The 3-2-1 Rule, Doesn't

Going over my journal for the Japan trip while I was in bed sick this weekend, I noticed that, totally without meaning to, I’d fallen into a 3-2-1 schedule just a few days into the trip. While a well accepted mode of existence for a weekend conference or convention, the 3-2-1 rule probably shouldn’t be followed for two weeks straight. It most likely had a lot to do with my catching a nasty head cold on the way home and still being illness prone a month later.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, the 3-2-1 rule goes like this: “In any 24-hour period get 3 hours of sleep, eat 2 meals and take 1 shower.” Due to circumstances seemingly beyond my control at the time I’d started sleeping only three hours or so very early in the trip. When your time on a vacation is limited and you have an enormous number of things you want to see or do, you can quickly fall into this trap. Try to get, at the very least, six hours of good sound sleep each day. Take naps if you must, but try and remember vacations are meant to be relaxing.

What with the difficulties in finding good vegetarian food and the lack of a companion to go to restaurants with I wasn’t eating regularly. Basically I’d eat the free breakfast that came with the tour package each morning. Then I’d pick up a couple of onigiri at a local convenience store and eat them late in the afternoon. By the time I’d drag myself back to the room at night it was too late to eat a meal and snack machines were few and far between.

Onigiri, if you are unfamiliar with them, are flattened balls of rice with various fillings in the center that are then wrapped in toasted seaweed. Looking like big sushi rolls, onigiri fill the same lunchtime role in Japan that sandwiches do in America. And like Americans, most Japanese now buy their onigiri at the combini. They come with all sorts of fillings, but the ones I was limited to were seasoned kombu (another seaweed) and pickled plums called ume.

Onigiri are quite filling, very nutritious, low in fat and convenient as hell. But they can’t replace the missing third meal. Be sure to set aside time to have dinner. It’s a great way to wind down from a hectic day and get yourself ready for all that sleep I’ve just told you to get.

With the exception of the night I spent on the train coming back from Nagoya, I did mange to get in a least one shower each day and more than a few nights I was able to follow that up with a nice soaking bath, but I could have done that more often. The point is a bath is more than just washing off the dust and sweat from the day’s adventures. It’s also a great way to deal with the stress as well.

Traveling is stressful! Don’t let your enjoyment fool you, missed trains, crowded buses, closed attractions and tired achy muscles all add up to a boat load of stress you don’t need on your vacation. Take the time to enjoy all that hot water the hotel heated up just for you. Let it loosen up those muscles and wash away the tension along with the grime.

What this is all leading to is this little bit of advice. It’s your vacation, slow down and enjoy it. Make sure you have more than enough time to do everything you want to do and still take good care of yourself. Or scale back your plans and figure on going again sometime in the future. Otherwise you’ll end up editing your travel journal from your sickbed, like me.