Dining out tip: sacrifice all for just one night

by Gadling Staff on

On my last trip to the Virgin Islands, I ended up in the best restaurant of my life. Of course the bill came out to $200, but the meal was so memorable that I was happy to sacrifice quality meals the rest of the trip.

Rather than spend in the middle lane day in and out on vacation, get a burger and a salad here and there and go absolutely nuts at the highest recommended restaurant in your location for just one night.

You may cringe when you see the bill, but it’s fun to dabble in life’s highest pleasures every now and then.

To tip or not to tip – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Just because you might drop a few bucks on the table after eating dinner in the States doesn’t mean that’s appropriate behavior everywhere. It’s best to check local customs before deciding to do the same in another country.

Some countries, such as New Zealand, Australia and Japan, don’t customarily tip and the result can be confusion for your servers. In other countries, such as France, the tip is added to the bill automatically.

Take the time and check online or ask locally if tips are customary before making the gesture.

Exchange traveler’s checks before going to dinner – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

When dining in a foreign country, exchange your traveler’s checks for local currency before going to a restaurant.

While traveler’s checks are pretty much accepted everywhere, don’t expect the restaurant employees to be adept at exchange rate calculation.

My best friend and I learned this the hard way dining at our first restaurant in Europe. We received far less change than we were owed and couldn’t communicate well enough to explain the problem. That, or we were taken advantage of. Either way, we didn’t make that mistake again!

How to Stay Healthy on a Road Trip

by Katie Hammel on

Finding the willpower to eat healthy while traveling is hard enough when you have access to fresh markets and cooking utensils. It becomes even more of a challenge when you’re on a road trip, trapped in a car for hours on end, with nothing but fast food restaurants and greasy spoon diners for roadside dining options. But with a little planning, a little extra time, and a lot of self-control, you can eat healthy while on a road trip. Here are few tips.

Start your day off right.
Begin your day with a carbohydrate feast and you’ll be craving carbs again in a few hours. Put down the donut and instead, take the time to have a healthy breakfast at your hotel. Eat a good mix of whole grains and protein and you’ll ingest fewer calories while staying full later into the afternoon.

Get some exercise.
Spending eight hours or more being sedentary in the car means that your body may be burning a lot fewer calories than normal. Reduce your intake accordingly and try to get a nominal amount of exercise. Even if all you do is take a 15-minute walk in the morning and then do a few bonus laps every time you stop along your route, you’ll feel good having stretched your legs. Even better: plan your stops around scenic walks or hikes so you can do a little sightseeing while you get moving.Pack healthy snacks.
It’s easy and tempting to swing through the drive-thru or grab some chips from the gas station, but that won’t do your waistline any favors. Pack healthy snacks like almonds, granola or trail mix (choose low fat, low sodium, high fiber varieties), fruit and peanut butter, or power bars. Depending on the length of your drive, you can pack a cooler with items like string cheese sticks or hummus and pita. Just refill the ice each day at your hotel. And don’t forget to drink lots of water throughout the day and avoid coffee and soda.

Choose your meal stops wisely.
It’s harder to make healthy choices at a place where the daily special is a triple cheeseburger or a chicken-fried steak. If you can, take an hour to stop and have a proper meal once a day. Sit down, eat slowly, and follow the same healthy rules you normal use for eating out – choose grilled or broiled over fried, get dressings on the side, opt for tomato-based instead of creamy sauce. If you don’t feel like dining out, try to seek out a grocery store where you can pick up healthy prepared foods to go. Most Whole Foods locations have extensive salad bars and cut fruit available to go.

Daily Pampering: Surrender to Spa Montage

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Spend four days at Spa Montage, and you’ll never look at the world the same way. The Montage Laguna Beach is offering a series of decadent spa treatments that start on Sundays and end on Thursdays in this resort perched atop a coastal bluff. Occupy one of the resort’s 250 rooms and prepare to be revitalized in its 20,000 square-foot spa.

The all-inclusive spa package begins with conversation about the concerns and issues you have from diet to lifestyle, which will be used to identify the treatments that will benefit you most. Massage treatments are woven into group fitness classes, personal life coaching and meals at culinary destination Studio. If you want to master what happens in the kitchen, you’ll have unlimited access to classes with The Loft’s Chef de Cuisine Brian Black, who has a unique approach to fusing comfort foods and spa menus.

If you need a long break — during which your body is the center of attention — this is it. Spa Montage is the solution to all the stress that ails you.

Get your daily dose of pampering right here.