Travel health gift guide: what to get the incessant wanderer on your list

by Laurel Miller on

Travel junkies are a special breed. Only a very distinct personality type gets a rush from being on the road as much as possible, or relishes the discomforts and situations most people go to lengths to avoid. Homesickness is a foreign concept.

I know, because I too suffer from this malady. It started early, because I have a vivid memory of bursting into tears when I was six or seven, after we dropped a friend off at the airport.

“What’s wrong?” my dad asked. “I’m sad because we’re not getting on an airplane,” was my reply (ironic given my aviophobia, which had its onset about 12 years later).

A paralyzing fear of air travel hasn’t stopped me from roaming, however. So, whether you have a loved one who practically lives at Club Med or one actually enjoys sleeping on the ground or in janky Third World hostels rife with cockroaches…lucky you. You have a travel addict in the family or as a friend.

One experience incessant wanderers don’t go looking for? Illness or injury. While not inevitable, the more time you spend abroad, the greater the likelihood of suffering from anything from an infected bug bite or Bali Belly to…worse. But as I’ve always said, you can get hit by a bus crossing the street.

Of course travel isn’t inherently unsafe, but there are precautionary measures that minimize the odds of having health issues on the road. Below, my road-tested gift picks for frequent travelers (especially those who visit sub-tropical or tropical climes) and outdoor enthusiasts.

SteriPEN or LifeStraw portable water filter
Reasons why one of these is a worthwhile investment:

  • Saves money on purchasing bottled water in developing nations/places without potable water
  • Better for the environment (see above)
  • You can contract giardia or other nasties from improperly “bottled” water (trust me)
  • You don’t have to be out in the backcountry to have a potable water shortage; owning a filtration system is good insurance you stay hydrated and healthy, even in the city.

[Photo credit: Flickr user fauxrealphotos]Travel first aid kit
Even infrequent travelers should carry basic first-aid supplies: band-aids, gauze pads, Neosporin, OTC meds, etc.. Personalize your gift by tailoring a pre-purchased kit (REI is a great place to find different types and sizes) to suit the interests and needs of your recipient.

Wilderness first aid class
CPR or a general first aid class is a good idea for anyone, but if any of your loved ones live for backcountry pursuits or traveling off the beaten path, a WFA course can be a lifesaver–literally. Look one up in your area through the American Red Cross.

Controlled-release DEET and/or Insect Shield apparel
There was a time, several years ago, when I shunned DEET unless I was in a malarial region. Why, I asked myself, would I willingly douse myself in a pesticide? Why would I inflict said poison upon the environment?

That philosophy is all well and good until you get bitten by something harboring an infectious evil (in my case, it was sandflies carrying the Bartonella bacilliformis bacterium) that anti-malarials can’t prevent. Also note that malaria prophylaxis is not without considerable side-effects and may not protect you against certain strains of the disease. Be sure to talk to an infectious disease, tropical medicine, or travel physician experienced with actual working experience in these regions.

These days, I’m all about DEET if I’m traveling somewhere with potentially harmful biting insects, especially now that there are controlled-release versions on the market (there are various brands on the market; Sawyer Products is highly recommended). One application is good for up to 12 hours.

As for clothes, I love my Insect Shield long sleeve button-up shirt from ExOfficio. Good for up to 70 washings (after which you still have a good-looking, lightweight travel top), bug-repelling garments are treated with permethrin, EPA-registered, and free of toxic-smelling fumes.

Sun protective clothing
As you likely know, heat exhaustion or heat stroke can be serious; even fatal. In addition to a good sunblock, sunglasses, and a hat, sun protective clothing is a seriously smart idea for outdoor types. Once again, I recommend ExOfficio, or REI own brand, which will save you a few dollars.

Bear bell or spray
Google “2011 grizzly attacks.” ‘Nuff said.

SmartWool socks
What they say in the military is true: you gotta take care of your feet. Once your dogs go, you’re SOL in the backcountry or tropics. Keeping feet clean and dry (and warm, if applicable) is of utmost importance (at the very least, fellow travelers will appreciate your hygiene efforts). These moisture-wicking, stench-resistant socks are invaluable even if you’re just planning an extended trip.

Ibex woolies
Getting chilled can quickly become serious or fatal, and hypothermia prevention in the form of extra layers is key. These 100% merino wool underlayers from Vermont-based outfitter Ibex are the bomb. Comfortable, warm, moisture-wicking, and seriously odor-proof (anything that remains fit to wear in public after a month-long backpacking trip from the Andes to the Amazon–sans laundry–is a product I heartily endorse). Plus, they come in cute stripey designs as well as solids.

[Photo credit: Band-aids, Flickr user m.gifford, feet, Flickr user Cin]

Video: surfer rides 90 foot wave in Portugal, breaks world record

by Elizabeth Seward on

It’s one thing to go to the beach to catch some waves in Portugal, but it’s an entirely different thing to catch a 90 foot wave successfully, breaking a world record. And that’s just what surfer, Garrett McNamara, did. McNamara broke the world record for the longest wave ever surfed when he caught this 90 foot wave off the coast of Portugal. The largest wave claimed to have been surfed before this one was 80 feet, and there’s no solid documentation to back up that the 80 foot surf actually happened. Although little documentation, other than this video above, has been released regarding McNamara’s feat, as far as I’m concerned, this little video clip above is pretty decent documentation. Watch this video if you’d like to sit in awe for a minute or if you’re simply interested in scoping just how big some of those waves off of Portugal’s coast can get.

Meet the 2012 National Geographic Adventurers of the Year

by Kraig Becker on

On Monday of this week, National Geographic announced their list of the 2012 Adventurers of the Year, bestowing the honor on eleven men and women who have pushed the envelope in their particular fields over the past 12 months. This year’s group includes mountaineers, a professional surfer, a long distance hiker, a mountain biker, and more.

Several of the names on the list will certainly be familiar to Gadling readers. For instance, we told you about Jennifer Pharr Davis when she set her new speed record on the Appalachian Trail a few months back and we took note of climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner when she summited K2 in August, ending her quest to become the first woman to climb the highest peaks in the world without the use of supplemental oxygen. We even told you about Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa and Sano Babu Sunuwar, the two men who paraglided off the summit of Everest last spring. Others earning Adventurer of the Year status include mountaineer Cory Richards, who became the first person to climb Gasherbrum II in the winter and snowboarder Travis Rice, who rode some of the toughest mountains in the world, in style no less. To view the entire list of winners and read more about their exploits, click here.

With the announcement of these recipients, Nat Geo has also opened an online poll that allows you and I to weigh in on who we think deserves the most recognition for their accomplishments this past year. Readers are encouraged to vote everyday until the poll closes on January 18, 2012. Then, in February, they’ll announce the winner of the 2012 People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year Award as well. Click here to cast your vote for your favorite adventurer.

Finally, to catch these men and women in action, check out the online photo gallery that National Geographic has put together to highlight their selections. Not only are they fantastic photos, they also capture the winners in their natural habitats, namely mountains, oceans, forests, and so on.

Congratulations to all the winners.

[Photo courtesy of Cory Richards]

Wanted: American couple for South Africa Tourism commercial

by Kraig Becker on

South Africa Tourism (SAT) has launched their 20 Experiences in 10 Days campaign, and now they’re looking for fresh faces to help spread the word. The program is designed to sell South Africa as an adventurous, romantic, and cultural destination amongst Americans and to that end, SAT is looking for a real-life American couple to star in a new television commercial that is set to air internationally.

The casting director for the new spot is looking for couples ranging in age from 24-36 who are either married or in a committed relationship. They must also be available to attend in audition either in New York (Dec. 5-9) or Los Angeles (Dec. 10-12) and if hired for the gig, be ready to travel to South Africa for filming from January 20 – February 5th of 2012.

SAT promises it won’t be all work however, as the lucky couple selected will be sent off on a free, once in a life time trip to South Africa. During their ten day visit, they’ll have the opportunity to experience luxurious spas, sample the country’s world-famous wines, and soak up the diverse and cosmopolitan culture. They’ll also go hot air ballooning, surfing in the wild waters off the coast, and spot exotic animals on safari.

For more information, check out the Visit South Africa Facebook page where you’ll find the application form. The deadline for entry is Monday, November 28th. Who knows, you might just be the star of the new commercial, and get an amazing free trip as well.

Do you travel more than a pro surfer?

by Kyle Ellison on

In all of professional sports, I doubt there are many athletes who travel more for their job than professional surfers. In fact, I doubt there are many people involved in any profession who travel more than professional surfers do on an annual basis.

Unless you are, oh, I don’t know, an exploratory oil engineer, a FedEx airline pilot, or some sort of covert operative, there’s a real good chance that the world’s top wave chargers are circling the globe far more rapidly than you are.

So just what does the schedule of a professional surfer look like?

To begin with, the 36 surfers on the ASP World Tour compete in 11 different events that take them across Australia, Brazil, South Africa, France, Portugal, Tahiti, California, and Hawaii over the course of the year. During the 4-6 weeks between events, many of these surfers are jetting across the globe chasing swells and doing promo shoots in countries that include the expected (Indonesia, Fiji, Costa Rica), the remote (Namibia, Madagascar, Iceland), and the downright dangerous (I’ve seen articles on surf in Libya, and it actually looks really good).

Considering the constant demands of chasing swells that can pop up in any corner of the world, many pro surfers spend little more than a month or two at “home” in any given year.
To dig deeper into the traveling life of a professional surfer I recently caught up with a team that’s been traveling with pro surfer Ian Walsh of Maui, Hawaii.One of the world’s best big wave surfers, Walsh largely forgoes contests in favor of searching out some of the largest, most remote waves on the planet. When he’s not stroking into bulbous, death-defying pits that would assuredly kill the rest of us, Walsh is making various promotional appearances around the globe for one of his major sponsors, Red Bull.

On a recent trip that just came to a close, Walsh and his team flew from Hawaii to Africa for a month of chasing swells from the sharky waters of Cape Town to the remote sand spits of Namibia. After Africa, the Walsh team was needed back in New York City for the premier of a Red Bull snowboarding film, The Art of Flight, during which time he jetted out to Rhode Island to hunt down some waves from a mid-autumn hurricane swell.

From New York the team hopped over the pond for a week of wave-hunting on the west coast of Ireland, after which time it was off to Salzburg, Austria via Prague to drop in at the Red Bull headquarters for a few days. Throw in a quick trip to Rome, and then it’s back on the wave-hunt by flying to Bulgaria to begin work on a documentary based around searching for surf in the Caspian Sea.

That particular trip involved driving overland from Bulgaria to Istanbul, then catching a plane to Baku, Azerbaijan, which is a place I feel you don’t regularly find many pro surfers. This, of course, is further evidence of the ever expanding quest of searching for waves in places you’d never think there was good surf.

On top of this particular 6-week whirlwind, Walsh was also spotted this year taking two trips to Indonesia, two to Fiji, three to Mexico, and of course, a couple of trips to Las Vegas thrown in for good measure.

If planning these trips sounds like a logistical nightmare, consider the fact the majority of pro surfers are sculpting their travel arrangements around shifting swell models of where they think the next big storm is going to rear its ugly head. It’s not unheard of for surfers to chase a swell from Tahiti to Hawaii to California and literally ride the same waves (albeit at smaller levels) they just rode the day before.

To add an additional variable, pro surfers don’t exactly have the luxury of flying carry-on with their favorite roll-aboard luggage. Aside from schlepping around a quiver of anywhere from 4-10 boards (which are really fun to travel with when flying to Mozambique and boarding a dilapidated fishing boat for a 3 week feral mission into the middle of nowhere), the modern surfer needs a small studio of electronics such as camera gear, video gear, and laptops to document the entire journey for the sponsors, magazines, and surf companies who make a lot of the travel possible.

So the next time you’re riding business class lamenting the fact you’ve been on the road for the last 2 weeks, consider the fact there’s some surfer out there trying to stuff a big silver board bag into a decrepit Nicaraguan taxi who’s chasing a swell he spotted while camped out somewhere in Sri Lanka. He’s sleep-deprived, heavily vaccinated, and willing to throw himself over a 20-foot ledge onto a jagged coral reef all for a chance to chase the dream we call the cover of a magazine.

In other words, it’s just another day on the job.

For more info on Ian Walsh and a greater window into the life of a professional surfer, check out the surf blog weekwithwalshy.com.

Photo: {Justin Clark; weekwithwalshy.com}