This is part 2 of a 2 part series.
A few things I’ve learned, at the practical level, about traveling well in this season of life:
- Before you go, ask your doctor for a referral where you’re headed. This is the one tip in this list that has nothing to do with logistics and everything to do with peace of mind: ask your own doctor if they can identify a trusted physician or practice near your destination, in case you need one. It’s a small act of preparation that lets you travel more freely, precisely because you’ve already handled the thing you’d otherwise worry about.
- Get Global Entry. If you fly internationally with any regularity, this is the single best thing you can do for yourself. There’s nothing quite like landing exhausted after a long flight, dreading the customs line, and then walking through in under ten minutes flat. I feel like a hero every single time.
- Pack a lightweight insulated layer and real socks, always. Planes are notoriously cold, and so, more often than you’d think, are restaurants and hotel rooms. I’ve taken to packing a thin, insulated fitness shirt — the kind made for layering under workout gear — because it packs down to nothing and throws on easily under whatever I’m already wearing, whether that’s a freezing flight or an over-air-conditioned restaurant. Pair it with a real pair of socks, not the thin throwaway kind, and you’ll thank yourself constantly.
- Pack SOS food items. If you’re traveling to remote places that may not have the foods your body needs or is used to, do a little homework. I did a deep dive into protein bars and instant decaf coffee to find the cleanest, most organic options, and they served me well on pilgrimage.
- A smile and a kind word is the best tip of all. Let’s be honest — travel is hard, even when everything goes according to plan. People in the service industry have a demanding job, facing new people every day along with all the ordinary anxieties of life. They may work in service, but that doesn’t place them below us. I still remember my waitressing days as a freshman at Mount Holyoke College’s on-campus hotel — I was truly awful, all thumbs — and I still remember the guests who were patient and kind and left me a tip better than I probably deserved.
- When things go wrong, it’s usually nobody’s fault. When our eight-hour flight was recently cancelled, it was tempting to let some tears roll because the options involved a day’s delay and lots of logistical challenges. I try to remember: what feels like a huge deal in the moment will be nothing in a week, or a month. And funnily enough, that unplanned-for last night was my favorite, spent in a convent turned hotel. Need I say more?
The Deeper Practice of Restorative Living
If you have the chance to step off your regular path, even if it’s just for an afternoon, pay attention to how it feels. See if you can name it: that was filling. That was refreshing. That was restorative. I returned to dance today after a month away, and at the end of six back-to-back lessons, no break — we have a competition next week and I wasn’t sure how my brain would handle that stretch of no choreography recall — my dance instructor said, “I am a huge advocate of breaks. You’re different. Recharged. Approaching the texture of your Viennese waltz in a new way.”
As I get older, I’ve learned to value recovery and restoration time in a way I never used to. It isn’t a nice-to-have. On so many levels, it’s essential — one more small, steady practice in the larger work of aging with purpose and finding meaning in whatever season of life you’re in.