Life / Travel

Tomorrow I’m heading to one of my favorite places in the US: Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine. This will be the third year in a row that my girlfriend and I have taken a fall trip there, and I’m feeling like a seasoned pro at this point—I think I have a pretty strong handle on what it takes to thrive both in the park and when tooling around the tiny, lovely town of Bar Harbor, where we stay.I want to be clear: I am not an Outdoors Person. I’m not looking to camp and I prefer a sensible walk in nature to a hardcore hike, and I don’t think anyone, by any stretch of the imagination, would describe me as “crunchy.” That said, a few years ago I realized that being outside regularly is extremely good for my mental health, and this—coupled with the work of Ken Burns—is how visiting a national park ended up on my bucket list. Acadia is within driving distance of New York City, and I had heard from a friend that it was “bougie” (perhaps because it was financed, in part, by a literal Rockefeller!!!), so it was an easy sell. Now? I’m a full-on Acadia stan.If you, too, are planning a fall jaunt to Acadia (or any other park or outdoor destination in the Northern US) and are wondering what to bring with you, allow me to share a few highlights from my annual packing list. These are the items I return to every year, and that have served me well both in Maine and as a casual nature-appreciator at home in Brooklyn.1. Carhartt Rugged Flex Loose Fit Canvas Bib OverallsCarhartt Rugged Flex Loose Fit Canvas Bib OverallsWhile I have yet to master the art of packing light, I’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out “trail to town” looks for this trip—which means I end up packing a bit less than I would if I were bringing wildly different outfits for going to the park and tooling around town. My Carhartt overalls form the basis of this approach, and are a wardrobe staple when I’m in Maine. (While the exact pair I have is mostly sold out now, the newer version above is very, very similar.) Overalls are incredibly comfy and low-fuss—I really like not having to worry about my pants slipping around when I’m out and about.By the way, these come in a few other colors, including black, brown, and a rusty red, but don’t be afraid of the cream! I’ve gotten mine very wet and muddy, and have had no problem getting them clean again via a normal laundry cycle.2. Columbia Hikebound Rain JacketColumbia Hikebound Rain JacketBefore our first Acadia trip, I put all my anxious energy into finding the perfect rain jacket: Something that wouldn’t be too heavy or too light, because I wasn’t sure how cold it would be; that was roomy enough to layer over a sweatshirt; that had a hood to protect my hair; and that could be folded down and stuffed into my backpack if I didn’t need it in a given moment. I also wanted to avoid anything that was cut the way most women’s outerwear is right now—you know, very nipped-in at the waist, but with voluptuous “feminine” hips? After approximately 10,000 hours of research, I finally found what I was looking for in a men’s jacket from Columbia. (Mine is the now-discontinued Cabot Trail jacket, but the Hikebound is identical and has all the same features.) I love this jacket; the hood is big enough to keep my (rather sizable!) dome dry, and the small is perfectly oversized on me. It’s unlined but surprisingly cozy, and I can layer it over the thickest sweater or wear it with a T-shirt on warmer days. I have actually gotten tons of use out of this jacket in the three years since I bought it. It also happens to be great for running errands or taking my dog out when it’s raining, and I wore it to work today because it was dumping buckets in NYC.3. Columbia Newton Ridge Plus Waterproof AmpedColumbia Newton Ridge Plus Waterproof AmpedI wasn’t sure if I really needed hiking boots for my first trip—so often, good sneakers work just fine for spending time outside—but I’m really glad I went ahead and got these boots. They are comfortable, supportive, and waterproof in a way that most sneakers are not, which I’ve been thankful for every time we’ve encountered rain during our trips. (At least once per visit, if not more.)

On to the intensity of your poops: Per the CDC’s travel guidebook, mild cases of traveler’s diarrhea don’t interrupt your daily activities (meaning, it sucks but you can handle it); moderate ones mess with your plans and can be fairly distressing; and in severe cases, you’re totally unable to go about your life because the pain, the poop, the entire predicament is that intense.However, if your TD’s on the milder side, Imodium can be helpful. According to Dr. Fiorito, a less-intense case suggests you may be infected with a virus, perhaps one that causes food poisoning; with such illnesses, antidiarrheals can slow down the runs while allowing your body to fight the infection. But if bacteria is to blame, as it was in my case, or if you have moderate to severe diarrhea (i.e. you can’t stray too far from the bathroom or there’s blood in your stool), you probably want to skip the Imodium and other anti-motility drugs—and definitely go to the doctor. Bacterial infections tend to be more invasive and severe and using these meds would “just be keeping the bacteria in,” Dr. Fiorito says.Stay hydrated by taking small sips of water.My doctor advised me to keep drinking water since I was losing a ton of fluids, but it just seemed to make things worse. Whenever I chugged, my stomach would cramp up and I’d have to bolt to the toilet moments later.It turns out I was going about it all wrong: Gulping down water was my mistake. Drinking too much, too quickly can make your GI issues even worse. “Take small sips so as to not overwhelm the body,” Dr. Fioriti advises. This helps your kidneys process and filter the water more effectively, too, she says, so you can avoid dehydration—which can become pretty dangerous and lead to serious issues, like organ damage or shock, that require a visit to the ER. “Small sips ensure your body can use all that water, without the kidneys getting overwhelmed, and process it without excreting what it doesn’t need,” Dr. Fioriti says.While we’re on the topic: Rehydration solutions with electrolytes—which you can find in Liquid I.V. packets and Pedialyte—are solid choices. You can also make your own hydration cocktail. Here are a few options from Dr. Fioriti: Half a can of Coke or half a glass of Gatorade with equal parts water and a pinch of salt, or, the simplest bet: Six teaspoons of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt, plus four cups of water.Use acetaminophen instead of NSAIDs.When you have traveler’s diarrhea, it can feel like your intestines are at war—which is why, in moderate to serious cases, it’s smart to opt for a pain reliever like acetaminophen (Tylenol) instead of ibuprofen (Advil) or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen (Aleve) or aspirin.NSAIDs, especially with heavier use, are known to cause gut side effects in some people, including gas, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal bleeding. With TD, your stomach’s already going through the wringer and popping too much ibuprofen could potentially add fuel to the fire. Definitely ask your doctor about this one: While one pill likely won’t do any harm, relying on these drugs to feel better could end up making your stomach more upset, depending on your underlying health, the severity of your symptoms, and your history with NSAID use. “It’s just very irritating to the stomach,” Dr. Fioriti says.Other than that, you want to relax as much as possible and eat small amounts of bland foods (toast! bananas!) and salty snacks (like pretzels or crackers). And as always, if you feel really, really unwell, talk to your doctor. More serious cases of TD—those that involve bloody diarrhea or more than three watery poops a day—may require a course of antibiotics to get your bowels back on track. That, sadly, was the case for me and my husband.TD knocked me off my feet, but the moment I started following the above tips—and, eventually, letting the antibiotics do their thing—the better I felt. Rotating in and out of the bathroom wasn’t exactly how we envisioned our first-anniversary trip ending, but, hey, as they say, in sickness and in health!Related:

10. If you’re traveling with a mobility device like a manual wheelchair or power chair, things can get extra complicated. This is a great multi-part guide to traveling with a wheelchair, and this is a really helpful Reddit thread about taking your manual wheelchair on a plane—or, if absolutely necessary, checking it at the gate. One user suggested bookmarking this page, which outlines the federal regulation that states airlines have to at least try and store your collapsible wheelchair in the plane’s cabin.11. As unfair as it is, flying comfortably while fat requires some extra preparation. Some airlines have gotten with the times and established specific policies for “customers of size,” which is the terminology carriers typically use. Southwest, for example, offers complimentary additional seats if a passenger can’t fit into a single one, including by reimbursing extra seats bought in advance.12. When you can’t book ahead of time but think you’ll need more space, you should ask the staff at the gate whether it’s possible for you to switch to a part of the plane with an extra empty seat, or even to an entire free row if your flight isn’t full, Katie, a Delta Airlines flight attendant, tells SELF. (Katie requested that SELF omit her last name for professional reasons.) “Try just going to the gate agent and saying, ‘Hey, if there’s anywhere with a middle seat open, I’d love to be there,’” she says.13. Request a seatbelt extender as you board the plane—according to Katie, that’s the easiest time for flight attendants to accommodate your request. “We have all different planes, the seats are made differently sometimes,” she says, so even if you don’t always need an extender, it’s worth asking if you think there’s any chance you could be uncomfortable. (You can check SeatGuru to find the width of the seats on your plane.) Also, it might seem like a timesaver to bring your own extender from home, but you’ll need to ask the flight attendants in order to ensure the one you’re using is Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)–compliant, because not every at-home model conforms to the aviation safety administration’s safety regulations.14. Mask up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommends that you wear high-quality masks or respirators while traveling, especially in “crowded or tight spaces with poor ventilation like airport jetways,” on planes where the ventilation system is switched off, and on trains and buses—a.k.a. the way many airports require travelers to hop from terminal to terminal. For the best protection, grab a pack of disposable N95, KN95, or KF94 masks. Keep a few on you at all times so you can put on a new one if long-term wear is making the one you came to the airport with feel stale.15. While you don’t need to use a Clorox wipe on every inch of your seat to protect yourself from germs, it’s good to be cautious about touching shared surfaces on the plane, especially if you’re immunocompromised or traveling to visit someone who is. One thing you do need to thoroughly sanitize: your hands! Make sure you wash them after using the bathroom, and don’t be afraid to get liberal with the hand sanitizer, too. “Hand sanitizer is going to be a better investment than bringing a whole tub of wipes,” Dr. Chin-Hong says. “And washing [or disinfecting] your hands before touching your face—that’s probably the most important thing.” Dr. Chin-Hong also says that because bathroom door handles tend to be particularly germy, it’s worth finding an alternate way to open the door after you’re done, like with a napkin or your elbow.

We’ve all been there: You’re innocently wading in the ocean when, all of a sudden, a wave rolls in and smacks you in the face. You swallow a bit of ocean water—and if you’re like me, you think nothing of it. That’s just part of the beachgoing experience: You get sunscreen in your eyes, sand collects in places you’d rather it didn’t, and you accidentally sip on salt water from time to time.But one of these things is not like the others. According to a new report from Environment America, a nonprofit that conducts environmental research, it’s probably a good idea to pay closer attention to the quality of the seawater you swim in—and, whenever possible, avoid gulping it down. Many beaches contain pretty high levels of bacteria and other pathogens that can make you sick. Of the 3,192 beaches scientists tested in 2022, 1,761 (or 55%) had potentially unsafe levels of fecal contamination on at least one of the days the water was tested, based on criteria from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). One in nine beaches met or exceeded that level on at least 25% of the days tested.When it storms, rainwater pulls all sorts of muck, like Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus, off the land and into the sea. Manure from farmland and sewage overflow seeps into oceans, filling our waters with bits of feces, Onema Adojoh, PhD, a visiting assistant professor in the department of earth, environment, and planetary sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, tells SELF. And coastal animals—seabirds like gulls, of course—deposit bacteria-packed droppings of their own in the water.If you take a dip and are exposed to pathogens by ingesting them, inhaling them, or having direct contact through your eyes or an open wound, there’s a chance you could get sick with gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines that’s usually caused by bacteria or a virus), or a respiratory infection, or wind up with skin, ear, or eye irritation or infections. Any of those things can happen in a flash, even if you’re just cooling off for a sec: “When something is toxic or harmful, regardless of the quantity, it’s still going to have almost the same effects” if you’re exposed to it at all, Dr. Adojoh says.How can fecal matter in seawater get you sick?It’s impossible to list out all the microscopic pathogenic threats in the sea because there are so many and they’re always in flux due to factors like the season and local weather conditions. Per the new findings, seafaring fecal matter contains all kinds of gross little microorganisms. E. coli and Enterococcus are the biggies behind most swimming-associated gastrointestinal problems, like diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and dehydration.In 2022 alone, there were 8,788 beach advisories or closures in the US due to concerning levels of disease-causing pathogens. (These also include cyanobacteria from algal blooms, which can cause intestinal issues and neurological symptoms, and aquatic fungi like dermatophytes, which can cause nasty skin infections. Salmonella, which causes gastrointestinal infections, is also floating around out there, as are viruses like adenoviruses and norovirus and parasites like Giardia.) Waterborne illnesses are more common than you’d think: Every year, there are an estimated 29 million cases of illnesses people get after splashing around in oceans, lakes, ponds, and rivers.

When to get vaccinated: At least a month before your tripHepatitis A and hepatitis B are two very different diseases, both of which can hurt the liver, but there’s a combined hep A/hep B vaccine that you can get if you haven’t been immunized against either one (or just don’t know what you’ve been vaxxed for in the past). You can get this on an expedited schedule too, if you’re up against the clock: Typically this shot is given over the course of six months, but in a pinch, three doses can be administered in 21 days. There are also shots specifically for hep A and hep B, respectively, if you know you’ve been vaccinated for one, but not the other.In terms of what these diseases are, let’s start with hepatitis A. It’s a very contagious liver infection that’s transmitted through contaminated food and water or contact with an infected person. The symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea, and jaundice, can last up to two months (and, for some unlucky people, up to six months). Pretty much every country in the world recommends travelers get this shot (which, by the way, requires two doses given six months apart, but even one dose provides strong protection). “It is the most recommended vaccine for travel,” Dr. Sammon says.Hepatitis B is a much more serious liver infection that can be deadly. It’s spread through bodily fluids (like blood, semen, or vaginal fluids), most commonly through sexual contact with someone who’s infected (there are an estimated 350 million hepatitis B carriers globally). It can also be transmitted through sharing personal care items (like a razor or toothbrush) or getting a tattoo or piercing from unsterilized equipment.Hep B is not as common as hep A, but it’s much more serious. Though many people will get better in a few weeks, some will get chronic hepatitis B, which can lead to issues like liver failure or cancer. It’s particularly important for people who expect to have any sexual contact or medical procedures abroad to get vaccinated for hep B first, Dr. Sammon adds, so talk to your doctor to gauge your risk—but no matter what, “I would recommend that you get it if it’s on the CDC list for your destination,” she says. The good news: Hepatitis B is entirely preventable by vaccines.Typhoid feverRecommended if you’re traveling to: Eastern and southern Asia (especially Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh), Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the Middle EastWhen to get vaccinated: At least two weeks before your tripTyphoid fever is a bacterial infection that causes a sky-high fever along with weakness, headaches, and gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea and constipation. If you’re treated early, you can recover swiftly, but there’s one issue: The infection is often not recognized quickly because it resembles other common illnesses, says Dr. Sammon, adding that it can be fatal.

Whether you’re a city sightseer, an outdoorsy adventurer, or an expert beachcomber, your choice of shoes can seriously affect your vacation. A flimsy flip-flop or random flat will likely leave your feet begging for rest after a day of touristing, whereas a comfy pair of sneakers, a versatile hiking shoe, or supportive slip-on can help you enjoy your travels.That’s why we sought out the best footwear for traveling—from airport-friendly clogs to walking shoes you can wear for strolls and hotel workouts—according to outdoor experts and well-traveled SELF staffers. Read on to find your new favorite vacay shoe, so all you bring home from your next trip are souvenirs, not blisters.All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

A reader writes:Hello Lindsay, My friends and I try to go on an annual girls’ trip and this year we decided a relaxing long weekend was in order. The organizer, I’ll call her Patrice, planned a luxurious getaway—including a huge rental home, a private yoga class, and a fancy dinner out. We’re a mixed group of middle- and high-income earners, and while I’m okay financially (I’m a vice principal at an elementary school), the vacation ended up being way out of my budget. Patrice shared the estimated per-person cost in the e-vite and I just can’t swing it this year. It’s been so long since we’ve all been able to get away, though, and I’d love to go, but I know I shouldn’t put this expense on my credit card. How do I politely decline the invitation without sounding cheap?Signed,Go broke or go home?First, let me say, what a beautiful invitation! A curated staycation with good friends sounds lovely. The older we get, the harder it can be to carve out time to nurture our relationships with friends, but it’s so important. Some studies have found that maintaining friendships can help lower anxiety levels, decrease stress, and give your immune system a boost. So not only does a weekend like this sound like a lot of fun, but it’s also probably good for your health. That said, financial stress can also affect your physical and mental well-being, and this is a tricky spot to be in. But it’s not all bad news! Here are some potential solutions to consider as you work through this (very common) issue:See if you can find a compromise. For many people navigating the costs of a trip with friends, their biggest fear is bringing up the finances. If someone gets a bigger room at the rental home, should they pay more? If someone with a food allergy brings their own food, do they have to split the grocery bill equally? While discussing personal finances can be awkward, it sounds like the organizer of this trip, Patrice, has made it clear she’s comfortable talking about money, since she spelled out the expected costs in her invitation. When you review the itinerary, are there any activities you can safely afford (in other words, is there an expense you wouldn’t have to finance on a credit card)? If so, you could let Patrice know you can’t join for the entire weekend, say, and see if it’d work out for you to join for dinner and/or yoga. You also shared that not everyone in your friend group is all high roller. If you’re feeling a little nervous about the trip’s cost, can you check in with a couple of the others who might be more wallet-conscious? A few of you could chat through some potential financial compromises. If you think a 3-star getaway instead of a 5-star one is a possibility, you could try saying something like, “I know a few of us are on a budget. If you’re open to it, I found a couple of rental homes in the area that are more affordable!” Another option would be to see if you can help dial down the extra expenses by busting out your best Top Chef skills and cooking a meal together instead of the fancy dinner out, and/or streaming a yoga class instead of hiring a private teacher. If you can’t go this time, be honest about the reason.If this year’s trip is out of your price range, make sure you’re explicit about wanting to join next time. You could say, “My budget’s a bit tight right now, but I plan on saving up for next year’s event, so make sure to send me an invite!” A problem I see happen a lot in friend groups with varied incomes is that the person who isn’t able to pay for extravagant trips, restaurants, and shopping sprees quietly ghosts or makes up an excuse instead of just saying, “I’d love to, but it’s out of my price range.” After several unanswered invitations, the host might assume you aren’t interested, and those texts and calls could stop coming. Instead, be really clear that you’d love to celebrate with them and your other friends but you just can’t swing the cost.