Jaunted - Tag: Healthy Travel

A Flight Attendant's Top Ten Tips for Staying Healthy While Flying

Sara Keagle — 2011-12-20T11:00:01-05:00

A waiting area at London-Heathrow, packed with travelers and germs

My first year as a flight attendant I was sick more times than I can count. I had to figure out a way to travel and stay healthy. Cold and Flu season is upon us and if you're planning on getting on an airplane you'll want to follow my tried and true tips for staying healthy!

· Strengthen your immune system before you even get on a plane. Eat right and exercise. Think fresh fruit and vegetables, less sugar, and whole grains. A healthy lifestyle may prevent you from catching your neighbors cold!
· Sleep. Get a good nights rest the night before you fly. If your body is not used to it flying will make you extremely tired. Add the stress you'll probably be feeling and you have a recipe for exhaustion.
· Meditate. Speaking of stress, take the time to relax and before you travel, properly prepare yourself by packing a full day before and give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. That way if you get stuck in traffic or the security line you can relax.

A Doc Ranks Airlines with the Healthiest In-Flight Snacks of 2011

JetSetCD — 2011-11-22T15:58:44-05:00

A snack in First Class on Virgin America

Over the next few days, millions of air travelers are going to sit down to eat something they likely wouldn't otherwise. It's called an in-flight meal and, as with the airlines themselves, the quality varies. Some will be stuck with "nuts or pretzels?" while others live in luxury with "chicken or beef?" What will you choose this holiday travel season? Allow a doctor to help out...

Dr. Charles Platkin, PhD, MPH is an assistant professor at the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College in NYC and he's just published his "2011 Airline Food Survey" at DietDetective.com. Reviewing in-flight menus and nutritional information for offerings on Air Canada, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, United, US Airways and Virgin America, Dr. Platkin rated each airline out of four stars based on the protein, variety and calories of their onboard offerings. The findings are kinda shocking...

'Contagion' Has A Lot To Teach Us About Staying Healthy While Traveling

cmb — 2011-09-09T15:00:02-05:00

If you're brave enough to see Contagion this weekend, at the very least you'll probably walk away more aware of what you're touching and who's around you, or...you'll never want to leave the house again. But since that's not very realistic, especially for those of us with the travel bug, you can pick up a few practical tips from the movie which can be applied before boarding your next flight or checking into that next hotel room.

Contagion is about a fast-spreading deadly virus that turns into a worldwide pandemic after a carrier sticks her hands in a bowl of nuts at an airport bar. But staying away from communal snack offerings is just one lesson you can learn form the movie. It also reminds us how much we touch our faces (3,000 times a day) and how little most of us wash our hands, making us all easy targets for common viruses which are looming in hotel rooms and on planes.

Scalpels and Seasickness: A Cruise Ship's Doctor Deals With It All

JetSetCD — 2011-07-18T13:30:28-05:00

When you think about the people who make a cruise ship run, who comes to mind? The captain...maybe the head chef and cruise director, right? Well, with about 1,000 crew onboard Cunard's Queen Victoria, there's so many others in the shadows, all responsible for making your vacation an awesome one. And over the next two weeks, we'd like to introduce you to them.

Last week we gave you exclusive peeks into the (somewhat) secret lives of a ship's officer, a "gentleman dance host," and the ships' acupuncturist. Now it's time to get technical with Dr. Shaun, a Medical Officer onboard the Queen Victoria.

Not feeling so well on your cruise? No problem—since down below the theatre, below the bars and below even the cheapest cabins sits the Queen Victoria's full Medical Center, with its team of doctors and nurses in officer's whites ready to treat everything from your minor case of mal de mer up to serious, surgical matters.

One of the smart team is Dr. Shaun, a South African who has taken his medical training and interest in sports medicine to the high seas. He treats both passengers and crew, a easy feat considering how well-equipped the Medical Center is with two clinics, private recovery rooms (with portholes!) and heavy gear like portable X-ray machines and yes—Defibrillators.

Being an Acupuncturist on a Cruise Ship is So Much More Than Sticking Pins in People

juliab — 2011-07-15T14:43:02-05:00

Now that you're fully acquainted with a ship's officer and a pro dancer, it's time to indulge a bit with Justin Lane, Doctor of Chinese Medicine and the Queen Victoria's resident Acupuncturist.

Originally from San Francisco, Justin’s been fully qualified to stick needles in people for just two years, but he’s been into acupuncture for far longer than that. Growing up, he suffered from asthma and allergies; where Western medicine failed to help, acupuncture did the job. “Chinese medicine made a profound difference to my life,” he says. So when his childhood dream of becoming an airline pilot fell through, he decided to help others the way he’d been helped. After his undergrad degree (Psychology in San Fran, no less) he headed down to the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine at San Diego for four years of training.

As Cunard is a British ship, the majority of passengers are English, which doesn’t always bode well for Justin, since he reckons that not only are Americans more open to trying new therapies and into spa-ing in general, but also that, because of the (glorious) NHS, the Brits aren’t used to paying for healthcare.

Walk Off Extra Calories While Traveling Through Five Airports with Fitness Programs

kjb — 2011-07-14T11:40:01-05:00

There’s a lot of tempting treats as you make your way through the airport during a layover, and sometimes it’s hard to resist the onslaught of slices from Sbarro and frappuccinos from Starbucks. However, walking is always a good way to combat those pesky extra calories, and many airports have gone the extra mile—ha—to help you. Here’s a few airports where walking through the concourses and terminals will help you burn off a few extra calories:

· Move It At MSP:
Up at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport it’s always a good time to take a stroll through the airport to get the blood pumping—even when it’s bitterly cold outside. Airport officials have partnered with the American Heart Association to encourage travelers to “Start!” moving. There’s a clearly marked 1.4-mile loop that will take you through most of Terminal 1-Lindbergh, so if you’ve got an hour to burn it’s one good option especially since it drops you off right where you started. Do it a couple times and your half way to earning yourself a Snickers!

Granger: 'True Grit' and Matt Damon Put Granger, Texas on the Map

cmb — 2010-12-24T11:54:05-05:00

This week, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon are bringing Westerns back with the release of their latest film, True Grit. Though parts of the movie were filmed in New Mexico, most of the shoot took place in Granger, TX which was transformed into an 1870's version of Fort Smith, Arkansas.

The rural town—with a population of only 1,400— seems like an unlikely choice for a big budget Hollywood movie, but the look and feel of Granger convinced producers that it was the right location: "We chose Granger because its appearance is close to that of a turn-of-the-century town that matched the reference photos we have for Fort Smith, Ark.," the film's location manager, Robbie Friedmann said.