Travel Tips

One of the toughest things about being a competitive athlete is dealing with all the travelling. Over time you learn little tricks to make the trip a little smoother - using earplugs on the plane (instigated by Jibber Hall); not sleeping when you get to Europe, as you won't be able to sleep that night; wearing compression stockings for the flight to keep your legs from getting bloated; all these things help an athlete perform to their best level on arriving at their destination.

The other factor in travelling is what to pack, and how big your bag can be as you may have limited space in your vehicles at your destination. After a couple years I have finally paired down what I bring on a trip to the bare minimum, although I have to say that a trip like this one to Europe poses some difficulties in that we are likely to encounter a wide range of weather (just check out the difference in bag size between my bag and Buck's bag) Do you pack winter stuff as well as summer stuff? It can be a bit of a brain teaser.


So far on this trip my prize possession has been a sleeping mask. On the plane ride over it helped a lot, while here in Belgium our rooms have big windows with no curtains. Ear plugs are another essential sleeping aid, so much so that I'm kind of addicted to them.