1. Exercise hard before getting on. Swim, bike, run, lift weights, do whatever you can before you fly. If possible, use the airplane time for rest and recovery from sports—not work. 
2. Hydrate before and during the flight. Drink only water, never alcohol or coffee. Alcohol dehydrates and debilitates. It is an anesthetic with a long post-infusion tail. Alcohol slows metabolism and increases weight gain as there is an increased desire to eat while drinking. Coffee and tea with caffeine accelerates both heart rate and metabolism. But, it adds stress anxiety and stimulates the bowels to move more often—leading to more hunger. So drink plain water, a full glass every hour. 
3. Out-of-chair walking, every hour (at least). Book an aisle seat and get up frequently. This movement decreases blood clot risk, diminishes back pain caused by the poor seats, and reminds you to exercise. Set your phone alarm to vibrate every hour. The reminder is the key, as it’s easy to be lulled into mindlessness by the airplane’s drone. 
4. Do these five exercises while sitting. Ankle pumps: Do a set of 100 every flight. Posture adjustment: Roll your pelvis forward, suck in your abdominal muscles and set your shoulders behind your hips. Hold the position for a minute. Do this once every 15 minutes. You will be shocked by how much time you are slouching and this will help you discipline yourself to not do it! Simple biceps curls: Lift your computer (or your book) from the tray table to your chest. Do this 60 times. Repeat every few hours. Push-ups on the hand rests: Push down on the hand rests, lifting your body off the seat. Do this 15 times, every few hours. Shoulder muscle strengthening: Squeeze your shoulder blades together 30 times and hold them in that position for as long as you can. Suck in your abdominal muscles while you do this exercise.   
5. Three exercises when standing in the aisle. Calf raises: See how many you can do before the flight attendant tells you to sit down! Single stance balance: Stand on one leg and count the number of rows on the plane. See how long you can go. Repeat each time you get up. Hip strength: Stand next to your seat, facing forward, and push your leg firmly against the seat. Hold the position for 15 seconds. Try 10 then switch legs. 
6. If you are a frequent executive traveler, book hotels with gyms and pools—and book the gym trainer, every day. Put it on your schedule, just like any other business appointment. Best to book early in the morning, before your meetings start. If you book it, you are likely to keep it and much more likely to get a great workout in if you are supervised. 
7. Bring your own food. It’s easy to bring healthy fruits, vegetables, and even yogurt. If you prepare a meal the night before, make an extra portion, and put it into a baggy with a plastic fork. You can control what you eat when you travel if you plan ahead. (If it is a multi-leg trip, order an extra healthy dinner in the restaurant the night before and have them bag it for you. Cold shrimp, cut up steak, or lean pork works best.) 
8. Travel with a friend. If your schedules include overlapping free time, organize sports and recreation activities together. Work travel should not be 24 hours of work. 
9. Sleep. Sleep without sleeping drugs. Practice meditation and centering down. Use an eye shield and music if it helps you. Use the airplane time to increase your rest time. 
10. Think. We tend to fill our hours with conversation, reading, working, and writing, and take too little time to just think. Close your eyes and tap into your most creative self. You are your own best cure. 

Kevin R. Stone, MD, is an orthopaedic surgeon at The Stone Clinic and Chairman of the StoneResearch Foundation. Trained at Harvard University in both internal medicine and orthopaedic surgery and at Stanford University in general surgery, he is a world-renowned expert in biologic joint replacement. He is the best-selling author of Play Forever. Dr. Stone has served the US Ski Team, the US Pro Ski Tour, the Marin Ballet, the Smuin Ballet, the Modern Pentathlon at the U.S. Olympic Festival, and the U.S. Olympic Training Center.  

Savvy Senior Travelers

Natural Remedies to Manage Arthritis Pain

The post Top Ten Tips to Cure “Airplane Disease”  appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

I’ve probably visited as many countries as travel guru Rick Steves has. Unlike Steves, I chose to live in foreign countries instead of dropping in for a few days. Living in other countries allowed me to form relationships with people and insights into other cultures that I couldn’t get on short visits. Now retired and living in the U.S. to be closer to family, I still yearn to broaden my horizons and encounter other cultures periodically. 

My wanderlust knew no bounds when I was younger. That’s why I agreed to move to west Africa with my husband in the 1990s at the height of the AIDS epidemic. His public health work in Ivory Coast would help save lives while mine—freelance writing—could be done anywhere.  

It was a lonely venture, moving with two small children to a place with an inhospitable climate where I didn’t speak the language. I worried constantly that one of us might get AIDS or malaria, and we had to be vigilant in a high crime city like Abidjan, where carjackings and burglaries were common.  

Like all expats attached to the U.S. Embassy, we had a guard posted at our house 24/7. We grew close to those men over the years and mourned one of them when he died of AIDS. I also got to know women who welcomed me into book clubs and professional women’s groups. Like them, I was determined to embrace the local culture and help my children feel at home there. 

We visited more than half of the 52 countries on the African continent when we lived in Ivory Coast and Tanzania. We climbed Kilimanjaro, snorkeled in the Zanzibari islands, and did numerous treks and safaris with our children. When my husband took a job in Geneva for four years, we visited all the major European countries.  

Now in my 70s, I’m more risk-averse and no longer like roughing it or starting over in a new country. Yet, my anxiety level is low when I travel. I don’t worry about contracting a disease since I’m familiar with health precautions and get vaccines. I also take precautions against petty thieves, and don’t wear jewelry or carry much money in foreign cities. 

While based in the U.S., I’ve had to be more intentional about travel and find new ways to encounter people of other cultures. One way is to do volunteer work—like teaching English at a summer camp in Lithuania as I did last summer.  

I had never been to Lithuania and it sounded intriguing. The country ranked number one in the World Happiness Report last year—at least among young people—despite having Russian nuclear submarines based on its border. When a friend invited me to join her at the camp, I jumped at the chance. 

I’ve taught English to Language Learners as a volunteer for years. But teaching four short classes daily was a challenge since I was used to teaching adults and not teenagers. The hardest part was devising lesson plans for four different levels each day since some of the kids spoke English well, while others spoke only Lithuanian or Russian. 

Lodging was provided at an international school and I had evenings free to swim in the Baltic Sea and explore the coastal town of Klaipeda. The job taught me to listen better and be more resilient in the classroom. It also gave me a deeper appreciation for teachers who work with young people year-round, and for a country that topped the World Happiness Report despite its precarious geography. 

This year I plan to teach English with a different group in Spain. Then I’ll reverse roles and work with a tutor to help me improve my Spanish. 

Another way I can immerse myself in foreign cultures is to visit friends who live overseas. Recently, I toured Japan with my friend Rumiko who lives in Okinawa half the year. She arranged several hiking days for us in the mountains and tours in major cities.  

When we visited a handful of temples and shrines in Kyoto, Rumiko related folk tales and explained local customs to us. At a theater one evening, we saw a demonstration tea ceremony, a short concert of Koto Music, and performances of traditional dances. We also sampled foods specific to each region we visited: Shirasu (tiny white fish) in Kamakura, soba noodles in Kyoto, and Okonomiyaki (a savory pancake dish) in Hiroshima. 

It was in Hiroshima that I gained a deeper sense of Japan’s traumatic history in the last century while touring the Peace Museum and viewing graphic photos of the atomic bomb’s impact. The horrors of the second World War were also evident at the Okinawa Peace Museum where photos and testimonials chronicled the brutal battle that lasted 90 days. After hearing the perspectives of an insider like my friend, I came away with a deeper awareness of Japan’s remarkable transformation from a war machine to a peaceful country and close U.S. ally. 

A third way I can encounter other cultures is by going on retreats. I’ve attended yoga retreats in Nicaragua, Cuba, and Mexico, and writing retreats elsewhere. Retreats allow us to disconnect from the noisy world for a week and meet like-minded people who also like yoga, travel, and writing. 

Excursions are a big draw on such retreats. I’ve hiked up volcanoes and worked in soup kitchens on community service projects that provide golden opportunities to learn about village life. Yoga retreats in Cuba and Nicaragua also allowed me to see parts of those countries I wouldn’t venture to on my own. 

Such venues—volunteer work, touring with friends, and yoga (or writing or language) retreats—provide safe ways to experience new places and interact with local people. It’s always enriching to see what life is like for people of other cultures, especially if you travel with open curiosity and leave expectations and judgments behind. 

As Rick Steves said in a recent interview, “I want to come home a little different, a little less afraid, a little more thankful, and a little better citizen of the planet.” 

Terry Repak is the author of a memoir, Circling Home: What I Learned By Living Elsewhere, and other non-fiction books as well as travel articles and feature stories. She lives in Seattle and has a website at www.terryrepak.com  and a Substack at terryrepak.substack.com

Seek New Vistas Abroad

The post Traveling with Intention  appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

International Museum Day is May 18, an observance of the cultural role played by the world’s museums and a day that encourages people to pay them a visit. Fortunately, some of the great ones have gone digital, creating online virtual tours to substitute for or supplement in-person visits. Like me, you don’t even need to leave your sofa to meander through them. 

The Rijksmuseum happens to be one of my favorites for a remote visit. An institution that believes in democratizing art, it’s in the process of digitizing its entire collection—a total of 1.1 million artworks and artifacts making it all available gratis on its website From Home. 

The effort began in 2009 during the restoration of the museum’s centerpiece, Rembrandt’s 1642 painting, Night Watch. Using high-resolution photography, digital microscopes, molecular spectroscopy, and artificial intelligence, the restorers created in-depth images of every square millimeter of the approximate 12- by 14.5-foot painting. The advanced technology allowed analysis of Rembrandt’s underlying sketches, the type of paint he used, and the discovery that he used arsenic to create the painting’s sheen. The outcome of the still-in-progress effort is now available to the virtual public, allowing visitors to zoom into the painting’s minute details, watch updates of the restoration, and learn about the findings made possible by technology. 

A virtual visit also takes you to Rijksstudio. There, 840,302 high-resolution, digital, downloadable and free images include not only the renowned paintings of Vermeer and Rembrandt but also collection images of statues, ceramics, metalwork, tapestry, and furniture.  

From Home also includes five-minute segments on specific museum themes such as flowers, LBGTQ portrayal, female leadership, and secret doors and basements in the building, each presented by a Rijksmuseum curator, department head, or tour guide as they point out examples found throughout the 12,000 square meters of exhibit space. 

Viewers can take art classes from RijksCreative, where you can participate in museum classes on charcoal, painting, sketching, and creating a photobook, with each class displaying six easy-to-watch lessons. 

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has also gone virtual, uploading beautifully photographed images of 1.25 million objects in the museum’s collection, including manuscripts, photography, painting, and fashion. Additionally, V&A Academy Online offers live stream and recorded lectures, discussions, and workshops. This winter, I took a free online course about  V&A’s large collection of hand-made Asian and African carpets.  

Six of the 26 museums of Rome’s Vatican Museums can be visited via a self-guided 360-degree virtual video tour. Using a keyboard or mouse, you can wander the four-room apartment known as Rafael’s Rooms while scrolling in closely to study the mosaic tiles in the floor or stroll around the Sistine Chapel zooming in to study the fresco walls and Michelangelo’s handiwork in the ceilings. Similar 360-degree virtual tours of are available on the websites of the Louvre and Musee D’orsay in Paris and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. These four are part of the Google Arts and Culture website offering 60 museums of virtual tours.  

If science is more your forte, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has you covered. Its website is chockful of information and high-resolution images. You can navigate a room-by-room tour of the exhibit spaces or select collections (fossils anyone?) and from there zoom in on specific artifacts or click links for more text information and explanatory videos. The website also allows you to take narrated tours with the museum’s scientists and visit its laboratories and research stations. Similarly, in Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum you can float through galleries, stopping to study exhibits like an iridium satellite or Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 lunar spacesuit.  

All 21 museums of the Smithsonian are in the process of making their collections available online. At Smithsonian Open Access, visitors can view and download high-resolution images of 4.9 million artifacts in their collection including Charlie Parker’s alto saxophone and Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega B5. The Smithsonian is currently experimenting with 3D scanning digitization, allowing objects like the plaster cast of Abraham Lincoln’s hands and face to be viewed from different angles. Check out Smithsonian 3D for informative videos about the process. 

A virtual museum visit is much like an in-person meander through a collection. Take the time to explore. Once online, click on all the links and sub links to stroll into galleries or listen in on tours. Make return visits to view newly curated exhibits or tours. You can do it without the cost of an airline ticket to Amsterdam or Paris. In fact, for no cost at all.  

Ann Randall is a freelance writer, organizational consultant and independent traveler who loves venturing to out-of-the-way locales from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe. Retired from a career as a teacher and union organizer in public education, she now observes international elections, does volunteer work in India and writes regularly for 3rd Act, Northwest Travel & Life, West Sound Home & Garden, Fibre Focus and Dutch the Magazine. 

Get Started: 

From Home: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/from-home 

V&A Academy Online: https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/academy 

Vatican Museums: https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/tour-virtuali-elenco.html 

Louvre at Home: https://www.louvre.fr/en/online-tours 

Google Arts and Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner 

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History:  https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour 

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/virtual-tour 

Smithsonian Open Access: https://www.si.edu/openaccess 

Smithsonian 3D: https://3d.si.edu/labs 

The post You Can Tour Great Museums of the World for the Comfort of Home  appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

In this, my seventh decade of life, these worries periodically drift through my mind. Usually when a new ache in my body makes its presence known or I’m wondering if our investments will hold their value for another 20 years. 

I was slapped across the face with an answer in the summer when I had a chance to take a road trip. My trip, really, a spontaneous adventure, started harmlessly enough. An old friend and I decided to drive together to an out-of-town memorial for another longtime friend, Melissa. A fairly short jaunt, about four hours according to Google. A perfect, leisurely trip, packed with stops for useless calories. Visit some locales where my friend and I had once created memories with Melissa.  

Little did we know we’d have knock the rose-colored glasses knocked off our optimistic faces. Call it fate, call it bad luck, or that ever-present demon of aging individuals, weak memories.  

Both of us were well acquainted with Colorado’s twisting mountain roads. The cloudless summer day held not one threat of bad weather. No longer penniless students, we both had ample funds in pocket, the bank, and in credit. What could stop us?  

However, as a dedicated, determined worrywart, surely, I would find some threat to challenge me. I’ve never prided myself on being fearless. As a child, I was terrified of dogs, monster movies, kidnappers.  

When I was younger, a trip held ominous hints about getting lost, or breaking down on a mountain cliff, attacks by rabid bears or, my favorite, a sudden and unexpected stroke. But now I was an adult, infinitely more realistic about the slim chance of dangers and could tackle a short road trip with ease. Right? 

The only trait stronger than fear in my personality is my intense curiosity about how other people negotiate their passages through life. Maturity has affected this quality. As I gained experiences, I became less curious. By my current age, creature comforts weighed in more heavily than experiences, while the thrill of discovery subsided to a faint twinge of inquisitiveness.  

So the twin challenges of fear and vague curiosity motivated me. As my friend Cindi and I settled in our seats, a tremor of excitement filled the car. We both flicked out our phone maps and heard our disembodied hostesses greet us.  

We sailed along with no problems for about an hour and a half on a wide, clean, picturesque highway. Our goal was the small mountain community of Paonia. Evergreens and aspens undulated in a gentle breeze, while bright lemony and white wildflowers waved to us from benign meadows. The highway had no traffic jams; every driver was cordial. Yet somehow, we lagged behind our partner SUV, Melissa’s cousins. Finally, we noticed we’d lost sight of them. The other driver was more familiar with the route than we. We pulled into a wide, well-marked parking area near Copper Mountain resort, and called, agreeing to meet later at our destination. Then we set off down the road.  

What we didn’t realize is that I’d steered the car onto a completely different highway, the wrong one, a state highway that continued in the direction we’d been headed, south. But the interstate we needed swerved west at that point.  

Something about the road’s appearance made me uncertain. It was two-lane, the road bed was battered and worn. The farther we went, the more potholes we hit, and we spotted nary a gas station, café, or rest stop. Both our cellphone maps continued to show what we thought was the correct information. That’s because we could have circled the region and still reached our ultimate destination, Paonia. But we would totally miss our original guide in the other car and throw ourselves off-schedule by hours.  

Finally, I offered, “I think we went the wrong way.” We spotted a small town ahead that looked nothing like any of the towns I’d visited years gone by on my way to Paonia. An oncoming sign referred to a nearby town at a much higher elevation than was correct. The sign read “Leadville.” When I saw two girls walking down the street, I jumped out and asked, “Is this Leadville?” They confirmed my grievous error.  

Although I’d driven us off-track, off-schedule, and off-kilter, I masked my apprehensions. To make Cindi as nervous as I would do neither of us good. “Still early in the day,” I assured her. “No damage done.”  

That day, what was a four-hour drive became an eight-hour inconvenience. We missed the initial gathering of close friends and Melissa’s family for the memorial at the family ranch and winery, and almost lost our places at the burger cookout. Not all was lost. We swapped tales of our earlier visits to Melissa’s cousin and relatives over the years.  

Still ample time for our mini-vacation. The second day, in addition to the intimate, informal memorial, our trip was to include an outing in the town, a tour of wineries for which the area is noted. In fact, our host and hostess owned one of the wineries and graciously involved us in all the fun preparations for guests. However, our own personal Comedy of Errors continued as if Shakespeare himself were directing our holiday.  

I wanted to be dressed correctly for an exhilarating schedule while on the tour ourselves and becoming familiar with this beautiful, mountainous corner of Colorado. So I chose to dress in a favorite sweater, pulsing with good vibes.  

The day was sunny and clear. No guarantees about this continuing, for Colorado is notorious for its instantaneous, fickle weather, the very reason I carefully prepared for chills and winds by toting the gorgeous sweater. Heck, it even bore the word “Merci” in fancy lettering on the front. A perfect sentiment for my mood. Merci for friends, merci for excellent weather and wine, merci for simply being alive. Yes, I was missing my old friend, now gone, with whom I’d vacationed here several times years ago. But really, wasn’t that the whole reason for the trip? To recall good memories? 

Determined not to let one misalignment the prior day jinx our holiday, we participated enthusiastically in making refreshments, then trailed to local wineries to sample their wares. We learned about local specialties: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir. We heard of the challenges of too much and too little rainfall, listened to a folk duo of familiar tunes, tasted cheeses, nuts, and sausages.  

Weather continued balmy, even sweltering. I had long before peeled off the sweater in favor of the simple tee-shirt I’d worn underneath. 

For the evening, we were ready to feast on homemade pizza, baked in an outdoor oven. The temperature had dropped and my sweater would be perfect. 

If only I could find it. Yes, somewhere it had disappeared. I remembered toting it to the car, then nothing. After searching the car with no results, I considered had I dropped it out of the car? Left it at a winery? Draped it over lawn furniture outside? No answers. 

The evening began with an intimate memorial ceremony next to the roaring mountain stream. Melissa’s son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter spoke briefly about how much they missed her and her love for these mountains. One person recited a favorite poem and another recalled a failed attempt to fish in the rapids. Then we raised a glass of wine or beer or soft drink to Melissa. 

Hour after hour passed that evening with no results for the missing sweater. I got more frantic. My husband had given the sweater to me the previous Christmas and he’d selected it completely on his own. My pointed, rude inquiries to all the guests at the festivities yielded no information. I braced myself to admit my failure to my husband when I returned home. 

The next day, our final day, we said goodbye to our old friends. We checked our maps several times and were convinced we had the correct route for this venture. Adding to our general feeling of optimism, I vaguely recalled stuffing something into a deep glove compartment in the car. I opened it and there it was—the missing sweater! Surely nothing could go wrong now. 

We made good time on our way to the final destination—Denver. The highway, yes, the correct one, wound over and around, up and down, as we tore through yet another fine day, old rock ‘n’ roll booming on the radio. “Me and Bobbie McGee,” “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” and, of course, “If You’re Goin’ to San Francisco.” Yet another thing Cindi and I had in common with our departed friend Melissa. After graduation from college, we’d packed our bags and took off for San Francisco, just in time for the Summer of Love. It missed us; we had to earn livings. 

In the midst of these heartwarming reminiscences, Cindi and I took a break for coffee and pastries. Back on the road, we resumed burning rubber. About an hour later, we decided to fill up the tank. That was when Cindi discovered her purse was missing. Standing by the pump, she reached for a credit card, only to realize she had none. Nor any money, driver’s license, cosmetics, tissues, or comb. Certainly not a purse or bag. Cell phone she had, safely tucked into a pocket. 

We froze and stared at one another. “Look in the car again,” I gasped. “Between the seats, under the luggage, in the far back.” 

“No, no, no,” moaned Cindi. “I think I left it in the last restaurant.” 

“Do you mean back 60 miles behind us?” 

“Yes. I remember hanging it over the headrest of the chair.” 

“Call them. Call them.” 

Thankfully, she remembered the name of the restaurant and also the waitress, who had a distinctive accent. We’d both agreed she was most pleasant and helpful. She continued by quickly advising Cindi the purse had been found and rescued from oblivion. It would be waiting for Cindi when we drove back 60 miles to collect it. 

Despite the extra detour back, some 140 minutes passed before we circled and pulled into my Denver townhouse. We achieved a kind of fatalistic joy as we reviewed lessons learned. Among them, we were not too old to have an adventure.  

I envisioned Melissa peeping over our shoulders and having a great time. I like to think of her cracking up in giggles as we made error after error, the way good friends always do.  

Most important, old friends present or remembered gift you with amazingly tender, warm feelings. Our trip had been a worthwhile pause in our normal routine. 

Today, I add this adventure to the list of reminiscences I hold dear. I may not travel to foreign climes at my advancing age, but I still can challenge myself, build friendships, and treasure memories, including a final one in the collection that had begun in high school with Melissa, 63 years prior.  

Bonnie McCune is a freelance writer with numerous credits in local, regional, and specialty publications for news and features. She is co-author of Recruiting and Managing Volunteers in Libraries (Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1995). She has written for Denver Woman, Sasee, 303 Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, and Denver Magazine.   

My Third Act – A Wine Escape

What We Hold Dear

Travel Like an Alaskan

The post TWO AGING LADIES ON THE LAM  appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

When I told a friend that I was going to India and Nepal, she was both happy for me and freaked out, her reaction going something like, “How exciting. How terrifying.” It was, she explained, way out of her comfort zone. 

Mine as well, although I’ve done some challenging travel before. There was the time I rode a couple of days across Mexico by myself on a bus that had a pulsating bust of Jesus on the dashboard. But I was younger then. Now at 74, I’m heading off with my friend Sarashri Bicknell, 66, a member of the Triratna Buddhist community, on a tour that follows the path of the Enlightened One. I’ve always been drawn to Buddhism and here is a chance to do a deep dive. In more ways than one. 

Sarashri, Sara for short, has been to India twice, so I’m glad she’s no rookie. “It’s exciting,” she says. “There’s something different happening around every corner.” 

Steve Minor, 69, agrees. Also a member of the Triratna community, he took a similar tour last year and notes that it’s a near constant sensory experience. “India is a dynamic and roiling country and there will always be surprises,” he says. “Once I saw a monk walking down the road totally naked wearing flip flops and talking on a cell phone.” His tour guide explained that there’s a sect of Jainism where the holy men go about “sky clad,” that is, naked. 

As it is for Bicknell, Minor’s trip was a pilgrimage of a lifetime. “I wanted to see the places of Buddha’s origins, northern India, and Nepal where he was born. And being older, I knew there’s a limit on what I can do in the future, so this was the time to be in a really different environment. I also wanted to be protected so I took a tour.” 

Our tour guide is India-born and world traveler Akshaydeep, a 42-year-old living in Cambridge, England, where he runs his company, Joy Tours. A Triratna member, he revels in introducing visitors to the wonders of his country and religion. That’s reassuring, but we must also consider the little matter of physical needs. “There were squat toilets everywhere,” Minor tells me. “That was a first for me.” 

To that end, Bicknell and I embarked on a program of strength exercises and squat dips because, of course, the consequences of weakness are too terrible to contemplate. We also purchased excellent travel insurance, paying special attention to emergency medical care including evacuation. We spent fistfuls of cash at a travel clinic, getting vaccines and treatments for various illnesses including typhoid, malaria, and intestinal issues. After much handwringing, we opened a financial vein for the huge expense of rabies protection, a series of two shots.  

How, though, do I prepare for the realities that await? We’ll travel by train at times, which Minor says reveals the divisions of caste up close. “Trains can be cramped, and some have deluxe swivel chairs, but then there are the cattle cars full of people.” He also advises not giving money to outstretched hands. “It’s heartbreaking but if you give, there’s a price to pay.” Thankfully, there are visits to organizations dedicated to the poor where donations can be made. And finally, be vigilant with food and water. “The guide helps,” says Minor, “and listen for the snap when opening bottled water so you know the seal is intact.” 

Tour guide Akshaydeep offers his perspective: “India is diverse. It includes a growing middle class, an educated sector, and a significant number of wealthy individuals,” acknowledging that India can be a cultural shock for many Westerners. “It’s bustling and lively, streets are often noisy, and yes, you may encounter poverty and dusty streets. But India is also a beautiful country steeped in history, art, and vibrant spirituality. The warmth and hospitality of the people are remarkable, and they are welcoming to tourists.” He encourages an open mind. “Embrace the new culture, enjoy the delicious Indian cuisine, and connect with people. At the same time, it’s important to stay mindful. Safeguard your belongings, trust your instincts, listen to your tour manager and local friends, and you’ll likely have a fantastic experience.” 

Perhaps that will include something that cannot be planned, defined, or even imagined—an encounter with the ancient spirit of Buddhism. “Going to the places where he lived, taught, and died, there is always a possibility of connecting with that,” says Bicknell. “You see people from all over the world having the same experience and that creates an energy. There is no shared language but there is a shared humanity.” 

Bicknell and I are leaving comfortable routines for the unknown, not unlike the originator of Buddhism centuries ago. “This is where Prince Siddhartha, living in luxury, sought to understand suffering and ultimately discovered a path to happiness,” says Akshaydeep. “Through this pilgrimage, you’ll explore over 2,500 years of Buddhist history in India. You, too, can embark on your own transformative spiritual journey.” 

So, with lofty goals and thighs of steel, I think we’re ready.  

Connie McDougall is a former news reporter and current freelance writer of nonfiction and personal essays. A lifelong student and proud English major, she has pursued lessons in flying, scuba diving, tai chi, Spanish, meditation, hiking, and Zumba.  

 If You Go 

I’ve discovered, later in life, that travel has gone mostly paperless—online transactions, QR codes and apps are used for a variety of purposes. For instance, I reserved a ride from the Istanbul Airport to my hotel with an app called Welcome Pickups and communicate with the driver via WhatsApp. I’ve chatted with a fellow at an Indian hotel via app and email. It’s pretty much unavoidable so I had to bite the bullet and drag myself into the 21st Century.  

Another tip: Pepper your well-traveled friends with questions. I did and it helped relieve anxiety as well as allowed me to absorb their wise and experienced advice. Like these ideas: Don’t forget Vitamin I (Imodium) and always take a hotel business card when out and about in case you get lost. Then, just hand it to a taxi driver for a ride home. 

Group Trips—Travel Made Easy

Savvy Senior Travelers

Going Places Once Again

The post My Passage to India: Preparing to Find Buddha at Age 74 appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

Did your “someday” slip by you? Have you decided that it’s too late, you’re too old for adventure?   

Isn’t it time for some serious fun again?  

Author Herman Melville gave us perhaps the single best piece of advice for a soul encased in a daily rut:  

Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet … then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. —Ishmael, narrator, Moby Dick. 

Many of us share such wanderlust. For most, life inevitably extracts its pound of flesh. We go to school, work, raise kids, and often forget the call of the wild.   

But the call lives on, and beckons still to the end of our days.   

When is it time to give yourself an adventure? Now?  

On one hand, some adventures may no longer be wise for an aging body. It’s remarkable how many thrilling, gratifying excursions exist even for those with significant mobility issues.   

If you’re in the market for inspiration, read on.   

Some of the very best adventures in the wilderness are within a reasonable drive of cities where many of us live. River rafting is far more accessible to older folks than many may realize.   

There are few outdoor sports better suited to all levels of mobility and age, which still offer quite a thrill. While the ads typically show people running big rapids, the truth is that much of the trip is on gentle waters, especially later in the season.   

You can watch osprey, beaver, bear and deer, and enjoy custom-prepared foods along the river.   

Over-60 Portland pickleball players  

Laughing women gathered around the hatchback, selecting snacks and filling their champagne glasses. The group was made up of highly competitive, Portland-area pickleball players who had decided to celebrate a member’s 60th birthday on the river.   

They wanted a different kind of party to celebrate the milestone, one that they’d always remember.   

The summer day was crackling bright, the Clackamas River just off to our right, tumbling along energetically. In moments, Oregon River Experience would be ferrying us down to the “put-in,” where we’d gear up with helmets and personal flotation devices. A day of excitement lay ahead.  

The pickleball players ranged from 60 to nearly 80. Once we launched, the oldest, game for fun, sat shotgun on the front of the raft. She landed in the churning rapids and came up grinning and sputtering in the cool, clear Clackamas, ready for more.   

One woman was terrified. Yet, by the second set of rapids, she was paddling for all she was worth, shrieking with joy. By the end of the day, tired, wet, and happy, the women toasted each other with the rest of the champagne.   

A whole day of thrilling adventure, carefully guided, within an hour of the city.   

These women had no idea that such an adventure could be had so close to their Portland neighborhood. Some would be back for more.  

In fact, especially in the Pacific Northwest and the West, such river experiences abound. Outfitters like O.R.E. and Row Adventures, based in Idaho, run lots of Road Scholar trips that are designed for the older traveler.   

Many are specifically designed for grandchildren to join them on the journey.   

Guides are accustomed to the needs and concerns of older folks. As a result, the trips offer a broad range of adventures adapted to those needs.  

No limits  

In August 2024, I was on the Rogue River in Southern Oregon with people from pre-teen to 86. Row Adventures’ trip include comfortable lodge nights at each day’s end, which is much easier on aging bodies and adds a touch of wilderness luxury to the experience.   

One couple in their late 80s comfortably rode the rapids. Another woman had lost her left leg in a terrible accident, but was fully engaged in every part of the trip. An elderly woman with compromised eyesight hiked as well and rode the rapids like a cowgirl.    

People well past 60 chose to take small steps toward big fun. By the end of that five-day adventure, most of the participants had taken part in some activity that stretched and rejuvenated them.   

When you’re supported by well-trained guides focused on safety, you can put down the phone, make new friends, and be immersed in the best nature has to offer.   

Even better, you’ll come home transformed.  

You are never too old for another adventure.   

Let’s play.   

Julia Hubbel is a prize-winning journalist and author of two books. An adventure traveler, she thrives on exploring the boundaries of the heart, soul, spirit, and humor. Horizons beckon for Hubbel, who launched her passion to take on challenging sports in the world’s greatest places in earnest at age 60. 

 Sidebar: 

Where to Raft in the West  

If you’re in the market for a wilderness adventure, here are some suggestions to get you started: 

• First, ignore the epic photos meant to sell the Big Hairy Adventure. Prefer something that feels safer and more sedate? Plan accordingly.   

• Raft later in the year when the spring runoffs have calmed. The months of August and September are better for milder trips.  

• Start with a half-day or day trip to test the waters.  

• Book early. The best outfitters start booking the year before and their best trips fill fast.  

• Consider Road Scholar, ideal for the over-50 traveler.  

• Get excellent advice from one of the top outfitters around at https://www.oars.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-adventure-travel-company/.  

• Ask the outfitter how they accommodate older clients. Then ask for referrals. The best companies have people happy to brag about their adventures.   

• Stop putting it off. The wild in you is calling and you’ll be glad you answered.  

The post Scouting for an Outing? It Might Be Time for an Adventure … appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

Traveling is fun, but more than that, it is vital for our mental health, says Kathleen Cameron, Senior Director of the National Council on Aging. For many of us, however, that becomes more difficult as we age and, as a result, we may become more isolated and less inclined to do so, even though the urge may be present. Some 30 percent of older adults 65+ have mobility issues including arthritis or respiratory problems. Although physical limitations may limit travel to some degree, there are ways to make it more feasible, say travel experts. Whether traveling nationally or internationally, the key is to plan ahead and to have backup plan.  Do your research and look to the travel pros for advice.    

To consider:  

• Follow public health guidelines. 

• Travel expert Rick Steves suggests purchasing travel insurance even though expensive since older adults are more likely to need it.  

• Know where and if your medical insurance works if you are traveling overseas. According to Steves, since Medicare is not valid outside the U.S. except in very limited circumstances, check your supplemental insurance coverage. He also recommends considering evacuation insurance, which covers the substantial expense of transportation for medical care in case of an emergency, especially if it is not possible to fly commercially. 

• Pay attention to your medication needs and make certain that your vaccines are current. Carry medications with you in their original containers since filling a prescription can be time-consuming in another country and may not be available in the same form. Learn TSA rules about carrying on medications including anything liquid, pumps, or IV bags. Bring spare batteries if you wear hearing aids.  

• Whether traveling near or far, learn about the lodging where you are staying. Are bathrooms handicapped accessible? Are there steps or ramps? What kind of transit is available for sightseeing?  

• Look for tour groups that are designed to meet your needs. 

The list goes on. Although traveling is possible with sufficient planning, many of us are so sensitive to our limitations and the need for assistance that we may be reluctant to let family and friends know the extent of our actual and perceived constraints. Have you missed opportunities to be with family or friends because of such concerns only later to regret not looking for ways to make it possible?  

You may find it easier than you think to take the plunge back into the travel arena. Search for local groups that provide short travel excursions that can accommodate special needs. Look for a travel buddy who has special needs and travels.  

So, how strong is your gene and how badly do you want to travel? Yes, it takes courage to travel with limitations. But aren’t the rewards worth it?       

Linda Henry writes regularly on topics related to aging, health care, and communication and is the co-author of several books, including Transformational Eldercare from the Inside Out: Strengths-Based Strategies for Caring.  She conducts workshops nationally on aging and creating caring work environments. Her volunteer emphasis is age-friendly communities. 

America’s Best Idea – Our National Parks

The post Do you Have the Travel Gene? appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

The answer is 145. The United Nations officially recognizes 197 nations, Laureen explained to me, and a few of the countries on their personal list—Taiwan, for example—are not on the U.N.’s. Still, 145 is quite a number. But it’s not Arne and Laureen’s favorite number. That would be 22—the countries in which they’ve spent one month or more. 

Laureen, 65, and Arne, 66, are in their ninth year of serious, long-term travel. They both retired in their mid-50s. First Laureen, who was the marketing director for the city of Gig Harbor, Wash., and three years later, Arne, who was an engineer at Boeing. Their commitment to the Grand Adventure, as they call it, did not happen overnight—nor was it their lifelong dream. It started slowly, after they just happened to watch a program about walking the 500-mile ancient pilgrims’ path across Spain known as the Camino de Santiago.  

“I’d like to walk the Camino after I retire,” Arne said, surprising both of them. Laureen began to do the research. They thought maybe the trip could span a couple of months. But the more they talked about it, the more they realized there were so many other places they also wanted to go. And though they weren’t wealthy, they’d saved and invested all through their working lives. And they had a house that they’d lovingly transformed from a Gig Harbor beach shack to a welcoming waterfront home. They had thought they might live there for the rest of their lives.  

But if they sold the house, the rest of their lives could be dramatically different.  

And then a few friends, close to them in age, died suddenly. “It was eye opening,” Laureen said. “We realized that now is the time.” Not to sit still in their beautiful home, but to travel to all those places they’d never seen.  

A week before Arne retired, they sold their Gig Harbor house.  

The Lunds’ first trip, which began in 2016, stretched from six months to 18 months, and included time with their two adult sons: One was traveling on his own and the other had joined the Peace Corps and was living in Burkina Faso. Laureen began blogging about their adventures (myfabfiftieslife.com) and Arne—“the king of spreadsheets”—began keeping meticulous records of logistics and spending. Over the years, their budget has evolved and changed, but it is currently about $280 a day, including air travel (they fly coach, but sometimes pay for extra leg room), ground travel, accommodations, meals, and everything else.   

The Lunds are not full-time nomads. They spend summers in the Pacific Northwest, where their families and friends are. Six years ago, they bought a cozy, cheerful duplex in Port Orchard, so they’d have their own place to stay when they’re here. COVID, which grounded them for a year, gave them a chance to renovate their new home, where I visited them one rainy winter morning. In their shared office, there’s a huge world map and a whiteboard on the wall. Planning for their 2025 trip—three weeks in Maui (their traditional rest-and-recharge haven), a trip to the Cook Islands, a month in Melbourne, a stopover in Singapore, nine days in Bhutan, and a month in Bordeaux, capped by stops in Lyon, Dijon, Luxembourg, and Paris—was well underway.  

I’ve been following Laureen’s travel blog for years—and its offshoot, a book review blog on which she posts every Wednesday. (Last year, she introduced me to one of my favorite books of 2024, Geraldine Brooks’ March, a riveting fictional companion to Little Women.) In her writing, and in conversation, Laureen is upbeat, funny, frank—and firm about what she and Arne are doing. They are not vacationing, they are traveling. They’re not looking for high thread-count sheets and swim-up bars and daily massages. They are visitors, not tourists. They’re not trying to cram as many sights as possible into a single day. They want to feel like they’re living in the country they’re visiting. They do sometimes worry about contributing to over-tourism in locations where that’s a concern. They like Airbnb rentals, because they love to shop for food where the locals shop and cook more often than they eat out. They make room in their suitcases for a collapsible kettle, a French press, a yoga mat that folds flat, and trekking poles. They like cooking classes and the occasional personalized tour, but mostly they prefer to be on their own and walk, walk, walk.  

“I am long past being impressed by tourism kitsch, fancy restaurants or hotels, and shopping deals,” Laureen wrote in a 2022 post. “Travel is now about the senses and mine are more alive than at any time before in my life. The questions I like the best are when someone asks me to describe the way a place smells. Or what are the sounds I hear when I’m alone sipping coffee in the morning?”  

In the fall of 2024, Laureen and Arne stepped outside their usual freewheeling lane and signed up with Intrepid Travel for a tour of the Central Asian “Stans”—Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazahstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It was an intense month. Rather than posting along the way, Laureen waited until she was back in Port Orchard, so that she could be more reflective and comprehensive. She and Arne also visited Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. In all of these eight countries, so seldom visited by Americans, they felt more than ever the importance of being courteous, respectful, and non-judgmental. But at the end of their eighth year of travel, they were well prepared to be, as Laureen put it, “self-appointed ambassadors for our home country.”  

I hesitated to ask them to name a few favorite places. How can you do that, after 145+ countries in nine years? But they were game. I’m not the only one who’s asked this question. “New Zealand, for its spectacular beauty,” Laureen said, without hesitating. “Guatemala. The Camino de Santiago. And Bulgaria, because it’s cheap and beautiful and the people are so grateful to have you visit.”  

  “It’s like Italy but half the price,” Arne added. “Roman ruins, beautiful scenery, great food.” 

Other questions I couldn’t resist asking: What’s still on your list? Answer: Mongolia, Cuba, Greenland, and Svalbard (a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean). And what is the advice you most like to give? Two answers: 1) Even if you don’t have endless amounts of time, try staying in one place for a month instead of stuffing your itinerary with one stop after another; and 2) Embrace uncertainty. Be open to surprises. But those are my words. What Laureen really said was, “We travel with low expectations, so we are always happy.” 

That night, my husband and I got busy looking up Bulgaria. Which happens to be right next door to Greece, Turkey, Albania, Romania… “Now is the time,” I kept thinking. “Why wait?”  

As for Laureen and Arne’s travel future? “We are always going to travel,” Laureen said firmly. “As long as we can stand up.”  

Ann Hedreen is an author (Her Beautiful Brain), teacher of memoir writing, and filmmaker. Hedreen` and her husband, Rustin Thompson, own White Noise Productions and have made more than 150 short films and several feature documentaries together, including Quick Brown Fox: An Alzheimer’s Story. She is currently at work on a book of essays and is a regular contributor to 3rd Act Magazine, writing about topics including conscious aging, retirement, mindfulness, and health. 

Travel During Turbulent Times

Seek New Vistas Abroad

The post Laureen and Arne Lund’s Great Adventure appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

“When I was in college, I tried to see if I could live on three hours of sleep a night because I felt like sleep was a waste of my time,” Feniger explains. “Honestly, [now]there are many times where I feel like I’d rather stay up really late and get up really early. … I’d rather go, go, go, go, go most of the time.”   

And go she does.  

These days, Feniger is busier than ever. When wildfires ravaged parts of Los Angeles in January, she sprang into action.  

Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, her longtime business partner and co-host of the cooking show “Too Hot Tamales,” among other endeavors, teamed up with other Los Angeles chefs and Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen (WCK) to provide meals to those impacted by the LA wildfires.   

Working under the guidance and expertise of the amazing nonprofit WCK, the duo’s Border Grill SOCALO Truck was placed at the Pasadena Convention Center for the first five days with WCK. They then got moved to Pacific Coast Highway to feed firefighters, first responders, and the Santa Monica Police Department before heading to the Santa Anita Racetracks. 

In the first five days after the fires broke out on January 7, Feniger, Milliken, and their team served approximately 16,000 meals, not including what the other WCK Chef Corps partners provided. This was in addition to the around 3,000 meals a day their team prepares for food insecure people in Los Angeles at 10 different locations. 

Plus, Feniger and Milliken appeared on a variety of shows—from morning news to late-night TV—talking about the work they were doing. (Learn more at WorldCentralKitchen.com and RegardingHerFood.org.) 

“When you have restaurants, it gives you a bigger opportunity to [give back],” Feniger explains. “The kids who work for us see how they can give back as they grow older and as they get more opportunities, whether it’s financially or just getting involved, so I like passing that on.”  

She adds, “It’s always been a very rewarding part of my career, so I don’t have a desire to not be working.” 

Fires notwithstanding, Feniger’s downtime has increased over the years. This was thanks in part to how the restaurant business changed during COVID. Plus, she and her partner, filmmaker Liz Lachman are constantly working on projects together. Lachman captured the journey of Feniger’s first solo restaurant, STREET, in the award-winning Susan Feniger’s FORKED,  

“I work more from home than I have in the past, but it still feels like I’m quite busy,” she says.  

Something Feniger has tried to do is find more balance, more time for hanging out with Lachman and their friends, golfing, reading, and going to the movies.  

This is a challenge since she loves downtime as much as work time and her natural tendency is to go to her restaurant.  

 Philanthropy is another one of Feniger’s passions. She is a founding board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation and has been on the board since 1988. She is also on the board of the Los Angeles LGBT Center and has been co-chair for the last five years. 

“We started a culinary program at the (center’s) Anita May Rosenstein campus in Hollywood,” she explains. “It’s part of my passion to be able to give back to the community; it also takes time commitment and work, but it’s also very rewarding.” 

Feniger is also working with the West LA Veterans Medical Center to get a 15-acre garden replanted to provide food for the veterans.  

As much as she loves to guide others, Feniger enjoys her own culinary adventures, whether it’s picking up techniques and tricks—since there are always new things happening in the world of cooking—or discovering new flavors or dishes, at home or around the world.  

Feniger got her love of cooking from her mom. The travel bug bit her at a young age, too. 

“When I was a junior in high school I spent time at a farm in Holland,” she recalls. “I remember that’s where I first started eating [and loving]mayonnaise with French fries.”  

When she lived on a kibbutz in Israel for a few months, it opened her eyes to that food and culture since it was a cuisine she didn’t grow up with in Toledo, Ohio.  

“I guess that sparked my interest,” she says. Once Feniger started working in kitchens to make money while attending Pitzer College, that was it. She found her passion. 

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Feniger joined the nearly all-male kitchen at Chicago’s Le Perroquet—the only other woman in the kitchen was Milliken. After working for Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison in Los Angeles, she had the opportunity to work in the south of France.  

“That took me to another level of food inspiration,” she says. 

From there Feniger took her first trip to India, where she spent three weeks in the kitchen of an ashram, which kicked off a love for Indian food and exploring other cuisines. Working with Hispanic men and women in a Mexican kitchen piqued her interest in that cuisine, so Feniger traveled to Mexico.  

“Having the ability to go to another country made me realize how expansive food could be,” she says. “And how different [it was from]the strict French training I had, but how [it was]equally as interesting and important as my time in the ashram kitchen.” 

Feniger and Milliken teamed up in 1981 to open City Café, which became CITY Restaurant in Los Angeles. They have since opened multiple Border Grill locations, food trucks, full-service events  and a catering business. With locations in Los Angeles and Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Border Grill serves street food-inspired regional Mexican cuisine with a commitment to conscientiously sourced ingredients. Other restaurants include BBQ Mexicana, Pacha Mamas, SOCALO, and most recently, Alice B., a California twist on Mediterranean food in Palm Springs. 

Feniger finds the most rewarding part of travel is learning about a culture through its food—something you can do without getting on an airplane.  

“If you’re willing to go into different parts of your city or area, and experiment with street food, like I do when I’m traveling around the world, that gives you a glimpse into another culture,” she says. “Cooking food from different cultures is also an interesting way to understand [them].”  

For instance, you could eat noodles in a Thai restaurant and then come home, look up Pad Thai and try to make it. Once you have tasted an authentic version, you have something to go by.  

“During COVID, I taught many of my relatives how to make tortillas at home,” she says. “I think my niece was blown away that she could make homemade tortillas in Toledo.”  

Another option is to get a cookbook from any country, go into one of those specialty markets and buy ingredients you’ve never seen before. Learn about them and then cook with them. 

“Food is an equalizer in many ways and that’s why food trucks are always interesting to me,” Feniger says. “Street food is interesting, particularly in different cultures in the United States.”  

No matter how much money you have you can always get great street food. 

“You get to experience something that someone probably made in their home over and over and over again,” she says. “People get excited when someone from another culture is willing to branch out of their comfort zone [and try their food].”  

When traveling, go a little off the main area and find those tiny hole-in-the-wall places. It puts you more into someone’s life when you’re in a neighborhood spot versus a fancy restaurant. They are glad you are there and so are you.  

“So much of travel is the interaction with different people,” she says. “Restaurant people, most of the time, want to talk and share stories because they’re in the hospitality business.” 

Feniger’s zest for learning and travel is never going away. And that’s a good thing. 

“I feel like I just want to jam as much into my life as I can and it doesn’t always have to be [just]exploring new things,” she says. “It could be simple things, like maybe I want to take piano lessons or I want to learn more Spanish so I can speak it more fluently.” 

Feniger wants her world to continue to get bigger—not smaller—as she continues her third act. 

Debra Eckerling is a freelance writer, goal-strategist, workshop leader, and award-winning author and podcaster. The creator of The DEB Method for Goal-Setting Simplified, Eckerling hosts the GoalChat and Taste Buds with Deb podcasts and is the author of Your Goal Guide and 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting. 

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The post Susan Feniger’s Keeps Cooking in Her 3rd Act appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

Four years after the death of my husband and travel partner, I’ve embraced traveling on my own. 

By next summer I will have traveled to more than 100 countries. Many of these trips were with my late husband, but for the last four years I have traveled solo and learned many lessons along the way. He and I saw travel as much more than ticking off boxes on a bucket list and more about developing a world perspective. We can learn so much from other countries and the world is often smaller than it seems. 

My husband used to devour historical fiction books about the destination to which we were headed. I, on the other hand, have found I enjoy reading similar works once I have returned home and can mentally see the places I’ve been. After a recent trip to South Africa, James Michener’s saga The Covenant was a wonderful read, albeit incredibly long! 

I like to get off the beaten track and enjoy wandering through a new city stopping at a local cafe (preferably sitting outside) to watch that particular world go by. This allows me an opportunity to engage with the locals, which can be far more enlightening than a headphone bus tour. If you prefer group tours, ask lots of questions of the guide. It is amazing how much you can learn about local customs and mores. On a recent trip to Oman, our guide gave us an in-depth look at the wedding engagement process in his country. This included a tutorial on the dowry process, which sadly meant he had to wait several years before he had enough money to propose marriage. 

I have learned the importance of respecting the religious and cultural traditions of the country you are visiting, especially in places of worship. Once home, I take some time to write down all I have gleaned from my trip—focusing on things that were different, things that were the same, and what made the greatest impression on me. 

It’s taken time, but I have learned to enjoy traveling alone. I often join tour groups and am always pleasantly surprised at how many other single travelers there are. I have met some wonderful new travel companions and now am coordinating future adventures with several of them.  

Taking solitary weekend road trips to beautiful historic inns or weeklong art workshops in the U.S. and abroad is one of my favorite pastimes. I have come to appreciate how freeing and empowering this can be. As much as I miss my favorite travel companion, sometimes it is nice to go wherever I want, whenever I want. Even eating alone—the biggest solo traveler hurdle—can become a pleasure. My trick, when possible, is to choose a seat that looks out on something.  Just try it once and it won’t ever seem as daunting. 

There is life after the death of a loved one. It takes time, but when you are ready the key is to activate your curiosity, embrace new things, and open your mind! 

After losing her husband in 2021, Marilee Clarke began writing her book on navigating grief. Excerpts from the book (still in progress) often appear in this magazine. Her passions include mixed media creations and traveling the world every chance she gets. She currently splits her time between Issaquah and the California desert enjoying the best of two very different and beautiful locales.

Rolling with the Changes

Travel Solo? Why Not?

Five Ways to Enjoy Eating Solo at Home

The post Navigating Grief – Traveling Solo appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.