Hot Water!
Are you in hot water? Or like hot water?
Hot water is fantastic for all kinds of things, namely a shower, a cup of coffee or tea, or even to be refreshed or relaxed in a hot tub or a natural hot spring - geysers notwithstanding.
But it was Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, along with the hundreds of incredible geysers in the surrounding area all giving off steam that can be seen from far distances, that got me thinking about how much hot water is a part of our daily routine.
If we could only get a steaming cup of HOT from a geyser…
While traveling stateside or worldwide, you can ask for a cup of hot water almost anywhere—usually without charge (start at the airport the next time you go). Even better if you bring your own cup/mug/Tervis/Yeti. If you begin carrying food or drink that needs a cup or two of hot water, you can practically have a small meal and stave off hunger pains.
It's thinking ahead that counts in what to pack:
*cup a soup (all varieties) *hot chocolate *tea bags *ziplock baggie of instant coffee like Taster's Choice *ramen noodles
More creative would be packing freeze-dried meals sold at most sporting goods stores and places like REI - even Amazon sells them Freeze Dried Meals 1. Most of the pouches last 5-7 years and are great for camping and travel (though packing a jet boil or something comparable is more manageable than building a fire, but a fire and a pot can boil water to pour into a meal pouch). I/we ate several of them on the trip this summer. They were all good, especially after a long day of hiking in the mountains. We were hungry as bears we never did see! Ha!
Traveling with packs of crackers can also make a meal when coupled with hot food. A large part of my journey while traveling solo through Ethiopia in 2018 was the effort of packing and carrying enough food to eat with the easy-to-obtain few cups of hot water from the airport, hotel, or guest house.
Language barriers went by the wayside when politely asking for a cup of hot water, and eating this way eased the uncomfortableness if I did not want not to eat out at a restaurant after dark.
One more idea is to carry a portable hot water kettle like this, which I do have and packed: Travel Hot Water Kettle 1
*Please note I am not getting paid for suggesting these items. This is what helps me travel in "style."
For your viewing pleasure on hot...geysers, I've two for today!
bSoleille!
Terri