Travel Fit

Are you someone who travels frequently?  Living life out of your suitcase as you hop one flight to the next for that urgent sales meeting, conference or client presentation?  And most seasoned frequent flyers understand that maximizing this lifestyle can be tough and if they're not careful can lead to poor eating and fitness habits.  We're looking out for our road warrior customers have rounded up a few healthful eating tips and simple exercises that can keep you on the road to "wellville!"

While plentiful food choices may not always abound in small and medium hub airports, we think you'll find these tips universally applicable when traveling.  When ordering off the menu, visiting the grab and go kiosk, or even packing your own snacks; we recommend considering the following:

• Ordering a slice of veggie pizza instead of the pepperoni.
• Selecting a baked potato as your side in lieu of the french fries.
• Pack raisins to nosh on instead of a candy bar.
• Purchase a bottle of water, not the bottle of soda.
• Ration yourself some carrots instead of cheese puffs.
• Need some cereal?  Choose the whole-grain, no sugar option instead of the sugary variety.
• An apple will be better for you in the long run instead of the fruit pie.
• Want dairy?  How about low-fat yogurt instead of ice cream.
• Opt for the turkey sandwich instead of the fried chicken.
• Have a plain bagel with your morning cup of coffee instead of the donut.
• Pretzels can provide a salty fix instead of the potato chips.
• 1% milk has less calories per glass than whole milk.
• Have a sweet tooth?  Try graham crackers as opposed to the chocolate chip cookies.

Couple these healthy food selections with these on-the-road exercises and you may just have a bit more energy than you planned on when returning home from that week away.  The best part about these exercises?  You don't need equipment to do them!

• Take the steps instead of the elevator.  Get that blood flowing.  If you're up to it, take two steps up at a a time!
• Lunges, if you do these in the hotel room after taking the stairs, you're sure to get a great leg workout!
• Sit-ups and push-ups are a great floor exercise.  Any reasonable hotel room will have enough floor space for you to throw down a bath towel as an exercise mat after you get back from meetings, dinner or the like.
• Hold up the wall!  Lean against an empty wall in your hotel room as though your sitting in a chair with your legs bent at a ninety-degree angle.  Hold this position as long as you're able without falling.  The more you practice, the longer you should be able to hold this position. 
• If you have time to visit your hotel's fitness facilities, add it to your trip agenda!  If you schedule the time and make a point to consider it a "to do," you may be more likely to stick with the healthy routine while on the road.

Bear in mind that these fitness tips are suggestions and may not be applicable for everyone.  We hope you're able to find something useful and apply it toward your healthy travel pursuits!

What tips do you have to share?  Do you have favorite healthy food choices that you've discovered in airports and hotels during your travels?  Do tell! 

Fish and Crabs and Shrimp; oh my!

Get hooked!  No, no, we're not talking about the sea shore!  But, we are delighted to announce that Phillips Seafood will be the latest in the restaurant mix available at Harrisburg International Airport (MDT).  In the next few days, the current Varsity Grill be permanently shutting its doors and re-opening as Phillips in mid-April, 2011.  Ticketed passengers arriving at or departing from MDT will be able to access the new restaurant beyond the security checkpoint.

So, still stuck on the fish, crabs and shrimp?  Check out the Phillips Seafood menu for the full array of delectable options to choose!


What will you be dining on during your first trip to the Midstate's newest Phillips?

Fee free?

Yesterday we asked our facebook fans and twitter followers which part of the flying process (outside of the fare itself) would they like to see fee-free.  We received some very constructive feedback from everyone, of the 15 responses received, half of the respondents were frustrated with baggage fees and the other half were an assortment of suggestions related to change fees, parking rates, and the return of free meals and drinks.

Many of the respondents offered tips on how to avoid fees and we'd like to share a few of those with you:

• Know your airline's baggage weight limits and size restrictions.  These vary per airline, so for the airlines serving MDT we've compiled their baggage policies into one convenient quick links location for you.
• If you can travel with just your carry on, do so.
• Pack your own food or snacks in your carry on to avoid having to purchase snack packs or meals while in-flight.  Be sure to review the TSA's policies on what you can/cannot pack in your carry on!
• Purchase a beverage in the terminal once you've cleared the security checkpoint.
• As much as is within your control be certain that your scheduled travel dates actually work for you.  Not all extenuating circumstances can be planned for or know about in advance, but if you know your schedule is "iffy" wait until you have as many of the details worked out as possible before you book your trip.
• If you can buy (book) your airfare on a Tuesday as opposed to over the weekend, you're more likely to save money on the cost of the airfare.  Read this recent article from The Economist magazine for more insight on the best times to purchase a plane ticket.

In summation, our fans and followers find that the more prepared you are for your flight in advance (knowing your food, packing, and air travel needs ahead of time), the better. 

Do you have any travel tips and cost saving measures to add?  Do you think there's a better model for airline fee structures?

Lady Travel Talk: Great Finds and Foods

We are pleased to introduce our 4th guest blogger of the Lady Travel Talk, a mini-series tailor made for female travelers. This series covers a host of topics related to the travel experiences of each of the ladies contributing to the series. Today's guest blogger is Mandy Arnold, director of marketing for LightStyles, a regional high-end window and door distributor, and a strategic branding and public relations consultant.

Mandy has clients up and down the East Coast and travels regularly for both business and pleasure.

Today Mandy shares insights on living local while traveling, tips for discovering great regional flavor and shopping.

I really enjoy traveling, but as a business traveler I often don’t have much time to peruse city streets to discover great hidden gems. So, I rely on a few tricks (eNewsletters and apps) that allow me to spend less time researching and more time experiencing.

A couple of things you should know about me… I’m married to a chef and consider myself to be somewhat of an unofficial food critic (see my reviews on Yelp.com) and I love to shop at local boutiques.

There are a few daily eNewlsetters I would recommend for women (and men) who share in my enthusiasm for food and finds. First, I subscribe to DailyCandy for the best insider boutique sales in the cities I frequent. They cover everything from one-day pop-up sales (where boutiques have season close outs and rent a vacant building for a day to sell inventory) to travel tips and best places to eat. Second, I’m a “member” of the Guilt Group (it doesn’t cost anything and email me if you need an invite to join). Gilt Group has a section called JetSetter that offers exclusive travel deals on boutique and high-end luxury hotels, inns and international vacations. While I can’t afford these vacations all the time, I read the blog posts and editor picks for tips on the area. And every now and again, I book a domestic stay for a special weekend.

Beyond these daily reads, when I’m planning a trip I start with visiting the local bureau of tourism for the region. You can easily find the local office or other visitor’s bureau websites using the Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory. These sites will usually have the most up-to-date list of annual events and information on historic or downtown districts. If these are not easily located, my default is Frommers. Frommers offers insights that most other sites won’t offer, like what areas of the city are safe places to walk, what to avoid and who to ask for at local venues for exceptional service. During my travels, historic and downtown districts have proven to be gathering places for great food finds. Once I pinpoint an area that meets two criteria – walking distance to entertainment and easy airport access – I search for what others have discovered.
If I’ve never been to a town or city before, Wikitravel is a fast and easy tool for identifying some unique history or local foods worth exploring in the region.

Ahhh, now on to finding my favorite part of the trip: FOOD! I usually start with Yelp.com (website or the smartphone app) to search for a great place to eat that’s centrally located so I can walk around before or after dinner. Walking also helps to justify over indulgence in the local cuisine. However, when I don’t have time to preplan a trip, I have become a big fan of Aloqa, a mobile service that pushes out notifications on local events, music, shopping, interesting places and more, all based on GPS location. Aloqa also syncs with MeetUp, so you can get a list of small and large events in the area to attend. Some of the best trips I have had included some sort of impromptu TweetUp or MeetUp.

So, with all these tools, I bet you’re wondering what I’ve actually found. Well, since this is just one blog post, I’ll touch on just a handful of my favorite finds.

Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston has the best walking tours I have ever been on. The historic district, which is most of the downtown city, is a visual experience like no other. If you’re a lover of vibrant architecture and beautiful landscaping, then this region of Low Country is for you. There is a great little MoonPie store downtown where you can pick up plenty of graham cracker and marshmallow inspired paraphernalia (MoonPies originated not far from here). Don’t be mistaken, this is by no means the impetus of your culinary experience in Charleston!
Have lunch at Magnolia’s, and if it’s cool enough, enjoy a cup of Blue Crab Bisque. For lovers of seafood, hit Hank’s Seafood Restaurant for dinner and be sure to order the Oyster Sampler and the Tuna Tartar.
If you visit the area for a few days, try to plan a day to visit Pawley’s Island or Kiawah Island.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ever discover a place that you felt you shouldn’t share for the sake of it becoming too popular? Well, The Franklin Mortgage and Insurance Company is one of mine. Yes, that is the name, but it’s not what it seems. Located on 18th Street in Philly, this bar sits behind a nondescript black door with no signage. With very limited seating, this place is where the real bartenders work. If you find extreme pleasure in the fine art of libations, this place will be well worth the wait. I personally recommend the Lucy Leave (raspberry infused brandy, Lillet, demerara, orange and cucumber).

Recently during a stay in Philly, I just happened to get a DailyCandy newsletter about a pop-up sale going on that same day right around the corner from where I was having breakfast and I scored a pair of boutique shoes for 85% off (Translation: I paid $37.50 for a $250 pair of shoes!).
If you’re spending the weekend in town and arrive with an empty stomach that will require massive amounts of food, stop by Cuba Libre to enjoy a rich Cuban atmosphere. If you’re not too hungry and just want to relax with a glass of wine while nibbling on an assortment of charcuterie complemented with the perfect selection of breads and apricot, honey and mustard spreads, visit Amada. For bunch in Philly, I like The Plough & Stars. The Plough has an outdoor seating area where you can watch the city awake slowly as everyone emerges from a Sunday slumber.

I hope my tips help you discover some great finds and food on your next trip.

Where are some of your favorite places to dine while traveling? Do you have a place that you've made a tradition of going?