Anyone hoping to trek the Inca Trail in 2018 better start planning, as permits are about to be released – four months earlier than usual.

Until this year, the initial tranche of permits for travel were released in January of the same year and the rest in February, but for the first time the Ministry of Culture is releasing all permits for 2018 on 1 October 2017.

With only 500 permits available per day, tour operators are urging travellers to book the trek, which ends at the 550-year old Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, as soon as they can. “Tickets usually sell out almost immediately for the peak trekking months of April, May and August,” said Dan Clarke of RealWorld Holidays. “Five-hundred a day may sound like a lot but when take into account the permits required for the guides, cooks and any other members of the trek team, you can see how they can disappear very quickly indeed.”

Permits can only be obtained through an officially licensed company that operates the four-day trek; they can not be bought separately. The Classic Inca Trail is the most popular of all of specialist South American operator RealWorld’s trips.

Travellers who miss out on Inca Trail permits can still trek to Machu Picchu on an alternative route – the Salkantay trek for which no permit is needed. “On the Salkantay trek, you pass through small communities and farmsteads, and approach Machu Picchu from the other side. Instead of arriving at Inti Punku (the sun gate), you get a stunning panorama, free of human interference – no transport, no farms, no tourists,” said Laura Rendull-Dunn of tour operator Journey Latin America.

Machu Picchu is among the most iconic ancient sites in the world but has become a victim of its own popularity in recent years, with Unesco threatening to place it on its endangered list. Pressure to do something about overcrowding prompted the Peruvian government to introduce a new timed entry system earlier this year, with the aim of creating a more even distribution of visitors throughout the day and reducing queue times. However, the new system controversially allowed for an increase in the total number of visitors from 5,000 a day to nearly 6,000 – more than double the Unesco recommendation of 2,500.

Solo Travel: Tips For Travelling Alone

TRAVELLING by yourself can be liberating and self-indulgent in the best possible ways.

Some of my most treasured memories are from the times I set out on my own. It’s not just the fact that I could do whatever I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it, it’s the way I got to know more about myself as I discovered new places.

That said going it alone does have its challenges, from not having anyone to wait in line or watch your bags while you pop to the bathroom, to no second opinions on the best way to tackle a public transport system. There are also times when you miss not being able to share some of the highs and lows of travel with a friendly face.

But for me the solo travel pros greatly outweigh the cons, and there are ways to make the experience easier and safer.

SLEEPING ALONE

I talk to empty hotel rooms a lot when I travel solo. Don’t worry it’s not behind closed doors, but I like to create the illusion that someone else is there with a casual ‘I’m back’ and ‘see you soon’ as I enter and leave. I also ask for two keys at check in for my imaginary friend and I.

The Australian Government’s Smartraveller website suggests female solo travellers should book and check in using a first initial and surname only with no Miss, Ms or Mrs, and it’s a good idea not to tell anyone where you’re staying if they know you’re by yourself.

If anyone else is within earshot when you are asked your room number at breakfast give your name instead, and always listen to your intuition.

If your room doesn’t feel safe when you check in, ask to change rooms or move to another hotel. If someone waiting for the same lift makes you feel uneasy, say you’re waiting for a friend and will get the next one.
Avoid a ground floor room if you can as they are the easiest to break into, and as so many hotel doors don’t have chains on them a simple rubber door wedge can help you sleep better at night.

GETTING AROUND

If you’re planning on getting a taxi from the airport ask the hotel how much it should be and then ask the taxi driver the same question before you get in so you’re not taken for the wrong sort of ride.

Sit in the back seat behind the driver and either make a call to someone to say you’re on your way or mention to the driver that your partner is waiting for you. If you opt for the train instead, avoid sitting in an empty carriage.

Jenny Gray, Product Manager Intrepid Travel says petty theft can happen regardless of where you travel so it’s best not to carry all of your cash and cards on you when you’re out and about.

“Keeping a reserve locked away in the hotel means you have a back-up plan should the worst happen. Make scans of important travel documents and email them to yourself, this will save hours of time in paperwork if anything does happen.”

Ask your hotel if there are any areas you should avoid before you go exploring, and if you ever do feel a little lost or uncertain, don’t show it. Walk with calm confidence and retrace your steps until you’re back in your comfort zone.

If you start to crave human interaction join a walking tour, shoot the breeze with a friendly barman, or Skype with someone you love back home.

And don’t be put off if you see a Sold Out sign on a show you want to see. Single seats can appear so ask and you may be happily surprised.

TABLE FOR ONE

Solomangarephobia is a fear of eating alone in public. Personally I’m quite happy taking myself out to dinner but if it makes you nervous there are some things you can do.

Bring along a book or magazine, take the time to write postcards or capture your travels in your journal, edit the photos in your phone or do a little social media update.

But don’t spend the whole time with your face in your phone or book. Really taste the food and take in the scene around you.

A counter seat or a seat at the bar can be a good option, but if you prefer a table don’t let the waiter stick you on the worst one in the corner just because you’re alone. Ask if you can sit at a table you like and if they refuse you can always move onto somewhere you’ll feel more welcome.

While bathroom breaks are easy if you’re in a nice restaurant and won’t lose your seat, if you’re in a café leave something like a book or scarf to show your seat is taken and tell a waiter or another customer you’ll be right back while always taking your valuables to the rest room with you.

CONSIDER A GROUP HOLIDAY

If your friends or family don’t want to travel to the same places you do but you’re not keen on going it alone then a group tour could be for you.

Greg Carter, co-founder of Latin America and Polar Specialist Chimu Adventures says apart from the social aspect of travelling with like-minded people, they give inexperienced solo travellers a sense of security and confidence.

“But even for the veteran traveller a group tour can be a great idea as it can give you access to regions that may be hard to visit independently.”

The Managing Director of Insight Vacations, Alexandra O’Connor says different tours are tailored for different travelling styles and so you should check what best suits your interests from city highlights to off the beaten track.

O’Connor says your Travel Director is like a 24 hour concierge and can give you all the tips you need before you do some exploring on your own.

“Listen to your Travel Director when they offer safety tips and areas to be mindful of (and) ensure you have their mobile number in case you’re running late or lost. But overall enjoy and take in all of your surroundings from the sounds to the scents and everything in between, some of the best experiences and memories are captured when you’re solo and can fully immerse yourself in your surroundings.”

While some group tours pair you up with someone of the same sex so you can save money on a single room, others waive single supplements altogether.

There are also companies like Monograms that mix the flexibility of travelling by yourself with the support found on a guided holiday.

Monograms’ Chris Fundell says their holidays include a choice of hotels, transportation and transfers, but guests are free to explore at their own pace.

“They include a selection of special activities and guided sightseeing as well as the services of a Monograms Local Host to offer advice and assist with planning additional excursions. The packages also give travellers the option of VIP access to popular tourist attractions, a perk that is usually only available to larger groups.”

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

When it comes to deciding on a destination there are some countries that are easier for solo travellers than others.

Places like the UK, USA and Canada offer a mix of the new and exciting with the familiar and comforting as you speak the same language and are familiar with most of the customs, and you can easily meet fellow solo travellers in popular tourist spots throughout Europe and Asia.

On The Go Tours’ Carl Cross says solo travel can be daunting in places like Russia and in parts of Africa where overland travel is next to impossible without a local guide.

“Also, when touring overland across several borders, it can be much safer and more efficient to travel with a tour company in certain parts of the world. In some countries, solo female travel is not advised, often due to cultural considerations, so a tour group in these places is an ideal solution.”

No matter where you decide to go, make sure you do your research beforehand.

“Read and subscribe to the travel advice for the countries you plan to visit (and) talk to friends, relatives and colleagues who have travelled to the places you plan to visit.” A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says. “Remember that careful planning before you leave is essential to help you choose a destination where you’ll feel safe and comfortable, and be prepared for any issues you might face.”

Five Tips To Reduce Food Wastage

South Africa's first Michelin Star chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen says fruit and vegetables are the most common foods people waste because they perish so easily.
He says: "With expensive products like meat or fish, before they have a chance to expire, the average consumer sees its value and knows to freeze it and hopefully use it at a later stage. The first line of defence against fresh produce wastage is not to overbuy. What often happens is that we buy far more fresh produce than we can realistically consume before it perishes, and half of it ends up in the bin or forgotten about in the bottom of the fridge."

Plan ahead

Find fifteen minutes at the weekend to work out a weekday menu for the upcoming week, considering which ingredients you can use for multiple dishes. For instance, the tomatoes you didn’t use in your salad today can make a delicious relish tomorrow.

Adopt a shop-smart mindset. Make a shopping list and be realistic about what you need – checking, of course, what you already have in your fridge before popping down to the shops.

Use everything

Get a bit creative. Embrace #LeftoverMondays. Instead of throwing the last three bananas out, make banana bread. And if you’re watching your waistline, give it to someone who needs it.

Another culprit in the food waste quagmire is the best before date. Treat it like a guideline, not a matter of fact. Use-by dates refer only to the quality of food – not its safety. Trust your senses – they are there for a reason. In other words, taste before you waste.

Take stock of the food you have in your home and adopt a new rule of thumb: use what spoils first.

Check your portions

Over preparing is a common issue throughout the industrialised world, but as South Africans, the notion of Die tafels moet kreun (an old Afrikaans adage referring to festive tables set with an abundance of food) is better reserved for special occasions than for the norm.

It is speculated that mainstream restaurant culture is largely to blame here and it has affected our sense of value. The larger the portion, the better the value for money. But in the process, we’ve lost the ability to gauge how much we actually need. Remember, your stomach is only about the size of your fist.

Make a mind switch – let value centre on the quality of the ingredients. Focus more on the smell, the taste and the joyful experience of eating the food you make and less on the amount you ingest.

Store it well

You’ll be surprised to learn what fruits and vegetables prefer to be stored at room temperature and not in the fridge. And if you can clear some fridge space, storing your leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch will become less of a problem.

Fridge clutter feeds a dangerous tendency of out of sight, out of mind. And it makes it difficult to know what you have to work with.

Donate what you don’t use

Studies show that when people give to charities, it activates pleasure centres in the brain connected to trust and a sense of belonging, which are responsible for that “warm glow” feeling.

Inevitably, we don’t always use all the food we buy. In a country with such a big divide between the haves and the have nots, why not find out where your local food banks are and donate what you don’t consume? Or start a local community dedicated to feeding the less privileged on a Saturday morning.

A Trip To King’s Landing, Minus The Dragons And The Lannisters

Croatia’s coastal city, Dubrovnik, therefore, became a natural destination in my travel wish list which is doubled as King’s Landing in GoT. Many scenes of the show have been filmed in this picturesque city.

I landed in Dubrovnik on an extremely rainy morning and checked into an all-girls hostel. Since the larger part of my stay was in the neighbouring budget friendly Bosnia, I had expected Croatia to be a money-friendly place as well. However, I was proven wrong. Croatia is relatively more expensive than other parts of Europe as a decent dorm at a hostel costs up to €20-25 per night, which is extremely high compared to other tourist destinations such as Rome and Barcelona. ‘Tourist staple food’ pizzas are about €6 and the superstores are dearer than in the United Kingdom.

Croatian people, however, are quite friendly and helpful, especially if you try to communicate with them in Croatian. They are extremely generous and it almost appears that the less people have, the more they tend to give. I think that they complement their country’s stunning scenery in the truest sense.

Croatian food can be distinguished on the basis of its regions, that is, Dalmatian food and Zagreb food. My favourites included strukli, a delicious pastry filled with cottage cheese and sour cream boiled or baked in the oven, and brudet (brujet, brodet) which is a fish stew flavoured with chilli pepper. Another dish worth trying is the oily fish that represents an essence of the Dalmatian diet. Sardines, mackerels, anchovies, Mediterranean sand smelt, tuna and bonito are also delicious and a common staple around Croatian homes.

Since Croatian islands and GoT-famed Dubrovnik attract a large number of wealthy European tourists all year round, it has niched itself as an exotic holiday destination.

GoT’s King’s Landing, Dubrovnik, was once a trade capital of the Balkans. During the 16th century, it boasted the largest merchant naval fleet in the world with more than 50 consulates in the world. Dubrovnik was a city of rich merchant villas and wealthy sailor fleets but it has lost its formal glory ever since.

Today, most of the places worth seeing in Dubrovnik are within its ‘pedestrian only’ walled town. This town was declared as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) heritage site in 1979 and is dotted with beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

I braced the rain with an umbrella and ventured into the old town, and to be honest, it looked like the mall road of Murree at first glance. It is crammed with souvenir shops, museums, empty villa-museums, eateries, tour operators, musicians and dancers. It really pours ice cold water over one’s fantasy of a breath-taking perception of Dubrovnik, until one climbs the town walls and takes a detour around the town.

The walk on the Dubrovnik Wall is one of the most beautiful experiences in Croatia. It’s a beautiful longish walk over the azure waters of the Adriatic Sea, where the city and sea below actually looks like a vision of King’s Landing, right out of GoT.

During the walk, one passes through the east entrance to the old town Dubrovnik, namely the 14th century ‘Ploče Gate’, which was the Red Keep gate in GoT. Cersei Lannister passed over this same bridge and entered the Red Keep during her walk of shame.

Just across Dubrovik’s old town square is the 16th century ‘Sponza Palace’, where wonderful arrays of painting exhibitions take place regularly. During my visit, I came across a painting exhibition about atrocities of the Bosnian war. Though Croatia has fared economically better than its Balkan neighbours after the Bosnian war, emotional battle scars are still visible through war monuments all around Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik has a few beaches just outside its city limits that are more laid back and quieter, with Lapad beach being one of them. Here I was able to relax and sip tea while gazing into the sea while snorkelers dive into the water every now and then.

My next stop was the coastal city of Split for a further detour to the island of Brac, which is famous for its olive oil. This oil is a must try for any visitor who plans to visit the island. Being one of the biggest islands in Croatia, it is a little inconvenient to get around the island considering the lack of conveyance. Even though buses move around regularly, I was about to miss the bus to the docks and my subsequent flight out of Split the next day. Luckily enough, my constant waving caught the eye of the driver of the last outgoing bus, who in a show of humanity for a solo traveller, stopped outside his bus route and took me to the dock. Brac, however, did not leave much of an impression on me and I could easily skip it the next time I visit Croatia.

Split was an impressive city with a gorgeous seafood market just near its harbour. Split is a heaven for any seafood lover and since I am one, I devoured a sumptuous breakfast of sardines and other small fish at one of the small local inns.

Roman ruins of the Diocletian Palace remains one of the most interesting features of Split, with its snake-like labyrinth of streets, packed with shops, people and Roman warriors. You find Roman warrior actors around the palace who at a nominal fee will pose with you or even let you pretend to be one.

The visit to Split marked the end of my Croatian tour and so I bid my farewell to King’s Landing and headed towards other destinations.

For anyone who is a GoT fan, I highly recommend visiting Dubrovnik. It is time and money well-spent.

Rashida Jones Shares Her Tips for Making the Most of Every Journey

Most seasoned travelers are a wealth of hard-earned travel tips, and Rashida Jones is no exception. The actress, who is as beloved for her down-to-earth persona as she is for her on-screen roles, can rattle off a slew of logical advice with the best of them. “Somebody once told me that when you get to the place you’re going, either take a bath or try to find an ocean and jump in,” she says when explaining her jet lag cure. Or, when pondering the age-old quandary of whether to check a bag: “Try not to check luggage if you’re on a short enough trip. You’re always better off just having your things with you.”

But like every seasoned traveler, Jones also has her share of travel horror stories. “I was traveling for work with my writing partner, on a trip through Italy—nine cities in eight days—ending in London,” she recounts. “That crazy Icelandic volcano hit and grounded most of the flights in Europe. So we took the last train out of London on a Sunday night, headed to Paris. It took us seven hours to find a rental car in Paris. We then drove through the night to Madrid, where we got lost, and ended up running through the airport to catch our flight to Dallas—and landed just in time to catch our connection to L.A. Forty hours door to door.”

With all that experience under her belt, it’s no surprise that cult-favorite luggage brand Away would tap Jones to partner on a collection of totes, packing cubes, and suitcases in a trio of pretty pastel shades. “We’ve always been huge fans of Rashida’s,” says Away’s Jen Rubio. “Aside from being funny, smart, and warm, she’s an expert traveler with an incredible eye for design.” For her part, Jones agrees that the collab was a no-brainer: “I love the idea of being able to bring some magic into something banal. Anybody that’s been to a major international airport in the last five years can attest to the fact that it can be really grueling to travel. I look for places to find whimsy so that I don’t crumble under the pressure of traveling.”

Below, Jones shares some more of her best travel secrets exclusively with Vogue.

Favorite travel destination:

I adore Tokyo. It is so dense and complex and whimsical. My travel tip in Tokyo is just pick a few areas…Aoyama, Shibuya, Shinjuku Park . . . and just get lost. Try to go during cherry blossom season, it is magic.

The key to making the most of any trip:

Try your best to meet a local . . . either a friend of a friend or even a fellow travel guide, someone nice and safe. I love to see a city for what it really is, not for how tourists see it. You can only do that if you’re with someone who lives there. I also love to take a run in a new city. It’s a great way to wander and cover a lot of ground without looking like a lost tourist!

Packing style:

I have become an underpacker as I’ve gotten older. I like to make the most of my trip, and lugging stuff around and stressing over what to wear takes away from that.

Best packing tip:

I do a combo of rolling and flat. I used to think rolling was the best, but I only do it for durable, less wrinkly fabrics like thick cottons and cashmere. I lay jackets flat on top.

Never-forgets:

A pair of sneakers and a mini travel candle.

Dream destination:

I would love to go to New Zealand next. I’m increasingly attracted to being in expansive, vast, untouched nature. It’s humbling and clarifying.

Solo travel secret:

I used to love traveling alone. It felt so romantic and sometimes melancholy, which is great for writing. It was a perfect time for me to be introspective. But now because I’ve traveled so much, I get a bit sick of it. I usually create some itinerary of shows and movies to watch, books and magazines to read, and work to finish so that I know I’ll feel some combination of fulfilled and still curious by the end of the journey.

Why You Should Travel to Santa Fe Now

Along with the draw of a major Native American art events, a slew of new restaurant and store openings make Santa Fe a top contender for that last-minute escape.

Every August, international aesthetes descend upon Santa Fe, New Mexico for the famed SWAIA Indian Market. This weekend, spread out around a central leafy plaza, the market plays host to a world-class roster of Native American artists: Aric Chopito's traditional Zuni Pueblo textiles, including a fringed rain sash; Russell Sanchez’s earthy San Ildefonso pottery; Shan Gorshan’s double-woven Cherokee baskets; and Sonwai's chunky 18-karat gold and silver jewelry pieces, which are also on display at the oh-so-perfectly curated Shiprock Gallery, to name a few. While the seasonal market will draw huge crowds, the city is worth exploring beyond the main plaza, offering a slew of new openings to keep you inspired, well-fed, and well-rested.

Fittingly, this weekend, ZOHI, a new contemporary Native-American-owned space is opening as well. “We wanted to bring a resurgence of Natives selling their own art,” says its founder, Zoe Urness, an Alaskan Tlilngit and Cherokee photographer perhaps best known for her image of a U.S. military veteran at Standing Rock, wearing a gas mask and clutching an American flag. Along with her Navajo partner, Lehi Thunder Voice Eagle, her space will be showcasing work by the filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, who has created a virtual reality piece based on the Standing Rock experience; works by Steven Paul Judd, Santiago X, and Gregg Deal; and Jacque Fragua’s politically charged street art.

And then there’s the fashion. Last month, cult Japanese label Visvim moved into a light-flooded Victorian house, where it combines a Zen aesthetic with a deep homage to Native cultures. From designer Hiroki Nakamura, the brand’s first womenswear outpost features high-rise leather moccasins alongside Japanese furniture and antique pottery. For Western ware, the beloved Santa Fe Vintage has an adobe home on East Palace Avenue with reworked indigo Mali cloth, cowboy boots, vintage denim, and turquoise jewelry.

Collecting all those beautiful crafts and fashion can work up an appetite—luckily, new bars and restaurants have you covered. The unfussy Mexican spot Paloma offers bone marrow tacos, grilled whole sea bass and mezcal-based cocktails, while the locally loved French café Clafoutis’s new storefront features airy croissant sandwiches and niçoise salads with white anchovies. For something sweet, drop by Dolina for dreamy slices of banana cream pie, Eastern European baked goods, and a fortifying espresso. Healthy açaí bowls, turmeric juice shots, and biodynamic seeds are on tap at the bright white-on-white Modern General—so are garden tools, cotton baskets, and ceramic mixing bowls. Just behind it, the cheery, salad-focused Vinaigrette serves peach burrata, kale Caesars and summery rosés.

After all the hustle, wind down at the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado’s new partnership with EQUUS, which uses horses for well-being and therapy sessions. Wellness is nothing new in Santa Fe, but harnessing the power of the herd and horses in an open paddock helps guests gain insight into their own personalities—in the season of the eclipse, even the most ardent new-age cynics could become believers.

The Luxe Life: Tips for Making Your Mark As a Luxury Brand

Cracking the luxury market can be an intimidating step for new brands. Gloria Gammo has some tips for taking your brands to new heights in luxury.

The word ‘luxury’ comes complete with its own (Louis Vuitton-monogrammed) suite of connotations – from the covetable to the downright unattainable, luxury brands exist in a different echelon, and for many businesses, cracking the luxury market seems far out of reach.

While it takes on different forms for different people, there are common characteristics. Regardless of whether your brand provides a service, an experience, or a product, to really embody ‘luxury’ you must incorporate the winning trifecta of personalisation, exclusivity, and value recognition into everything that you do.

So where do you start? It’s all about knowing your market.

Do your research

Dive deep to identify your target consumer segment. Before we started My Proposal Co we had both spent more than 10 years working for luxury brands in travel and event management. We knew exactly how our customers liked to be treated, and what high notes to hit to ensure the experience wasn’t just enjoyable, but luxurious.

Working in your chosen industry for other luxury businesses helps give you an insight into where your luxury brand could carve out its niche. But it’s not enough just to identify your
market – when setting out to launch a luxury brand, it’s important to do your groundwork on why consumers are drawn to luxury in the first place.

Perceived luxury

A recent study identified four dimensions to the perception of luxury:

• financial (the value of the product expressed in dollars),
• functional (the quality, uniqueness and reliability of the product),
• individual (the customer’s personal orientation on consumption), and
• social (the idea of conspicuousness and prestige value to affect social standing).

To some consumers, social dimensions such as the popularity or exclusivity of the luxury brand might be the most important, signalling wealth and status among their peer groups. To others, luxury goods might serve as a financial investment and must meet their standards of superior quality. To others, luxury brand consumption might stem from hedonistic or materialistic motives that express their individual self.

What does this mean for you? To start, luxury brands should encompass their consumer’s values to justify a purchase. Understanding these value dimensions in the context of your own customers is key to implementing appropriate marketing strategies.

Once you’ve identified and understood your market segment, it’s time to implement your brand strategy and promotion techniques. These need to be clear and consistent from the outset, so your brand maintains its integrity and appeal.

Revel in the ritual

With the growing trend towards experiential luxury over pure product luxury, it’s key to create luxurious rituals around the consumption of your product, allowing customers to really experience your brand.

One example is Porsche, which innovated its delivery process by allowing customers to pick up their new car right off the assembly line in Germany – it’s personalised, exclusive, and tailored to appeal to the desires and interests of luxury vehicle consumers.

Inject some mystery

Prestige brands differ from mass brands in that they won’t compare themselves with competitors – rather they aim to elevate their own brand by communicating stories (often laced with mystery) to give the brand an air of myth. Think the enigmatic persona of Coco Chanel, still leveraged in Chanel’s marketing to this day. Create your own myths and legends, and use these in every touch point – from your products, to brick-and-mortar (or online) stores, to your marketing.

Maintain control

In a world where outsourcing and automation are words du jour, luxury brands do it differently. Luxury is about the personal, and quality control is paramount. It’s also crucial to have full control of distribution or delivery of your product or service: this is where the one-on-one service comes in.

Tania and I are on-hand for our clients 24/7 from day one, throughout the proposal planning, and on the actual day. Providing this support is all part of delivering a seamless experience.

Don’t advertise, communicate

Luxury brands communicate a story to build a dream, providing a covetable lifestyle that consumers wish to recreate. This communication can’t be measured by short-term sales increases – it’s a long game. It’s why we don’t do any outbound marketing at My Proposal Co. Instead, we focus on communicating the brand’s story, and our customers come to us.

Scrap the price tag

Brands need to understand that for clients, price is not the motivating factor. Instead, it’s about the four value dimensions mentioned above. When we set up our business we didn’t want price to be a factor – we don’t put prices on our website and there are no set packages or standard items on offer because we provide a tailored service.

Treasure the one-on-one

Treat every client as a VIP, develop direct, one-on-one relationships with your clients. For us, forging a genuine connection with our clients is crucial because it allows us to tailor their proposals to their personality. The real luxury isn’t in the diamonds and caviar, it’s being able to deliver a creative, one-of- a-kind experience. It’s all about nailing those luxurious details for a personalised, lavish experience.

5 Tips To Squeezing Health Into A Busy Work Schedule

The adoption of a fast-paced lifestyle has increased the number of lifestyle-related ailments like chronic neck and back pain, diabetes, obesity, Vitamin D deficiency, and others. The situation is amplified with the increase in pollution, toxins, and even stress in our surrounding environment.

Hence, it is important we start making the right choices and taking care of our health, by adopting a balanced lifestyle.

For those of us who have a desk job and work for more than eight hours at a stretch staying healthy can get challenging.

Some of the common challenges we could be facing include:

• Working until late, leading to unhealthy eating choices, like fried snacks, chips, instant noodles etc.
• Lack of exercise, leading to fatigue at work.
• Lack of time to pack lunch boxes.
• And often, not getting the time to plan or think about our health and food.
• So here is a plan on how you can help fight the above challenges and work towards leading a healthy lifestyle.

Keep a safety box of (healthy) food

A lot of times, our meal times could go way off from routine, because of meetings or travel. We might not have time to get a good dose of nutritious food at those times.

Here is where you create a ‘safety box’ which has an assortment of healthy food and keep it on your desk or wherever is the place that you are trapped most of your working hours.

This box would contain healthy food options like

Energy bars, dry nuts, bowl of fresh fruits etc. The key is food on-the-go, which you can simply grab and eat.

Plan and prep meals for the week

To avoid the temptation of takeout food, we suggest you use the days that you are off to plan and prep meals for the entire week. Keep some sauce ready, chop up some vegetables and greens, and keep some cooked whole grains handy – pack them up in different combos in the fridge and have your own customised salad bar throughout the week. Or whip up an easy fresh fruit, oats and yogurt parfait for a quick breakfast jar.

Cut back on caffeine

A common drink to get that instant boost of energy is coffee. Instant coffees or even sodas will provide the much-needed relief but they will backfire on your health in the long run.

You probably cannot completely do without coffee, especially after a long meeting, but avoid drinking caffeinated drinks few hours before you are about retire for the night and sleep. Instead, opt for a glass of warm milk along with dry fruits or even a glass of turmeric milk.

This allows the body to recover and flush out the toxins especially since caffeine stays in the body for at least three-five hours. You can always switch to green tea or even healthier options like fresh fruit juices.

Incorporate exercise as and when you can

While there are some organisations that have office gyms and yoga studios on their premises, most people don’t get the time to take advantage of such benefits. That doesn’t mean that you cannot exercise. Skip the traditional and opt for innovative exercises that you can include in your daily schedule. Cycle or walk to your work, use the stairs, skip your social media and take a walk for 30 minutes to connect with someone after lunch, or take your meetings and one-on-ones as a walk down the road.

And then, of course, there are the basic ones like stretching, leg circles, chair squats and knee lifts and much more that you can practice when you are sitting on your chair.

Get a healthy dose of realism

Even with the best of intentions, sometimes our body is too tired from hectic work schedules that it simply refuses exertion of any kind. The mind, too, gets affected and the result is sadness, and a constant feeling of fatigue.

What is important is to realise the truth. If unconventional work schedules don’t let you exercise, just be truthful to yourself. Instead of going to a full-fledged gym and eventually letting go of your membership midway, do something that you love. Take your dog for a walk. Go for evening walks with a friend. Play with your children. Try something new and you will feel rejuvenated and refreshed.

Working long and maintaining a healthy life is not easy, but it is not impossible. However, you might have to squeeze in some healthy habits to live healthier and stress-free. Try these simple steps first and don’t forget to smile.

Greenwich women step out for fitness and fun

GREENWICH — On Tuesday’s cool morning, a group of women in activewear came up around the bend at Cos Cob Park to wrap up their last MeFit session.

They were chatting, laughing and talking about their FitBit Zips — electronic fitness and health trackers clipped to their clothing — which were made available to them courtesy of the Greenwich Senior Center, on their way to reconvene and celebrate completing the center’s six-week fitness program.

The Fitbits “clock our mileage, our steps,” said Barbara Mould. “It’s great because I had one but never used it, and since this class started, I use it every day.”

Suzanne Testani, the center’s program coordinator, said that the decision to buy the Fitbit Zips is an effort to bring state-of-the-art programming to Greenwich residents. The center bought each teardrop-shaped Zip for $65.

At the end of the step-based program Tuesday, participants were able to purchase the Zips they used for a discounted price, $25, or return them to the center for future program use.

Clad in a bright pink top with matching leggings, Lete Miranda said she didn’t focus too much on the technological aspect of the program. Miranda focused on how she felt energized by being part of the exercise group.

“I have (a Fitbit) at home as well and I sort of know how it works,” Miranda said when she came up the pathway at the front parking lot with Dottie Brower. “But I was always looking forward to coming with the ladies (and Program Coordinator) Suzanne (Testani) — I feel like I’m chillaxing when I go.

“I feel stronger,” she said, “more motivated.”

Motivation came for Kathy Cullen in facing the challenge of healing after injury, without pushing her limits.

“I had to beg my doctor to join this group,” said Cullen, who came up the bend with a baseball cap and sweatshirt. “I had (rotator cuff) surgery in April.”

Peg Hroziencik said keeping active at any age is important. In addition to participating in MeFit, she swims with Mould at the YMCA and YWCA, and walks almost three miles with her church regularly.

“Even a short walk,” Hroziencik said, “keep moving every day. Try to do something.”

The hour-long class, which began at 9:15 each Tuesday morning, was inspired by studies that show group exercise yields positive results, Testani said. MeFit complements other group classes she teaches at the Senior Center.

“It’s nice to get together with a group of women,” Brower said. “We laugh and we talk. We have fun.”

Before Cos Cob Park, the group walked at Bruce Park, around the Havemeyer Park track, and at the Senior Center this summer — with terrains increasing in difficulty as the program progressed.

“We had some guests who brought their (grandchildren),” Testani said reflecting on the program. “We let people walk their own pace ... It’s just another way for Greenwich residents of all ages to enjoy the great outdoors.”

7 Ways to Get On the Water in Traverse City This Summer

It’s never been easier to get on the water in Traverse City. Set sail on a historic schooner, speed into the sunset on a jet ski or test your balance on a paddleboard. See for yourself why this bayside town got voted number one boating town in the nation by BoatU.S.—it also made the top 10 list for best beach towns.

Nauticat

A sunset cruise aboard this catamaran tour boat is by far one of the most memorable ways to experience the bay. The Nauti-Cat offers four cruises daily, or rent the whole boat for you and up to 45 of your closest friends. Cash bar and bathroom on board. 231.947.1730.

Parasailing

Float up to 80 feet above Grand Traverse Bay for a seagull’s view of one of the biggest, cleanest, freshwater bays on earth. Try East Bay Parasail (231.633.3327) or Traverse Bay Parasailing (231.929.7272) for solo and tandem flights.

Powerboat

If you love speed and don’t want to miss an inch of Grand Traverse Bay’s 300 square miles, a powerboat is a must. Sail & Power Boat Rental has ski boats, pontoons and jet skis—plus all the kneeboarding, tubing and waterskiing paraphernalia you’ll need for a perfect afternoon. 231.922.9336.

Sailing

A sailboat is still one of the most nostalgic and romantic ways to experience the water. Great Lakes Sailing Co. has a fleet of more than 20 yachts you can rent— the largest fleet on Lake Michigan. Not a captain? You can hire one there too. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. 231.941.0535.

Tall Ship Manitou

This 114-foot-long, 1800s-replica schooner seems to have cruised straight out of a Great Lakes history book. The deck beneath your feet, the sails billowed above: unforgettable. Choose from three daily tours (noon, afternoon Moomer’s sail and the popular evening cruise), each two hours long., or specialty cruises such as the wine tasting and entertainment cruises.

Kayaking and Paddleboarding

Paddling the shoreline of Traverse Bay is a summer classic. Whatever your paddling pleasure, The River (231.883.7890) on Boardman Lake can connect you with rentals by the hour or day—canoes, tubes and rafts also available—for a trip from the lake to the bay. Paddle TC (231.492.0223), located in Clinch Park, offers kayaks and paddle boards and shore-to-shore delivery pretty much anywhere in Northern Michigan. And don’t forget about the crazy popular Paddle for Pints—a brewery pub paddle on Boardman Lake and River and West Grand Traverse Bay with stops at up to six breweries.

Charter Fishing

For the outdoorsmen and women, there are few thrills like chasing game fish on the Great Lakes. Traverse City offers options right at the docks, with the bonus that fishing amid the protection of Grand Traverse Bay offers more assurance of smooth waters. With nearly 300 square miles, a depth of 600 feet, and an abundance of lake trout, brown trout, steelhead and salmon, the bay offers fisherman all the species of desire. Charter fishing need-to-know: All bait and tackle are usually provided, a typical half-day trip runs about four hours and anyone over 17 who plans to fish will need a valid Michigan fishing license (day licenses run about $10). Three charters to try in TC: Big Kahuna, Daydreamer and Reel Fun.

Take the kids to … Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, Devon

This quirky museum-attraction is filled with working vintage fairground rides, fairground art, try-your-luck stalls and a penny arcade. Board the 1940s ghost train, ride the speedy Edwards’ Golden Gallopers carousel (much faster than modern versions and with original carved wooden horses), spin until you’re queasy in a teacup or bump to your heart’s content on the 80-year-old Super Dodgems.

This is the home of the National Fairground Collection, and all the rides here have history, from the hand-turned Overboats ride (built in the 1870s) to the beautifully painted 1930s Edwards’ Chariot Racer, one of the first white-knuckle rides. The Rodeo Switchback, Supersonic Skid and Chariot Racer are all fast enough to keep older kids and adults amused, and for little ones there’s a Happy Caterpillar and a very sweet 100-year-old roundabout. Classic stalls include darts and cans, hook-a-duck and the popular Plate Smasher. At themed events throughout the summer, kids can learn circus skills or meet characters from the Wizard of Oz.

Fun fact 

The Moon Rocket ride, made in 1938, is the only surviving example of such a ride in the world. The centre spins anti-clockwise and the cars clockwise, creating an illusion of greater speed.

Best thing about it

There’s a charm to these vintage rides that you no longer find in modern fairgrounds. I particularly enjoyed peeking inside the sumptuous living wagon, or Palace on Wheels, of showman Charles Heal, but the Golden Gallopers and Dodgems were my daughter’s favourite by far.

What about lunch?

The Carousel Cafe serves standard fare: burgers, sausages and chips, nachos. The healthiest options were jacket potatoes (£3.50 child, £4.45 adult) or soup (£4.95). The children’s lunch box (£4.95) included half a white bread sandwich, Pom-Bear crisps, a tube of yoghurt, raisins, fruit juice and an apple. There are picnic benches outside for those who bring their own food. A nice selection of homemade scones and cakes starts at £1.95.

Exit through the gift shop?

The small shop is beside the exit, selling vintage-style toys and fairground gifts starting from 99p. There’s a good collection of new and secondhand fairground art books on sale, too.

Getting there

Dingles Heritage Fairground is a mile from the A30 in west Devon, 35 miles west of Exeter, and seven miles east of Launceston. It’s well-signposted and makes an unusual stop en route to Cornwall.

Value for money?

Not bad: tickets are valid for a year with Gift Aid. Saver tickets, including 10 ride tokens, cost £12.60 adult, £10.80 child. A family ticket (two adults and up to four kids) without tokens is £28. Tokens are 50p each if bought separately (most rides require two tokens).

Opening hours

Open daily 10am-5pm, 17 March-29 October, though check the website before visiting.

Verdict

7/10. It’s fun but still a work in progress. More could be made of the transport and living wagons collection, which are tightly packed and cordoned-off in a separate building. It would benefit from a good outdoor play area too.

The City Gate, Exeter: hotel review

Exeter is so close to lovely beaches, Dartmoor, Exmoor, and pretty towns like Totnes and Chagford it’s a wonder many travellers know it mainly for the M5 services. Being a “gateway” to the West Country is almost an invitation to whizz through.

When the 18th-century Royal Clarence Hotel – often described as England’s oldest hotel – was destroyed in a fire last October, the city lost its most characterful lodgings. The City Gate – a Young’s pub with rooms in a listed redbrick former coaching inn, which reopened in May after extensive refurbishment – doesn’t make up for this loss, but it does provide the essentials for a short stopover. Its 14 bedrooms are smallish but smartly decorated, and the locale is of historical interest: the pub abuts the original Roman city walls and looks out on to the Iron Bridge, built in 1834.

My standard twin room had an easy-on-the-eye green and grey colour scheme that’s replicated throughout the building. Exeter used to be a centre for processing and exporting woollen cloth, a heritage celebrated in prints of sheep, a framed abstract worked in wool, bedside lamps made from glass containing balls of wool, and a small, metal sheep’s head sculpture.

A long desk contained a handsome steel floating-arm office lamp, a Krups coffee machine, a kettle with Joe’s teas, and welcome treats in the form of some fudge to nibble and a small decanter of sherry. The minibar had beer, whisky and fresh milk. The bathroom was smallish, but smartly done, with floor to ceiling white tiling, large mirrors, roomy walk-in rainshower and Algotherm toiletries.

The hotel is 10 minutes’ walk from Exeter St Davids station, and five from the city centre. The gothic medieval cathedral is impressive, and if you like your mercy seats and vaulted ceilings it’s worth the £7.50 entry. The Exeter Phoenix is an excellent small arts complex, with day courses and an interesting gigs roster. Exeter’s best attractions, however, are its waterways: a bike ride down the Exe to Topsham or Exmouth, or a paddle along the canal are highly recommended – hire from AS Watersports or Saddles and Paddles.

For a five o’ clock “bridger” try the Fat Pig, a stylishly unkempt gastropub just round the corner, which serves good wines and tasty ales.

The Young’s pub inside the City Gate is also stylish, in a slightly more corporate fashion. It has a long bar – serving local beers and ciders, and Plymouth gin – and a nice snug full of mismatched chairs and antiques. The nicest space, though, is the cosy, cool-looking Cellar Bar, which the landlords are offering to arts groups and open-mic nights free of charge. Once the pub’s wine store, it has original bare stone walls, with dark wooden tables, loungey chairs, and funky artwork on the walls.

The beer garden is vast, with space for perhaps 150-200 people to eat, as well as the 100 or so inside the pub. As the far end was drenched in evening sun, I took a seat outside for dinner.

Devon is a proud food county. Brixham crab on sourdough, and West Country lamb rump drizzled in caper and shallot dressing were delicious and generously proportioned. The wine list was short but good, with reasonably priced old- and new-world wines, and oddities such as Slovenian pinot bianco – though, sadly, none of Devon’s own crisp whites. Tim, the Dutch waiter, was chatty and charming.

The garden is already doing a roaring trade at weekends, when a craft beer stall and burger bar open, in addition to the main kitchen and pub.

Secondary glazing kept the traffic noise out at night, and though I could sense other guests moving around, I slept well through to breakfast – a perfect eggs florentine, with cafetière coffee, fresh fruit and cereals.

Canals, macarons, and Lady Liberty in storybook French village

The Statue of Liberty, resplendent in her flowing robes and pointed crown, proudly holds her torch above the grassy hump of a humdrum traffic circle, welcoming not the tired, poor and huddled masses but rather tourists yearning for the canals and cafes of a medieval French village.

The 39-foot replica on display just outside Colmar, in the Alsace region, is a reminder that this most patriotic of American symbols was a French idea. Other copies are spread around France, including three in Paris and one in Bordeaux, but this one commemorates a hometown hero, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who designed the original.

On the day of my visit in May, the sun poked out from behind the clouds just as the bus from nearby Strasbourg stopped at the Unterlinden Museum, a former convent with artwork spanning medieval to modern and archeological artifacts from Gallic and Roman times. Signs of spring spilled from window boxes tended with purple, pink and yellow blooms. Finches twittered away in the trees, and elderly ladies leaned on their canes during a late-morning stroll.

Along the short walk over the Lauch canal into the historic core, hints appeared everywhere of a region with feet planted in two different cultures. Wooden signs dangled from curlicued wrought iron on colorful half-timbered buildings. Their hand-painted, decorative facades could have been found in the Black Forest or Swiss Alps, pointing toward the village’s origins during the German-speaking Holy Roman Empire.

The pastry shop windows brimming with baguettes and macarons signaled two centuries of French rule that started with Loius XIV after the Thirty Years War. A laissez-faire ease in the shopkeeper’s manner showed a town that held on to that identity despite two more turns with the Germans, once for nearly 50 years ending at World War I and a second during the Nazi era.

Locals stick to calling themselves Alsatian and try to keep it light. As goes one classic joke, “Alsace is like the toilet of France. It’s always occupied.”

At the Bartholdi Museum, housed in his family home, the plight of the Alsatians is on display as much as the bronze models of the artist’s most famous works, which include a 73-foot sandstone lion and a light-up fountain at the US Capitol. Many of his allegorical representations depict fighters or victims of various wars in a classical, muscular style. Yet there’s one that romanticizes the life of the vintner, portraying a boy gleefully chugging wine.

The museum also conveys a life of privilege for the son of a lawyer and landowner who split his time between Paris and Colmar. The ceiling of the dining room, for instance, is decorated with Japanese and Chinese dishware. “His mother,” according to the English audio guide, “fully supported the artistic career of her cherished angel.”

The top floor is set aside for that statue in New York, actually titled “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Glass cases hold several clay models of early designs, showing that Lady Liberty could have taken a much different pose. In one, the female figure seems relaxed, leaning backward as she rests her weight on one leg. Another’s hair is covered by a cloth, looking more like a nun than the familiar, star-crowned final copy.

The exhibit includes photos of workers in France hammering 300 sheets of copper to the steel frame of the statue, which was shipped off in pieces, as well as a life-size cast of an ear that Bartholdi kept in his personal collection. Gustav Eiffel of Parisian-tower fame gets a nod for taking over as architect long before it was dedicated in 1886.

The museum visit took less than an hour, leaving ample time for me to explore, so I trailed behind a miniature tourist trolley that putt-putted its way into the Tanner’s District. The neighborhood is across the Lauch from the area known as the Little Venice of Alsace, a bit of a misnomer since there’s really only one canal.

It’s alluring just the same, and it’s practically mandatory to sit outside a cafe for at least one glass of light, dry Pinot Gris. I obliged at canal-side Restaurant Au Koïfhus, whose name shows that the Alsatian dialect shares more in common with German than French. As I snacked on a tarte flambée, sort of an Alsatian pizza with onion and bacon, tourists floated by in low-sided wooden boats on a lazy, half-hour canal ride across town, periodically ducking under foot bridges.

On my way out of town, a shopkeeper, Natasha, lured me inside with a free macaron for the road. The heart-shaped treat at Maison Alsacienne de Biscuiterie looked like it would be dry as a butter cookie, but was so flavorful and chewy it was closer to strawberry bubble gum. One clearly wasn’t enough, and as Natasha said, neither was one day in town.

“Colmar represents what it is to be Alsatian,” she said. “It’s a real gem, a pearl.”

Myth and majesty in China’s Xinjiang lake district

Lake Kanas, in China’s Xinjiang province, is about as far from the east coast megacities as it’s possible to get without leaving the country. Sapphire waters flow through pine forests under mountains still capped with snow in June – it’s reminiscent of British Columbia. But now, in lands traditionally home to yurt-dwelling nomads, log cabins are being erected to house busloads of tourists. And where British Columbia has its Bigfoot sightings, Kanas is also home to mythical monsters: lake dwellers a bit like Chinese Nessies.

In the local language, Tuvan, these monsters are called hobzhk, which means “changing” or “strange”. Tuvan lore says they plug the bottom of the 189-metre-deep lake, preventing it from emptying out, a job so important that, 800 years ago, Genghis Khan assigned 126 soldiers to protect them. Grainy video footage aired on Xinjiang TV a few years ago showed huge black creatures breaking the lake’s surface.

Xiao Yue, a 20-year-old tour guide, says: “Technically, the hobzhk are huge fish that love to eat meat. Their scientific name is hucho taimen.”

On hot summer days, Yue begs visitors not to swim in the tempting lake, adamant that the creatures have a taste for human flesh. “Farmers take their cows and sheep to the edge of the lake, and they vanish,” she says. “Later they find their bones on the shore.”

Swimming is prohibited in the lake, but that has more to do with concealed rocks and a swift current. The more immediate anxiety is civil unrest. In 2014, tourism in Kanas plummeted after blasts in Luntai, 600km to the south, killed 50 people, as tension mounted between the ethnic Han majority and the Uighur Muslims.

To assuage anxieties stoked by the state press, metal detectors are ubiquitous, as are helmeted security guards. Kanas itself hasn’t experienced significant violence, though, and Yue is adamant the area is safe. The heightened security comes courtesy of Chen Quanguo, the new party chief of Xinjiang, who has set up a network of prefab police stations all over Xinjiang.

By 2015, however, tourism had recovered. Visits to the Kanas Scenic Area rose by 6% to more than 400,000. And in June this year, still low season in Kanas, hotels were already full, a promising sign for several more still under construction in villages such as Hom. Events are being developed, too, with a 100km ultra-marathon trail race and an X-games style snowboard competition now catering to more intrepid tourists, willing to explore one of the most beautiful, least touched parts of China.

Locals have found jobs as rafting guides, dancers, throat-singers and “model families” – who serve lamb kebabs, air-dried cheese and “hand-grabbed-rice” (with vegetables and lamb fat) to visitors in their homes.

The security measures must seem strange to nomadic people who never had much use even for fences; they simply tie three hooves loosely together to stop their horses from straying. With the monsters confined to the lake and the Chinese tourists fenced into their log cabin complexes, much of Kanas remains wild and free, with plenty of landscape left to explore.

China's Xianren Bridge, the World's Longest Natural Arch, Wasn't Discovered Until 2009

In this week's Maphead, Ken Jennings explores how a Google Earth discovery lead to a real-life one.

Natural arches are some of the most eye-popping geological formations on earth. Their architectural perfection appears to defy nature; often, they appear to even defy gravity. The national parks of southern Utah get millions of visitors every year to gawk at thousands of natural arches. But until 2009, the most amazing bridge of them all was entirely unknown in the West.

Landscape Arch is the Western Hemisphere champion.

Natural arches typically form where a layer of hard caprock lies on top of a softer stone, like limestone. Wind or water then beats alcoves and cracks in the lower layers of the outcropping, eventually forming a hole below the sturdy caprock—a process that can take millions of years. The arches of Utah are so iconic that the state even put one, Delicate Arch, on its license plate. For decades, locals assumed that the majestic 290-foot Landscape Arch, in Arches National Park's Devil's Garden, was the world's longest arch. Not even close!

Americans spotted Xianren Bridge on Google Earth before real Earth.

In 1988, an aerospace engineer named Jay Wilbur founded NABS, the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, for like-minded enthusiasts. While browsing Google Earth in 2009, Wilbur was shocked at what he found: a rock span over China's Buliu River that no travel guide and no one at NABS had ever heard of, but which appeared to dwarf any of Utah's arches. Locals call it Xian Ren Qiao—"Fairy Bridge"—due to its dramatic and unearthly look.
You almost need wings to visit the fairy bridge.

Xianren Bridge proved difficult for NABS to reach and measure. It's in the rugged karst landscape of southern China about twenty-five miles north of the nearest town, Fengshan. From upstream, it's a three-hour rubber-raft trip to the bridge, with many rapids along the way. From downstream, it's possible to hop aboard bamboo rafts, on which locals will pole you upstream to the bridge. When NABS surveyors finally reached Xianren Bridge in 2010, they measured its span at 400 feet, making it by far the longest arch or bridge on the planet.

London Bridge is falling down.

If you're planning a trip to Fairy Bridge—or any other natural arch—sooner is better than later. All natural arches and bridges are works in progress. Once a hole opens up under caprock, erosion speeds up, and the arch will keep narrowing until it inevitably collapses. London Bridge, a famous double-arch sea stack in Australia, had one if its arches collapse in 1990, stranding two tourists who had to be rescued by police helicopter. Now that it no longer resembles London Bridge, it's just called London Arch. Someday visitors might hike into the Utah desert or southern China and get nothing for their trouble but fallen arches.

How to Conquer the Challenge of Long-Term Travel

One summer a friend showed me her itinerary for a week in Maui. It was three pages long, laid out on Excel. Every hour was choked with food stops, beaches, “leisure” time and noteworthy sights. It was a small wonder she didn’t also pencil in bathroom breaks.

Good luck pulling that off for trips that are weeks, perhaps months, long.

“Long-term travel is an exercise in letting go of exact to-do lists, planning moment to moment and controlling the entire process,” said Jodi Ettenberg, who has been traveling and writing at her site, Legal Nomads, since 2008.

You potentially face a lot of what-ifs: What if the weather changes, you run low on cash or you need insurance? And there are the challenges that pop up if you’ve been on the road long enough, such as consistently finding Wi-Fi, dealing with language barriers and getting consistent quality sleep when you traverse multiple time zones.

Here, then, are some tips to help the traveler who sets out for a long stretch, whether it is country-hopping or spending extended time in a specific spot overseas.

Begin With a Budget and Set Priorities

If you’re like most people, budget is your trip’s primary driver. Sites like NomadList or the Earth Awaits can help you paint a clearer picture of your budget based on your destination and preferences, including filters for living style, internet speed, safety, air pollution and attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers.

Susan Shain, a freelance travel writer who has been doing long-term stints abroad since 2008, recommends Budget Your Trip to help calculate your daily travel costs — but advises adding a 15 percent to 20 percent buffer to the total to keep from running out of money. An app like TrailWallet or Wave can track your spending.

Find Reliable Wi-Fi

You often need internet to look up your next stop or to navigate yourself out of unfamiliar places. There is good news: You have many Wi-Fi options.

If you are hopping from one airport to another, check the interactive map at the FoxNomad blog, which lists Wi-Fi passwords in airports and airport lounges around the world and is regularly updated. Some hotel chains like Best Western and Hyatt give their guests free basic Wi-Fi but may charge extra for premium speeds.

If you prefer coffee shops or cafes, WorkFrom is a crowdsourced site that lets you search for work-friendly spaces based on Wi-Fi speeds, pet friendliness and hours of operation in more than 1,250 cities around the world. You can usually count on the Starbucks and McDonald’s in different countries to have free Wi-Fi for customers, too. Additionally, a few cities like Tokyo and Singapore provide free Wi-Fi to tourists for a period of time if you sign up beforehand.

The paid alternative is to get international data on your phone. My monthly Sprint plan, for example, includes an international bundle that provides unlimited 3G data (hey, it’s better than nothing) in many countries around the world. T-Mobile offers a similar plan. This option, though, can get expensive for multiple-month trips abroad. Before you leave, inquire about your mobile carrier’s international options.

Many travelers go the SIM card route, but you need an “unlocked” phone that isn’t restricted by certain carriers. Another option: You can rent pocket Wi-Fi devices, like this one in Japan, but those can get expensive.

Don’t Forget Travel Visas

Before you depart, particularly for trips that involve multiple countries, always look into visa requirements. While you can check with the State Department or the destination’s own website, you’re better off consulting International Air Transport Association’s website — plug in various information and it crunches the visa requirements and other pertinent information for you.

Assess Your Insurance Needs

Check first with your medical insurance provider to see the extent of your coverage in other countries. Some plans cover a simple doctor’s visit in another country, while others are limited to more extreme circumstances. One tip: Make sure your plan covers high hospital bills — your well-being is worth the cost. The site BootsnAll breaks down some options for travelers. Many long-term travelers use World Nomads, which covers emergency medical expenses up to $100,000. To find out what you need, Ms. Ettenberg of Legal Nomads suggested asking these questions:

Can I keep my insurance at home and get short-term travel insurance?
Can I get a global medical policy that will cover me as my primary while I travel?
What are my options if I only have travel medical insurance and a big accident happens? How will I pay for treatment if I am sent back to my country of residence?

Learn to Sleep Anywhere

Going from one time zone to another is guaranteed to disrupt your delicate sleep pattern. Because your sleep environment constantly changes as you travel, keep what you can control consistent. For instance, I always bring with me simple pajamas, a soft sleep mask, earplugs and a podcast that intentionally tells boring bedtime stories to lull myself to sleep. Regular exercise can also help.

“I have a pretty consistent nighttime routine,” Ms. Shain said. “Before bed, I take a hot shower, then journal and read for about an hour. I find that having a routine helps me feel like I’m ‘home,’ no matter where I am.”

Educate Yourself on the Food Environment

When you travel, it’s easy to overindulge on greasy foods and skimp on getting enough vegetables, fiber, protein and even water. Over time, that can take a toll on your digestive health. Familiarize yourself with the local foods by going to markets and buying fresh produce. You generally want to avoid consuming any fruit that has been precut, and thoroughly wash your fruits and veggies (an antibacterial food wipe or wash can do the trick).

If you’re traveling with a health-related dietary restriction like celiac disease, as Ms. Ettenberg does, keep a series of handy translation cards that accurately convey your dietary needs. If you’re gluten-free, Ms. Ettenberg’s own cards account for cross-contamination and many local dish names. Cards from SelectWisely can help with many other conditions.

Avoid Foreign Transaction Fees

Overseas A.T.M.s charge a pesky $3 to $5 fee every time (on top of fees from your bank), which can add up quickly. Charles Schwab’s High-Yield Investor checking account reimburses those fees every month, making it the perfect checking account for travelers. You need to have or open a Schwab One Brokerage account to open the checking account — but both accounts are free.. The Points Guy lists other options that waive, reimburse or reduce transaction fees — you generally will need a premium account.

Plan Not to Have an Airtight Plan

“Many of the places I loved the most were ones not on my initial itinerary,” Ms. Ettenberg said, “but came about through meeting people, hearing about their experiences and giving it a shot.”

London Bridge travel advice: station to reopen for Monday morning rush hour but TfL advises commuters avoid the area if possible

London Bridge station is set to reopen this morning following Saturday's terror attack, but commuters have been warned to avoid the station if possible because of overcrowding.

The central London station should be open in time for rush hour on Monday morning, while Borough Underground station reopened on Sunday evening.

However London Bridge itself remains closed to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. London Bridge Pier is also expected to be closed to river boat services.

Network Rail said London Bridge station would reopen on Monday from 5am, but operate as exit only. Only the Tooley Street entrance and exit will be open for the Underground station.

Transport for London advised that the station is expected to be busier than normal as a result of the reduced access. Passengers have been asked to re-plan their journey to avoid the station during the morning peak if they can.

Pedestrians who usually walk across London Bridge are advised to use London Underground services or National Rail services to Charing Cross, Waterloo East, Cannon Street, Blackfriars and Victoria stations.

TfL said: "Alternative walking routes across the river include Tower Bridge, Southwark Bridge, the Millennium Bridge (use Borough Underground station) and Blackfriars Bridge (use Southwark Underground station)."

London Bridge station was closed over the weekend, with tubes and trains not stopping there.

Commuters should check the TfL website for the latest updates before travelling on Monday morning.

Cordons remained in place around much of London Bridge and Borough Market on Sunday evening, and sources said the area was expected to remain closed on Monday until at least 8am.

Giving an update on the investigation outside New Scotland Yard, the Met's assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said "significant progress" had been made in identifying the attackers.

He said that as well as more armed police across the capital in coming days, "the public will also see increased physical measures in order to keep public safe on London's bridges".