Flying and adapting to new climates

When people traveled by horse or wagon train or even ships at sea they usually had more time to let their bodies adapt to different climates and cultures. But now, we have to often "Instantly adapt" to new climates. In some ways this is good but it also often gives us culture shock instantly in every way when we arrive somewhere.

Because of this it is good to study when you fly as many things as possible about where you are going, about weather, about the people, about where you are going to be safe and where you are not likely to be safe for a variety of reasons.

The less you know about a place the more likely you are going to run into trouble. If you are young and resilient this might not be a problem so much but as we get older or are traveling with little ones this can be a matter more of life or death or permanent shocks to little ones sensibilities or to older people not able to adapt as quickly physioloigically to new situations.

A perfect example is a friend of mine in her 70s who always dreamed of going to Lhasa Tibet which is about 12,000 feet in altitude. She flew there and was ecstatic but was dead within 15 minutes just from the altitude when she got off the plane.

So, if you want to go to Lhasa Tibet or Lima Peru be sure to spend some time in a place like Santa Fe New Mexico (7000 feet) or Taos, New Mexico (9000 feet) or Colorado Springs 7000 feet, before you go someplace 11,000 to 12,000 feet so your body can adapt to the altitude (BEFORE) you go so you don't just die when you get there.

I have gotten altitude sickness and hypothermia around age 30 even on Mt. Shasta one of the time I climbed it starting around 10,000 to 11,000 feet and had to turn back on that climb even though I summitted in 1970 about 10 years before.

So, our health can change on a dime so be prepared for anything when you travel or climb anything especially if you are at altitude even in a city like Lhasa or Lima. Just because everyone else who lives there has built up genetic lung capacity over centuries of genetic evolution there doesn't mean you have done this too.