
•Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard civilian employees.
•Members of the following U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) trusted traveler programs:
•All members of Global Entry.
•U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and Canadian citizens who are members of NEXUS.
•U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who are members of SENTRI.
TSA will determine an individual’s eligibility for TSA Pre✓™ on a flight-by-flight basis through an intelligence risk-based analysis of passenger data. A comparison of the four DHS Trusted Traveler programs is available here.

Currently, there are 11 airlines that participate in the program. I inadvertently was approved for a recent trip by using a 3rd party online booking site and leaving a checkbox checked. If I had known how much I’d like the service, I would have been demanding it, searching for that checkbox, and feeling stressed if I couldn’t find it. Serendipity is a wonderful thing!

If you feel enough pressure planning ahead for your dietary, workout, and health routine needs for a trip, you can now get rid of some stress by taking the easy way through the airport. I highly recommend it.

Anyone else use this service? Has it worked as well for you as it has for me?

For more information, visit:
http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/faqs

Travel Tip #3 – Gently Prepare Your Host in Advance

When traveling to see friends or relatives with whom you only occasionally visit, prepare them in advance for your gluten-free way of living. It is best not to assume that they will remember your eating plan just because you told them last time they saw you…and the time before…and the time before.

If your loved ones do not remember that you are gluten-free, please try not to take it as a slight or an insult. A failure to focus on this detail of your life does not automatically mean they don’t care about you. It just means that your dietary concerns are not one of the things they must remember in order to navigate everyday life so it is natural to forget over time. When you think about it, they probably don’t remember your shoe size, your favorite book of all time, your junior high boyfriend’s name, the color of your first car, or the Pythagorean theorem either. Before you are tempted to add that as fuel to a they-don’t-care-about-me fire, take a moment to note that you probably don’t remember that Aunt Sue had gout when she was 50, or Uncle Bill drinks a coke at exactly 10 am every morning, or that your cousin Carol hates to eat any sort of fish prepared in any sort of manner. You know this doesn’t mean you don’t care about them. This kind of forgetting is natural.

Your announcement or reminder of your gluten-free status can be part of the natural flow of trip planning. As you discuss logistics for airport pick-ups, sleeping arrangements, theatre tickets, amusement park visits, and the like, include a simple statement in an email that says: By the way, I have to follow a gluten-free eating plan. That means I won’t be able to consume any food that contains wheat, rye, barley, malt, or oats. Once we arrive, I can make a quick trip to the store to pick up a few items that will fit in with the menu you already have planned. Also, don’t worry, I can usually find a suitable choice at any restaurant we visit. In the rare instance this is not the case, I always have a backup plan so it won’t be an issue. I just want you to know in advance why I’m skipping the pancakes at breakfast. I’m so looking forward to having this time together.

If your host then expresses an interest in learning more, use the opportunity to give him/her the specifics needed to make the trip go smoothly. Let kindness and consideration be your guide as you determine the easiest way to maintain compliance while allowing the host to feel good about accommodating you. Make simplicity a priority so that extra work is kept to a minimum. This can be a delicate dance. Remember to express your gratitude for each special accommodation along the way.

Sometimes you may be met with resistance. That does not mean you’re doing anything wrong, so do not let this deter you from following your plan. In this instance, do not expect or push for accommodation. Take the initiative to purchase and prepare items that meet your needs. If there is a notoriously difficult personality involved, you may need to leave the premises, eat compliant food, and then return to snack on a salad or some vegetables at mealtime. Nothing can be gained in a tug-of-war over whether your gluten-free regimen is necessary. You do not need to change this person’s mind. All you need to do is remain compliant with your plan and take care of yourself.

When traveling a relatively short distance by car, you may want to pack a basket full of gluten-free treats to share. Including others in your world allows them to feel more kinship with you and can serve to lessen their fear of embracing a different way of eating.

Preparing your host in advance communicates that you value them as an ally in your quest to be healthy. It shows respect by giving them time to adjust shopping lists and meal plans if they so choose, and it establishes in advance that you will be politely refusing to eat a piece of cake, no matter how moist, chocolaty, and deliciously homemade it may be.