As the summer sun beckons, it is time to start planning a proper summer vacation with the family and friends. Whether you want to make an easy trip to a tropical paradise or to plan a multiple hopping a bustling city, or a serene mountain retreat to reach your final destination once.

William Hall, Vice -President of Marketing and Digital, RCI EMEM, India and APAC, suggested some essentials which each traveller needs to have this summer vacation to make the most of the travel and create unforgettable memories –

1. Choose destinations wisely and plan your travel in advance: Shortlisting a destination thoughtfully and planning your travel effectively are key to saving time, money, and ensuring safety. Popular tourist spots can be overly crowded, leading to less enjoyable experiences. Exploring lesser-known destinations can offer a more tranquil and relaxing vacation. Consider places with cooler temperatures or opportunities for water activities to enhance your summer travel experience. By making informed choices, you can make the most of your journey while avoiding common pitfalls associated with busy tourist areas.
2. Keep yourself hydrated: Water is universally known to be essential, yet we often forget to drink enough of it. During summers, it’s crucial to keep your body hydrated and eat well to avoid losing out on any location due to dehydration, fatigue, or other health issues. Proper hydration and nutrition can enhance overall mood and improve the travel experience.
3. Packing Essentials: Creating a checklist beforehand saves time and money by preventing the need to purchase necessities while on the go. ensuring you have all the essentials for a stress-free trip, including medications, travel documents, and chargers, to avoid unnecessary inconveniences. Moreover, packing comfortable and breathable fabrics is crucial to avoid discomfort during your journey. Remember to include summer travel essentials such as sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and scarves in your packing list.
4. Travel First Aid Kit: Having a well-stocked first aid kit can provide peace of mind and ensure that you are prepared for any medical situation that may arise during your travels. In addition to your regular medications, it’s important to carry certain common medicines and supplements when planning a summer trip. Multivitamins, fiber supplements, and other sources of instant energy are must-haves in your travel medicine kit to replace all the minerals and salts that you may lose during travelling in India in the summer.
5. Travel Early: It is suggested to travel early during summers because it can help you if you wish to do outdoor activities. The cooler temperatures in the morning and evening make it easier to enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, sightseeing, or exploring. Additionally, travelling early can reduce the risk of exhaustion from the hot weather. Planning the perfect summer trip requires preparation and excitement, and with the right mindset and planning, you can make the most of your time at your destination. Starting your day early can also give you more time to explore and experience all that your destination has to offer.

Travelling is the best way to learn and experience new cultures, places, people, and cuisines. The tips mentioned for summer travel will help you plan a safe trip. So, pack your bags and get ready for the adventure you’ve been waiting for!

Backache after a long car ride? Sore neck from trying to sleep on a plane? Try these tips before the next time you head out of town.

I love taking vacations, but travel has an uncanny way of making me feel old. I inevitably pull a muscle trying to lift my bag into the plane’s overhead bin. My lower back aches during long car rides. My neck throbs after a short airplane nap.

It’s not surprising that travel causes pain and, sometimes, injury. “You’re out of your norm, you’re changing your patterns,” said Dr. D.J. Kennedy, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. You’re doing things like pulling a 30-pound suitcase for what feels like six miles as you sprint to catch your connecting flight, which is probably not something your body has trained for.

With summer travel approaching prepandemic levels in the United States, I’m sure I’m not alone in experiencing — and wondering what can be done to ease — travel-induced aches and pains. So for this week’s newsletter, in part because I have a cross-country flight in a few days, I talked to a physical therapist and two physicians to get advice.

Make travel plans with your body in mind

When you’re planning a vacation, keep your body’s strengths and limitations in mind, Dr. Kennedy suggested. If sitting in a car for long periods tends to hurt your back, a weeklong road trip might not be your best option.

That said, if you really want to take the trip that might make your body unhappy, you can take steps to prepare for it in advance. If you have arthritis in your knee and walking is painful, you can still go on a walking tour, but you might want to see a physical therapist or physical medicine doctor in the months leading up to the trip to improve your range of motion and endurance, Dr. Kennedy said. Or, he added, you might think about getting a shot to reduce swelling and pain. Be sure to bring any doctor-recommended pain medications with you in case you need them, too, he said.

Limit the weight you must bear

When it comes to handling luggage, the best approach is to pack lightly so your bags aren’t heavy. But that’s simply not possible for some people (including me). Thankfully, there are ways to make heavy luggage more manageable.

Dr. Kennedy said that roller bags are less likely to cause injury and pain than bags you must carry by hand or on your shoulder. He prefers bags that move on four wheels rather than two, because moving them requires less effort. The big pushcarts you can rent from the airport can also be helpful for moving luggage, he said.

If you need to carry a bag on your body, a backpack is the best option, said Dr. Deborah Venesy, a physician in the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Spine Health in Ohio, and she said you should use both straps to distribute the weight evenly. Colleen Louw, a physical therapist based in Iowa and a spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy Association, added that backpacks should hang evenly in the middle of the back — not down against the low back — and that straps should be adjusted to make it easy to take the backpack on and off.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you struggle to lift your luggage, Dr. Kennedy said. (He is a former competitive powerlifter, but said he has a shoulder injury and often asks for help lifting his bags into the plane’s overhead compartment.)

If sitting causes pain, take movement and stretching breaks

An hour or so into every car or plane ride, the side of my back starts aching, and that’s in part because bodies aren’t meant to stay stationary. “Movement is essential to keep blood flowing to your muscles and joints to help prevent stiffness and pain,” Ms. Louw explained. Ideally, you’ll want to stand up and walk around at least once every hour if you’re feeling pain, Dr. Kennedy advised. If you have trouble remembering to do this, set a timer or drink lots of water so you need frequent bathroom breaks, he suggested. (Dr. Venesy said she prefers aisle seats so she can get up regularly.)

As for how to sit, Ms. Louw said that sitting upright, or with a slight recline, is generally the best position for the spine. Dr. Venesy added that rolling up a sweatshirt or fleece and resting it behind your lower back could also provide pain-relieving lumbar support.

Stretching can also be useful. One good stretch to do while sitting is a spine twist, where you put both hands on one leg and gently twist your upper body in the same direction, then repeat on the other side, Dr. Venesy said. A good seated stretch for the low back and hips is a figure four stretch, where you rest your right heel on your left knee and lean forward, and vice versa, she added. Dr. Kennedy said that it may feel good to stand up and do a slight back bend, too. (If you’re in pain from standing for a long time, the opposite could ease your pain — leaning into a forward fold, he said.)

If you experience leg cramps while sitting, try pumping your ankles — alternately pointing and then flexing your feet — with your knees bent and extended, Ms. Louw suggested.

Prevent neck pain by reading or watching tablets at eye level and using a neck pillow

If you’re anything like me, you look down a lot during flights or as a car passenger — at your phone, a tablet or a book. But this position can cause neck pain, Dr. Kennedy said. It’s far better to bring things closer to eye level. Some airplanes now have devices that allow you to hang your phone or tablet on the back of the seat in front of you, he said, and you can also buy accessories that will do this for you (or even fashion one out of a sickness bag).

If you think you’ll doze off in the plane or car, you may also want to invest in a neck pillow. Dr. Kennedy prefers designs that are thinner in the back than on the sides, because they don’t pitch the head forward too much when you lean against the seat.

I’m not going to be able to put all these suggestions into practice for my upcoming trip — I’m sure my suitcase will be just under the maximum weight limit, as usual — but I’ll certainly make some changes to my travel habits.

With the emergence of hybrid work, employees choose to work while being on holiday. This phenomenon is called bleisure travel.

Imagine being on a beach, spending your leisure time alone or with your family. You’re enjoying the spectacular ocean view and eating some good food. But you also brought your laptop, and you’re attending to some work emails. You’ve chosen to do some work despite being on holiday.

With companies shifting to a hybrid work model, more and more employees are finding new ways to take leisure time while working. Because the way we work is changing, employees are also adapting and changing how they take some time off. Regardless of whether the formal boundaries between work and rest are blurred, employees feel that working while being on holiday is okay. This combination of work and holiday is known as “bleisure” travel.

What is bleisure travel?

“Bleisure” is a portmanteau of “business” and “leisure.” Originally, bleisure travel referred to when business people extended their work travels to sightseeing.

However, with the ongoing shift to remote work, the definition of bleisure travel has also changed. Work-from-home employees now take their work from anywhere else they choose.

Choosing to go on a bleisure trip

Many people are choosing to work while being on holiday, particularly young workers. A new survey by SiteMinder revealed that more than a third of travellers are working on their next trip. About 45 to 49 per cent of them are Gen Z workers.

About 65 per cent of travellers from Thailand and 47 per cent from China are interested in adopting bleisure travel. However, Australians are not quite interested in taking a bleisure trip.

Only about 24 per cent of 800 Australian travellers surveyed in the study said they would work on their next holiday, which is amongst the lowest in the entire survey. Of this number, 45 per cent were aged 18 to 25.

Regarding macroeconomic factors, the survey revealed that Australian travellers had the highest number of respondents who said inflation had “no impact” on their travel decisions.

Is it a good idea to work while on holiday?

There’s nothing wrong with choosing to work during a holiday, especially if no one is forcing you to do so. A study by Wrike has shown that 36 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women enjoy their holiday more and even feel less stressed when they can stay connected and check in at work.

But another study by Harvard Business Review, which assessed the intrinsic motivation of employees who worked during time off, revealed that, on average, people who worked during certain weekends felt less intrinsic motivation for work. This result is because workers separated their time into time for work and time for rest, but because engaging in work during holidays or time off causes conflict between expectations and reality. As a consequence, they find their work less meaningful and less engaging.

So what should we do?

Working while being on holiday shouldn’t be the norm, but the exception. Suppose you plan to log on to work while you’re away, set limits. Set the expectations that there is a possibility that you won’t be able to work at all. It means your co-workers should be there for backup in case this happens.

In the end, working while on holiday can help ease the stress of not being connected to your computer for work, but it can also blur the line between work and rest. Set boundaries so that you don’t feel burnt out.

Summer is here, and Statesboro residents are eagerly heading out on their vacations. But it’s easy to overlook one crucial detail: your car’s readiness for the journey. Before hitting the road, ensure your vehicle is in top shape with a checkup from your local auto technician to avoid any unwanted travel disruptions.

With summer approaching, more Statesboro residents are making plans for a summer vacation. You’ve booked your hotels, packed your bags, worked out your schedule, and bought your tickets. You’ve prepared everything, right? You might be surprised to realize you’d forgotten one very important thing.

Before you race to head out on the long road, it might be time to take your car to your local auto technician for a checkup. The last thing you want while enjoying your vacation is car troubles.

AC

With the summer heat baking everything outside, your AC dying could be catastrophic to your enjoyment of your trip. Can you imagine spending hours in a hot car as you drive to your destination? Or worse, wasting precious hours of your vacation looking for a mechanic to fix it?

Having your AC checked before you head out can help you detect any problems that might arise on the road. It might be possible that your AC is low on refrigerant or that your filter needs to be replaced, especially if you’ve been struggling to cool your car.

Tires

Coming out of winter, the air pressure in your tires might be lower than recommended. Not only can a flat tire lead to dangerous wear and tear, but it will cost you on your gas bill. Lower tire pressure significantly reduces your mileage. While you’re checking your tire pressure, it can’t hurt to check the tread depth, too! It could be time to rotate your tires to avoid uneven wear before you head on the road.

Engine

With summer temperatures only rising, you need to keep your engine from overheating. Thankfully, your engine has a system to keep it cool. However, this system needs to be in top condition to cool properly. A number of factors could lead to your engine overheating, such as a broken belt, a cracked hose, or low or leaking coolant.

An automotive technician can examine your engine for damaged parts and ensure that any important fluids are topped up. Even without damage, your engine can’t keep cool if the level of coolant is low.

Brakes

No matter how early you leave, you’re likely to be stuck in traffic at least once during your road trip. You need to trust that your brakes are reliable during that stop-and-go traffic. Over time, your brake pads will wear out, and worn brake pads reduce the efficacy of your breaking. A technician can examine your brakes to determine if your brake pads need replacement as well as any other issues that might affect the safety of your travel.

Oil Change

After 5,000 miles, it’s important that you change your oil! If you’re going to be driving a significant distance, why not prepare ahead and make sure your oil is free of contaminants? Even if you might not have driven much during winter, changing your oil during summer can help protect your engine from the increase in stress and heat due to high temperatures.

Alignment

If you want to remain safe, it’s important to have your vehicle’s alignment checked. Misalignment can cause issues such as your car pulling to one side, your wheel vibrating, or the wheel struggling to remain centered even when driving straight. While misalignment can be caused over time, it can also be caused by driving on rough roads, which may have been the case during the winter months.