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Posts Tagged ‘tips’

How To Stay Happy And Healthy

February 24th, 2010

Paying attention to yourself and taking time out is not easy to do, especially with todays busy work schedules. This is even more difficult to do if you have a large family or are currently experiencing money troubles or unemployment. It is important to dedicate time to yourself and this article has been designed to help you to exactly that.

Be sure to have time to yourself each and every day. This time should never be interrupted by anyone else, so you need to let others know when your personal time is. Your special me time needs to be a time where you do something good for yourself, so the time you spend in the bathroom or driving does not count.

You can do many things during your alone time. Try getting a massage or treating yourself to a really nice meal with a friend or loved one. Catching up on reading or doing creative things, like drawing or photography are also good options.

A great way to spend your time is to learn something new or to begin a new hobby. Learning an instrument is very popular and can help you relieve stress, especially if you learn your favorite songs. The guitar is very popular, since you do not have to learn to read music to master the instrument. A good guitar for adults is a dreadnought acoustic guitar.

If you have lots of loose photos lying around, you can also spend your time making a scrapbook album. This is a very fun activity and you can also express your creativity while you make it. Use special paper designs that mean something to you and add special mementos to give your album an extra special touch.

Go on a vacation that features activities that you want to do. If you have kids that can be quite loud and restless, you may want to leave them behind with a friend or family member. Visit a place that you absolutely love or have never been to before. Many people enjoy adventure holidays, while others go to resorts to relax. You can also try a romantic ski trip, but remember to take a ski helmet with you.

Finding time for yourself can be hard, but no matter how busy your schedule is, it needs to be done. Doing things that you love and having some private time will make your life less stressful. It will also make you feel much happier and healthier.

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Posted in General Travel

Tags: happiness happy tips

Top 5 US Tipping Advice

February 16th, 2010

Tipping and America go hand in hand.The American way of offering tips to those who help you should be practiced by all who visit, regardless of what the policies are in your own country. The following is a top 5 guide to tipping for anyone visiting this beautiful country.

1. Have some dollars ready. When you exchange your money into dollars, set aside a bit for tipping and make sure you always have around $10 in singles in your wallet at any given time.It makes it a lot easier to find the right value of tip you want without asking for change back. If you need to ask for change though, don’t be embarrassed as it happens frequently.

2. Bars. If you are buying your drinks from the bar area then look to give a $1 tip per beverage. This ratio should come down little if you are buying a large number of drinks in one go. If the beverages are served to you all night at your table then you should really leave a 10% tip on your bill at the end

3. Restaurants. This one is really determined by the version of eating joint you are at. Those at the lower end of the market only need tipping the region on 15%. For more formal sit-down meals you should expect to pay along the lines of 20-25% of the cheque.If the service goes beyond what you were expecting or the staff were particularly useful then do add a little on the tip to thank them for their efforts.

4. Bags. A porter who takes your bags up to your room will be expecting a tip of $1 per bag. This will be the same at most hotels, health spa resorts and serviced villas alike. Give more if you think it is warranted but it is advised not to go lower or offer change to the porter. Bag carriers at airports should be tipped between 2 to 4 dollars per bag

5. Poor service. don’t reach for you tipping dollars if you don’t find the service is up to scratch. But be sure to explain your choice. Most service providers want to hear where they can improve and won’t be offended. If you have poor meal or you don’t like the beauty products used during a visit to a health spa for example, speak up and let them know where improvements can be made.

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Posted in General Travel

Tags: gratuity service Tipping tips USA

River Cruising Vacation Tips

January 26th, 2010

Ocean cruising has been a popular activity for a while now, but river cruising is fast catching up in terms of booking numbers. River cruises are certainly not a new thing, but they have never been as popular as they are now. It is thought that this is due to changes in the tastes of vacation goers and the desire to get away from the masses. You can find tips for ocean cruises anywhere, but here are some of the best tips for river cruises.

More Stops. Unlike ocean cruises, you don’t to cross vast expanses of water to reach your next destination, so expect to be stopping more frequently. In practice this means that river cruises are often more active than ocean cruises and you will see a lot less of the boat for sure. It is therefore advisable not to spend all your money on the best cabin on the boat and save your money for excursions

More Locals. A direct result of the increased frequency of port stops is the increased contact with local populations. On some Amazon and Rhine River cruises for example, locals are actually welcomed onto the boat to sell goods and meet the guests. This all adds to the experience, but be prepared to be in contact with lots of different people over the course of your river cruise. It could be worth your while buying a foreign dictionary of the local language to help you chat.

More Sights. As you will never be too far from the river bank, there will be a constant stream of things to see as you move between moorings. Sometimes on big ocean cruise ships you can go days without seeing much more than a seagull, but with river cruises you will need your camera ready at all times. Regent Seven Seas Cruises even employ local tour guides for large parts of their cruises to point out sites of interest to ship passengers.