Traveling at the End of the World: A Tour of Canada’s Gaspé Peninsula


It’s the Western Hemisphere’s original superhighway: Long before Route 66 or the Oregon Trail or even the Erie Canal — for that matter, before Henry Hudson ever sailed into New York Harbor French ships, trailing the wake of Indigenous peoples such as the Mi’kmaq and the Innu, were already navigating the St. Lawrence River to explore, exploit and settle the new world. To this day, the St. Lawrence moves more than 150 million tons of cargo a year. But it can also move people, in unexpected ways. Follow alongside, and it will take you through other countries. And realms. And even back in time.

The fleuve Saint-Laurent — a fleuve is a river that empties into the sea; others are merely rivières — flows northward from Lake Ontario for some 800 miles, but a good place to start shadowing it would be about a third of the way downstream, at the Plains of Abraham, in Québec City, where, in 1759, the British effectively secured their hegemony over the French in this part of the world for the next two centuries. Stand up there, on this elevated battleground, and gaze out — over the rooftops of the city that Samuel de Champlain founded 12 years before the Mayflower left England — at the fleuve, spreading out like a bay, and, to your right, two bridges that span it.

The last two.

You don’t have to go across; you could just remain on this side, where Champlain planted roots, and visit waterfalls, ski resorts, artsy towns. But that other side: It’s mysterious. Somewhere out there — around 500 miles of two-lane macadam away — is Rocher Percé (pierced rock), a striking offshore monolith, one of Canada’s great icons, and next door, Île Bonaventure, where cliffs rising hundreds of feet from the water teem with birds rarely spotted south of the border. Both merit the drive; but to do it straight in one day — rather than, as I did, over the course of several — would be like going to an épicerie, buying a Coffee Crisp bar (that cherished Canadian confection), framing the wrapper and throwing the candy away.

Cross over into the city of Lévis and pick up Quebec 132, the road that will take you all the way around the Gaspé peninsula. At first, suburban sprawl obscures the river; then, suddenly, you’re in the middle of lush farmland with open driver’s side views of the fleuve. This region is known as Chaudière-Appalaches, as in, the Appalachian Mountains. They’re up here, too, lurking somewhere off to your right.

You’ll pass many cyclists, their bicycles strapped with bulging saddle bags; the road here runs flat, and straight. The coast, though, does not, so while 132 goes right through some towns, others nestle off to its left. Detouring through one every five or 10 minutes is like unwrapping Christmas presents.

Though they all look like charming mashups of New England and old France, each is distinct from its neighbors. In Saint-Vallier, for instance, I stumbled upon an otherwise nondescript home, its front lawn festooned with more than a dozen elaborate scale models: houses, shops, a gazebo, a church. A neighbor who noticed me gawking walked over to explain, “They’re all buildings in town. The fellow who lives here used to make one a year. He’s 85 now and can’t do it anymore, but he still puts them out every June and takes them in come winter.”

The town of L’Islet has a splendid stone church with gleaming twin spires. Though the parking lot was empty when I passed through, a side door was unlocked; inside, a woman encouraged me to explore its capacious interior, warmer and sunnier than any ornate église I’d ever seen. “This is a patrimoniale church,” she beamed, meaning it’s landmarked, a designation that carries even more prestige here than it does in the States. “It was built in 1768, after the town outgrew two earlier ones.”

Follow the steeples. Churches here stand at the center of town; around them you’ll often find warm cafés, humble museums, public artwork, homemade chapels, placid riverfronts, little houses painted in bright colors. And sometimes — full disclosure — a potent whiff of cow manure. Fertile land, this.

At Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, past a sign welcoming you to the next region, Bas- (or lower) Saint-Laurent, a roadside shrine lists the town’s pioneers, going back to 1715. Others nearby were settled even earlier, like Kamouraska.

There are a few things that will stop you in Kamouraska. There’s that founding date, of course (1674); but there’s also its name — I’m told it’s Algonquin for “the place where rushes grow at the edge of the water” — which may well be the first thing you’ve seen on this whole drive to remind you that other people were living in these parts before the French sailed in.

But what will really stop you in Kamouraska is all the foot traffic, right along 132: people exploring historical sites, yes, but also plenty of boutiques, galleries, eateries. I asked the gentleman at the visitors bureau what drew people there in the first place, figuring the businesses had followed the tourists. “We’re known for having the second-most-beautiful sunsets in the world,” he said. Having heard tell of other Saint-Laurent towns with spectacular sunsets, I asked him where No. 1 was. “Hawaii,” he replied.

But for the silver-painted steeples and mansard roofs, this part of the drive, where the towns are now maybe 15 or 20 minutes apart, may remind you of the Low Countries — at least until Bic National Park begins, bumping smooth shoreline for rugged inlets and channels, peppered with little pine-topped islands, which evoke Norse country. Road and river reunite near Rimouski, population 50,000, by far the largest city this side of Lévis, almost 200 miles back. When I stopped at the tourism office there and asked where the historic district was, the woman behind the counter told me: “There isn’t one. The city burned down in 1950.”

Rimouski does have a pleasant elevated walkway along the shore, though the serenity you experience gazing out at the fleuve there may be tempered by a visit to the Empress of Ireland Museum, dedicated to a liner of that name that sank nearby in May 1914, taking more than a thousand people down with it in just 14 minutes. The museum has a fine film about the ship, how it sank and why it went down so quickly — despite having safety features inspired by the Titanic disaster just two years earlier — and displays hundreds of artifacts salvaged by wildcat divers: water heater, egg boiler, baby bottle, moose antlers. Only as I was walking back to my car did I realize the building itself is a Cubist rendition of the foundering ship, smokestacks and all.

At some point, it will occur to you that you can no longer see the opposite bank, and you’ll come to understand why folks here refer to the river as la mer, the sea. At Sainte-Flavie, you enter the region of Gaspésie. The towns get noticeably smaller and even farther apart, the Christmas presents more surprising, including working phone booths and mechanical gas pumps.

More than 200 years have passed since Métis-sur-Mer was founded by a Scottish seigneur, but it’s still somewhat Anglophone. (It was “Métis Beach” until 2002.) It still has a Presbyterian church, too; in its graveyard, scattered among the marble and limestone, you’ll find a few wooden markers, long since weathered to illegibility. At Baie-des-Sables, while you stroll yet another waterside promenade sprinkled with comfortable chairs, it may occur to you that there is in these towns a tremendous sense of civic pride: Almost everything in them is tidy, well kept (even abandoned houses have mowed lawns) and, by the shore, inviting.

Past Matane, the coast starts to bulge and buckle with approaching mountains. Towns bear-hug the water, sometimes even spilling out over it, like Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, where I came upon a large quay, its surface covered with vehicles, its edges with anglers. These settlements were built on fishing, but people here apparently love it so much they do it in their spare time, too.

Soon thereafter, you will have crested the peninsula, your car’s compass having gradually spun from NNE to just E. It’s here, at the ceiling of Gaspésie, that the Appalachians finally end, and not with a whimper. They crash right into the water, forcing the road to accommodate them by rising and falling and contorting such that you may feel it’s trying to shake you off its back.

But, then: those views. Here analogy fails me; I know of none like them. If you’re the type of person who stares at far-flung places on maps and envisions what they must be like, this one will exceed your imagination. At one point, for instance, a sharp bend in the mountainside road suddenly reveals a vista of more mountains alternating like the teeth of an opening zipper; before them, the village of Mont-Saint-Pierre clings to the slender rim of a half-moon cove. Stand on its dark-gray-speckled-with-white beach, looking forward and back, and you’ll wonder how any thoroughfare — much less the modest one bedside you — can possibly make it around the promontories jutting into the sea.

Past each, other mountains inch back from the shore just enough to accommodate settlements, some only one house deep; a few are simply a handful of small dwellings huddling together against blue infinity. Others are a bit larger, like Madeleine-Centre, where the lighthouse — you’ll have passed many by now: wooden, stone, brick; white, red, white and red — has a small museum that illuminates the history of the area, the life of a lighthouse keeper, and the indispensability of such structures, quaint artifacts though they seem now: In just two decades, from 1856 to 1876, the St. Lawrence swallowed at least 674 ships.

This raw coast, compelling as it is today, was, for centuries, terribly forbidding. The hamlet of Pointe-à-la-Frégate — named for the British frigate HMS Penelope, which ran aground there on April 30, 1815; more than 200 on board either drowned or froze to death — has a pocket park commemorating that shipwreck, with informative kiosks, a couple of picnic tables shaped like (pink) Napoleonic-era warships, and a cannon. You may be tempted to pose behind the porthole for a picture, but I wouldn’t: It’s mounted at the edge of a cliff.

If you like local, Gaspésie’s northern fringe is the place. When I cheekily asked a server at a small restaurant what other kinds of dining options were in the vicinity, she grinned and said, “There’s A&W in Matane, and McDonald’s in Gaspé.” Matane was then 100 miles behind me; Gaspé still 100 miles ahead. Sparsely populated as the area is, though, it has a great deal of history, not all of it tragic. At Pointe-à-la-Renommée, Guglielmo Marconi opened his first North American maritime wireless station in 1904. It’s still there on the spot (next to yet another lighthouse) that Marconi chose precisely because it was so remote.

At the eastern tip of the peninsula, Forillon National Park leaps out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Nearly 100 square miles of conifers, beaches and capes, it was created in 1970, though not without tears: As kiosks at an anse, or cove, there explain, a great many families, some of whom had been there for centuries, were displaced in the process; their memories and lamentations grace other kiosks. (“We had lots of fun at Christmas.” “Families always got together for meals; it was a tradition.” “I know it’s been over 40 years but it still hurts. We’ll never forget.”) Some of their empty houses remain, as does William Hyman’s store, which provisioned generations of cod fishermen.

That cove is called L’Anse-aux-Amérindians (thankfully renamed from L’Anse-aux-Sauvages) to commemorate earlier generations of displaced residents. A trail that starts nearby leads to this eastern tip’s eastern tip, Land’s End. Its French name, Le Bout du Monde, seems more apt — the End of the World. And yet, somehow, inadequate: Ride a whale-watching boat around the Gulf and you’ll behold a land-and-seascape — indigo water waging an ancient war on ochre cliffs, more than you can count — best described as otherworldly.

Heading on, you’ll pass Fort Péninsule, a preserved coastal defense dating to World War II, when the Nazis sank some two dozen Allied ships in the St. Lawrence, before you come into the city of Gaspé, population 15,000. The town of Percé — where the sights include not only Rocher Percé and Île Bonaventure, but more souvenir and tchotchke stores than I care to recollect, not to mention the first paid parking lots I’d encountered in 500 miles — is still about 45 minutes away; but, again, don’t rush. Gaspé, one of the great natural harbors on the Atlantic — with its nearby beaches and surprisingly warm water, enticing restaurants and shops, fine regional museum and snug main street, Rue de la Reine, where the lampposts and parking-meter poles are outfitted with rainbow-striped knitted cozies — is as good a place as any I can think of to hunker down for a bit.

Jacques Cartier would agree. A tall stone cross on Gaspé’s waterfront marks the spot where the explorer planted a more modest wooden one in 1534, when he stopped by seeking shelter from a storm, and decided to do some trading with the locals. And, while he was there, invoke the papal Doctrine of Discovery (the one that decreed Christian nations like France could just assert ownership of territory already occupied by non-Christian Indigenous peoples) to claim the land for King François.

What he claimed — about 35 years before Champlain was born — is what we now call Canada. Though Gaspé also sometimes refers to itself as the End of the World, it was, in fact, the beginning of a whole new one. And well worth traversing several to see.

Lodging: If you’re an R.V. person, there are campgrounds all along Route 132, some right on the water. If you’re not, there are large hotels in Rimouski and Matane, but you might also consider an auberge, or inn, in a Victorian-era house; there are a couple, for instance, in the village of Le Bic, which also has a very fine bakery, Folles Farines, and lovely views of Bic National Park. There are plenty of inns in lower Gaspésie, ranging from humble to much less humble, and small motels. Up on the peninsula’s ceiling, options range from pretty basic motels (which nonetheless usually look better in real life than they appear in pictures online), to small inns, to cabins. (Few will turn up in a hotel app search; better to just use Google Maps.) And in Gaspé, there are motels, inns and hotels; the Baker Hotel is upscale for this area, but not exorbitant. You deserve it after all that driving.

Dining: This area is, not surprisingly, known for its seafood, but there are also plenty of local specialties that don’t come from the water. You will find a number of more upscale dining options — though not as many as you would have before Canada started experiencing its own labor shortage; you can still get a good breakfast at many hotels and inns, and even motels, though dinner at these can be trickier these days — but the food at the roadside shacks (called cantines) is often outstanding, too, even when they’re the only option. The line at Cantine Ste-Flavie, for instance, just outside that town, can be very long, and there’s a good reason for that. Even on such an enticing menu, the poutine aux crevettes — a mountain of fresh local shrimp atop fries, cheese curds and gravy — stands out. (Be forewarned: They only take cash and certain debit cards.) La Banquise 102 de Gaspé offers a delicious Montreal smoked meat poutine; so does Brise Bise, a restaurant on Rue de la Reine. Cafe des Artistes and the bakery Oh Les Pains, both also on Rue de la Reine, are also very good, and the restaurant TÉTÛ at the Baker Hotel is a fine option. Just make sure these are open on the day you plan to go — again, that labor shortage. Finally, when you see the giant roadside strawberry in L’Isle Vert (about 45 minutes past Kamouraska, heading north/east), pull up to the little red shack — Potager Côte D’or — and get a sundae made with their fresh strawberries. You’re welcome.

Museums, etc.: There are many small museums and local historical sites all along the route; serendipity may well guide you to some you won’t forget. The Empress of Ireland Museum is part of a maritime heritage complex that includes a lighthouse and a Canadian submarine. In Gaspé, you might want to check out the nascent Site d’Interpretation Micmac de Gespeg, and the generous array of informative kiosks at a plaza down by the waterfront where Cartier planted his cross. But you definitely don’t want to skip the Musée de la Gaspésie, which has excellent permanent exhibits about the history and culture of the area, including millennia of Indigenous societies and centuries of Anglo-French intrigue and commercial fishing. There’s also a wondrous temporary one (running through fall 2023) called “Cher Léo,” about Léonard Lapierre (1928-2014), an ingenious area folk artist who made everything out of anything. (The exhibit’s name refers to the many fan letters Lapierre got from schoolchildren throughout Canada.)


Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.





Source link

Dr Carrie Jose provides four tips to avoid neck and back pain when traveling


Memorial Day weekend is the “unofficial” start of summer – and AAA estimates that 39.2 million people will travel this weekend. That’s 8.3% more than last year, and it’s going to mean the exacerbation of neck and back pain for a lot of folks out there – especially the over 40 crowd. 

So why does traveling wreak such havoc on our spines?  

Road trips, planes and trains typically involve lots of sitting and driving, which necks and backs just don’t like when done frequently and for prolonged periods. You’re typically off your routine when you travel, and sleep on surfaces you’re not accustomed to.  Any one of these things – but especially when combined together – can flare up old patterns of neck and back pain. 

The good news is there are lots of things you can do when traveling to ease neck and back pain.

Here are four of my top traveling tips: 

Use the 30-minute rule 

The biggest strain on your body while traveling is undoubtedly the prolonged periods of sitting – often in cramped spaces. Our bodies are made to move continuously throughout the day. Whenever possible, getting out of your seat often is critical for keeping your neck and back healthy and mobile. Motion is lotion. And one of the best things you can do for your neck and back is to interrupt any prolonged posture – especially sitting – once every 30 min. If you’re unable to actually stand for a few seconds, then try arching your back or stretching your arms up over your head while sitting. Do a few neck rolls and chin tucks to stretch your spine. The more you move, the better your spine is going to feel.  

Use a lumbar roll 

Our spine is made up of distinct curves for a very good reason. They are designed to balance forces and sustain shock – and it’s best if you can maintain them. When you sit, the curve in your lower back (lumbar spine) decreases, or sometimes disappears all together, when not supported. While it’s perfectly acceptable to sit like this for small increments of time, it will start to cause problems after several hours. Prolonged curvature of your low back puts unwanted stress on the discs, ligaments, and muscles in your spine. Your neck also responds to this posture by assuming a position we call “forward head”. This can give you headaches, neck pain, and cause extra tension to occur in your mid back and upper shoulders. One of the best things you can do is use a cylindrical lumbar roll to help maintain the natural curve in your low back. If you’re driving, the lumbar support in your seat usually isn’t enough. Take a small towel roll, sweatshirt, or pillow and place it at the small of your back any time you’re sitting. You’ll find it’s easier to maintain the natural curves in your spine – and you’ll have a lot less strain on your neck and back. 

Bring your own pillow 

Sleeping on surfaces we’re not accustomed to can not only ruin a vacation but set us up for unwanted neck and back pain. If possible – bring your favorite pillow from home – or ask for extra pillows wherever you’re staying. If a mattress is too firm for you – you can use pillows to cushion areas of your body like hips and shoulders so that you don’t wake up sore. Conversely, if a mattress is too soft, you can use extra pillows to build up the surface under your waist if you’re a side sleeper, under the small of your back if you’re a back sleeper, and under your belly if you’re a stomach sleeper. Lastly, if a pillow is too fluffy or too flat – your neck will end up paying for it. When you’re sleeping – the goal is to position yourself in a way that allows your spine to stay in neutral alignment. You don’t want your head tilted down or up – it’s the fastest way to stir up an old neck injury or wake up with a tension headache. 

Extend instead of bend 

Did you know that the average person bends or flexes forward between three and five thousand times per day? When you’re traveling – you’re going to be on the upper end of that metric. Our spines crave balance. And because of the disproportionate amount of time we spend bent over – we need to make a concerted effort to move our spines in the opposite direction. When you’re traveling – look for opportunities to be upright and mobile. Walking is an excellent, therapeutic activity for your spine – plus – it’s a great way to see the sights wherever you’re going. When you’re practicing the 30 min rule, give your back and neck a nice stretch backwards each time you stand to interrupt your sitting. But probably more important than what you do during travel is what you do when you’re back home. Be cautious when jumping back into your typical gym or exercise routine. All the sitting and bending that comes with travel makes your spine vulnerable for injury. It’s very common to get injured a week or two after you’re home – seemingly “out of nowhere”. 

I hope at least one of these tips helps you to have less neck and back pain on your next travel excursion – so that you can spend time enjoying where you’re going versus worrying about an aching neck or back. 

Dr. Carrie Jose, Physical Therapist and Pilates expert, owns CJ Physical Therapy & Pilates in Portsmouth and writes for Seacoast Media Group. To get in touch, or reserve a seat in her upcoming Masterclass for Neck and Shoulder Pain sufferers, email info@cjphysicaltherapy.com, or call 603-605-0402.



Source link

8 tips I wish I knew before traveling on my own to Egypt






8 tips I wish I knew before traveling on my own to Egypt



















Advertiser Disclosure



Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.



Source link

Expert Tips for How To Be Healthy While Traveling from an RD


This Memorial Day Weekend, 39 million people are expected to travel, making it the highest travel weekend for the official start of summer since 2019, or pre-pandemic times. Most of us also want to eat healthy while on the road or in the air, and we need strategies to stick to our best exercise and diet routines while navigating the food court at the airport or the snack shack or gas station quick-stop.

Here, Keri Glassman, RD and founder of the Nutritious Life, shares her best tips for staying healthy on the road, in the air, and at all points in between.

Healthy Travel Tip 1. Stay Hydrated. Bring a 32-Ounce Water Bottle

First of all, you need to stay hydrated, Glassman says. So instead of thinking “don’t forget to pack my running shoes,” which are also an important piece of equipment, do think:I need my oversized water bottle. Just by carrying a 32 ounce reusable bottle, Glassman says, you can be sure to fill it up before or after you get through security where the TSA check may require you to toss any liquids.

Try to drink at least two full bottles of water if you’re flying, which can be dehydrating in the controlled air, so fill up that 32 ounces to get at least 64 ounces, and aim to do that twice a day, Glassman says.

For how much water to drink in a day, calculate half your weight in ounces. If the goal is to lose weight, then drink even more water, since studies have shown that drinking water is a way to stay full and not mistake thirst for hunger.

Bring that water bottle with you and keep it refilled. When going thru TSA fill it up after you get through the security. If you have 32 ounce bottle fill it at least twice a day to get your 64 ounces.

Water not your favorite beverage? Then make a healthy (unsweetened) tea and bring that, Glassman suggests. “I tell people bring your favorite teas with you. I like Traditional Medicinal Teas. You can pack them in your carry on and they take up no space. They make different teas and each one has a benefit that can be helpful on the road, especially the Nighty Night Extras Tea, since it has valerian root which helps mellow you out, so you can get sleep even away from your bed.”

Healthy Travel Tip 2: Bring Healthy Snacks with you in Individual Packages

“Bring nonperishable snacks on the plane and the best way to do this is to make your own individual snack packs,” Glassman suggests.

  • Snacking Olives: Now days you can also buy healthy snacks in nonperishable packaging, like Freestyle Snacks. Look for pitted olives, and enjoy knowing that olives are high in heart-healthy Omega-3s, she adds.
  • Nut Butters: Yes, you can bring a small package through security. Look for Justines, Rx Bars and other individual nut butters, she says. Add a small stack of Nut & Seed crackers, or any healthy whole grain crackers.
  • Whole Fruit: Bring a single banana, which you can generally find at any hotel restaurant, to go with the nut butters, since it’s a great snack packed with fiber and potassium. Other fruit that travels well are apples, oranges, or anything with a peel.
  • Dried Fruit or Freeze Dried Fruit: Look for no added sugar and also no added sulfur dioxide, which is sometimes used as a preservative. It can cause headaches in many people.
  • Small Packages of Nuts: Buy these or you can make your mixture before you go. Add almonds, pistachios, cashews and walnuts which each are high in fiber and antioxidants
  • Dried Chickpeas: A protein-packed crunchy snack are dried chickpea snacks. You can buy them in flavors like BBQ or other, Vienna makes them. Or it’s easy to make roasted chickpeas. Simply rinse and dry your chickpeas on a paper towel, then spread evenly on a sheet pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake at 425 for 25 minutes.
  • Beet Chips, Kale Chips: You can make your own healthier kale chips before leaving home, and avoid the unhealthy potato chips or snack packs they hand out on the plane. If you are stuck buying, check the quality of the oil on the package. Avoid saturated fats when possible.
  • Protein Bars: There are so many good protein bars on the market, check out this list of snack bars that are healthy and taste great. Look for those that are lowest in added sugar or are sweetened naturally with dates or figs.

“If you get stuck in an airport or on the tarmac waiting for a gate to open, you can make a makeshift meal with chickpeas and olives and a piece of fruit, and it’s almost a real meal,” Glassman says.

Healthy Travel Tip 3: Plan Ahead and look at Restaurants you have access to

“The best way to eat healthy anywhere is to know that you are going out, so look for restaurants that serve plant-based or healthy options and make sure you know what is available,” Glassman suggests.

Find a restaurant you want on Happy Cow, which lists all the vegetarian or vegan options near your destination, and check The Beet City Guides, which include restaurant reviews in dozens of US cities that are chock-a-block with healthy plant-based restaurants.

She suggests that if you are prone to having digestive issues while traveling you include Traditional Medicinals’ Smooth Move tea. “Sometimes your GI system gets thrown off  when you travel, and you can get constipated so this tea acts as an organic laxative and helps relieve occasional constipation,” Glassman says, “so it’s good to bring with you and use as needed.”

Healthy Travel Tip 4: Stick to Your Routine and Be as Consistent as Possible

There are four pillars of a healthy life, that I teach at Nutritiouslife.com. One is eating healthy and being mindful of food choices, and the another is daily exercise. A third is sleep and a fourth is stress relief. If you know you are going to be someplace stressful, like with family, take time to meditate every morning, even before you get out of bed.

“Of course on vacation some things are going to give. All the pillars don’t have to be perfect, she reminds us. but do the best you can. You don’t have to to all of those things (like eat healthy) as well on vacation as you do at home — but you want to keep as consistent as possible.

If you are in Italy, for instance, you are going to enjoy the local fare, because it’s delicious. But then you’ll probably want to make sure you are getting in all your steps, or maybe even more,” she tells us.

“If you’re in the mountains you’re hopefully getting out and hiking but you may also be enjoying more alcohol at night with friends. It’s a balance, but generally keep your habits as consistently healthy as possible,” for a healthy, safe and enjoyable holiday.

Bottom Line: You Can Stay Healthy While Traveling With a Little Planning Ahead

When you hit the road or head to the airport, bring your large water bottle and a few healthy snacks in order to stick to your best efforts to be healthy while traveling, says Keri Glassman, RD. Try to stay as consistent as possible and you’ll have a healthy, happy holiday weekend.

For more nutrition advice, check out Ask the Expert articles on The Beet, where doctors, nutritionists and other expert professionals share helpful tips on how to stay healthy and eat more plant-based.





Source link

Three Packing Tips For Smooth Traveling On Your Next Vacation | On Air with Ryan Seacrest


Summer is around the corner which means summer vacation! But with vacation comes packing and we all know packing can be the worst.

Ryan Seacrest shared some tips on-air that could help your next trip go more smoothly.

  • ROLL YOUR CLOTHES, DO NOT FOLD THEM.
  • KEEP AT LEAST ONE DAY OF CLOTHES AND ESSENTIALS IN YOUR CARRY-ON IN CASE YOUR LUGGAGE GETS LOST.
  • TAKE TWICE AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU THINK YOU NEED. TAKE HALF AS MANY CLOTHES AS YOU THINK YOU’LL NEED.

Watch the above video for more! Will these tips be helpful for your next vacation?!



Source link

Prepare for sticker shock if you are traveling this summer


DALLAS (AP) — Airlines and tourist destinations are expecting monster crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes lingering fear of contracting COVID-19 during travel.

Many forecasters believe the number of travelers will match or even exceed levels in the good-old, pre-pandemic days. However, airlines have thousands fewer employees than they did in 2019, and that has at times contributed to widespread flight cancellations.

People who are only now booking travel for the summer are experiencing the sticker shock.

Domestic airline fares for summer are averaging more than $400 a round trip, 24% higher than this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and a whopping 45% higher than a year ago, according to travel-data firm Hopper.

“The time to have gotten cheap summer flights was probably three or four months ago,” says Scott Keyes, who runs the Scott’s Cheap Flights site.

Internationally, fares are also up from 2019, but only 10%. Prices to Europe are about 5% cheaper than before the pandemic — $868 for the average round trip, according to Hopper. Keyes said Europe is the best travel bargain out there.

Steve Nelson of Mansfield, Texas, was standing in line this week at a security checkpoint in Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, ready to board a flight to Nice, France, with plans to attend a Formula One race in Monaco.

“I decided it’s time to work on my bucket list,” Nelson said. “I hadn’t even considered Monaco until this year.”

Although many countries have eased rules for travel, there are still restrictions in place that add to the hassle factor. Notably, the United States still requires a negative COVID-19 test within a day of flying to the country.

“We only realized that a couple days before coming here. We kind of panicked to find a place to get tested,” said Jonny Dawe, a software engineer from Bath, England, who was in Dallas for a conference — his first major trip since the pandemic started. “You have to check all the testing requirements for the countries you are visiting, and you have to worry about contracting the virus.”

Online spending on U.S. flights eased in April after a torrid March, but it’s still up 23% from spring 2019 mostly because of higher prices, according to Adobe Analytics.

Airlines blame the steeper fares on jet fuel roughly doubling in price over 2019. It’s more than that, however. The number of flights has not returned to pre-pandemic levels even though demand for travel is surging.

“We have more travelers looking to book fewer seats, and each of those seats is going to be more expensive for airlines to fly this summer because of jet fuel,” says Hopper economist Hayley Berg.

When travelers reach their destination, they will be greeted with hotel rates that are up about one-third from last year. Hotels are filling up faster, too. Hotel companies blame the higher prices on increasing cost for supplies as well as workers in a tight labor market.

Rental cars were hard to find and very expensive last summer, but that seems to have eased as the rental companies rebuild their fleets. The nationwide average price is currently around $70 a day, according to Hopper.

Jonathan Weinberg, founder of a rental car shopping site called AutoSlash, said prices and availability of vehicles will be very uneven. It won’t be as bad as last summer, but prices for vehicles will still be “way above average, if you can even find one,” in Hawaii, Alaska and near destinations such as national parks.

Even if you drive your own car, it’ll still be pricey. The national average for regular gasoline hit $4.60 a gallon on Thursday — more than $6 in California. Those prices have some people considering staying home.

“You don’t really get used to $6 gas,” said Juliet Ripley of San Diego as she paid $46.38 to put 7.1 gallons in her Honda Civic. The single mom of two has no summer vacation plans other than an occasional trip to a nearby beach.

For those determined to travel, however, it is an open question whether airlines, airports, hotels and other travel businesses will be able to handle them.

More than 2.1 million people a day on average are boarding planes in the United States, about 90% of 2019 levels and a number that is sure to grow by several hundred thousand a day by July.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has tapped nearly 1,000 checkpoint screeners who can move from one airport to another, depending on where they are needed most.

“We are as ready as we possibly can be,” says TSA chief David Pekoske.

Airlines that paid employees to quit when travel collapsed in 2020 are now scrambling to hire enough pilots, flight attendants and other workers. The largest four U.S. airlines — American, Delta, United and Southwest — together had roughly 36,000 fewer employees at the start of 2022 than before the pandemic, a drop of nearly 10%, despite aggressive hiring that started last year.

Pilots are in particularly short supply at smaller regional airlines that operate nearly half of all U.S. flights under names like American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express.

Airlines are trimming summer schedules to avoid overloading their staffs and canceling flights at the last minute. This week, Delta cut about 100 flights a day, or 2%, from its July schedule, and more than 150 flights a day on average, or 3%, in August. Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue previously reduced summer flights.

Cancellations aren’t limited to the U.S. In the United Kingdom, easyJet and British Airways scrubbed many flights this spring because of staffing shortages.

Air travel within Europe is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels this summer, although visitors from outside the region will likely be down 30% from 2019, according to a new report from the European Travel Commission. The group doesn’t expect international travel to return to normal until 2025.

Russia’s war in Ukraine does not appear to be hurting bookings to most of Europe, according to travel experts, but it will reduce the number of Russian and Ukrainian travelers, whose favorite destinations include Cyprus, Montenegro, Latvia, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania, the commission said. Russian tourists tend to be big spenders, so their absence will hurt tourism economies in those destinations.

Also largely missing: Chinese tourists, the world’s largest travel spenders, who remain largely restricted by their government’s “zero-COVID” strategy. Some European destinations report that the number of Chinese tourists is down by more than 90% from 2019.

___

Kelvin Chan in London and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.



Source link

ALEA Safety Tips for Memorial Day Weekend Traveling


As we approach Memorial Day Weekend, you may be planning on going out on the water or traveling somewhere, but law enforcement reminds you safety needs to come first.

Alabama State Troops are stressing travel safety for this weekend and gave some tips on what ‘not’ to do while operating a vehicle.

Memorial Day Weekend is known for traveling and spending time with loved ones, but operating a vehicle, whether it’s on the water or the highway, still has it’s dangers.Screen Shot 2022 05 25 At 51656 Pm

Driving a boat is still just as dangerous as driving a car, especially if you are under the influence. Drinking alcohol and driving a boat is extremely dangerous, not just for the driver but also for the passengers. The rising heat also speeds up alcohol in the body and you will feel more drunk after only having a few drinks.

“Drinking or operating a vehicle impaired just doesn’t work,” stated ALEA’s Sgt. Jeremy Burkett. “We’re going to have zero tolerance for that. If we see you out there on the waterway operating a vessel impaired we’re going to pull you over, we’re going do the field sobriety test, and you’re going to jail.”

The holiday weekend also means even more people on the water and roadways, so Alabama State Troopers want drivers to be mindful of each other and to give each other a lot of space while traveling. Especially for vehicles that are towing since they will not have a completely clear view of what is behind them.

Watch your speed and be cautious of other drivers speeding or driving erratically.

“Once you get out here, don’t be in a hurry to get nowhere,” stated ALEA’s Senior Trooper Jonathan Walker. “Take your time; slow down a little bit. You’re not going be late for work because nobody works on the water out here so just enjoy the weather, enjoy the day, enjoy the water, and just take your time.”

State Troopers want everyone on the water to wear a life jacket, even if you do not plan to get in the water. This will insure your safety in case of falling off the boat. Wear a seat belt while in a car. You are more likely to survive a car crash with a seat belt than without it.

To insure a fun filled weekend, remember: don’t drink and drive, be mindful of other drivers, and be cautious.

State Troopers will be out all weekend long on the water and the roads to make sure everybody stays safe during the holiday weekend.

To learn more about driving and boating safety, visit ALEA’s website to learn more about the 101 days of safety.





Source link

Three Packing Tips For Smooth Traveling On Your Next Vacation | KIIS FM


Summer is around the corner which means summer vacation! But with vacation comes packing and we all know packing can be the worst.

Ryan Seacrest shared some tips on-air that could help your next trip go more smoothly.

  • ROLL YOUR CLOTHES, DO NOT FOLD THEM.
  • KEEP AT LEAST ONE DAY OF CLOTHES AND ESSENTIALS IN YOUR CARRY-ON IN CASE YOUR LUGGAGE GETS LOST.
  • TAKE TWICE AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU THINK YOU NEED. TAKE HALF AS MANY CLOTHES AS YOU THINK YOU’LL NEED.

Listen for more:



Source link

Citizen tip leads to tearful reunion between stolen dog and traveling nurse


A 6-year-old Australian shepherd and the nurse from Florida who owns her are back together Tuesday.

Mason Gray’s tan 1970s camper with her dog Bexley inside it was stolen over the weekend from the 4400 block of Sunset Drive, near Hoover Street, in Los Feliz.

‘”I’m emotionally exhausted. It’s been a roller coaster but I’m so happy to have her back,” said Gray, who works at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and traveled with Bexley in the camper from Florida, when she learned Bexley had been found.

Surveillance footage showed a black truck driving away with the camper on Sunday.

Police located the camper in South Los Angeles on Sunday and arrested one person who was with the camper, but they don’t believe the person was responsible for the theft, CBS 2 reported.

Bexley  and Gray shared a tearful reunion at the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th Street Community Police Station late Monday night.



Source link

Most Americans Want People to Mask Up While Traveling


  • A majority of Americans in May said travelers should still be required to wear a face mask on airplanes and other public transit.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week that people in communities at high risk should go back to wearing masks in indoor public spaces, including on public transportation.
  • Support for a mask mandate while traveling is largely split along political lines in the U.S.

As Americans head into the summer travel season, coronavirus cases — and hospitalizations somewhat — are rising in many parts of the country, especially in the Northeast.

This shift prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week to advise people in communities at high risk to go back to wearing masks in indoor public spaces, including on public transportation.

Face masks, though, are still optional in most places, even those with rising case numbers.

That leaves travelers to decide for themselves whether to don a mask while riding in an airplane, train, subway, or taxi.

While some Americans will welcome a mask-free summer, a Pew Research Center survey this month found that a majority of Americans think masks should still be required on airplanes and other forms of public transportation, where physical distancing is all but impossible.

In April, a federal judge in Florida struck down the CDC’s mask mandate for public transportation, which had been in place since January 2021.

The Department of Justice is appealing that decision after the CDC said the mask rule is “well within [its] legal authority to protect public health.”

Even after the federal mask mandate was dropped, 57 percent of Americans say travelers should wear a face mask while traveling on airplanes and other public transportation, according to Pew.

However, Americans’ support of face masks is split largely along party and similar lines.

Eighty percent of Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic party say passengers on airplanes, and other public transportation should be required to masks.

In contrast, only 29 percent of Republicans and independents who lean Republican say masks should be required.

Support for mandatory masks on public transportation is higher among those who had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (66 percent) compared to the unvaccinated (25 percent)

In addition, people who are “very” or “somewhat” concerned that they will get the coronavirus and require hospitalization are more likely to be in favor of mask policies for public transportation.

Overall, mask use in the United States has declined since earlier in the pandemic.

Thirty percent of Americans say they have worn a mask “all or most of the time” over the past month when in stores or other businesses, according to the survey.

This is down from higher than 80 percent before the vaccines were available.

More Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents report frequent mask use in businesses (42 percent), compared to Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (14 percent).

Despite the decline in overall mask use, travel experts say many travelers are still wearing masks on flights.

“We see a fairly even distribution amongst clients who still prefer to mask, particularly those who do so in crowded or confined spaces such as airplanes and airports,” said McLean Robbins, a luxury travel advisor and owner of Lily Pond Luxury in Vienna, Virginia.

“Many clientele are still opting to mask, while others enjoy the flexibility to do so at their personal choice, given the specific situation or their own health conditions,” she added.

However, mask use on some flights has been lower.

Keri Baugh, a blogger at Bon Voyage With Kids, said that there were very few passengers wearing a mask on a recent flight from Boston to Memphis.

“I was actually surprised,” she said.

“That said, as the [COVID] numbers have started to go back up, I have personally heard of some [travelers] being more cautious,” she added.

Baugh said families with kids too young to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or who have a family member who is at risk of severe illness might be more likely to wear a mask on a flight.

As of May 18, over 32 percent of Americans live in a county with a medium or high COVID-19 community risk level, CDC director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said Wednesday at a White House COVID-19 press briefing.

The CDC recommends that everyone in high-risk areas wear a mask in indoor public settings; those in medium-risk areas should consider wearing a mask based on their risk level.

However, “in [areas with] any COVID-19 community [risk] levels, individuals may always choose to wear a mask to protect themselves from infection,” said Walensky.

Throughout the pandemic, though, mask use has veered beyond just being a personal decision, with people from both sides weighing in on the choices of others.

The Pew survey shows that Americans are more tolerant of others who choose not to wear a mask in public.

Sixty-three percent of Americans say it bothers them “not too much” or “not at all” when people around them in public places don’t wear masks.

In contrast, 72 percent of Americans in November 2020 said they were bothered “some” or “a lot” by people not wearing masks. This was before the COVID-19 vaccines had been rolled out to the public.

Airlines have seen their fair share of disagreements over face masks, with some disputes descending reportedly into mid-flight brawls.

Baugh has been fortunate enough not to experience that kind of tension about masks while on a flight.

“On my most recent flight, the pilot asked everyone to respect everyone’s mask choice, regardless if that choice differed from their own,” she said, “And, from where I was sitting, that seemed to be the case.”

As more Americans take to the skies, rails, and roads this summer — with some masked and some unmasked — heeding this pilot’s advice could help make this a less stressful travel season.



Source link