Talking travel with jetlag guru Ted Ray (plus anti-jetlag formula giveaway)

by Jerry Guo on

For anyone traveling this Fourth of July weekend, Ted Ray is the guy you’ll need when you touch down at that beach resort–with the worst headache in the world. He’s a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist who’s a travel consultant to high-powered Silicon Valley execs, especially on how to get over jet lag. (He’s designed an all-natural concoction to help do the same, which has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Time Out, and Business 2.0).

Giveaway: Ted’s been nice enough to offer five free bottles of FlyRight to Gadling readers (including shipping). Each bottle is enough for a one-way international flight or roundtrip domestic flight, and valued at $24.95. Go to the bottom of the Q&A for contest details.

What’s the longest flight you’ve been on? How bad was the jetlag? Do you ever get it these days?

I flew to Adelaide, Australia which took around 18 hrs. I may still be jetlagged from that trip. Not sure as it was many years ago. Now, I don’t get jet lag because I actually take the advice I give my patients: I stock up on sleep in the days preceding, drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol, and religiously take my Jet Lag Formula. There is no “magic bullet”, but if you do enough things right, you can arrive feeling pretty good.
What are the top 3 steps people should do to help prevent jetlag?

  • I like to plan international trips to arrive sometime before noon in my destination. I will do everything humanly possible to check into my hotel early or find a location where I can take a short nap (20-30 minutes) so I can function better and stay up until the local bedtime.
  • Drink plenty of water and avoid dehydrating substances like alcohol, soda, and coffee. For those lucky enough to fly in the front of plane, avoid big meals- they’re hard on your digestive system.
  • Take creature comforts- warm comfortable clothing, iPod, DVDs, an eye mask, ear plugs and a comfortable neck pillow (I use mine backwards to keep my head propped up. If you can afford it, get some noise-cancelling headphones. Then you might actually get some sleep on the plane.

Besides your FlyRight concoction, are there other herbal remedies out there that you would recommend, and why?

Umm, no. I’ve searched high and low for a jet lag remedy and have asked my patients who travel frequently what they use. I finally decided to make my own. Of course, there are many single herbs that work well to address various aspects of travel, like rhodiola to support the immune system and calm the mind¸ but jet lag really requires a comprehensive approach.

Explain how FlyRight works? Is this really just the placebo effect at work? What’s the science behind it?

It’s actually pretty straightforward. Look at the various aspects of airline travel and create an herbal formula that addresses each of them. As an example, we include ganoderma (Reishi mushroom) because it supports the immune system of improves energy. Avena (Wild Oats) offsets dehydration and promotes tranquility- ideal for the airplane environment. Ginkgo (Ginkgo leaf) has many well-documented effects including improving mental clarity and offsetting free radical damage to brain cells. Scientific evidence does not exist for all 12 herbs in the formula, but their use is well supported by the tradition of Chinese herbal medicine that I use in my practice

What are some myths about jetlag?

  • Pilots and flight attendants don’t get jet lag–Not true. Sleep researchers have found that constant travelers, including flight crew members, are more accustomed to jet lag’s weariness, but that doesn’t make them immune to it. According to a 1994 survey, more than 90% of New Zealand-based flight attendants suffered from jet lag, saying they felt some combination of fatigue, energy/motivation loss, and sleep problems.
  • Sleeping pills prevent jet lag–While sleeping pills may help you get some shut-eye during the flight they don’t prevent jet lag. And if you want to go the all natural route, check these off your list. Avoiding jet lag requires more than sleep; jet lag symptoms (fatigue, headaches, nausea, anxiety, etc.) have many different contributors-and it takes a multi-faceted approach to deal with them.
  • Jet lag is only caused by time zone travel–While your “body clock” can be disrupted from multi-time zone travel, many factors cause jet lag. From the pressurized, dry-air nature of airplane cabins the cabin environment to the amount of much coffee you drink, jet lag can occur regardless of how many time zones are crossed. Another major factor affecting jet lag is exposure to gamma radiation (from the sun) and electromagnetic radiation (from the plane itself). This radiation damage leads to mental fogginess, headaches, and general fatigue.

How about massages as a jetlag remedy?

Well, I think massages are always a good thing as they help calm the mind, improve circulation, and ease the stiffness caused by airplane travel. If you add acupressure to a massage, you can even help restore the digestive and immune systems more quickly.

I recently came across a study about jetlag, Viagra, and hamsters . What do you make of that?

Kudos to Pfizer. They’re employing a basic tenet of company growth: Sell more products to existing customers or find new markets for existing products. They seem to be doing the latter. But seriously, I think it would be reckless to start prescribing a medication guaranteed to have side effects for the mass traveling public.

Suppose if I’m flying from New York to Beijing. It’s a 12-hr time difference. Am I absolutely screwed?

Yes. I recommend you send me your ticket immediately! Actually, you should be fine. Take my advice above and allow for some unscheduled time to rest (if you need to) on the day you arrive.

For long flights, I usually book myself to get there in the morning, stay awake on the flight, continue staying up through the day once I land, and then I’m usually good. Do you have any advice on scheduling flights and sleep patterns for combating jetlag?

It’s hard to say as everybody is different. Your plan is a good one, but it won’t work for everyone. Some people can sleep on the flight as well and should. I would do my best not to arrive at night, as it’s important to get some light exposure to reset your body clock. Also, do your best to stay awake until the normal bedtime at your destination.

Contest details

  • To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us what you do to fight jetlag.
  • The comment must be left before Friday, July 11 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Five winners will receive a single bottle each of FlyRight, valued at $24.95.
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

Talking travel with a RD editor and former White House correspondent

by Jerry Guo on

I’m here with Carl Cannon, Washington bureau chief of Reader’s Digest. You might ask what he’s got to do with travel. It may have a bit to do with his 15 years covering the White House (and all the travel that goes along with the job), in particular serving as the White House correspondent for the Baltimore Sun during the Clinton and Bush 43rd administration.

He’s been a member of a Pulitzer Award-winning team at the San Jose Mercury News, a fellow at Stanford/Princeton/Harvard, and regular contributor to NPR.

Ahh, and he managed to dash off an insightful article on “free vacations” around the US in this month’s issue of Reader’s Digest.

What was your experience like being a part of the White House press corp?

On the White House beat, you are an observer, not a participant, but you are an observer of history in the making. Most White House correspondents keep that in mind, I think, because to cover the stories unfolding in front of you, a good journalist has to know what has occurred before. Learning about this history leads naturally to wanting to explore historically significant places that lay outside the “bubble,” as the protective cocoon of the White House traveling show is called. I did a lot of that, and thus learned a great deal both inside and outside the bubble. I tried to share a portion of that knowledge in the “25 Great Places to Visit for Free” piece in our July magazine.

Did you accompany the president on any of his foreign trips?

I accompanied President Clinton on several foreign trips, including one to Belgium, Ukraine, and Russia. I had never visited the former Soviet Union before, and found myself walking unescorted inside the Kremlin. It was amazing. I also covered one of Clinton’s two trips to Ireland at the height of the peace talks there. When he went to Ballybunion to golf, a couple of reporters and White House guys put together our own foursome. It was wonderful. I traveled event more extensively abroad during the presidency of George W. Bush: One one trip, we went to Sharm el-Sheikh, the resort town in the southern Sinai peninsula; we also went to Jordan and Qatar. I covered the 60th anniversary of D-Day, attended by President Bush, also going to Rome and Paris on that trip; and toured Asia with Bush 43 as well.
The work load for a daily journalist is considerable on such foreign trips–your editors are paying a lot of money for you to be there, so they tend to want a lot of coverage–but there is occasionally time to slip away explore your surroundings. In Sharm, I had a spare hour one afternoon before a Colin Powell press conference, and dashed down to the beach and snorkeled in the Red Sea before racing back up to the press room. I entered the news conference with wet hair, a detail not lost on then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, who pretended to be disapproving. He scowled at my attire, but I think he was secretly jealous: he gave me a wink as he left the podium.

On the Asian trip, we ended it up with a day and a half in Hawaii. Many of us made the time count: I found one friend from the L.A. Times to hike to the summit of Diamond Head; and two others, one from the Financial Times of London and the other from Asahi Shimbun, to go surfing on Waikiki Beach. We rented boards from a concessionaire near our hotel, and paid the guy a few bucks to accompany us out to the breakers. We rode several waves before getting back on the press bus for the States.

How did you generate the destination ideas for this piece?

I love traveling in this country, and have done a lot of it with presidents, would-be presidents and other senatorial or gubernatorial candidates on various campaigns–and on many other stories as well. (And on real vacations, too.) I’ve been to most of the places I wrote about, either while on holiday or assignment, and keep a kind of mental road map in my head so that when I travel on a story, I start thinking what is near that place that would be interesting or fun to check out.

What were some places that got left on the cutting-room floor?

One of them was the quarries of rural Indiana. Swimming in them is not usually legal, and can be dangerous, so we left it out, but diving off cliffs into deep, clean water can be exhilarating. Another was the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley located by the old blimp hangar off Highway 101 between San Jose and San Francisco–that’s where I grew up, and as a kid, I saw that thing every time we went to a ballgame at Candlestick Park. Jimmy Stewart was stationed there when World War II started, I believe. A third site that ended up on the cutting room floor was Navajo National Monument in Northern Arizona. They are all good. A friend emailed me a 26th nomination this morning: she said you can watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearse on Thursday evenings. I’ve not checked that out yet, but I will try…

How many of the 25 places you mention in the piece have you personally been to? Which are your top three favorite?

Oh, I’ve been to almost all of them–some several times. Let’s see. I have not been to Shanksville, Pa., although I should certainly go there: I was at the White House the day that plane went down with all those heroic people aboard. I’ve been to Ellis Island, although it was my 13-year-old kid on a school trip who did the family search at the immigration center there. I’ve never seen the Iowa bike race, although friends of mine have ridden in it. Nor have I dug for diamons in Arkansas: Carol Kaufmann, a colleague in the Reader’s Digest, Washington bureau, came up with that one. My top three favorites: Well, the Big Hole battlefield in Montana makes me cry when I go there and visualize the Nez Perce being cut down in their tents, so “favorite” isn’t quite the right word. It’s very moving. It’s also on the Big Hole River which is a wonderful fly fishing stream. The Fourth of the July citizenship ceremony at Monticello is so special. My third? Might be the seal pool (or children’s pool) in La Jolla. I cherish that beach.

What’s your favorite museum in DC?

Ah, I can’t choose just one. I like ’em all. The National Portrait Gallery has the portraits of the first 42 presidents of the United States, including Gilbert Stuart’s famous “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington; it has the cracked plate photo of Abraham Lincolns taken near the end of his life, a cast of Lincoln’s hands…and portraits and photographs of all kinds of other Americans. Right now there’s a special one-room exhibit of Katharine Hepburn that includes numerous pictures of her, the actual Oscar statues she won (all four of them) and a video kiosk with clips of some of her movies and interviews. That place is truly amazing. But so is the simple majesty of the Lincoln Memorial, where you can walk in and read, etched in stone the words of the Gettysburgh Address and Lincoln’s second inaugural. Also, I’m still a sucker for the Air & Space Museum.

What about national parks? What are some of your top picks?

If anyone reading this hasn’t ever seen a redwood forest, they need to head to the West Coast as soon as it’s practicable. Those huge trees are something else. In the Reader’s Digest piece, I talk about the tallest trees in Redwood National Park in Humboldt County, Calif., but there are dozens of federal, state, and even some county parks with redwood stands in them, and they must be seen to be believed: My favorite national parks, overall?

Well, when you visit the famous jewels–Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, the Everglades, Acadia, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Denali up in Alaska–you immediately realize why they are so popular: They are awe inspiring. I’ve been blessed enough to visit all of those, as well as some of the nation’s top state parks. (My favorite state parks are Ano Neuvo Point, Big Basin and Big Sur, all in California, along with City of Rocks in New Mexico and Nickerson State Park on Cape Cod, along with two New York state parks, Saratoga Spa State Park and Adirondack, which has something like 6 million acres.

Also, here are a half-dozen of my other, lesser known, but equally wonderous, favorite national parks, recreation areas, or historic sites:

  • Point Reyes National Seashore (California)
  • Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (Utah)
  • North Cascades National Park (Washington state)
  • Assateague Island (Maryland)
  • Harper’s Ferry (West Virginia)
  • Lookout Mountain Battlefield (Tennessee)

Finally, here are five parks that I’ve never been to, but very much want to see: Channel Islands (state park) in California, Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park, Isle Royale in Michigan, Kenai Fjords in Alaska, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, which is one of only two states in America I’ve never visited.

Are you a big outdoors guy? What’s your favorite hike/trek/walk/climb?

I love the outdoor, and indoor, sports. A perfect day might be surfing in the morning in Santa Cruz, California, then driving up to trout fish the Truckee River in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at dusk…before heading into the city for dinner and maybe some cards at a casino in Reno. Actually, I once did that trip, all in the same day. It was tiring, but satisfying.

What’s the best resource for Americans who want to find out some great weekend trip ideas near their home?

Any local hiking club or outdoor outfitter will have information about great local weekend trips. So will AAA, or your local chamber of commerce. This stuff pops up on the Internet pretty easily, too.

Are roadtrips still affordable these days, with the high gas? Any tips for saving fuel on the road?

It’s still cheaper to drive than fly, unless you’re going alone. Tips for saving money on gas? Buy a hybrid. Better yet, ride a bike.

Finally, RD is quite well-known for their reader submitted content. What about travel dispatches or mini-stories? Any ways readers/budding travel writers can participate?

The staff of Reader’s Digest just completed an editorial retreat this week where we brainstormed about new ideas for the magazine. One of them was institutionalizing this travel coverage into something interactive with our readers. It’s not finalized yet, but keep an eye on our website for information on just that kind of endeavor. Meanwhile, happy travels this summer.

Talking travel with Shutterfly’s resident photographer

by Jerry Guo on

Dane Howard is the photography portal Shutterfly‘s resident photographer and author of The Future of Memories, a book about sharing photos in the digital age. He’s here today to talk about some secrets of the trade–and to give us the scoop on today’s launch of Shutterfly’s new travel site.

What photography equipment do you take on your travels?

When I have a targeted 2-hour segment of shooting, I like to walk with my digital SLR, the Nikon D40x. I’m like a soldier for visuals. I’ve outfitted my Nikon with a hand-strap, allowing me to freely walk with my finger on the shutter button at all times. If I’m planning on taking large area photos with a single shot, I’ll bring along my Nikkor 18-55mm wide angle lenses, a lens hood to reduce flare and increase contrast.

A small, lightweight tripod is really useful when it comes to time-lapse or night shots. The Joby Gorillapod is awesome because it works on uneven surfaces and can even be wrapped around rails and branches.

When it comes to everyday shots, I’ll need something pocket size. I use my Panasonic Lumix LX2 or my Canon G9. These are my ‘everywhere’ cameras, which means I take them ‘everywhere.’ They allow me to shoot great photos and video. They are small enough to just slip into my pocket.

Extra memory cards are definitely a necessity because you don’t want to be caught in a situation where you have to delete pictures just to take more. And of course a battery charger–do not forget that! If I’m traveling to a foreign country I also make sure to bring a power adapter. I use the Belkin Universal AC Travel Adapter. I never shoot with the flash, so this extends my battery life while travelling.

How would you make the best of shots from a point-and-click? Any tips?

  • Find Visual ‘Book-ends’: Think about the visual elements that establish a new scene. These can be either a sign or entry into the successive shots. By establishing a shot that gives context, you help build a stronger narrative.
  • Panoramic POV: Photos are magnificent because they can really get the span of a beautiful view. One of my favorite techniques for the photo books that I make on Shutterfly is to create panoramic layouts by facing two “full bleed” pages.
  • Take your time. Take a moment to observe your environment and take shots from different angles to make sure you get the best lighting, background, and character of your environment.
  • Close-ups: You’ll never forget to take the wide panoramic, but you’ll want to remember the details. Don’t forget to capture the Macro shots of an important detail, like a table setting, glass or ornate door or structure. Focus on textures, like ripples on a lake and various materials on city buildings. You’ll want the juxtaposition later.
  • Use people or objects: Put them in the foreground/background to help convey the scale of your subject matter and to make the picture more visually interesting
What advice would you give to travelers who want to move away from the cheesy “me-standing-in-front-of-the-Eiffel-tower” shots?

I would definitely suggest trying different perspectives than the predictable shots. Not only is it more fun for you, but it makes it more interesting to those you share your photos with. For example, if you are taking a picture of a monument or sign, stand below and look up at it versus the usual front and center point of view. Or another unique approach is to take a picture of the monument/sign reflected in another object.

How do you land those “slice-of-life” shots of locals?

I stay put. Usually when you travel you’re always on the go. I often observe and set a camera on a key ledge or table where I know the locals will pass by. If you are on the move, so is your camera. I like to show ‘local fare’ by shooting two shots of a local passing through their space. This gets to the essence of local movement, thus local behavior. If I have time, I’ll switch over to movie mode and capture an audio track along with the video. I may use this later when I share the memory.

It’s always good to venture away from the tourist shopping areas to check out the local market where residents buy their groceries. Check out local hangouts and neighborhoods away from downtown.

What are some tips to telling a narrative through photography?

Context, context, context. Choose and drive the context of the story you want to tell through your pictures. If you know what context you want your narrative to be told in, it makes it much easier to stay focused. This helps in the process of actually taking pictures while out and about as well as when you have to choose the best pictures that you want to include in your story and how to do it in a cohesive sequence.

No matter what you choose your narrative direction to be, enjoy the process of gathering a body of work aligned with something that gives you the freedom and creativity to author something you will enjoy for years to come.

What are your favorite digital solutions for preserving and displaying vacation photos?

I really love online sites like Shutterfly for photo books. Vacation photos can be shared individually or by album. You can also create a photo book with captions and share the beautiful finished product with friends and family.

I also use VUVOX, which enables me to quickly showcase and share my photos in rich presentation styles. I use this on chloehoward.com all the time.

Top 3 photography travel blogs?

  • Europe: I love his emphasis on Europe through the Back Door. I find helpful hints, stories and insight by his site and the community that follows it.
  • Daily Practices: I must practice what I preach, and when I re-read my own material and from contributors of my own book, I am reminded why I am so passionate about the future of memories and sharing this information. These convictions help push me to make my photos and my work better, wherever I go.
  • Shutterfly Gallery: Shutterfly Gallery is a community that provides readers with inspiration for storytelling, tips, and encourages them to be active in the community by contributing their own photo books. You can learn a lot here. They’ve also introduced “Hit the Road with Shutterfly,” a new destination for travelers to find inspiration on where to go this summer and how best to record and tell tell the story of their summer journeys through photos.


Talking travel with ‘Wanderlust and Lipstick’ author Beth Whitman

by Jerry Guo on

Beth Whitman is the Wonder Woman of the travel biz. She began her adventure by backpacking the Pacific Rim for a year. Since then, she’s driven the Alcan Highway to Alaska (twice), hiked through the Himalayas, and motorcycled solo from Seattle to Panama.

As author of the top-selling travel guide for women, Wanderlust and Lipstick, she is an expert on the art of travel, especially solo trips. Her follow-up book, Wanderlust and Lipstick: For Women Traveling to India, comes out next month.

When did you get the travel bug? Looking back, how do you feel about your early years of travel? Did you travel differently back then?

I first started traveling when I was in college. Although I really wanted to get out and about, I can’t say that I really got the bug until I took my second solo trip. I took a semester off from school more than 20 years ago. I lived in New Jersey at the time and drove around the country for three months.

In between visiting friends, I stayed in youth hostels and that’s where I really got the bug. I was meeting people from all over the world. I never looked back after that trip. I think it’s pretty natural that when you start out traveling, you simply wander. I was no different early on. I was just absorbing it all. Now, I like to have more of a purpose when I travel. Writing is one level but I also like to pursue my hobbies when I’m on the road. I’m a huge world music fan so I absolutely must go to the nearest music store to purchase local music or musical instruments to bring home.
You’ve been on a lot of different adventures–motorcycling across North America, trekking in Nepal and Bhutan, backpacking for a year in the Pacific–which one has been your all-time favorite and why?

Every trip has special meaning to me. I rode my motorcycle solo from Seattle to Panama (7,000 miles) and that was an adventure that I look back on and say, “Wow, did I really do that?” My second trip to India less than two years ago was transformative. I was welcomed into people’s homes and witnessed so many amazing acts of kindness and spirituality that it made me come home and really re-examine my own life (not in an Eat, Pray, Love kind of way). I’ve been to Vietnam seven times, so you can definitely count that amongst my favorites but really, I’m such a Wanderluster that every trip is special.

What’s your favorite country? City?

Currently Bhutan because I’ve just returned from there. Favorite city? How ’bout village. I love Bucerias, a little village near Puerto Vallarta. I fear it’s probably undergone a lot of growth since I was there five years ago. It’s authentic enough that you can walk to the local shop and purchase hot fresh tortillas but not quite on the tourist path, yet.

What are your top travel resources online?

I’m a firm believer in paperback guide books. I spend all day on my computer working, therefore, I relish being able to crack open a book at night and begin researching. Having said that, I do indeed research online. I generally begin by searching for specific information, i.e. “Paris markets”. I love the fact that I can find information and personal experiences from people who write quality blogs, such as those on Gadling and GoNomad, as well as articles on sites such as Transitions Abroad. Reading strong opinions from some of these bloggers and then being able to link to well-researched articles is great.

What are five tips for solo travelers who might fear being lonely on the road?

The last thing that solo travel is, is lonely. There are so many opportunities to meet others, if you so choose. Here are my top tips for not being lonely:

  • Stay “close to the ground” as they say. Don’t insulate yourself in a mid-to high-price hotel. By couchsurfing or staying with a Servas host, staying in a hostel or even bed-and-breakfast, you’re exposing yourself to the locals as well as other travelers.
  • Read up on the city or village where you’re staying and frequent cafes where the backpackers hang out. Even if you’re not a backpacker per se, these cafes usually have community tables where people sit together. It’s so easy to meet others this way.
  • Join an organized day tour. You’ll automatically be tossed together with a group of people who probably aren’t from the area and have diverse backgrounds and travel experience. You’re sure to have a lot of stories and information to share.
  • Take your hobby on the road. Love to knit? Bring your gear and knit on long bus rides. Like wearing silver jewelry (like me!)? Seek out silver shops and silver artisans. Combining your passion and interests with your travels gives you the chance to meet others with similar interests and gives some purpose to your days on the road.
  • Finally, take a leap. Even if you consider yourself to be shy, introduce yourself to others. You may never see them again anyway, so what’s the harm? Most likely, however, they will be just as happy that you introduced yourself and will be eager to hear your travel stories.

What about advice for keeping safe (specifically concerning women travelers here)?

When it comes to traveling safely, I could talk about lots of little things a woman can do to ensure a trouble-free trip. However, there are a couple of important key things that I recommend for women:

  • Act confident. I always recommend that if a woman has the least bit of trepidation about traveling, then build up your confidence by taking a self defense course. Learn how to stand up straight, look like you know what you’re doing and avoid becoming a victim simply because you look like an easy target.
  • Always listen to your gut. Even if you think you may be giving up the opportunity of a lifetime, don’t ignore the signs of a potentially bad situation. A good example is being invited to dinner at someone’s home (which can happen often depending on what country you’re traveling in). If you get a bad feeling about it, politely bow out.

You’ve written a book about women traveling in India. What sets India apart? Are there special concerns?

While India is a relatively safe place to travel in that there are rarely violent acts committed against tourists, opportunistic thieves and sexual deviants abound.

As a woman, you’ll notice that men will be eager to chat with you and touch you. If you’re stuck in a crowded metro train, you’d better surround yourself with other women to avoid being groped. You’ll be asked to star in other peoples’ photos and you’ll be followed around markets and tourist sights, simply because you stand out as a foreigner (this is even more so for blonds and fairer-skinned women). Generally, these are more annoyances than they are big concerns.

Having said that, of course we women have to be more aware of potentially disastrous events. We’re used to making eye contact with people when we speak with them. This can be taken as a sign by an Indian man that you are interested in him. Even making light conversation with a tout, shopkeeper or hotel manager can give the wrong impression. Recently, there have been reports of a number of foreign women being raped by hotel employees. And while I certainly don’t blame the victim, it’s extremely important to realize how your friendliness, so common in the West, can be misconstrued by Indian men.

What’s been your worst nightmare traveling solo? How’d you get over it?

I rode my BMW motorcycle solo from Seattle to Panama over nine weeks. While riding through the back roads of New Mexico, shortly before crossing over into Mexico, I had a flat tire. It could have been trip-ending if I had dropped the bike along some desolate twisty route. Luckily, everything was fine. I was able to make my way to a small village (still riding on the flat) and received help from a local boat mechanic, of all people.

He ordered a new tube for the tire, loaned me his car for the night so that I could get back to the youth hostel in Taos and repaired the tire the next day, a Sunday. And, he only charged me $100 for all his work! Even though it was a pretty scary situation at the time, it reinforced my belief that good people are always around to help out a wayward traveler.

Are there places you would warn women solo travelers to stay away from? Iran? Sudan?

I think that we all need to take into account current political situations when researching where to go. I’ve heard amazing things about Iran and Saudi Arabia and these are countries that are probably not high on the list for most solo women travelers. I think under the right circumstances, they could be amazing. I have a friend (in her 80’s) who began traveling to Afghanistan in recent years to help support orphanages there. Who would have thought that would even be possible?

How was your trip to Bhutan (I was just in Nepal). I assume you went as part of a tour?

Bhutan was simply amazing. I actually LED the tour with the help of a tour operator in-country. Because I was so focused on my group it was hard for me to fully appreciate the country. Looking back and reflecting on the experience, it was probably one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. Luckily I’m returning in April ’09 to lead another tour, this one for women only. While I will still be focused on the group, it will allow me to soak up more of the culture and landscape on this, my second trip.

And finally, what would you say to women who are considering their first solo trip overseas? Any words of encouragement?

Everyone goes through moments of fear and doubt before a journey. It’s really important to not listen to negative comments and concerns from family, friends and co-workers – because they will come. Align yourself with others who’ve traveled to the destination you’re considering and ask lots of questions. Don’t wait and don’t let all the negative news about travel keep you from booking that ticket.

Talking travel with Patricia Schultz, author of “1000 Places to See” (part 3, plus book giveaway)

by Jerry Guo on

Patricia Schultz is a well-traveled woman. She single-handedly launched the mini-industry of travel list books with her 2003 #1 New York Times bestseller, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List (Workman), which has sold more than 2.8 million copies and translated into 28 languages. Since then, she’s written a sequel, 1,000 Places to see in the USA and Canada Before You Die, produced a Travel Channel show based on the concept, and was named (as of this week) by Forbes as one of the 25 most influential women in travel.

She was recently a panel member for ABC’s Good Morning America, a judge in selecting the 7 New Wonders of America, and a seasoned writer for Frommer’s, BusinessWeek, “O”prah, Islands and Real Simple. Her next book of the series is in the works.

Read part 1 here and part 2 here.

BONUS

Her publisher, Workman, has kindly offered to give away five book copies and two calendars of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die to Gadling readers (shipping included). See the end of the part 1 interview for details on how you can win.

What projects are on your plate right now? Can we expect more in this series?

I am doing lots of magazine writing and book-touring and I speak at a lot of events. I also just had my apartment painted – the paint has been dry for 4 months now and I still haven’t found the time to move back in and unpack. I think it’s time.

A third book? Maybe! Stay tuned!
What are three over-rated destinations?

Travel is a very personal thing and what might be a great destination for one, can be a trip from hell for the next person. My friend would rather stay home and watch Seinfield reruns than go toLas Vegas, where she’s never been. What?! I think Vegas is a wild only-in-America oasis of incredible talent (Bette Midler! Cirque de Soleil! Barry Manilow!), neon palaces of gaming 24/7 and a roster of restaurants for all palates and budgets. Throw in a sidetrip to the Grand Canyon and you can go home a happy camper. Would I go regularly? No, but a first-time jolt is great fun.

I think the classic beach vacation is overrated – one gorgeous Caribbean beach is not terribly different from one in Mauritius. What sets them apart as memorable experiences is renting a motor scooter to zip around the island and visit the fish markets, eat at a roadside shack and hang with the islanders over a local beer. So it surprises me that a good number of folks never leave their hotel compounds (which can be very gorgeous but have become very homogenized over the years) to venture beyond the rarified world they pay so handsomely to visit. Not discover some of the local color just beyond those gates? You may as well sit and bake in your own backyard, and save yourself the air fare.

Another kind of vacation that has me scratching my head are the regular and routine returns to the same destinations year after year….after year. I understand the importance of family traditions and being lucky enough to find some place (St. Croix, Cape Cod, the family cabin) you know will always be welcoming and unchanged from one visit to the next. But, hey, what about the other 98% of the world? Do you really want to die an authority on St. Croix?

What’s your stance on visiting despotic countries like Burma or Iran or North Korea? Go for it?

I try never to politicize travel and think it is paramount to understand that the people of a country are not their government (the US might be a good place for foreigners to put that to the test). I was in Burma (Myanmar) in April, just weeks before the cyclone did such devastating damage to a country whose people have so little to begin with. Our guide was a lovely young (and very up-beat) lady who was surprisingly worldly considering she had never left her country. She had taught herself to speak extremely good English, Spanish and Japanese so she could communicate with the people who come to visit Burma. In her lifetime she is afraid she will never have the chance to experience the world outside her borders: she hopes to know the world through those who visit her country. “Burma is its people, not its junta” she told me. “Please tell your friends to come and visit us.” How could you not?

Do you believe there are any “undiscovered” sites out there, places that are off the radar of even the seasoned traveler? Spill the beans on a few for us?

I think there are millions of them, most of them underrated because they are under our nose – the lesser visited islands in the Caribbean, for example, like Culebra, Dominica, Los Roques or Saba. For those who think Europe is so “done,” ask the hotel staff behind the desk to suggest a town worth an afternoon visit – it may not be an “undiscovered” place to them, but it will be to you. Or consider the peripheral countries of Europe that are new on our radar – Romania, Slovenia, or the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania among others.
I recently visited Zagreb and Split in Croatia (and all the tiny towns in between) – they are not on the average American’s Short List, but the Europeans have been onto them for centuries.

On a more exotic, far-flung note, I visited the northern reaches of Namibia (a country “undiscovered” by Americans until Brad and Angelina put it on the map) near the border with Angola, where we visited the Nimba tribe. We may not have been the first white non-Africans they’d seen, but we were close. We brought soccer balls and a massive bag of rice as a gift to the community. I try to wear my respect on my forehead and hope to never wear out my welcome.

What was your last trip?

I just finished a brief Book Tour to promote 1000 Places To See in the USA & Canada Before You Die – a series of short but great stays in some of my favorite American cities such as Nashville (I caught George Jones at the Ryman Auditorium and spent an evening at the Grand Ole Opry), Memphis (glad to see Graceland has not changed, nor have the ribs at the Rendezvous), and Vegas where we rented a car and drove to Sedona Az and saw The Grand Canyon during a May m
ini-blizzard of 18 inches! I was also reminded that stargazing in the American desert is second to none.

I know people always like to hear that I have just returned from Ghana, or Buenos Aires, but in fact I travel a lot in the US as well, and find it can be every bit as rewarding, and surprising.

What’s your next trip?

My next “big” trips are in the fall – Greece in September, the Baltic states in October and the Arabian Gulf nations in November. I was in Oman in 1978 – I’m curious to see what has changed!

What is the one place you haven’t yet made it to (and why?) that’s tops on your list?

My Short List is very long, but one might be the Torres del Paine national park in the southernmost reaches of Chile – wild, pristine, dramatic. And from there, I’d take an extension to Antarctica. It’s a big and costly trip, and those are the ones where you need to allot a big chunk of time and money. I think most travel is about time and money – there’s no doubt it takes lots of planning and saving.

But there is no guarantee we’ll be around next year – or tomorrow! So Carpe Diem! Life is short – get off the couch.