In personal development circles there’s something known as ‘extreme self care’. For those of you not familiar with self development terminology, this basically means pampering.
I know that’s not typically something you’d associate with the image of a vagabond but hear me out!
Those of you who’ve been on the road for a while can probably relate to the feeling of road-weariness and travel fatigue when not even the most spectacular of sights can raise more than a wearied sigh of “oh cool” from you.
This can be especially draining if you’re travelling on a budget, counting the pennies and have a minor heart attack when a meal costs you more than £3 (or $6).
Sometimes however, splashing a bit of that cash is the perfect antidote to travel fatigue and there’s nothing better than a bit of extreme self care (whatever that means for you) to perk you up.
For me in HK last week, that meant a decent haircut at a proper salon and a meal that most definitely broke our budget!
What do you do for extreme self care on the road?


May 22nd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Two things really make me feel pampered and happy when I am in the middle of a long trip.
1) Hot bath in a nice hotel with a private bathroom. It’s just heaven to splurge on someplace nice once in a while. Also (in the US) a great opportunity to stock up on mini toiletries.
2) I love to go to movies in foreign countries! 2 hours in the dark to recharge does wonders. Bollywood movies often have simple stock plots, so it’s fun to go and try to figure out what the heck is going on. In Europe (esp Italy) movies in English are often listed. Added bonus: at some theaters not only can you buy a glass of wine at the snack bar, but you can carry it in with you to your seat! Hooray!
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Once a month, I go to a luxury hotel and eat Sunday brunch - pancakes, maple syrup, cold milk, silverware…
May 27th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Massage, haircuts, manicures, buying the local edition of Vogue … these things are pretty expensive in the UK so I take full advantage when abroad. :o)