Posts for Vacation

5 Ways to Remember Your Travels When You Get Home

Travel Tips - Ross French - July 29, 2021

It can often feel as if your vacation never happened as soon as you land back in your home country, with your memories of your trip quickly fading. Then, to make sure that you can remember your travels vividly for years to come, here are five suggestions of what you can do to keep your travel memories alive.

5 Ways to Remember Your Travels When You Get Home

1. Buy Rare Antiques

Once you get home, you should consider searching for rare antiques from the country that you have traveled to or antiques in the style of the country that you love. Many people struggle to bring antiques back from abroad due to their size, weight, and fragility, especially if they are flying back home. However, many websites can allow you to shop for rare antiques and ensure that you can have these delivered straight to your home.

2. Create a Memory Box

If you want somewhere to store your travel memories so that they do not clutter your home, you should consider investing in a storage container or even a suitcase that you can transform into a memory box. This will help you to keep photos, souvenirs, and ticket stubs in one place and can allow you to revisit these items whenever you are feeling nostalgic for your trip.

3. Make a Photo Wall

However, if you want to be reminded of your vacation every single day of the year, you should consider creating a photo wall within your home. This collage of photos can look great in a living room or hallway and can ensure that memories of your vacation can put a smile on your face whenever you pass this wall. You might also consider pinning up a map of the world or the country that you visited and placing pins in the locations that you have been to.

4. Make the Best Recipes

The element that you remember from your vacation the most is not always the sights, though, and certain foods can send you straight back to the moment that you first tried them. Then, you should consider taking home recipe cards for your favorite foreign dishes when you go on vacation to ensure that you can replicate the best dishes that you tried when you are feeling down in the dumps or tired of the monotony of your everyday life.

5. Take Home a Perfume

Lastly, you should consider remembering your vacation when you get home by purchasing a perfume reminiscent of a scent that you loved when you were abroad. For instance, this could be a type of fruit that grows in your travel destination or a certain flower. Smells are known to trigger memories more than any other senses, and so buying a perfume that reminds you of your trip can help you to indulge in vacation memories whenever you want to. If you do not wear perfume, you should consider buying candles or room sprays with this same scent to really make the vacation memories last.

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6 Ways to Care for Your Body After a Vacation

Travel Tips - Ross French - July 26, 2021

Many people are guilty of over-indulging during a getaway. You might have treated yourself to many cocktails, sampled a nation’s rich cuisine, or ordered dessert every night of the week.
While you might have enjoyed treating yourself during a break, you might struggle with a low mood, digestive issues, and extra inches on your waistline once home. If so, read the following advice on how to care for your body after a vacation.

1. Reset Your Digestive System

After a week or more of over-indulging, you will likely feel bloated and uncomfortable. Reset your digestive system by adding psyllium husk into your diet, as it is a dietary fiber that can support healthy elimination and regulation. It is a must-have product if you have struggled with bowel issues after a vacation, as it can support digestive health.

2. Eat Clean

Banish cravings for salt and sugar after a getaway by eating clean. Focus on consuming more whole and natural ingredients, steamed or raw vegetables, and fresh fruits. Also, stick to lean proteins and avoid starchy foods and carbs to keep mealtimes healthy.

3. Steer Clear of Alcohol

Many people want to remain in vacation mode when returning home from a break, as they will want to hold onto the fun and freedom a little longer. However, if you enjoyed many beers and cocktails under the summer sun, it is a wise idea to avoid alcohol once a trip is over. Otherwise, you could struggle with weight gain, poor skin, and sleeping difficulties.

4. Hydrate Your Body

Eradicate toxins from your body by drinking more water both during and after a vacation. Fresh water can banish cravings for high-calorie drinks you enjoyed on vacation, such as sodas and alcohol.

If you do not like plain water, make it more exciting by adding fresh fruit, such as orange slices, lemon wedges, or berries. Water can decrease bloating, aid weight loss, and reduce inflammation in the body.

5. Start or Return to Exercise

Say goodbye to excess pounds by starting or returning to exercise after a vacation. As you may have consumed many calories on vacation, you might find it is harder to catch your breath or motivate yourself. Build up gradually to your pre-vacation physical activity levels to avoid a painful injury.

6. Do not Step on the Scales Right Away

It is tempting to step on the scales after a vacation to see how much weight you might have gained. However, you must avoid doing so in the first week of returning home. You are likely retaining water from a flight, which can dent your confidence when stepping on the scales. Once you return home from a vacation, focus on enjoying a clean, healthy diet, drinking plenty of water, and weigh yourself a week or two later.

If you follow the above advice, you could quickly undo the damage of a well-deserved vacation, and you could feel healthier and happier in a matter of weeks.

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5 Foods That Remind You of Vacation

Travel Tips - Ross French - July 19, 2021

vacation

If you have just got home from vacation or cannot go on vacation this year and are desperately longing for a trip to the beach, why not take your tastebuds on vacation from home? There are many foods that can remind you of long days lounging by the sea, and here are a few that are sure to get you dreaming of sun-soaked times.

5 Foods That Remind You of Vacation

Pancakes

Although you might not be able to justify eating pancakes for breakfast every day, what good is a vacation if you aren’t allowed to treat yourself to a sugar rush before nine am? Not only can pancakes remind you of hotel breakfasts and lazy mornings, but you can also add many delightful toppings onto them to make your tastebuds tingle, including summer fruits, maple syrup, and honey. Then, you should consider buying bulk pancake mix from Bob’s Red Mill to ensure that you never run out of that vacation feeling.

Tropical Smoothies

If you want to relax with a non-alcoholic summery drink, you might not believe that there are many options out there for you, with many people opting for alcoholic beverages as soon as they reach the resort. However, tropical smoothies can remind you of childhood vacations roaming around rock pools and building sandcastles even in the colder winter months, with their combination of fruits like pineapple and passionfruit giving you the ultimate taste of sunnier shores.

Seafood Paella

Most vacations have their proximity to the sea in common, and so you may find that you spend every evening on vacation tucking into a seafood dish of your choice with seafood added into it straight from the ocean. Although you might not be able to indulge in fresh seafood as much as you would on vacation, dishes like seafood paella can help to remind you of just how mouth-wateringly good seafood can be when used in the right dish, especially if you love to vacation in Spain and other Mediterranean countries.

Club Sandwiches

On busy days swimming in the pool, your go-to lunch or snack might have been a club sandwich for its delicious and easy-to-eat nature. This casual food is a staple beachside food if you decide to vacation in America, and the sandwich is made up of chicken, lettuce, and bacon. Club sandwiches even have a long and vivid history, and nowadays, no vacation is complete without tucking into one.

Pina Coladas

Lastly, if you normally spend your vacations relaxing with a glass in hand, there is no better drink to send you back to your long days at the seaside than a Pina Colada. It can sometimes be hard to imagine this rum and coconut drink consumed anywhere that isn’t close to the ocean or a sandy stretch of beach. Luckily, Pina Coladas are relatively easy to make at home, and, with one in hand, you will almost be able to sense the sea as soon as you close your eyes.

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Top Tips to Stay Healthy While Traveling

Travel Tips - Ross French - July 19, 2021

Traveling

Many people decide to take a vacation from their healthy routines as well as from their everyday life when they travel, and this can cause them to become ill and even taint their travel experiences while they are away. Whether you are going on a vacation or a longer trip, read on for some top tips on how to make sure that you can stay your best and healthiest self when you are away from home.

Top Tips to Stay Healthy While Traveling

Take Probiotics

When you are on vacation, it can be easy to become run-down, either due to stress or the fact that you are not in your normal surroundings. Not only this, but you might be eating foods that you are not used to or coming into contact with viruses that you are not normally exposed to. Consider packing probiotics for adults, as these can improve your gut health, boost your immune system, and can even do wonders for your mental health.

Drink Bottled Water

Although you might love to indulge in tap water at home, when you are abroad, you should avoid drinking water straight from the tap unless you have researched its safety. If you are going to do so, you should consider filtering the water first or using iodine to disinfect water if you intend to drink water from a river or pond when camping. However, the best step that you can take to protect yourself from water-borne diseases is to drink bottled water throughout your trip.

Pack a First Aid Kit

However much you try to protect your health when you go away, accidents and emergencies are not always easy to predict, and vacations carry many risks, from bug bites to falls when hiking. Then, you should always make sure that your suitcase contains a first aid kit that can help you quickly patch up and disinfect any injuries you get when you are abroad before you can seek medical attention.

Eat Well

Although a large part of the fun of going on vacation is enjoying different cuisines, you should not throw healthy eating completely out of the window as this is what gives you energy and stamina and can also improve your mood. However, when you are eating out abroad, you should be careful of what you eat and avoid undercooked foods, giving you food poisoning.

Guard Yourself Against the Sun

Many people choose to vacation in locations with guaranteed sun. If you love the sensation of being near the equator and love to chase the sun around the globe, you should make sure that you guard yourself against it. For instance, you should always make sure that you apply sunscreen when you are heading out and about and that you wear sunglasses and a hat. You should also try to avoid being outside during the height of the sun each day, which is normally between 11 am and 3 pm. This will ensure that you do not find yourself suffering from heatstroke and that you do not develop serious medical issues later in life, such as skin cancer.

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A Guide to Saving for Your Next Getaway

Travel Tips - Ross French - June 16, 2021

Getaway

Everyone deserves a chance to unwind and de-stress, and a vacation can provide an opportunity to do so. Yet, traveling to different corners of the globe is not cheap, which is why you may need to save up throughout the year to fund a much-needed break.

If you want to travel overseas in the near future, read this helpful guide to saving for your next getaway.

Create a Vacation Budget

Never run out of money by setting a vacation budget. You will need to factor in the cost of:

  • Accommodation
  • Flights
  • Airport transfers
  • Food and drink
  • Transportation
  • Activities
  • Travel insurance
  • Souvenirs

A vacation budget will ensure you do not need to count every penny at your destination and can enjoy your getaway.

Open a Savings Account

Once you have a vacation budget to work towards, you should open a credit union savings account that offers a competitive rate, 24-hour access, a dependable app, and automatic transfers between accounts. It will encourage you to set money aside for a trip each month, and it can make paying for a vacation feel much easier.

Cut Your Grocery Bill

You do not need to sacrifice freshness, quality, and good health when attempting to trim your grocery bill. You could make superb savings throughout the year by buying in-season produce and switching to cheaper ingredients.

Also, you could slash the cost of your grocery bill at the checkout by using coupon codes for various products. You can then add the money saved into your vacation fund.
Find Ways to Save Money

Cutting your grocery bill can increase your bank balance, but other clever tactics can improve your finances. For example, you should:

  • Use comparison services when buying online
  • Skip the daily chain coffee
  • Buy products from daily deal websites, such as Groupon
  • Use vouchers at restaurants
  • Car share with a colleague to work
  • Recycle an old smartphone or tablet for cash
  • Sell your unwanted possessions

Travel Off-Peak

Slash the cost of a trip by traveling to your desired destination during an off-peak season. It could help you stay at the same hotels and embrace the same excursions for a fraction of the costs during peak seasons.

Eat Local

Skip the expensive chain restaurants when on vacation and sample the local cuisine. For example, street vendors are not only much cheaper than commercial venues, but they will allow you to experience a nation’s many fantastic dishes. For example, if you are in Bangkok, you can enjoy fried rice or Baan Yai Phad Thai for as little as $1. So, step outside your comfort zone to save money during a getaway and enjoy many new and exciting flavors.

If you follow the above top tips, you could save a substantial amount of money to pay off your next vacation. Plus, you must look for ways to reduce your expenses once you arrive at a destination, such as taking public transport over a taxi, trying street vendor dishes, and swapping commercial attractions for hidden gems.

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