If you know me, you know I will take any excuse to travel! Like many licensed professionals, I have state-required hours for my license renewal. I had to reschedule my continuing education(CE) hours and ended up bringing my dad to New Orleans for a week leading up to Mardi Gras. We got to explore a new city, celebrate the Carnival season (the time leading up to Mardi Gras day), and I improved my functional knowledge of the human body. Traveling for my CE hours has helped me create a fulfilling career, and also gives me a broader perspective on the Massage Therapy profession as a whole. When I was in school and thought of where my career would take me, I never imagined that it would be literal cities across the world!
Here’s my basic guide to create your own CE trip!
Flights
Once I figure out the class I want to take, I set a route tracker on google flights to get email updates on prices. If you are flexible, it is surprising how much flights can change in price between days. Give yourself one day to adjust and try to stay an extra day to relax and see anything you missed or must do again!
Lodging
If I am doing a multi-day class I usually like to stay close to the location of the class- walking distance- to avoid transit mishaps. Since this was a one-day course and I had my dad with me, I decided to stay in a location more central to attractions so he could explore easily while I was in class.
Transportation
Consider how you will get there! If you rent a car, you have to find parking at your hotel, may need a parking permit for the venue, and have to navigate new streets and traffic. Many major cities have public transit systems that can easily be navigated using transit settings on google maps. New Orleans has a GREAT public transit system! And we also learned that it does not operate on parade days, which is a lot of the Mardi Gras season! The city bus app and google maps did not reflect these changes, so I scheduled an Uber to get to the class location early. Rideshares are pricier per ride, but they are now common in medium-sized cities and reliable- a way to have a car only when you need one, which made up the gaps between walking and public transit.
Staying ready to learn
You spent a lot of money to get to the class, so make sure to stay alert and ready to learn! It is hard not to stay out late in a new city- especially one known for nightlife like New Orleans- so I was constantly reminding myself that there would be more parades, food and music after the class. Make sure to book a day after your class to enjoy those things! Plan ahead for the day of the class by making sure you have a breakfast planned, snacks packed, coffee in hand, exercise, sunshine- whatever you need to make sure you can spend the rest of the day seated indoors. As a Massage Therapist, I will bring an anatomy reference like the book Trail Guide to the Body to have in case I hear a term I am not familiar with. If it’s a multi-day class, a place with a kitchenette is ideal to avoid living on takeout. Try to keep your routine as normal as possible to support yourself while pushing your brain for a few days. The morning before class, I went for a walk and watched parades on an outdoor patio while drinking coffee to get movement and sunshine.
Having fun
You came to a new city, so enjoy it! Even if you have ideas, a search on google or Tripadvisor.com may give you an ultimate bucket list! I saw an airboat tour on multiple top 10 lists and it was one of our favorite things! My years in tourism taught me to make reservations for anything you want to do as soon as possible. You may be on vacation on a Monday, but so are hundreds of other people in the city! To avoid disappointment when everyone else has the same amazing idea, find a reputable tour company (Tripadvisor is a great resource) and if It’s an outdoor tour, check the weather the week before and cancel if you need to. We booked our tour on the only sunny day of our trip even though we were considering other activities that day- and we saw alligators and a beautiful sunset! The next day it poured rain and flooded. We would have been cold and miserable or missed our favorite experience. My next tip is to ask around! Friends who have lived there, visited, or someone in class can have great unique suggestions. A friend told me about the Café Du Monde takeout window to avoid the long lines and the Tom Hanks movie at the National WW2 Museum. And of course, plan some time to explore without plans! We found an uptown Jazz bar and had great gumbo at an afro-creole pop-up festival.
Lastly, if it’s a business trip, SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS! Your tax professional will let you know how much of it you can deduct, and hopefully you get more opportunities to explore!
The Nerve Tour
Gil Hedley is taking his years of lab dissections on the road and into classrooms with The Nerve Tour. Gil is self-proclaimed as “NOT a technique guy”, and focuses strictly on gross anatomy and dissections. The nerve tour is five hours of cadaver images and macro anatomy woven with personal stories, images of nature and awareness exercises to explain how the nervous system moves through our bodies from our brains to our toes.
Gil’s tour runs through the end of the year. You can find more information and dates at https://www.gilhedley.com/thenervetourdates