Tips for Trips

I love to travel, be off, off, off and away.  But with migraines, there’s a catch, isn’t there.  Basically traveling is often stressful, and stress and migraines are just not a good mix.  On the other hand, it is so worth it to me to work around my pain issues and find a way to take off on my next adventure.  I always have an idea or plan brewing about where and when to go.

This summer my husband and I are taking off in our van and driving from northwest Washington State to Santa Cruz, Calif. to see my son – and maybe beyond.  This has become an annual trip for us with many pleasurable memories.  Each year, we take a detour here or there, a little different route, revisit some old haunts, since I’m originally from California, or seek out some new spots.  This year my plan is to swim my way south, making our first overnight stop at Sol Duc Hot Springs.  Least you think we’re talking luxury travel here, let me point out we’ll be in the campground, not the lodge.

Shasta Calif.

http://www.maiwa.com/index.html

Following that, I’m hoping to head south to Mexico again, on my own, in October or early November, seek out very economical lodgings, and pitch my tent, so to speak, for a couple of months.  I would like to tutor English while I’m there.  This one could change, but still – it’s out there, something between a fantasy and a plan.

Or….. if that doesn’t pan out, my friend Meredith and I are talking about a road trip to the Southwest, the South and then Florida.  I have no idea how I would do, on the road, for the time it takes to get that far, but I could always bail and head for home at the nearest airport.

So how do I do this, and how could you?

1. Plan ahead.  Sadly, spur of the moment traveling is just too fraught with possible disaster for me and probably for you.
2. Go where you want to go.  Pick a destination that will be pleasurable to you within your budget. This should include a place that, when you arrive, will allow you to do things you are able to do and enjoy doing.
3. Choose a place where you have a good chance of being comfortable at least part of the time.  You just have to be a little careful.  I have always wanted to go to Machu Picchu, Peru, and a few years ago, I was heavily into the planning stage with a friend.  As the year wore on and the time to actually make some travel decisions closed in, I began to get cold feet.  It was a really ambitious trip to a harsh climate, high altitude, and it was going to involve some hard travelin’.  In the end, I decided there was just too great a risk that I would spend all the money and effort to get there, and end up in pain, unable to actually be present in a fantastic place.  I cancelled out.  In the end I was disappointed but relieved.  I knew I had made the right decision for me.
4. Give yourself some space.  I have to have some alone time and space to let my body rest and rejuvenate.  Sometimes this means I don’t go on an excursion or walk with whoever.  I might take a nap or read for a few hours while just taking in the air, the sounds and sights immediately around me.
5. Go with someone you trust to support you or travel alone, which for me, amounts to the same thing.  You need to feel sure that your traveling companion understands your limits and needs;  not that they must carry you, but that they must allow you, with grace, to take care of yourself.
6. Make it as easy on yourself as you can.  For example, when I go to Mexico, I usually add one night on the way down and/or on the way back to break up the loooong day.  That way I have a better chance of arriving in decent shape going and coming home.  If we take a camping trip, we leave open the option of getting a motel if things get rough.  Always leave yourself an out.  If any particular day’s activity becomes too taxing, make sure you are in the position to cut it short if you need to.  Don’t push too hard.
   

   Monterey Bay Aquarium – fantastic, but I had to cut it a little short because the lighting plus long day triggered headache.  I’d go back, and I recommend it to anyone.

7. Get all your scripts in order, and take extra medication – just in case.  Never check baggage w/ your meds in it.  Keep them close at hand.
8. Carry all prescription medication in the container it came in with label from the doc, pharmacy, etc. with your name on it.
9. Carry pain, sleeping and or anxiety medication, and use it when you need it.  Obviously this takes care and good judgment as well as the cooperation with your doctor.  Sometimes I get cranked up before a flight to Mexico, even though I’ve been many times.  I often take (judiciously) an extra half of a klonazepam tablet, which is one of my regular preventative drugs.  It calms me down and helps me arrive in better shape.  It also reduces the possibility that my gut will get upset.
10. Take whatever gear keeps you more comfortable.  Here’s my list:  neck pillow, ear plugs, iPod w/ noise blocking ear buds, eye mask, sun glasses and hat, my own pillow if traveling by car, travel yoga mat.
11. Drink and eat frequently.  I carry an emergency stash of food so I won’t get stuck over a long period with nothing I can eat.  If you’re flying, once you’ve cleared security, fill your water bottle up in the restroom.
12. Travel as light as you can.  Leave the extra stuff at home.  Go with a minimal wardrobe.  The more stuff you take, the more you have to take care of, carry, etc.
13. Take luggage you can handle.  I fly with a smallish roller bag and a big fanny pack for most plane trips.  I used to carry a back pack, but my neck/ head issues just don’t allow me to do that any more.
14. Finally, take it easy.  Go slow.  If you’re on a road trip, keep track of how you’re feeling and stop when you need to.  If you’re flying, once you arrive, give yourself and your body time to catch up.  Don’t schedule some big event or excursion the day after you get there.  A final note:  I’ve personally found I can’t travel by train, Amtrak that is.  I think it’s the air circulation system that makes me sick.

Time travel

Sometimes, on any given day, I feel like I want to be anywhere but where I am, at home in Migralandia.  When that happens, I can time travel, transporting myself through time and space to memories and feelings of my last trip, or I can dream about my next one.