Five kinds of summer vacationers

Schools and colleges have rung their vacation bells, and travel’s in the air. Families have renewed their holiday vows and set out into the great outdoors, children, guidebooks and suitcases in tow. The sun is scorching, trains and flights are full, and a good time is guaranteed. Well, almost. Here’s a look at five different species of summer holidayers, from the Hermès-toting to the thepla-stocked.

They carry everything along, prepared for any eventuality a summer holiday in Shimla or Shillong might present them with. From snacks with a long shelf-life to long-range binoculars, they take great pride in their travel inventory, checking items off lists with professional nonchalance. Their first-aid kit is a thing of extravagance, with muscle relaxants rubbing sore shoulders with smug probiotics. They carry notepads that stay empty, extra socks that remain unused and at least one useless gadget whose batteries are hell to locate on the morning of the trip. This sort are very useful to have a hand if you should ever need a measuring tape in the middle of a forest or an energy bar at a buffet. Or if you need to feel superior about your own minimalist—and differently flawed—travel style.

You can spot them from a mile. They have the perfectly assembled airport look, combining assuredness and recklessness like it’s edamame and truffle oil. They don’t walk so much as glide through their vacation, whether it’s a Gehraiyaan-style sailing trip or a Paris Hiltonesque glamping affair. They carry the perfect holiday reading— an artfully battered paperback with a blurb screaming ‘New York Times Bestseller’—which will be used as a boarding pass holder and kombucha coaster for the duration of the vacay. You encounter them sashaying along corridors with Hermès bags and loose buns from which not one strand of hair will escape without permission. Then, they disappear through a magic portal in a swirl of perfume and poise.

ON A TRIP

Travellers are a diverse breed; they may travel to the same destination but have completely different experiences

Holiday as escape? You’ve got to be kidding. For this species, holidays are an opportunity to absorb all the possible intellectual and cultural possibilities of a destination. You’ll find them enthusiastically asking the locals questions about their way of life, turning even a visit to a Bangkok food street into an anthropological exercise. They collect souvenirs maniacally, from stamps and coins to plant cuttings and pamphlets, furnishing their museum of memory with an array of curated artefacts. Photography is the chief pastime for the chronically interested, documenting every mood and moment until everyone around is exhausted. For the Sponge, enjoyment is directly related to edification. There is no limit to their curiosity, which brings them in direct and often comical conflict with the Sloths.

They flit from thing to thing, making it look like the most natural pattern. One moment they’re admiring an ancient banyan, the other, they’ve sped off on a pilot bike to a food pop-up in a Goan hideway. Plans are to this lot like pineapple is to a pizza-lover—unwelcome and untasty. They travel light and without schedule, and are always making unreasonable demands on their companions for this very reason. All in the interest of spur-of-the-moment entertainment. They’re usually the ones who get bitten by the love bug—or a snake— on holiday and return changed in some way, though very reversibly. Slaves to spontaneity, they will not bow to the demands of advance booking, and never admit they were wrong not to. Careful while holidaying with this variety. It might be addictively fun.

Even when you test negative, chances are that you still might not feel okay. That is because this virus leaves imprints in the form of certain symptoms. How can you ease into your routine as your body is still recovering?

Respect your body’s need to rest. Yes, exercise is medicine, but at the right time. This is not to say that you stay sedentary, but less will be more for you. Healing happens in a state of complete rest and deep sleep.

If blood clots were a symptom, engage in light movement to help boost blood circulation, the lymphatic system and oxygenation. Even if it’s just walking around the house with intermittent rest, do it.

If you are too weak to walk, ask someone to press the soles of your feet for three-five minutes, twice a day. If the infection compromises your respiratory function (pneumonia, breathlessness), rest for 10-15 days based on how you feel, and slowly ease into movement.

If you experience body pain, fatigue, muscle spasms and tightness, start with gentle stretching exercises or subtle yoga (Sukshma Vyayam). Do not overdo it. Listen to your body.

Inflammation is part of the immunity process. The problem is when the inflammatory response is not switched off. Increased inflammation (also called the cytokine storm) is noticed in most Covid patients. While there are medicines to control inflammation, one must also focus on lifestyle.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods can stall inflammation. Inflammation also reduces when we sleep.

Pain is mostly the outcome of inflammation due to infection. Other than pain medicines, here’s what you can do.

SAFETY FIRST

Don't compromise on precautionary measures or underestimate the need for adequate post-covid recovery

Have some turmeric, ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper in your kitchen? Great! Load these into teas, spice powders, concoctions, dals or soups. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil or ghee as this combination works best in the presence of fat.

Drink a glass of freshly squeezed mosambi juice (if your sugar levels are high, make an informed decision.)

Drizzle a teaspoon to a tablespoon of pure extra virgin olive oil over your salad or hummus.

Consume unsalted nuts—almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts. Include Omega-3 rich foods like flaxseeds, fatty fish or chia seeds. Have a cup of freshly-brewed loose green tea or black tea leaves sans sugar as it also also helps reduce inflammation.

Add a little red or green chillies to your food (unless you have hyperacidity or ulcers.)

Remove all inflammatory foods—sugar, processed meats, junk foods, refined carbs, refined oils. Avoid cigarettes and alcohol.

Covid infection doesn’t just affect your body, but also your mind and emotions. Most individuals tend to experience the fear of falling sick again or of post-covid side effects. Fear is your body’s survival mechanism. Use that fear to fuel you into action. Make a list of what you can now do to address that fear, such as:

Boost your and your family members’ immunity.

Follow safety protocols.

Cut away from sources of news that stress you out, including conversations, mindless scrolling, forwarded messages and so on. Believe in your body’s intelligence to protect you.

Affirm this mantra: I am safe. I am protected. I am guided. Change the narrative. If it’s been tough for someone, it doesn’t have to be tough for you.

Now, slowly move to action. Yes, take professional help if necessary. Build a strong you and take whatever right action you can.