Travel

Making the Most out of Your Unpaid Summer Internship

Angela Manning Travel , ,
Making the Most out of Your Unpaid Summer Internship

The unpaid internship is the biggest conundrum of your college career. On the one hand, it offers invaluable experience that could help you find a job once you graduate. But on the other, you don’t get paid!

A whole summer without earning cash is hard when you’re already shouldering some of the biggest student debts on record. But it’s possible.

To help you survive with your finances intact, check out this list before your first day. These money-saving tips can help you make it to the fall semester with some money left over.

Search out cheap digs

In the ideal world, your internship is somewhere close to your parents’ house, where you can live for free. But in the event the commute is too far, you need to find somewhere affordable to live.

It’s hard to find a sublet on a broke student’s budget. If you’re struggling to find something, check in with these alternatives:

  • People you know.Check to see if you have family, friends, or friends of friends willing to put you up.
  • Although designed for short-term stays, this site might connect you with a host willing to open their home to you for a month or two.
  • As long as you’re willing to sleep in the same room as 10 other people and share a bathroom, you can save a lot of money by staying at a hostel long-term.
  • Local universities: Plenty of colleges open up their dormitories during the summer at lower prices for visiting faculty, students, and people like you.

Meal plan like a professional

While you can cut out most other “frivolous” spending during the summer, food is one of those staples you can’t live without.

Plenty of students survive off ramen and the occasional slice of pizza, but you can do better than this without spending a fortune. The answer is in meal planning.

Check out Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap. Brown created this free cookbook to help people living on food stamps — which gives you just $4 to spend on food each day. Besides a ton of recipes, she shares special tips on how to shop on a tight budget.

Find free money

There’s no such thing as free money, or so they say. But this general rule may not apply to students. Every year, millions of dollars in scholarships, bursaries, and other awards go unclaimed.

Best of all? You won’t have to pay anything back if you win something. The only “price” to pay is the time it takes to search and apply for these scholarships. For that, we think it’s worth it.

Use a budget

A good rule of thumb when making a budget is to be as accurate as possible, so don’t fudge any numbers. Be as precise as you can be, using official invoices, transcripts, and contracts to fill out the basics.

Once you have a good idea of how much your internship will cost, compare it to what you have in terms of savings, bursaries, and leftover student loans.

If you don’t have enough to cover the bare bones of your budget, review your budget to see if you can change anything. For example, if you live relatively close to your internship, you can walk or bike to work instead of paying for transit or gas.

Try tweaking your expenses before you search out a personal loan. There are lots of reasons to get a personal loan when you’re on a tight budget, but paying for an anticipated expense isn’t one of them.

Online short term loans like lines of credit and installment loans are ideal for unexpected emergencies — like if the bike you use to get to work gets stolen, not if you can’t pay your rent every month.

Proactive thinking like this can help you get through your internship with some money left over. But hopefully, it doesn’t come to this.

Your internship is a fantastic opportunity to gain as much experience as possible. So make sure your finances are ready for the ordeal. Once you have your cash in order, you’ll be able to put 110 percent into your internship and maybe even get a job offer by the end of the summer.

The Philippines: Swimming, Snorkeling, Diving

Angela Manning Travel , , , , ,
The Philippines: Swimming, Snorkeling, Diving

“And the winner is … Miss Philippines!” Beautiful as the winner of the 2018 Miss Universe Pageant, the Philippines boasts some of the world’s most picturesque beaches in the world. To mention a few, Panglao and Anda in Bohol, Boracay, Moalboal in Cebu, and El Nido in Palawan are some of the country’s most popular destinations for both tourists and locals alike. Coron is host to some of the world’s best lagoons.

Panglao and Anda

Panglao is an island located in Bohol, Philippines. As with many beautiful beaches in the Philippines, Panglao island’s beaches are known for its fine white sugary sand. Panglao Beach, Momo Beach, Alona Beach, and Dumaluan Beach are only a few beaches most frequented by visitors of the island. Panglao Beach is home to Hinagdanan Cave, a cave with a lagoon and stalactites and stalagmites formations.

Anda is also located in Bohol, Philippines. Its location is further north from Panglao. Dubbed “best-kept secret in Bohol,” Anda is growing in popularity. This secret grows larger and it’s hard to not talk about it. Quinale Beach is the most popular of the beaches in Anda. It, too, boasts fine white sand. Aside from this beautiful beach, Anda is also home to caves and swimming holes. One particular swimming hole in Anda is Cabagnow Cave Pool. Since Anda is still establishing itself to be a destination, you may have to send money to the Philippines to make reservations for lodging.

Boracay

Another popular destination in the Philippines is Boracay. Boracay is an island located in Aklan, Philippines. Tourists and locals flock to Boracay time and time again. Beaches like White Beach (Station 1), Bulabog Beach, and Puka Beach are the top beaches visited on the island. White Beach is reminiscent of Miami Beach in Florida. It’s busy and vibrant. You’ll find a plethora of eateries to your heart’s content on this beach. Visitors also have access to convenient stores and banking institutions in this area. The beach itself is great for swimming and socializing.

Bulabog Beach is another beach frequented by visitors of Boracay. Its waters are perfect for kitesurfing or windsurfing. Located on the east side of the island, windy season (November through April) is the optimal time to go surfing on Bulabog Beach. Between White Beach and Bulabog Beach, Bulabog Beach is more geared towards sportier activities. Because of this, visitors aren’t encouraged to frolic in the waters due to surfing activities in the area.

Puka Beach is about a 15 to 20-minute moped ride from White Beach. It is located in the northern tip of the island, making it a great place to get away from crowds. Generally, locals gather here but it is also growing in popularity. You will find Puka Beach to be more preserved by nature than of the two other popular beaches in Boracay. Because of small bits of coral mixed in with the sand on this beach, visitors will find that the sand feels coarser on the feet. None the less, Puka Beach is a great place to relax and take in nature without being overwhelmed by crowds or loud music.

Moalboal

Moalboal is located in Cebu, Philippines. Depending on traffic and road conditions, Moalboal is about a 3-hour drive from Cebu City. Moalboal is known for its white beaches and deep waters. Because of this, many visitors associate Moalboal with swimming, snorkeling, and diving. Moalboal also has its own White Beach along with Pescador Island. These spots are popular among snorkelers and divers. Close by, in the town of Badian, is the famous Kawasan Falls. If you have ever wanted to see (and swim) that real-life waterfall you see on television, Kawasan Falls will have you living that dream.

El Nido and Coron

El Nido is located in Palawan, Philippines. It is known throughout the world for its limestone cliffs, beaches, caves, and lagoons. Both alluring and mysterious, it’s hard to say where to begin your adventure when it comes to El Nido. Visitors can swim in secret beaches or take a pump-boat tour ride to swim in El Nido’s lagoons. Nacpan Beach, Big Lagoon, and Miniloc Island are particularly popular amongst tourists and locals.

Another extremely popular destination in Palawan is also Coron Island. Coron is known for shipwrecks from World War II; specifically, Japanese shipwrecks. Diving is the top activity in Coron Island along with lagoon swimming and caving. Like its sibling, Coron has the world’s best lagoons that will have visitors feeling like a character out of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Barracuda Lake, Siete Pecados, and Twin Lagoon are only to name a few points of interests to explore in the island.

These are only a few of the Philippines best destinations. Whether visitors are looking for a good time relaxing and frolicking on one of the beaches or looking for an adventure, the Philippines is host to one of the world’s top destinations in the world.

4 Interesting Ways to Celebrate Easter

Angela Manning Travel , ,
4 Interesting Ways to Celebrate Easter

Easter is a Christian holiday that generally celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as is explained in the bible. However, just like Christmas, Easter is a holiday that is celebrated by everyone and not just Christians. Governments in some countries even declare work-free days during the Easter period as part of the celebration. Sometimes, the week before Easter is described by some Christians as the Holy Week, and the Friday before Easter is usually called “Good Friday.”

The holiday is filled with so much merriment and can be celebrated in many ways. Easter Sunday for the year 2019 will fall on the 21st of April. So, if you’re looking for exciting ways to commemorate the coming Easter holiday, here are a few things you can try.

Understand the Reason for the Season

Jesus Christ is the most important figure in Christianity. He is basically the foundation of the Christian beliefs and faith. The death and resurrection of Christ as atonement for the sins of the world is the real basis for the celebration of the holiday. Understanding this is fundamental as it will help you appreciate the Christian beliefs if you aren’t a Christian.

Try to Hand Out Gifts

Giving out gifts is a traditional way to celebrate pretty much any season. Regardless of holiday, religion, country, affiliation, or belief, a gift is a good way to celebrate pretty much anything worth a celebration. Gifts can be handed out at school, at work, and also in the neighbourhood. Anything will pass for a reasonable gift because of the idea behind it. So if you’re considering giving gifts, TheWorks is a great store to check out for options. They have Easter crafts for adults as well as children of all ages.

Try to Take Part in Traditional Easter Activities

There are quite a few traditional Easter activities that have been enjoyed by people for many years. Decorating Easter eggs is one of them. Every year, many people make symbolic shapes or paintings on hard-boiled eggs as commemoration for the celebration. There has been some controversy over this because the symbol of the egg is said to be based on a pagan fertility feast. Regardless, Christians generally don’t worry about that and still do it to celebrate the season. Another exciting activity is the Easter Egg Hunt. This is mostly enjoyed by children. After the eggs have been decorated, they are hidden in many different places, and children are made to search for them. Sometimes, prizes may be given to the child who finds the most eggs.

Take Part in an Easter Parade

As far back as the 1800s, Easter parades have been considered one of the important ways to celebrate the season. Many countries around the world now have cities that, in conjunction with the city council or the government, plan amazing Easter parades to celebrate the season. Meeting and mingling with like-minded people who may share the same views and ideas is a good way to commemorate this event.

This Easter season, take some time to do something interesting or traditional that will be enjoyed by not only yourself but all the people around you. Easter is a fantastic holiday to celebrate and it should be enjoyed as much as possible.

4 Fun-Filled Activities for Children with Special Needs

Angela Manning Travel , , , ,
4 Fun-Filled Activities for Children with Special Needs

For the last two decades, passive entertainment as an industry has grown to a multi-billion industry. However, traditional means of enjoying life remain unmatched. Activities such as traveling, camping and discovering new places are still one of the best ways to enjoy life. Children and adults with special needs can tap on the following four avenues regardless of their locality.

1. Camping

Among the four activities in this piece, camping is arguably the best way to help these children experience new realities in a controlled and fun-filled environment. Not all campsites are ideal for children with special needs and doing background research is vital for a better camping experience. Luckily, some camps, such as Christian special needs summer camp, are unmatched for children with special needs.

Apart from research, it is vital to have schedules and pre-planned rules for camping. Planning helps in reducing instances of confusion, an unexpected behavior, and more importantly, the code of ethics while on the camping trip. Rules and expected behavior, in this case, should also entail safety for everyone. In a special camping trip like this one, safety for everyone should be an obligation for all. Adherence to collective safety should, however, not interfere with individual responsibility and everyone enjoying their time on the camping trip.

In most camping trips, it is normal to forget some important camping necessities. It is, therefore, your obligation to make the packing list one month before the camp trip to avoid missing some items.

2. Road Trip

Road trips are arguably one of the most exciting summer activities. Unlike using air, road tripping gives the family members a chance to bond and spend time together. However, for a better experience, it is essential to follow the following guideline. First, when you are traveling with special needs, it is important to update them on the destination and any stopovers. This update helps them to be psychologically prepared, and it is one of the first steps of building their expectation about the trip and new experiences.

Second, snacks are important for any road trip. Any road trip for children is incomplete without snacks. When shopping for snacks, however, it is vital to involve them as opposed to dictating their snacks selection. You should also ensure that the car interior and the seats are comfortable. The more the seats are comfortable, the better the road trip.

Finally, having a clear destination is essential. However, it is advisable to have a flexible schedule and the more flexible the summer retreat, the better.

3. Discover new places 

A get-away should also include a chance to experience a new locality. Discovering new places is different when you have children with special needs. Regardless of the location, it is advisable to have a balanced approach to experimentation. Children, unlike adults, have a different perception of what is fun. Therefore finding a balance between the two demographics is important for a better experience.

Discovering new places have the following advantages to both parents an children with special needs. First, it is one of the best ways to learn something. A visit to a museum is not only fun but also a chance to learn. Second, new places are ideal for self-discovering and exposing children with special needs a chance to understand more about them. This new self-discovery, according to pundits, is unmatched for better development. When on a trip to discover a new place of a new culture, it is important to involve them in planning and let them feel like they are in charge.

4. Visiting friends and families 

Visiting families and friends is one of the best ways to spend time with children who have special needs. Unlike other activities which involve new experiences and new places, a trip to see friends do not require a lot of planning and high budget. However, planning on logistics, the day of the visit, and gifts is important. While planning for all these logistics, it is important to ask for their opinions and any suggestions for gifts.

When planning for home visits, informing the hosts is vital. Informing them helps them to prepare for refreshments and their time. It is also one of the ways to help them get special activities, such as children’s games. If they cannot afford these activities, it is vital to assist where you can. Whatever you decide to do, there are many ideas that will let everyone have a fun time.

Working spaces in Stockholm

Angela Manning Business, Travel , , , , , ,
Working spaces in Stockholm

The co-working scene in Stockholm is booming right now, and this will only continue to get bigger and better. There is now a variety of options with regards to sharing workspaces whether you are a freelancer, entrepreneur, or if you are looking for a quiet spot to play a round of games on NetBet Slots. They are all different, so your preference will ultimately decide which one is perfect for you.

Whether you are looking for a simple cafe with an internet connection or an elegant office space with extra perks such as balconies, I have put together some of the options you should consider.

Convendum

This is one of the most modern co-working spaces that you will find in the entire city. Based one minute away from the T-Centralen, it is ideal for everyone to get to. There are also other spaces located around the city, but this is my personal preference. There are also options for lockable office and conference rooms if that is what you are looking for. The space is elegant and luxurious, with 24-hour access for members.

As you can imagine, there is a wide range of benefits for using this co-working space, after all, it is priced within the higher end of options. Their main aim is to help your business succeed, and this is achieved by their high-quality service, with full access to the concierge service, cafe, deli, restaurant, wellness facilities and wired and wireless internet all included within the membership and office packages.  Membership prices start at 4,995 kr per month, while private offices start at 11,950 kr per month.

Vasagatan 16,

111 20

Stockholm

Welcome to an all-inclusive office

Café&Co

For me, the essential key in a successful co-working space is the accessibility to a cup of coffee. Cafe & Co delivers on that front, creating a living and creative atmosphere with great co-workers and Stockholm’s best coffee. This space promotes entrepreneurship and encourages visitors from all sectors to mingle and work together. It is indeed a fantastic place to meet new people; it is possibly the best place in the city to network with Cafe & Co full of likeminded people, hence its nickname as ‘the creative hub of Stockholm.’

There are 15 co-working seats, two meeting rooms and of course, a cafe. The prices are very much dependant on how long you are planning to use the space. Prices begin from one hour, which will cost you 50 kr. A full day at the cafe will cost you 300 kr, and a one-month membership costs 2,900 kr.

Kungsbron 23,

111 22

Stockholm

http://www.cafeco.se/en/page/coworking

Openlab

This specific co-working space is one of the few in Stockholm that has a requirement.  You must be aiming to improve society as a small business or entrepreneur. If you meet these guidelines, then you can work in their workspaces, with conference rooms also available to book at a cost. Free coffee is always on hand to help you with your work. Another unique perk of Openlab is their training courses that are aimed at boosting your innovation skills.

Membership prices begin from 2,000 kr per month; this will also guarantee you 24-hour access. Fear not, if you aren’t sure whether you want to become a member you can work in the cafe for the afternoon for free as a trial.

Valhallavägen 79,

114 27

Stockholm

OPENLAB

Reasons To Visit London This Christmas

Angela Manning Travel , , , ,
Reasons To Visit London This Christmas

We’re approaching the time of year when everyone starts to think about one final mini-break before Christmas truly arrives. Those last two or three weeks of December always go past at a frantic pace, with little time to pause or relax, so many of us go away for a long weekend to charge our batteries before it’s too late.

There are plenty of places to go, both in the UK and abroad, but it might not always be wise or desirable to spend money leaving the country when you have the festive season approaching. You’re likely to be spending a lot on gifts and entertainment, so you don’t want to leave yourself short by blowing it all on a trip to Rome, even if that does sound wonderful.

The UK has plenty of destinations to choose from for a few days away. It sometimes feels like ‘the done thing’ is to head to the countryside for a while, and that can be a great choice. The scenery is beautiful, and it never hurts to get back to nature. At this time of year, though, it can be a little too cold and dark. So why not show England’s capital some love instead?

If you already live there, try Birmingham or Manchester instead. See what you can find further North. But if you don’t, then here are a few good reasons to consider London for a pre-Christmas visit.

See Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

If you’ve never been to Hyde Park, you’ll have no appreciation of the scale of us. Trust us when we say it’s a really big place. Every year, Hyde Park turns itself into a Winter Wonderland that would be the envy of any city in the world. The entire park becomes a living, breathing Christmas town full of entertainment and excitement.

There’s far too much going on for us to detail here, but just to give you the headlines there’s a magical ice kingdom, a full sized theme park, a Bavarian market, an ice bar, and a complete Land of Santa. There are ice sculpting workshops. There’s a comedy stage. If you could imagine such a thing, this is the Glastonbury Festival of Christmas. There’s entertainment and activities for adults and children alike, and plenty of it.

Hit The Casinos

Very few people don’t enjoy the thrill of an occasional flutter. Whether your chosen method is bingo, lotteries, roulette or slot machines, there are plenty of casinos to be found in London which should cater to your tastes. Recent years have seen a lot of gambling move online. While there’s no denying the sophistication and variety of Clover Casino’s Games and websites like it, with their range of online slot titles and friendly gaming environment, there’s still a lot to be said for visiting a casino in person every now and then.

London has quite the extensive range of them. Just standing in Leicester Square, you’re within walking distance of Horizons Casino, the Hippodrome Casino, The Rialto and the Empire Casino. With all the lights shining bright in the winter’s dark, it’s like you’ve somehow wandered into the middle of the Las Vegas strip. And who knows, you might even win yourself some extra Christmas spending money!

Walk The Kew Gardens Light Trail

Kew Gardens is a tourist attraction worth seeing all year round. The massive, beautiful botanical gardens hosts displays, lectures and events from all over the world. Guided talks can give you a sense of the history of both the gardens themselves, and the plants and features to be found there. The story of how the gardens were affected by both world wars is particularly emotional, but it’s the Christmas Light Trail you really have to see.

Every December, Christmas arrives at Kew Gardens, and the after-dark festive trail of lights become open for families to walk down. The incredible display features over a million individual bulbs. The woods become glittering canopies, as laser displays skip across the skies. It’s a truly awe inspiring experience which seems to get bigger every year.

Carnaby Christmas Festival

If you’ve never heard of Carnaby Christmas Festival, you’re in for a real treat. Carnaby Street is forever associated with the sixties, where the street, the bars and shops on it and the people who visited it seemed to sum up the entire era happening around them. It’s managed to keep its finger firmly on the cultural zeitgeist since then, and every Christmas it hosts a carnival.

The carnival looks like something that would be more at home in Rio de Janeiro in the peak of summer than London at its coldest. This year, the organisers have ordered in neon coconut trees, giant party poppers and exotic birds to give the street a Caribbean flavour, which should go well with the pop up food and drink stalls that always appear in the street this time of year.

All The Reasons You’d Go Any Other Time

Of course, you might want to avoid Christmas while you’re away. You’re going to have to deal with it when it arrives, so why not delay that for a little while and focus on something else while you’re away? So instead of doing any of these things – except maybe hitting those casinos – why not just do the things you’d do in London at any other time of year?

London doesn’t stop being London just because of the season. You can still visit Big Ben. You can still see the Houses of Parliament. It still has Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre. The Tower of London and the Natural History Museum welcome visitors all year round. You’ll definitely see Christmas decorations if you go to look at Westminster Abbey, but it’ll be so beautiful that you won’t mind. Go and take in the sights and sounds of a real East End market. Go to find out what all the fuss is about in Harrod’s, the world’s most exclusive department store. This is London. There is always something to do. There is always something to see.

If reading this has whetted your appetite, then why delay? Christmas will be here before you know it, and then it’ll be 2019. You deserve a break. Give yourself one!  

5 places to travel solo in 2019

Angela Manning Travel , ,
5 places to travel solo in 2019

There are many reasons you travel solo, one of them being self-indulgence. Solo traveling is an ideal option of travel if you wish to try something new. However, you need extensive planning and a vacation planner to make the perfect trip happen. Here is a list of 5 best places to travel solo in 2019:

1. Italy

Italy has a brilliant transit system that is well-connected to all the major attractions in the country. It is one of the many reasons why Italy deserves a spot in the top solo travel destinations in 2019. The wonderful people of Italy and the delectable, cheap delicacies make the country a revelers’ paradise. Walking through the beautiful cobblestone streets in Italy is like taking a walk down the rich heritage that the country has.

2. Mexico

Budget travel and time restraints are a part of a solo traveler’s journey. Mexico has accommodations and attractions that are perfect for your budget and time schedules. The country is blessed with a diverse kind of natural landscapes. Delicious cuisine, unparallel natural beauty, and rich history are some of the many reasons that make Mexico the best place to visit. Mexico is packed with cool and artistic stuff to do. The people here are equally cool and welcoming.

3. Iceland

Iceland is one of the most beautiful places to visit on Earth and traveling solo is the best way to experience its beauty. One of the best things about traveling in Iceland is that almost all the people there speak English. Adventures like horseback riding and glacier hiking can be easily booked through booking centers that are located on almost every important street in the country. Iceland has both adventurous and luxurious things to do. The Northern Lights in Iceland is one of the most fascinating natural phenomena in the world and should, definitely, be on your bucket list when in Iceland.

4. New Zealand

New Zealand is often deemed as one of the safest countries to travel in the world. The country is a paradise for adventure lovers. The rainforests, glaciers, and southern alps are a perfect setting for adventurous activities like bungee jumping, hiking, and jet boating. New Zealand is also known to have some of the most friendly and accommodating people in the world. This surely gives the country brownie points for being a top solo travel destination.

5. USA

The United States of America is a unique blend of the world’s best cosmo culture and the world’s most diverse national parks. The many state-of-the-art museums and galleries never fail to please the art buffs. The country is full of places to hike and camp. With hippie beaches and party spots, many cities in the United States make up for one of the best delighting cities in the world. The country has a mix of many cultures and ethnicities and hence is a popular destination for international tourism.

Planning a trip to one of these places? Use Triphobo to plan a hassle-free vacation!

What you need for a safe and comfortable motorbiking experience

Angela Manning Travel , , , ,
What you need for a safe and comfortable motorbiking experience

So you bought a motorcycle, and now you can ride your way through your country and enjoy the long winding roads leading to exciting destinations. The sound, the thrill, and everything else that make motorbikes are what make hundreds of thousands of people use their motorcycles every year.

But let’s face it, motorcycling isn’t as simple as driving a car. When it comes to the attention, you have to pay to everything, how well your reflexes must be developed, as well as the gear you’re supposed to wear to protect yourself and even those on the road from dangers, you’re bound to make a more serious investment than you might think.

Let’s look at some of those items that can keep you out of harm’s way when you’re out riding your bike.

Start with a quality helmet

It goes without saying that protecting your head (and your brain) from everything that might pose a threat to it should be your primary concern. Not all helmets are made the same. So, while you might be tempted to go for one of the eye-catching retro moto helmets you’ve seen in the window of a shop, you ought to know that these make poor choices for long-distance riding.

One of the cons is that they don’t provide you with adequate protection for the face area. With many vintage-looking helmets, you will have to wear a scarf and a pair of goggles, and that’s because many have an open-face design.

To choose the perfect helmet, you need to consider its size and your head measurements, as well as the type of riding you engage in. Full-Face alternatives are by far the safest ones, so if you know that a ride from one country to the next is what awaits you in the upcoming days, you definitely have to get one of those.

Other types of protection

Not just the helmet matters, after all. You also have to protect your elbows, your knees, and your hands. Why cover your hands with a quality pair of gloves? The truth is that your hands are bound to get cold when you ride at impressive speeds. The wind can affect them and lower the temperature of your whole body, as a result, but there are other things such as tiny rocks or insects that could hit your skin when you’re cruising at high speeds.

Elbow, knee, and even spine protectors can be found for average prices and they significantly increase your overall safety.

Regular clothing vs. motorbiking clothing

You’ll need a jacket and a pair of riding pants to feel comfortable and protected. However, if the weather is particularly warm, you might want to wear jeans instead of the riding pants. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that jeans can protect you in the event of a crash. Kevlar jeans are capable of doing so, but the regular ones you wear when you go shopping for groceries cannot.

Chennai: The Capital of Serenity

Angela Manning Travel , , , , ,
Chennai: The Capital of Serenity

Chennai is the home of delicious Chettinad cuisine and the famous Marina Beach. But apart from these, the city is also a popular hub for gold jewelry and silk sarees. The heritage sites of the city tell a story of a rule and place way different than now. Formerly a fishing village called Madraspatnam, now it is the home of the biggest artificial seaport in India. It is also the home of the Royapuram railway station which is the oldest railway station still operational in India and it is also the first city in India to get free Wi-Fi. So this city has something old, something new, which come together to make something amazing.

You can reach this fascinating city through the Chennai International Airport which welcomes both domestic and international passengers. Thus, it makes the city connected to major hubs across the world. You can easily book Dubai to Chennai flights, Hong Kong to Chennai flights, New Zealand to Chennai flights and more.

While in Chennai, the city offers up a lot of activities which you can indulge in like:

● Visit Santhome’s Church: The stained glass chapel houses a statue of St Thomas in a sitting position. Apart from the church, it also consists of a library, a shop selling prayer material and a museum.

● Admire the Kapaleeshwar Parthasarathy temples: A fine example of Dravidian craftsmanship, the Kapaleeshwar Temple is a specimen of architecture and measures 37 meters high in its Gopuram structure. On the other hand, the Parthasarthy Temple is a historical place in Chennai since it is touted to be the oldest temple in the city.

● Drive on the beach road: From Royapuram or Ennore to Besant Nagar or ECR is the ideal stretch of road to flex your driving muscles and enjoy the wind in your hair.

● Visit St Thomas Mount: Widely known to be the site of St Thomas’ martyrdom in AD 72, the church is located along with the Church of Our Lady of Expectation. The church is believed to house a cross St Thomas carved and a fragment of his finger bone. Ideal for visiting in the evenings, you will be able to enjoy beautiful panoramic views from here.

● Be in awe at the Guindy Park and Snake Park: The only national park that is situated in the middle of a city and houses a rich population if animals, birds, and reptiles. You will be able to see spotted deer, jackals, and tortoise in here. The Snake Park, as the name says is home to pythons and cobras but birds like flycatchers, buzzards, quail, and partridge can also be easily spotted.

● Visit Armenian Church: This 18th-century church is reminiscent of the Armenian community which called the city its home centuries ago. Open from around 9 till noon, the church is a great example of stunning architecture. If you want some peace and quiet to gather your thoughts then the surroundings of the church will offer you to meditate on.

Chennai is a busy but laid-back city where you will be able to enjoy all of its delights in utmost safety and serenity. 

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Condo Hotels

Angela Manning Travel , , , ,
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Condo Hotels

Americans are traveling more than ever. According to a survey published by AAA, approximately 88 million Americans plan to take a family vacation in 2018. That’s a lot of people hitting the road for adventure and time apart from normal lives and routines. With vacation travel becoming a given rather than a luxury for American families, new options are popping up to provide convenience and affordability. The condo hotel is one such option.

What is a Condo Hotel?

A condo hotel (condotel) is a condominium building which functions like a hotel with a front desk overseeing short-term rentals of its units. Most offer standard hotel amenities such as housekeeping, pool, lounges, restaurants and concierge, room and spa services for residents and guests to enjoy. Buyers purchasing a unit from a condo hotel buy a physical piece of property, as opposed to a timeshare buyer who usually only purchases the “right to stay” at a certain place for a certain amount of time each year.

How Does It Work?

Luxury hotel chains like Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Hilton and Bulgari (among others) operate condo hotels in typical vacation destinations. Florida, particularly the Miami area, was the first area to have intensive condo hotel development with other large cities like Las Vegas, Chicago and New York following. Nowadays, condo hotels can be found in tourist destinations outside the U.S., as well.

During development, the hotel management company will advertise its units and services. Buyers purchase a unit – a hotel room, suite of rooms or any other number of floor plan types – and use it as a vacation property whenever they choose. Owners must pay regular maintenance and homeowner’s fees, but can place their unit in the hotel’s rental program when not using it in order to bring in income and offset some of its carrying costs. An owner may use the hotel management company to oversee his unit’s rental, paying the company a percentage of the rental revenue, or he may choose to oversee the process himself.

What are the Benefits?

Condo hotels have the potential to appreciate in value, but as with any real estate investment, it can’t be guaranteed. Nevertheless, a condo hotel can be a great option for families wanting a luxurious vacation with the potential to be a better value than other options. And even if you don’t have the funds or desire to purchase a condo hotel unit, you can still enjoy the amenities of one by renting one for your next vacation. So ditch that cumbersome timeshare at timeshareexitplan.com and plan a better trip now!