Hey Trippers,

I have six important and effective tenets of good health.  The rules are in no particular order.  I guarantee if you do all six of these rules, you will not only be healthy but will also be built for the future.  You can pick and choose from the rules but you’ll find you won’t be at your optimum.  Do all six and in a matter of a few months – no matter what shape you’re in now – you’ll be ready and in shape for meaningful travel.  Here Fitness Tenet #1:

Do Not Smoke

This one is pretty obvious but it is surprising how many people I see smoking.  I have close, dear friends who have smoked for years.  And yes it is affecting their health in a very negative way.  I know it’s their choice and their battle.  I know I said that the six rules are in no particular order but this one rule, single-handedly, will improve your overall health, especially long term.

In more and more places smoking is being banned; airports, restaurants, and some accommodation.  Most accommodation has limited smoking rooms available.  The tide is going the way of smoking being banned in public places in most cities worldwide.  Rental cars have started to ban smoking in them.

Even Spain has passed laws banning smoking in public buildings, on the Metro and some restaurants (too much complexity to go into).  They’re struggling to enforce them but this is a country (I joke) where the Spaniards smoke in the shower!

If you smoke a pack a day at conservatively $5.00 (€3.43) a pack, that’s $35.00 (€24.00) a week, $140.00 (€96.00) a month, and $1680.00 (€1152.00) a year.  That will buy you an exciting trip somewhere that you’ll have energy to experience fully.

So, if you smoke, do yourself, your friends, your family, your healthcare system, and your mate a favor – quit.  As a former smoker (10 years), I know its hard ( I tried to quit a dozen times), but there are enough tools available out there (many more than when I quit) to help your efforts.

Not only will you benefit overall, but so will your travel.  There’s aren’t too many things sadder than a tiny glass room in the airport filled with smokers, or a lonely smoker drawing on a fag outside a public building, pub, or airport terminal.

I challenge any smoker to write me the upside to smoking in comments . . . .

Happy Tripping,

Carter