May 28, 2025 • 34 mins
Traveling can open your eyes to a diversity of countries, landscapes, cultures, people, food and drink. But sometimes the adventure comes with a detour that you didn't expect that can disrupt your trip, like getting injured or sick or misplacing travel documents. Learn tips from longtime time road warrior, Melanie Young, to stay healthy and safe, whether you are traveling domestically or internationally. Stay Fearless, Fabulous and Healthy on the road and enjoy the journey!
Fearless Fabulous You is broadcast live Wednesdays at 12 Noon ET on W4WN Radio - Women 4 Women Network (www.w4wn.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).
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Fearless Fabulous You is broadcast live Wednesdays at 12 Noon ET on W4WN Radio - Women 4 Women Network (www.w4wn.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).
Fearless Fabulous You Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:20):
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
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Speaker 3 (00:40):
Hello, and welcome to Fearless Fabulous You. I'm your host,
Melanie Young, And if you hear me go a few
times in this broadcast, it's because I came back with
a respiratory illness from my last trip to Italy, which
is why this show is going to be dedicated to
my road Warrior Tips for Traveling sath In saying health
on the road, particularly this summer and whenever you're traveling,
(01:03):
either alone with a loved one or with your family
or on business. I travel a lot. I've made a
business of traveling, and in the past four months of
twenty twenty five, I've been to Italy for wine trips,
which is part of our work for the Connected Table.
Four times above those trips. Twice I've come back with
an upper respiratory illness and been on rounds of antibiotics
(01:26):
and it just sucks. So I've been on a mission
to find ways to say healthy traveling. It's harder than
you get older or when you're younger, but there are ways.
Traveling to new destinations can open your eyes to a
divers city of landscapes, cultures, people, food, and drink. I
love it. I consider it my higher education, and I
(01:46):
hope you do too. But sometimes the adventure comes with
a detour that you did not expect, and it could
disrupt your travel itinerary, like getting sick or a bug
or a rash. You may pick up a few souvenirs
that I'm back with you, not your suitcase, but on
your body, like a stomach bug or a respiratory illness
like I've had, And sometimes those illnesses may last a
(02:09):
lot longer than after you pack your suitcase and put
it away and plan the next trip. Like I said,
I've been on two rounds of antibiotics and it takes
a long time. We're not talking about COVID I've gotten
COVID on the road too, and I am pro vaccination.
I get all my travel vaccines up to date, but
(02:31):
sometimes I've picked up a bit more than I've wanted
and had many unplanned trips to doctors' offices and pharmacies
in various locations for an assortment of conditions. This show
is designed to help you with my tips on staying
healthy on the road, and we're going to start by
what to do before you even hit the road. Research
(02:52):
your destination and the weather patterns for your destination, whether
it's in the United States or overseas. If it is overseas,
do check with the u U Government travel alerts to
see if you have a travel safety alert, because they
seem to be popping up more than ever these days.
To make sure that you have, say, we'll have safety
precautions in place before you travel. If you are traveling overseas,
(03:15):
particularly to a third world country, I would suggest locating
and writing down or putting in your travel documents the
contact information for the US Embassy God forbid. If something happens,
you want to know where your US embassy is located,
and also the passport office. If you lose your passport
and that has happened to my husband. Create a list
(03:40):
your travel documents. Okay, you should have a list of
all the medications you take. Prescription medications. Why because if
they get damaged or you lose them, you can then
go to a local pharmacy and they can help you
find an equivalent. And pharmacies overseas are very helpful and resourceful.
I've actually gone to many planned and not planned, and
(04:01):
they've really helped me out. You should have a list
of your vaccinations and keep them up to date. Make
sure if you're going somewhere where it really is out there,
or you're going to a farm or a track or
somewhere really remote and rural, that you see what vaccinations
you may need. You should also check with the government
(04:23):
travel that government's travel office to see if you need
a special visa or identity card, because it may take
thirty days or longer to apply for it. I e.
It happened to me in Brazil before you even leave,
So make sure make sure that your passport is updated,
that you have a photograph of your passport on your
(04:44):
phone and in your computer, and a separate copy of
your passport, that all your health records and documents are
up to date, and vaccinations, and you have your medical
cards close in hand in your essential travel document file.
That's whether it's your health insurance, your drug insurance, doctors contacts,
et cetera. You want to have that. Frankly, I take
(05:07):
it with me when I go to the grocery store.
I take my Medicare card. I'm on Medicare to the
grocery store. I take it everywhere. Because something happens to me,
I want to make sure I have my ID, a
photo ID, a contact on who I am, emergency contact,
and my medical information on hand at all times, so
people just don't go who is she? Is she anonymous? Okay,
(05:28):
this is really important. I carry them zip block bags.
I love sick block bags. They're great and actually airport
security like zip block bags as well, because you can
only carry small sizes of things. I keep, always, always,
always my prescription drugs and a zip block bag or
a safe zip able carry on and I carry it on.
You do not want to pack your prescription drugs. You
(05:52):
want to have them at all times. That goes for
anything that you consider essential. Now, for me, makeup is
essential because I don't really want to look like crap
when I and off a long flight. So I have
a little makeup bag with miniatures, you know, under two
ounces or three ounces of my essential cream, mescara, my tube,
(06:14):
my base, and a little bit of blush and lip gloss.
I don't carry much else, but I always want to
have something to moisturize, sanitize, cover, enhance any long gate
so I look somewhat fresh. It all fits in a
small bag and you can get miniatures. I was recently
given a giant I actually I'm reaching for my essential
(06:40):
travel bag right now. I thought this was going to
be a video. I collect bags along the way. I'm
a big fan of fanny packs, Safari bags, shoulder cross bags,
things that are easy. You don't want to have your
hands tied up, so I like cross body bags. Actually,
one of my best bags I picked up and I
(07:00):
call it my most expensive bag. I consider it more
valuable than a Burke and bag, to be honest, and
as you know, burke and bags my rimes are very expensive.
But my bag is my CC Africa Safari bag. It
was a cross body bag I got when I went
to Africa on a safari with CC Africa. A great outfitter.
I think the Safari cost me more than a burke
and bag, but this bag has lasted me over twenty years,
(07:22):
and in it it's nice and deep, so I could
put my phone, my spritzers, my essential documents and everything
you need safe in hand. And I wear it all
the time, all the time. And then I have a
little pouch just for my passport so that I don't
have the deep into my Safari bag to find the passport.
It's just hanging around my neck and I can quickly
(07:44):
show it with my boarding passes to security. I was
recently given a big sprayable bottle of magnesium, which is
really good for keeping dealing with leg cramps, and dealing
with important things like dealing with exhaustion. I put that
into sprits a little sprits of magnesium. This one is
(08:08):
from Allergy Defender. I happen to have a lot of allergy,
so I like to spritz magnesium around a room to
de dust. I carry always. I carry small sprits or
tube of bug spray or bug cream because wherever I
go there will be bugs and they will find me
(08:29):
invite me. So I always have bug spray, always, sunscreen
and I keep it with me on the plane. I
wear it every day, day and night. Practically it is
my face cream. I use the altebrand. I have no
affiliation with any of these brands, but I swear my
head it doesn't clog my pores and it makes my
face glow. It's a little expensive, but it's so worth it.
(08:51):
I always carry a facial mist to moisturize. I carry
the small Maritio Beat Mario Batescue skincare line. I pick
it up at Marsh for nothing, but they have deals
all the time on the website and it just really
keeps your face hydrated. Get a really good water bottle,
one that you can carry that's durable, and fill it
(09:14):
up every time you're at the airport, because you don't
want to spend a fortune on bottle of water, and
you don't necessarily want to drink the tap water wherever
you're going. So I always have a water bottle. I
remember to empty it before I go through security, and
then I fill it up as soon as I find
a dispenser. I always carry wet wipes or something to
sanitize the tray tables and armrests and seatbelt on the
(09:39):
plane because you don't know when it was last sanitized.
I use it for everything, and I carry small bags
of tissues, cleanex or whatever, because when you do get
allergies like I do and need to sneeze, you don't
want to be fumbling for a tissue. Wherever I go
at their handing out free disinfectant wipes or tissues. Where
(10:00):
the coffee cart comes by and they're handing out tea bags,
I grab those too. I stick them in my bag
because tea bags are really great for making a quick
cup of tea if you need something warm, or I'll
even use them to make refreshing eye puff the id
puffers with the camameil ones, and then of course the
(10:21):
disinfecting whites. I just stick them everywhere and disinfect everywhere
I go. This is just because you do not want
to open yourself up to bugs. Now you may just
think I'm just a sanitary free No. I just don't
like getting sick. I really don't. I also carry miniature
mouth wash and toothpaste to freshen up my teeth, and
dental floss. I carry dental floss everywhere because I'm in
(10:42):
the wine and food business and it seems like my
teeth are always being impacted with what I'm eating and drinking.
A small, a small battery operated fan, particularly in the
summer months, you will be grateful to have. We are
so lucky. They throw them at us at Marty Grass
and we collect at festivals here in Louisiana where we live.
(11:03):
We also collect hand fans, and I always carry a
small pocket hand fan that I can use when it
gets really warm, because, let me tell you, when you
go to Europe in the summer and it is getting warmer,
the air conditioning is just not the same, and particularly
Asia also it's just not the same. So you always
want to have something to cool you down, like a
(11:24):
little battery operate a fan or a hand fan. In
case you start getting overheated, always say hydrated and don't
over exert in the heat. Now, obviously it's the same
in the winter. You can overexert in the winter, but
we're heading in the summer months, so I wanted to
bring that up. Try not to carry too much on
(11:45):
your shoulders. I know I have a back issue, so
I have a roller bag. It's nothing fancy. Actually, we
got it a good will so I don't really care
if it just dies on me. I'll just go back
and get another one. I don't necessarily spend a lot
of money on expensive luggage that I run through security
all the time. However, I was given as a wine writer,
(12:06):
I was given the chance to test out the Vanguard
Realise wine suitcases, and I love them so much that
I became an affiliate and I use it as my
main suitcase. Why do I like the suitcase. It is durable,
it has sturdy wheels, it looks good, it's spacious. I
could put everything in it. I have a second suitcase
to put all the wine because there are wine inserts
(12:27):
that you can use to hold the wine safely. Best part,
they will replace your bag when it's damage. You have
a LIFEGUD guarantee. And so far, I've replaced two Vanguard
Valise big large Grand suitcases because of the normal wear
and tear when they toss them all over the plane
and the tarmac. And the company has graciously sent me
(12:48):
a replacement, and all I had to pay for was
shipping vinguard release. Just so you know, I do have
a discount on that TCT twenty TCT twenty and you
get twenty percent off. I love that suitcase. Other than that,
I'm still looking for the ideal carry on bag that
isn't too heavy. Right now, I'm using one about a
good Will but I am looking and I'll probably see
(13:09):
if Vanguard Valise has one, because I really like that brand. Water.
Let's get back to water. I know, if you're anywhere
we question the tap water, use bottled water to brush
your teeth. Okay, it's just safer that way. I do
that in Asia. I haven't been to Asian a while,
but I've done an Asian in South America, and I'm
always very very careful about that. You can also purchase
(13:33):
water purification tablets if you need to. I think that's
also helpful. Another thing that's helpful if you're going to
high altitude hiking is talk to your doctor and are
your pharmacists and see you can get some altitude sickness medication.
It can help because altitude sickness, like seasickness, can make
(13:54):
you pretty ill. For seasickness or motion sickness. I like
the sea bands. You combine them at the pharmacy. They
kind of put pressure on your wrists, which seems to work.
I've also not had sea bands and just put my
thumbs on my wrist to say, well, but the best
way to avoid motion sickness and sea sickness, as I
have learned because I've had both and upsetting situations like
(14:15):
vomiting on a small plane after a heavy breakfast, is this,
don't have the heavy breakfast. If you know you're going
to be going out on a boat, and you know
you're going to be going out with a small plane
or a helicopter and you are or driving up windy roads,
don't have a heavy breakfast or a meal beforehand. Have
a very light meal, fruit vegetables, maybe some yogurt which
(14:35):
is probiotic, nothing too heavy or rich, so that you
don't get sick. And try to avoid drinking alcohol. Even
though I work in the wine business and I write
about wine, believe or not, I don't really ingest wine
much during the day, particularly in the heat. I spit
the wine out because I'm tasting. I even carry with
me my own personal spit cup, which I put in
my discrete little Safari bag. And if it's nicely, I
(14:59):
say my drinking wine and swallowing for dinner when I
know I can relax and unwind at the end of
the day. But when I have to be on during
the day, or I know we're going to be going
down or up winding hills and roads to vineyards. The
last thing I want to do is have motion sickness
and dizziness or even slight inebriation. So take it easy
and pace yourself. Remember traveling is not about a race.
(15:22):
It's the pace, and you should take the pace that
is good for you. It's really, really, really important. Gastro
Intestinal problems are inevitable. I get them more than i'd
like because I have reflux and I do take medication
for that. I always have it with me. I know
what triggers the reflex, and therefore I try to watch
(15:44):
very carefully when I eat. If people ask me if
I have dietary issues, I'm very honest. I don't de mirror.
I say, yeah, I don't eat meat, I don't eat
fried food. I tend to try to eat a very
light dinner because in Europe they tend to eat dinner
much later, particularly places like Italy and Spain. Spain, you
may not be eating dinner until ten o'clock at night.
(16:04):
I tend to eat lighter. You don't have to finish
your plate if you even try everything, but you don't
have to finish your plate. If you do eat a
heavy meal, it may be harder for you to fall asleep,
and that can really impact your quality of your next day,
or you could get sick. And I've been there, so
it's just easier to eat lighter later. It really is
(16:27):
Try everything, though, and however, if you do have food allergies,
be very clear about that up front. Don't be shy
because some of the dishes do have nuts, or you
may be sensitive to garlic or onions. I am be
honest about it. People would rather know ahead of time
than be upset that you're not eating their food. Now
(16:51):
here's something I do do with gastro intestinal I actually
take a Pepto bismo, one of those pink tablets. I
carry a box of those with me and I take
one every morning. I am convinced that it coats, suits
and protects my stomach. I've been doing that for years
and I think it helps. I also carry allergy day
(17:11):
and night allergy medication. The one I had in front
of me actually picked up at the Italian pharmacy. The
Vics Fleu note. It's day and night basically is what
it says, and I take particularly in the spring when
everything seems to be pollinating. I take a daytime allergy
pill along with my pepto bismo in the morning so
(17:32):
that I at least feel somewhat protected when I go
through the day. Now, my days tend to be long
when I'm traveling on the road for wine. I mean
long means like nine am to sometimes eleven pm, your go,
go go. I tend to make my breakfasts very light
and hearty. I try to avoid the sugary breads that many,
particularly in Italy, like to serve. I tend to stick
(17:55):
with the vegetables and I'll make a little tomato over
bread or something like. I de coote my stomach again.
I'm all about not eating large portions to exotic in
the morning. I just want to stay healthy, so I
keep it simple. I save my exotic eating to maybe lunchtime,
where I have some more time to digest. If you
(18:19):
know before you go, you should have a list of
you should know in the local language how to say doctor, help, bathroom, pharmacy.
I feel sick. I feel sick in the stomach, I
feel sick in the head. I need medical attention. You
need to have all that in the local language. There
(18:42):
are some apps that can translate for you, but it's
really handy just to have it on a sheet in
case you're somewhere where there's no Wi Fi, which is
like usually where you get sick in a remote area.
You're there, there's no Wi Fi and you need help,
you should know how to say help. I need a doctor,
I need a pharmacy, I don't feel well in the
local language. A portable umbrella is handy, as well as
(19:05):
a lightweight rain jacket so that you were protected when
that spry storm shows up. I always wear close toe shoes, Okay,
I live in New Orleans. I like to wear closed
dose shoe here for the same reason. They have fire
ants and gross things on the street, and I don't
want to pick up things, and I have picked up
things on the roads going barefoot. Once I went barefoot
(19:27):
on the beach in Jamaica and I picked something up gross.
So I always wear flip flops on the beach. I
wear close toe, comfortable loafers or tennis shoes when I'm
sight seeing, and my dress shoes are never strappy sandals,
They're always close toe. I don't want something to follow
my toe. I don't want something to get under my toenail.
I don't want to get my feet dirty. And like
(19:49):
I said, you can pick up germs, that's all I'm
going to say. And infections on the street. And I
have picked up two foot infections. Fun infections going on
the street. Speaking of fungal and gross, you should if
you're I truly mean this. This is why I don't
sit in the hot tubs. I actually picked up a
(20:10):
fungal infection in a hot tub at a be at
bed and Breakfast. I rent it. So really do your
research when you're looking at hotels and airbnbs and private
homes to rent. Read the reviews. I read all the reviews.
I will not stay anywhere when I'm picking the place
to stay that doesn't have a nine or higher, like
(20:32):
nine or ten rating the highest ratings. I always go
for a four star minimum. I'll splurge you more to
get what I hope is a better hotel. It doesn't
mean that begbooks don't exist. I have a friend who
picked up bedbooks in a major chain. I won't say
which one, but try to make sure that you're saying
at a hotel that has a reputation for being sanitary,
(20:53):
and make sure you do your due diligence when you're
researching on one of the agriculture aggregators, like make sure
the hotel has air conditioning if you don't like stairs,
make sure there's an elevator if you want breakfast, and
I do feel opting for the hotel breakfast is worth
the maybe a little extra money that's important. Another one
(21:13):
is if you're driving to see if there's on site
parking or what the parking charge is. It will save
you time and money. You have every right to ask
to see the room before you accept the room. I've
done that many times, and I've often asked to have
rooms changed because they're too small, they feel dirty, they
feel dingy. I also have an aversion to carpet roll
the wall carpet. I think there's a lot of allergens
(21:36):
in them. Like I said, I have developed a lot
of allergies as I've progressed in life. So I try
to find hotels that have floors, preferably hardwood floors. And
I'm always on a budget, but that is really important
to me. I don't really want to walk around on carpet.
Usually I take the bedspread off the bed also because
you don't know how often they've been washed and suspecked.
(22:00):
Carefully before I accept a room. I think it's really
important you have to be a polite but also discerning
and demanding traveler, because you don't want to get sick now.
I get cold a lot, and a lot of the
places in the United States are just freezing in the summer.
(22:23):
New Orleans, I have to wear a coat practically to
go to the grocery store, so I always carry, no
matter what the season, some kind of rain poncho or
a lightweight rain jacket an umbrella. I always carry a
pair of very lightweight gloves or heavier in the winter
because my hands can get really cold. I always carry
(22:43):
a lightweight, packable jacket. I have a lot of those
unicloth ones. I've worn them to death and I love them.
I always carry a shawl or a lightweight poncho that
I can slip on. I actually like the long pejmens
or shawls or long drapable scarves because I can wear
them as a shawl. I can wear them around my
(23:05):
neck as a scarf, which is really great to dress
up an outfit or just protect yourself from the chills.
I've also carried sarongs wherever I travel. I sleep in them,
I use them to sit on at the beach, I
use them to wrap things in. You can use them
to carry things. They're very handy. So sarongs and shawls
and scarves are a great way to protect yourself and
(23:28):
also change your wardrobe without bringing a lot of other things,
because basically all you really need is maybe two comfortable
pairs of shoes, one regular one to back up when
your regular pair your sneakers get wet and muddy, and
then I always carry one nice pair of shoes. Nothing
to heeled with high heels anymore. Straps just attractive and comfortable,
(23:48):
and I don't have brands to recommend because I'm wearing
mine through all the time. I do tend to wear
the basic comfortable travel black pants or beige pants and
loose fitting shirts so that i can eat comfortably and
not worry about pooching out. Lately, I've been wearing loose
dresses that I can just throw a shawl over or
(24:10):
a scarf to change. It's just I'm comfortable doing that,
particularly in the warm weather. I see a lot of
people walking around with big hats, and I do think
a big hat that can shade you, or if you prefer,
a baseball cap is critical. I carry both a baseball
cap for hiking and just just shove in my Safari
pack or backpack, and then I have packable, foldable brimmed
(24:36):
hats to protect against the sun. And I always carry
at least two pairs of sunglasses because if one breaks,
the only run around looking for sunglasses I like to
pick up when I go to the market's. My favorite
things to purchase in the local street markets are hats
or scarves or lightweight, cute little dresses that don't cost
much and you could just shove in a backpack or
(24:59):
in your suitcase and don't take up a lot of room.
I think I do that every time I go to Europe,
and I always come back with a few things extra,
and often travel with clothes I hate. Sometimes I travel
with clothes that I absolutely hate. Just leave them there
because they're done. Maybe they're worn out, stained, or just frayed.
I'll just leave them there and replace them with something else.
(25:21):
That's my way to look good on the road and
also kind of replenished. I don't buy much else on
the road because I don't need anything. I think mostly
we buy olive oil when we're in Italy or France.
We don't really bring wine back because we have a
lot of wine and it's really a hassle to travel
with it, you know. Really, the most things we do
is we take beautiful pictures and cherish those memories. When
(25:44):
you get home. If you are still feeling ill and
you can, you know, if you're really sick, If you're
really really sick, you may want to discuss with an
airline not going back and staying. I know that's really hard,
and we face that many times on some of our trips.
We always travel with masks. We wear masks on planes.
(26:04):
We don't wear them all the time, but if we
feel that someone around us is are sick, or if
we're not feeling great, we always wear masks, and we
always carry sanitizers and I always carry gloves. It's just
a courtesy that if you're sick, you don't want to
make other people sick, so think long and hard before saying, oh, no,
I got to get home. One of the ways we
do that is we always allow, or we try to
(26:26):
allow a down day after a long intense, I tinerary.
I actually like allowing one or two days to decompress
and just enjoy the area and relax after every trip,
so I don't come home exhausted. When you do come home,
and if you are feeling ill, immediately don't wait. Just
immediately go see an urgent care and get on and
(26:46):
tell them where you've been, what countries you've been in,
what you're feeling, and symptoms, because you don't want to
risk having something turning into something more serious, like a
blood clot and that can happen. If you are prone
to things like blood clutter of your family history, you
may want to get special socks or hose to wear
on the plane, compression socks. If you are potentially subject
(27:10):
to lymphidema, if you've had a mass eectomy, you may
want to get a olymphidemas sleep. Think about your individual
circumstance and protect yourself accordingly. It's really important because you
don't want your trip to be upended for any reason. However,
if it is, you know, I do believe in trip insurance.
(27:31):
I'm a big believer in trip insurance. And when my
mother was ill and I was caring for her and
going away I made actually I ensured every trip we
went on, and I actually splurged and got the refundable
tickets because I knew that in any day I may
be called back to deal with my mother. So during
those two years when I was caring for her but
(27:53):
still traveling, I opted for health the trip insurance, and
I opted for refundable affairs. I will say that airlines
have been very good about that. If you don't have refundableffairs,
they've gotten a lot more lenient, So that's really really good.
Always keep copies of your tickets and boarding passes when
you come back, just in case you left something on
(28:14):
the plane. You want to have that documentation. It's really important.
And you also want to make sure that your frequent
flyer points are logged. Keep a record of how you're
feeling and where you're going on the trip, so that
you you know, if something does happen down the road,
you can care for it and you can address it.
(28:34):
And like I said, do your homework on travel insurance.
Now you may not need to get travel insurance. What
you should do first and foremost is if you have
different credit cards, call your credit card travel services company
and ask them what benefits and perks they offer. Some
do offer travel insurance for a small fee or complimentary that.
(28:57):
Some do offer emergency evacuation. And I've had friends who've
had to have emergency evacuation because they've sprained ankles or
broken something. That's really important. Ask what kind of travel
protection they have. I know that with my Capital one.
I think it's the Venture Card. I have a Venture
Card and Adventure one. One's a massive card and one's
a visa and I have no affiliation otherwise than use them.
(29:20):
They have different travel perks and benefits. So before we
went away, I got to notice that my TSA access
number was needed a renewal. So I called both the
card companies and it turns out one of them would
fully reimburse me for my TSA enrollment, and so I
(29:42):
used that card. So this is really important. And this
isn't healthy, but it is healthy because it's financially healthy.
And you also want to say you save money when
you're traveling. Take advantage of every benefit your airline frequent
flyer membership can offer your travel Your health insurance check
(30:03):
and see what's covered for you know when you're away.
Your auto insurance check and see if you can rent
a car and you're covered overseas or not, or even domestically,
like I travel to Hawaii a lot, I always check
to see if I need to buy additional auto insurance
injury insurance, because they always try to sell it to
(30:25):
you some of your credit cards. If you use that
credit card, do cover it. So do your homework ahead
of time. It could save you a lot of money.
I'm a big believer in joining frequent flyer clubs, premium clubs.
You can do most of these at no cost. You
just join, but you can save money and take advantage
(30:48):
of perks, and if something happens to you, they are
more likely to take care of you first. So priority
and privilege does have privilege. It priority has privileges. Basically
take advantage of that. I think I've covered everything I
want to. I would love to hear from all of
you about your travel tips and how you've stayed healthy
(31:11):
on the road, and also any hacks you have to
stay healthy and also save money, because we all want
to save money. I don't travel with a lot of cash.
I tend to use my debit cards, but I'm very careful. Actually,
I don't use my debit cards because I don't even
want people to see my debit cards. I tend to
use my credit cards because I want to keep a
log of all my cards, and I do my research
(31:34):
ahead of time to find out which cards don't have
high fees, because when you use those ATMs, sometimes you're
charged hefty fees for the transaction in the currency you're
taking out, and you tend to take it out in currency.
I never change money. If I do use an ATM,
I get the currency that I'm traveling in. But I
usually don't travel with a lot of currency because that's
(31:55):
easy to get stolen. I travel with. I travel with
my money very close to me, and my fanny pack
or my shoulder, my cross body bag very discreetly hidden.
I always carry enough so I can leave a tip,
or when you go to some of these bathrooms, you
have to give them a euro, and if you don't
have that euro, you're screwed. So always carry enough coins
(32:17):
in small change or small currencies for those what I
call essential purposes. But for the rest of it, I
tend to use a credit card. I use my ATM
card sparingly because I don't want to open myself up
to any fraud, and I always when I get back,
I carefully look at all my credit card and bank
(32:37):
documents to see if there's any suspicious charges. Sometimes there are,
and when there are, I immediately call on it and
address it. Sometimes the charges because you don't recognize the store,
orre you about the dress or whatever. But always scheck
because you are vulnerable when you travel and every time
you pull out a card or click on something, so
be very careful about that. I'm above all, this is
(33:00):
about taking precautions to stay healthy and safe when you're
on the road and traveling. I share this to you
because I want you to have a great experience. Don't
hesitate to not take the trip, because you never know
if that opportunity will come your way again. And I
say that with all my heart because in my younger days,
when I worked all the time, there were trips I
(33:22):
didn't take because I was too busy that I wish
I had. And now I accept everything. I just go everywhere.
I just make it work, and I just travel smarter
and simpler and enjoy every minute. So enjoy your next journey,
wherever it takes you. If you want to share your
information with me, you can find me at Melanie Fabulous
(33:43):
on Instagram, follow my substack at Melanie Young and please
check out my show The Connected Table, which we host
Wednesday's two pm on W four CY Radio and you
can hear on more than sixty five podcast channels that
really goes deeply into wine and food as well as
travel and I think you'll like it. So always, you
(34:03):
have the right to live life with many choices. Always
choose fearless and fabulous and living on your terms. Thank you,
I'm Melanie Young and happy travels.
The topics and opinions expressed on the following show are
solely those of the hosts and their guests, and not
those of W four WN Radio It's employees or affiliates.
We make no recommendations or endorsements for radio show programs, services,
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(00:20):
be directed to those show hosts.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Thank you for choosing W four WN Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Hello, and welcome to Fearless Fabulous You. I'm your host,
Melanie Young, And if you hear me go a few
times in this broadcast, it's because I came back with
a respiratory illness from my last trip to Italy, which
is why this show is going to be dedicated to
my road Warrior Tips for Traveling sath In saying health
on the road, particularly this summer and whenever you're traveling,
(01:03):
either alone with a loved one or with your family
or on business. I travel a lot. I've made a
business of traveling, and in the past four months of
twenty twenty five, I've been to Italy for wine trips,
which is part of our work for the Connected Table.
Four times above those trips. Twice I've come back with
an upper respiratory illness and been on rounds of antibiotics
(01:26):
and it just sucks. So I've been on a mission
to find ways to say healthy traveling. It's harder than
you get older or when you're younger, but there are ways.
Traveling to new destinations can open your eyes to a
divers city of landscapes, cultures, people, food, and drink. I
love it. I consider it my higher education, and I
(01:46):
hope you do too. But sometimes the adventure comes with
a detour that you did not expect, and it could
disrupt your travel itinerary, like getting sick or a bug
or a rash. You may pick up a few souvenirs
that I'm back with you, not your suitcase, but on
your body, like a stomach bug or a respiratory illness
like I've had, And sometimes those illnesses may last a
(02:09):
lot longer than after you pack your suitcase and put
it away and plan the next trip. Like I said,
I've been on two rounds of antibiotics and it takes
a long time. We're not talking about COVID I've gotten
COVID on the road too, and I am pro vaccination.
I get all my travel vaccines up to date, but
(02:31):
sometimes I've picked up a bit more than I've wanted
and had many unplanned trips to doctors' offices and pharmacies
in various locations for an assortment of conditions. This show
is designed to help you with my tips on staying
healthy on the road, and we're going to start by
what to do before you even hit the road. Research
(02:52):
your destination and the weather patterns for your destination, whether
it's in the United States or overseas. If it is overseas,
do check with the u U Government travel alerts to
see if you have a travel safety alert, because they
seem to be popping up more than ever these days.
To make sure that you have, say, we'll have safety
precautions in place before you travel. If you are traveling overseas,
(03:15):
particularly to a third world country, I would suggest locating
and writing down or putting in your travel documents the
contact information for the US Embassy God forbid. If something happens,
you want to know where your US embassy is located,
and also the passport office. If you lose your passport
and that has happened to my husband. Create a list
(03:40):
your travel documents. Okay, you should have a list of
all the medications you take. Prescription medications. Why because if
they get damaged or you lose them, you can then
go to a local pharmacy and they can help you
find an equivalent. And pharmacies overseas are very helpful and resourceful.
I've actually gone to many planned and not planned, and
(04:01):
they've really helped me out. You should have a list
of your vaccinations and keep them up to date. Make
sure if you're going somewhere where it really is out there,
or you're going to a farm or a track or
somewhere really remote and rural, that you see what vaccinations
you may need. You should also check with the government
(04:23):
travel that government's travel office to see if you need
a special visa or identity card, because it may take
thirty days or longer to apply for it. I e.
It happened to me in Brazil before you even leave,
So make sure make sure that your passport is updated,
that you have a photograph of your passport on your
(04:44):
phone and in your computer, and a separate copy of
your passport, that all your health records and documents are
up to date, and vaccinations, and you have your medical
cards close in hand in your essential travel document file.
That's whether it's your health insurance, your drug insurance, doctors contacts,
et cetera. You want to have that. Frankly, I take
(05:07):
it with me when I go to the grocery store.
I take my Medicare card. I'm on Medicare to the
grocery store. I take it everywhere. Because something happens to me,
I want to make sure I have my ID, a
photo ID, a contact on who I am, emergency contact,
and my medical information on hand at all times, so
people just don't go who is she? Is she anonymous? Okay,
(05:28):
this is really important. I carry them zip block bags.
I love sick block bags. They're great and actually airport
security like zip block bags as well, because you can
only carry small sizes of things. I keep, always, always,
always my prescription drugs and a zip block bag or
a safe zip able carry on and I carry it on.
You do not want to pack your prescription drugs. You
(05:52):
want to have them at all times. That goes for
anything that you consider essential. Now, for me, makeup is
essential because I don't really want to look like crap
when I and off a long flight. So I have
a little makeup bag with miniatures, you know, under two
ounces or three ounces of my essential cream, mescara, my tube,
(06:14):
my base, and a little bit of blush and lip gloss.
I don't carry much else, but I always want to
have something to moisturize, sanitize, cover, enhance any long gate
so I look somewhat fresh. It all fits in a
small bag and you can get miniatures. I was recently
given a giant I actually I'm reaching for my essential
(06:40):
travel bag right now. I thought this was going to
be a video. I collect bags along the way. I'm
a big fan of fanny packs, Safari bags, shoulder cross bags,
things that are easy. You don't want to have your
hands tied up, so I like cross body bags. Actually,
one of my best bags I picked up and I
(07:00):
call it my most expensive bag. I consider it more
valuable than a Burke and bag, to be honest, and
as you know, burke and bags my rimes are very expensive.
But my bag is my CC Africa Safari bag. It
was a cross body bag I got when I went
to Africa on a safari with CC Africa. A great outfitter.
I think the Safari cost me more than a burke
and bag, but this bag has lasted me over twenty years,
(07:22):
and in it it's nice and deep, so I could
put my phone, my spritzers, my essential documents and everything
you need safe in hand. And I wear it all
the time, all the time. And then I have a
little pouch just for my passport so that I don't
have the deep into my Safari bag to find the passport.
It's just hanging around my neck and I can quickly
(07:44):
show it with my boarding passes to security. I was
recently given a big sprayable bottle of magnesium, which is
really good for keeping dealing with leg cramps, and dealing
with important things like dealing with exhaustion. I put that
into sprits a little sprits of magnesium. This one is
(08:08):
from Allergy Defender. I happen to have a lot of allergy,
so I like to spritz magnesium around a room to
de dust. I carry always. I carry small sprits or
tube of bug spray or bug cream because wherever I
go there will be bugs and they will find me
(08:29):
invite me. So I always have bug spray, always, sunscreen
and I keep it with me on the plane. I
wear it every day, day and night. Practically it is
my face cream. I use the altebrand. I have no
affiliation with any of these brands, but I swear my
head it doesn't clog my pores and it makes my
face glow. It's a little expensive, but it's so worth it.
(08:51):
I always carry a facial mist to moisturize. I carry
the small Maritio Beat Mario Batescue skincare line. I pick
it up at Marsh for nothing, but they have deals
all the time on the website and it just really
keeps your face hydrated. Get a really good water bottle,
one that you can carry that's durable, and fill it
(09:14):
up every time you're at the airport, because you don't
want to spend a fortune on bottle of water, and
you don't necessarily want to drink the tap water wherever
you're going. So I always have a water bottle. I
remember to empty it before I go through security, and
then I fill it up as soon as I find
a dispenser. I always carry wet wipes or something to
sanitize the tray tables and armrests and seatbelt on the
(09:39):
plane because you don't know when it was last sanitized.
I use it for everything, and I carry small bags
of tissues, cleanex or whatever, because when you do get
allergies like I do and need to sneeze, you don't
want to be fumbling for a tissue. Wherever I go
at their handing out free disinfectant wipes or tissues. Where
(10:00):
the coffee cart comes by and they're handing out tea bags,
I grab those too. I stick them in my bag
because tea bags are really great for making a quick
cup of tea if you need something warm, or I'll
even use them to make refreshing eye puff the id
puffers with the camameil ones, and then of course the
(10:21):
disinfecting whites. I just stick them everywhere and disinfect everywhere
I go. This is just because you do not want
to open yourself up to bugs. Now you may just
think I'm just a sanitary free No. I just don't
like getting sick. I really don't. I also carry miniature
mouth wash and toothpaste to freshen up my teeth, and
dental floss. I carry dental floss everywhere because I'm in
(10:42):
the wine and food business and it seems like my
teeth are always being impacted with what I'm eating and drinking.
A small, a small battery operated fan, particularly in the
summer months, you will be grateful to have. We are
so lucky. They throw them at us at Marty Grass
and we collect at festivals here in Louisiana where we live.
(11:03):
We also collect hand fans, and I always carry a
small pocket hand fan that I can use when it
gets really warm, because, let me tell you, when you
go to Europe in the summer and it is getting warmer,
the air conditioning is just not the same, and particularly
Asia also it's just not the same. So you always
want to have something to cool you down, like a
(11:24):
little battery operate a fan or a hand fan. In
case you start getting overheated, always say hydrated and don't
over exert in the heat. Now, obviously it's the same
in the winter. You can overexert in the winter, but
we're heading in the summer months, so I wanted to
bring that up. Try not to carry too much on
(11:45):
your shoulders. I know I have a back issue, so
I have a roller bag. It's nothing fancy. Actually, we
got it a good will so I don't really care
if it just dies on me. I'll just go back
and get another one. I don't necessarily spend a lot
of money on expensive luggage that I run through security
all the time. However, I was given as a wine writer,
(12:06):
I was given the chance to test out the Vanguard
Realise wine suitcases, and I love them so much that
I became an affiliate and I use it as my
main suitcase. Why do I like the suitcase. It is durable,
it has sturdy wheels, it looks good, it's spacious. I
could put everything in it. I have a second suitcase
to put all the wine because there are wine inserts
(12:27):
that you can use to hold the wine safely. Best part,
they will replace your bag when it's damage. You have
a LIFEGUD guarantee. And so far, I've replaced two Vanguard
Valise big large Grand suitcases because of the normal wear
and tear when they toss them all over the plane
and the tarmac. And the company has graciously sent me
(12:48):
a replacement, and all I had to pay for was
shipping vinguard release. Just so you know, I do have
a discount on that TCT twenty TCT twenty and you
get twenty percent off. I love that suitcase. Other than that,
I'm still looking for the ideal carry on bag that
isn't too heavy. Right now, I'm using one about a
good Will but I am looking and I'll probably see
(13:09):
if Vanguard Valise has one, because I really like that brand. Water.
Let's get back to water. I know, if you're anywhere
we question the tap water, use bottled water to brush
your teeth. Okay, it's just safer that way. I do
that in Asia. I haven't been to Asian a while,
but I've done an Asian in South America, and I'm
always very very careful about that. You can also purchase
(13:33):
water purification tablets if you need to. I think that's
also helpful. Another thing that's helpful if you're going to
high altitude hiking is talk to your doctor and are
your pharmacists and see you can get some altitude sickness medication.
It can help because altitude sickness, like seasickness, can make
(13:54):
you pretty ill. For seasickness or motion sickness. I like
the sea bands. You combine them at the pharmacy. They
kind of put pressure on your wrists, which seems to work.
I've also not had sea bands and just put my
thumbs on my wrist to say, well, but the best
way to avoid motion sickness and sea sickness, as I
have learned because I've had both and upsetting situations like
(14:15):
vomiting on a small plane after a heavy breakfast, is this,
don't have the heavy breakfast. If you know you're going
to be going out on a boat, and you know
you're going to be going out with a small plane
or a helicopter and you are or driving up windy roads,
don't have a heavy breakfast or a meal beforehand. Have
a very light meal, fruit vegetables, maybe some yogurt which
(14:35):
is probiotic, nothing too heavy or rich, so that you
don't get sick. And try to avoid drinking alcohol. Even
though I work in the wine business and I write
about wine, believe or not, I don't really ingest wine
much during the day, particularly in the heat. I spit
the wine out because I'm tasting. I even carry with
me my own personal spit cup, which I put in
my discrete little Safari bag. And if it's nicely, I
(14:59):
say my drinking wine and swallowing for dinner when I
know I can relax and unwind at the end of
the day. But when I have to be on during
the day, or I know we're going to be going
down or up winding hills and roads to vineyards. The
last thing I want to do is have motion sickness
and dizziness or even slight inebriation. So take it easy
and pace yourself. Remember traveling is not about a race.
(15:22):
It's the pace, and you should take the pace that
is good for you. It's really, really, really important. Gastro
Intestinal problems are inevitable. I get them more than i'd
like because I have reflux and I do take medication
for that. I always have it with me. I know
what triggers the reflex, and therefore I try to watch
(15:44):
very carefully when I eat. If people ask me if
I have dietary issues, I'm very honest. I don't de mirror.
I say, yeah, I don't eat meat, I don't eat
fried food. I tend to try to eat a very
light dinner because in Europe they tend to eat dinner
much later, particularly places like Italy and Spain. Spain, you
may not be eating dinner until ten o'clock at night.
(16:04):
I tend to eat lighter. You don't have to finish
your plate if you even try everything, but you don't
have to finish your plate. If you do eat a
heavy meal, it may be harder for you to fall asleep,
and that can really impact your quality of your next day,
or you could get sick. And I've been there, so
it's just easier to eat lighter later. It really is
(16:27):
Try everything, though, and however, if you do have food allergies,
be very clear about that up front. Don't be shy
because some of the dishes do have nuts, or you
may be sensitive to garlic or onions. I am be
honest about it. People would rather know ahead of time
than be upset that you're not eating their food. Now
(16:51):
here's something I do do with gastro intestinal I actually
take a Pepto bismo, one of those pink tablets. I
carry a box of those with me and I take
one every morning. I am convinced that it coats, suits
and protects my stomach. I've been doing that for years
and I think it helps. I also carry allergy day
(17:11):
and night allergy medication. The one I had in front
of me actually picked up at the Italian pharmacy. The
Vics Fleu note. It's day and night basically is what
it says, and I take particularly in the spring when
everything seems to be pollinating. I take a daytime allergy
pill along with my pepto bismo in the morning so
(17:32):
that I at least feel somewhat protected when I go
through the day. Now, my days tend to be long
when I'm traveling on the road for wine. I mean
long means like nine am to sometimes eleven pm, your go,
go go. I tend to make my breakfasts very light
and hearty. I try to avoid the sugary breads that many,
particularly in Italy, like to serve. I tend to stick
(17:55):
with the vegetables and I'll make a little tomato over
bread or something like. I de coote my stomach again.
I'm all about not eating large portions to exotic in
the morning. I just want to stay healthy, so I
keep it simple. I save my exotic eating to maybe lunchtime,
where I have some more time to digest. If you
(18:19):
know before you go, you should have a list of
you should know in the local language how to say doctor, help, bathroom, pharmacy.
I feel sick. I feel sick in the stomach, I
feel sick in the head. I need medical attention. You
need to have all that in the local language. There
(18:42):
are some apps that can translate for you, but it's
really handy just to have it on a sheet in
case you're somewhere where there's no Wi Fi, which is
like usually where you get sick in a remote area.
You're there, there's no Wi Fi and you need help,
you should know how to say help. I need a doctor,
I need a pharmacy, I don't feel well in the
local language. A portable umbrella is handy, as well as
(19:05):
a lightweight rain jacket so that you were protected when
that spry storm shows up. I always wear close toe shoes, Okay,
I live in New Orleans. I like to wear closed
dose shoe here for the same reason. They have fire
ants and gross things on the street, and I don't
want to pick up things, and I have picked up
things on the roads going barefoot. Once I went barefoot
(19:27):
on the beach in Jamaica and I picked something up gross.
So I always wear flip flops on the beach. I
wear close toe, comfortable loafers or tennis shoes when I'm
sight seeing, and my dress shoes are never strappy sandals,
They're always close toe. I don't want something to follow
my toe. I don't want something to get under my toenail.
I don't want to get my feet dirty. And like
(19:49):
I said, you can pick up germs, that's all I'm
going to say. And infections on the street. And I
have picked up two foot infections. Fun infections going on
the street. Speaking of fungal and gross, you should if
you're I truly mean this. This is why I don't
sit in the hot tubs. I actually picked up a
(20:10):
fungal infection in a hot tub at a be at
bed and Breakfast. I rent it. So really do your
research when you're looking at hotels and airbnbs and private
homes to rent. Read the reviews. I read all the reviews.
I will not stay anywhere when I'm picking the place
to stay that doesn't have a nine or higher, like
(20:32):
nine or ten rating the highest ratings. I always go
for a four star minimum. I'll splurge you more to
get what I hope is a better hotel. It doesn't
mean that begbooks don't exist. I have a friend who
picked up bedbooks in a major chain. I won't say
which one, but try to make sure that you're saying
at a hotel that has a reputation for being sanitary,
(20:53):
and make sure you do your due diligence when you're
researching on one of the agriculture aggregators, like make sure
the hotel has air conditioning if you don't like stairs,
make sure there's an elevator if you want breakfast, and
I do feel opting for the hotel breakfast is worth
the maybe a little extra money that's important. Another one
(21:13):
is if you're driving to see if there's on site
parking or what the parking charge is. It will save
you time and money. You have every right to ask
to see the room before you accept the room. I've
done that many times, and I've often asked to have
rooms changed because they're too small, they feel dirty, they
feel dingy. I also have an aversion to carpet roll
the wall carpet. I think there's a lot of allergens
(21:36):
in them. Like I said, I have developed a lot
of allergies as I've progressed in life. So I try
to find hotels that have floors, preferably hardwood floors. And
I'm always on a budget, but that is really important
to me. I don't really want to walk around on carpet.
Usually I take the bedspread off the bed also because
you don't know how often they've been washed and suspecked.
(22:00):
Carefully before I accept a room. I think it's really
important you have to be a polite but also discerning
and demanding traveler, because you don't want to get sick now.
I get cold a lot, and a lot of the
places in the United States are just freezing in the summer.
(22:23):
New Orleans, I have to wear a coat practically to
go to the grocery store, so I always carry, no
matter what the season, some kind of rain poncho or
a lightweight rain jacket an umbrella. I always carry a
pair of very lightweight gloves or heavier in the winter
because my hands can get really cold. I always carry
(22:43):
a lightweight, packable jacket. I have a lot of those
unicloth ones. I've worn them to death and I love them.
I always carry a shawl or a lightweight poncho that
I can slip on. I actually like the long pejmens
or shawls or long drapable scarves because I can wear
them as a shawl. I can wear them around my
(23:05):
neck as a scarf, which is really great to dress
up an outfit or just protect yourself from the chills.
I've also carried sarongs wherever I travel. I sleep in them,
I use them to sit on at the beach, I
use them to wrap things in. You can use them
to carry things. They're very handy. So sarongs and shawls
and scarves are a great way to protect yourself and
(23:28):
also change your wardrobe without bringing a lot of other things,
because basically all you really need is maybe two comfortable
pairs of shoes, one regular one to back up when
your regular pair your sneakers get wet and muddy, and
then I always carry one nice pair of shoes. Nothing
to heeled with high heels anymore. Straps just attractive and comfortable,
(23:48):
and I don't have brands to recommend because I'm wearing
mine through all the time. I do tend to wear
the basic comfortable travel black pants or beige pants and
loose fitting shirts so that i can eat comfortably and
not worry about pooching out. Lately, I've been wearing loose
dresses that I can just throw a shawl over or
(24:10):
a scarf to change. It's just I'm comfortable doing that,
particularly in the warm weather. I see a lot of
people walking around with big hats, and I do think
a big hat that can shade you, or if you prefer,
a baseball cap is critical. I carry both a baseball
cap for hiking and just just shove in my Safari
pack or backpack, and then I have packable, foldable brimmed
(24:36):
hats to protect against the sun. And I always carry
at least two pairs of sunglasses because if one breaks,
the only run around looking for sunglasses I like to
pick up when I go to the market's. My favorite
things to purchase in the local street markets are hats
or scarves or lightweight, cute little dresses that don't cost
much and you could just shove in a backpack or
(24:59):
in your suitcase and don't take up a lot of room.
I think I do that every time I go to Europe,
and I always come back with a few things extra,
and often travel with clothes I hate. Sometimes I travel
with clothes that I absolutely hate. Just leave them there
because they're done. Maybe they're worn out, stained, or just frayed.
I'll just leave them there and replace them with something else.
(25:21):
That's my way to look good on the road and
also kind of replenished. I don't buy much else on
the road because I don't need anything. I think mostly
we buy olive oil when we're in Italy or France.
We don't really bring wine back because we have a
lot of wine and it's really a hassle to travel
with it, you know. Really, the most things we do
is we take beautiful pictures and cherish those memories. When
(25:44):
you get home. If you are still feeling ill and
you can, you know, if you're really sick, If you're
really really sick, you may want to discuss with an
airline not going back and staying. I know that's really hard,
and we face that many times on some of our trips.
We always travel with masks. We wear masks on planes.
(26:04):
We don't wear them all the time, but if we
feel that someone around us is are sick, or if
we're not feeling great, we always wear masks, and we
always carry sanitizers and I always carry gloves. It's just
a courtesy that if you're sick, you don't want to
make other people sick, so think long and hard before saying, oh, no,
I got to get home. One of the ways we
do that is we always allow, or we try to
(26:26):
allow a down day after a long intense, I tinerary.
I actually like allowing one or two days to decompress
and just enjoy the area and relax after every trip,
so I don't come home exhausted. When you do come home,
and if you are feeling ill, immediately don't wait. Just
immediately go see an urgent care and get on and
(26:46):
tell them where you've been, what countries you've been in,
what you're feeling, and symptoms, because you don't want to
risk having something turning into something more serious, like a
blood clot and that can happen. If you are prone
to things like blood clutter of your family history, you
may want to get special socks or hose to wear
on the plane, compression socks. If you are potentially subject
(27:10):
to lymphidema, if you've had a mass eectomy, you may
want to get a olymphidemas sleep. Think about your individual
circumstance and protect yourself accordingly. It's really important because you
don't want your trip to be upended for any reason. However,
if it is, you know, I do believe in trip insurance.
(27:31):
I'm a big believer in trip insurance. And when my
mother was ill and I was caring for her and
going away I made actually I ensured every trip we
went on, and I actually splurged and got the refundable
tickets because I knew that in any day I may
be called back to deal with my mother. So during
those two years when I was caring for her but
(27:53):
still traveling, I opted for health the trip insurance, and
I opted for refundable affairs. I will say that airlines
have been very good about that. If you don't have refundableffairs,
they've gotten a lot more lenient, So that's really really good.
Always keep copies of your tickets and boarding passes when
you come back, just in case you left something on
(28:14):
the plane. You want to have that documentation. It's really important.
And you also want to make sure that your frequent
flyer points are logged. Keep a record of how you're
feeling and where you're going on the trip, so that
you you know, if something does happen down the road,
you can care for it and you can address it.
(28:34):
And like I said, do your homework on travel insurance.
Now you may not need to get travel insurance. What
you should do first and foremost is if you have
different credit cards, call your credit card travel services company
and ask them what benefits and perks they offer. Some
do offer travel insurance for a small fee or complimentary that.
(28:57):
Some do offer emergency evacuation. And I've had friends who've
had to have emergency evacuation because they've sprained ankles or
broken something. That's really important. Ask what kind of travel
protection they have. I know that with my Capital one.
I think it's the Venture Card. I have a Venture
Card and Adventure one. One's a massive card and one's
a visa and I have no affiliation otherwise than use them.
(29:20):
They have different travel perks and benefits. So before we
went away, I got to notice that my TSA access
number was needed a renewal. So I called both the
card companies and it turns out one of them would
fully reimburse me for my TSA enrollment, and so I
(29:42):
used that card. So this is really important. And this
isn't healthy, but it is healthy because it's financially healthy.
And you also want to say you save money when
you're traveling. Take advantage of every benefit your airline frequent
flyer membership can offer your travel Your health insurance check
(30:03):
and see what's covered for you know when you're away.
Your auto insurance check and see if you can rent
a car and you're covered overseas or not, or even domestically,
like I travel to Hawaii a lot, I always check
to see if I need to buy additional auto insurance
injury insurance, because they always try to sell it to
(30:25):
you some of your credit cards. If you use that
credit card, do cover it. So do your homework ahead
of time. It could save you a lot of money.
I'm a big believer in joining frequent flyer clubs, premium clubs.
You can do most of these at no cost. You
just join, but you can save money and take advantage
(30:48):
of perks, and if something happens to you, they are
more likely to take care of you first. So priority
and privilege does have privilege. It priority has privileges. Basically
take advantage of that. I think I've covered everything I
want to. I would love to hear from all of
you about your travel tips and how you've stayed healthy
(31:11):
on the road, and also any hacks you have to
stay healthy and also save money, because we all want
to save money. I don't travel with a lot of cash.
I tend to use my debit cards, but I'm very careful. Actually,
I don't use my debit cards because I don't even
want people to see my debit cards. I tend to
use my credit cards because I want to keep a
log of all my cards, and I do my research
(31:34):
ahead of time to find out which cards don't have
high fees, because when you use those ATMs, sometimes you're
charged hefty fees for the transaction in the currency you're
taking out, and you tend to take it out in currency.
I never change money. If I do use an ATM,
I get the currency that I'm traveling in. But I
usually don't travel with a lot of currency because that's
(31:55):
easy to get stolen. I travel with. I travel with
my money very close to me, and my fanny pack
or my shoulder, my cross body bag very discreetly hidden.
I always carry enough so I can leave a tip,
or when you go to some of these bathrooms, you
have to give them a euro, and if you don't
have that euro, you're screwed. So always carry enough coins
(32:17):
in small change or small currencies for those what I
call essential purposes. But for the rest of it, I
tend to use a credit card. I use my ATM
card sparingly because I don't want to open myself up
to any fraud, and I always when I get back,
I carefully look at all my credit card and bank
(32:37):
documents to see if there's any suspicious charges. Sometimes there are,
and when there are, I immediately call on it and
address it. Sometimes the charges because you don't recognize the store,
orre you about the dress or whatever. But always scheck
because you are vulnerable when you travel and every time
you pull out a card or click on something, so
be very careful about that. I'm above all, this is
(33:00):
about taking precautions to stay healthy and safe when you're
on the road and traveling. I share this to you
because I want you to have a great experience. Don't
hesitate to not take the trip, because you never know
if that opportunity will come your way again. And I
say that with all my heart because in my younger days,
when I worked all the time, there were trips I
(33:22):
didn't take because I was too busy that I wish
I had. And now I accept everything. I just go everywhere.
I just make it work, and I just travel smarter
and simpler and enjoy every minute. So enjoy your next journey,
wherever it takes you. If you want to share your
information with me, you can find me at Melanie Fabulous
(33:43):
on Instagram, follow my substack at Melanie Young and please
check out my show The Connected Table, which we host
Wednesday's two pm on W four CY Radio and you
can hear on more than sixty five podcast channels that
really goes deeply into wine and food as well as
travel and I think you'll like it. So always, you
(34:03):
have the right to live life with many choices. Always
choose fearless and fabulous and living on your terms. Thank you,
I'm Melanie Young and happy travels.
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