Tag Archives: Travel

Preparing for a Long Haul Flight

International travel is a different experience than it used to be…

Back in the day, long-haul flight preparation would generally start with a visit to the Executive Lounge for a few stiff drinks – a quick start for an enjoyable flight. I didn’t worry too much about what time of day it was, the impact of changing time-zones would just be accelerated by an early buzz.

My arrival on the plane was celebrated with a glass of Champagne and some pleasantly warmed salted cashew nuts. A couple more pre-dinner drinks would help get me “in the zone”. Then I’d have a glass or two of wine to accompany my meal as I enjoyed a film.

A well-executed plan would result in me being overcome by waves of exhaustion as the film reached its climax – leaving me ready to sleep through the rest of the flight.

How things have changed!

Firstly, long-haul flights are a much rarer occurrence for me. I still travel a fair amount with work, but the locations I visit are much less exotic nowadays. As a result I no longer have a shiny Executive Club card; my pre-flight preparation therefore takes place with the masses.

Fortunately, not having access to the Executive Lounge is much less of an issue when you’re not looking to get “tanked up”. Since the Heart Attack I have severely reduced my alcohol intake. I still enjoy a drink when I have one but I only drink very occasionally – my last was in October.

As I write, I’m 37,000 ft. in the air above the North Atlantic on my way to Houston for a few days on business. I’ve just enjoyed the low fat meal option, I’m keeping myself well hydrated and I’ll stay active to keep the blood flowing.

The excitement of international travel has subsided somewhat for me, and the flights don’t pass in quite the same way as they used to, however, I’m sure I’ll arrive in much better shape and it’s clearly more sustainable this way.

When I arrive I’ve got a hard week’s work to look forward to… perhaps I’ll treat myself to a glass of wine on the flight home!

The Red Eye

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I have spent much of my working life on assignments away from home. On a couple of occasions this has resulted in me (or us) “moving house”, but more typically it has meant weekly commutes to a variety of exotic and, more often, not so exotic locations.

Each weekend would end with the dread of the “red eye” flight. This concern would inevitably result in a broken night’s sleep before the early Monday morning alarm… always too early! The flight itself would provide a little respite, an hour to steal some extra shut-eye before either completing my commute by heading to the office, or catching another flight.

Once in the office, I’d fight through the day as productively as possible, caffeine and nicotine my best friends, distracting me from the ever-present fatigue.

My week would often be made up of long days in the office. I had little better to do with my time other than work. For ease I’d select the closest hotel, irrespective of the facilities, convenience over function.

I became a global expert on Club Sandwiches, the standard by which hotel culinary standards can always be measured, accompanied by fries and a cold beer or three, my diet was not conducive to a long healthy life.

Where did you experience your best Club Sandwich?

I never understood the people who would travel further each day to stay in a different hotel, one with better food, a superior gym or a swimming pool. To me it all seemed to be a hassle, adding complexity to a lifestyle that already had enough complexities.

My link to home was via short daily telephone calls, a few minutes to catch up on the events of the day, to remind the girls of my existence.

Weekends were spent making the most of being home, in the house, taking it easy. A few drinks, comfort food and relaxation, trying to forget the week just passed and ignore the week to come.

This was my routine. My life.

***

This week it all came back to me as I prepared for a two-day business trip to Amsterdam; a 5 a.m. departure, a day in the office and a night in an unexceptional, sterile hotel.

Of course, the location wasn’t really Amsterdam but a business park on the outskirts with limited facilities for exercise or socialising. Not that I had the energy for either really. Instead I opted for an evening alone and an early night, a salad and a bag of carrots grabbed from a Train Station Convenience Store for dinner.

Home from home… marvellous!

What a relief it was just a one-night trip!

If I was ever to travel more regularly again I’d really need to reconsider my travel strategy. I would likely become a “needy” traveller, taking time over hotels and surrounding facilities.

I can see that it would be so easy to fall back into old habits, to eat poorly and make excuses not to exercise. I can also see how hard it is for people on the road to look after themselves properly. With little control over the basics of life, it is tough.

There don’t seem to be any simple alternatives other than to travel as little as possible, and when required to do so, to make sure your priorities are absolutely clear. For me at least, this means… health first! Better late than never!

Holiday preparations

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While I have always enjoyed holidays, I haven’t always looked forward to them as much as I perhaps should have. For some people, the planning, booking, anticipation and preparation are as much part of the holiday as the holiday itself. I am not one of those people.

For me, the thought of holidays used to feel like a hassle. An extra complication in my life that I could do without. The fact that the complication was self-inflected compounded the issue. The preparation required to be away from the office for a couple of weeks, and the subsequent “catching up” always felt like they added to an already hectic, often stressful situation.

Really not my idea of fun!

At work I often had lengthy periods of extensive travel. I would spend too much time at airports, on planes or alone, eating Club Sandwiches in hotel rooms. There were many elements of a holiday trip that were reminiscent of business trips. Worse, I was likely to be surrounded by holiday-makers and the inefficiencies of Charter flights and Packaged Tour Guides!

I used to deal with the negatives by ignoring the fact that I was going on holiday until the last possible moment. I would rely on last minute preparations and, in event of emergency, the Credit Card to dig me out of holes.

Really not my idea of fun!

To make things worse, I have never enjoyed packing / unpacking / re-packing – I used to get around this by living out of a suitcase. On occasion this would last for weeks after I had returned from holiday. My clothes returned to their proper homes as they are worn, washed and put away (not a quick cycle!).

When I was a kid, I used to hate missing school. As a result, there was more to being ill than the sickness… I hated it! I always used to feel like I was missing out on something. It felt like the day I missed would be the day when some critical, life-changing knowledge would be imparted. As a result I would be forever at a disadvantage. I guess it used to feel like missing work had similar implications, on some level I would forever pay for lost opportunities as a result of not showing up. After all, they do say that 90% of success is showing up!

As I say, I have always enjoyed holidays once they’ve (and we’ve) actually arrived. In particular, we’ve had some fantastic holidays over the past few years. We’ve created some really special family memories in some fantastic locations. They are really restorative to us all individually as well as a family. I’m relieved to say that I’ve never been quite so stubborn and narrow-minded as to think they weren’t a good thing.

My general feelings about holidays have softened considerably over time. Nowadays I look forward to getting away. To switching off and winding down. I’ve even been known to leave my work phone at home, introducing “emergency contact only”!

Our resort in Rhodes. It looks nice and quiet!

“Why”, I hear you saying, “is he rattling on about holidays?”. Well, on Friday we’re off to Rhodes (Greece) for a couple of weeks in the sun. It’s a substitute holiday for the Florida Trip we had to cancel because of my Heart Attack in the summer (the long haul flight, high temperatures, Amusement Parks and lifestyle really weren’t favourable for a new member of the Heart Attack Survivor’s Club!). We’re all looking forward to some sun, relaxation and healthy living. The 15 day forecast promises temperatures in the mid-20’s C.

Anyway, as I’m looking forward to the trip, my preparations started today with a trawl of potential reading material on Amazon. I’m quite excited about my choices – a variety of educational, trivial and thought provoking titles to keep me occupied.

Having got the “long lead” preparations out of the way, I guess I should start thinking about packing. I do however still have almost a week before we go… so that can wait for another day!