Now we enter the section of flights that will take me half way around the world, across a dateline, through the seasons and into the heart of New Zealand. I hope you have been water loading.
Yesterday for lunch we had a Fridgatta. Basically layer thinly sliced, left over roast vegetables with onion, basil and cheese and anything else tasty that is loitering about in the fridge (hence the name fridgatta). Top with more grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 
Lunch. Then back to waterloading.
In the next 24 hours I face three flights, one that will be about 12 hours long, 15 hours in the air altogether, and about 9 hours of layovers. Actually I prefer not to do an accurate count of the hours of travel. However one of the most difficult things for me is wilst travelling is to stay well hydrated. Public toilets are a necessary evil, but never pleasant. And if I start to hydrate while I am travelling … water is wasted. It takes a couple of days to properly soak and moisten a body.
Imagine your body as a dried out pot plant. When you pour that first cup of water in it will often run through the potting mix, trickle out the bottom and gather in the saucer. Oh, you think, it is watered. But it has not even begun to soak in. The water has run around the dry soil and straight back out.
That pot needs to be watered frequently with little bits of water, so that the little parched cells are softened and cajoled into absorbing water into the body of the mix, allowing the water to be soaked up by the roots of the plant. This takes time. Waterloading.
Three days before I embark on a big flight I begin to water load. Very frequent small glasses of water. My objective is to top each cell right up to its limit, not my bladders limit – which after four sons and a daughter is not much of a limit at all! And it takes time to train your body’s cells to start storing moisture after a barrage of wine and coffee. It is good to drink water while you are travelling but it is essential that you have soaked your body in water before you travel so that your travel water is not wasted. And you know how nasty those airoplane toilets are.
The other thing I do, to avoid jet lag, is I set my watch (yes I wear a watch – how old fashioned!) to the time at your destination at the beginning of my flight. This helps my mental clock.
The advantage of water loading and time resetting is that you are able to pour out of your plane, shake your party dress out, step straight into heels and hit the evening running!
Our first big party is only a few hours after I arrive!
So tomorrow morning, there will be no page, I will still be in the air, my plane buoyed up like a crowd surfer by all your wonderful wishes for safe travel. I will write again soon. Very soon, with our first New Zealand shots.
Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
55 responses to “Onwards, Upwards and Water Loading”
By now you should be well-watered and getting ready for the airport, I imagine. I took your potted plant reference a totally different way, having been “potted” on a couple flights. Didn’t have much problem sleeping on those flights. 🙂
Happy Landings!
Enjoy the trip, rest, hydrate and above all have fun!
Flight safe! Enjoy the trip and have fun 🙂
I flew from Arkansas to Singapore and back twice with a 5 year old! So, I know about the long flights, jet lag and dehydration.You seem to have it under control. Thank you for taking us with you and enjoy your trip.
This is wonderful advice, I would have never thought of water-loading. I don’t travel much by air, but it is probably not a bad thing to do, anyway. As a matter of fact, I am wearing my watch today, too. What will they ever do with us?! Godspeed!
The water loading is a wonderful idea: OK, I drink 8-10 glasses of water [apart from everything else] anyways, but am more than aware of the need when up, up and away! And, yes, I wear a watch also: with the dial on the inside of the arm – was taught that in business early on : noone realizes when you are checking time 🙂 !
I hope you’ve had a good flight Celi. My son and his wife just arrived back home this afternoon from Asia – back in time a day! They are tucked into bed early, having stayed up for the day to get right back on track to our time…..
I’m looking forward to your pictures and your first ‘report’. Have fun!
Have a wonderful flight (or series of flights!) x K
I’d never heard of waterloading before and had no idea that one needs to hydrate in advance of the flight – oh dear, when I think of all the long flights I’ve take from here (21 hours plus)!
Your timing is perfect because a fierce storm has just swept up from the south island over the last two days, with a tornado in the north Auckland area. It will have calmed down nicely by the time you arrive and I’m having a good talk to the clouds to move over (as if they were piggies) and make way for Miss C to arrive in sunshine. Travel well!
Bon voyage and stay waterlogged:)
I hope that by the time you read this you have had a successful journey. I know what you mean about not thinking about the time. I find that letting go of the hours allows them to slip by more easily. Travel time was never meant to be measured in minutes, anyway.
I laughed right out loud, not at you sage travelers advice, no; I chuckled at your analogy: well, not even so much at the analogy, but the term you used..” Imagine your body as a dried out “pot “plant.” You see, here in America, marijuana is called “pot”…I am still chuckling…gosh, I am easy to amuse. Godspeed, Miss C.
Safe travels!
Great tips, Celi! Have a great flight…
Missing you already and suffering from withdrawal without my daily dose of your blogs, Celi!