Happy travel tips

Being happy...... 
It is not a continuous state of mind. 
Life has its ups & downs. It is how you deal with it. 
A positive attitude results in emotional happiness. 
You get back what you sent out. 
So when you are grumpy, other people will be grumpy at you. 
When you are nice at people, people are nice back at you. 

Easily said, not so easily done. 

After having spent 2 weeks on Bali, walking around in the same shorts for an entire week, being in nature, enjoying a nice climate (30 degrees!!) it was harsh for me to come back to Shanghai. 
Compared to Bali, the temperature has dropped 30 degrees, it's grey and snowy over here (and freezing cold). 
Coming home in a cold apartment, I'm tired. I don't feel like unpacking my 2 suitcases (I don't know what happened to 'travel light' again)...... and for sure I don't feel like grocery shopping (my fridge is completely empty though). 
Instead of letting these thoughts taking over my mood, I decide to focus on the things that make me happy. So I turn the heather on (I'm very grateful for my floor heating :-)) put on some music, make myself a cup of tea and lit incense ....making unpacking into something enjoyable...... that works for me to prevent holiday blues. 

When travelling I always try to buy local things. Photos, soap, baskets, candles, whatever reminds me of the holiday, and as soon as I unpack my suitcases and find these things I get a smile on my face again. 
Especially things with a nice smell, like incense, or scented candles work very well, as I have strong associations with odours.

Here are some more tips for happy travelling (by airplane that is):

• Put a recognizable sign on your suitcase (label, sticker, scarf). I once lost my suitcase and when the airline asked, what does your suitcase look like.... uuuhhhh.... big and grey..... yeah, all of them look like that.... Having something recognizable on it, makes it easier to find your suitcase back (and it looks nice :-))
• Use a trolley. They make your life easier and they are for free, so better use them. 
• Bring a big scarf, super helpful when cold in the plane, you can use it as blanket, and for travelling you can use it as a cloth or pareo. 
• Hand luggage essentials:
1. Spray mist (e.g. Evian, or La Roche). As my skin gets so dry from flying, this really helps to moisturize (better than creme, trust me, I tried all of them....). When your skin needs water, it needs water, not creme. Make sure you bring the smaller one (<100 ml)
2. Nuts or seeds (pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds). Very nourishing, healthy snack. Especially as I often don't like the plane food, but mostly they serve yogurt & fruit, I just add the nuts/ seeds in it. 
3. Earplugs + eye mask: essentials for getting some sleep.
4. Hand wipes/ tissues 
5. Music (+ headphone)
6. Warm socks. My feet often swell up in the air so I take off my shoes. In order to prevent cold feet I bring warm socks (additional note, do wear slippers when using the airplane lavatory) 
7. Something to read/ Ipad
8. A good mascara. I swear by Sensai by Kanebo 38 degrees mascara. Doesn't come off, no matter what. 

NB. Of course you also need your passport, money etc.

• Book accomodation through Airbnb. I love it. You find the nicest places, get to know the locals, get insider tips for bars & restaurants. You don't feel so much a tourist and it's often cheaper than a hotel. Last but not least, you get to know amazing people. 
• Never put your house key in your suitcase when travelling back home. In case your suitcase gets lost, you cannot get into your home (yep, happened here....). Instead keep your house key in your hand luggage. 
• Bring something local back home to share with your colleagues. At my office it's an unwritten rule, that after each holiday everybody brings back something local to share. Often food. It's a nice gesture, you can share a bit of your holiday feeling with your colleagues and it's a good way to get rid of your last local money :-)
• Keep a (travel) journal. No need to write entire stories if you don't feel like. Just writing done some words per day is nice. Eg. what you have done, what you have seen, what you ate and who you met. 

Happy travelling.