As we start thinking about summer vacation plans (ok, I am a little behind schedule here), I thought it might be helpful to post some links to a couple of interesting articles I read recently.
The first introduced me to the word “mancation,” a term that is new to me, but supposedly coined back in 2002. My first reaction to the Wall Street Journal article, Guys Just Want to Have Fun, by Sue Shellenbarger, was wondering how many people could actually take an eight-week long cross-country cycling trip and then, what do these people do for a living.
In addition to the normal golfing and fishing trips, the column focused on the more extreme activities that men sometimes pursue – things like simulated dog-fighting in vintage airplanes or shark-diving expeditions. Here at the Healthy Travel Blog we often write about the risks that travelers may encounter during standard vacations. But mancations offer a whole new realm of danger and risk. What are travelers doing to take precautions against possibly bad outcomes? More preparation, better knowledge of nearby medical facilities and a more cautious, conservative approach to post-injury care may mean the difference between life and death. As a person who used to take much greater physical risks, I think that in some cases it was only luck that saved me from more disastrous results. My takeaway was this: have fun, know your limits and be prepared.
And now for something completely different, as they used to say on Monty Python’s Flying Circus (although originally used by Christopher Trace on the BBC children’s program, Blue Peter): the second article that caught my eye was not news to me but was a reminder and a good summary of the steps that one can take to economically stay in touch when traveling internationally. In Tips for Using Your Cellphone Abroad, Jennifer Saranow Schultz of the New York Times helps travelers navigate the confusing world of wireless carriers.
Let us know about your mancations, or even your gender-agnostic extreme vacations and also about your experiences with using your cell phone internationally. For an extra bonus, tell me how these two articles are connected. Hint: the answer is in the prior sentence.
Photo by g-na.
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