Jetlag

 

Jetlag is one of the problems that travelers

encounter but put up with because we love

to travel.  I travel mostly from the middle of

the USA to Europe and I do suffer from jetlag.

 

Most flights to Europe from my neck of the

woods, leave in the evening.  After the dinner

service, the lights are dimmed and everyone

settles in for the night.  Not me.  I can't sleep

on the plane, I have tried everything, pillows,

blankets, drugs to make me tired but no...

I just doesn't happen for me.  I am so envious

of all the people peacefully snoozing away as I

stroll up and down the aisles.

 

So this is what I try to do to combat jetlag once

I arrive at my destination.  I make my way into

the city, check into my hotel (often it is too early

to get into your room so I just drop off my bags),

go out and have a nice lunch, take a walk afterwards

then head back to the hotel, take a warm bath and

sleep for 2 hours.  Just 2 hours!  You will be tempted

to sleep longer but it will work against you.  Get up,

freshen up and head back out in the fresh air, go

have a nice dinner and stay on the schedule in the

time zone you happen to be in.  Some people say

they stay up but that can make you overtired to the

point where you can't go to sleep when you want to.

 

I find a completely dark room can really help in

getting a restful sleep, and a sleep mask can help.

Stay hydrated, eat well and get lots of exercise

and you should be able to adjust and enjoy your

time in your destination.

 

Swiss Village

 

 

After a house filled with people all week,

our houseguests headed off early this

morning, the kids headed to Bloomington,

our son went back to school and our daughter

went to the Old Oaken Bucket game today.

 

Mr. Wonderful & I decided to get out of the

house and visit a little Swiss Village about

an hour from our home.

 

 

It was small business Saturday and we

wanted to help the local economy by

finding a little town with a few Mom

& Pop Shops and do a little shopping.

 

 

We visited a town called Berne, Indiana.

It is a little village settled in the late 1800's

by Swiss and German settlers.

 

 

The buildings are decorated in a

Swiss style.

 

 

When you only have a few hours to

get away, this was an enjoyable way

to spend the afternoon.

 

 

 

 

Travel My Way

 

 

Hello!

Welcome to the launch of my new blog,

Homestead Travels.  I hope to share my

photos and experiences that I have gathered

as I have traveled around the world.  Please

feel free to ask questions in the comment 

area or add information from your own

travel experiences.

 

 

My earliest memories are of vacations

with my family,  I suppose because those

memories were different from the day to

day life at home.  But I was hooked at

a young age.

 

 

As a teenager I was a Sea Explorer, I loved

being on the water, I still do, but also part

of the draw was we traveled every weekend

from April through October taking scout groups

on weekend cruises to Mystic Seaport, West Point

or Greenport, Long Island.  We sea scouts were

the crew on these trips, we cooked for 40 people,

we had someone on log duty watch 24 hours a day,

we had engine room watch, and helm duty and

then we had to clean everything too.  It was hard

work, but we were having the time of our lives.

And every summer we got to go away with 40

of our best friends on our 2 week Long Cruise

which was just for us. 

This was perfect for the teenager with a mad

case of wanderlust.

 

 

The travels continued, including some

wild, hilarious low-budget trips in college.

The post-college, we finally have some

money of our own trips in our 20's.

 

 

Then on to marriage and kids, the trips

became a bit more educational and a

little less extravagant due to worrying

about a mortgage and the costs of raising

2 kids.  But we always felt that part of our

responsibility in raising our kids was to

have them see the world and how other

people lived.

 

 

By the time the kids were 18 they

had circumnavigated the globe. We

felt this was as important a part of their

formative years as high school was. Travel

adds so much to your history. 

 

"Travel is the only thing you buy

that makes you richer."

 

 

At about this point you may be saying,

"sure, that's great if you are rich."

WE ARE NOT RICH.

We save our pennies (literally), we eat in

more than we eat out, we stay out of malls,

we don't waste the money we do have but

save it so we can see the world.

 

 

We have a travel style that we call

Lavish, yet Frugal.  We rent apartments

where we can cook when in many European

cities because dining out with 4 or 5 people

is very expensive.  We always eat out in Asia

because food there is good and cheap.  Street

food and picnics are not only acceptable but

something we love.

 

 

We meet the locals whenever we can.

Our travel experiences are always so

much richer from the people we meet.

The Eurotrash at the next table who are

treating the staff in a horrible way ~ ick;

the American man with his Thai "girlfriend"

and he can't even remember her name so

he calls her "my girl" ~ hmmm, I'll be pleasant

enough but you don't interest me; the hordes

of my fellow Americans who leave their gated

communities only to go to a gated all-inclusive

resort and then treat the staff miserably and

tell them they are VIP's ~ oh, go away...

I'm talking to Roberto, the maître d' of

the restaurant who tells me which Mercado to

visit to find the best homemade cheese.

I'm talking to the waiter who tells me where

to find beautiful pottery, the maid who tells

me about her life and her kids, the guy who

sells stuff on the street in Tangier who I just

caught a glimpse of on Tony Bourdain's show

on CNN last night. 

 

 

Then there are the fellow travelers that I meet

 and instantly know we will be friends, sharing

experiences that we have from around the world.

 

And that's what I hope will happen with this blog,

I hope people will enjoy hearing the travel tales

and looking at the photos from around the globe.

Whether you're planning your next trip or are enjoying

learning about the world from your own living room.

 

So, follow along as I begin this new journey.

All the best ~ Ellen

 

"Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and

things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one

 little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed

 by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

 

~ Mark Twain