Let’s talk about Laws of Responsible Travel. I think we all know “Thou shalt not let thy
bag out of thy sight” and “hug that backpack to your gut”, but there are a
couple things that have stood out to me on this trip that I’m adding to my own
list of commandments. WARNING: boys,
this is not going to be a dainty conversation.
The first topic on my list is diet, specifically referring
to vegetables, fiber and Metamucil.
These things were all absent in the beginning of my trip; the flight to
France yielded croissants and cheese, Feta and gyros came at me in Greece and
the next thing I knew my gut was carrying around an impossible brick for
days. I’m proud of being a regular gal,
and it really sucks being thrown out of whack when you’re focusing on
experiencing everything a culture and landscape have to offer. My advice: pack a fiber
supplement and try to sneak in a salad every day. It’s no fun being a kangaroo.
Second on my list is an e-Reader. My dear friend Ran guided me through the
selection process for one before my trip.
With a traveling lifestyle this thing is essential. My magical packing is not developed enough to
support carrying books for the trip, and I rarely am in a place long enough to
rent, finish and return one to a library (this says more about the speed of my
reading than how often I travel). I also
have a prehistoric Dell which requires an outlet and a decent amount
of space to function, and an iPhone that will cost an arm and a leg if I use it
abroad. My Kindle Fire allows me to mooch off anyone’s internet to catch up on
emails, let my parents know I’m alive, post pics that make me look cool and
well-traveled on Facebook and check out books from the library for FREE. Pretty sweet, I’m just sayin’.
The third element on my list was a recent and drastic revelation
for me. WARNING WARNING: males should
skip this paragraph. You’re going to
read it anyway and complain, but I am no longer culpable. I’m talking about the Diva Cup. It’s a small rubber funnel-shaped object that
is a tampon-alternative. Imagine never
buying tampons again!! You fold the cup
into a U-shape, and insert like a tampon.
If all goes well it springs open and creates a seal. You can leave it in all day without fearing
Toxic Shock (no more waking up in cold sweats, ladies), and if you get it in
right it doesn’t leak at all. The first
day I used it I did an intense 46-mile bike ride, and it worked like a
charm. I immediately fell in love. I’ve had some tribulations this week with not
getting it in quite right, so I still use pads, but it’s so nice not worrying
about keeping a stash of Tamps on hand in and out of security checkpoints. www.DivaCup.com
check it out.
I fantasize about making it one day into The Best Women’s
Travel Writing book collection. If
you’ve never stumbled across one of these books you should; they release one
each year. Each is compiled of short
stories from various writers hailing from all different backgrounds. The authors are
briefly introduced following their composition, and there’s always something
cutesy they’ve written about themselves (something like: Sandra roams the world
discovering herself through the animals she sees, but is really searching for a
wild animal to be eaten by.) I find
myself daydreaming what I would write about myself. “McKynlee has successfully avoided settling
down into a money-making career, and is instead experiencing every part of the
world she can by means of alcoholic beverages.
But if her mother is reading this, never in excess.” Think I’ve got a shot in Hell of getting in?
