30Traveler – Travel Podcast  

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Los Angeles Stopover Trip Report. What I did for one my 1 night, 2 day stopover in Los Angeles. Falling asleep on the beach, a farmers market and the most delicious Strawberries I ever ate. A fun couple of days in the summer California sun. Places mentioned: Vegan Glory (Inexpensive Thai Food and Vegan Fast Food, Beverly Hills) Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Wholefoods Market South Sepulveda Blvd, Manhattan Beach public library, Motel 6 LAX, Redondo Beach farmers market is Thursday mornings.

This is another one-take-wonder podcast episode – fun and tip-filled but lots of ums. Sorry! Travel Podcast, Budget Travel.

Subscribe to get new episodes by searching 30traveler in itunes.

Thanks for listening. Hope you enjoy!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Hawaii Trip Report. My AWESOME beach holiday. Finally recorded another podcast episode after a long period of podcasting slackness. Had an amazing time! Have gorgeous beach pics and will put some on the blog at www.30traveler.com. (Pics to come soon. Promise!)

This is another one-take-wonder podcast episode – fun and tip-filled but lots of ums. Sorry! Hawaii Travel Podcast, Budget Travel.

Subscribe to get new episodes by searching 30traveler in itunes.

p.s. its a few months since I paid any attention to this site and I have 3000 spam comments and a similar number of spam emails, so if you left a non-spam comment or sent a non-spam email, big apologies that your message got lost. Please resend if you still want to contact. 30traveler (at) 30traveler .com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I’m going to be spending the next few months in the US. I’ll be subletting an apartment in New York, but will be getting there via stopovers in L.A. and Boston.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Please note: The smoothest way to get the video is to use the download button. Recommended players for playing the video are Apple Quicktime or VLC Media Player (both free). Video is a normal mp4 file (50mb).

Priceline is one of my favorite ways of saving A LOT of money on hotels.

I’ve used it for Europe and the US.

Its perfect for the budget traveler who doesn’t want to stay in hostels 100% of the time.

However Priceline can be intimidating the first time you use it so I’ve created a video tutorial.

My explanation of the famous free re-bid hack starts at about the 6:30 minute mark.

For two people traveling together: I have gotten 4* hotel rooms for similar to the cost of two hostel beds by using Priceline.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You can listen to the podcast version of this article by pushing play above.

Or read on if you prefer the written version.

11th tip that I forgot to mention on the podcast: If you think it’ll be too hot for other exercise, consider staying somewhere that has a pool (that’s big enough for laps).

1. Are you having any of the following cognitive distortions?

- Everyone gains weight while on vacation
- Its inevitable I’m going to gain weight. I have no control over it.
- I can’t have fun without overeating.
- I can’t fully experience and enjoy the food culture of the place I’m visiting without overeating.

Challenge these self sabotaging thoughts.

2. Don’t eat all your meals at restaurants.

At least in Western countries, restaurant meals tend to me higher calorie (higher fat, larger portions etc) than you would serve when you’re cooking at home.

There are bound to be times when you don’t feel like going out eat or don’t want to interrupt your day to go to a restaurant (e.g. you’re going to be spending the day at a museum and suspect the food that’s available nearby will be overpriced and/or gross).

Plan alternatives e.g. taking a picnic.

3. Take with you – a knife, spoon, fork, and container that can serve as a bowl (I use a microwavable plastic bowl that has a resealable lid).

The knife comes in handy for making sandwiches and cutting fruit (e.g. slicing and removing skin from mangoes).

The bowl is useful for cereal and for stopping food from getting squashed in your daypack.

4. I love visiting foreign supermarkets and produce markets.

- It gives you an experience of the everyday life of the people who live where you’re visiting.
- In non-English speaking countries, you can try out your language skills.

When traveling in the US, I like to go to the Wholefoods chain of supermarkets because they have great vegetarian/vegan choices, often have nice seating areas, and many stores have microwaves for heating your purchases. If you’re in New York, try the upstairs seating area at Wholefoods Union Square/14th St. The view across Union Square is amazing and the buzzy atmosphere is also very cool.

In other US cities, the Wholefoods stores are often in interesting neighborhoods that are out of the tourist areas so venturing there can provide a different view of a city.

- In many countries, buying produce at the market is an essential part of the culture. At least, go stock up on fruit.

5. Consider staying at non-hotel accommodation that has cooking facilities for part of your trip.

In Rome, our B&B had a kitchen that we used to cook pasta and store a tub of gelato in the freezer section of the fridge. (B&Bs are an extremely common form of accommodation in Rome and not like B&Bs other places. They’re usually an apartment with only a few bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms, and there are not usually staff present outside of breakfast time or to greet arriving guests. Highly recommended).

Hostels usually have kitchens.

6. Write yourself a note of the advantages of NOT overeating while on vacation.

Here are some examples.

- Coming home after vacation is hard enough without the additional suffering of losing the weight you gained while you were away.
- You’ll establish a positive pattern that you can go on vacation without gaining weight.
- You won’t have experiences of feeling sick from having overeaten.
- You might spend less money on food and booze if you’re being moderate about your consumption.
- You won’t have a negative memory associated with your trip i.e. the memory that you gained weight.

7. Prioritize Getting Enough Sleep and Water

If you’re overtired, you’ll probably overeat to pick up your energy.

If you’re dehydrated you might end up overeating for hydration (i.e. mistake thirst for hunger). Watch out for this on days you’re flying/busing/training.

8. Think ahead.

Thinking ahead can help prevent you overeating due to having become overly hungry.

What approx times do you want to eat meals? Where are you likely to be at those times?

Is there likely to be good food nearby, or are you likely to need to go somewhere different to eat?

Do you need to take food with you?

9. Cheap carbs can lead to traveler’s constipation and/or gaining weight.

Cheap food options (e.g. pizza) aren’t so cheap if you end up with constipation or gaining weight.

10. Watch the extra calories from drinks.

Extra calories from booze and iced coffees, sodas etc add up.

Its easy to end up buying sugary drinks when you’re somewhere you can’t drink the tap water or in hot countries.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

“What If I Get There and Don’t Like It?”

Its a travel psychology podcast today. What if I get there and don’t like it is a common concern of people who are about to spend a lot of money on a big trip.

Here are 10 tips for why you shouldn’t panic and what you can do if this happens to you.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

For many people, arriving in Bangkok is their first experience of traveling in a non-Western country.

I love Bangkok. Its a great city. And worth spending at least a few days in if you’re on your way to Thailand’s islands and beaches.

This podcast will give you an idea of what to expect, give you practical tips like how to get a taxi from the airport to the city, and offers some suggestions for things to do and how to get around.

The guesthouse mentioned in the podcast is New Siam II.

This episode of the podcast is about how to see TV and Movie Filming in New York or Los Angeles. 10mins

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The podcast also contains info about how to see red carpet arrivals at movie premieres.

I wrote a blog post on this topic here – How to see TV and Movie Filming in New York or Los Angeles .

Websites mentioned in the podcast are

OnLocationVacations.com

Twitter search

Still lots of ums, sorry!
Happy travels.