Best Travel Books

Whether you're looking for a birthday gift for your favorite traveler or a great read for your next trans-Atlantic flight, we've got you covered! The staff of IndependentTraveler.com has gathered 10 of our favorite travel titles -- including both timeless classics and fresh new releases -- that are sure to please any traveler who loves to escape into the pages of a great book.

Miss New York Has Everything
By Lori Jakiela
A small-town girl wants to get out and leave the suburbs of Pittsburgh, and her family, behind. What's a girl to do? Lori Jakiela became a flight attendant and got ready to see the world. The trouble is, short layovers, even if they are in Paris, do not a world traveler make. Instead of the glamorous life she imagined in New York, she finds herself broke and living in a decidedly unglamorous neighborhood in Queens filled with roommates and roaches. As we follow Ms. Jakiela through her stumbles and struggles, we begin to understand just how strong the ties that bind her to her small-town life are -- particularly to her father, with whom she has a complicated but deeply loving relationship.

This memoir is a sometimes humorous and sometimes painful look back at one young woman's struggle to create a new life and to escape the people and the places that define her -- until she realizes that back in suburban Pittsburgh is exactly where she belongs.

Excerpt:Not only was I not glamorous. I was also not a German speaker.

This is what I told Sheldon in Scheduling, when he called, for the third time in one month, to give me another twenty-four-hour layover in the industrial wasteland of Frankfurt, Germany.
Lost and Found
By Carolyn Parkhurst
"You've lost the game, but what have you found?" That's the question posed by the host of a ficticious "Amazing Race"-type reality show that serves as the backdrop for this new novel, in which teams are eliminated from a worldwide scavenger hunt. Chapters are devoted to individual players and even the show's host as we learn their secrets -- what's behind the mother/daughter team with the strained relationship? What's with the newly married couple who, until just recently, were both leading lives as homosexuals? Why are the two former child actors really on the show?

Fans of "The Amazing Race" will love the moments when we get a glimpse of the show's production team trying to "out" a participant or the contestants' struggle to complete the tasks needed to get ahead. However, the book is much less about the contest than it is about the people who are playing the game -- and in the end, they are all able to answer the question, "What have you found?"

Excerpt:"I'm just going to the bathroom," I say to him. "You can stay with Abby."

"Sorry," [the cameraman] says. "I've gotten instructions to follow you."

I was going to go around the far side of the column, out of Abby's sight, but I change course and head towards the public restrooms near the steps of the terrace. I hope Ken will follow; I don't know how I am going to manage a private conversation with him, but he clearly has something to say to me, and I can't have him following me and Abby.

Robert and I reach the door of the men's room, and I step inside alone. ... After a moment, Ken walks in. It embarrasses me to look at him directly. I turn on the water and hold my hands under the cold spray. Ken walks over and stands at the sink next to mine.

"Hi there," he says. "Romantic little spot you've chosen."
Traveling While Married
By Mary-Lou Weisman
Though not necessarily a how-to guide on traveling better with your spouse, "Traveling While Married" does provide insights, many of them hilarious, into what it is like to travel with your husband or wife. It's largely an account of the travels of Mary-Lou Weisman and her husband Larry, but any married couple will see themselves in the pages of this book. Weisman touches on topics like traveling with other couples, doing things you hate because the one you love wants to, and "fantasy real estate" -- the compulsion to own property in every wonderful place you visit.

For couples who love each other and love to travel, this is a touching and insightful read. We can all relate to the opening page of the book when the author professes, "I, Mary-Lou, take you Larry, to be my constant traveling companion, to Hong and to Kong, in Cyclades and in Delft, for deck class or deluxe, so long as we both can move."

Excerpt:Travel can put an extra strain on a marriage. Being the same old couple in a new and different place is a disorienting experience. All too often, when people don't know where they are, have jet lag, don't speak the language and can't figure out the money or maintain intestinal regularity, they get hostile. And since they don't know anyone else in Kyoto to take it out on, they take it out on each other.

Some marriages are saved by going on vacation. While the marriage is at home, the partners may be contemplating divorce, but send the marriage on vacation and they're on a second honeymoon. On the other hand, a marriage that gets along swimmingly at home can be a fish out of water on vacation.

The Singular Pilgrim: Travels on Sacred Ground
By Rosemary Mahoney
Trudging on weary feet along Spain's road to Santiago de Compostela, visiting the holy shrine at Lourdes and rowing down the waters of the Ganges, Rosemary Mahoney is a modern-day pilgrim, traveling to some of the world's holiest sites in search of answers to her own spiritual questions. As a self-described rational person who is predisposed to doubt rather than to believe, she views the passion of true believers with mingled fascination, envy and bemusement. Can she find her own faith by following in the footsteps of the faithful before her?

I was drawn in immediately by Mahoney's compelling, ruminative account of her own pilgrim's path. She describes each stop on her journey with insight and compassion, but the chapter that lingered in my mind was the one about her stay in Varanasi, India. There she meets Jaga, a remarkable 16-year-old boy who is not only her guide to the city but also a kindred spirit: "His faith, I knew, was similar in nature to mine -- faded, worn, resentful, and stubbornly evasive. And yet it was there." By the book's end, Mahoney's faith is not drastically changed; there are no easy answers to the difficult questions she poses here. But her journey leaves both her -- and the reader -- with a measure of peace.

Excerpt:
I was only halfway to Santiago. I folded the map up and threw it across the room so that I couldn't touch it. I fumed a while longer, then went quiet, because I knew that what was really upsetting me was that love was failing in my life. At its core, love, like faith, was not a product of reason. ... Real love required a risk, an act of daring. In my relationship there was not enough trust and too little daring. Walking to Santiago I had tried not to think too much about it, but it was the most important thing in my life at that time, and it kept cropping up in front of me and blocking my path.
Honeymoon with My Brother
By Franz Wisner
What happens when the worst thing that's ever happened to you turns into the best thing? Franz Wisner learns the hard way when his fiancee, whom he'd loved for the better part of a decade, breaks up with him only five days before their wedding. Devastated and confused, he decides to go on his honeymoon anyway -- with his younger brother. The two-week honeymoon proves only a taste of what was to come. Soon after they return home, the brothers do what many of us have only dreamt of: quit their jobs, sell their houses and take a much longer honeymoon, this time around the world.

In this memoir, Wisner captures their two-year, four-continent journey with a keen eye and an appreciation for the little ironies they encounter in their travels -- like the time they show up at a restaurant recommended in their guidebook and find "ten tables, Anglo faces at each one ... Mass at the Church of the Lonely Planet." (It's then that they decide to ditch the guidebooks and rely on the kindness and wisdom of locals, a decision they never regret.) The brothers gradually fall into the rhythm of the road, leaving their past lives and loves behind and developing a deep friendship with each other. Wisner's straightforward, concise writing style isn't always effective; I found myself wanting more detail in some parts of the book and grimacing at a few cute but clunky rhymes ("the tired, hired, and mired trying to replace the fired"). But for the most part I found "Honeymoon with My Brother" a moving, funny account of the best kind of travel: the kind that not only takes you around the world but also changes your life.

Excerpt:
Vietnam today is the young Buddhist monk, draped in orange robes, taking pains to prune a bonsai tree on the grounds of an ancient and decaying temple. ... It's the women in their pencil tip bamboo hats, crouched on the sidewalks, hawking delicious noodle soups piled high with bean sprouts and fresh basil. ... It's the dragon face long boats on brown rivers that shuttle tourists during the day and sleep families of ten at night. It's warm Cokes and bad karaoke (is that redundant?), a new house for every thousand old steel-roof shanties, bicycle rickshaws carrying dead cows, and bootleg everything. It's fishing nets, war trinkets, and warm baguettes.
The Poisonwood Bible
By Barbara Kingsolver
The setting is the Belgian Congo in the 1950's. Fresh off the plane is a fundamentalist Christian preacher from the American South named Nathan Price, who has brought his wife and four daughters with him to spread the Word to what he considers a godless continent. But as Reverend Price aggressively pursues his missionary agenda in the face of increasingly fierce local resistance, it is his family who must suffer the consequences.

"The Poisonwood Bible" is a haunting novel about what happens when cultures collide -- specifically, when an outsider blunders up against the customs and beliefs of a society he doesn't even try to understand. Kingsolver effectively captures that prickly feeling of being outside one's comfort zone, one many will recognize from their own travels. She also writes beautifully about the landscape of Africa, its colors and smells and sounds, in the voices of four very different young women attempting to adapt to their alien surroundings. The novel builds steadily to a devastating climax, but then inexplicably continues for another several hundred pages -- making the last quarter of the book feel a bit directionless. But that's a forgivable flaw in a novel as lush and powerful as this one.

Excerpt:
Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened. First, picture the forest. I want you to be its conscience, the eyes in the trees. The trees are columns of slick, brindled bark like muscular animals overgrown beyond all reason. Every space is filled with life: delicate, poisonous frogs war-painted like skeletons, clutched in copulation, secreting their precious eggs onto dripping vines. Vines strangling their own kin in the everlasting wrestle for sunlight. The breathing of monkeys. A glide of snake belly on branch. A single-file army of ants biting a mammoth tree into uniform grains and hauling it down to the dark for their ravenous queen. And, in reply, a choir of seedlings arching their necks out of rotted tree stumps, sucking life out of death. This forest eats itself and lives forever.
Dave Barry Does Japan
By Dave Barry
If you've read too many deep, nuanced, "I went around the world and found myself" travel books, here's your remedy: "Dave Barry Does Japan." The syndicated columnist known for his sophisticated sense of humor (booger jokes, anyone?) hits the road with his wife and 10-year-old son, leaving political correctness and cultural sensitivity back in the U.S. The family spends three weeks bumbling around "in a disoriented, uncomprehending manner" in search of their next train, their next meal (preferably food that isn't still alive) and the secrets of Japanese success in the auto industry (hint: robots). Along the way Barry presents indispensable travel tips such as how to eat with chopsticks: raise them in the air to call your waiter and ask him for a fork.

I found myself laughing helplessly throughout the book, but my favorite part was Barry's description of the Kabuki play he went to see in Tokyo. Here's part of the plot as he understands it: "Everybody is upset and whining. Meanwhile some assassins are lurking around." If you're looking for an in-depth analysis of Japanese culture, look elsewhere. Aside from a chapter on Hiroshima, which not even Barry can joke about, this book unapologetically aims no further than drawing a few laughs -- and he succeeds, effectively skewering not only Japanese culture but also our own.

Excerpt:
One night in Tokyo we watched two Japanese businessmen saying good-night to each other after what had clearly been a long night of drinking, a major participant sport in Japan. These men were totally snockered, having reached the stage of inebriation wherein every air molecule that struck caused them to wobble slightly, but they still managed to behave more formally than Americans do at funerals. They faced each other and bowed deeply, which caused both of them to momentarily lose their balance and start to pitch face-first to the sidewalk. Trying to recover their balance, they both stepped forward, almost banging heads. They managed to get themselves upright again and, with great dignity, weaved off in opposite directions.

"Around the World in 80 Days": A Companion to the BBC Mini-Series of the Same Name
By Michael Palin
In 1989, Michael Palin succeeded in getting someone to cover the necessary expenses to travel around the world. His premise involved following the route -- as precisely as possible -- taken by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days." Palin would restrict himself to the means of travel available to Fogg -- so boats, trains, horse-drawn coaches, children and camels would all be allowed.

In an effort to squeeze every penny out of Palin, the BBC decided to publish the journals he kept during his trip. And although the book was intended as a companion to the 1989 BBC mini-series of the same name, the journals really do stand alone. The feel of the book is fully informed by a man who took every occasion to dress up in women's clothes for a laugh (stirring conclusion to "The Meaning of Life" for instance). He doesn't take himself very seriously, and yet his intelligence and self-awareness allow him to convey the ridiculous circumstances in which he finds himself. At the Pyramids, a camel renter insists that the camel is named "Michael" and that Palin don a traditional Arab headdress. He dines on salted squid innards -- a dish his guide tells him is literally unpalatable to Europeans -- in Tokyo, before giving a rousing rendition of "You are My Sunshine" at a local karaoke bar. Aboard an L.A.-bound container ship, he takes part in a bizarre ritual involving copious amounts of fake blood (ketchup), break-dancing and King Neptune's blessing as he crosses the International Date Line. But you don't have to take my word for it. Read it yourself.

Excerpt:
I venture into the streets of Bombay in search of someone to remove eight days' growth of beard ... Sandwiched in between a professional letter writer and a man who organizes mongoose and snake fights, I find a barber who shaves me then and there on the grubby pavement with a cut-throat razor. Not something I shall tell my mother about, especially as I'm convinced from the way his fingers rather than his eyes seek out my face that he is blind. By the time he's finished shaving me, a crowd has gathered that would not disgrace a third division football club.
The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life
By Jean-Francois Revel and Matthieu Ricard
Instead of detailing an actual road trip, "The Monk and the Philosopher" is a book about the "spiritual journey." Jean-Francois Revel, a prominent French intellectual entrenched in Western science and thought, meets his son Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, in Katmandu to discuss both why Ricard decided for a clean break from the West and the difference between Eastern and Western thought in general. Ricard was once a promising young scientist in France, but after successfully defending his doctoral thesis, he shocked his family and friends by moving to Bhutan and becoming a monk. What drew him to the East? What are the points of contention between father and son? How have the ways each has chosen to live affected their relationship? These concerns drive the dialogue.

The book begins with a conversation about how Ricard has evolved from aspiring scientist to ordained Buddhist monk. But after clarifying how and when Ricard abandoned his research career, the men begin to engage in a dialogue informed by pride, bitterness and sincerity. Much of the book is an elucidation of the Buddhist approach to life, and Ricard's insistence that Buddhism is not unflinching dogma, but a living, breathing framework, from which one can arrive at a spiritual destination. Revel seems incapable or unwilling of understanding this key point, and this tension speaks volumes about the differences between East and West, father and son. Even for a Buddhist monk, the very embodiment of serenity, Ricard's patience is repeatedly tried. Both are trying to come to some understanding of what the other holds dear, while also resolutely defending their methods for tackling philosophy's primary quests -- eliminating the fear of death, while living the "good life." Their unique experiences traveling through life are certainly food for thought -- perhaps inspiring enough to start the reader on his or her own quest.

Excerpt:
No dialogue, however enlightening it might be, could ever be a substitute for the silence of personal experience, so indispensable for an understanding of how things really are. Experience, indeed, is the path. And as the Buddha often said, "it is up to you to follow it," so that one day the messenger might become the message.
Travels with Charley in Search of America
By John Steinbeck
As one of the great American authors, Steinbeck has little to prove in terms of writing. But there came a time in his life where he began to get the sense that the America he had written of in his seminal works had morphed into something wholly unfamiliar. To reacquaint himself with a clearer picture of his motherland, he decided to set out on a three-month journey with his friend Charley the standard poodle. The natural beauty he encounters along the way in places like Montana and the redwood forests of California are juxtaposed against the ugly bigotry and closed-mindedness of many Americans he meets. This hatred is certainly very painful for Steinbeck, and the sad realization that his ideal vision of America -- an America where the loss of innocence may open the door for positive growth -- may never materialize makes for a melancholy experience.

Steinbeck is a natural reporter, able to convey scenes, such as his route through the changing New England foliage, with great accuracy. But he also injects his writing with experience and passion, and this is what makes "Travels with Charley" so engaging.

Excerpt:
For many years I have traveled in many parts of the world. In America, I live in New York, or dip into Chicago or San Francisco. But New York is no more America than Paris is France or London is England. Thus, I discovered I did not know my own country.

New Sites in Our City

We here at the Hampton Inn & Suites Alexandria Old Town are very proud of our peace keeping efforts as well as how we are honoring our troops locally!

We are very excited about the opening to the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial!  It opened on monday but the formal dedication is this Sunday the 28th.  Some were locals who've watched for years as the memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. took shape on the National Mall. Some were tourists who happened to be in Washington the day it opened. All felt honored to be a part of history as they gazed at a towering granite sculpture of the civil rights leader.

Hundreds of people slowly filed through the entrance to the 4-acre memorial site on a warm, sunny Monday morning in the nation's capital. Before reaching the sculpture, they passed through two pieces of granite carved to resemble the sides of a mountain.

About 50 feet ahead stands the 30-foot-tall sculpture by Chinese artist Lei Yixin. King appears to emerge from a stone extracted from the mountain, facing southeast across the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial.

Crowds will begin to descend on the National Mall for the formal dedication of the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. President Obama is among those scheduled to speak.  The official dedication is slated to begin on Sunday -- the 48th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and King's historic "I Have A Dream" speech -- with a pre-dedication concert at 10 a.m. The dedication ceremony, which includes Obama's comments, is set for 11. That will be followed by a post-dedication concert at 2 p.m.

They even have a Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/MLKNationalMemorial

Also something worth noting is our Wounded Warrior Complex on Fort Belvoir that is opening!  The Wounded Warrior Barracks and Wounded Warrior Complex at the National Naval Medical Center here are symbols of the military covenant of caring for troops whether they are at home or deployed, and after hospital discharges.

The new barracks and complex for wounded warrior care are provisions of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, which consolidates NNMC and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the two military flagship hospitals.

Families will have accommodations "just steps away," he said, with child care on the premises so wounded warriors won't have to worry about how their families are faring while they receive care.  The barracks and adjoining complex, which is the renovated historic Naval Medical Research Institute, offer nearly 300,000 square feet of 153 two-person suites, a dining hall that will prepare 1,500 meals a day, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, gym and the latest in medical technology to care for the wounded.

Patients are scheduled to move into the new barracks and complex at the end of August, just prior to Walter Reed and NNMC joining forces at Bethesda under the new name, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Finding water at the airport

When I fly I like to stay well-hydrated. But I’d rather not add to landfills by buying bottled water at the airport.  So in preparation for my next trip, I investigated the question: “Can you travel with an empty bottle, such as sports top bottle, and refill it at water fountains past the TSA checkpoints? I want to avoid losing a great water bottle.”

The short answer is yes.  

In fact, many airports around the country are actively encouraging travelers to bring their own empty water bottles along, in part because it’s time-consuming and expensive to cart away all those full or half-full bottles, cans and cups that passengers discard at the security checkpoints.

Chicago's O’Hare International Airport and a growing number of other airports around the country are installing beverage collection stations at the checkpoints to try to cut down on what gets carted off to landfills. “Travelers can pour beverages into the drains and keep the bottles,” said Steve Johnson of Oregon’s Portland International Airport.

For travelers like me, who want to make sure they can find a place to fill a water bottle post-security, airports such as San Francisco International Airport and Chicago’s Midway and O’Hare airports are also installing special water bottle refill stations. 

SFO has four “hydration stations,” and Chicago’s Midway and O’Hare airports each have two. (The Midway stations are at the entrance to concourses A and B; at O’Hare they are in Terminal 2.) The hands-free, sensor-activated stations at O’Hare also have counters that have been tallying the number of 16-ounce bottles diverted from landfills.

“Together, the two stations at O'Hare have saved 220,717 bottles,” since their installation in June and July 2010, said Gregg Cunningham of the Chicago Department of Aviation.

Shocking Mom Secrets

Moms share all in a new survey from TODAY.com, the online home of America's No. 1 morning program, and Parenting.com, the website of Parenting and Babytalk magazines, who today released the results of a joint "Mom Confessions" study which asked moms to divulge the secrets they definitely wouldn't share on the playground. From why they judge each other to what they would change if they could have a "do-over" and how they really keep their kids in line, more than 26,000 moms got real with their responses.

According to TODAY Moms senior editor Rebecca Dube, "The revelations we uncovered in our survey should put a stake through the heart of the myth of the perfect mother. Moms everywhere are overwhelmed and they often feel like they're the only ones – but our findings show that they're not; everyone shares the same challenges. Whatever your mom confession is, someone out there is in the same boat – and talking about it makes moms feel a lot better!" 

NEARLY 3 OUT OF 4 MOMS WANT A DO-OVER:

·         If given the chance, 23% of moms would choose a different spouse/partner and 21% would have more children.

·         Out of the moms who ever wished their child was the opposite sex, nearly two-thirds are moms of boys. 

WOULD YOU RATHER? THE MOMMY VERSION

·         Weight versus smarts:  45% of moms would choose to weigh 15 pounds less rather than add 15 points to their child's IQ.

·         Money versus time: 42% would prefer to get a 50% raise at work than have 50% more time to spend with their kids. 

·         Sex versus sleep: 53% would choose a night of uninterrupted sleep over a night of mind-blowing sex.

DESPERATE MOM MEASURES:     

·         Nearly 1 in 5 moms confessed to medicating their child to calm him/her down before a big trip – and nearly 1 in 12 do so on a regular night just for some peace and quiet.

·         49% have knowingly sent a sick child to daycare or school.

EVERYONE'S A CRITIC: 87% OF MOMS JUDGE EACH OTHER

·         More than 1 in 3 admits to judging moms of overweight kids.

·         43% judge moms who still breastfeed their toddlers.   

"Moms are so often idealized as superwomen, a role that comes with a tremendous amount of pressure and feelings of 'everyone is getting it right but me,'" said Rachel Fishman Feddersen, director, digital content, strategy, and design for Parenting.com.  "The survey provided moms with a private, anonymous forum to tackle these issues, allowing them to dish on what it's really like to raise a family today."   
  
Methodology
This survey was hosted on TODAY Moms and Parenting.com between June 13 and 20, 2011.  A total of 26,138 mothers participated in the study.  

We Love Facebook!

Ever since we joined Facebook and created our page we've been having fun on it.  With Facebook growing by leapes and bounds everyday I thought I would take a virtual 'walk' around our neighborhood and see who's out there.....

Alexandria, Virginia

A great place for general information but also a great place to get some feedback from your Facebook community friends!

Alexandria (VA) Waterfront

The Waterfront Plan will cover the area from Jones Point Park (where the National Park Service has completed its planning) in the south to Daingerfield Island in the north.

There is some great shoping and dining here!!

 

 

 

Join the Coffee Party Movement - Arlington / Alexandria, VA

The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans — across every demographic — who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.

 

 

 

 

365 Things To Do In Alexandria, VA

New or moving to Alexandria, VA? Bored with the usual haunts? Stop by here every day for new and exciting ideas, tips and recommendations.

 

 

 

 

Alexandria, VA Jaycees

The Alexandria Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is a premier leadership training and community service organization for young professionals between the ages of 21 and 40.

As a Chapter, we are involved in a wide range of events and projects. We enjoy sports and physical activities, engage in community service projects, host professional development trainings, assist with community fund-raisers, and participate in public speaking/debate. Most of all, we love meeting new people, so please come out and join us at one of our events!

Parking Fines

If you’re thinking our fines in America are expensive then what would you think if you came out and your illegally parked car was smashed by a tank… yes one big giant Russian TANK!  And to add insult to injury the mayor of the city comes and shakes your hand to let you know he did it and you shouldn’t park illegally. 

It sounds like a Candid Camera moment but here is the Youtube video to show you how one mayor in Lithuania is taking his streets back!

Not to worry about anything this drastic in our city, but while you are staying with us at, Hampton Inn and Suites Alexandria, you may want to watch out for these areas do to high traffic enforcement:

The Carlyle neighborhood of the city.

D.C. gives out nearly 2.5 tickets per resident, more than double that of New York.

Cars that violate the new meter laws will be subject to fines, which range from a $25 fee for an expired/overtime meter to a $100 fee for blocking a bus zone.

Keeping Teens Safe When Traveling

It's always important to take care of your health, whether you're at home or on the road, but there are some additional concerns that are important to keep in mind when you're traveling.

Whether you're taking a trip with your family or plan to live abroad for several months for a study program, it's easier to get sick when you're in a new place because your body hasn't had a chance to adjust to the food, water, and air in a new environment. Traveling can bring you in contact with things that your body isn't used to. Continue reading for tips for keeping your travel experience as healthy as possible.

Don't Take a Vacation From HealthThe stress and excitement of travel can make you more likely to get sick, but if you follow a few simple tips, you're more likely to stay healthy throughout your trip - and your trip will definitely be more enjoyable. The good news is that as a teen, your immune system is as strong as an adult's, but lack of sleep and a poor diet can make it easier for you to become sick.

The first thing you should do if you're heading overseas is to find out what kinds of vaccinations you'll need in advance, since different countries have different requirements. In the United States, contact your doctor or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a list of necessary vaccinations. You'll want to allow plenty of time for this step in case you need to get vaccines that require more than one dose.

Common Travel TroublesThree of the most common health problems that you may experience when traveling are jet lag, altitude sickness, and diarrhea. When you fly across time zones, the differing amounts of light can change your internal body clock, resulting in a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag causes some symptoms that are bummers on a fun trip, including upset stomach, insomnia, and tiredness.

There are some things you can do to combat jet lag; for example, if you're traveling from west to east, you should stay out of the sun until the day after your arrival. If you're flying from east to west, go for a brisk walk as soon as possible after you arrive.

Altitude sickness
is caused by dry air, lack of oxygen, and low barometric pressure when you travel to a higher altitude than you're used to. As a result, you may have problems, such as headaches, dehydration, and shortness of breath. Some people are affected at 5,000 feet (1,524 meters), but others aren't affected until they reach altitudes of 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) or more. Find out what altitude you're traveling to to see if this could be a problem.

The best prevention for altitude sickness is to gradually increase your altitude every day to get used to it. If that isn't possible, a drug known as acetazolamide (Diamox) can help relieve and even prevent symptoms of altitude sickness. If you know that you might get altitude sickness, talk with your doctor before you leave home.

The topic of diarrhea may seem gross, but it can be a serious problem. Traveler's diarrhea, known as turista, often occurs when a foreign type of bacteria enters your digestive tract, usually when you eat contaminated food. The best way to prevent turista is to be very careful of the food you eat and the water you drink on the road.

Safe Eats and DrinksSo what foods are safe to eat? Any foods that have been boiled are generally safe, as well as fruits and vegetables that have to be peeled before eating. Avoid eating uncooked or undercooked meat or meat that is not cooked just prior to serving.

Stay away from foods that require a lot of handling before serving. Here's an example: nine friends ate at a restaurant in Mexico; eight had diarrhea a few hours later. The one who didn't get sick was the only one who had ordered enchiladas, a dish that didn't need to be touched by human hands right before serving.

One of your favorite foods at home is on the safe list on the road - pizza! Pizza dough, sauce, and cheese are foods that are less likely to spoil than others, and the high heat of a pizza oven tends to kill any harmful bacteria in the food.

You've probably heard that you shouldn't drink the water in Mexico, but did you know why?

Water supplies in Mexico - and in most developing countries - are not treated in the same way as water supplies in developed countries; various bacteria, viruses, and parasites are commonly found in the water. Many experts suggest you drink only bottled water when traveling. If you need to use tap water, you should boil it first or purify it with an iodine tablet. And don't use ice unless it's made from water you know is safe.

"Whether you're brushing your teeth, rinsing contact lenses, or drinking a small glass of water to wash down pills, you should first take precautions to ensure the water is safe," says Wayne Riley, MD, of the Baylor College of Medicine.

You Can Take It With YouWhen you're packing, you'll want to include any medications and other medical supplies you use on a daily basis because they may be hard to find in another country if you run out. Even if you can find them, there's a good chance the formulations will be stronger or weaker than the ones you're used to.

These may include any prescriptions you already take, such as inhalers, allergy medication, and insulin, as well as contact lens cleaners and vitamins.

Packing an over-the-counter pain medication like acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), and diarrhea medication is also a good idea. Richard Barnes, a soccer coach who has traveled frequently with teens, suggests you pack some over-the-counter allergy medication even if you don't take it at home. Barnes says that sometimes people unexpectedly develop allergic reactions to the pollens and other allergens found in a new environment. "Many players with asthma or other allergies unexpectedly react to these new substances," he says.

Write It All DownEven if you watch what you eat and drink and get enough rest while you're traveling, you may still get sick. The good news is that you'll probably be able to find competent medical care. The key, says Kenneth V. Iserson, MD, a professor of surgery at the University of Arizona Health Science Center, is knowing where to go. "Most travel guides suggest you go to a hospital where English is spoken or American-trained doctors can be found," he says. For this reason, it's a good idea to always carry a written copy of your medical history with you.

Having such important information available in one place can help health care workers make appropriate decisions, and you won't have to worry about forgetting important information at a time when you're likely to be upset and not thinking clearly.

Before you leave your home sweet home, create a medical history form that includes the following information:

• your name, address, and home phone number as well as a parent's daytime phone number • your blood type • immunizations • your doctor's name, address, and office and emergency phone numbers • the name, address, and phone number of your health insurance carrier, including your policy number • a list of any chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, or AIDS
• a list of current medications you are taking and pharmacy name and phone number • a list of allergies to medications, food, insects, and animals • a prescription for glasses or contact lenses • the name, address, and phone number of family member or relative other than your parent

It also helps if you have some basic emergency medical knowledge, not only for yourself but for helping others you may be traveling with. A great way to prepare for your trip is to take a first aid, CPR, or emergency medical training (EMT) class before you go; if you're traveling with a group, you should know where the first-aid kit is and what's in it.

If you practice these healthy hints you can focus on the scenery - not medical emergencies - and return home with nothing more than some tacky souvenirs.

For more information for your teens, visit www.kidshealth.org

No Equipment Travel Workout

A vacation can do wonders for reducing stress levels, but it often reeks havoc on your fitness regimen. Fortunately our onsite gym can make sure your lifestyle remains uninterrupted but some people are not comfortable with working out in a new environment.  We understand. 

Even some of the most die-hard exercisers find it difficult to stick with a workout program when away from home. Sure, many have good intentions. They may even pack their workout attire. Unfortunately, it usually never makes it out of the suitcase until it’s unpacked when their back home.

But travel from home doesn’t have to result in an interruption or complete abandonment of your healthy habits. You can still fit in exercise time when away from home, regardless of whether you find yourself in a warm or a cold climate. Even if bad weather forces you into seclusion in your hotel room, there are exercises you can complete without a single piece of equipment.

Below are some tips to help you stay fit away from home. 

Be realistic. You probably won't be able to fit in your normal weekly workouts and that's okay. Shoot for completing at least 50% of your normal regimen.

Plan ahead. Before leaving town, find out what facilities your accommodations will have or if there is a nearby park or jogging track (weather permitting, of course).

Scope out local gyms. If you are staying somewhere that doesn’t provide a workout area then inquire at the nearby local fitness centers or community centers for their rates. Often they offer day passes for minimal fees.

Pack a resistance band in your suitcase. The band takes up very little space, yet can provide you with an entire upper and lower body workout routine.

Don’t deprive yourself of all local delicacies. You can enjoy some special meals without going overboard. Ask the restaurants to prepare your favorite dishes with a few lower fat ingredients.

Be creative. Find unique, fun ways to exercise instead of doing the same routine you do when you are at home. Try biking, hiking, a pedal boat excursion, water skiing, beach volleyball, etc. Effective workouts aren’t limited to the standard fares of walking, jogging and fitness machines.

Try out your travel routine at least once at home. A new workout that you’ve never done before will require more time and preparation. This type of frustration just makes for an easy excuse to skip the workout.

Prepare snacks. If your journey includes a lot of time in the car, be sure to pack some healthy snacks so you aren’t forced to eat at all the fast food and convenience shops along the way.

Play in the pool. If lounging poolside is part of your vacation plans, then hop in the pool every 20 minutes for 5-10 minutes of pool walking (try it in waist-deep or higher water for a really challenging workout).

Get comfortable. Don’t forget to pack comfortable workout attire that fits your destination’s climate.

This workout targets the entire body and is great for travelers or those who don't have a lot of equipment.  All you need is a thick phone book (or any other thick, heavy book) and a stool or chair.  Some exercises are very advanced, so use caution and modify the workout to fit your fitness level.

1. Begin with a warm up of light cardio
2.  Beginners perform 1 set of 12-16 reps of each exercise, modifying each move to fit your fitness level
3.  Intermediate/Advanced:  Performs 2-3 sets of 10-16 reps with short rests in between
4.  Add intensity by adding weights or slowing the movements down
5.  See your doctor if you have any injuries or illnesses
6.  Click on pictures for a closer view

Staggered PushupsTry a different version of your usual pushup by putting one hand on a phone book (or any other object) and the other on the floor.  On your knees or toes (and with body straight) lower down into a pushup and push back up.  Do as many as you can and move on.

Good Mornings
Stand with feet about hip-width apart holding phone book (or medium weight) straight up overhead.  Keeping abs braced and knees slightly bent, tip from the hips and lower the torso until it is parallel to the floor, keeping the arms in line with ears.  Lift up and repeat.  Keep the abs braced throughout the move.  If you have any back problems, skip this move! 

Pike Shoulder PushupThis is a very advanced exercise, so use caution!  Place your toes on a step or stool and hands on the floor.  Lift your body up into a pike position with your hands directly under your shoulders and the top of your head facing the floor.  Bend the elbows and lower body into a pushup.  Push back up and repeat.  The move is shown on a ball which is even more advanced.  Be careful!

Rear Delt Fly
With feet hip-width apart, tip from the hips until back is flat and parallel to the floor, abs braced.  Lift the arms straight out to the sides to shoulder level with thumbs pointing up to the ceiling.  Lower and repeat.  Add light weights for intensity...if this hurts your shoulders, skip it!  

Triceps Dips
Sit on a bench or chair with hands resting next to thighs. Push up and bring the hips out, butt just brushing the bench, knees bent. Bend the elbows and lower body down (staying close to bench) until elbows are 90 degrees. Push up and repeat. Straighten the legs for more intensity. 

Triceps One-Armed Pushup
Lie down on left side, hips and knees stacked. Wrap the left arm around torso so that left hand is resting on the right waist. Place the right hand on the floor in front of you, palm parallel to the body. Squeeze the triceps and push your body up. Lower and repeat before switching sides.

Squats on Tiptoes
With feet wider than hips, squat down and place hands on phone book in front of you.  Raise up on the tips of your toes.  Staying on tiptoes and fingertips, lift hips up towards the ceiling and straighten the knees as much as you can.  Squat back down and repeat, staying in tiptoes the entire time.  Modify by placing hands higher (on a chair or bed). 

Lunge with Arms Overhead
Stand in split stance with feet about 3 feet apart.  Hold phone book or weight straight up overhead.  Bend the knees and lower into a lunge, bringing both knees to 90 degree angles, front knee behind toe.  Keeping weight overhead, push back up and repeat before switching legs.

Single Leg Lift and

SquatPlace

hands behind the back and tip forward until back is parallel to the floor and flat, abs braced.  Take right leg out to the side, resting on toe.  Squat down with the left leg while simultaneously lifting the right leg a few inches off the ground and out to the side, leg straight.  Straighten and repeat for all reps before switching sides.

Calf RaiseStand on phone book with heels hanging off the back.  Keeping body straight, lift the body up onto tiptoes by contracting the calves.  Lower and repeat.  You can do this on the floor as well.