GoGoGear.com.au and you're good to go!

Tatonka's Amazing 50 Year Warranty

2009-11-21T16:34:00.014+11:00

Check Out The Range Of Lightweight Tatonka DayPacks Here

TATONKA has been around for many years now and are one of the biggest distributors of quality packs and outdoor equipment in the world. What makes a Tatonka pack so good I hear you ask? Well for starters OSA (the Australian Distributors) believe so strongly in the quality of the product, that they back it with a 50 Year Warranty just to give you piece of mind that you are buying a quality product. Next you have the stitching on all of their packs. Standard stitching on a Tatonka pack is double stitched & ALL stress points are triple stitched. What does this mean to you? Well for starters you can be assured that when you sell a Tatonka pack to one of your customers you know that it will last and won’t fall apart. Tatonka only use the best quality fabrics and materials available on the market making sure the packs not only look good but will function to the best of their ability. And last but not least, all Tatonka packs are manufactured to the highest standards available in their own factories. That’s right Tatonka own the factories where all their products are made. This means that they can control the quality and workmanship on each and every one of their products making sure that you are buying the best available product each and every time.

Tatonka product that is backed by the

best warranty in the world... 50 years free of charge.

Available on all Tatonka

Daypacks
Rucksacks
Travel Packs
Barrel Bags

Warranty Does Not Cover General Wear And Tare From Everyday Use. Or Miss Use.

Tips for Budget World Travel : Selecting Clothes for Traveling

2009-07-27T16:00:00.001+10:00

Pants, shorts, jackets, sweaters, what clothes do you take with you when packing for a trip. This free travel video will give you some tips and guidelines for selecting the best clothes for your trip.

Envirosax Bag: An Eco Friendly Little Travel Helper

2009-06-01T15:22:00.004+10:00

You can grab Jen's Envirosax Here
Why it's a smart traveller's pick: The smart traveller travels prepared, and with these style-friendly and eco-friendly bags on hand you'll be sorted whether you need to carry groceries (preparing your own food is a great way to stay trim, healthy and save money when travelling), carry extra souvenirs and treats you've picked up on shopping trips, or even when you need to carry all the daily necessities around with you but don't want to pack a day bag. These bags are so stylish and smart that they are favoured by numerous celebrities, including Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck.

* Did you know that Envirosax bags can hold up to 20kg of shopping?

* Envirosax bags last 5 years and can be washed.

* Envirosax bags have been tested to ensure they do not pass toxic heavy metals into the food they are carrying.

* Envirosax bags are printed using vegetable and soy based dyes, which are environmentally friendly.

* Envirosax will never be made from the cheap polypropylene fabric as it may release a toxic dust as it breaks down and its lifespan is too short.

* Envirosax bags were the first of their kind and are still the best due to the quality and strength of the bag, the range of designs and the company's commitment to the environment.

Pickpockets... This is why you need Pacsafe Travel Gear

2009-05-29T10:29:00.002+10:00

Check out the video... this is why PacSafe product are so popular. See the PacSafe Range Here

Ford Models Use ToothPaste Powder

2009-05-29T10:05:00.003+10:00

Alejandra's Packing Advice.. great tips from a supermodel!

You can buy Toothpaste Powder or "Dry Toothpaste" online Here

And you can buy "body paste" moisturiser here

Travel Smart

2009-05-25T12:08:00.007+10:00

Travel Smart

"Seven inventive travel tips to lighten your load, improve your ride, and make your time on the road more fun and productive."

Great tips for technology lovers!

Travel is stressful for just about everyone, whether you're hitting the road for fun or taking to the skies on business. We have a few travel tips that will take the turbulence out of any journey. Read on to get better seats on a plane, more entertainment on the move, nicer food on the road, and more.

Find the Best Seat on Any Plane via SeatGuru

Even for seasoned travelers, long plane trips are a bear. The simple key to toughing one out is to get a good seat. SeatGuru is a free service that provides you with a detailed, color-coded layout of virtually any plane to help you find the seat with the best legroom and most convenient nearby power outlets while avoiding nonreclining seats stuck right next to the john.

Not that we're advocating messing with your airline seat (or with other passengers), but if you're desperate to prevent the person in front from reclining into your precious space, try wedging a water bottle between your open tray and the seat in front of you.

Convert a DVD to a Video File, and Endure a Long Flight

All you want to do is sit back and watch a couple of movies on your 6-hour cross-country flight--but playing a DVD will drain your laptop battery before the second flick's final car chase even starts. The solution? Copy the movies to your hard drive to play them with less drain on your battery. Download HandBrake, use it to rip the DVD to the hard drive of your other computer, and then transfer that file to your portable for a little cinema on the go. If you have no interest in tweaking the file settings of your DVD rips, give bitRipper a try for simple, one-click rips.

Follow One Bag's Packing Tips to Lighten Your Travel Bag

As if the long wait at baggage claim weren't reason enough to reduce your luggage to carry-on only, the extra fees for checking large bags ($25 or so each) have most travelers strategically planning their necessities. If you struggle to achieve single-suitcase bliss, let One Bag give you a hand. This site offers lots of useful packing tips, including suggestions for what to bring, tips on what you should pack it in, and methods for folding, rolling, and arranging your stuff so everything fits.

Find Wi-Fi Hotspots and Stay Connected Everywhere

Sometimes getting work (or play) done when you're away from home hinges entirely on whether you can find a Wi-Fi hotspot. Fortunately you have a lot of options for finding Wi-Fi quickly. First, if you're sufficiently foresighted to check before you find yourself without a connection, JiWire's Wi-Fi Finder indexes both free and for-a-fee hotspots all over the globe. If you're in more of a pinch, turn to your Wi-Fi-equipped smartphone and scout the neighborhood for a promising hotspot.

The best choice, though, may be to let your smartphone make the connection. PdaNet is a $29 app that works with Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm OS, and Windows Mobile handsets to get your laptop online through either a USB or Bluetooth connection. Just make sure you have a high-usage data plan to avoid overage charges from your carrier.

Work With a Group Through Google or Vyew Collaboration Tools

Collaborating with colleagues can make your life simpler, but the setup and coordination involved can add complexity to your workflow. A few no-cost, online tools have stress-free collaboration options built right in, so you can get down to business. Google Apps provides tools for centralized e-mail (Gmail), calendar (Google Calendar), and document (Google Docs) collaboration with minimal setup. If you're looking for something that's a little more meeting-centric, check out Vyew, a free service (with upgrade options) that provides live online Web conferencing, whiteboards, file sharing, and more, inside its virtual meeting rooms.

Use LogMeIn for Remote Access to Your Data

On trips, you might have a laptop with you at all times, but if you forget an important file or if you need to access anything else on your desktop computer while you're traveling, give the tried-and-true favorite LogMeIn a try. With a free account, you can control your home computer remotely, from the comfort of any Web browser. With a LogMeIn Pro account, you get drag-and-drop file transfer for retrieving important items, file sync for ensuring unfettered access to critical data in the future, and a ton of other practical features.

Find a Good Restaurant on the Road With Yelp

You already check the Yelp Web site when you're looking for good grub in your hometown. Get the same benefits on the road with the free iPhone or iPod Touch Yelp application. It will determine your current location and automatically tailor your results based on what's nearest to you. If you don't have access to the Internet, whip out your phone and text to Google (466453), including your location if necessary. You'll receive fewer options, but it's better than nothing.

Adam Pash, PC World

PC World
Tuesday, May 26, 2009; 12:19 AM

SIGG Bottles Cleanest of the Clean

2009-04-24T10:11:00.001+10:00

SIGG: Cleanest of the Clean

SIGG Bottles Beat Other Leading Brands in Independent Test

Last year, Julia Roberts told millions of viewers on the Oprah Show, “Everyone just needs to get a SIGG!” And after testing leading brands in his state of the art laboratory, Professor William Shotyk agrees.

Professor Shotyk is Canadian-born but now resides in Germany where he is in charge of the Lab for Trace Inorganic and Isotopic Analyses at the University of Heidelberg, one of the cleanest labs on earth for measuring trace metals in the environment. And when he’s not investigating samples of Arctic ice thousands of years old, he’s teaching about the environmental impact caused by the bottled water industry. “Not only does the manufacturing, transporting and disposal of PET water bottles leave a huge carbon footprint,” claims Shotyk, “but the tap water in North America is some of the finest in the world."

After testing bottled water brands from around the world for trace metals, he found that fresh spring water from Elmvale, Ontario was in some ways the cleanest of all simply because it had no packaging! Shotyk now uses this same spring water as a teaching tool for understanding the environment, creating the Elmvale Foundation, and the Elmvale Water Festival (http://www.elmvale.org/).

As a scientist who studies the damage man has caused to the planet on a global scale, Professor Shotyk is a tremendous advocate of kicking your bottled water habit and switching to a reusable bottle. Many visitors to the Elmvale Water Festival asked him which reusable bottle to choose, so he went back into the laboratory with some of the leading brands. He chose not to include polycarbonate bottles because of the consumer movement away from plastic in all forms. Shotyk selected three brands: two leading brands of stainless steel bottles, both manufactured in China, and the SIGG bottle manufactured in Switzerland; the SIGG is aluminum, but has a protective, proprietary liner.

Professor Shotyk placed samples from all 3 brands under the same conditions: 13 days filled with extremely pure water from the clean lab. At the conclusion of the test, both stainless steel bottle brands were shown to leach metals such as chromium and manganese at levels nearly 1,000 times more than the SIGG bottles which showed virtually no leaching through the protective liner. “While the levels for all three brands were in the safe range for regulatory requirements, I was truly impressed by the quality of the Swiss brand. For the elements tested, there was effectively no leaching!”

Based on these findings, the professor’s message to his students, visitors to the Elmvale Water Festival and anyone else who will listen is, “Think before you drink. If you want a truly clean bottle, get yourself a SIGG.” Julia Roberts would agree!

5 Quick & Dirty Tips: Packing....

2009-02-24T15:08:00.007+11:00

There are just three things which are really, really essential on your travels.
-Passport,
-Plane Ticket
-ATM card
As the famous saying goes: everything is essential, only some things more than others.
There are two kind of travellers in the world: those who pack light and those who wish they had....but....if some people prefer to take extra things which they think they can’t leave without, then live and let live...
As a general rule of thumb, if you’re packing for a one week trip or a six months trip you basically would pack the same stuff (obviously I’m not talking about a six months trip where you would be experiencing all types of weather... still the basics are the same....) of course if you not going to move around a lot then the weight of the bag will not matter to you as much as someone who is planning to make some serious tracks on his/her travels...
The more money you have the less you want to take as you can always buy things on the road, but if you’re on a budget you really should organise yourself before you go. The saying goes: 'Lay everything out that you really want to take, halve it and take twice as much money', but from personal experience this is not always an option so it does pay to/save you money to organise yourself before you go.
The funny thing is that the best time to pack for a trip is straight after one, at least make a note of what to take or not take for next time..... Which brings me to the next point: When Packing for a trip you would ask yourself: will I cry if it gets stolen tomorrow? Maybe leave some things at home if you can’t replace it.
Packing lists are so individual and it is a ‘skill’ which improves with the amount of travel you put under your belt .You can easily make a packing list (perhaps even a spreadsheet) to keep for every time you go travelling... You would have the basic list to which you would add to or adjust depending on where you are travelling to.
If you need some help there are a lot of packing gurus out there with very sophisticated systems for different types of packing , just do a Google search and you’ll see how many there are...
You can download lists which everything that you might ever want to take with you anywhere. Doesn't mean you have to pack it, just that you want to consider the option so you don’t miss something.
Happy tracks!!!

5 Quick & Dirty Tips: How to avoid looking like a tourist

2009-02-19T12:01:00.000+11:00

Being an obvious tourist can make you an easy target for thieves, con artists and 'tourist prices', so it can pay to blend in. Of course you can always do what you want, and on some occasions, like in a heavily tourist populated area it would be futile and pointless to try and blend in with locals, but if you want to avoid unwanted attention on other, more risky occasions, here are some tips.

1. Pack appropriate shoes.
Shoes can be biggest give away that you're a tourist so plan to pack shoes that are appropriate for the location and the weather of your destination. The no sport sneaker/sports sandals/hiking boots rule in cities should point you in the right direction.
2. Keep the map/guidebook out of sight.
It's an obvious one but an easy rule to break. Rather than engrossing yourself in your map or book in a public place, study it before you leave your hotel... or at least step into a shop, restaurant or any other place less public. This tip is not just to help you look local, for safety, you always need to be aware of your surroundings and it's hard to do that when all your attention is on a book or map.
3. Don't be loud, showy or obnoxious.
It's easy to be full of life when you're a tourist on holidays, and wanting to share your vitality with the rest of the world is natural. However you're always better off being more reserved and quite to avoid making the wrong impression and attracting attention to yourself.
4. Dress appropriately for the culture and the weather.
In some parts of the world this might mean dressing a little nicer than you might casually in your home country, and in other parts, it might mean dressing more conservatively. It always pays to do a littler research and planning with your packing. Also be sure to avoid dressing head-to-toe in obvious 'travel clothes', while they may be quick drying and practical, they do stand out. These days you can find 'non travel' clothing in high tech fabrics so you can easily dress just as practically without looking like you've just had a makeover by a travel clothes shop.
5. Be careful with how you "accessorise".
Don't wear your money belts/pouches over your jeans, they need to be concealed under your clothing at all times and if you need to get at them, go to a bathroom.
Don't wear your camera around your neck. Don't wear obvious travel bags out and about... generally, locals don't wear backpacks out to dinner.

Quick and Dirty Tips...10 Things To Do before you Go.

2009-02-04T14:01:00.011+11:00

Well before your trip, check in advance to see if you need visas for your destination/s.

Make sure your passport has at least 6 months validity.

See your GP and check which vaccinations you'll need and be aware they may be required months before you travel.

View the latest advice at http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/. Also go to http://www.ausport.gov.au/ and do a search on travel advice.

Take out travel insurance to cover hospital treatment, medical evacuation and any activities.

Make photocopies of your passport, travel insurance policy, traveller's cheques, visa and credit card numbers. leave a copy at home and carry one separate from your travel documents as a backup.

Give someone at home details of your travel itinerary.

Research local laws/customs and be prepared to obey them.

Visit http://www.gogogear.com.au/ to pick up any last minute travel essentials:)

Stay Thin Travelling (yes it is possible!)

2009-02-04T12:59:00.021+11:00

If keeping a steady weight is a priority for you and you have to work at it at the best of times then keeping a steady weight while on the road may be a challenge for you. Of course when you trip is your yearly 1-2 weeks break from slaving away at work, unless you’re in the entertainment industry, it is probably a great idea to break all your routines, let your hair down and ‘pig out’ and even put on a couple of kilos. But, when travel plans extend a little longer and/or you’re frequent traveller you may want to plan a little to avoid coming home unrecognisable to your family and friends.

DIET TIPS FOR THE ROAD:
Choosing healthy eating options can be a challenge at the best times, but even more so when you are travelling. Factors such as not being able to cook your own meals and being unfamiliar with local foods can cause you to pack on the weight without even realising. And then there’s the human behaviour factor.... of course you want to try all the gorgeous local cheeses, wine and why not have a beer at 11am, just because you can?
Eating in a foreign place is exciting and you should indulge to some extent.... you should try those local cheeses and you should enjoy yourself. But be smart about it; if you have a kitchen available you don’t need to eat out 3 meals a day. You don’t need to cook while you’re on holidays but preparing 2 quick meals a day isn’t going to kill you. Better still, have protein shakes[i] for 1-2 of your daily meals and then you can indulge a little and everything will taste so much better than if you’d gorged or eaten heavy foods all day. You’ll save money too! If protein shakes are a little extreme for you then raw foods (think apples, raw nuts) will have the same calories in every country and every language and make a good easy meal[ii].
If you're a drinker, just remember that while a few drinks won’t hurt, 71 one a day[iii] will. Alcohol calories do add up and your fat cells don’t take holidays.

EXERCISE:
Exercise is your friend when it comes to maintaining your weight.
Running is dead set the best form of exercise as it burns a massive amount of calories, can be done virtually anywhere and it is a great way to see a place. In cities, if you run (or walk) at the same time and place as the locals do, it’s a great way to get a feel for the place. And if you have been travelling for a long time, you can start to feel a little bit ‘out of it’ and running at the same time and place as the locals (think morning and afternoons in any city park) can help you feel like you’re part of society again (without having to work!).

EXTRA WEIGHT MAINTENACE TIPS ON TH ROAD:

If weighing yourself regularly at home helps you regulate your weight, a pair of jeans will help you do the same on the road. When your jeans start to get a little snug you’ll know to ease off a little before it gets out of hand. Just make sure they’re not stretch or you’ll just stretch with them.
The best way to ignore weight gain and keep adding more weight is to ‘let yourself go’[iv]. Little rituals you do daily at home, for example having a juice in the morning, taking a multi-vitamin, dry skin brushing[v] and for the girls moisturising your body daily will at least make you conscious of your body and get your mind in a momentum of wanting to look after yourself (and subconsciously looking after your weight). If the only thing you do while you travel to help you maintain a steady weight is keep looking after your body by sleeping well and maintaining daily rituals it will be worthwhile.
Carry a water bottle so you can sip it and refill it throughout the day. When you're out of your normal routine it is easy to forget to drink your daily quota. Dehydration can make you headachy, hungry and you'll be much more likely to reach for the chippies when you hit your hotel room.

Oops! Heathrow injection anyone[vi]?
So you’ve arrived home with more weight than you left with... and we’re not talking luggage. In this situation it’s healthy to panic a little because statistics show that the longer you leave those extra kgs on you, the more likely you’ll be to keep them on forever. It’s time to get to work but it’s only the first couple of days that are tough. Make a conscious effort to break the bad habits and you’ll be back into the swing of things in no time.

Endnotes
[i] Nalgene Wide Mouth bottles and Sigg 300ml thermos bottles are great for on the go protein shakes.
[ii] You know even at home it is easy to be fooled by foods that look healthy but really aren’t... we’ll it is so much worse when you are in unfamiliar territory, even in English speaking countries.
[iii] This is just a random extreme number, used to make a point, and not meant to be taken literally.
[iv] A tip for girls: ‘not letting yourself go’ doesn’t mean packing on the makeup. Sometimes obsessing about your hair and makeup is a just escapism from other issues (such as weight gain).
[v] Dry skin brushing is the basics of body maintenance in Chinese medicine and you should make the time to do it daily... and yes this is even for guys.
[vi] Heathrow injection: A metaphor for the weight one inevitably gains when one migrates to London for an extended stay. It is attributable to the face-paced lifestyle that leads one to eating mostly take-away and fast foods. (source: urbandictionary)

Happy Feet Happy Traveller

2009-02-01T11:43:00.008+11:00

Take care of your feet while travelling. They’re the only ones you've got, and if they’re not happy you’re not happy.
Because the feet are located so far from the heart, which affects circulation, foot injuries may become infected faster and heal slower than those on other parts of the body. So look after them!
Following are some tips on preventing foot problems and keeping your feet happy.

Wear thongs/flip flops in public showers and other damp, high traffic areas like pool decks/change rooms. These areas not only provide an ideal breeding ground for athlete’s foot but also for some viral organisms that cause plantar warts. Athlete’s foot can be treated by over-the-counter anti fungal creams, sprays and powders. Treat your socks and shoes as well to avoid re-infection. If you notice the onset of a plantar wart infection, seek professional medical help at once.

Thoroughly and carefully drying feet and toes after using public showers will also help in preventing plantar warts and athlete’s foot.

Calluses, blisters and corns are all caused by ill fitting shoes and socks. Make sure you choose comfortable shoes and break them in before you leave!

Pack appropriate shoes for the activities you plan on doing. Hiking through snow wearing your trusty runners may seem ok at the time, but could cause something as serious as frostbite, likewise climbing in sandals may seem doable but could lead to sprains.

Pack some Moleskin. Regardless of taking preventive measures walking the Inca Trail for 5 days straight will probably still leave you with unwanted blisters, calluses and/or corns.. Place the moleskin directly on the sores as well as in shoes to pad any rough areas.

Purchase and pack socks that are especially designed to "wick" moisture away from the skin . Cotton socks absorb moisture but they don’t keep the feet dry, causing chaffing problems and bacteria to thrive. Wicking socks are made of a combination of Lycra, Orlon and other man-made fibres.

Don’t puncture blisters, but if they do break, treat them with disinfecting alcohol, Betadine or similar. A break in the skin on the foot is a gateway for bacteria to enter the body, so be careful

Don’t self-medicate or try to remove corns, plantar warts or calluses yourself; you may just make matters worse or even provide an open door for infection.

Cut toenails straight across and even to prevent ingrown toenails. Use a file to even out the pointed ends, and don’t cut into the corners. If a nail becomes inflamed, red, or tender apply an antibiotic ointment and see a doctor. Ingrown toenails can be excruciatingly painful, so see a doctor who can give you an oral antibiotic as soon as you can.

Avoid walking barefoot in unknown or potentially dangerous areas. Bare feet are especially vulnerable to puncture wounds, foreign objects and infections. What may start out as a simple cut, if not promptly and properly treated, could quickly become quite serious or even life-threatening, as with tetanus or septicemia

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Economy Class Syndrome

2009-02-01T11:08:00.006+11:00

In October 2000 an apparently healthy 28-year-old woman died from a pulmonary embolism shortly after she stepped off a 20-hour Qantas flight from Australia to England. There was a lot of publicity regarding the health dangers of long haul flying shortly after and most airlines began printing warnings for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) on its tickets.
Since then there has been very little said about DVT but people do need to be aware that it can be a real health hazard, particularly for Australians who need to endure long flights. So we thought we'd provide a little refresher course.

DVT What is it
DVT is basically the occurrence of blood clots forming in the deep veins of the legs. It can become fatal when the clots break off and travel to the heart and lungs. This condition is called Pulmonary Embolism.
Pulmonary Embolism symptoms usually do not appear until after a few days or more after the flight and is often misdiagnosed as a heart attack, chest cold or other conditions.

What causes it
DVT most often occurs as a result of poor or sluggish blood circulation and/or increased "stickiness" of the blood.

Who is at risk
Anyone who is immobile for long periods of time. This includes air, bus and train travel as well as sitting in theater seats, desks, periods of prolonged bed rest and standing in one place for long periods of time without moving. For modern-day air travellers cramped airline seating, long haul flights, the change in cabin air pressures and the ever decreasing distance between the seats are all factors which have increased the risk of DVT deaths.

HIGH risk factors
Factors that increase the "stickiness" of the blood and/or decrease the circulation are:

Wearing tight, restrictive clothing
Smokers
Obesity
Age (over the age of 40)
Pregnancy or the contraceptive pill
A past history and/or family history of DVT
Recent surgery, particularly in the legs.
Inflammatory diseases
Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Liver disease
If you think you may be at high risk, consult your doctor before the flight as there is prescription medicine available for the prevention of DVT.

Things you can do to reduce the risk

Wear loose comfortable clothing that doesn’t restrict your circulation.
Move/exercise your legs as much as possible during the flight to increase the blood circulation.
Wear specialised compression stockings/knee high stockings.
Take some aspirin to thin the blood.
Keep your legs elevated when possible.
Drink plenty of water.
Avoid excessive alcohol.

Symptoms
DVT can occur without any symptoms (especially if the clots form in a vein other than in a leg or arm)
When symptoms do occur they include:

Redness, swelling and heat in the area over the path of a deep vein.
A deep vein feeling like a hard piece of rope or cord.
Pain or discomfort over the path of a deep vein . The pain is usually located in the calf or behind the knee and may get worse if the person stands or walks - it is usually relieved by resting with the painful leg/s raised.
Discoloration or ulceration of the skin over a deep vein.
Symptoms of Pulmonary Embolism are shortness of breath, pain, fainting. Often fainting is the first sign. Sudden death can also occur without any symptoms.

What to do
In flight - alert Cabin Crew!
Get yourself to a hospital and tell them you’ve been on a long haul flight.
For more information on DVT visit http://www.airhealth.org/

Combat Jetlag

2009-02-01T09:55:00.012+11:00

With our ‘land downunder’ being such a long flight away from the majority of the world, Jet Lag is an issue for most Australian travelling overseas. So we’ve done some research, and thrown in a little bit of our own experience to provide you with some tips to combat Jet Lag and all its horrible symptoms.
Jet Lag: What is it? Put simply Jet Lag is a sleep disorder caused by the body’s biological clock not being aligned with the local time. But if you've ever experienced it, you know it’s more than just not being able to sleep at night and being irritable during day time... long uncomfortable flights, dehydration caused by dry cabin air, change of diet (think salty and fatty airplane foods), combined with travelling across time zones throws your whole body ‘out of whack’ and feeling terrible.

Combat Jet Lag: Pre-take off

If you can, try to arrange a stopover for a night or two to break the trip up.

Book your accommodation at your destination for at least the first few nights. The last thing you’ll be wanting to do after a long flight is trying to find a bed to sleep in.

If you have an important event or meeting that you are travelling to, plan to arrive a few days earlier to allow your body to settle in.

A few days prior to take off you can start adapting to your new time schedule. No more Jet Lag is a handy acupressure tool that can help with this.

If time permits fitting in some cardio exercise the day of your departure will help your system cope better.

Consider purchasing some herbal sleeping tablets (available at chemists and health food stores) and some healthy snacks for your flight.

Consider packing some comfort (pillow, sleep mask etc) items for the flight.

If you are prone to ear aches due to the change in cabin pressures, pack some Flitemates and chewing gum.

Combat Jet Lag: In-flight

Set your watch to the new time as you begin the trip.

Try to avoid sleeping at times that wouldn't be appropriate for sleep at your destination.
Vice versa, and possibly with the help of herbal sleeping tablets, try and sleep at times appropriate for sleep at your destination.

While airlines provide you with pillows, blankets and often also eye masks, you may find it more comfortable and easier to get some sleep by bringing your own more comfortable options. The gogogear team swears by this pashmina and/or the Roman Palm 1 Sleeping Bag for inflight comfort.

Make the most of any temporary stopovers by walking around and getting the blood circulating.

Drink plenty of water.

Avoid drinking excessive alcohol and coffee as they won’t help with the dehydration issue.

Having said that a glass or so of alcohol may help you relax into sleeping.

It’s easy to over eat on long haul flights because of boredom. But over eating can make you feel very uncomfortable when you have to sit in one position for hours. Remember you only need as many calories as a bed ridden person... so be conscious of this and try and eat only as much as you really feel like. You might also want to consider opting for the lighter meal choices the airlines offer when you book your ticket.

DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) deserves its own segment, but just to touch on it, you should: take an aspirin or two in flight to keep the blood thin; use compression stockings or compression socks (this will also keep your legs from swelling), walk around as much as possible.

Combat Jet Lag: On Arrival

Taking a hot shower and a ten minute power nap on arrival will make you feel a million dollars.

Use No More Jet lag to help your body clock adjust to the new time zone.

You may find it helpful to continue taking the herbal sleep tablets at bedtime for the first few nights.

If you exercise regularly at home, continue to do so at your destination. It will help with keeping your whole system in rhythm.

Try to be gentle with your body for the first couple of days by not planning to do too much.

You might be swollen for the first couple of days due to dehydration and air cabin pressure so be sure you keep drinking copious amounts of water and eating good foods with plenty of fibre. Taking a good multivitamin daily isn’t a bad idea either!

Look Good Travelling

2009-01-30T14:17:00.004+11:00

Frequent Flying:
Skin care gurus regard inflight environments one of the worst you could subject your skin to.... here are a few tips to minimise the damage to your looks!Before taking off, keep it as natural as you can stand. A light tinted moisturiser, light non-waterproof eye makeup and a moisturising lipstick/balm/gloss should do the trick. Wear freshly washed hair and a scented body lotion in place of heavy perfumes.In flight, keep it simple. Avoiding products you haven't used before is a good idea. Remove any makeup on take off, and while it is tempting to lather yourself with the heaviest moisturiser to counter the dehydration factor.... it can leave you with an unwanted load of bumps and breakouts on landing. The skin can only absorb so much but it is a common mistake many travellers make!Your inflgiht essentials kit should include

Eye drops... eyes can become easily dehydrated and irritated when flying.

Makeup remover wipes

A tried and tested eye cream that can counter fine lines and puffiness on touch down

A tried and tested moisturiser

A light scented perfumed body/hand cream (check out our range of "Everything Balms" that have extra aromatherapy benefits)

Lip Balm 7. A moisturising mask... an optional treat but hey you have a bit of time on your hands!Make sure you are aware of international inflight liquid, gels and aerosol restrictions and comply with them! We wouldn't want you to have your liquid gold confiscated!

Holiday Destination: Beach
Pack sunblock, sunblock and sunblock! It's a drag but you know you need it. Check out Kinesys if you hate applying sunscreen.... it's quick, easy to apply and you won't even know you have it on. Don't bother packing foundation... you will have your own chilled out glow. A tinted moisturiser, blush, gloss or lipstick and as little eye make up as you can stand. Obvious make up in tropical environments just looks wrong.If having gorgeous pale porcelain skin isn't your thing you'll want to fake-tan yourself before you leave, just remember salt water and chlorinated pools are really harsh on fake tans, so be sure to pack a top-up tanning product, moisturiser and some kind of exfoliator.

Holiday Destination: Ski
Moisturising sunblocks & lip balms, and rich face moisturisers should be the first thing to go in your beauty kit. Go for pale lip colours and really minimal relaxed make up. Beware of the "raccoon" look... both in the eye-goggle tan and in the running eye make up sense. If you can't live without eye make up, make sure it has waterproof staying power.

Holiday Destination: Nowhere and Everywhere (ie Backpacking)
Space is of the essence, but there is no need to leave your glamour self at home. Multitasking products will be your friend. Eyeliners in a few different colours take up no room and can be used to create a multitude of different looks (Mac Rosemary & Thyme is a tried and tested fave). Try smudging the eyeliner on your fingertip and then applying the colour onto your lids instead of packing eyeshadows and brushes.Tidy eyebrows give you a polished finish with less make up so tweezers are definitely a must pack!Keeping your locks groomed will help you look a little civilised when you feel like you're not, so pack a (dual voltage) hairdryer and/or straightner if you can squeeze one in!

Holiday Destination: City
Bring it all! you will probably have more time than usual to get ready and if you're lucky you'll have a luxurious and uncluttered hotel bathroom at hand, so relax and pamper yourself!

A Note About Hair
If your hair is your pride and joy then chances are that you'll be used to a professional strength hairdryer. The problem is that the most powerful dual voltage hairdryer that we know of is 1600w, and hotel hairdryers are even worse, so what do you do? The Menda Utlimate Travel & Sports Towel will be your friend. Not designed as a hair towel but geeze it's a good one! It will slice your drying time to a fraction of what it would be without it.

Travel like a supermodel.

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Travelling in comfort and travelling in style need not conflict, just take some lessons from those super model pap shots, and pack the following essentials.

1. Sunnies. The bigger the better to cover up dehydrated and bloodshot eyes.
2. Pashmina or scarf. Go for one that is large enough to double as a blanket. Air conditioning on airplanes is often crazy and those airline blankets can be a little how-do-you-do, how often do they wash those anyway?!
3. An oversize bag. Good thing about fashion these days, those larger than life handbags can easily double as carry on bags with an up to the minute style. We've found our Oversized Soft Tote is ideal.
4.Comfortable flats. Easy to walk in and easy to remove if required to when you go through security screening.
5. Jeans or leggings. Leggings are hot right now and jeans always look great and can be just as comfortable as trackies so there is really no need to resort to the latter.