How to Prepare for Your Next Family Trip to a National Park

Are you thinking about taking a vacation in a national park shortly? This type of family holiday should be a memorable experience for all the right reasons for everyone involved. However, some holidays don't go according to plan. You can avoid this situation by following the tips below.

Research and Planning

Before you go on your adventure with your family members, it's crucial to find out as much as possible about your destination. For instance, is your best friend – your family dog – welcome to come here to a specific park and stay with you? Thanks to a wide range of online resources, this has never been as easy to do. Every national park has different things to offer, and travel websites are available that include helpful information, reviews and people's accounts of their experiences in a particular national park.

Equipment and Resources

When you reach your holiday location, it’s important to have all the equipment and resources you require. To start with, you need to get your bearings, and you should have a detailed map or maps that give you all of the necessary information about the park you are visiting. For instance, if you decide to go to the Big Bend national park, you should invest in a Big Bend map, so that you can become familiar with your new surroundings as quickly as possible.

As mentioned earlier, different national parks have different activities and attractions that you can take advantage of. Water sports, hiking and biking, are just some of the activities that you could take part in, but they require certain types of equipment and resources. You’ll also want to make sure you carry sunglasses, sun cream, water bottles, head gear, a camera, binoculars and any other items you believe are important.

Clothing

When you're planning your trip, make sure you are prepared for the weather conditions that will exist when you get there. Waterproof, windproof and insulated clothing may be needed if you will be visiting in the winter or spring, while lighter clothing and accessories will be appropriate during warmer times of the year. In some instances, the weather conditions can change quickly, so you should be aware of these changes and pack the necessary clothing items.

Food and Drink

If you are spending some time at a particular national park, bringing your own food and drink will make your trip more affordable and allow you to go off the beaten track for longer without needing to visit a store.

Going on a break with your family means you have to keep a number of people happy, so make sure you pack all of the snacks and food items each of your family members like. Finding out what each person wants before you set off on your travels will prevent a lot of problems later.

Facilities

Different families have different requirements when they go to a national park. Younger members have different requirements than senior members of the family, so you need to be certain that every facility each family member needs is present at your destination.

Going to one of the many popular national parks in the US should be an enjoyable experience for everyone of your family members. Addressing each of the points above will ensure that this happens.

5 Top Secrets to Self-Motivation

Self-motivation is an important tool for winners and achievers; unfortunately, not so many folks out there know how to stay motivated or even motivate themselves to do anything meaningful. To some, self-motivation is a myth reserved for a ‘special elite’, WRONG! Anyone can be self-motivated, anyone can apply the same principles that highly motivated principle lives by and succeed. Here are 5 secrets that can raise your motivation game, and aid you achieve your life’s goals:

Wake up early

Self-motivated folks make it a point of duty to wake up early every day. One of the greatest indicators of a self-motivated individual is a penchant for starting early; making the decision to wake up early everyday sub-consciously instructs your body to get set for work daily. Waking up early sets your mind in an alert state and allows you to take advantage of opportunities that may come your way. Getting up late is a bad habit that you must change to improve your daily motivation. This amazing quote from Charles Duhigg’s the Power of habit says it all:  "You can’t extinguish a bad habit; you can only change it".

Have a vision for your life

Most people do not have a life’s vision. A life’s vision includes setting goals like; "I want to be the top TV presenter in New York city by the time I am 35"; "I want to have a globally recognized chocolate factory valued at a hundred million dollars by the time I am 50"; "I want to be a popular music star with global following and win 10 Oscars straight"; these are but a few, having goals like this help you have something to always look forward to and focuses your energy so you do not attempt to do everything that comes your way. In addition, you can books that inspire and motivate greatly about having a vision for your life and help you stay focused.

Have daily goals

The best thing you can do for your psyche is to have little goals you seek to achieve every day. Always seek to do something new every day. Look for the opportunity to stretch your limits and set new records. You may decide to learn a new software that can help you become more efficient at your job, you can take up an online course in an area of interest, you can attempt to reduce the time it takes you to complete a particular task daily.

Always be positive

Positive people always get the best from life because they see good in everything. Self-motivated people cannot be beaten down because they see a way when others see despair. They take criticism as an opportunity to get better and move ahead to achieve more. In his book: The power of positive thinking, Norman Vincent Peale stated that: The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. A lot of people change their outlook on life when they are criticized and they start to become negative about everything.  A positive mind will never give up, it will never relent and does not require the praise of others to achieve.

Be spiritual

One thing you can never underestimate is the power of spiritual influence. Spiritual guidance and counsel daily provide a refreshing motivation and energy to run through every day.

The Things You Can't Miss on a Trip to Hong Kong

Hong Kong is teeming with energy. It is a bustling and vibrant place that is thriving in the modern world. For nomads that travel there, there is certainly never a shortage of things to do. It is full of shopping experiences, landmarks and a load of other usual visitor experiences. Except, in Hong Kong these experiences are a lot less ‘touristy’ and far more life enriching than they are in other places. In Hong Kong, these experiences are matched with the most breathtaking of sights. And there are plenty of them to see!

Because there is so much to do and to see you should most certainly make use of a Hong Kong taxi service. And your first stop should be Victoria Peak. If you are only to do one thing during a visit to this part of the world, let it be allowing yourself to take in the famous views afforded by this Peak. It rises an astonishing 1,805 feet above feet, allowing those that stand upon it the chance to see everything that is worth seeing in Hong Kong. There is Hong Kong Island. There is Kowloon (on clear days you can witness its eight mountains). And there is Victoria Harbour. All three are just waiting, and have been waiting a long time, for you to look upon them. To look upon them all you must reach the top of the Peak, and to do so you should take world’s steepest funicular railway, the Peak tram. Whether you go by day or night, you are sure to see something up there that will not leave your memory for a very long time.

Panoramic view of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak

 

But a visit to Hong Kong is not all about lauding over local landmark or site spotting. No, it’s about eating and trying the local delicacies too. And there are a whole host of delicacies to choose from, the most famous of which is Dim Sum. A trip to Hong Kong would be incomplete without a Dim Sum eating experience, and there are plenty of restaurants there that offer it. The most famous, and surprisingly the most cost effective, of the bunch however is Tim Ho Wan. It is known as the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant not only in Hong Kong, but in the whole world. So, could really justify not paying a visit to it when it is both so lauded and so cheap?

If you’re devoid of inspiration as to where your travels should next take you, then look no further than Hong Kong. It is a fantastic place to find yourself simply because it is probably a lot different to your own way of life. The customs. The climate. The cuisine. They will all probably be quite alien to you, especially if you come from the Western world. But there is no better place to truly find yourself than in a place that is so different to your home. If you do find yourself homesick, however rest assured Hong Kong has it’s very own Disneyland resort. It is a mixture of both Eastern and Western cultures, so you’ll always be able to find a hint of your home there. So, what are you waiting for? Make Hong Kong your next big adventure!

5 Brilliant Ways to Team Building

When you are working together with other people, it is important to adapt team building ways so you can work more effectively. Without having communication and understanding between the people in your group, you cannot have the best of outcomes. Therefore, below are some activities you could choose for team building.

1.   Escape games

Involve yourself in some risky game which has a concern with creative thinking. Escape games will give your mind a greater place to think for ideas. Also, this kind of game will let you decide on things immediately. Working in a team will let you implement decisions quickly.

2.   Coin Logo

This activity needs all coins to be gathered together by each employee. You can share coins with others to create more friendliness. With the help of all coins gathered, your team will have to make a logo which represents them as one group. This kind of a game will enhance communication skills among members of your team.

3.   Picture Pieces Game

This game includes a very complex image which needs to be cut into equal squares in correspondence to the number of people in the group. Each member will be given one square. They will be required to draw an enlarged version of that image. Members are not allowed to view pictures of other employees hence they will not know what they are making as a big picture. Once every square is enlarged, each member is supposed to join them to make one big picture. This helps in problem-solving.

4.   Two truths and one lie

This game is somewhat similar to truth and dare. Each member of the group is required to write three facts about them out of which one should be a lie. After completing, get yourself involved in a ten-minute conversation with every member of the group. Your conversation will be in such a way that other members will guess which fact is a lie about you while you are supposed to convince them that it is the truth. This game increases communication between your group mates.

5.   Sneak a peak

The leader of the group is required to make a 3D model out of building blocks. Once you have completed, show it to your group members. Divide them into groups of 4 members where they are supposed to make the same 3D model in a given time limit without looking at the original piece. One member is allowed to view the original piece for 10 seconds to tell other members how it is made. Each member will go one by one after every minute. This game increases communication skills between members, so they will know how to solve problems when divided into teams.

Involving your members in a team building activity will let you have better communication opportunities. Every representative of the group will know how to go about a situation which includes problem-solving. They will know when to look for help and when to implement their decisions. You may also search for activities on. 

Bedbugs – How to Avoid Them What to Look For And What to Do If You've Got an Infestation

Bed bugs are becoming a more and more common phenomenon in the US, and while nobody is really sure why there has been such an increase in infestations in the last couple of decades, it makes sense for everybody to know a bit about the bugs and what to do if they are infested. There are a lot of common misconceptions about bedbugs, too. Here, we look at what you need to know about these domestic pests, how to try and avoid bringing them home, and what to do if you find them.

Myths About Bedbugs

Some people believe bedbugs are invisible to the naked eye. This is actually a misconception caused by being confused about the difference between bedbugs and dust mites. Dust mites are very tiny, and very common, and usually don't cause any problems unless you have an allergy. Bedbugs on the other hand are small, but clearly visible bugs, and you can see both the bugs and the eggs if you look for them. They bite, and leave itchy marks on the skin, meaning they are a pest you want to avoid not only for the 'gross' factor of having bugs alongside you when you sleep, but also to avoid irritating bites.

Another myth about bedbugs is that they only live in dirty homes. Unlike cockroaches and other pests associated with things like food remains being left in the house, bedbugs feed off of mammals like humans and their pets, and so will want to live in your home whether you are messy or keep your place immaculate.

How Do Bedbugs Get Into Your House?

Bedbugs are usually brought in from somewhere else that has them. They can be transferred on your clothes or luggage if you visit someone's house or a hotel that has bedbugs already. Another common way to end up with them is by buying or collecting secondhand goods. Things like upholstered furniture, cushions, linens, towels, soft toys and clothing can carry bedbugs if they come from somewhere that has an infestation.

Of course, this doesn't mean you should avoid buying secondhand items or accepting hand-me-downs just in case bedbugs come with them, however you should take care to clean anything you get in this way thoroughly before bringing it in to your home. With small items like teddy bears or cushions, a good way to make sure no bugs get transferred into your home can be to seal them in vacuum bag for a couple of days before washing them. This will suffocate any living bugs or newly hatched eggs and make sure none of them manage to get out and move on to other things in your home.

Checking for Infestation

If you wake up with itchy spots on your body that weren't there before, then there is a good chance you have bedbugs, especially if you have recently bought furniture or been away somewhere with luggage. Of course, there are other things that may have bitten you that are not a sign of an infestation problem, such as mosquitoes, so you will need to check for signs of bedbugs before taking action.

Bedbugs don't have one particular nest like ants do, but tend to set up groups in places where they can hide easily, so if you find one collection of bugs then this is unlikely to be the only one. They are most active at night, as you might expect, when they come out to bite and feed on human blood. This means if you search for them during the day you will need to look in hard to reach places, such as under your mattress, in dark corners, and even in cracks in the plaster or patches of peeling wallpaper. What you are looking for here is the bugs themselves, which are flat, oval shaped, and brown in color, but you may also find other evidence such as shed skin, egg shells, eggs (which look like small black dots), and smudges of bug excrement on your sheets. You may also find tiny spots of blood on your sheets where the bugs have bitten.

Another way to tell that you have bedbugs is of course to catch them in the act of biting you. When a bedbug attaches itself to feed, it uses a long thin beak to break the skin, and then feeds on blood for up to ten minutes. As it is feeding, it becomes full and swells up. If you can find a bug on you doing this in the night, it is certain there are more where it came from. Bear in mind that bedbug bites are painless when the bug actually bites you, so you probably won't be woken up by this. It is only later that they become irritating, itchy welts.

If you do find bugs in the most obvious places like your mattress, then you will need to check elsewhere to see the extent of the problem. They may not be limited to just one room, and while they don't fly, they can move quite quickly and make their way into different crevices. If you are unsure of whether you have found evidence of bedbugs or not, or don't know how bad the infestation is, then the best thing to do is have an expert from a pest control company like Go Forth Pest Control of Charlotte come and take a look. They will also, of course, be able to help you get rid of the infestation.

What Can I Do If I'm Infested?

The easiest and best thing to do if you have an infestation of bedbugs is to get a pest control company to deal with it. Bedbugs can be pretty persistent, and can survive for quite a long time without blood to feed on, so even if you clean very thoroughly or leave the house unoccupied for a while, the infestation can remain and the population of bugs can build itself up again quite rapidly. One female bedbug can also lay hundreds of eggs, so what starts off as a very minor infestation of a few bugs brought in on an item can quickly become a big problem.

However, if you do want to attempt to tackle the bug problem yourself, you will need to strip down the infested rooms and clean everything, as well as checking and cleaning every conceivable bedbug hiding place, including things you might not expect like electrical outlets. You should wash all fabric items on the highest temperature they can stand, and also put things that can't be washed with water in your drier for a spin so the heat and motion can kill off bugs and eggs, or try the suffocation technique of sealing them in a vacuum sealed plastic bag.

You'll also need to vacuum very thoroughly, including things like the hard to reach parts inside your bed frame. A vacuum with a HEPA filter would be ideal. Remember when you do this that your hoover will be picking up bedbugs. Seal your hoover in plastic (for instance in sealed garbage bags) and leave it somewhere like your garage so the bugs can die without being moved around the house. Make sure too that you immediately take out the garbage as you do all of this cleaning, as bed bugs and their eggs will probably be in there too.

You may also want to consider replacing some things that may be harder to rid of bugs, or which may have been the source of the bugs in the first place, for example if you have a secondhand mattress.

Getting rid of your own bedbugs is not an easy process, so be sure to keep checking for signs of bugs for a couple of months after cleaning.

Warn People

Although it may feel a little embarrassing, you should also really warn people that have visited your home and close by neighbors that you have experienced an infestation. If you live in an apartment then it is possible bugs have moved between homes just as they move between rooms in one house, and so the people in neighboring condos or apartments should check their own homes too. If you have had guests, especially if they have been in rooms that were infested (for instance if your couch was infested and they sat on it, or they stayed the night in a guest room that was treated for bedbugs), they may have taken bedbugs home with them, so it is best to warn them so they can check before a severe infestation develops.

Bedbugs are more of a nuisance than anything and the bites don't spread diseases or cause risks of more serious complications. However, it is of course not very pleasant to have these pests in your home biting you, and a minor bedbug problem can escalate quite quickly. Be sure then, to know the signs, and to know what to do if you do suspect bedbugs are in your home.