Last year I did a longer stint in the States, “home,” than usual. A French friend of mine from Thailand had met up with me, so we found ourselves all over California and Arizona. (Oh, and Nevada too. Vegas—if that counts.) Anyway, throughout this road trip we ended up staying in varying accommodations, none of which were very ergonomically-hospitable environments. So by the time the summer ended, my right arm felt like I had pitched twelve innings for the Dodgers—after having it yanked out of whack by a professional wrestler! But, I have only myself to blame because I know better than to work off of dinner and coffee tables, dressers and from my lap for any stretch of time.

This article is for the digital nomad who’s often anchored to their notebook computer and who are avoiding repetitive stress disorders.

The Ergonomic Luxuries of the Old Cubicle

Remember when you worked from “the office,” such as that fully functioning work-at-home setup you may have had, or the ergonomically-correct work station your employer provided you—which was more having to do with workman’s compensation insurance requirements than any comfort concerns they may have had for your well being—before your nomading began? Wasn’t getting the job done so much nicer to your body? Rarely did we have to consider the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, pinched nerves, a bad back, eye strain and a host of other musculo-skeletal disorders in these ergonomically attuned environments. So why is it we forget ergonomics when we’re on the road?

“Perhaps, Ricardo,” you retort, “availability, weigh considerations and cost might have something to do with it?”

Alrighty, those are some damn good reasons. We can’t just tug our old office with us as we nomad. Yet, there are options indeed! Let’s look at some problem areas and real solutions.

Ergonomic Solutions for the  Nu Nomad Office

Firstly, let’s assume that you’re traveling with an average size notebook computer and not a desktop unit with 20 inch monitor, contoured keyboard and scalable office chair. (I know, “dah.”)

• The keyboard. If you’re working from a 12-inch wide or less notebook, your keyboard will most likely be a reduced sized one (perhaps 90% of normal). But, even if it’s a “full size” keyboard, the placement of the keys is usually behind the touch pad, thus putting a natural strain on the neck, back and forearms.
  Solution: attach an external keyboard to your machine. There are plenty of thin, lightweight, full-size keyboards available that are no wider than 14 inches. I myself wouldn’t dream of working longer than an hour or so a day without one.
• The mouse. If any computer peripheral should be eliminated from the face of the earth, it’s the computer mouse. Dragging that rodent around your desktop endlessly simply invites trouble: spikes of sharp pain between your shoulder blades, shoulder ache and cramping arm. I really believe the inventor of the mouse was one sadistic %#!ker.
  Solution: Since traveling with a pen tablet is usually not a practical option, the external trackball rules. With a trackball, your fingers do the work while your hand simply rests onto the unit. Your arm is no longer doing the heavy work. Plus trackballs work in the tightest of spaces (think airplane).
• The monitor. Small monitors increase eye strain and headaches.
  Solution: If you’re going to be in place for a few months or longer and are expected to work extended hours, it might be a wise investment to buy a large external monitor. The $150 or so investment may be worth it to you. (And, you can always unload the device onto another nomad or local desk jockey.) If the external monitor option is not possible About.com has a few tips on alleviating eye strain.
• The desktop. Ever feel like you’re Godzilla hunched over the keyboard? You know what I mean, your hands are positioned high over the keyboard and it’s as if the keys are Tokyo buildings and you’re going to menace them? Having your keyboard higher than the height of a good fitting office chair’s arms, thus putting your arms and chest away from an “L” position, is inviting carpal tunnel syndrome, neck, back and nerve disorders.
  Solution: Travel with a computer work station! (Just kidding.) If you’re unable to get your arms and upper body into an “L” position by raising the seating or lowering the table/surface, try my TV tray makeshift solution. Because I’ve found that even accommodations with desks are not set-up for use with a keyboard, I had to find a work-around. What I do is look for either a small, low, table to put my external keyboard on, or I’ll buy a (usually wooden) folding “TV dinner” tray table for this purpose. The computer itself will remain on the desk above a stack of books or a brick or two as to position it at a good eye-level. The trackball usually fits next to the keyboard.
• The chair. Of all the variables to good ergonomics, the chair can be your buddy or foe. If your chair is too low in proportion to the keyboard, you’ll most likely experience all of the ailments mentioned above. Also, chairs without arm rests don’t provide the necessary support to your arm when having to use the trackball frequently.
  Solution: Beg, borrow or steal a good chair. Alternatively, you can add the requisite amount of padding to the chair to elevate you. And should you be working from an L-shaped desk, you may be able to position your tracking/mousing arm atop one of the panels for greater stability and comfort.

If, however, you’re feeling the onset of such as strained neck or back, pinched nerves and other musculo-skeletal ailments, you may find that exercising specific muscle groups really help. When I mentioned to my doctor (Dr. Nick Walters of Mission Hospital, Bangkok) that my right arm—all the way up to my shoulder—was experiencing shooting pain, he provided me with a pamphlet on this common ailment. By strengthening the neck muscles you just may find that it will off-set many of the problems related to a pinched nerve and muscle strain. And getting rid of tension through exercise will simply do wonders to your body in general.

Of course, these are only a few solutions to non-short stay environments. Should you have solutions of your own, I’d like to hear about them.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not one to simply follow conventional wisdom. Okay, aside from the obvious choice in my lifestyle design, I’m referring to inoculations and prophylactics that most travelers are recommended to take.

“Oh, you’re one of them!” you snigger.

Not so.  Am I one to not take aspirin even though I have a major headache? Hell no, I hate pain; and aspirin works for me. But, I am cognizant of the fact that taking any medication when not really necessary is generally considered not a smart thing to do. Aside from the negative side effects the accumulative use of any drug may have on a person’s body, extended use of a drug may make you resistant to the drug’s ability to heal you. That’s why, and my previous article on recommended immunizations notwithstanding, I often accept the risks of not taking certain prophylactic measures. The annual flu shot is one such preventative I shy away from. Another (which is the topic of this current discussion) is anti-Malarials.

Does this make me a risk taker? No, I don’t think so. I do take appropriate steps to avoid infection.

Most medical professionals agree that the best way to avoid getting diseases like Malaria, which are transmitted by mosquitoes, is to avoid being bitten by them. This is done by simply wearing protective clothing (long sleeves, pants and socks—as opposed to a beekeeper’s uniform). When you sleep, use a mosquito net and/or burn a mosquito coil or plug in your electric mosquito “pad” heater. Having a fan blowing directly on you also helps a great deal.

Now, let’s look at a few points.

The pharmaceutical option:
Aside from protecting yourself from mosquito bites, there are the prophylactic options, which I’d alluded to a moment ago, at your disposal: Chloroquine Phosphate or Mefloquine. These medications are widely available, but provide only partial protection and can have significant side effects.

Effectiveness:
In some parts of the world anti-malarials simply don’t work. Moreover, many medical professionals say that if you contact Malaria while taking the pills, it can be more difficult to treat.

If choose to take anti-malarials and you experience severe side-effects from the use of them, then you may need to discontinue their use. Do note that these medicines are not effective if taken intermittently. Also, the exact medicine recommended is different for different places due to resistant strains of the Malaria parasite.

If Malaria is contracted:
Treatment for the disease in areas where it is prevalent is often good because of local doctors’ experience with the disease. Luckily, Malaria tablets are far cheaper in countries where malaria is a problem. (They’re quite expensive in the U.S. and European countries.)

Conclusion:
My opinion (and it’s only an opinion) is that if you plan to be in a high-risk Malaria area for three months or less, then go ahead and take the pills. The short term use of them should be tolerable. If, however, you find yourself in a Malaria-prevalent area for more than three months, then don’t.

Resources:
You may wish to research this subject further, consult your immunologist (who will, no doubt, confuse you even more), the CDC, Internet, and books such as Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa & Latin America.

(Special thanks goes to Dr. Nick Walters, MD—tropical and preventive medicine specialist at Mission Hospital, Bangkok, for his help on this article.)

On occasion we post important content from our book, The NuNomad. This post is one such excerpt.

This is the time of year when we get questions about pre-travel preparations. You know, the stuff you have to do before going. It’s when one is in their final weeks of preparing for that first big nomadic adventure that the pressure of getting your “to-do check list” completed can disrupt one’s peace of mind like a pebble in a flip-flop. Yes, pre-travel preparations can be as maddening as it can be exciting. It could also be a bit trepidatious. Example: travel vaccinations.

Let me get the first question in your mind, “Do I really need them?” out of the way. It’s “yes.” (Well, probably.) If you’re planning to base yourself in Western Europe, Australia or Canada, you may not need immunizations. But for most everywhere else, you’ll need the protection!

But don’t get your knickers in a twist. The series of immunizations is not the daunting task you may think it is.

Let’s start with cost and where to get them. If you get them from the county or local government health department, the price may range from free (if your government is not the USA) to $150-250 USD. However, many private health insurance programs and HMOs often provide them to their members free of charge. (Note: be sure to get the International Certificate of Vaccination—“yellow card”—which records all of your vaccinations and the date you received them. Some countries may want to see your yellow card before they will allow you to enter.)

If you want to save some money, check to see if the country you’re heading to can provide travel immunizations cheaper than at home. If you’re traveling to a lesser-developed country, such as Thailand, you could save some big bucks. I got my last booster series in a hospital in Bangkok for a fraction of what it costs me at home (USA).

Okay, so what immunizations are recommended? Here’s our list!

The Nu Nomad List of Most Common Travel Vaccinations
(You may not need all of these.)

¹ The new JE Vax will be replacing the now widely used vaccine for Japanese Encephalitis. ² The typhoid vaccine is either tablet or injection. In Asia it is injection since it is cheaper and doesn’t need a strict “cold chain.” If the tablets aren’t kept at the right temperature they don’t work. ³ The hepatitis A and B vaccines are now available in a single vaccine for those who need both, it means one less shot. ⁴ Those with HIV or immune suppression should avoid the MMR vaccine and the oral polio vaccine. ⁵ For the polio vaccine, it comes as either a shot or as an oral solution. The shot is safer, has less chance of side-effects, but is slightly less effective. The oral liquid is not recommended for those who have never had it before.

(Special thanks goes to Dr. Nick Walters, MD—tropical and preventive medicine specialist at Mission Hospital, Bangkok, for his help on this article.)

But wait! There’s more! If you plan to do a lot of trekking in places such as in Asia, Africa or South America, it is worth considering the rabies vaccine. It takes a month to give the series of three. However, if you get bitten by a rabid animal it is still vitally important that you get several more booster shots of the rabies vaccine, even if you’ve had the rabies vaccine before the incident. Any mammal can carry rabies. Rabies cases are 100% fatal.

Additionally: If you are traveling during flu season, you may want to get that shot too. (The flu shot is yearly.) Those with lung problems or heart problems should have a pneumococcal vaccine once every 10 years. And a Tuberculosis test is a good one to have as well. (Be sure to keep your certificate showing the negative result.)

Want more Info? Check out The (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

What About Malaria? (I’ll cover that in my next article.)

Photo by: mksphotos

I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle…

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like.

—Queen

Last week I shared with our readers my enthusiasm for shopping the marketplaces—preparing a nomadic kitchen which enables me to cook the foods of the community(See The Joys of Cooking as a Nomad – Even Without a Kitchen) I’m now enjoying (part of a pseudo-series of articles on fusing the components and joys of “home” life into your nomadic one). As I had stated then, there’s no better way to immerse oneself into a new destination, a strange new culture, than to experiment on your own with the local cuisine. Well—I’m going to back-peddle a bit here and amend my previous declaration.

I love nothing more than the whole marketplace/food thing than to arrive there, at the market, or explore every nook and cranny of a new place (while gobbling-up as much territory as possible) via bicycle. That’s why my very first love (sorry food) is my bicycle. Okay…whatever bicycle that may be legally mine at the moment. (With apologies to my faithful Gary Fisher bike stored in America.) You might be saying to yourself, “Who can travel with a bike?” And, “What about the car? Cars are cool. You can see a lot with a car! Didn’t you see Thelma & Louise?” I say, phooey. Cars are macro transport vehicles that offer only a blurred vision of the exciting new place you might be in. And let’s not forget the inherent concerns with the motorized means of transport, such as:

• Rental cost and fuel
• Parking and vehicle responsibility
• License to drive and insurance
• Road conditions and new driving environment
• The restrictions on driving under the influence of wine!

Who needs all of this? That’s why I left California for christ sakes. Okay, perhaps I’m a little jaded today after have returned last night from a road trip to Los Angeles (My annual migration to the motherland to do face time with clients.) from my current temporary base of Prescott, Arizona. But, I digress.

I will relent and say that the car is hard to beat when it comes to exploring vast deserts, mountains (choose your scenic landscape), which I availed myself to when I did the Route 66 road-trip last year (see Laptophobo for a great slide show of pictures of this trip), or when having to conduct business. And, the motorcycle/motorbike is a superb option when you need to go further than what a bike will comfortably permit (of course the Vogel family who are biking from Alaska to Argentina may differ on this point!). But! if you’re not driving the wide expanse of a country or having to do business—in other words, you’re just ambling through town like a nomad—it’s the bicycle that rules! The bike is:

• Cheap, easy to obtain and unload afterwards
• Requires no specific parking space
• Relatively safe
• You need no license and little knowledge of local traffic customs
• And, you’ll probably not be pulled-over by the police should you be coming home from a pub or wine tasting.

Here’s what I do. When I expect to remain in a place for more than a few weeks I immediately go searching for a bicycle (traditional cruiser style or mountain. 21 speed or greater is preferred). And just like my quest for kitchen accoutrements, I make sure that it is:

A: Inexpensive, and

B: of good quality.

But instead of buying new, I scout-out second-hand markets (preferably where tourists have swapped their high-quality mountain bikes for a return airplane ticket home). Once I’ve scored my bicycle, the first thing I buy for it, even before safety lights, is a really cool—and loud—bell! Because when I’m zipping through streets and passageways, there’s little time to scream, “Run for cover—I can’t stop myself!” And when it’s time to part with my beloved bike-of-the-moment I simply sell it to the next cycling enthusiast (one that I have most likely converted over)—often for the price I had paid originally or at a profit.

There are some really great cycling opportunities for you to try outside of the traditional excursions through towns or the countryside. Although I tend to do all of my tours by myself or after recruiting a cycling partner, many prefer to ride with a few others.

Here are my suggestions:

In (manic) Bangkok – you could do the night (far less manic) bicycle tour of the old kingdom and old sections (actually, they’ll go just about anywhere. The ride to Phra Pradaeng can’t be beat.) in Banglampoo (at Samsean, Soi 2)- with Velo Bikes.  It’s a rush.

In Amsterdam – why not try the Beer Bike Tour.

In England – check out BikeEvents.com.

Of course, there’s Lonely Planet Forum’s On Your Bike branch.

I could sit here and offer up other bike experiences, but you get the picture. Also, I’m hoping to hear about your bike resources and stories. Do share!