Have you ever looked at a simple little gizmo and thought, that can’t possibly work? That’s how I felt about my motion sickness wristbands until a pal told me they kept her stomach from trying to leave her body when she flew. Now I don’t go anywhere without them.
The seabands kept my upright and able to take in the view on the ferry back to Victoria from Seattle. It was a pretty smooth ride, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference to my system. If we are in motion, I am uncomfortable. I used to get extremely anxious on airplanes but once I calmed my tummy, the anxiety eased. I’m the kind of person who can’t even go on a swing in the park without it ruining me for the rest of the day, so you know I need something to get me off the ground.
These comfortable, elastic bands have a hard plastic button that presses into the wrist at the main artery. This is supposed to be an acupressure point that relieves nausea. Whether or not you believe in it is irrelevant if it works. Unlike drugs, there’s no hangover when I take them off. They cost less than $20 at a drug store about a decade ago. I’ve never had to replace them.
My other travel trick involves making room for souvenirs. I pack my purse into my carry-on bag for the trip to wherever I’m going. By planning to carry my purse home separately, I’ve automatically made room for a purchase or two. (Or three.) It also helps to have an extendable suitcase, which I do, although it’s starting to break down from the inside out and may need to be replaced soon. My red beauty has taken me on many trips and I love its telltale black smudge on the front because it occurred at the Paris airport. If it had happened anywhere less exotic I might have been mad!