Introducing The Lifestyle Specialist

The Lifestyle Specialist redefines the term "work life balance".

The Lifestyle Specialist @ work

The Lifestyle Specialist is what you wish you were.

After 6 years as a management consultant in Sydney, Australia it's time for a change. Life was good. A well paid job that kept me mentally stimulated and out of (too much) trouble. Awesome share house with my best mates in a fun part of Sydney. The doormen at my favourite bar/pub/club knew me by name. Burgeoning amateur running career. Life was great actually. Now it's about to get crazy.
Follow me as I set off for the wild blue yonder with nothing but a backpack, twinkle in my eye, full bank account, and a healthy disregard for my personal safety. In the immortal words of Mick at 6:30am after the 5th all nighter in Vegas en route to the airport for a flight to Mexico City....LETS FUCKING GO!!!!
What's this mean for the blog??? In addition to the usual stupidity and musings I'll be updating the blog with my selected travel stories and tips. We are branching out beyond seemingly random bullsh!t to travel related bullsh!t!
Here's the first installment...
Cleared for Takeoff!

I welcomed the first day as a Lifestyle Specialist much as I expect to welcome many of my South American days to come...with a ring stinging morning after stool (not of the legged variety oft found in bars). There is a price to pay for greatness and so too is there a price to pay for a good curry. A price I willing to pay to the chef and his team at Nilgiri's the night before the rest of my life. Now, while I don't expect too many cracking curries ahead in the South American portion of my journey, I fully expect to be laid low with a case of bowel loosening food poisoning. A similar after effect but without the mouth/eye/nose watering joy brought on by a hot curry. It was with this knowledge that I booked the restaurant, viewing it as training for the days ahead as much as an excuse for a nice meal with the immediate family before their immediacy is reduced to just blood line and not physical proximity.

Losing my virginity. My sky charriot (as I like to call it) courtesy of Sir Richard

On the topic of curry and its effects, did you ever wonder why the hottest of hot curries was called the "Vindaloo"? Hint: check out the last three letters.

Home for the next while. My life packed into 55 Litres.

Another thing I expect to battle, in addition to digestive tract destruction, is general incompetence and inefficiency at border control in less developed countries. You'd imagine my surprise then when the attractive lady at the Virgin check-in counter said I'd need to book a flight out of Costa Rica before they would issue me a ticket. I was flabbergasted. To start with Virgin were only flying me as far as the US and A. Apparently, before they let you into central american banana republics they like to know you will be leaving at some stage. I'd quite happily tell border control all about my backpacking plans, where I was going next and which European nations' backpackers I'd hit on next, but this was probably not going to be proof enough for Juan the Customs Officer. To complicate matters I was planning on leaving Costa Rica by foot across the Panamanian border. I thought if I showed Juan the receipt for my cool new trail running/hiking shoes that would be proof of my mode of exit from his country. When it came down to it there was nothing stopping Virgin ticketing me, it was just friendly and insistent advice on their behalf for my journey ahead, regardless of the fact it would be with another Carrier. Confident I'd sort something out and just wanting to get the damn trip underway I told them to go ahead and ticket me. Note to Sir Richard Branson: you should look into your HR hiring policy. More focus on IQ and less on bust size. I now view this opportunity, like the hot Nilgiri's curry, as training for the journey ahead.

TRAVEL TIP #1 - Fake Departure Documentation to fool Central American Customs
After consulting my future traveling buddy and all round good bloke Aaron 'Tank' Sweet he put me onto this little scam. Simply start to create an airline booking through Expedia as if you were planning to actually book and leave the country on a certain date. In my case a few weeks after I arrive in Costa Rica returning to the USA via Dallas. Now before it asks you to select the seat and pay just 'save' the itinerary. You can then print this itinerary out and it looks just like the real thing as if you'd paid your hard earned Benjamin's. If this fails bribe the bugger.

This is only really a problem when entering Central America via plane. Once you are there and traveling overland just buy a cheap return bus fare for $2 and that's proof enough. I'm sure the local bus operators work on the basis that 50% of cross border fares sold to Westerners will never be claimed so it's therefore safe to double book the bus. More room for locals and their livestock.

Day 1 Miscellaneous Points of Note

• Highlight: managed to blag 3 seats to myself on the flight. Slept like a baby. Thanks Sir Richard. Didn't join the mile high club so could have been better. Maybe Sir Richard should look into making this an upgrade option on your standard air fare??
• Low-light: 14 hour wait in LAX for my connecting flight into Costa Rica where the real trip will begin. Upon conducting recon work the departure area for my flight to Costa Rica (via Houston) leaving from LAX domestic Terminal 6 I quickly retreated to the relatively luxurious confines of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The line for the esteemed Continental Airlines check-in desk reminded me of so many of the things that are great and terrible about America.
• The Great: the entrepreneurial spirit and lack of red tape associated with big government making air travel the domain of not just the rich and privileged but also extending to the great unwashed.
• The Terrible: that same entrepreneurial spirit and lack of red tape that has reduced the cost of production to such a degree that the great unwashed can fly. If you've seen a line for Frontier or Southwest airlines then you've seen hell. God help those who can't afford to fly and must travel by Greyhound bus. If it's anything like my 2005 trip from Austin to Dallas on way to SPRING BREAK!!!! then pack your stab vest and pepper spray. But that's a story for another time.
• Things I forgot: how much I hate the USA's tax regime and currency. That $1 apple will be 1 dollar and 7 cents after tax. Oh great. Now my change weighs more than my whole travel pack for the holiday.

TRAVEL TIP #2 - Where to wait during long layovers between flights
At most airports the international terminal departures area is the place to be. It's decked out with all the nice shops, amenities, couch areas and wifi, such that it'll feel like 5 star luxury compared to some of the hostels you'll be staying in. It's purpose built to leach money out of friends and family as they say farewell to their loved ones so the canny traveler can locate a first rate couch (bed) and leach some free wifi from one of the airline lounges.

More airports tomorrow. Joy!