If you find yourself travelling a lot for martial arts competitions, take advantage of it and explore the cities you find yourself in. Why not make the most of it? Take every opportunity you can. Every new destination has something fun to see and do. Here are some of the things we think you should do if you want to make the most of a chance to travel for a martial arts competition. Explore the Local Cuisine You may want to wait until after you fight so you are in the best possible condition, but if you have the opportunity to head out afterwards, take it. Take a look at what the local speciality might be, and try to find a good place to eat as a reward for your work. A great meal is often … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No. 12: Detoxify Your Liver
Sometimes we're exposed to things we're unaware are detrimental to our health. While traveling, we often don't have the same control over our environment as we may have in our native countries. Eating in restaurants, buying medicines manufactured in areas with questionable standards, among any number of other situations may effect our bodies in ways we couldn't have foreseen. Sometimes those effects remain in the body and sometimes, those effects can be lessened, even healed through the cleansing our livers. Think of your liver as an air filter that traps all the dust, dirt, and other germs that circulate through the air. Imagine what an air filter looks like right … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No. 10: Hitting The Heat? Powder Up.
Know how to tell if someone's a just-stepped-off-the-plane tourist in Bangkok? They're the ones that look freshly dipped. The ones that are uneasy in wet clothing. Acclimating can be not so fun, so here's a tip for those of you getting ready to skip to hot climates: Embrace your inner baby and powder up. Baby powder, dusting powder, call it whatever you like, but use something and use it liberally. Powder will keep you dry, odour free and keep heat rash turned itchy-weird-tropical-topical-fungal-cooties at bay. … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No. 8: You Deserve More Than A Dollar Store Lock
Traveling to a developing country? Bring a lock from your home country. One that isn't the standard dollar-store-made-in-China variety. (If you're reading this in China, I don't know what to tell you...? But feel free to give us your opinion in the comments section). Those budget friendly locks seem to be exported all over the planet. Or perhaps just my bubble version of it. I've come across them in Canada, the U.S. and Thailand. I've spotted them in The Philippines. I see people from all over the place using them on their travels. Locks that look like this one in conjunction with cheap locks made locally (in developing countries where there isn't a large selection) are a horrible … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No. 7: Hey Canadians…Traveling? Don’t Use This Word.
Hey Fellow-People-From-The-Land-Of-Ice-Snow-And-Poutine, here's a tip for you - few people other than ourselves seem to know what the hell we're on about when we use the word: washroom When I first arrived in Thailand, I was put off by the constant use of the word toilet. "Where is the toilet?" "Do you have to go to the toilet?" Signs screaming TOILET with arrows pointing to a wet and stinky room. Call me an elitist, or perhaps just a victim of a very sensory brain, but the use of that very word, as depicted above in addition to how many countless other ways, generally sends highly visual, sometimes … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No.6: Flex Your Head With Open Culture
Speaking broken English to your high school friends over Skype? Spending precious moments trying to remember pertinent information like the names of your parents? Can you whistle the local ice cream person's ice cream truck tune, but can't remember the words to your national anthem? If you're like me and who knows how many other sorry people, you may find yourself at a point in time where your brain needs a bit of fitness. Or a war. Something to stimulate it. Anything to stimulate it. Such a fine moment came to me when the only English language television channel I had available for months was the Outdoor Channel from the U.S.. I realized, there was a whole lot of deer … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No.5: The Rubber Doorstop Is Your Pocket Pitbull
Well, sort of, depending how vivid your imagination is prone to be. See the rubber doorstop as a tiny light substitute you won't have to feed or bathe and it'll have your back when you're sleeping without expecting any attention in return. How may you ask? Shove it under your door from the inside, while the door is shut. Pretty simple and it should deter any scumbag from trying to sneak into your room unexpectedly and silently (i.e. someone with a key). Should the perpetrator be an aggressive scumbag, then your little doorstop pet may allow you those precious extra seconds to wake up, skip out a window, scream, and/or grab whatever beautifully evil device you've decided to protect … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No. 4: Thai Visa Website
For those of you traveling to Thailand for any amount of time, I suggest checking out www.thaivisa.com. In addition to hosting forums which cover a range of topics, including communities focused on specific geographical areas, if you create an account, you will receive regular email alerts with links to pertinent topics. This is a great and passive way of keeping abreast of changes to visa requirements and issues of personal safety (i.e. bomb found in XXX, torrential rain in XXXX). Ladies, there is a forum just for us. You can download the ThaiVisa iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch app here. For Thailand solo travel and safety tips, in addition to … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No. 3: Dirty Showers
On smaller trips I always try to travel with at least one small toiletry bag with either a hook, or looped ties (sans zipper). These are great because you may not have a place to rest your toiletries in your new location's shower, or want to. This is particularly relevant for you nak muays reading this. Gym showers and cleaning standards are not always the same as in your home country. Sometimes things get pretty nasty here and it amazes me how people can get so clean in a room that is so filthy. … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No. 2: Filthy Pillows
Ergk....your guesthouse has dirty pillows? Dust mite allergies? Double up on your pillowcases at a new spot. Place each case on the same pillow in opposing directions. This means, the opening on Sir Pillowcase may be on the leftside, while the opening of Lady Pillowcase may be on the rightside. This helps to prevent any bacterial, mite city skankiness from escaping via an open pillow slit and straight onto your face. Your sinuses may thank you in the morning. Not working for you? Sew a lightweight zipper at the end of a single case and use it as a liner. For those times you don't use it on your pillow, it can double as a laundry bag to wash … [Read more...]
Travel Tip No. 1: Easy Drinking Vessels
No cup? No glasses? Cut a water bottle in half and now you have two. All you light travelers and wannabe hood hero(e)s can thank me now. Adieu. … [Read more...]