My Guide to Traveling Halfway Around the World - Part 2: The PLANE

In 37 days. . . wow 37! . . . I will be traveling halfway around the world to arguably one of my favorite countries. (If you would like to know more why I'm going and how you can help, check out this post here.)

This will be my fourth trip to India and after logging all of those hours on the plane, I thought it might be fun to share my tried and true tips for traveling to the other side of the world. In the previous post I shared my tips for the prep for the trip; this post will be all about the Plane.

1. Pre-hydrate/hydrate/rehydrate: One summer, at camp, we had a catch-phrase, "HYDRATE OR DIE". We would often follow it up by explaining to our teenage campers that if they didn't drink enough water their blood would thicken up and they would feel drowsy and fuzzy-headed. Not the most technical of descriptions, but it seemed to do the job. When you fly, dehydration happens very quickly, so at least a day before you board the plane, start drinking more water than normal, but don't stop once you board the plane or when you land in country.

Sidenote: when you drink a lot of water on the plane, you have to get up and go the bathroom often. This is good for keeping your blood flowing and preventing blood clots and dizziness later. 

2. Sleep on the plane as much as possible: The truth is when you are traveling to India, you are flipping your sleep patterns on their head (an 11 or 12 hour time change), so don't try and figure that out and sleep accordingly. Sleep while you can. Sleep while you are still. Sleep because you may not rest well the rest of your trip. Sleep so that be awake and experience the incredible country you are traveling to. 

Don't watch movies unless movies help you sleep (I happen to have the gift of falling asleep within the first 15 minutes of any movie I watch, so I will almost always have a movie on and almost always be sleeping through it.)

If you need a sleep aid to turn your brain off, test it before you go! I am unusually sensitive to sleep aids. One Tylenol PM can make me feel like a zombie for at least 24 hours, so Dramamine and Benadryl are my go-tos to help me fall asleep. Once I am asleep, I'm out. 

3. Heavy Cream: Because the air in the plane and in the airport can be terribly dry, I always wear a heavy night-cream on my face and Eucerin or other strong lotion on my hands and arms. It simply makes the hours in the plane more comfortable.

4. Compression Socks: Compression socks are not just for the older population and pregnant ladies anymore, they are a key tool to travel without growing "kankles". I have flown with them and I have flown without and the truth is, I would way rather wear them. 

5. Bedtime/Wake-up routine: Whatever you do to get ready for bed and what ever you do to wake up in the morning, bring supplies so that you can mimic that. You will go through a couple of sleep cycles flying there and back and if you can put your body through regular bedtime and wake up rhythms, it will help.

For me, this means carrying a small "diddy" bag with me all of the time that has the following in it: 

- Colgate Wisp toothbrushes (they are disposable and they do the job!)

- Facial cleansing wipes (again, disposable and don't mess with my skin too much)

- Travel deodorant (obvious freshening up reasons)

- Chapstick 

- Lotion (see reason 3)

- Medications (a few doses of each just in case)

   - Tylenol/Ibuprofen

   - Dramamine

   - Pepcid/Tums

   - Benadryl

   - Malarone (an anti-maleria med that works great, but always gives me a touch of vertigo)

   - Cipro (an antibiotic that is good for any stomach issues that may be caused by bacteria)

And that's it. Simple, packable, reproducible, disposable. 

6. Take a Hike: Finally, during your layover, be sure to walk. Walking and moving during a layover will help you sleep better on the plane and help your body realize you aren't going to make it sit still in a huge metal flying tube forever. 

Did I mention I really hate to fly? No? That's good. I really, really hate flying, but I do it and it is worth it to travel and be a part of what God is doing all over the world. 

My Guide to Traveling Halfway around the World - Part 1: the Prep

In 42 days - 6 weeks exactly - I will traveling back to India! This fourth trip halfway around the world will focused on the counter-human-trafficking efforts in Northern India. Data shows India to the be the hub of human trafficking in Asia, but there are people fighting back against this epidemic and we are going to do what we can to join in that fight.

We will be bringing training and hopefully some respite to the men and women who work directly with survivors of trafficking everyday. 

The three previous trips have all had very different purposes, but as I am gearing up for this trip next month, I am noticing 3 big shifts in my life when it comes to how I prepare myself to travel halfway around the world. 

1. I am more thoughtful about what I put into my brain: My media input shifts to focus on India and my response to what God is doing there as the days count down to leaving. Studying the history and culture of the place I am traveling to helps put the places we see and the people we meet into the context of a larger story. 

I also will begin changing the music I listen to. I am inspired by music that tells a story or puts a captivating picture in my mind. One of my favorite albums to listen to is:

 It not only captures the sounds and rhythms of India, it gives an honest perspective on being an American traveling there. 

2. Prep physically: It takes a toll on the body to travel that many hours in a plane and sleep in strange beds eating unfamiliar food along with trying to flip your internal clock (India is about 11 1/2 hours time difference from where I live). Being in shape, staying healthy, drinking water and even acclimating yourself to the some of the local foods before you go is a great way to prep. . . Chai tea anyone?

3. Plan and prep your mission: Our first trip to India, we were tasked with planning a week of "camp" for a small village in southern India. As we were meeting as a team leading up to the trip, four of us who worked for a camp, did our best to give input to the process. (for more on that trip, check out the blog posts here, here, and here). 

Two weeks or so before we left, the entire week was handed over to us to plan the days. It was awesome, but a little nerve-wracking. The last minute planning had us scrambling for supplies and we even held several meetings huddled by the bathroom on the plane. The fellow passengers and flight attendants loved us. . . 

So plan for as much as you can if you are going with a specific mission in mind. 

For this trip, we have be getting trained by different experts in order to be the vehicles to bring some of that expertise to the Safe House Moms and other people who work with the survivors on a regular basis. From a Hands that Heal curriculum to Behavior Modification basics to Crisis Management, we have tried to listen to the needs and come prepared to respond.

So there are my three ways that I prepare to travel to India. 

If you want to be a part of what we are doing over there, check out this link for more information!