Tag: travel

Milan, Italy

I will try my best to be as neutral as possible when telling you about Milan. But, I did live here, so its a little hard to not be biased. I love Milan. haha.

Milan maintains its connections with ancient Italy by preserving its  respect for traditions all while welcoming new ones. Its a great city to visit and is a great base for traveling within Europe. Not to mention, its the fashion capital of the world! So yes, I love Milan. You can spend hours staring at the Duomo Cathedral or shopping in the Galeria. If you can’t decide, you can do both as they are placed right beside each other. For nightlife the Navigli area houses many options that will appeal to all. If you’re looking for a scene different from bars or great aperitivo, head to Brera,Parco Sempione, or il centro (downtown) and you can choose from Armani Prive, Just Cavalli, and more!

My time in Milan was great. I loved being in Europe and having access to American amenities. It was perfect for my transition, because I’m a city girl and there are certain things that I just can’t do without. Visit Milan, you wont regret it!

Barcelona, Spain

There are not enough words to describe Barcelona.

Fooling around in Amsterdam, and trying to squeeze in a museum visit made me miss my flight to Barcelona! Rookie mistake, I know… Luckily, I was able to grab a seat on the earliest flight available for the next day… Which also gave me time to properly prepare for the upcoming trip, instead of winging it like I usually do, also to catch up on some z’s and deep condition my hair!

My friend and I stayed at TWO Hotel Barcelona by Axel, a chic gay hotel (straight friendly), in the Eixample neighborhood. The neighborhood was extremely central and well connected to various means of transportation that can get you around the city, and is walking distance to many shops, banks and markets. Speaking of markets, La Boqueria Mercat is a must see when in town! We were introduced to the market when we took a cooking class Saturday evening to learn how to make traditional Spanish paella & sangria.(details on the class can be at the end of the article.) The market welcomes tourist and locals and provides you with a variety of fresh vegetables, meat, fish, fruit and other mouth watering edibles :). Just thinking back on it makes me so hungry!

Even with some of our days planned, for the most part it was just based off recommendations from our friends, and random tinder meet ups, haha. We walked around a lot and tried to blend in as locals with our high school level espanol. We missed out on visiting the Picasso museum, they only accept a certain amount on Sunday, so get there early if you want to see it! We did visit the outside of la Sagrada Familia Basilica, which should be on your list, especially if you are a fan of Gaudi’s work.

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Parts of the city had an extremely rustic feel to it, while others gave you more of a city vibe. Our nights were spent walking around the city, venturing off onto random streets, viewing the yachts parked at the docks, and drinking in intervals I’m ashamed to admit. Overall, I had a great time and would definitely plan to visit again..

Cooking class info: We reserved a spot in the cooking class by visiting Travel Bar. Our chef, Fernando, was a great teacher and created a really fun cooking environment for us! Highly recommend using Travel Bar for your cooking class in Barcelona.

 

 

Traveling with Scoliosis

Ciao,

Before I dive into the tips about traveling with scoliosis. I feel as though I should tell you a bit more about me and my health. I was diagnosed with scoliosis about 11 years ago and had two high degree curves which resulted in me needing to have a corrective surgery. While my posture and overall health benefited greatly from the surgery, my spine is not 100% straight and often when traveling I host moderate level pain in my back. I can’t always fly first class ( sucks, I know) but I have found a few airlines that have comfortable seating which allow my pain to lessen, especially for long hauls from US to Europe. Below you will find my favorite airlines for long hauls ( over 4 hours) and tips while in flight that helps me with my pain. I hope it helps you as well!

My Favorite Long Haul Airlines 

  1. Turkish Airline: I flew from Turkey to Chicago, an 11 hour flight, and was amazed at how comfortable the seating was. It also helps that they provide you with blankets and a pillow, since I forgot mine! Often when I am flying I have to position myself in the most awkward position because after the third hour my back cramps heavily. With TA, the seats in economy are extremely spacious and I had enough space to move around in my seat and not disturb my neighbor.
  2. AirEuropa: I love flying AirEuropa but ONLY when its an AirEuropa plane. You know how you can book a flight, but its serviced by a different plane? This can happen on an AirEuropa flight, so make sure to check your itinerary! Once, my flight was serviced by a LOT! plane, and while the service was great, the plane was not so comfortable. The reason why I love AirEuropa’s fleet is because even in economy the seats are extremely spacious and allow you to recline your back and legs… Turning your seat into a little bed for your travel.
  3. AirBerlin: The seats are okay, the food is pretty good, the service is great and the isles are big!

 

Tips to make the best of your flight

I am not a doctor! But these tips have worked for me and I noticed a difference in the amount of pain that I experience when traveling. Feel free to try them at your own risk.

 

  1. BRING A SMALL PILLOW – I usually place the pillow in between my seat and the middle part of my back. It helps because my ribs are twisted from the scoliosis, so I still have a slight hump in my back. The pillow helps me fill in the gap on the rib that is normal.
  2. DRINK LOTS OF WATER – Water will help alleviate the cramping in your back and muscle tension.
  3. STRETCH!!! – I know you don’t want to be that awkward person walking up and down the aisle, but you have to be. I usually try to stretch at least once every hour, if you experience more cramping than normal I would say stretch every 30 minutes.
  4. BRING TYLENOL – Or whatever pain reliever that you use. Sometimes even with the mentioned tips I still have a lot of pain, and I have to bring in extra help.
  5.  NO HEELS –  I’m guilty of wearing heels on shorter hauls but never a long one. We need ALL the support we can get, and while I’m not trying to lug around a fancy pair of orthopedic shoes,  I will wear my comfiest sneakers. Heels are cute, but they don’t help us in this case.

 

I will continue to update this list as much as possible! If you have any tips that you would like to share feel free to comment or you can email me at she@shewentwear.com.

 

Best,