Harlaxton Stu Handbk 2003-04 - Harlaxton College

THE ART OF TRAVEL
These travel tips are included for your reading pleasure. We hope that this
information is useful to rookies as well as to more experienced travelers.
Document Precautions
By now you have your passport and your airline ticket. Just in case the
unmentionable happens (you lose one or both), make a photocopy of the first
five pages of your passport and a copy of your flight ticket. Keep these copies in
your luggage, or if you are really forgetful, give them to someone else to hold
for you.
Packing Hints
Pack your toothbrush, toothpaste, glasses, and contact lens case. Put creams and
lotions into small plastic containers to reduce weight and breakage. Many travelers
like to carry wet tissues, such as Wet Ones.
Airplane Travel
Avoid carbonated drinks. Pressurized cabins activate the intestinal gasses which
distend the stomach anyway. Additional bubbles make things worse. Drink
plenty of fluid – pressurization also causes dehydration. Avoid alcohol, which
also dehydrates.
Wear loose fitting clothes and comfortable shoes. To prevent swollen ankles and
feet, remove shoes, rotate feet clockwise and counterclockwise frequently. Clench
and release your toes. If there is enough room, extend your knees by straightening
your legs to the front. If you get a backache, try elongating the spine by pushing
the back of the waist into the seat and then straightening it. Support the
small of the back with a cushion. For neck and shoulder tension, stretch the
back of the neck by tucking the chin in and lowering the head, then gently take
the head back as far as it will go to loosen muscles in the front. Massage neck and
shoulder muscles.
Jet Lag
To lessen the effects of jet lag, avoid alcohol and overeating; both stimulate the
metabolism and make it harder for the body to adjust to new time zones. To
ease the stress, try to sleep on the airplane. The quickest way to adapt to a new
time zone is to fall in with the time of your destination immediately. You no
doubt will have to drag yourself through a couple of days at first, but the best
strategy to combat jet lag effectively is to throw yourself into where you are and
what you are doing.
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