The sea is alive with icebergs of fanciful shape and impossible hue floating on glossy waters, like rough-cut diamonds scattered by a giant unseen hand. Antarctica's ethereal landscape shimmers with a savage beauty and raw power that exceeded the expectations of even a jaded traveller like me. A study done at John Hopkins eight years ago showed that people who wrote down some of their adventures, be they positive or negative experiences, showed improved mental health and were better able to cope with travel stress. The Best Medicine Laughter is one of the healthiest antidotes to stress. Establish Travel Rituals People who have high stress in their lives tend to live in an environment without ritual, surrounded by mental and physical chaos.
Travel removes one from a lot of the established rituals of life.
The nine examples given above are, by and large, rituals I have established for myself in a travel environment. Establishing rituals can help prevent and reduce stress by saving time. It can be a comfort factor in times of stress, when predictability and certainty reassure us that no matter how bad conditions get, some things remain constant. Dr Paul Grundy is a senior medical coordinator with AEA International Pte Ltd, a company with operations in 24 countries which helps people who get into trouble anywhere in the world.