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Motorcycle Ho Chi Minh Road, Vietnam

Vietnam is packed with scenery that will take your breath away. But in places like Ha Long Bay, the view is hard to appreciate for more than a few minutes at a time given the crowds. If you’ve ever wanted a closer look, a more intimate experience, a chance to just be in that lush scenery — and maybe look super cool while you’re there — consider heading inland and doing a motorbike trip on Ho Chi Minh Road. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Ho Chi Minh Road?

Photo: Ser Borakovskyy/Shutterstock

Ho Chi Minh road starts in southern Vietnam and stretches all the way from Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, to Hanoi in the north. It spans almost 770 miles, which you can tailor according to your trip and how long you want to be on the road. While Ho Chi Minh Road is becoming more popular, there will be many moments when you’ll feel like you’re the only person in Vietnam.

The road traverses heavily forested limestone mountains, follows along rivers, and cuts through endless rice paddies. You’ll interact with welcoming people who will warmly share their culture and food with you, and you’ll encounter children who’ll excitedly yell, “Hello!” to any foreigner they see.

Vietnam’s roads are well defined, so if you’re looking for a shorter trip you can start anywhere — not just at its endpoints in Hanoi or Saigon. It’s well paved, so you don’t have to worry about potholes or bumpy roads and you can choose to go north to south or south to north. As we describe below, the most gorgeous part of the road is in central Vietnam, so if you only do a section of it, do the central section.

Regardless of the route you choose, you’ll want to avoid monsoon season in Vietnam when the roads can get dangerous and wash out. Steer clear of the wettest months from May to October. Instead, opt to travel during the typically drier months of November to April. Bring rain gear nonetheless as it can still rain outside of monsoon season.

Getting a motorcycle

Photo: Xita/Shutterstock

You can buy a motorcycle just about anywhere in Vietnam as motorbike culture is big there. You’ll find plenty of Facebook groups where people sell motorcycles, such as Vietnam Backpackers & Travelers Sale or Vietnam Motorcycle For Sale. Any big tourist hub in Vietnam will have hostels with people looking to sell or buy motorcycles, which can come in handy when you finish your trip.

Many of these bikes are cheaper models and have already gone through thousands of miles, so they are prone to problems or breakage. In order to make sure the bike functions properly, ask the owner if you can take it for a test run around the area. If you’re uncertain about buying a bike with an unknown history, you could opt to go with a motorbike company.

Good companies include Dragon Bikes, QT Motorbikes and Tours, Vietnam Motorbike Tours, Style Motorbikes, and Tigit. Some companies offer to escort you, but you’re also welcome to go alone. Most of these outfits offer cheap damage insurance and will give you newer bikes that are in excellent shape and won’t break down. If you want to save on space, they can also ship any extra luggage you might have to your next destination.

Going with companies may cost more if you’re on a budget. However, if you’re a beginner, going with an established company where you can get a semi-automatic or automatic bike is a much safer bet. They’ll also help you map out your journey, so you can get a better idea of how long driving will take and where you need to go.

The gem of Ho Chi Minh Road

Photo: Oskar Hellebaut/Shutterstock

Whether you have three days or three weeks, you’ll want to drive the central section as this is easily the best part of the trip. An easy way to access the central section is to start in Da Nang, a coastal city that you can fly into. You’ll want to head out west on either QL14G, which is a more remote road but a shorter distance to Highway QL14, which is Ho Chi Minh Road.

Another stunning option is to head northwest, first along the coast then inland on QL1A, also known as Hai Van Pass. That road will take you through Hue. Head north once you hit QL15, which is Ho Chi Minh Road. Throughout this section you’ll be driving along some areas where you won’t see another driver or person for long stretches.

Khe Sanh to Phong Nha

Photo: Dudarev Mikhail/Shutterstock

The most stunning part of this section is the road to Phong Nha. The road between Khe Sanh and Phong Nha features a never-ending backdrop of mountains where each forested peak is hidden by thick clouds and fog. The weather changes rapidly throughout the mountain passes, and you can experience heavy rain and deep blue skies multiple times in a day.

You’ll see large mountains alongside a patchwork quilt of rice paddies, complete with a calm river cutting through the valley. With several long stretches between towns, it’s critical to bring extra fuel with you and store it safely on your bike.

Once you reach Phong Nha, right next to Ke Bang National Park, take a couple of extra days to explore the area. Hidden underneath these heavily forested limestone mountains is a giant cave system that houses the world’s largest cave. You can enter a few caves with a guide, or if staying above ground is more your thing, you can do a tour on the river.

If you’re driving north and are short on time, you can drive a ways past Phong Nha to Vinh and finish there. From there you can either sell your bike, or if you rented from a company, you can ship your bike to Hanoi where the bike company can pick it up or you can pick it up yourself.

Come for the view. Stay for the vibe.

Photo: Carl Dupont/Shutterstock

As you drive on Ho Chi Minh Road, you’ll have an option to stay with locals in what’s called a homestay. They’re like the pre-Airbnb stays, but the host will also feed you and give you a look at their everyday lives. Homestays will be easy to identify as they’ll have a big sign outside of their property that says “homestay” on it. Assume everything is cash-only and have plenty of Vietnamese Dong on hand.

Homestays are a great way to get a look inside the life of some of Vietnam’s much less populous ethnic groups. You’ll be able to interact with the residents of the area, eat the local food, and, in some cases, see their traditional clothing and houses. Some homestays will be more memorable than others, and may feature thatched huts with wooden floors and comfortable mattresses under mosquito nets.

If you’re uneasy about homestays, many have been vetted by previous visitors. You can look up reviews on them by using booking websites such as Booking.com. This will help you know what to expect and which places would be a better fit for you. If you prefer hotels, most towns will have hotels. The hotels will also let you reserve for that evening, so don’t worry about booking in advance.

Driving (safely) in Vietnam

Photo: Phuong D. Nguyen/Shutterstock

When driving in Vietnam, you need to learn how to be flexible and slow down when necessary. However, you also need to commit to a direction you’re going in, especially when turning in front of oncoming traffic. It’s a balance between being assertive and flexible and may take some trial and error. Being too aggressive in your driving can endanger others, so when in doubt, drive defensively.

Stay vigilant, especially while driving the mountain passes. Watch out for huge trucks and buses on blind corners. Most drivers honk their horns when rounding the turns as a warning that says, “Hey, I’m here.” They also do it while they’re passing other drivers, as passing is very common in Vietnam. Get comfortable with using your horn, as it can help you — and the other drivers on the road — stay safe.

You’ll also want to look out for livestock in the road. Water buffalo, cattle, and goats all frequent the roads and will sometimes just sit in the middle of the road, so you’ll need to navigate around them.

Before you go, make sure you’re completely covered by your insurance. If you’re not legally allowed to drive in another country and get hurt in an accident, chances are good that your health insurance company won’t cover you. Talk with your auto insurance company before traveling as well to see if they cover you. If neither your home health nor auto insurance companies work out, consider purchasing travel insurance, such as World Nomads or InsureMyTrip. Again, this will require that you have a license to drive a motorcycle back in your home country. Most people in Vietnam operate motorcycles without licenses; however, you do so at your own risk.

Take your time on this trip. Not only because it’s safer but also because there’s so much fascinating scenery to take in. Take frequent breaks for the sake of your rear end, as well as photo ops because there’ll be a lot of them. Ha Long Bay can keep its tourists — Ho Chi Minh Road features green limestone mountains and river valleys aplenty, all without the crowds and price tags.


More like this: This motorcycle tour is the most epic way to see the Himalayas

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#NoPlant19 images of flooded crops

One of the most striking ways to visualize the effects of climate change is by looking at photos from farmers whose crops have been suffering. The hashtag #NoPlant19 offers a sobering glimpse into the struggles of the agricultural world, with farmers posting photos with the hashtag to call attention to their inability to plant crops due to the particularly harsh flooding in the Midwest and Plains regions.

As of May 26, only 58 percent of the corn scheduled to be planted across the country’s 18 biggest corn-producing states has actually been sown in 2019. By the same time last year, that number was 90 percent. By looking at the #NoPlant19 hashtag, you can really see the wide-ranging effects of flood season and just how dire the situation really is.

I was getting worried, it hadn’t rained in 15 min or so. #NoPlant19 pic.twitter.com/tueOSUFd6B

— Casey C. (@cattleNcrops83) May 23, 2019

@farmmillennial 90% plus of the fields currently are untouched in 2019. The few corn fields that are planted are in bad shape with standing water, usually we are 90% done by now with corn/beans. #noplant19 pic.twitter.com/DWdT8QCidP

— Bobby Waszak (@WaszakBob88) May 22, 2019

Taken this morning. Today is final plant date in ND. I am 50% planted. #noplant19 pic.twitter.com/oWKKggfTAB

— Scott German (@Germanscott74) May 25, 2019

Pretty much sums up #noplant19 pic.twitter.com/tIB0V9x6Os

— Wentworth Farms

World Naked Bike Ride events

For many, going for a nice leisurely bike ride is a freeing experience, but apparently, it’s more freeing for some than others. The World Naked Bike Ride is happening in many cities around the world this weekend, and it’s exactly what it sounds like — a clothing-optional bike ride through the streets of your city. If you’re a bit apprehensive, don’t worry. Everyone will be as naked as they want to be. The event isn’t simply a random celebration of the human body but a protest against oil dependency and our reliance on gas-powered, motorized vehicles in our day-to-day life.

According to London’s event page, “The protest has a carnival feel, so you are welcome to adorn yourself with colorful body paint and slogans, wear fancy dress, disguise yourself a bit (eg sunglasses, helmet, mask) or remain partially dressed — be as bare as you dare.”

Contrary to popular belief, there are no laws against public nudity in many cities, including London, though you’re discouraged from getting naked before the ride, lingering too long in the nude afterward, or doing anything “indecent.” Many cities have special afterparties for the ride, and even though the attendees will be fully clothed, it should still be a pretty good time.

The event is BYOB (bring your own bicycle), and riders are advised to have their bike thoroughly inspected before participating to ensure the safety of themselves and others.

In many cities, the ride is taking place on June 8, including Toronto, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Chicago. Other cities will host their events later in the summer, such as Los Angeles on June 22 and Boston on July 20. While there is no single website listing event information for each location, search online for naked bike rides coming to a city near you.

H/T: TimeOut

More like this: 7 US cities that are best explored by bike

The post Naked bike rides are happening around the world this weekend for a great cause appeared first on Matador Network.

High snowmelt may make best rafting

The snow keeps falling on the slopes of Colorado. The unusually high snowpack means the Rocky Mountains that bisect the state are still covered in snow. There’s so much snow in the mountains that skiers and snowboarders are still making turns — Arapahoe Basin ski area just announced an extended season running until June 23. For rafters, all of the extra snowmelt could lead to one of the best seasons on record.

As temperatures warm throughout the state, snowmelt runoff is expected to begin in the coming weeks and drastically increase water flow in the state’s rivers. Runoff generally begins in mid-May, but the lingering winter conditions have caused a nearly three-week delay. River enthusiasts tout the delay as a surefire sign of an epic season, however, with conditions allowing river outfitters to operate commercial rafting trips through Labor Day.

Besides entirely eliminating the statewide drought that resulted from last year’s below-average snowfall, this year’s snow may create the best rafting conditions in decades. David Costlow, the executive director of the Colorado River Outfitters Association, expects 2019 to be the strongest year since the mid-nineties.

“All across the state, I think this should be a very good year for rafting,” Costlow told The Denver Post. “1993 was a whopping year, 1995 proved to be a very good year. It’s probably going to be the best in the last 20 years.”

Expect a challenging paddle throughout June, though, as rapid snowmelt can turn rapids normally rating as a Class II or Class III into a Class IV or V, and make even calm sections of a river more volatile. High CFS (cubic feet per second), the measurement of how fast river water moves, promises extreme conditions until most of the snowmelt passes. If it’s your first time on the water, you might want to push that rafting trip back until July or August. Check current conditions at Colorado Whitewater.


More like this: 11 insanely cool river rafting trips in Colorado you need to take

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Student loan borrowers fleeing US

There are many different ways to deal with your student loans: refinance, save up for years, or — apparently — flee the country. According to a CNBC report, several student loan borrowers have left the US to avoid paying their loans. The US government can garnish wages and tax refunds for borrowers working in the US, but not for those working abroad, which is where this clever loophole comes in. But while you can disappear from the country, your debt will not disappear, and will actually increase with compound interest and late fees. That hasn’t stopped people from fleeing their financial woes, however, for a short while at least.

One borrower, Chad Haag, decided to remedy his student loan situation by relocating to a jungle in India. “I’ve put America behind me,” the 29-year-old told CNBC. He currently lives in the village of Uchakkada for $50 a month, with a backyard filled with trees and chickens. When asked whether his loans still weigh on his mind, he said, “It’s kind of like, if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it really exist?”

Another borrower, Chad Albright, was unable to find a job in his chosen field, and couldn’t afford to pay his $30,000 of student loan debt. His solution? Move to the Chinese city of Zhongshan, and then later to the Ukraine, where he now teaches English. “I am much happier in Ukraine,” he said, and has no plans to return to the US or check his student loan account.

Student loan debt in the US is astronomical, having tripled over the last decade. The average student’s graduation debt is currently around $30,000, and is projected to reach a nationwide total of $2 trillion by 2022, according to CNBC.

While fleeing the country might not be the smartest long-term solution for many borrowers, it certainly underscores the issue of rising student loan debt. Alan Collinge, founder of Student Loan Justice, said, “Any rational person who learns that people are fleeing the country as a result of their student loan debt will conclude that something has gone horribly awry with this lending system.”

H/T: CNBC

More like this: Things that inevitably happen to you when you move overseas for love

The post To avoid paying student loans, many borrowers are fleeing the United States appeared first on Matador Network.

McDonald’s international menu coming

Dollar menus are great, but penny menus are even better. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’ve probably stopped in at a McDonald’s abroad and noticed some pretty unique menu items that you can’t find in the US. Now, those quirky options are coming stateside. From 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Thursday, June 6, you will be able to try four items from McDonald’s “Worldwide Favorites” menu for any amount of foreign currency. That’s right — whether it’s euros, shekels, rupees, forints, or krona, you can exchange it for one international item.

The items include the Grand McExtreme Bacon Burger from Spain, the Stroopwafel McFlurry from the Netherlands, the tomato and mozzarella chicken sandwich from Canada, and the cheesy bacon fries from Australia.

The foreign currency promotion is only valid on June 6, but the Worldwide Favorites menu will be available from June 5 through early August. Jamie Straza, vice president of the McDonald’s Owners Association of Southern California, said in a statement, “The Worldwide Favorites menu items are among some of the fan favorite menu items in their respective countries,” and that the goal is to bring to US consumers “a taste of McDonald’s abroad.”

The promotion may be limited, but pending its success, McDonald’s may decide to introduce these menu items permanently. And if nothing else, at least you can finally use those euro coins that have been sitting in your drawer since your semester abroad back in 2011.

H/T: Thrillist

More like this: McDonald’s is offering menu items from other countries. And we tried them all.

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Artists turns unused tires pet beds

In the city of Campina Grande, Brazil, there’s a housing crisis currently underway — but not the kind that you’d expect. Stray animals actually outnumber homeless people by over 500 percent, and one artist is doing his best to give those animals a home. While 23-year-old Amarildo Silva was working at a local supermarket, he was trying to figure out how to use his creativity and artistic ambitions to make something useful out of discarded materials. Noticing that the dogs in his neighborhood liked to curl up and sleep in old, used tires, he started collecting unwanted tires from city streets, parking lots, and landfills, and upcycling them into ornate and comfortable pet beds.

Photo: Caominhas_pets2/Facebook

He starts by cutting the tires into desired shapes, adding fresh paint, and decorating them with bone, paw, and heart shapes. He also sews printed fabric around soft cushions to create a comfortable base for the tire bed, resulting in a truly luxurious home for the stray animals of Campina Grande.

He began selling his pet beds to friends and coworkers, but word of his project spread, and he has been invited to demonstrate his work at schools and local events. Now, the artist finds himself in possession of a rapidly growing business called Cãominhas Pets, which you can follow on Facebook and Instagram. Not only does he continue to create pet beds, but now he also transforms unwanted mounds of rubber into colorful planters for his community’s gardens.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CaominhasPetsOficial (@caominhas_pets) on May 22, 2017 at 5:03pm PDT

The result of Silva’s efforts is not only new homes for the area’s stray cats and dogs, but also the substantial reduction of waste. In an interview with environmental news blog Green Matters, Silva said, “Over the course of two years, I already removed 1,500 units of old tires from the environment making only the [pet beds]. This certainly makes a very big positive impact on nature.”

H/T: Sharebly

More like this: Everything you need to know about your rights for flying with pets

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How to order coffee in Italy

If you’ve been to Italy, one of the things you likely noticed is how proud Italians are of their coffee. Coffee in Italy is seen almost as a religion, and over the centuries, Italians have created an entire set of rules around ordering, brewing, and drinking coffee. There are differences in the rules between the north and the south, but certain commandments are universally held true whether you’re in Milan, Bologna, Rome, Naples, Catania, or any other major city. Master these dos and don’ts and you’ll avoid looking like a clueless tourist when all you want is to order a coffee.

DON’T ask for a “coffee” unless you want an espresso.

In Italy, there’s just one type of coffee: espresso. If you go to a bar and ask for a coffee or a caffè, that means you’re asking for an espresso. The barista will never ask you which type of coffee you want, and cappuccinos, caffè lattes, mochaccinos, and the like are not considered coffee in Italy.

DO drink your coffee standing up.

Italians love to drink their caffè while standing at the bar. The reason is simple: The amount of coffee is very small and it’s drinkable in less than a minute. People talk with the barista while they drink, and the talking itself is an experience within an experience and perfectly represents what coffee is for Italians. Coffee is a social activity and has to be treated as such.

It’s worth mentioning that if you sit down and have a server taking your order, you usually pay about double the price — more if you’re a tourist in a touristy area.

DON’T ask for an Americano.

Italians don’t usually drink Americanos, and unless you’re in an American bar or bakery, you’re not going to get one even if you order a long coffee (or caffè lungo). A caffè lungo is basically a double espresso, which tourists call “lungo” and locals tend to call doppio, as in a double espresso. If you ask for an Americano, don’t expect to be amazed by what you get. Most of all, be prepared to be denied an Americano.

DO try the summery coffee-based beverages.

Espresso is enjoyed year-round, but Italians love to have cold coffee in the summer. It’s amazing how many variations you can try in Italy. Crema di caffè (literally, cream of coffee) is among the most famous and is made with a sugar-based creamy coffee served cold. It’s thick, and it can also be enjoyed as a small dessert.

The simplest is iced coffee, which is made with espresso. Then there’s the shakerato, made with hot espresso blended with ice. Every area has its own regional cold coffee. If you’re in Apulia, for example, try the caffè leccese made with hot coffee, ice, and almond milk. So simple, yet so good.

DON’T order a cappuccino after 11:00 AM.

Photo: Min_dof/Shutterstock

Italians are known to have their cup of milky coffee in the morning, but never in the afternoon or after a meal. Before 11:00 AM, you can find at least three different types of milk coffee. There’s the cappuccino, made with equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk. Then there’s the caffè latte, espresso with more steamed milk and less foam than a cappuccino. Finally, there’s the latte macchiato, which is basically steamed milk with just a splash of espresso. None of these are acceptable to drink in the afternoon, especially after a meal.

DO pay before telling the barista your order.

One of the most important rules at a coffee shop is to pay at the register before telling the barista what you want. The general way of doing things is to order and pay at the cashier, keep your receipt, and hand that receipt to the barista. If you have particular requests, such as serving your coffee in a glass rather than a cup as many Italians do, tell the barista when you hand the receipt over.

Know that in the south, coffee is often served with a glass of sparkling water to cleanse your palate before drinking your coffee.

DON’T make things complicated.

The simpler the better when it comes to Italian coffee. Never ask for a frappuccino, vanilla latte, flat white, and so on and so forth. Even if Starbucks is now a reality in Italy, you won’t find any special coffee in a traditional Italian coffee shop. The only exceptions are almond coffee in Apulia, a marocchino (a cocoa, milk, and chocolate drink) in the northern part of Italy, a caffè alla nocciola (espresso with hazelnut cream) in Naples, and coffee-based cold drinks in the summer.

DO leave a tip and be polite.

Leaving a tip in Italy is not mandatory, but the majority of Italians place their receipt on the counter while ordering and leave small change (usually between 10 and 20 cents) on top of the receipt. It’s a nice touch and a way to thank the barista for their service. It’s also polite to leave as soon as you’ve finished drinking your coffee to let someone else take your place at the bar.

More like this: 7 unique ways people drink coffee around the worldc

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How to beat jet lag

Jet lag, the obnoxious sidekick of long-haul travel, is always waiting at the arrivals terminal, ready to hand out that second day of a bad hangover feeling. Many of us are willing to go to great lengths to dodge that pathetic prize package of drowsiness, irritability, headaches, indigestion, and confusion. Luckily for savvy jetsetters, the science exploring how our body’s routines affect our overall health has come up with helpful travel hacks to reset our internal clocks at a faster rate. Timing really is everything. Here’s how to use the science of routine to beat jet lag.

Note: Consult your doctor before making changes to your sleep and diet routine, or taking supplements.

How jet lag destroys your body’s rhythm

The body is always open for business. Each shift has a specific job and there are several “clocks” that run those shifts, dictating all of our functions and keeping us healthy. The sleep and wake clock is the master clock (circadian rhythm), telling the body’s day shift when to start its activity and telling the overnight shift when to take over and do repairs during sleep. This routine, this shift switch, is so crucial that the body even sets backup alarms in other organs, such as the digestive cycle and skeletal muscle activation. If we mess with our sleep and turn day and night upside down, our backup clocks will try to kick in and signal the activity shift (awake) and repair shift (sleep).

The circadian rhythm is initially set by exposure to daylight and darkness and then is hammered into instinctual habits based on time of day. Once it has a habit, your body can wake around its normal time, for a period of days, even without sunlight. But when time drastically changes, such as after a long flight, the stunned circadian rhythm is thrown off and is frantically struggling to catch up. That master clock that runs all of our routines can only naturally reset at the average rate of an hour a day. For instance, if you have a six-hour time change, your biological rhythms aren’t back to fully normal for six days. In the meantime, we’re feeling the effects, most notably in our immune systems and thought processes that are definitely not their best selves.

How to hack your routines before and during your time zone jump

The key to beating jet lag is rapidly resetting our internal clocks faster than the natural rate. To have the greatest chance of avoiding jet lag, we need to start adjusting our habits before and during our time jump.

1. Gradually switch to your destination’s time before the trip.

Sleep is a power player with jet lag. Not only do our bodies work best with seven to nine hours of sleep, but we best use that sleep when it comes at a predictable time. Our bodies know to release melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep cycles, in sync with the daily shift from day to night. For most people, melatonin is telling the body to sleep starting around 9:00 PM and fading out around 7:30 AM. When you change time zones, melatonin release stubbornly resists the change in light and wants to stick with time, leaving you groggy and disoriented in the middle of an afternoon and wide awake before dawn. But if we break that time-based sleep habit before we leave, it will be much easier to reset our routines with light when we arrive.

The most basic reset schedule is this: A week before you leave, start moving your meal and sleep times by either 30 minutes or an hour each day. If you’re heading east, go to bed and wake up earlier and earlier each day. Heading west, start pushing your wake and sleep times back as much as you reasonably can. Even small shifts make a difference before departure. Online calculators, such as Jet Lag Rooster and British Airways’ jet lag fighter, as well as apps like Timeshifter, do the math for you and provide detailed, individualized plans.

2. Fast for at least 12 hours before arrival.

I’ve often found myself eating airline meals that I’m not hungry for and wishing for more snacks. Boredom and habit strike again. I told myself it was alright, as I was just syncing my meal-time with my destination and cleverly fighting jet lag. Turns out that was wrong, and a missed opportunity to drastically cut symptoms up to seven times the rate of my normal routine. The answer: Skip the meals entirely.

A streamlined version of the Argonne diet for beating jet lag, the anti-jet lag fast disrupts and re-syncs the master clock without all the pre-trip prep work. When a body is fasting for at least 12 hours, the back-up “digest clock” suspends the circadian rhythm to conserve energy, effectively stopping time-based routines. When we eat, we start the clock again and the body pays attention to daylight and darkness to reset the clock instead of time. Simply, if you fast, your body won’t care as much what time it is back home but will instead pay attention to the light cues when you’re at your destination, making jet lag recovery faster. Watch your fasting start time before departure to get at least 12 hours and pass on those flight meals and snacks. Instead, jump-start your trip and your internal clock with a good meal when you arrive.

How to hack your routines upon arrival

While jet lag is best fought before you arrive, there are still several things you can do once you’ve reached your destination to demand that your body shifts quickly. The road warrior advice of making yourself stay up and avoid naps on the first day is still useful and necessary. But these other methods will also help you get a healthy reset in the first few days while feeling less miserable.

1. Soak in the sunshine.

The science of health routines is beating us over the head with this main truth: You need natural light to reset and feel like yourself. If you need to wake up earlier, get outside and get natural light as soon as possible. If you need to stay awake for longer, make sure you are out and moving in the late afternoon sun all the way to sunset. If you’re at a location that lacks radiant sunshine, never fear, even a gloomy, cloudy sky allows for natural light and it can still help reset your clock.

2. Get moving.

Exposure to light is good; movement in light is even better. Break out of an in-room or in-hotel workout routine and get as much light as possible, telling your brain that this is waking time. Fitness and nutrition specialists also suggest that, when it comes to sleep, do aerobic efforts in the morning and anaerobic activities, such as weight lifting, sprinting, and any intense exertion, later in the day.

3. Get your calories in early.

Eat the bulk of your calories earlier in the day and try to be done eating by 6:00 PM or 7:00 PM at your destination when you first arrive. Even our helpful livers have clocks to turn on the conversion of calories to energy by day and to shut down and store calories at night. Pushing our livers into overtime work with full meals late in the evening throws all of the other functions off tempo too, making it even harder to reset to a new time. (We can see this all on a smaller scale with the “weekend social jet lag.”) Once the rest of the body resets to the new time zone, the liver will be able to be more flexible with late meals and free-flowing libations.

4. Switch to local bedtimes.

If you haven’t already, the sooner you can switch your sleep to local time, the better for your immunity, metabolism, and ability to think. The first nights of your arrival are key to this, even if going to bed “earlier” or staying up “later” to fit your bedtime in local time is difficult and uncomfortable. Good sleep hygiene routines can help trigger sleepiness even if the timing is weird. Things like limiting screen time before bed, keeping your room dark and cool, not skipping bedtime hygiene routines, reading with gentle light, listening to music, and dedicating the bed to sleep and sex only are additional ways to get your sleep back on track.

5. Use melatonin supplements.

While it may be 1:00 AM in the morning where you are, if your recently arrived body thinks it is 7:00 PM in the evening, it is still resisting releasing melatonin. An over-the-counter supplement of the widely studied and accepted melatonin (often found with the vitamins) can help bridge the time gap until your body adjusts. Physicians recommend that melatonin should be taken at the local bedtime and 30 minutes prior to the intention to sleep. Research notes that doses between 0.5 milligrams and 5 milligrams are effective, with doses above five having no additional effectiveness. Avoid alcohol when using melatonin and consult your doctor with any concerns.


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Best bike tours to take this summer

When I was a kid, my dad used to say, “We don’t take vacations. We take adventures.” Sounds bold, but back in those days it meant spending your whole “vacation” on a bicycle, sweaty and sore, instead of relaxing like literally every other family on the block. Now, active vacations are as common as beachside all-inclusives, and among the most popular are cycling tours through breathtaking scenery.

Almost every scenic spot in the world has bike tours now, which means the options can be a little overwhelming. To get you started down the right… path (thanks, Dad) here are seven summer bike tours that will be the leg-cramping vacation of your life.

1. Camino de Santiago, Spain

Photo: lunamarina/Shutterstock

Europe’s midlife-crisis hiking equivalent of the Pacific Coast Trail is the lengthy Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrimage trails leading to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Cycling the Camino, however, is far more efficient, which you’ll discover as you speed past beleaguered hikers on your way from Leon to Santiago. This Intrepid bike journey stretches 185 miles over eight days, bringing you through some of the most spectacular architecture and natural scenery of northern Spain.

You’ll begin with a ride from Leon to Astorga, where you can stop atop a 13th-century bridge that looks down on a medieval jousting ground. From there the pilgrimage continues to the Cruz de Farro, a hilltop cross that’s an emotional stop for pilgrims to drop tokens of worship. Next you’ll make a serious climb into Ponferrada, where a 12th-century Knights Templar castle awaits, before an afternoon ride through rolling hills and vineyards. The following day is a pleasant descent into Triacastela and its sixth-century monastery.

Your penultimate day brings you to Santiago, the point where pilgrims get their “Compostela,” or certificate proving they’ve made the journey. The final day you can ditch the bike and simply enjoy this magnificent city, visiting its famous cathedral, wandering its narrow, cobblestone streets, and enjoying some excellent Galician food.

2. Finger Lakes bike and wine tour, New York

Photo: Bruce Goerlitz Photo/Shutterstock

With over 100 wineries in the Finger Lakes region, you’ll need to take it easy if you’re going to make it through this four-day Wilderness Voyageurs tour. Assuming you have a modicum of discipline, you’ll spend days biking around three of the Finger Lakes to local wineries and into some of the best state-park scenery in the nation. The journey begins in Seneca Falls, riding along Seneca Lake before a calming downhill to Taughannock Falls. From there you’ll spend a night in Ithaca before heading into Watkin Glen State Park.

Though the summer colors at Watkins Glen aren’t quite what they are in the fall, neither are the temperatures. So you’ll enjoy the steep gorges and towering trees in all their green glory under the warm New York sun. Next, you’ll cruise around Lake Keuka and into Hammondsport, a tiny town with award-winning breweries in addition to its wineries. From there, you’ll spend your last night in Belhurst Castle in Geneva before finishing the loop back in Seneca Falls. The tour offers plenty of time to check out the region’s small towns and is the ideal way to see the northeast’s premier wine country.

3. Passau to Belgrade on the Danube

Photo: Balakate/Shutterstock

Europeans, they get a little more vacation time than we do. But if you happen to be the odd American who can take two-plus weeks off in the middle of summer, you won’t find a more culturally fascinating way to spend it than on this Wheel2Wheel bike trip down the Danube. You’ll start and finish in Passau, an under-the-radar architecture gem on the Germany–Austria border, then bike nine of 14 days through Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade.

Along the way, you’ll stop in Iron Gates Natural Park and take a boat ride through Cataract Canyons. These gorges off the Danube offer the most striking natural scenery of the trip, providing a welcomed respite on day seven. In addition to the headlining cities, you’ll visit Kalocsa, the paprika capital of Hungary and home to the paprika museum. The tour also stops in the medieval town of Ilok, Croatia, a wine-filled destination with ample chances to taste.

You’ll pedal past castles, through dark forests full of big bad wolves, and into corners of Eastern and Central Europe you’d be unlikely to visit otherwise. With rides topping out at about 32 miles a day, none of the trip is too taxing. Though we can’t make any promises about your inbox when you return.

4. Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia

Photo: njene/Shutterstock

Nova Scotia means “New Scotland” for those not up on their Canadian place-naming, and this five-day Freewheeling Adventures trip through the Cape Breton Highlands gives you a good sense of why. Along the 200-mile loop, you’ll pedal along paved, windy mountain roads, past sweeping cliffs and crashing waves, while whales breach in the distance and eagles fly overhead.

The trip begins with a dive into the Margaree River Valley, where you can cool off in one of its famous swimming holes or try your hand at catching salmon. You’ll continue into Cape Breton Highlands National Park, climbing two 1,400-foot peaks with a lunch break in between. The next day brings you to White Point, home to the Highland Links golf course, the rare links course on this side of the Atlantic.

On the final day you’ll climb about 2,700 feet to Cape Smokey before finishing back in Baddeck. Along the way, your nights are spent in quirky, Maritime inns eating the freshest seafood of your life — and getting as close to a Scottish holiday as you can without an overnight flight.

5. Bourbon Country Burn, Lexington, Kentucky

Photo: Bourbon Country Burn/Facebook

Biking and bourbon generally sounds like something you’d read on the back of a jacket at a Hells Angels rally. But in Lexington, they fuse together magically from September 28 to the 30th on this three-day ride through bluegrass. Though you can take the bike route along Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail whenever you want, this organized ride from the Bluegrass Bicycle Company features a Bourbon Base Camp at the Kentucky Horse Park, a sort of retirement community for championship racehorses.

From base camp, you can explore four daily loops, offering distances from 20 to 100 miles through Kentucky horse country, visiting six distilleries along the way. Those include Makers Mark, Wild Turkey, and Woodford Reserve. Each night when you return to camp you’ll have the chance to sip more bourbon from the distilleries you just visited, in case you were taking it easy in preparation for the long ride home. The next morning you’ll wake up and do it all again, allowing you to tour the trail without having to pack up once. With ample time to nurse your hangover in the morning.

6. Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

Photo: H+I Adventures/Facebook

The Scottish answer to the bourbon trail tour is appropriately a little more… rugged. This eight-day H+I mountain bike adventure takes you through Cairngorms National Park, the largest park in the UK and home to its only arctic environment. Like the bourbon ride, you’ll have a home base from which to start each day; this one is a guest house in Aviemore. You’ll be introduced to the Highland singletrack, which you’ll be riding for the week, and learn some skills to help along the way.

From there you’ll spend each day traversing pine forests, crossing pristine rivers, and navigating thick heather among tree roots and rocks. The tour includes a trip into Speyside and the highest concentration of distilleries in Scotland, a nice break before the hardest day of the trip. Day five brings you into Cairngorms harsh arctic environment where you’ll spot wild reindeer before climbing boulders and carrying your bike. Next is a visit to Her Majesty’s Highland residence before a final day of fun careening through the trails around Carrbridge. The trip finishes with dinner on the River Ness, where scotch will flow freely.

7. Banff to Jasper, Alberta, Canada

Photo: Reimar/Shutterstock

Biking through the Canadian Rockies might sound like an insurmountable task, but if you ride your own pace and enjoy the glacial majesty of the Icefields Parkway, it’s a lot easier than it sounds. This four-day Mountain Madness tour starts with a nice little warm-up riding out of Jasper to Athabasca Falls, the first grand scenery on the tour. The next day gets into some steeper terrain, going past Tangle Falls and onto the Athabasca and Dome glaciers. The cold air coming off the ice will make for a relaxing environment as you climb towards Sunwapta pass before coasting through a 10-mile downhill to the waterfalls of the Weeping Wall.

The next day begins a tough climb to Bow Pass, but it won’t seem so bad with turquoise lakes and snow-capped mountains passing by. The pass offers a spectacular view of Peyto Lake, which you’ll have plenty of time to take in before descending into Lake Louise. Finally, the Bow Valley Parkway takes you into Banff, a calming, rolling final day capping the most rewarding ride of your life.


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