<![CDATA[CoffeyTalk - Travel and Transportation Articles]]> Sometimes we feel like we need to get away - but there's no time to travel. How can we escape and feel like we’re on a vacation without leaving home? Here are my suggestions!

- Hide your clocks! Don’t wear a watch. Go all day without looking at the time. Sleep when you’re tired, eat when you’re hungry – follow your body clock.

- Spend a day in silence. This is a HUGE challenge for most people, so if you need to start small, try going an hour in silence, then two, then more. That means no phone calls, no television and no reading, either! Reading is engaging in conversation with the author – keep this about tuning in to your inner self, connecting with nature.

- Make fancy blended drinks and serve them with little umbrellas and maraschino cherries! Anything with coconut milk will feel festive and tropical.

- Go barefoot.

- Schedule an in-home massage.

- Play world music and dance around the kitchen with abandon!

- Meditate.

- Lay down outside and watch the clouds drift by, maybe even stay there until you can see the stars.

- If you've got a pool, wait until it's dark, light some candles, and go skinny dipping!

]]> <![CDATA[At-Home Vacation]]> Sometimes we feel like we need to get away - but there's no time to travel. How can we escape and feel like we’re on a vacation without leaving home? Here are my suggestions!

- Hide your clocks! Don’t wear a watch. Go all day without looking at the time. Sleep when you’re tired, eat when you’re hungry – follow your body clock.

- Spend a day in silence. This is a HUGE challenge for most people, so if you need to start small, try going an hour in silence, then two, then more. That means no phone calls, no television and no reading, either! Reading is engaging in conversation with the author – keep this about tuning in to your inner self, connecting with nature.

- Make fancy blended drinks and serve them with little umbrellas and maraschino cherries! Anything with coconut milk will feel festive and tropical.

- Go barefoot.

- Schedule an in-home massage.

- Play world music and dance around the kitchen with abandon!

- Meditate.

- Lay down outside and watch the clouds drift by, maybe even stay there until you can see the stars.

- If you've got a pool, wait until it's dark, light some candles, and go skinny dipping!

]]> <![CDATA[Zen Travel]]> -Give yourself plenty of time so that you're not rushing, and so that long security lines don't stress you out.
-Bring along the books you want to read, or TV shows you've missed for your ipod, or podcasts that you've been meaning to listen to.  You can look forward to leisure time when you're at the terminal or on the plane.
-Bring some of your favorite food with you, just in case there is a lack of quality food at the airport.  You don't want to get hungry, that is sure to make you feel miserable in your surroundings.
-Allow yourself guilty pleasures - like gossip magazines, and chocolate bars.
-Pack light.  The less to lug the better.  Avoid bringing anything you wouldn't mind losing.
-In the taxi line, take the initiative - for example: "I'm headed downtown, anyone want to share a cab?"
-Plan excursions and activities in advance, so that you have your reservations and something to look forward to when you get there.  It can be stressful trying to line up a schedule at the last minute, and you might not get your first choices.

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