Travel is supposed to be about relaxing and getting away from your normal daily stress and anxiety, which makes it quite surprising that recent surveys have shown nearly 90% of people consider travel these days to be stressful.
So is there any hope of escaping stress on your next escape and hopefully enjoying a sense of happiness?
The sad truth is that we only have ourselves to blame for being stressed while traveling, whether it’s trying to tick a long list of experiences off we feel we need to have or not giving ourselves enough flexibility to deal with unforeseen events or circumstances.
Thankfully, there are adjustments you can make to enjoy happier and less stressful travel and it often starts simply with changing your perspective and getting rid of expectations. No matter the destination or your budget, any vacation can be a successful and rewarding experience if you want it to be.
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Whether you’re considering selling your home and switching to an RV lifestyle, or simply want to plan an epic road trip around the country in a rented motorhome, there are a number of things to take into consideration.
Both permanent RV living and simple RV holidays both allow you to travel with your accommodation, giving you greater flexibility on where you can travel and stretching your travel budget considerably, but driving a motorhome is far different than road-tripping with a sedan or SUV.
Traveling via an RV, whether it be a motorhome, campervan, or caravan, allows you to travel while also maintaining many comforts of home since it does pretty much act like a home on wheels.
RVs allow you to ditch expensive hotels and instead opt for sleeping sometimes in stunning natural settings without needing to rough-it by pitching a tent. You can enjoy a comfortable bed, cooking facilities, clean private bathroom and shower, and more depending on the type of RV you purchase or rent.
If you’re new to the world of campervans and motorhomes, check out this comprehensive guide filled with beginner advice, safety tips, and essentials you’ll need to ensure your RV road trip or transition to an RV lifestyle is enjoyable and stress-free.
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Traveling with CBD is fairly common; in fact, people have been using cannabis products to make traveling easier for years.
However, because the legality of CBD varies across the world, many people are unsure about whether they should or even can, pack it.
Here are some handy tips to know before you travel, meaning you can always have the best CBD capsules on hand when exploring the world.
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Whether you find yourself moving to another country for work, school, volunteering, or to be with your international love, it’s common to feel a sense of homesickness at some point.
Despite the excitement of moving abroad, it’s common to feel a sense of loss being away from home and anxiety from trying to adjust to your new surroundings.
While many expats experience homesickness, the causes and emotional / physical impacts are different for each person; from acute emotional distress all the way to an almost debilitating depression which can impact your health.
Whether you’re taking up a lucrative employment offer in London or Dubai or simply researched incredible Bangkok condos for rent, understand that no one is fully immune to homesickness.
The key to dealing with homesickness is to be able to recognize the feelings and work through them, rather than trying to ignore or prevent them.
Feeling homesick is completely normal and nothing to be ashamed of, and there are a number of strategies that will help you to better cope with the various effects of homesickness.
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Travel costs often rank as one of the top five expenses businesses incur each year, with global estimates that businesses spend well over a trillion dollars annually on travel. While the recent pandemic has shown businesses that it is possible to reduce the need with tools like video calls instead of necessarily needing to meet in person, there are of course times when it is absolutely necessary for businesses to have their employees travel.
As business travel begins to get back into gear, businesses are rethinking corporate travel plans and are looking for ways to track their expenses more effectively and reduce costs whenever possible.
Saving money on business travel-related expenses is possible but it requires careful planning and effort from all your employees. While I may not have a large group of employees working under me (yet!) I do have to manage my own business travel expenses as a sole trader and use many of the strategies successful businesses utilize to track and reduce their travel costs.
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Travel is much more than escaping the demands of work and home while we relax on a beach somewhere. There are many life lessons to be had while traveling, many of which you can pick up quite easily without much effort.
Travel exposes you to new cultures and ideas, while often presenting you with many new and unique situations, all of which can collectively help you grow as an individual.
Whether positive or negative, your travel experiences are likely to stay with you a long time and have the ability to shape who you become.
If you found learning in a classroom difficult, fear not, because not all lessons are taught within four walls by a teacher that just doesn’t seem to get you.
Travel may just be one of the world’s greatest teachers, educating you in some of life’s most important lessons. Here are the top 8 life lessons you can gain through traveling the world.
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It’s widely accepted that the best way to learn a new language is to immerse yourself. But how do you immerse yourself in Japan when borders are locked down? Or when you don’t have the means to just take off and escape to Italy (a girl can dream!).
There are plenty of ways to immerse yourself in language from home these days; apps, games, and even video chat with foreign strangers (though that’s if you’re paying attention to what they’re saying!). The problem is though, that while companies are constantly trying to make language learning fun, you still need to take time out of your day.
But that just changed! Toucan is a free Chrome extension (download it here) that helps you learn a language as part of your normal, everyday web browsing. Once turned on, it scans the text of whatever website you’re reading and changes a small number of words into the language you want to learn.
It peppers your normal daily web experience (social media, news and everyday reading) with translated words so you can pick up a new language without even trying, without changing your behavior, and without taking any extra time out of your day.
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Whether you’re just visiting or newly adapting to expat life, one of the most challenging parts of being in a foreign country can be learning the local road rules.
You can easily find yourself driving on the opposite side of the road and trying to navigate road signs displayed in a different language. There may also be road hazards you’re unfamiliar with and harsh fines or punishments for breaking rules you’re not used to.
If you’re planning to travel to Dubai or have the opportunity to make the move here, there are some things you need to know before driving a vehicle that are unique to the UAE.
Dubai has a wonderful network of roadways, and having your own vehicle allows you the freedom to explore the hidden gems beyond the reach of the city’s public transport along with driving to the other emirates within the UAE.
While Dubai may offer a well built public transport system, there are many benefits for tourists to rent a vehicle or for expats to lease a vehicle. If you do plan to drive, be sure to check out this guide to driving in Dubai to ensure you’ll stay on the right side of the law and stay safe on the roads.
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There are many ways to make money from a travel blog, but it really comes down to producing quality content. To help you get on the right path to creating engaging content, here are my top 5 content ideas you should be implementing as a travel blogger.
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Life back home doesn’t simply get put on hold when we travel. Although many of us welcome any chance we get to escape the monotony of our everyday lives by heading off to some exotic location around the globe, you can never really cut all ties with home in today’s world.
Thankfully, today’s technology easily allows us to stay connected to any responsibilities we may have back home while also allowing us to connect with friends and family to reduce the feeling of homesickness setting in.
Whether you’re jetting off for two weeks in the Bahamas or a year of backpacking across Europe, here are some of my top tips for how you can keep up to date with your life back home.
It’s always worthwhile staying close to the ones you love and maintaining your normal life back home so that it’s ready for you when you return without having to deal with any unfortunate surprises.
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Pre-pandemic, land based casinos were among the most popular tourist attractions in most countries; case in point, before lock down, Australia’s most popular casinos attracted more visitors than the Sydney Opera House!
But post pandemic, land based casinos are facing a threat from technology, and as the world of online casinos brings us virtual experiences all the way from Egypt to Italy, gambling tourism is evolving to a virtual space.
Now, you can start your casino experience from the minute you depart, and choose to play Casino Australia from an airport on the other side of the world, even before you’ve arrived in the country.
But despite being able to play from home, travelers who typically engaged in casino tourism are playing online games while traveling, whether to pass the time through boring airport delays, or back in their hotel room at the end of the day.
Whether you’re playing from Vegas, Macau, or in-flight because WiFi is now offered on the plane, keep these tips in mind for traveling and playing online casino games.
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When it comes to basic travel essentials most people have an idea of what to pack, and frequent travelers might not even have to think twice about it.
But the basic travel essentials you’re used to will be very different once travel picks back up again after the pandemic.
Starting to plan your travels again? Here’s a checklist of the travel essentials you’ll need to add into your existing list of basics.
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If you’re anything like me, one minute you’re typing up that report and the next thing you know you’re staring out the window imagining paddleboarding with sea lions off the Canadian coast or enjoying tapas at an outdoor cafe in Barcelona.
For most of us, making those daydreams come true takes a lot of work. You have to make a plan, figure out what the trip will cost, and then save up enough money to make it happen, all while crossing your fingers your safari money doesn’t end up as “fixing the broken car” money instead.
And then there are those travel hackers – the ones who manage to visit 10 countries every year and post about how awesome and easy it is to pay for first-class flights and 5-star hotels using credit card rewards.
It’s true – you can use credit cards and points and miles to take amazing trips for free, but travel hacking has a steep learning curve. You have to put in a lot of time and pay close attention to detail to consistently earn enough rewards to cover your travels.
In this post, I’ll help with the learning curve by sharing five secrets of successful travel hackers, plus a new app that shortcuts the learning process and instantly travel hacks for you. (Psssttt … that’s the part you really don’t want to miss!)
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Haven’t got the time nor patience to wait until 2050 for space travel? The good news is that you don’t have to and can do it right now in the world of gaming!
The original space race which ran from the late 1950’s right through until the culmination of the cold war in 1991, laid the foundations for space exploration and hopefully one day soon, space travel.
The thought and ambition of civilians traveling effortlessly through space, venturing to different planets as if they were just a simple Boeing 747 on a City-hopper journey, let alone inhabiting any of them may seem a bit far-fetched.
However, if history has taught us anything it is that anything is possible and with the rate of technology expansion and development it would be naive to completely rule such occurrences out in the future.
There have been many space theme games that have attempted to shed light on what life would be like if space travel were to become reality. Perhaps, for the time being at least, we’ll have to be content with a continuation of this until the correct advancements are made.
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If you’re an avid traveller, collecting souvenirs of the places you visit is a fun way of commemorating your trips. Most people do this by taking photographs of their favourite destinations or saving boarding passes from their journeys.
However, there are times when you’re too busy to take a photo of your destination or even pick a trinket.
That’s when vintage travel posters come in handy.
Besides reminding you of places visited and the people you encounter, vintage travel posters have a truly aesthetic appeal. Photographic ads, banner ads and TV commercial are all the rage, but they can’t replace the rich culture that travel posters embody.
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While winter may limit a number of things you can enjoy around the U.K., the snow and cold offers an excuse to check out some of the more unusual indoor British activities and attractions.
While many use the winter months to catch some West End theatre or explore the many museums, why not use this time to be original and experience something new.
While winter may not offer the warmth and plentiful outdoor activities the warmer months provide, it does present the opportunity to go skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, and even check out the Cairngorm’s reindeer herd.
But what if you’re not exactly into rugging-up and heading outdoors to brave the cold, snow, and ice? While you could simply snuggle up on the couch and binge The Crown off Netflix, there are endless exciting indoor adventures to be had around the U.K.
Here are just some of the top quirky indoor attractions that will keep you energized and amused as the days grow shorter and spending time outdoors becomes less enticing.
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When it comes to plane etiquette, there’s a lot of debate around things like whether or not you should take off your shoes, and whether reclining your seat makes you a horrible human being (personally I’m on team recline).
Also whether you should sneak off to the bathrooms for … well … you know what I mean.
But beyond what might be faux pas and bad social etiquette, there are a number of things which can actually land you jail, and risk your health and safety.
Far more serious than walking barefoot to the bathrooms (seriously – ew), the following things fall into the camp of landing you in serious trouble on a plane.
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Gambling is one of the oldest leisure activities in human history, from dicing in the streets of Greece and Rome, to card games in China.
However one country where you haven’t been able to gamble in the past hundred years is Japan. At least, that’s the international perception, but it’s not entirely true.
Gambling has been a taboo subject in Japanese society, and since 1907 most forms of gambling, including casinos, have indeed been illegal. However there are many forms of legal gambling within Japan, including Pachinko, the Lottery, and certain types of sports betting.
With the realization of just how big international casino tourism is (hello Macau tourism dollars), and with COVID moving culture to online entertainment, Japan may just be starting to embrace changes to their century-old gaming laws. Here’s an introduction to Japanese gambling culture.
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They say travelers should take only photos and leave only footprints, but it may just be our footprints that are doing the most harm to our planet.
Most of us are now aware of our carbon footprint, which is the total amount of greenhouse gases each of us generates. Sadly, our carbon footprints tend to be more damaging when we travel.
While most of us put a lot of time and effort into carefully packing for our vacations in terms of saving on weight and space and only carrying things we’ll actually need, few of us are conscious of how environmentally friendly our travel gear is.
One of the best ways to become a sustainable traveler is to start thinking about what products you take with you traveling. There are now countless eco-friendly travel products on the market made by companies that use organic or recycled materials and in some cases even donate a percentage of their profits to earth-saving initiatives.
After researching sustainable products, you’ll soon discover that items like sunglasses, hats, and suitcases are now being made from recycled materials, and can result in a huge reduction in waste. Here are some great sustainable travel gear items you should think about.
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As exciting as travel is, there’s usually a fair share of dull downtime to fill whether it be waiting in a hotel lobby for check-in time or waiting for a flight at the airport.
Sure, you can fill that time with endless scrolling on Facebook , but if you’re without Wi-Fi or data , or simply want to be a bit more social, card games are a great way to pass the time. They’re also a great way to meet new people while travelling, as they can be a great ice breaker when staying in places like hostels.
So, if you’re looking for that ace up your sleeve the next time you’re bored while on holiday, check out one of these top card games for travellers.
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I think most of us would agree that vacations seem to go by way too fast. As the old saying goes, “time flies when you’re having fun”. But how can you make sure your vacations are indeed enjoyable and even more importantly, memorable?
After many years of continuous travel, I have found there are a number of effective ways you can ensure your travel memories will stay with you for the rest of your life.
And it’s important to note that a trip can be memorable for wrong reasons as well, so let’s just focus on ways you can enjoy positive travel experiences that will bring back many memorable moments.
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International travel may be coming back soon, but that doesn’t mean your travel fund will necessarily be ready. Many people have seen their finances take a hit and are now looking for ways they can earn extra cash to save up for travel.
Thankfully, there are many side hustle jobs out there that will allow you to earn quick money on a schedule that works for you without having to seek out another constrictive part-time job which may force you to work more than you are willing or able to.
The best part of many side hustle jobs is that they don’t require a degree or very much training if any at all. You may even be able to turn a hobby or something you enjoy into cash.
Whether it’s starting a blog, selling items around your home that are otherwise just collecting dust, or renting out a spare bedroom in your home, there are many easy ways to turn any extra free time into money you can put towards memorable travel experiences. Here are some of my most recommended side hustle jobs.
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Most people love to travel, but it’s often not until we retire where we finally get the time and financial freedom to travel more freely. If you’re approaching retirement age and are looking to travel, there are some important factors to keep in mind.
Nothing beats the feeling of not having to go to work another single day in your life, but many people can feel a loss of purpose or become bored shortly after they retire. One sure fire way to feel alive again after retiring is through travel.
We often think of retirees as older seniors but people of all ages can find themselves not needing to work. If you’re not interested in knitting sweaters in your recliner or working on jigsaws all day, why not consider reinventing yourself through travel.
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No matter how carefully you plan your vacations, every traveler will at some point be impacted by travel delays. And while travel insurance may be able to reimburse you financially for your troubles, nothing will help you reclaim the time you lost.
Thankfully, there are a number of things you can do to reduce the chances of experiencing delays the next time you fly, and not be part of the 25% of airline passengers hit with either delays or cancellations every year.
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Are you looking to enjoy more travel but finding money is a bit tight? There are a number of ways you can learn to simplify your life by reducing your daily expenses in order to help you save up for travel.
By learning how to differentiate between essential expenses and unnecessary purchases, along with changing what you put value on, you may be able to enjoy more travel without having to find a second job or sell everything you’ve worked hard for.
We’ve all read those articles about individuals or couples selling their homes and nearly all their belongings in order to travel the world. While the notion may seem romantic and adventurous, for many people it just isn’t realistic and does come with obvious drawbacks and challenges.
Sure, saving can be difficult, but you don’t have to sell everything you own in order to afford taking a holiday. There are many things you can do in your daily life that will help you cut your everyday expenses and allow you to save for the travel you desire.
By setting goals and learning how to budget, along with tracking your spending and cutting costs in certain areas, you too can free up some of your income to allocate to travel. Here are some of the best ways that will allow you to save money for your yearly travel fund.
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