Top 5 Tips For Safe Family Travel In A Foreign Country

When traveling with your family, having a fun time should only be your second priority. Your first priority, of course, should always be safety. This is even more true when you’re traveling to another country versus traveling domestically.

Here are the top five tips for safe family travel in a foreign country:

1 - Lock The Doors

This may sound simple, but it’s not something you want to overlook. When you step into a taxi or an Uber, lock the doors. When you arrive at your hotel room, lock the doors as well.

Locking the doors is one of the most basic safety procedures that you can make, but it’s also among the most important without question.

2- Have Local Currency Available

Most travelers think they can get by just by paying for everything with credit cards, and indeed you should be able to.

But at the same time, it’s also really smart to have the currency of the country you’re visiting in your pocket just in case anything happens and you’re unable to use your cards. You can exchange  American dollars for virtually any other kind of currency at a money transfer service.

3 - Carry As Little Information As Possible

The simplest way to have as little information on your person will simply be to leave your electronic devices at home, if possible. Instead, buy a cheap international phone for the trip, and if you need to bring a laptop or tablet for work, have no saved credit cards or stored passwords on it whatsoever.

4 - Stay Together In Crowds

Tourist attractions such as historical sights, natural wonders, monuments, and museums are going to be extremely crowded, to say the least. It’s important for everyone in your family to stay together so you don’t get cut off.

As a safety precaution, take photos of each of your kids on the same day, so if they do get lost, you can show people willing to help what they look like and what they are wearing.

5 - Insurance Is Your Friend

Travel insurance will be your best friend from a financial perspective should anything happen such as a medical emergency (which most certainly won’t be covered by your health care plan if you’re international), cancelling flights or booked hotel rooms, or losing or damaging valuable possessions.

Sure, travel insurance is an added expense, but it’s one that can be well worth it. Many foreign hospitals may not even help an injured or sick member of your family until you pay, which means having insurance could literally save someone’s life in the most extreme of circumstances.

Traveling Safely In A Foreign Country

As was noted previously, there is no greater priority when traveling than the safety of your family. The five tips we have covered here today will do a lot to help ensure that your trip is as safe as possible, but there are many more safety precautions to take as well so don’t end your research here.

Make Your Gifts Really Count!

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Giving gifts can often be a big challenge for a lot of people. Even if you're the kind of person who
really loves giving people presents, you're still going to have to deal with trying to find something
that will be perfect. Not only that but you want to make sure that any gift you give isn't just going to
be some empty gesture. You want it to mean something, no matter what the reason for the gift is.
With that in mind, here are some things for you to consider in order to help you make your gifts
really count.

Personalize them

Few things are as likely to make a gift feel like it's not really that connected to the person you're
giving it to than if it's generic and just kind of seems as though it's not really connected to anyone or
anything. In order to avoid that then the best thing you can do is to personalize it. That way you add
just that extra bit of personal value to any gift without having to go to that much extra effort.
Something like a name necklace or a gift with an engraving in it is a simple thing that can make a
huge difference. It can turn any gift into something that people will want to treasure for years to come.

Give them meaning

Sure, it's possible to get away with just giving some a gift that they will think is nice. But if you want
your gift to really count then, the best thing you can do is to make sure that it really means something.
Why not try to tie it into something about your relationship or about who they are as a person. That
way, when you give them their gift, they can immediately recognize how much thought went into it.

Make them yourself

There's no denying that, if you really want to show someone that you care, making them a gift is one
of the best ways to do it. Instead of just buying something, a handmade gift shows that you're willing
to take time and effort out of your life in order to make something just for them. Sure, it's more hard
work than if you just bought it, but it really will mean that much more to the person you give it to.

It's crucial that you remember that, even if you end up not finding the right gift or you misjudge how
much someone is going to like what you give them, it's not the end of the world! The worst that can
happen is that things are a little bit awkward for a moment. And even then, most people are just so
happy that someone would think of them enough to buy them a gift that they are often more
concerned with that than the gift itself. And if you don't get someone the perfect gift, at least you'll
have a better idea of what you to get them further down the line.

Things You Should Never Do on an Airplane

If you have been flying for a while, then you know what you should do and what you should not do while in the airplane. If it's going to be your first time flying, it is important to know there are certain things you should never do in an airplane. Some of these things are designed for your own safety and that of other travelers, and failure to observe them would put you at crossroads with the crew. Without further ado, these are some of the things you must never do when you are in an airplane:

 

Sleeping during takeoff or during landing

It may sound harmless why you should not sleep during takeoff or landing, but there are very good reasons why you must stay awake at this particular times. This is because during landing or takeoffs, the cabin pressure changes so fast and it's imperative that stay awake so that your body system can balance between the changes in the cabin pressure and your own system. This equalization must take place when you are awake, and to aid it, you can chew gum, yawn or simply stay awake and take deep breathes.  If you happen to fall asleep during the pressure change, there are chances that you may get super dizzy, and you may potentially get some problems with your eardrums. In some worst cases, your nose may bleed, and you could also end up with unnecessary hearing problems.

Sitting from takeoff to landing

The main reason why you should not sit from takeoff to landing is primarily due to health concerns. The low pressures present in the cabins have the potential of lowering blood circulation in your system, leading to blood clots, especially in your legs. Again, it is never healthy to be in one position for so long. This is why it is recommended that you should walk and stretch during the flight. This is especially recommended when you're flying for long hours without money stops.  You don’t want to go through all the hassles of renew my passport only to have a nasty flight experience simply because you were seated right from takeoff to landing in the next destination.

Sleeping when it's daytime at your final destination

Sleeping when it’s daytime at your final destination will ruin your internal clock system and you'll find it very difficult to adapt to the new time zone. When this happens, you'll find it really difficult to adapt and keep up. This is why it is recommended to adjust your time to reflect the actual time in your destination so that you can fall asleep when only it is time to sleep in the destination you are headed to. Ruining your internal clock would mean a whole range of problems for you, especially if you needed to stay active.

Declining a beverage

You should stay hydrated all the time you are on the plane. You should know that the cabin air is always dry and every time you exhale, you lose a lot of moisture. This is why you need to make it a habit of taking lots of fluids so that you remain hydrated through the period. Don't shy away from calling for more drinks every time the crew makes rounds.

Ordering tea or coffee

To begin with, inflight tea or coffee is an insult to the beverages. In fact, if there's anything you should never do is to order coffee or tea while flying. The reason for this is that the coffee and tea are made from the plane’s tap water, and truth is told,this is not the kind of water you want to be drinking. The tanks are always dirty since they are cleaned just a few times a year, and the tea or coffee will always smell and taste horrible. Additionally, the waters in the plane may contain coliform which is potentially harmful to your health. Therefore, know that you will always be better off not ordering the tea or coffee in the planes. They are the unhealthiest meals you will ever have on the plane.

Drinking anything with bubbles

The reason why you should not drink anything with bubbles such as carbonated drinks or beer is that the changes in air pressure in the cabin can sometimes cause gas is to expand and this will consequently cause the gas from those drinks to expand inside your body by up to 25%. Now, this may not be a very good news for a lot of people because it will come with a lot of discomforts. In turn, you will not enjoy the flight and you may regret why you went for renew my passport so that you take such an uncomfortable trip.

Eating too much of the plane food

 

 

Of course, you should eat when you feel hungry anywhere and not just on the plane alone. The dry cabin air and the low pressures may sometimes make it difficult to tell the difference between salt and sugar and this may sometimes make foods taste so horrible. Additionally, the conditions inside the plane do not make it suitable for digestion to take place properly and so overindulging may cause a lot of stomach upsets for you when you land. Therefore, in as much as some of the foods will be tempting, just be sure to take enough and don’t be tempted to overindulge.

Walking around barefoot

Sometimes walking around in flight barefoot may make you feel a little bit comfortable, especially if you’re in a very long flight, but this is not a very good idea and it’s something you must not do, however tempting it to be. The reason for this is that the floor sometimes maybe super filthy and you will be collecting all manner of filth under your soles. Therefore, before you think about walking barefoot, just think about the amount of that you’ll be collecting and this may potentially have negative health impact on you.

Not relieving yourself when should

 

When feeling pressed on the plane, be sure to visit the restroom and relieve yourself.  Don't fall for the temptation to hold it until you reach your final destination. Even during normal instances, it's unhealthy and it will only make you feel very uncomfortable. Always remember that holding it for a very longer may also lead to infections in your urinary tract.



4 Reasons to Consider Homeschooling Your Kids

Homeschooling in the USA continues to grow at a strong pace, with more and more parents shunning traditional schools in favor of teaching their kids from the comfort of their own homes.

Data from the National Centre for Education Statistics suggest that the number of kids taught at home is growing by 3 to 8 percent a year since the total hovered around 1.8 million in 2012. That puts the upper estimate of those being home schooled at around 3.5 million children.

So why are so many parents turning to homeschooling their kids? Here are four reasons to consider homeschooling your kids.

It will help your kids love learning

For many of us, school is synonymous with suffering. That suffering comes largely from the pressures of passing tests and completing homework by deadlines. You are made to learn at the same pace as everyone else with no respite. It’s no wonder so many kids end up hating learning as a result of their school experiences. With homeschooling, you have none of that. They can learn at their own pace without any pressure. Most important of all though is that it can make learning fun. If your kids are among those making soccer more popular than MLB among 12-17-year-olds, then get them working out points scenarios and outcomes as part of their math work. If your kids find learning fun, they will learn to love it and that will set them up for life.

Samuel, age 8, in full soccer gear!

You can move with the times and teach your kids the stuff that matters

All too often, schools are stuck in a certain way and method of teaching. They will often deal only in established facts and when a new discovery is made, it can take years for that to filter through and for kids to find out about. With homeschooling, you are free to teach what you want. If there is a Jawbone Discovery that changes what we know about the history of the human race on a Tuesday, your kids can be learning about it by the Wednesday. You’ll also be able to knock on the head skills like calculus problems which hardly any of us have to use in life, instead focusing on skills like budgeting and personal finances which we all need in adulthood.

You can help your kids focus on what they are good at

Your kid might be a talented artist, particularly gifted at music or have a flair for writing. Homeschooling can let them flourish by focusing more on the skills and talents that they are good at, rather than the ones they are not. If they have a genuine chance of being the next Pablo Picasso, Taylor Swift or JK Rowling, then homeschooling can help them achieve their dreams.

They’ll avoid the bullying of the school playground

Bullying is a big issue and it happens in virtually every playground in every school in the country. Even President Obama gave a speech about bullying in 2011. There are people who have a utopian idea that every kid in every school can get along fine, but if we can’t do that as fully mature adults then why should be expect our kids to be able to do it? Homeschooling removes the threat or prospect of your kids being bullied, making them far happier at the same time.

Giving Nature A Real Home In Your Garden

Most people are well-aware of the fact that we’re encroaching more and more on the spaces that many of the species besides us consider their home. As we do so, however, we are creating the potential for new habitats and ecosystems that many of them can live happily in. The sad reality is that not enough people are helping to create that habitat. If you have a garden, then consider doing your part to share it with some others.

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Our feathered friends

This isn’t a hard one to convince many of. Most people love seeing birds in their garden and enjoying their songs throughout the day. Feeding them with seed holders and birdhouses are the easiest ways to see more of them around. Ponds or birdbaths will give them even more reason to stop around more often. Don’t be worried if it takes them a while to catch on to the hot new property. Wildlife are naturally cautious around new additions and environments.

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A winter guest

There are some creatures closer to the ground that might like a safe haven in your garden if you were to build it for them. One of the most common is the hedgehog. Many people already build homes for them to spend the winter in and it’s as simple as creating a wooden hut with some insulation and an entrance big enough for just them.

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Get back to the wild

If you love your garden then you probably consider wildflowers as nothing more than weeds. When you have designs of your own then it is true that you need to economise your soil and fight off unwanted guests. Instead, consider partitioning off a wildflower haven with plenty of distance from the other parts of the garden. It’s easy to get packs of wildflower seeds that contain up to 20 different species that can add a real variety to the garden.

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Pond life

Ponds are fantastic ways to add a bit more life to the garden. Fresh water will attract not only birds as we mentioned. Frogs, toads, newts, and dragonflies seek them out for breeding, as well. Of course, you can have your own fish in there living happily as well. But it might be important to consider pond pumps at discount prices to keep the pond fit for the life inside it as well. You need to think about what kind of life you want in there, as some fish species can be rather greedy in eating any other kind of wildlife that try and breed there.

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Keep the outdoors outdoors

Some people show a little trepidation about creating a wilder garden because it threatens the sanctity of the home and they expect it will bring about all kinds of new pests. It’s not entirely untrue, either. You have to make sure your home is well-sealed with bug spray around cracks and crevices. If you’re worried about pests eating plants in your garden, then companion plants can serve as a more effective and more environmentally friendly way to get rid of pests. Instead, they invite predators like spiders or ladybugs that eat the pests.

Unless we adapt our ways, we can expect that the list of endangered species will continue to grow even in our own surroundings. Do a bit of good and give nature a home in your garden.