Independent Travel Shownotes: Inchon Airport,
Korea
Welcome to Dr. Mary Travelbest’s
Independent Travel Guide. This is for women who travel, who want to travel, and
especially for those who want to travel independently.
In this episode: FAQ is on where to go solo if you haven’t done it in
decades. Where to start? The destination is Inchon Airport, Korea, my mistake
is sunburn, and travel advice on immunizations.
FAQ:
Donna asked: I am 58, married with 2 kids in
college. I haven't traveled solo since my early 20's but would like to! What is
your recommendation for a good place to start? I like a little bit of adventure
but not sure if I would go for it alone. Love the ocean and hiking. Any
thoughts or advice welcome!
Well Donna, Dr. Travelbest has some advice for you and welcomes
input, too. If you love the ocean and hiking, I would spend some time in
Mendocino County, Northern California, not too far from the Oregon border,
about 3.5 hours from Sacramento, and go to the beach as well as the redwoods
for some great hiking. Yosemite National Park is also a nice destination, if
you want to explore some of nature’s best. Pick the time of year when it’s not
crowded, for example May or October, and you can find lots of things to do
there.
Another place where I love to visit is my home state of New
York, where you can visit the beaches on Long Island and take long hikes along
the seashore or inland.
Here’s an idea Donna: Picking places that are not too far from
your kids in college, so you can tie in a lunch or dinner with them while you
are traveling, too. They may even want to join you for a swim or a hike.
Highlights:
Today’s Independent Destination- Inchon Airport, Korea
best airport worldwide by Airports Council International
world's cleanest airport and the world's best international
transit airport by Skytrax.[3]
The airport has
a golf course, spa,[4] private
sleeping rooms, an ice skating rink, a casino, indoor gardens,
video game center and a Museum of Korean Culture.
The airport holds
a record of being ranked the Best Airport Worldwide for 11 consecutive years by
the Airports Council International (ACI)'s Airport Service Quality Award
To be ready for the future growth
of Korea, the airport opened in March 2001, serving many areas including Tokyo,
Osaka, Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei. It was created by building an artificial
piece of land between two islands, originally separated by shallow sea. The
airport has a record of being the top ranked Best Airport Worldwide for 11
consecutive years by the Airports Council International’s Airport Service
Quality Award. It has 111 boarding gates altogether.
We had a four-hour layover each
way, so we got to know the airport.
Layover heaven. Free showers,
which made such a difference on a long journey. They supplied the towels, soap,
shampoo, hairdryer, and it was hot! There were sleeping areas, like little
pods, plenty of free touch screen computers to use.
Today’s Mistake
Sunburn: I seem to get sunburns
all the time because I have Irish skin. Even when I think I’m covering up, I
miss spots. So don’t be like me. Prevent your burn. Why? Preventing sunburn can
literally save your life. Lather up before you go out, even if it’s cloudy.
Today’s clothing can have an SPF number, so that’s a good thing to shop for. If
you like to hike, be sure you cover your neck area, even if you’re wearing a
hat. Sunburns, especially if you have fair skin, can be painful and prevent you
from enjoying your travel, so take care of your skin. It’s your biggest organ.
Don’t be like me! Sunburns cause
DNA damage to the skin, accelerate skin aging, and
increase your lifetime skin cancer risk. In fact, sustaining
five or more sunburns in youth increases lifetime melanoma risk by 80 percent.
Today’s Travel Advice
I spent a month in China years
ago and there was a serious outbreak of Hepatitis
A, but no vaccine. The advice was to not eat out or shake hands. That was
impossible, as I was on my own. Travel Immunizations can be useful before you
go on the road. Ask your physician if they know the immunizations for the
region. If they don’t know, then ask your local pharmacist. If you want to get
a consultation, Costco now offers this at Costco.com/pharmacy. For a fee of
about $40, you can get a web-based consultation with a Travel Medicine
Physician. You will input your medical history and itinerary, then get an email
confirmation of the recommendations, before you schedule your immunizations at
the Costco
Pharmacy. This is new, so if you use this service let me know. I recently
got my flu shot there and learned about this.
I’m looking for you to travel best, so go ahead and let me know what’s on
your bucket list.
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