Taking off Travel blog

So you’ve finally scheduled that trip to the foreign country you promised yourself you’d visit years ago. You updated your passport, mapped out your routes and destinations, booked your flights to other nearby cities, and think you’re done. Relaxing by the computer, you’re browsing sites suggesting what you should pack for your trip for reassurance, and you see something about ‘plug adapters’ and ‘travel converters’ and investigate.

Unfortunately, googling ‘what is a travel adapter’ is like Goldilocks trying out the three chairs, except even the third one isn’t right. This, my friends, could be considered a travel nightmare. Don’t worry, with this guide you’ll figure out exactly which travel plug adapter you need in about two minutes. Then you can go back to dreaming about what a fabulous vacation you’re about to enjoy!

Travel Plug Adapters

Different countries outside of the USA use different shaped outlets. So as you’d guess, your laptop plug won’t fit into Italy or England’s plugs. To fix this, you’d need an Italy plug adapter that fits into Italy’s outlets, and then has openings on the other side made for American plugs.

Grounded adapters are for three-prong plugs typically on metal-cased electronics for added shock protection. Ungrounded adapters are for your standard two prong plugs.

Also, it’s important to keep in mind that some countries like India use two different outlet shapes. Instead of bringing two adapters, a universal travel adapter that works in over 150 countries might be a safer bet.

Travel Voltage Converters

Here’s where people can get lost because thinking about travel voltage converters means learning about electricity. But don’t worry, it’s simple!

All you need to know is the United States and Canada power electronics with 110volts of electricity, while some countries use 220volts. A converter switches the voltage from 110volts to 220volts so your electronic device doesn’t short out or explode from too much electricity at one time.

Oh, and some converters have “high” and “low” settings because as you would guess, some appliances use more electricity than others. For example, your hair dryer should use the “high” setting, and an electric shaver should use a “low” setting. Again, the easiest solution is an auto-switching voltage converter that figures it out for you.

Other Life-Saving Tips:

-Don’t leave your electronics plugged in for too long. Sometimes they can overheat.

-Some devices like your laptop and iPod are “dual voltage,” which means they work for both 110volts and 220volts of electricity and do not require a converter.

When he finished studying abroad in Rome of 2008, Nate Schrader uses his experiences to help troubled travelers by writing for TravelProducts.com. He also enjoys road tripping to see friends and trail running in his free time.

(Image: Keith Williamson)

Guest post by Wendy Bailey

Long distance travel on a train or plane can be a pain in the neck. Literally. The seats are not designed to be ergonomic and can be quite uncomfortable and even unhealthy after a while.

Before Your Trip

Prepare for long trips by drinking lots of water in the 24 hours prior. Make sure to get a good night’s sleep. What does this have to do with ergonomics? Being well-hydrated and well-rested will help you remain loose and flexible, which will help you avoid injury.

Choose luggage that isn’t too heavy; you should be able to lift it yourself. You don’t want to get an injury trying to load your carry-on in the overhead compartment. Test your luggage at the end of the day, when you are more likely to be fatigued. Travel can be exhausting and a bag that feels fine in the morning may be a pain to carry towards the end of your trip.

Choose comfortable and sturdy shoes and socks. Now is not the time to try out those fancy little stilettos! The placement of your feet will have a lot to do with your comfort, and shoes that fit well and support your feet will be your best friends.

Be on time. Having to jog or run to catch your train or flight will create added stress on your joints and your back, setting you up for pain on your trip. Keep a calm, leisurely pace.

Remember your basics for lifting: Lift from the legs, not from the back. Repeat this mantra to yourself every time you have to lift your luggage — including picking it up from the baggage carousel!

Balance your load. Don’t try to hang everything off one side, even if you consider it to be your stronger side. If the load is balanced, you won’t list to one side, contorting your spine and possibly injuring your back or your hips.

Be realistic about your health. If you have any specific health conditions, especially heart or lung problems, arrange ahead of time for a cart to help get you from place to place.

During Your Flight or Ride

– Plan ahead for the reality that you may not get a seat with plenty of legroom.

– Continue drinking liquids. Plan to drink 8 ounces for every hour of travel.

– Keep a good posture. Sit up straight, hold your tummy in and shift your position occasionally.

– Bring along a small pillow and place it in the curve of your lower back to help you sit up straighter.

– If you can, place your luggage on the floor in front of you, or bring along a small foot stool. Place your feet on it so that your knees are slightly higher than your hips. This will prevent back strains and cramps.

– Get up and move around. Another good reason for drinking all that water? You’ll periodically get a reminder to walk around a bit! Sitting for too long will cause compression on your nerves, leading to numbness and tingling. It can also lead to blood clots in people with circulatory problems.

– Stretch periodically. Twist from side to side, stretch upwards with your hands over your head, rotate your ankles and roll your neck.

– If you are expecting a long flight or ride, bring an inflatable neck pillow — or even a rolled up sweatshirt — and place it under your neck or in the c-curve of your neck.

Image: federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s summer vacation time for millions of people – and one of those people is me!  I’ll soon be on my travels. Now, I wouldn’t want you to have to do without your daily fix of PRF goodness, so I’ve lined up some great guest posts for the time that I’m away.  Here are just a few of the awesome posts that are coming your way:

• Improving the Ergonomics of Your Seat
• Best Cars for Road Trips
• Unmissable Historical Sites
• A polemic on travel insurance (more interesting than it sounds)
• and much more.

I’ll be checking in from time to time to see what’s happening here and on Twitter and Facebook, of course, and I’ll be back with you full time in early August, when you can look forward to updates on the places I’ve visited. I’m going to be checking out some new Florida attractions and seeing a few sights in New York and New Jersey.  See you soon!

I’m pleased to announce that the Taking Off Travel Blog is now open to guest posts. Here’s what you need to do if you want to guest post on this blog:

First, search the blog to check that we haven’t already covered the topic that you want to write about. If you’re taking a different angle on something we’ve already covered then that’s fine. Get in touch with me to discuss your idea.

If I like the idea, I’ll ask you to write and submit a guest post of at least 400 words, with a link to an appropriate public domain or creative Commons image to illustrate it. At the end of the post include a two sentence bio with a link to your blog.

Send the post to sharon at parkrideflyusa dot com. If I don’t acknowledge it within a couple of days, send me a tweet (@parkrideflyusa) to check that I’ve received it.

If I am happy with the final post, I will schedule it and let you know when it will appear. Please reply to any comments left on the post and feel free to add your social media promotion efforts to mine.

(Photo: Caveman 92223)

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