Houston Airport Layover Survival Tips

Currently, I am sitting in a pleasant state of caffeine induced productivity in the Houston, Texas airport. It's my first time being back in the United States for nearly 5 months. Today is also my first "Ode to Fall" moment as I am riding that caffeine high with a Pumpkin Spice Coconut milk latte.

Throughout my travels, I have stepped foot in my fair share of airports. A few of those airports have made lasting impressions on me, and a majority have been a place to refuel and reboard.

For whatever reason, the Houston airport has been a pleasant layover stop on many of my journeys over the past two years. I've actually come to love this little airport with all of its familiarities. Since I actually enjoy my time here, I thought I'd let you in on a few of my survival hacks when in Houston.

CIBO EXPRESS
Head to Terminal E, and stop in to CIBO for vegan, gluten-free, raw, paleo, or all of the above snacks. I personally love the Exo cricket protein bars or the Noka superfood blend packets. I swear they have some sort of healing power when it comes to helping a jetlagged hungry soul. The only downfall is the price; most snacks are between $2.99-$6.99. There's also have this "flight water" that I looooovvveee. It's called 1Above and it claims to balance electrolytes and ph for long flights, but I can't vouch for that...only the taste.

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STARBUCKS ACROSS FROM GATE C21
If you've been living in a country where there is no Starbucks, and you're craving a coconut milk matcha latte for 3 months, this Starbuck I where you want to go. I'm sure every Starbucks store throughout the airport is more than capable of creating your drink of choice, but if Maria is working, you need to get yourself to Gate C21. You'll know it's Maria because her winged eyeliner and red lipstick will give you some serious make-up envy (this is mostly just for the ladies). Thank you for the laughs, and for the Grande upgrade girl!

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TERMINAL E IS WHERE IT'S AT
Terminal E and Terminal C are where you're going to want to spend most of your time in the Houston airport. A common law of travel is that International Terminals are the cleanest, have the best food, and you can use the Duty Free fragrances to smell good. I would guess the majority of people who sit next to me on flights think that I am way fancier than I actually am, because that Chanel No.5 is applied liberally at the Duty Free. Actually, airports are the only place I even enjoy the smell of Chanel No.5; otherwise it makes me want to gag. There is no rhyme or reason to this little fun fact, and I openly acknowledge the nonsense.

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FREE UNLIMITED WIFI
Oh yes. In a world where some airports (cough MIAMI cough) like to limit free wifi access to 30 minutes, the free unlimited wifi is a dream come true for long layovers. You don't even need to plug in your e-mail address or check-in through Facebook to use the wifi, you just accept and go! For this, you are truly loved dear Houston.

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30 MINUTES CLEARING CUSTOMS
Yep, you read that right, 30 minutes. THIRTY! Customs was a breeze, and the security personnel were actually smiling (which is a rarity among customs workers in my experience). Granted, there were no lines and my luggage made it safely, but it was also midday on a Friday. I'm not saying that your customs will be 30 minutes or less like mine, but at least you can log into the wifi while you wait in line, am I right?

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BATHROOM STALL SQUATS
This survival tip is not solely for Houston, becuase I do this impromptu workout in every airport. However, the stalls were bigger than most bathroom stalls, so it made it easiar. I'm the type of person who hates sitting around all day, and most flight days mean I have little to no chance of exercising that day. What I've started to do, is incorporate a squat challenge on days when I fly. I'm also not the type of person to do squats in front of people in an airport or public space outide the gym, so that's why I choose the bathroom (but if you are cool with squatting at the Gate, by all means more power to you).
The challenge is simple: How many body squats can you do in a day?
I will usually rep 30 each time I go to the restroom, and it gives me something fun to keep track of throughout the day. My record is 520 squats. What's yours?!

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Now you know my Houston Airport (not so) secrets, and feel free to contact me with some survival tips of your own. I am always looking for advice on airports around the world.

Safe travels!

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My Feet Stink

My double strapped, blue and purple, cross patterned Chaco sandals smell.

No really, they smell horrendous.

They smell like four years of mountains, dusty roads, wet dog, and airport security. I noticed that my sandals smelled about 6 months ago, and yet here I am, wearing them right now. I desperately need to buy a new pair of Chacos to be a presentable human being again, but I can’t bring myself to throw away (believe me there is no way someone would want these if I tried to donate…but maybe I will try anyways?) all of the memories associated with these bad boys.

They were the shoes that provoked an Italian man to stop me on the streets of Rome and proceed to pay me 80 euros to quickly kiss my feet. They were the shoes that left horrendously beautiful tan lines on my feet while in South Africa. They were the shoes that I would find misplaced during the night by the neighbor’s dog in Costa Rica. They were the shoes that initiated a conversation that would eventually lead to a brief but beautiful relationship with the perfect guy (for someone else one day). They were the shoes that I ran 3 miles barefoot back down the road to retrieve after a night out in Guatemala. They are the shoes that I run in through the airport so that I can jump into my Mama’s arms when I make it home. They are the shoes that go with every outfit.

Obviously, the sandals themselves do not hold my memories captive; I will forever have the memories. However, I live the type of life where my environment is forever changing. This is the type of life that my soul craves, but a midst the chaos I find comfort in the little facets that remain the same. Yet, as I am writing this piece, I cannot stand the smell of my “memories”.

The question now is, Is it wrong to donate rank sandals?

Solo Explorer Travel Tips

Traveling solo is an exhilarating experience, and most of my journeys start out as solo ventures or require a period of traveling alone. Whether you're about to embark on your first solo adventure, or you're an expert in the endeavor, these travel tips will keep you going. 

Try to book the first flight out in the mornings, because those planes usually arrive the evening before. Meaning your flight is less likely to be delayed due to a late incoming plane. 

-Another advantage to leaving early is that you usually arrive to your destination before sunset, so you won’t be navigating your way through a foreign area alone in the dark. I learned this lesson first hand when I arrived in Guatemala City at 10pm and was greeted with a gun fight in front of my city hostel (luckily I was in a car with my Guatemalan abuelo I had met on the plane ride, so I didn’t end up staying at that hostel after we saw the gun shots). 

-For fresh smelling clothes while backpacking or extensive travelling, pack a fabric softener sheet with your clothes. The sheet absorbs dampness and any odors to keep clothes smelling fresh (even if you’re not). It’s especially beneficial in warm, humid climates or out at sea. 

“Ten days into the PCT, I was blessing Brooke for her recommendation of fabric softener sheets in my pack. Seriously helped with the smell (well as much as it could!).”

— Katherine

-Along with the topic of fresh clothes, to make your suitcase or backpack feel more organized and less like a mix of clean and destroyed garments, always pack a large trash bag to keep dirty items separate from your clean items. Usually I’ll bring a plastic bag from the grocery to put my running shoes in, because after a few months of working out in overused socks (or let’s be real, no socks at all), you’ll have some smelly sneakers. 

-When I plan to wear expensive or delicate jewelry, I pack the pieces in empty film canisters. Diamond earrings or a special family heirloom are not items of jewelry I can risk getting stolen or lost.  The film canisters hide any evidence of valuables, and are looked over by potential thieves if you’re staying in a shady hotel of sorts. Usually I just leave those pieces at home, but this tip is for any of you ladies who are planning a trip to Paris, for example, and want to dress to impress.  

-Chewing gum can be a universal gesture of kindness. Offering a piece of gum to the lady next to you on a flight can be an icebreaker. I’ve seen so much joy from giving out pieces of gum or little mints to some of the young children on the streets in less developed parts of the countries I visit. I wish I could carry excess amounts of food and supplies with me to give out to the people that I meet on my journey, but for now a small treat is all I have to offer whenever and wherever I am. 

These two cuties loved playing with my camera and taking videos during the time I spent at their home while trekking on the Mayan Trails to Quetzeltenango. They were also big fans of chewing gum!

-Duct tape is a universal tool for travel emergencies and should be a staple item for any long thru backpackers. However, carrying around a bulky roll of duct tape is less than ideal. I’ve found that wrapping around 2 feet of duct tape around a no.2 pencil or ballpoint pen creates a miniature roll that saves a lot of room and weight in the pack. 

-Dental floss is like duct tape- an essential travel emergency superstar. I’ve used floss as a clothes line between tents, to replace a lost screw for my sunglasses, as a measurement for my waist to get the right size at a flea market in Italy, and much more. It can also be used for its intended purpose of keeping your teeth clean. 

-Carabiners can be an extra hand for you when travelling with a handful of items. I have to bring a lot of equipment with me when I travel and I’ve gotten used to looking like a pack mule, but for small bags or extra items I bought after packing I can easily attach them to my pack with a carabiner till I get the chance to re-organize. I’ve also used a carabiner to hook my backpack strap to a bench once when I was alone and really needed to sleep for a few minutes at the airport. This just adds an extra sense of security for your belongings. I’ve had a friend attach her purse to a chair while dining outside in Paris because she had witnessed a thief run off with another woman’s purse in that same scenario a couple days before. 

Carabiners helped me fit this light travel pack on to a RyanAir flight!

-It may seem like a no brainer to make a paper copy of your passport, but a lot of people that I travel with will forget to make a copy and end up bringing their passport out with them everywhere. This is dangerous if you get pickpocketed or lose your purse while out at a nightclub. There are some things you can be relaxed about while travelling, but your identification is not one. Save yourself a headache and be overly prepared with printed copies of your passport and visa information.  

-Since I’ve been plagued with a combination of food allergies, I have to be careful about what I eat when I travel abroad. I always look up the words for gluten, wheat, peanuts, and soy when I am in a country speaking a foreign language. As long as you take control of your diet situation, you’ll find that there are always options available for you to still try local cuisine and street food. I used to feel extremely stressed and anxious about eating while traveling, but now I remain vocal and never feel deprived or sick while abroad. 

As you travel by yourself and meet other solo travelers, you'll start to form a list of your own travel tips. Take every tip as a guideline, because you are the only one who truly knows what type of traveller you are, and whether or not those pieces of advice are realistic for you. And most importantly, remember to stay active, remain aware, and be confident. BON VOYAGE!

Hitchhiking in Iceland

     A little precursor for this article before my sanity is questioned; hitchhiking in Iceland is nothing like the United States.

     Not only is hitchhiking legal, but it’s a preferred means of transportation for many foreign and local travellers. Icelanders are renowned for their kindness and overall friendliness, so picking up hitchhikers is seen as an interesting addition to the original journey for most Icelanders. While hitching a ride around Iceland is common, it’s generally unheard of for people to hitchhike during the winter season.  
    However, that did not deter two friends and me from embarking on our own adventure around Iceland. Since we had a few days off of work, we decided to catch a ride from Reykjavik to Akureryi (the main hub of the North).  We rose hours before sunrise in hopes of catching a car heading north. Eventually we just hopped in a car that was willing to drop us off at the edge of Reykjavik in order to find cars heading north. In fact, it took us three different drivers to get outside of the city limits! 
It started out rough, but then our wanderlust prayers were answered by Heð, who was heading an hour north to check out an old farm property. One of my favorite parts of hitchhiking is meeting Icelanders and other travellers who have interesting stories, facts, and tips. The conversations that occur between complete strangers on a long car ride might be the most diverse and wonderful conversations to be a part of. After a short drive around the town where the strongest Viking in history was born, we parted ways at a gas station three hours south of our final destination. 
    When I say “a gas station”, I mean “the only gas station in a 80 mile radius.” And if you were wondering how many cars passed by us at this point, we counted…3 cars in twenty-five minutes. Luckily once again our wanderlust prayers were answered just as the mist turned to rain outside. This particular savior played a major part in our hitchhiking trip. He said his actual full Icelandic name to us once, but then insisted we just call him Halle, so for all intensive purposes he is Halle.  Halle drove us three hours to Akureryi- stopping to let us take photos of the sunset mountains, listening to our exclamations of awe at the ever changing landscape, and providing Icelandic antecdotes. Before he dropped us off at our friends’ place for the night in Akureryi, he invited us to check out the annual thorrobraut he was attending in Miva. Thorrobraut’s are annual festivals for every city/town where the community dines, drinks, and dances together to celebrate the past year. At the feast they eat traditional Icelandic dishes such as fermented shark, sheep’s head, fish, and sheep balls. Obviously we were more than eager to attend the celebration, so we made a plan to visit him in Miva at the festival the following night. 
    Another component of hitchhiking is the act of saving money in any way possible. For us, that meant packing all of our food for the three days into our backpacks before heading out. Our combination of food was eclectic at best, but we definitely made it work. Rice noodles were our specialty each night, and no trip would be complete without a container of Skyr. When it comes to Skyr, I’m addicted and I have no shame. There was also a jar of pickles that somehow made its way into backpack for the trip.
    On our second day of hitchhiking, we met Laura, our actual savior of the whole trip. A solo German traveller making her way around Iceland in a black four wheel drive that doubles as a bed for the night. Laura had been driving around Iceland for the past ten days, and when she saw the three of us standing by the side of the road, she waved us down and we embarked on a crazy road trip together. It was my first excursion to the north of Iceland, and while I am continually in awe by the vast landscape of the island, the north holds my official favorite spot in Iceland. Dimmuborgir is near Lake Miva and is one of the most magical spots I’ve ever seen. It’s believed that the mystical creatures (elves, fairies, and trolls) of the island live in Dimmuborgir. The rock formations themselves are incredible, but the sky is a perpetual purple and orange mix in the area that makes it seem like magic is in the air. The energy was fantastic, and I felt like a child again as we slid down ice hills, threw snow, ate icicles, and found little caves to explore. 
    The day was spent taking in all of the sights in the North. We got extremely muddy running around the hot pockets, washed our feet in a heated pool inside of an isolated cave, and met Halle at the Thorrobraut in Miva  that night. The most notable circumstance of the day occurred that evening when the three of us decided to change our plan and ride with Laura to the East then South back to Vik. What lied ahead of us was an all night drive through the East Fjords, but what we got was a spectacular northern lights show and a cramped 2 hour sleep that I wouldn’t change for anything. Capturing the northern lights is a photographer’s dream, and I personally feel eternally blessed every chance I get to see and to photograph the aurora dancing across the sky. For a detailed look at the best way to photograph the aurora borealis, you can check out my post here.
    Eventually a misty dawn led us into the closest town, and we were able to caffeinate appropriately for the day ahead. One of the most frequented attraction in the Southeast is Jökulsárlón , the Glacier Lagoon. The Lagoon is filled with drifting ice blocks broken off from the Glacier, and in time the ice chunks are swept out into the Atlantic Ocean. Since this was my second visit to Jokursalon, I had a nagging urge to do something more than simply observing the natural landscape. Luckily this urge was mutual, and we all made a split second decision to take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean during the dead of winter! I couldn’t feel my feet (or any part of my body for that matter), but I was well aware of the overwhelming smile plastered across my face. Needless to say, we were cold and exhilarated for the rest of the day!
    Ultimately we had to part ways with Laura to get back to Reykjavik that night, but we did get to spend an extra couple of days with our travel mate when she came to Reykjavik later on in the week. Our final hitchhiking ride of the trip was from a police officer. Honestly, I can’t think of a better driver to end the trip with.

Well, maybe if it had been a Skyr truck driver with a load of Skyr in the trailer…
    
    Check out the video recap of our adventure here!
    
    

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Addiction

It's no secret that I'm addicted (in the best way possible) to coffee. My friends, family, baristas, complete strangers- they all understand that my love for black coffee runs deep. I can usually be found with a coffee in one hand and a perpetual smile on my face. 

However, lately I've been thinking about addictions, and the stigmatism associated with the term, "addict." Obviously there are addictions that negatively impact one's life or even destroy relationships, but in one way or another we are all addicted to something. Athletes crave competition, artists thrive in heartbreak, the man on the subway longs for love; we are all searching for a way to satisfy our souls. 

Along with coffee, I've accepted the fact that my soul is addicted to adrenaline, endorphins, and new beginnings. I thrive in the feeling of unfamiliarity; where every moment is an opportunity to learn. My first days or weeks in a different country are always my favorite. The initial conversations with people I meet on my travels give me butterflies every time. Additionally, after some analyzation of my past relationships, I've also discovered that the beginnings of those relationships were the most exciting for me. These initial feelings at the beginning of a relationship however are not sustainable, and I move on to another beginning. Consequently, the amount of new beginnings I'm lucky enough to start also result in an infinite amount of goodbyes. I don't truly believe that there are any definitive endings, but that doesn't make the "see you later" any easier. 

My work in Iceland has provided countless beginnings that I think about more often than not. Honestly, the only consolation I can offer myself for subduing the amount of goodbyes I endure, is the fact that my memories will always be with me.

Every addiction has a price. Every addiction will take its toll, but for me, I choose to live in a way that satisfies my soul. 

What's your addiction?