Pay attention to your diet + exercise

Of course, you had a 7-hour layover at JFK and mindlessly ate too much to avoid roaming around the terminal. You (thankfully!) slept over much of the Atlantic. But then you had to run to your gate at Heathrow to make your final connection.

When you’re traveling, it’s no wonder you can wind up with digestive system problems like constipation or diarrhea, says colorectal surgeon Sarah Vogler, MD.

“There are a lot of habits related to comfortable bowel movements,” Dr. Vogler says. “Just a change in what you eat or drink can affect your digestive system. Even switching the bathroom that you use ― to one that isn’t your own ― can cause anxiety for some people because it takes them out of their regular routine.

The best way to maintain regularity and avoid or treat constipation and diarrhea while traveling? It’s sticking to your regular eating and drinking habits as much as possible, Dr. Vogler says.

A few key tips to help you stay regular

1. Drink plenty of water and clear fluids. This may not completely relieve constipation if you have it, but it can at least soften stools so they are easier to pass.

One of the causes of constipation is dehydration, Dr. Vogler says, so drinking water, fruit juice or clear liquids will keep you hydrated. Avoid drinking a lot of alcoholic or caffeinated beverages. Both also dehydrate you. Push yourself to drink even more water than you normally do because traveling alone can increase dehydration.

2. Avoid extra fiber. High-fiber foods in combination with dehydration can actually cause an increase in abdominal bloating and constipation. It’s important to maintain a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables. But eating more fiber than usual is not recommended. For regularity’s sake, Dr. Vogler typically recommends getting one to two servings of vegetables and one to two servings of fruit every day.

And since it’s not always easy to find healthy snacks on the go, plan ahead.

3. Avoid foods that are high in fat. Vacations are meant to be fun. But if you can, avoid excessive amounts of unhealthy snack foods and desserts like candy, cheese, pizza, processed foods, chips and ice cream. They can make your constipation worse.

“Granted, it’s sometimes hard to maintain your dietary routine on vacation,” Dr. Vogler says. “You may not eat the healthiest foods, and you may eat on the run a lot more when you’re traveling. But realize that can also cause constipation.”

4. Exercise and stay physically active. To keep your digestive system moving, you need to keep your body moving. Schedule stretching breaks, especially if you’re in a car, plane, bus or train for long periods. Hike, bike or swim when you can.

5. Get plenty of rest. Sometimes people don’t sleep as much on vacation, and that can throw off your system.

6. Don’t ignore your body’s signals. If your body is telling you to go to the bathroom, don’t put it off because you’re only near a public restroom or don’t want to interrupt your sightseeing. If you ignore the urge, Dr. Vogler says, it can lead to or worsen your constipation.

7. Plan for bathroom breaks that match your routine. Try to maintain your schedule, if you always use the bathroom at a certain time of day.

If you’re concerned about using public bathrooms, try to give yourself time to relax and make yourself as comfortable as possible. Read a newspaper or magazine to relax or listen to music from your phone or other device with ear buds. “But if you don’t have a bowel movement within 10 minutes, move on,” Dr. Vogler says. “Try again when you feel the urge.”

8. Use laxatives wisely. If diet and exercise don’t help your constipation on the trip, don’t be afraid to take a laxative. Just use them wisely and only for a short time, Dr. Vogler says. Starting with a gentle stool softener (such as MiraLAX® or Colace®) is safe and easy.

If you commonly experience constipation while traveling, then it’s safe to start taking a stool softener prior to your departure and continue this daily during your trip. It isn’t recommended to start taking an additional fiber supplement while traveling.

Diarrhea can also be a problem

Eating something that has bacteria in it or drinking contaminated water can give you diarrhea when you travel. But it’s not only Montezuma’s revenge that’s to blame!

Sometimes, changes in your regular diet, exercise and bathroom routines (the same things that can cause constipation) are enough to bring on loose stools, Dr. Vogler says.

Being prepared is always a wise option. Be sure to pack an over-the-counter or prescription anti-diarrheal medicine to help you treat it. A daily probiotic can also help to regulate the bacteria in your colon.

But the best advice? Eat and exercise like you always do. “Traveling is a time to watch your diet and other routines more, not less,” Dr. Vogler says.

Whether you’re going on a road trip or a cruise, admiring fall foliage is a great way to spend your autumn vacation.

As the first autumn leaves begin to yellow, you start dreaming of hot apple cider and pumpkin lattes enjoyed on a crisp afternoon.

If you’ve decided to stop dreaming and go admire nature’s changes first hand, here are some autumn vacation tips to help you enjoy your trip:

1. Get ready for sweater weather!

While autumn days can still be sunny, its evenings are getting chilly. So before you leave on your autumn vacation, pack a comfortable sweater. Make sure that you can wear it both outdoors, under a rain jacket, and indoors when you’re warming by the fire. The rain jacket can also be a waterproof windbreaker, which is lighter to pack.

To keep your feet warm, pack a few pairs of colorful socks. Add an extra woolen one to wear indoors and avoid the terrible feeling of cold floors on even colder days.

2. Pack a small folding umbrella

Even though you’ll be wearing a raincoat, it’s good to also have a small folding umbrella in your bag. Unless you’re also wearing waterproof pants, you’ll get your legs and shoes wet faster without using an umbrella. There’s nothing worse than spending the whole day with damp clothes and shoes, trembling as the evening temperatures start to bite.

3. Bring a hat, a scarf, and a pair of gloves

I hope you know that you’re not really losing most of your body heat if your head remains uncovered. However, wearing a warm hat, a soft scarf, and a pair of gloves can increase comfort, especially on wet days and chilly evenings. So bring them along and you’ll be able to stay longer outside.

4. Prepare your camera gear

No matter the season, it’s always good to check your camera gear before you leave on holiday. On a trip where you’re going specifically to admire the fall foliage and capture it in photos, it’s paramount to check that your camera is working properly. If you have a new camera, test it in a park at home before taking it on an autumn vacation. Get used to it in advance to take the best photos when you’re on your autumn vacation.

Cold weather can affect the life of your rechargeable batteries, so bring some extra ones. Depending on how many photos you usually take, maybe add a couple of extra memory cards, too. Pack everything in a moisture-proof camera bag.

5. Remember to pack light

You’ll probably want to see a lot of places during your autumn vacation. This means that you will be spending many hours outdoors to see the fall foliage. So remember to pack light in order to have more freedom and flexibility. Put everything in one bag, which you can easily carry.

For day hikes in nature, use a comfortable backpack, and don’t forget to take a bottle of water with you. Make sure you bring along an extra layer of clothes that you think you’ll need. You’ll feel warm as long as you keep moving, but you’ll get cold pretty fast when you stop.

You could also bring your binoculars to watch migrating birds and wildlife from a distance. However, to avoid carrying two items instead of one, you could use your camera’s zoom instead.

It’s good to keep in mind that it’s never too cold as long as we are wearing adequate clothes for the season. I hope the travel tips above will help you feel warm enough to enjoy your coming autumn vacation.

Having clear skin can be important when going on a vacation. Sometimes travelling can get stressful, which can take a toll on your body. Here are some tips you can incorporate into your travel skincare routine.

If you think travel skincare takes a lot of time, you may miss out on having fun. It is time to bust that myth that travelling can be stressful and all of this. It can take a tose on your body, and particularly your skin can be affected. However, having a long and sophisticated travel skincare routine is not necessary. Holidays are the time to relish everything you like. However, like always, moderation is essential as too much fried, junk, and sugary foods will upset your stomach and affect your skin. All it takes is a little planning.

• Before a flight: It is essential that you remove the makeup and cleanse your face with a cleanser. Apply a hydrating toner and serum before massing a layer of moisturiser. This can help your skin and do wonders.
• During the flight: The air on the flight is full of germs and low in humidity. Therefore, your skin needs hydration regularly. Keep drinking water regularly. If the flight is long, cleanse and moisturise your skin regularly. Another trick you can follow is using an eye cream or any product with humectants and emollients that can be used as good moisture. Use a few drops of facial oil as a last step in the routine.
• After the flight:  Wash your face as soon as you get off the flight to protect your skin from the stale air. Using a scrub and a salicylic acid cleanser can help in preventing breakouts. You can use a good toner, serum, and face cream that can help in keeping your skin hydrated. If you have time, use a hydrating face mask to eliminate the dullness and puffiness post-flight.

Thinking about bringing your film camera on an upcoming trip? Here’s what to consider and how to prepare for traveling with film in 2022.

There was a time when traveling with film cameras was a no-brainer: Nearly all cameras used film, and you’d find all the support you needed almost anywhere you went. Today, the rise of digital photography and changes in transportation security make traveling with film gear more of a challenge.

In this three-part series, we’ll cover the specifics of traveling with film by air as well as traveling with film by land and sea. For this first part, we’ll discuss some general guidelines, including cautions about traveling with film and what you should bring on your trip.

The Perils of Traveling with Film
We love film and hate to speak ill of it, but the truth is that shooting travel photography on analog is not a sure thing. Unseen camera faults and mistakes in technique and/or handling can cause problems with your photographs, and unlike digital, you may not realize your photos didn’t come out until you get home. There’s also the potential for damage or mistakes in processing.

Does this mean you should avoid film photography for travel? Absolutely not! Film gives its own special look to travel photos and we wouldn’t miss that for the world. However, there’s nothing wrong with doing what our film-only forbears couldn’t, which is to use modern technology as a backup. If you’re facing that once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity, there’s nothing wrong with snapping an extra shot on your phone or a digital camera, just in case.

Traveling with film: What film to bring
Back in the day, no matter where you were headed, you could almost always find film—and often good-quality processing—at your destination. Not so today, so modern film photographers will most likely be carrying both new and exposed-but-unprocessed rolls. This is particularly tricky with regards to air travel, which we’ll cover in Part 2 of this series.

If you’re traveling with film, you’ll want to take plenty with you; running out of film on a trip is never fun. What kind of film should you bring? We prefer to stick to film stocks we know and like. We’ve experimented with unfamiliar emulsions while traveling, only to get home and find that new-to-us film didn’t give us the look we were looking for. Our recommendation is to experiment at home and travel with film you know.

It’s a good idea to check the weather conditions at your destination to help determine what speed film you’ll need. If it’s bright and sunny, we’ll pack mostly ISO 100 film with a couple of rolls of ISO 400 in case the clouds roll in. If we’re expecting inclement weather, we up the proportion of faster film. For indoor photography, many filmies pack some ultra-high-speed film (such as Delta 3200 or T-Max 3200) or a flash. Another option is to shoot ISO 400 or 800 film at 1600 and push-process it. (Be sure to note which rolls need pushing!)

It’s worth noting, though, higher-speed films are more susceptible to the negative effects of airport X-rays. And if you’re bringing along film faster than ISO 400, we recommend carrying it on board (this goes for all film, actually) and requesting a “hand inspection” at security. We’ll cover this more in part 2.

Alternatives to bringing your own film
If you’re traveling to a large city, you may be able to buy film locally. Do a little Googling and be sure to call or email ahead to make sure local stores have adequate stock of your film(s) of choice. If you regularly mail-order film, you may be able to get your mail-order house to ship film to your lodgings; be sure to call ahead to your hotel to make sure they can receive packages for guests. Alternatively, you can mail film ahead to your digs. This method isn’t foolproof—packages do get lost or delayed—so it’s best to bring a couple of rolls with you, just in case.

If you use a mail-order lab for processing, consider mailing your exposed film to the lab directly from your trip. That’ll save some bulk in your luggage (and an X-ray inspection if you are flying).

The case for bringing more than one camera
Digital cameras offer variable ISO settings and can switch seamlessly between color and B&W, but film cameras can’t do that, and mid-roll film changes are time-consuming (and difficult or impossible on some auto-wind cameras). That’s the reason why, back in the film days, avid photographers frequently traveled with a second camera (or third). One camera might be loaded with color film, the other with B&W, or one with slow film and one with higher-speed film. If you travel with a second camera, we recommend keeping that extra camera unloaded until you know what you need it for, to provide you with extra flexibility.

Traveling With 35mm point-and-shoot cameras
If you’re a compact point-and-shoot photographer, you’re in great shape—after all, P&S compacts were designed with travel photography in mind. A compact camera with a zoom lens will give you the most flexibility, but the 35mm lens fitted to many fixed-focal-length cameras works nicely for travel snapshots.

Most point-and-shoot cameras are made to withstand a little foul weather, but if you are concerned about getting seriously rained on (some vacation!), consider a “weather-resistant” camera like the Pentax IQ Zoom 90 WR. There are other fully-waterproof compacts like the Canon Sure Shot A-1, but if underwater film photography is on your agenda, consider a one-time disposable camera like the Kodak Water & Sport or Fujifilm’s Quicksnap Waterproof—that way you don’t have to worry about your hard-to-replace camera getting damaged.

Traveling With 35mm SLRs
SLRs give you more creative control over your photos, but they do add bulk, which can slow you down while traveling. SLRs come in all shapes and sizes, and we recommend smaller ones for smoother travel. Older manual-wind cameras (particularly the Olympus OM-series and Pentax M-series) and later-model plastic-bodied SLRs (like those from Minolta and Canon) are among the lightest and easiest to travel with. Pro-level cameras like the Nikon F4 are bulky and heavy.

But isn’t pro-level gear best for travel? Not necessarily: A once-in-a-lifetime trip might seem to warrant your best film equipment, but there’s an argument to be made for leaving your nicer cameras home. Remember, with film—and unlike digital—it’s not the camera that determines image quality, but rather the lenses and the film stock. For travel, consider taking older bodies that you don’t mind getting knocked around a bit, and which will be easier (and cheaper) to replace if they get lost or stolen.

If you’re bringing a second camera body, it should be one that is lens-compatible with your primary body so there’s no need to bring a second set of lenses. Your backup camera need not be anything fancy or expensive. A $20 Nikon N65 makes a great backup for your Nikon F5 or N90s and takes up little extra space in your camera bag.

What lenses should you bring? If you’re using an autofocus SLR, a pair of zoom lenses in the 24-70mm and 70-200mm range should meet most of your needs. For manual-focus SLRs, the standard wide/normal/tele “prime trifecta”—28mm, 50mm, and 135mm —will suit you well. Again, consider the value of your equipment and the difficulty of replacing it in the event of breakage or theft. We’d much rather risk a $25 Vivitar lens than a $250 Nikon lens. Consider fitting a UV filter to all of your lenses to protect them from damage.

Traveling With Other Types of Film Cameras
35mm rangefinder cameras give you the portability of a compact, and most offer the creative control of an SLR, so they’re great travel companions. The only thing that gives us pause is their value: Some of us find it hard to relax and enjoy our trip while worried about damaging or losing our $5,000 Leica.

Point-and-shooters might want to consider a bridge camera, which offers the creative control of an SLR in a more compact package. Their wide-range zoom lenses make them great for travel, and they offer a variety of automatic, semi-automatic, and manual modes.

Instant cameras are great for snapshots, but not so great for landscape or architecture photos—and with the high cost of film, instant travel photography can get very expensive very quickly.

What about medium- and large-format gear? A small TLR like the Yashicamat or Mamiya 645 takes up only a little more space than a bulky 35mm rig, but bigger cameras like the Mamiya RB67 and Pentax 67 can really weigh you down, as can large-format cameras, which generally require a tripod. We tend to reserve the bigger gear for trips by car. If you do take large and expensive gear via commercial travel, be sure to keep it with you and avoid checking it at all costs.

What Else Should You Bring With You?

If you have extra space in your film kit, here are a few items you should consider bringing, in order of importance:

• Extra batteries. Manual-wind cameras use button batteries that last for years; one extra set should suffice. For auto-wind cameras with a higher power appetite, it’s best to know before you go how many rolls a set of batteries will get through, and bring lots of extras.
• Extra lens-cleaning cloths. Travel is filthy business!
• Filters. It’s a good idea to have a good-quality UV filter on all your film-camera lenses to protect from damage. A circular polarizer can be very handy for reflective surfaces (cars, windows, water). If you’re shooting B&W film, consider a yellow or red filter to bring more contrast and texture to the skies.
• Film Changing Bag. If you have the space, a dark bag is a handy thing to carry. We’ve had old cameras jam while traveling, and a dark bag provides a safe place to open the camera and retrieve your film.

One Last Tip: Don’t Forget To Vacation!
We love traveling with film gear because it presents so many opportunities to take great photos, but we try to avoid seeing our entire vacation through a camera lens. Always be on the lookout for good photo opportunities, but make sure you take time to enjoy and experience the sights with your own senses.