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The Unexpected Benefit of Writing Letters to My Kids Every Month

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Whoever said “It’s not about the destination. It’s the journey” never flew on a long haul flight. Those flights can be painful, tiresome, jet-lagging, and not to mention absolutely boring despite whatever Disney movie is playing above you on the TV screen. As someone who has flown from Europe to the USA countless times, I’ve picked up some tips and tricks on flying long haul. Here are my tips.

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Bring a scarf or jacket.

A scarf especially can act as a blanket or pillow during your long haul flight. Nowadays it’s becoming less common to have a blanket included on your flight, and sometimes the cabin doesn’t even have enough for everyone. The best advice is to bring something functional just in case because flights can get quite chilly. A relatively thick, large scarf will almost always do the job.

Pack a memory foam neck pillow.

Once again, you want to be comfortable on your flight and no matter if you’re in the window, aisle, or middle seat, a memory foam neck pillow will make it all the more comfortable and relaxing for you.

Tip: Some people are hesitant to pack a neck pillow because of space. But most neck pillows have a snap closure, meaning you can easily snap it onto your carry on handle or strap it to your personal item. When it doubt, you can always wear it around your neck. No shame.

Bring an eye mask for sleeping.

If you’re flying through the day, an eye mask will be extremely helpful in getting some relatively normal shut-eye. If you’re flying on a red eye flight, it’s less necessary, but honestly every little bit helps.

Put headphones and a portable charger in your personal item.

This one is crucial for keeping yourself entertained or productive. Headphones for jamming or listening to podcasts and a portable charger for keeping your mobile devices charged. Sometime flights have the USB port, but you can’t always count on them to be functioning… Yes, I’m serious. Pack headphones, a portable charger, and your cord just in case.

Download podcasts.

Fun, educational entertainment! Podcasts have become one of my favorite pastimes for flying. I just download a few interesting ones before my flight and enjoy them while I’m on board.

Pro Traveler Tip: If you’re traveling somewhere new, I love listening to podcasts about that country or location to start getting inspired and excited about my adventure. You could even download a couple of podcasts that teach you some essential words or phrases in your destination country, too!

Gratitude

Family First

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quotes-and-images-family-love-family-quotes-24132It is Day 30 of the Super Gratitude Challenge which means, only one more day to go.  Today I am going write about how grateful I am for the experience of having a great family.  Not everything in my life was perfect but there are a lot of things to be grateful for and I want to share just a few.

My Grandparents

I was fortunate to have a relationship with all of my grandparents, which was unique and I treasure.  I also had the great good fortune of knowing all but one of my great grandparents as  well.  This extended family connection allowed me to be spoiled and feel like I was the center of a lot of people’s lives.

This picture, four generations of Hilton's, taken in early 1970's. My father, grandfather and great grandfather in the back. My brothers and myself in the front. Guess which one is me.
This picture, four generations of Hilton’s, taken in early 1970’s. My father, grandfather and great grandfather in the back. My brothers and myself in the front. Guess which one is me.

There were so many things that I was taught by these people, from how to behave myself and be polite when company came to the value of honesty and doing what you say.   The greatest gift that each of them gave me in a different way was to tell me that to them, I was special and had the potential to do about anything.  One by one, they passed away over the years and are all gone now, but their lessons live on in my heart and will for my life.

The Parents

Like most people in adulthood, we look at our parents with a knowing understanding.  They were never going to be perfect, and Jimjoannejeffjonmy parents weren’t.  But they did give me a safe and happy childhood. I was never abused, or neglected and felt again like my life mattered significantly to them.  It still does today.

My father was a school teacher and coach and shared a love of sports with me and my siblings that still exists today.  It is a way that we can relate to each other.   My mother is a minister and she is still preaching every Sunday.  Even though I don’t agree with her religious beliefs, she doesn’t push them on me.  She is a thinker and writes and well, so do I.  I got great gifts from each of them.

Sibling Appreciation

Well these people are the ones who have shared the common experience of JonathanJeffreyswinggrowing up.  There aren’t many people who really know what that means, but they each do.

All relationships are formed over a common experience, school, work, a hobby or your family life and siblings are the ones who really know who you are.  I am grateful for  the experiences of childhood, even though they involved a lot of arguing and many disagreements, there were a lot of shared moments of special times that even today are fondly remembered.  I was one of four and that in itself made me part of a unique group.  All of my family have first names that begin with the letter J.

So there it is, on Day 30 of this gratitude challenge I am thankful for all of my family members, those who have passed on and those that are still around.

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