STEP 1: Get out a calendar for the next 365 days and roughly block out your next 3 vacations. Try to include long weekends or times when you will be least busy at work.

STEP 2: Define what “very relaxed vacation” means for you. Take 10 minutes to make a list of the activities or situations that most relax you.

Vacation Rule: When you go away, you bring yourself with you. So make sure you know how to relax.

Each of us has a way to relax, so ensure that you’re tapped into the type of vacation that will most help you psychologically and physiologically unwind from work.  Avoid as many vacation hassles and stressors (e.g. conflicts with travel companions) as possible.

STEP 3: Choose a “goal” for your next vacation.

Vacation Rule: If your vacation is about avoiding a negative, turn it into achieving a positive.

We typically use our vacations to fill a need we’ve been deprived of.  But, according to a quality-of-life psychologist, a vacation that is simply an escape will not leave you as happy as a vacation that approaches or achieves a goal. Instead of avoiding a negative, you want to achieve a positive.

STEP 4: Include a “mastery experience.” Read the Quick Tips below, then figure out 3 trip options for your next vacation.

Vacation Rule: Vacation wisely to perform better at work.

A study by university scientists in Germany found that 3 things need to happen on a vacation for you to recover from work-induced stress and rebuild your inner resources to the point where you can achieve more than before:

1. You need to have a “mastery experience.” Learning a new skill or successfully facing a challenge—whether it’s planning the perfect itinerary, climbing a mountain, or rekindling a romantic relationship—is a powerful antidote to stress, especially for workaholics.

2. Your vacation needs to relax you. The fewer the hassles you face during your trip, the better you’ll perform back at work.

3. You need to avoid reflecting negatively on your job. When you find yourself thinking about work during vacation, ponder the successes you’ve had, or strategize about your future career, as opposed to mulling over the things you dislike about your current work situation.

STEP 5: Ensure you will master the “mastery experience.” Once you read these tips, make a list of potential obstacles to the attainment of your vacation goal and eliminate them.

Vacation Rule: Choose a vacation goal that doesn’t conflict with another important goal in your life.

There are 3 common obstacles you may face in trying to attain your vacation goal:

1. The goal conflicts with another important goal in your life. If your vacation goal (say, bonding with your kids) conflicts with another big goal (say, closing an imminent business deal), it will be very hard to attain both, and you will end up frustrated.

2. The goal is inconsistent with your financial resources. Don’t end up in a champagne destination on a beer budget. Be wary of resorts on small islands, where you can feel like you’re being ripped off every time you open your wallet, as well as foreign countries with lousy exchange rates.

3.The experience you’re aiming to master is either too hard or too easy. If you’re not up to the challenge, you’ll be anxious. If you’re not sufficiently challenged, you’ll be bored:

STEP 6: Choose 3 ideal travel companions with whom you could realistically take your trip. Reach out to your top choice.

Vacation Rule: Who you travel with matters more than where you go.

Our travel partners can make or break a trip. The wrong one can ruin a place you’d otherwise love, whereas the right one can make a dull place fascinating.  Select travel companions who share your interests yet will give you plenty of freedom, who don’t complain or talk too much, who move at the same pace as you, and who don’t hold rigid ideas about what is or is not interesting.

STEP 7: Pick a soothing activity for shortly after your arrival at your destination. Look into options at your hotel or nearby that will comfort and reenergize you.

A vacationer’s mood is typically at its most negative at about 10 percent of the way through a trip—a consequence of the tiring and unpleasant process of getting to the destination, as well as apprehension about the upcoming trip.  So plan a soothing activity that will zap your bad mood upon arrival at your destination. Will you have been in a cramped car for five hours? Go for a swim. Are you taking an overnight flight and you’ll arrive stiff and cranky? Book a massage a few hours after landing.  Arriving sleep-deprived and jet-lagged?  Plan on an invigorating walk; keep your feet moving till early evening; then take a warm bath and collapse into bed.

STEP 8: Plan to do something during your trip that you’ve never done before. Make a list of 5 extraordinary activities or experiences you could have for the first time.

Brand-new experiences are the ones that get seared in your memory. They can also give you a sense of accomplishment that lasts long after your trip is over. The bolder, the better.  So get out of that pool chair and take your first surfing lesson. Ride a horse on the beach. Zipline in the rainforest. It needn’t be a daredevil activity but it helps if it’s something you’ve always dreamed of doing.

STEP 9: Select your favorite vacation option and brainstorm 3 ideas for a peak moment and a grand finale.

When people remember a trip, they remember how they felt at the most intense moments of pleasure and pain and how they felt at the end.  Psychologists call this “the peak-end rule.”  Rather than give equal effort to planning every minute of your trip it’s better to focus on optimizing the peak and the end.  Since the end of your trip matters more than the start, save your best hotel room and other luxuries for last.

STEP 10: Take everything you’ve done here for your vacation, summarize it with a written plan, and share it with your travel companion(s). When you get the go-ahead, book your trip, and savor the anticipation.

Vacation Rule: Savor the anticipation.  People who have a vacation on their horizon are happier with their lives than people who don’t.

Moreover, research has shown that the expectations you form as you anticipate an upcoming vacation will likely inform your memory of that trip for years to come. Scientific studies have established that the anticipation can bring you every bit as much joy as the trip itself.  That’s because, when a trip is over, our brains tend to “reconstruct” our memory of the trip so that it aligns with what our expectations were.  What we ultimately remember about a trip is not what actually happened but what we anticipated would happen. This is one reason why we repeat our vacation mistakes: We forget the details of what really happened and instead remember what was supposed to happen.

I recently went on the “Wild Africa: Botswana and Zambia” tour in Sept 2011.  I am retired, have traveled quite a bit, and do occasional contract work to help pay for extra special trips.  This was my first Road Scholar trip.  (I had so much fun that I’m about to sign up for another Road Scholar adventure.)  The blog was started in response to requests from my friends to describe my travels because they wanted to experience my adventures vicariously.  With that in mind, I try to provide a more experiential description than just a dry itinerary.  Please bear in mind, that anything I post on my blog is strictly my own thoughts, which do not necessarily reflect the experience of other travelers.  All my entries about the safari are posted in Sept and Oct 2011.

Enjoy,
Ronya
http://www.willworkforairfare.blogspot.com/

Link for more information on the Wild Africa Road Scholar program or to enroll

Full press release from Emirates Air

We always put in our travel guide for travelers to “bring a good camera and/or video equipment which you have tested beforehand and are comfortable using. The African bush is no place to learn what all those buttons really mean.”  Well I found that out very quickly as I’m bumbling trying to get pictures of a cheetah kill, lion mating and giraffe sparing (at the correct aperture, speed, etc.)  I hadn’t even had my sundowner drink yet at sunset one evening when I turned to the camp manager and asked if he could possibly help me since nothing was showing through the viewfinder.  He said, “Well, let’s take off the lens cap and see …”  Ooooopsy – the ol’ lens cap was still on – was I ever embarrassed!  I did manage to get some fabulous photos and my fellow travelers were quite impressed (these pictures are my favorites) – especially with the zoom (turns out it’s a 600mm but I didn’t know that then).  So off to a photo class I go this spring!

Moral of the story:  Definitely learn to use your equipment before you go!

More on my East Africa trip to follow…

-Elizabeth

WHAT TO PACK?

Leave the jeans at home! Not only are they hot and bulky, but their blue color tends to attract those pesky tsetse flies.  Select versatile clothing, such as lightweight nylon pants, that will keep bugs away and dry quickly. Consider long pants that you can convert to shorts by zipping off the legs, or long-sleeve shirts that can be rolled up to create short sleeves.  Dress for outdoor comfort, but remember it’s not always hot in Africa, especially during their winter months.  It can be chilly at night and in the mornings so we suggest bringing a down sweater jacket (such as the one made by Patagonia) that is light and packs small.

While game viewing, tan, khaki, drab, olive green or other neutral colors are most appropriate and less conspicuous to the animals, but you don’t have to look like you just walked off the set of Out of Africa. Pith helmets are definitely optional!

Get a good pair of binoculars and a good camera and/or video equipment which you have tested beforehand and are comfortable using. The African bush is no place to learn what all those buttons really mean.  Make sure you have plenty of pre-charged batteries and an adapter for recharging from safari vehicles.

The sun in Africa can be fierce, so sun protection is incredibly important.  A good pair of sunglasses, a hat and lots of sunscreen will be invaluable.  Bug spray, with as much deet as you can stand, will also become your best friend.

Although EXPLORE will send you a detailed packing list and travel guide before your trip, we understand that packing can be overwhelming at times.  If you just can’t handle it, call us up and for the price of air fare, room and board any of our employees will be glad to fly out and serve as your personal shopper!

Malaria is caused by a parasite that is transmitted from one human to another by the bite of infected mosquitoes.  The parasites travels through the bloodstream to the liver where they start to multiply within red blood cells of the human host.

The symptoms characteristic of malaria include flu-like illness with fever, chills, muscle aches, headache and sweating. The first symptoms usually occur 10 days to 4 weeks after infection.

Avoiding malaria while traveling in infected regions is fairly simple.  There are a number of different pills your doctor can prescribe to prevent malaria, the most frequently used is called malarone.  Also, be sure to always use bug repellent, the more deet the better, and try to cover up during prime mosquito feeding times around dusk and dawn.  When necessary, all of your lodges will provide a net under which you can sleep.  If you do this, chances are you will return home malaria free!

Yellow fever, like malaria, is spread by mosquitoes.  It is a virus that is transported around the body and can reproduce itself in a variety of the body’s cells – usually the liver, kidneys and blood vessels. If a person is bitten by an infected mosquito, symptoms usually develop 3 – 6 days later.

During the first of three possible stages of the virus, headache, muscle and joint aches, fever, flushing, loss of appetite, vomiting, and jaundice are common.

Yellow fever can be prevented by vaccination. Travelers should also take basic precautions against mosquito bites when in affected areas, whether they have received the vaccination or not.  These are the same measures taken to prevent malaria including using bug repellent and covering exposed skin.

Please consult with your physician (and www.cdc.gov) regarding these diseases and the appropriate medication and precautions you should take.  The requirements vary depending on the countries you are traveling to and from.

Items you can’t leave behind for your high adventure trip…

ESSENTIALS

• Superglue and Duct Tape – Used for cuts.  Clean the wound, superglue it and apply duct tape for protection.
• Plastic Film Canister – If you are caught with diarrhea and cannot get to a clinic, put a sample in a canister and have a compassionate fellow traveler take the sample to the nearest clinic.  They can take a look under a microscope and dispense the right drugs immediately.
• Copies of your prescriptions – This will make getting refills easier while you’re on the road, plus they provide a legit explanation for your “just in case” stash of pain killers (discussed below).  Without copies, you also run the risk of having trouble at border-crossings; agents may be suspicious of why you are entering their country with them.
• SteriPEN – The SteriPEN, placed in a glass of water, kills bacteria, viruses, and protozoa using UV light.  It’s quicker and more effective than purification methods (it works on a half-liter of water in 50 seconds).  Make sure to bring iodine pills as a backup in case you run out of batteries!

ANTIBIOTICS

• Cipro – Cipro is a great multipurpose antibiotic.  You’ll need a prescription but most doctors are willing to help you get it and explain how to use it.
• Bactrim – Bactrim is better than Cipro for infected wounds, ear or throat infections, or soft tissue infections associated with aquatic environments.  It’s also the first line of defense for staph infections.  Again, you’ll need a prescription and will need to discuss with your physician how and when to take this medication.

NAUSEA

• Zofran wafers – Zofran was developed to treat the extreme nausea caused by chemotherapy and has also been used to treat patients at a clinic near Everest who can’t keep a pill down.  Consult your doctor for help in determining when Zofran is appropriate.
• Pepto-Bismol – tablets are lighter and easier to carry than the liquid drugs.  Pepto is not as affective as Zofran but does not have the sedative side effects either.

PAIN RELIEVERS

• Ibuprofen – Ibuprofen is good for aches and pains but also has anti-inflammatory properties which can help with frostbite (it prevents the inflammation from causing additional damage).
• Narcotic painkillers – You should always have a strong prescription narcotic due the many ways you manage to find yourself in excruciating pain when you’re far from a clinic or first aid help.  Examples include broken bones, dislocations, and burns.  Work with your physician who will prescribe narcotics and help you understand when to use them.

ALTITUDE

• Diamox – Diamox accelerates acclimatization and can also be used to treat altitude sickness at its onset.  It is safe and very effective.  Most doctors will prescribe Diamox if you are traveling to high altitude.

This calendar is designed to highlight the benefits of a safari during every month of the year (it was originally written for Botswana but applies to most of Southern Africa). We are often asked “what is the best time of the year to go on safari?”… this calendar will help you answer that question properly as it really depends on what you wish to experience.  Each month is different and special in it’s own way but what we have set out here is only a guide – weather and, therefore, viewing patterns are different each year.  So there are no facts – only trends and tendencies.  Game viewing will always remain a combination of guide skill and good luck.

JANUARY

Peak breeding time, for many of the colorful migrant birds species. Excellent wild flowers, brilliant green foliage, constant sounds day and night – from insects and birds – the bush is very alive. January is in the middle of the rainy season with spectacular afternoon thunder storms and warm days (average 85˚F plus) and nights (68˚F plus).  Game viewing is average with active predators still chasing the fast developing young of their prey species. An ideal photography month for all the colors and dramatic skies. The contrasts of the predators natural winter camouflage, with the summer colors makes for dramatic photos.  More easily spotted by their prey species the predators have to work hard while the prey have a time of plenty.

FEBRUARY

Ripe figs are eaten by many species including the fruit bats who make interesting night sounds while feeding. Water lilies flowering peak – colorful and noisy reed frogs – the Okavango Delta is brilliant, noisy and alive. With the rainy season all plants are growing actively, butterflies, birds, frogs and all the small creatures are at their most active and at their best. The rains continue in afternoon thunder storms with dramatic skies and sounds. Temperatures range up to 105°F but average above 85°F with warm nights (68°F plus). Can have both wet and very dry spells within the month. The giant bullfrog emerges from months and sometimes years of hibernation to indulge in nocturnal feeding frenzies. The resident game species do not have far to go for water and the young are almost as tall as the adults.

MARCH

The mighty Zambezi is in full spate and river rafting is often closed now. The Victoria Falls are as powerful as they can be and very dramatic even though you cannot see the bottom of the Falls. Visit now and you will know these are truly one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. While in Botswana the Marula trees fruit attracting their attendant bull elephants who wonder from tree to tree in search of their favourite meals.  The start of the rutting season leads to the sleek and fat impala males snorting and cavorting to attract females.  Temperatures are still warm both day and night but the air is drier and the rains less frequent.

APRIL

The first signs that the times are a changing – night temperatures drop to below 68°F on average but day temperatures continue to rise up to 105°F on some days. The cooler mornings with high relative humidity lead to wonderful early morning misty magic especially over the waters. The Impala rut is in full swing and the impala noises continue right through the night with dramatic clashes between rival males. Baboon and impala are often together assisting the safety of the busy Impala. The trees have completed flowering and fruit is ripening all over with the massive sausages hanging from the Sausage Trees. The reptiles are actively breeding and feeding in anticipation of the dry season about to start.

MAY

Flood waters from Angola start to reach the top of the Okavango Delta and begin their slow and deliberate progress through the Delta. The rains are over and the nights are cooler with temperatures averaging 60°F while day temperatures still warm have lost their edge and maximum temperatures seldom exceed 95°F. Jackets are sensible for night drives.  The buffalo begin to group into large herds and visit the river more often as the seasonal pans begin to dry. Breeding herds of elephant increase in density daily as they visit the permanent waters. The greens start fading to the duller dry season colors and the predators begin to enjoy themselves again as their colors blend with the surroundings. The migratory birds begin their flights to winter feeding and breeding grounds in far away places.

JUNE

June – what an exciting time – the African Wild Dogs begin to search for their den and guides search for them to discover their den. Once they have denned these endangered species will be easy to find for 3-4 months.  Exciting hunts; playful puppies – what more could you wish for!  Temperatures have dropped to their coldest by the end of June with night temperatures reaching as low as 40°F (very cold on night drives due to wind chill).  Day temperatures rise up to a very comfortable 78°F and dusty dry conditions begin to dominate. Some green bushes and trees persist but leaf drop commences and pans dry up.  Animals concentrate at the permanent water as do their predators.

JULY

The floods arrive in the Okavango Delta, after a slow path from the wet Angolan highlands thousand of miles away.  The paradox is obvious – the flood arrives when dust and dryness pervade and the rains have long gone. The leaves are falling off the trees the grasses are getting shorter every day and visibility is excellent.  The nights are still cold but the days are marginally warmer and the weather typical Botswana – sunny and clear.  More and more animals congregate near the water and flood plains – a special time of the year.  Water spreads into areas where there was none the day before and the mekoro and boat trips become more exciting as new places can be accessed. Soft early morning and evening light combined with dust produces many photo settings.

AUGUST

The herds are getting larger and space near the water leads to tension between the breeding herds of elephant.  The nights are filled with elephant sounds. The bush is bare and the dust pervades but the action is around and with patience and perseverance the rewards are great.  The floods have passed through the Delta and now reach Maun – leading to excitement for the locals in town and water related speculation is at a peak – how high? when will it stop? How far will the water go?  The weather is warming even at night with daytime peaks averaging closer to 85°F now and night time averages rising to around 50°F.  Another special time and peak visitor season.  The herons, storks and other birds start to congregate at the Godikwe heronry and begin nest building.

SEPTEMBER

The climate has changed and winter is all but gone.  Night temperatures rise rapidly within the month and by month end the averages reach 60°F plus and day temperatures soar well in the 80′s°F.  The sun shines, the skies are clear and it is really dry.  Unbelievably the elephant concentrate in still greater numbers as do the buffalo keeping the predators busy as the season takes it’s toll on the prey species – a time of plenty for the lions. The colors explode as the carmine bee eaters return from their winter grounds and the other migrants begin to arrive. The water levels have slowly started to drop as the waters from Angola have completed their trek. The fish begin to get active and some trees start to get the first green shoots – fed by the flood waters and temperatures and not by any rain as it is still some 6 weeks to the first rains.

OCTOBER

It is hot – really hot but never will you experience game viewing like this – well worth the sweat.  Day temperatures rise regularly above 105°F and nights are warm with averages in the 60′s°F.  Start early and leave late – that is the solution.  There is no place to hide everything is bare and the grasses are eaten or trampled. Night drives are at their best and the pervading dust makes all scenes dramatic. Predator chases erupt into clouds of dust as the eternal game of eat and be eaten plays out daily in the very open plains. Fishing frenzies with the annual catfish (barbell) runs in the rivers.

NOVEMBER

The expectation – in fact desperation - for rain dominates all discussions.  The residents and the animals all seek an end to the dryness and dust.  Temperatures remain high both day and night and the game viewing improves – until the day of the first rains – normally around mid November.  The rain comes; the animals are relieved and disperse to eat on new vegetation and drink from the seasonal pans. The birthing season begins with the Tsessebe , followed by the impala and Lechwe.  The predators seek out the vulnerable young and kill many times a day to get their fill.  Plenty of action and great visibility and short green grass – trees bursting into life – a wonderful time for the photographers – action, color and visibility.

DECEMBER

Protein rich grass feed the mothers of the antelope while the lambs and calves grow at astounding speed. The impala complete their lambing, the wildebeest start and complete in a few weeks. The rains become more regular with thunder storms every few days. The pans remain full and the colors shine in brilliant green and the grasses begin to get away from the hungry mouths. While the grazers enjoy the green tender mouthfuls, the predators are ever watching and stalking but their winter camouflage lets them down and they have to work harder.  However, the bushes become more dense allowing more hiding places for them to observe their prey. This ensures that the predators devote much of their time to hunting the young impala and wildebeest – producing plenty of predator prey action. All the migrant birds have arrived.  Temperatures have cooled on average but hot days still occur and nights are still warm and humidity can rise after rains. Good colors – dramatic skies and lightning at night in the distances all add to the magic of December.