Travel to Beat the Winter Blahs

Living in Portland has a lot of perks, but one of the drawbacks is that winter can be really bleak. It's not usually bothersome to me, but I know a lot of people who have intense SAD (seasonal affective disorder). This month, I think it's finally caught up to me, because we have very short days full of rain and most of them are super cloudy, and then we have 12-13 hours of nighttime. I'm feeling pretty off on everything and want to just hide in my own bubble and ignore people, and I'm sleeping really badly, which is not a problem I normally have. 

If you're also experiencing SAD, or just the feeling blah in general from the craze of the holidays and then the let-down of the new year, let's talk about how we can combat that: 

Plan a trip

You don't actually need to go on a vacation, especially if you just came back from one, but actively planning for something good can really get you out of a funk. It's been proven that even the act of planning trip can lift your mood, almost as much as actually taking the trip itself. 

I have been looking at things to do and places to eat in New Orleans for my short visit in March for the Travel Goods Show. It's giving me joy in the moments of blerg during this month, since I have something to look forward to. I'm also in the act of slowly packing my bag. I'm not taking much, but buying a few new things is also giving me an emotional lift. In the fall I bought some spring shoes on clearance for future trips, so those are going in as well. And yesterday I parsed out my toiletry bag, so I know I'm not taking things I don't need. 

Stay tuned for a packing light post for spring.

Go explore your town

Just get outside. Even if the weather sucks, taking a day trip or just being a tourist in your own town. As much as I just want to stay inside and listen to podcasts or watch movies, it's not really too productive, so I know I should go out and get fresh air and see people. I planned a group brunch this past weekend and, as much as I didn't want to go, I knew seeing and interacting with people would be good for me, and I was right. 

Force yourself out, take some pictures of cool things, play some games, meet some friends. You'll find you feel less depressed, if only for a little while. It's better than nothing and wallowing at home by yourself and/or being cranky with your family.

Throw a party

We throw quite a few parties, and this year we decided to do more themes, but also try to save more money. Because we can't travel all the time, we came up with a happy medium. We threw our first "destination potluck", where we chose a travel destination and asked our guests to bring dishes from that region. I did a bit of decorating, but nothing crazy like I would normally. It gave us all a break from reality and that excitement of trying new foods when you travel. It was enough to give us the incentive to throw more. 

Hit up the salt room

It's been a while since I suggested this. We aren't all close to the beach, and wintertime isn't a great time to visit anyway. The salt room gives you the same benefits, but you won't have to wear 9 layers of clothes and get wet sand in your shoes. In fact, an hour in the salt room is equivalent to 3 days at the beach, plus the salt-ionized air can help keep you healthy, which is also important in this time where it seems like every third person has the flu or some other nasty sickness.

That's what I got for you. Try to survive the gross seasons of winter and sickness. Eat your veggies, get your vitamins, keep your spirits up, and get excited about future vacations.

How do you beat the winter blahs or your SADness?

Avoiding the Flu While Traveling

We're deep in flu season and this year is much worse than usual. Not only that, but now there's the new Coronavirus coming out of China, too, which is even worse than the flu. I used to get sick any time I went on vacation, but I've since learned how to stay healthy on all my trips, including while flying. If you're worried about getting ill and ruining your whole vacation, you probably need some of these tips:

Bring antibacterial gel

Purell is a staple of my travel bag. A lot of airplane water tanks are dirty and full of bacteria, because they're super hard and annoying to clean. Because of that, avoid drinking water from the drink cart unless you get your own unopened bottle, and also don't wash your hands in the bathroom sink, as they come from the same tanks and you'd just be adding extra bacteria on top of bacteria. Just thoroughly coat your hands in gel, or use antibacterial wipes.

Wash your hands often

I know I just said that you shouldn't wash your hands in the airplane bathroom, but make sure everywhere else you go, you wash your hands as much as possible. This will help with any gross germs you pick up from places where people have just touched or coughed on surfaces. 

Don't touch your face

People touch their faces an average of three times an hour, which means if you haven't washed your hands or used Purell, there's a good chance those germs on your hands are getting in your nose, eyes or mouth. Gross, right? Try to consciously keep your hands from your face, especially on the plane. 

Wear a mask

This is another way to keep from touching your face, and also from keeping germs out of your nose and mouth. You can wear a regular medical mask (just make sure it's the right kind and you're wearing it correctly and you dispose of it properly). I, personally, like something a little more fun, and I highly recommend the winged mask from The Barrier Method (or a gaiter neck mask for men or those that like something less fussy. I'll be wearing mine on my trip to New Orleans, and will be purchasing one for Eric for our next trip in the fall.

Drink a ton of water

I bring along a reusable water bottle, mostly because we drink a lot of water when we travel, but also because buying a bunch of bottles is not economical and it's not environmentally-friendly. Once we arrive at the airport, I buy a cold water to fill up, and then when we get to our destination, we usually purchase a big gallon of water to put in the fridge, so we don't have to drink tap water and we have a good supply of clean water. My reusable bottle is a thermos and keeps our drinks hot or cold, so you aren't drinking awful lukewarm water in the middle of the day.

I also love to order a tomato juice while flying, because the altitude takes away some of the wonky flavor and it's also packed with vitamins, which are nice to have while flying.

This is all veggies (and rice)

Eat your veggies

When you travel, it can be hard to eat well, especially if you're eating out a majority of the time. I always make sure to get my allotment of fruits and vegetables, so I'm not losing nutrients that I desperately need, especially when I'm doing more activity than normal. I try to actually order extra veggies (that aren't deep fried) at least a few times when I'm out, or I get a good stash of fruits for breakfasts from the farmers' market or a nearby grocery store when we arrive. 

Take extra vitamins

With all the new foods and extra activity you're going to be faced with, it's easy to get a little lax with your health, so pack a box of immunity tabs, chewable tablets, or Emergen-C. I make sure we take one in the morning and one in the evening.

Get enough sleep

When I don't get enough sleep, I can be cranky and uncool. Nobody wants to be around me. In fact, *I* don't want to be around me. I make sure I give myself some downtime on my trips, because being go go go all the time is exhausting, and packing my days means I don't get to sleep as much as I need. A good night of sleep can do a world of good, plus you wake up feeling refreshed, plus you don't get sick from not allowing your body to recharge.

If you have problems sleeping, look for something that helps you drift on or stay asleep. A few of my favorite ways to do this is an herbal sleep spray, an all-natural sleep aid, a great eye mask and/or a good pair of ear plugs. 

Avoid excess alcohol

I love a tasty drink as much as the next person, but I try to limit my booze intake while traveling and I definitely avoid it while flying to keep from getting dehydrating. I may have a drink with dinner or while out at happy hour, but I also try not to drink much before it's time for bed, because it doesn't help me sleep better. In fact, I sleep really badly when I drink too much. You know your body better than anyone, so you can make sure you stay within your limits.

Staying healthy while you travel can really help you make the most of the time you have and avoid being miserable while trying to have a good time sightseeing. When you've got limited time in a place, you don't want to feel like you wasted money to go there. 

Do you have a favorite way to stay healthy on vacation?

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Destination Potlucks Are a Thing Now

I love traveling, but even I can't travel all the time. First of all, I don't want to, and second of all, I don't have the money to do that. I have a lot of friends who like to get together for random things, and who also love to travel, but don't have money to do more than a trip or two every year. So, I came up with something to satisfy our cravings: Destination potlucks.

This last weekend, we held our first one. The concept is simple. You choose a region or  country and everyone brings beverages, entrees, sides or desserts from that place. Our first potluck covered Scandinavia, so we included Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland. Several of our friends brought more than one dish, and I made two as well as a beverage. 

Sorry for the terrible lighting on this video

In addition to food, I did a tiny bit of research and made up fun facts handouts, a map along with travel tips, and dressed up my Snape stand-up with a Scandinavian folk hat that I made out of heavy duty paper and ribbons, as well as giving my large "portrait" with a traditional holiday headdress, along with the history of it. I felt it only made sense if we learned things as well as made some cool dishes that we may or may not like. 

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A post shared by Lydia Hammond (@lydsmomof6) on Jan 18, 2020 at 11:58pm PST

Here's a list of some of the dishes we had:

• Kalpudding - a Swedish meatloaf and cabbage dish that was pretty easy make and also pretty tasty. 
• Cucumber salad - I make this regularly, except without the tons of dill it calls for, so I was pretty confident in this dish.
• Saft - A drink where you basically make your own fruit concentrate and then mix with sparkling water.
• Kantareller og Geitost - A lovely dish made with chanterelle mushrooms and goat cheese that you can serve on crostini.
• Ovnbagte aebler med log - Roasted onions and apples that are sliced and use lemon and elderflower. This is creamy and an awesome side.
• Salmon chowder - If you like a hearty soup, this is fantastic.
• Aebleskivers - I've made these little round doughnuts before, but I don't have a pan to make them now. My friend made three different kinds.
• Kroppkakor - Potato dumplings with bacon and onion in the middle, which can be served with jam or gravy. Either way, they are yummy, and easily a main all by themselves.
• Krumkaker - A cool cone-shaped thin waffle that can be filled with whipped cream and topped with candy, fruit, and/or sprinkles.

We had several other things, including a cheesecake dessert, candies, and drinks, and this was with just a dozen people. Everything was very filling, so I would suggest fasting a bit if you go with this region. So many carbs, but also so very delicious. 

a better view of Snape's folk hat :)

Everyone was so into this theme and can't wait until our next one. We haven't chosen a region yet, but we're leaning towards British/UK foods, so we can include Scottish and Irish foods as well as Indian (because there is a huge population in London and the official dish is chicken tikka masala). That way we can also ease into more ethnic foods for future potlucks. I'd also love to include some regional games and possibly have others bring 3 facts they thought were interesting from our destination.

Have you ever had a destination party of any kind? Share, so we can all have more ideas!