If you keep losing sleep
There are some travel experiences that are worth staying awake for.
NZ Herald
Sleep and travel don’t necessarily make the best bedfellows. Jet lag, strange bedrooms and unusual sounds in unknown destinations are rarely conducive to a good night’s rest. But rather than dwell on the lost hours or lumpy mattress, consider this: waking up in an unfamiliar bed can actually be a travel highlight.
Like the time I flung open the curtains of a chalet in Lausanne, Switzerland, and saw snow for the first time. It had been a brisk and dry April evening when we arrived, hauling our suitcases over the concrete driveway as we filed inside for steaming mugs of hot chocolate. But overnight, as we slept, a thick layer of snow fell on the landscape, covering it like frosting on a cake. Almost two decades later, I still recall the sense of wonder as I woke to the scene.
A similarly unexpected delight involved a straw bed inside a hut on Taquile Island in Peru. On first look, my lodgings conjured images of creepy crawlies emerging from the stalks of grain in the night; I was certain I wouldn’t catch a wink. But tucked beneath a thick alpaca blanket, I fell into a slumber so deep I considered moving to the tiny island on Lake Titicaca.
And there’s beauty to be found in sleepless nights, too – when I discovered, for example, that Bali Silent Retreat is anything but quiet. Come nightfall, frogs in the surrounding rice paddies sounded like a mob of teenagers riding old pogo sticks. The natural soundtrack served as an audible reminder of how remote the retreat is – that was, until the night of a full moon during the Galungan festival, when a nearby village celebrated by chanting and playing gamelan music until 6am. Listening to the festivities from my bunk was a rare cultural treat.
While the joy of nightlong celebrations may be a matter of perspective, one’s sleep aptitude can be more difficult to alter. My sister-in-law is a nap champion. According to family legend, she would fall asleep on road trips in the middle of the backseat just by leaning forward and resting her arms and head on her lap. My mother, meanwhile, sits on the opposite end of the spectrum. For her, surrounded by strangers in close proximity, planes are the antidote to nodding off – even on long-haul flights.
The travel industry is understandably keen to find a solution to this short-term insomnia. International hotel chains such as Westin Hotels & Resorts offer pillow menus for guests to choose from, while The Benjamin luxury hotel in New York has employed a certified sleep professor to help guests improve the quality of their shut-eye.
But those who rent an Airbnb or fly in economy class are often left to their own devices – literally. Among the most popular are Bose noise-cancelling headphones, which all but silence the thunder of the plane’s engines. Insider tip: Wear them over earplugs and even the crying baby in the next seat won’t wake you.
Also in my kit is Magellan’s Good Night sleep mask. Aside from completely blocking out light, the molded mask – you can fully open your eyes beneath it without touching the fabric – allows uninterrupted REM sleep. And I always carry an inflatable neck pillow, which can be adjusted to suit your shape and takes up less space in your carry-on than a foam or bead-filled pillow.
But when all else fails, abandon your bed, head outside and explore. Sometimes the best – read: least crowded – time to visit tourist attractions such as Rome’s Trevi Fountain or the Charging Bull on Wall Street is when the rest of the city is still asleep.
This essay was originally published in the August 2017 issue of Mabuhay