San Francisco

We started the day by taking the bus to Alamo Square. We had thought of taking the cable car but the line was just incredibly long it'd be a waste of a precious beautiful day standing in line. It's sunny and warm, it's hard to believe it's winter. We spent some time at the park enjoying the panoramic view of the city's downtown. Afterwards, we took a walk to Pacific Heights.

On a clear day, Pacific Heights offers panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay and the Alcatraz.

After that we continued walking to the pier. Of course we had to enjoy another round of crabs and hot clam chowder.

Napa

It's our first time here. Although it's the low season, we still decided to stop by. We enjoyed the lovely view while coasting on the empty roads. 

Easy Travel

We are currently enjoying our year-end vacation in LA. The weather is beautiful, it's what I love most about the city. I have a soft spot for this city as this is where I first met my husband. This is also where I transitioned into an adult - going to college, learning to live on my own, getting my first (three?) jobs.

We had very little time to plan for the trip, but with the help of the internet, it was quite a breeze!

Flight:

This is our first time flying long-haul with this airline. The flight is about 18 hours total with a 2 hour layover in Hong Kong. 

Accommodation:

They offer very good deals from a wide selection of hotels. What I like most is the cancellation policy which allows us to be quite flexible with our itinerary.

Car rental:

We got a very good deal for our duration there. Highly recommended.

Travel Insurance:

I had a good experience with them when trying to cancel a trip due to an emergency once. So this is why we use them. 

Other:

Groupon is an excellent way to find out the latest deals in a particular city. 

I still marvel at the convenience of the internet. It really does make the world smaller! :)

Jet Lag

Traveling long-haul crossing different time zones causes jet lag. This is because the body's internal clock is yet to be synchronized with the external clock in the new time zone. Some of the symptoms of jet lag include insomnia, sleepiness, impaired performance and diminished alertness. You can be easily irritable, or be in a depressed mood. Apparently, jet lag can also result in gastrointestinal distress. 

A general rule of thumb to keep in mind before any long trip is the 1:1 ratio: allow yourself one day to recover for every hour of time difference that you experience.However, I personally find this to be rather extreme as I will lose my vacation by the time I've recovered from the jet lag.

You can try to reduce the effects of jet lag by setting your watch to the destination's time as soon as you get on the plane. This way, you can sleep and eat accordingly, adjusting your body to the time in the destination's time zone.