Get paid to shop - Is it real?

Use the Honey Chrome Extension When You Shop.
The Honey Chrome extension helps you make money by saving money.  It attaches to your Google Chrome, and as you shop online, it automatically finds the Internet's best coupon codes for you, so you don't have to try finding them yourself.  An icon will pop up that you click on, and it will apply the coupon to your purchase.

Sites That Get You Cash Back from Your Shopping.
Swagbucks helps you earn gift cards by watching videos, filling out surveys, playing video games, shopping through their site, using their search engine, try samples, or check out offers. Ebates gets a commission for sending you to partner websites to shop, and shares the commission with you. The downside to these applications is they can cause you to buy things you don't need, so you end up spending dollars to earn pennies.  So be wise when using these applications and don't allow them to influence your buying habits.

Get Money Back from Online Purchases as the Price Drops Using Paribus.
First, you shop online and save the email receipts from purchases.  Paribus tracks your confirmation emails and monitors price changes. When the price changes, Paribus will notify you and help you get your money back.

Cash Back with Dosh.
With Dosh, you connect your debit and credit cards to your account, so whenever you shop at a partner location, it deposits cash from your purchases to your Dosh account.  The money can then be transferred to your PayPal, bank account, or donated to a charity. You also get eight dollars for every friend you refer.

Earn Cash with Ibotta or EarnWithDrop.com.
Both apps help you get paid to shop certain groceries and brand specific items. Ibotta asks you to pick items from their grocery list to buy. You submit a picture of the receipt after you purchase the item, and get paid with gift cards or cash via Venmo or PayPal.  They also offer a ten dollar bonus for new enrollees. This is modern day couponing, but with your smartphone.

Free Money with CoinOut.com.
Just take a picture of any receipt, from any retailer, and you'll get paid to shop.  I tried this, and I would get five cents to fifteen cents per receipt. This company gathers market research on your spending patterns so they can sell it to other companies which helps them spend their marketing dollars efficiently.

Get Paid for Walking into Stores with ShopKick.
You will earn points for walking into stores, scanning items, and for buying specific items indicated by the application.  You get paid to shop with gift cards. If you don't have a lot of self-control in stores, don't use this; it'll just end up costing you money instead of helping you earn some.

Get Paid with the Toluna ShopTracker App.
The Toluna ShopTracker App is operated by The Harris Poll, a survey company that measures U.S. public opinion.  It tracks your shopping habits for market research companies. They start you off with $3 for installing the app.  Data is precious, and companies are willing to pay to get as much consumer information as they can so they can focus their marketing plans on people who will actually use their products.  This type of apps simply gathers information on your habits, so the data can be sold to large companies.

Make money from your body - What to sell?

Donate Plasma

You can donate plasma up to three times a week for about fifty dollars per donation.  Check out DonatingPlasma.org to find your nearest donation center. Giving blood and plasma are good for your health because it rids your body of older or damaged cells, forcing your body to generate new healthier cells during the recovery process.  Donating can also reduce harmful cholesterol levels.

Donate Stool

If you live in the Boston area, you can donate stool for forty dollars a specimen at OpenBiome.org.  The stool is used as part of a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), or a stool transplant. The fecal matter from a healthy person is transplanted via enema, colonoscopy, or stool infusion into another person who needs it.  This process helps introduce healthy bacteria into the colon of the recipient.

Women Can Donate Their Eggs

Women can donate their eggs to other women who do not produce healthy eggs, but who want to have children.  The pay is around fourteen thousand dollars per donation; however, when I was a student at the University of Southern California (USC), I saw advertisements in the school paper offering up to one hundred thousand dollars per donation.

Men Can Donate Sperm

Men can donate sperm for about one thousand five hundred a month depending on how often they make deposits.  Check out SpermBankDirectory.com to find the closest sperm donation center. I tried this in college and only made it to the fourth page of a fifty-page questionnaire when I found out I couldn't make a donation because I was in my first year in a four-year university, and they didn't accept applicants until their second year.

Donate Your Body After You Die

Donate your body to science, and you will get a free cremation when you pass away.  Check out BioGift and Science Care. When I was in school, I had the opportunity to work on several of the corpses in my classes as part of my training.  If it weren't for selfless people, we wouldn't have bodies for new medical staff to practice on and research to be conducted on.

Retail Arbitrage and Online Arbitrage - Sell on eBay & Amazon

There are two types of arbitrage, the first is online arbitrage which is finding items for sale that have a spread which is a lower price on one website than relisting it on another site at a higher price.  That spread is your potential profit. For example, buying a Black and Decker toaster on target.com for eight dollars, but seeing it for sale on Amazon.com for twenty dollars. So you relist it on Amazon for $19.90 so your price is the lowest and it sells, and you make $11.90 in profit.  When someone buys the product you have listed, you drop ship the item to the customer. Drop shipping is when you sell the item, the item is then shipped directly from one website to the buyer from the other website. This saves you a lot of time and money as many people get Amazon Prime or other accounts that give you free shipping, which offers free shipping on all purchases.  This technique is very easy, and it has made countless millionaires.  When you buy something on the internet, it’s common for you to buy from one website and then receive the package from another website.  This happens because you bought something that someone had found on one website and relisted on another, which can seem confusing if you don’t understand what’s going on.  I had an issue with an item that was not the seller’s fault, but I needed to return the item. When I contacted the seller, I was surprised to find that there were several sellers in other countries, such as Brazil, India, and Egypt.  These were folks relisting items they were finding on the internet that had a profitable spread. Then, when I purchased the product, it was drop shipped to me from a warehouse in the USA.
Some friends of mine started doing this when they were in Iraq and had lots of free time on base.  When they came back to the States, they continued, and have made millions doing online arbitrage.

The second type is retail arbitrage, where you go into brick and mortar stores like Walmart, dollar stores, Target, or other major retailers and look for items they carry that have a favorable spread with an online retailer like eBay or Amazon.  Amazon even has a smartphone application called Amazon Seller, that you can scan product barcodes while you're in the store, and it will give you the high and low price on Amazon, along with lots of information including how long it should take to sell the item.  So you can figure out exactly how much money you would make and how long it would take you to make it. You can also comb Craigslist, thrift stores, or garage sales for things that could sell for more on eBay or Amazon.
I have been very successful with retail arbitrage, especially around Christmas time.  I’ll comb the web for the hottest Christmas items, then search those items till I discover a spread in the prices.  For example, one year a Tickle Me Elmo came out that was selling in stores for around forty dollars, but there was so much demand that the stores ran out of stock as everybody wanted this toy for their kids.  Because it was the most sought-after toy that holiday, I was able to get over five hundred dollars for each Elmo and had a huge waiting list of people bidding the prices up even higher. I drove around and figured out delivery dates at Targets, Walmarts, and other big stores around me that were selling them.  I’d make a calendar and I’d do my rounds to those stores buying as many as I could. Oftentimes, when there was such high demand, the stores would set a limit as to how many of the particular items you could buy. To get around the purchase limit, I would bring my parents, girlfriend, and friends, and I’d pay them a commission for helping me buy the items.  Some of my friends have made over twenty thousand during some holiday seasons with retail arbitrage selling toys, game consoles, and whatever the other must-have items were that holiday.

Where to invest money - Side hustle ideas

Investing in Startup Companies

This is risky, but not as risky as stock can be, and the returns can be amazing.  I recommend using a dollar cost averaging strategy like you would use when buying stock.  Just keep investing over a period of time into various startup companies, so that you spread your risk and increase your chances of buying a Unicorn.  When you invest in startup companies, you can expect to recover your money in one out of ten investments, and one out of one hundred you can strike it rich with a Unicorn.  A Unicorn company is a FaceBook, Google, Uber, Airbnb, etc, a company that becomes super successful and you can turn a ten thousand dollar investment into a ten million dollar investment or better. You have an option of doing the research yourself and investing through websites or picking websites that screen the companies for you. Obviously, the more you do on your own, the greater the share of the profits.  Websites such as WeFunder, SeedInvest, StartEngine, AngelList, CircleUp, MicroVentures, and FundersClub allow you to browse companies to make investments in a variety of ranges and options.

Women Can Invest in Ellevest

An investment website set up to cater to women's needs.  It's a robo-adviser that does gender-based investing in companies that help promote the advancement of women.  It also takes into account female-specific factors such as longer expected life spans than men and lower incomes than men.  They do take men as clients, but they're focused on the needs of female clients.

Invest with Robo Investors

Swell allows you to invest in high growth industries solving global challenges.  Other apps, like Betterment, Robinhood, Stash, or M1 Finance, charge you fewer fees and give you a variety of flexible options to help you invest.  Several of these companies have a sign on bonus for new accounts. Personal Capital or Blooom will analyze your portfolio and provide you with advice on how you could improve your allocation to help you achieve your goals.  Investing with apps is the new preferred way for people to invest because of all the free service options that come with it.

Micro Investing with Worthy Capital

With as little as ten dollars you can invest your money into Worthy Capital’s five percent fixed bonds which is eighty-three times more than you could get from a bank, and you're allowed to pull your money out whenever you want without fees.  This is one of my favorite ways to invest money that is sitting in my bank account and that I can't invest long term in something because I may need it.

TOP 3 WAYS to become rich with real estate

Real Estate Acquisition

In my opinion, real estate acquisition is the number one way to become rich with real estate, or super rich, on a very consistent basis.  When it comes to technology or stocks, you can make it big but the risks are much greater. The majority of millionaires are still made in real estate.  Around the year two thousand, I read that over ninety percent of millionaires in California were made in real estate. Since then, that has changed due to the surge in technology companies.  But at the time, this gave me something to focus in on and start learning. Within four years, I had great success.

Real estate has many benefits because people are always going to need housing; and with the current exponential and unchecked growth of the human population, there will surely be someone needing a place to live if you have a place for rent. Real estate is a hedge against inflation.  If inflation starts increasing, your rents and property values will increase with inflation.  As the cost of living goes up, so will your cash flow. Your properties will give you tax benefits, passive income, property value appreciation, and leverage. Leverage is the most important factor because it allows you to make a lot of money fast off someone else's money. Leveraging, of course, only works if your borrowed investment increases in value more than the money you borrowed.  This is how leveraging works; let’s say, you have twenty thousand dollars, you invest it in an investment account, and at the end of the year you earn ten percent interest, and your gains would be two thousand dollars. However, if you invest that twenty thousand into buying a two hundred thousand dollar house and finance the other one hundred eighty thousand dollars and that house appreciates by ten percent,  then your gains would be twenty thousand dollars, and because your initial investment was twenty thousand and you made twenty thousand, then your return on investment was actually one hundred percent instead of ten percent in the first scenario. This isn’t taking into account the rents, depreciation, nor the tax benefits you can get from the property.

Flip Real Estate

Research properties in your area through websites like TheMLS.com, Zillow, HomeFinder, or ZipRealty, and find a property that is below market value, usually, because the property is being foreclosed, owners need a quick sale, or the property is in bad condition.  When you find one, negotiate the price ($220,000 purchase price), figure out how much it would cost you to fix the property ($40,000 repairs), and add that to your estimated purchase price for a total ($260,000). Figure out what that house would sell for if you bought it and fixed it up ($300,000 sale price), and see if the profit ($40,000) is worth your effort.  This is something that depends on your earning potential, and how long you estimate it’ll take you to fix the property and sell it. If making $40,000 in three months is a good deal for you, and it’s more than you would make doing something else, then it’s a good investment. But, if your contractor says it’ll take 6 months to fix the place (instead of a month) and the houses in the area are on the market for about 6 months before they sell according to realty websites, then you have to figure out if it’s worth it to make $40,000 over the course of a year.  The good thing about this type of deal is that it can be a side job and you can still have other businesses going on while you remodel the house. Flipping houses is ideal for people who know something about construction and would like to start working for themselves fixing the houses they are buying and reselling them. You also have to figure in other costs such as hold costs for the loans to buy the property, interest on repair loans, fees for the real estate agent to sell it, and any other costs you may incur.  Generally, this is a pretty straight forward business, and the better you are at doing repairs with your own crew, the more you’re going to save, and the more you’re going to make. You will also learn other strategies to save on expenses like selling your own house on for sale by owner (FSBO) sites or Craigslist, buying directly from the owners to save on commissions, making owner financed sales to save on bank fees, and using your low-interest credit card balance transfer offers to make the repairs or even to purchase the properties. Here is a strategy for becoming rich and even super rich.  Use the real estate acquisition strategy with leveraging to keep buying and buying more properties to rent or flip them.

One of my colleagues bought over forty buildings here in Los Angeles by leveraging them one by one and buying more.  Generally, you start this with regular investment loans, and as you scale up, you use private money loans. He would buy one for $300,000 and $30,000 down. Fix it up, start renting it, and once the property value went up some, he would take a line of credit or refinance the house and use that money to acquire another property, and just keep repeating the process over and over. The first way to increase the property value is to raise the rents because you increase the cash flow on the real estate.  The second way is property appreciation which can happen by either you making upgrades and remodeling or simply the general market increasing in price. As long as you can keep finding ways to increase your property value, you can keep leveraging your properties pulling money out of them and buying more. If the property prices stop appreciating, which is cyclical and happens around every seven years, you simply hold on and just keep renting your properties till the next price upswing, and then continue the same strategy.
What if there is a large price drop in the property prices?  In 2008, I had one property drop from being valued at $500,000 to $160,000 in about one year; this happened to me several times.  The interesting thing is that rents actually increased during this time as people got scared and allowed the banks to foreclose on their homes and they were pushed into the rental market.  So I ended up making more money than ever during the real estate downturn, because I stuck to my investment plan of buying, fixing, and renting. Just don’t get scared, the market will eventually recover as people keep reproducing and they’ll need places to live.  In this example, that property went back up to $750,000 about eight years later. Meanwhile, I kept making money from the rents, because I focused on the cash flow and not on the property value. As long as I was paying $1200 a month for mortgage and expenses and I was taking in $2000 in rent, making $800 in profit or $9600 a year, what difference did it make what the property was worth? Sure, I was concerned watching my net worth and the property values declining, but I knew it was temporary and I kept making money on the property.  So don’t get rattled and give up, or you’ll be stuck on the sidelines for about seven years till your credit recovers. Had I allowed the banks to foreclose on my properties so I didn’t have to absorb the temporary property value drops, I would have lost the opportunity to cash in when the properties were recovering, and I would have lost all of the rental income, which went from $2000 a month to over $6,000 a month eight years later and the mortgage stayed the same $1200.  So I was making $4800 a month or $57,600 a year on that same property.
Another way to look at properties is not to consider them yours.  This helps break the material attachment to them when you have to make decisions to sell or demolish them.  They actually belong to the banks, because they own the note on the property and you’re just a tenant of theirs.  The bank is your partner and your job is to make the property as productive as possible so you don’t default and you can earn something for your work.

Real Estate Crowdfunding

You can buy individual shares of real estate property through websites like RealtyMogul, Fundrise, Groundbreaker, CrowdStreet, Groundfloor, RealCrowd, RealtyShares, or Patch of Land.  According to these sites, investors can earn an average of twelve to fourteen percent annually on their investment. This helps reduce the risk you may incur by investing in real estate ventures on your own.  It also allows you to invest in real estate, even when you don’t have much money to start investing.

Airbnb Hosting Tips from an experienced Airbnb host

If you prefer watching a video rather than reading a text, you can do it here.



I have been an Airbnb host for many years now and during this time I have developed various strategies that can help you to grow your Airbnb cash flow. Here are my top 2 Airbnb Hosting Tips:

1. Never decline anyone.

You don't want to decline anyone who makes a request to use your property. If you do that often, Airbnb will know that you are not accepting everyone, which results in making their customers unhappy about the service. Airbnb, just as any other platform, has an advanced algorithm which puts the best hosts in the front line when someone makes a search. It's a win-win situation. If you win, Airbnb wins. If you don't let yourself win, Airbnb won't win either. This is the reason you may end up far below in Airbnb results. One trick to avoid doing business with someone you don't want to use your property and not "get caught" from the algorithm is making them a special offer. You don't decline their request, but you can double the price. If they accept, at least you know you earned something more. But usually, they won't.

2. Don't be afraid to give refunds.

If you spend some time doing this kind of business, you'll see that people will make up stories so they can ask for a refund. Let me tell you a real example that happened to me some days ago. We were installing solar panels on the house. The girl who was staying in the property texted me in the evening saying that she worked from home and because of the loud noise over her head for like 6 hours, she wasn't able to work that day. Eventually, she asked for a refund. The worst part was that the workers didn't finish all their work, so they would have to come back the other day and probably she would ask the same thing. That property has a price of $2oo/night which would make a $400 refund. The solution we came up with was the following: we proposed her refunding the work hours that she disturbed. So, 6 hours the first day and 6 hours the next day, it was a total of 12 hours which is half a day. We refunded her $100, the price of a half day in that property. She earned something and we avoided the big loss of $400.

These were my top 2 Airbnb Hosting Tips. Feel free to try them out and I can't wait to read your comments below.

The most REALISTIC WAYS to MAKE MONEY FROM HOME

Learn the two ways I use to literally make money from my home on a consistent basis, which you can use too to make some extra money.

1. Rent out Space in Your Driveway.

I used to have two cars, even though I could only drive one at a time.  I decided to sell the extra car, invest the money from the sale, and start renting out the additional parking spaces in my driveway.  I have five parking spaces in my driveway. I rent four parking spaces for $175 each per month for a total of $700 a month and $8400 a year.  Some of the cars are never even moved as the owners have collector cars that they want to store. I haven’t had any inconvenience at all, and the cars make it seem like someone is always at home which has been an added safety feature.  There are websites, such as Parking Cupid, CurbFlip, Pavemint app, MyflexiPark app, or ParkEasier, that allow you to list your parking spaces for long term or day use.

     2. Renting Your Place Short Term.

I live in a studio house and rent it out two days a week for $200 a night.  I take my mom and dad out for a lovely evening and spend the night. Or, I pay for my weekend getaway somewhere by renting my house for the weekend.  On weekends, hotels are the most expensive so it’s easy to rent, and you can get a higher return per night. It generates an extra $1600 a month or $19,200 a year for me.  When I decided to update my kitchen, I just rented out my house for more time, and I got my new kitchen for free. When I want to stay at home, I don’t accept reservations.  Flip Key, Airbnb, Furnished Finder, Transplant Housing, HomeAway are good sites to get started on for short term rentals. Make sure you check the laws in your city, so you don’t get burned while trying to make money from your home.

Real Estate Appraisal. HOME VALUE Strategies For Beginners

The value of a home is something that depends on many factors, especially the estimating method itself. Estimating a home is easier in a neighborhood where there have been many recent sales.  Whereas if your home is more of an ‘outlier’ or one of a kind it will be less easy to come up with a quick and accurate estimate as there is not much information to reference. The online tools for estimating home values rely on public data that realtors use to determine a home's value. These online tools such as Zillow or Redfin or realtor.com are good reference points to start the process of determining the value of a home.  However, even the sites themselves claim to not be entirely accurate. What then is the best way to determine a home's value?

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One useful way is to look at homes in the neighborhood that have recently sold.  Sales history, along with having an appraiser inspect the house and determine any peculiarities with your home that can give it more or less value.  An appraiser can help determine market factors that affect your home's value over time also. These factors evolve with economic ups and downs. They could be related to changes in your local community, or things happening in the broader spectrum of things such as a stock market crash or ups and down in the GDP.

The cost of living in your City and the quality of living also affect the value of a home. For instance, a neighborhood with good schools is highly desirable for families with children, who constitute a significant portion of the new buyer market.

The inspection report from an appraiser can have a significant outcome on the overall price of a home. The more repairs listed on the inspection report, the more influence a buyer can negotiate when it comes down to the closing price of the home. For most new buyers, mortgage lenders require an inspection report to lend, and the inspection reports outcome is highly significant to mortgage lenders. This is so that in the case of a defaulted loan, they won’t have to make the repairs themselves.

The Appraisers Qualifications Board is responsible for issuing state licenses that allow someone to become qualified to appraise a house. This certification is a necessity for all appraisers that lenders will utilize in determining the value of a home. Lenders do not typically lend more than the appraised amount after a qualified appraiser has determined the value of a home. So if the appraised value is higher than the asking amount, the seller will either have to lower the price or make the necessary repairs to make up for the low appraisal.  Then have the home re-appraised. These items could include, new bathrooms, new paint or structural issues such as foundations and termites. These issues are highly important to new buyers, as it is what will allow them to receive the amount they need to cover the cost of the new home.

 

 



Factors like GDP, economic growth, the unemployment rate also have an effect on the value of a home. The great recession was a good example of how the real estate and housing market affects the broader economy. When the value of the real estate property decreases,

a local community that has many jobs in mortgage financing and construction will have an increase in unemployment. This can then lead to a massive sell-off of real estate as homeowners liquidate their homes, leading to an oversaturated market, which further decreases the value of homes in that community.

When the IRS is determining how much taxes a homeowner will have to pay, they look at the value of your home. To know this number they use recently sold homes in your neighborhood and determine what factors are similar or different that make your home more or less valuable. Their methods have much room for error, which is why it is often appropriate for homeowners to have their homes re-appraised or contest IRS on the amount they have assessed their homes value at.

To calculate the amount the IRS has appraised your home at, you need to look at local tax rate, and then compare that rate to the amount they are charging you in property taxes. For instance, if the local tax rate is $10 for every $1000 of property value in your state, and you get a property tax bill of $3,000, then the IRS has appraised your home at $300,000.

But there is no exact science to a home appraisal, as it is something that changes daily, so with the correct data about your community, an appraiser and online home estimators, it is not difficult to appraise your home with 4% of error. Which could wind up being much more accurate than a quick appraisal someone working for the IRS came up with.

Another useful way to determine the value of a home without using online recourses like Zillow or Redfin is to add up all sales of the recently sold houses in your neighborhood and then divide by the number of houses, giving you the median. It is advantageous to choose homes that have similar size, appearance, square footage and age, which will then lead to a more accurate appraisal.



The housing price index on the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (HPI) website is a useful tool for accurately understanding the value of your home in current market conditions. It works by measuring the average changes in home prices over time. The HPI does this by looking at the sales of the same house to new owners or by analyzing refinances on the same property. Looking at the HPI’s quarterly report is a good place to see how market fluctuations are affecting housing prices in the current economic climate.

Although determining the market value of a home is not an exact science by any means, there is no reason why an individual cannot gather all the necessary information to appraise their home within a margin of 0% to 4% of error. This can change the amount a lender will give you, increase the asking price you may be offering for your home, or change the amount you need to pay the IRS in property taxes. The bottom line is, lenders, the IRS, and realtors all like hard data. Luckily, that data is readily available for homeowners with a quick search using the resources above.

Travel/Health Insurance - What you need to know

Travel Insurance or Health Insurance
I generally do not recommend travel insurance. In most cases, you'll be over-insured, and you'll be wasting your money. Travel insurance is best used when you have pre-paid and non-refundable expenses are it is more than you are willing to lose. For example, if you have medical concerns then it may make sense if you made a substantial financial investment in your trip. Even still, travel insurance has multiple exclusions for canceled trips, interrupted trips, lost bags, delayed trips, or medical expenses. Enough loopholes that they make it hard even to cover your trip at a reasonable cost. If you can afford to lose the money invested in your journey, skip the travel insurance.
Some credit cards also offer limited travel insurance for your bags, missed flights, or even car insurance for rental cars. A friend of mine had booked a trip with his partner, a few days before the trip his partner got very sick and was unable to travel due to a perforated bowel. They had no insurance, but they called the airline anyway and it turned out that they got the money back for their airplane tickets because they had bought their tickets with Mastercard and they had some travel insurance included in their purchases, which allowed them to receive a refund for the money spent on the trip.
Visa provides 30 days of coverage for a rental car (check your card agreement for specifics) and Mastercard offers 15 days. I have rented dozens of cars all over the world and have never had an accident or caused any damage until I got to Africa. I rented a car for a 30 day period, and it was broken into 3 times in South Africa, and the bumper fell off because of a large pothole in the ground. By the time I returned the car to rent another car, I got a fresh 30-day insurance coverage period on another credit card. The vehicle had 3 broken windows covered with duct tape and cardboard and a bumper that was being held on with zip ties. I was ready to see if this insurance really worked since I had
declined all of the coverage the rental car agency offered. And in fact it did, the rental car company charged me around $4000 for the damages to my credit card, but it was repaid to me by Visa at no cost to me. The collision damage waiver (CDW) insurance usually sold by rental car agencies would have cost me $45 a day or $1350 for the 30 days, and I had a rental car for 2 months so I would have spent $2700 on insurance plus the deductible that is usually high for the rental car. If you get the CDW, then it usually voids your visa insurance, so you can't have both. It's an excellent service that Visa and MasterCard offer, but it is best to call them and be familiar with how the coverage works.

Travel health insurance


Travel health insurance is different from travel insurance and it is highly recommended. If you're traveling within the USA or your home country, then it's not necessary since you have national health insurance (at least you should). However, if you travel outside your country, your health insurance policy will generally not cover you outside of your home country. In the USA this includes not being covered by
Medicare health insurance, which is the most commonly used government insurance in the country. Travel health insurance is generally more affordable than regular health insurance and offers much more coverage. Geo Blue travel insurance is an excellent resource: https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/product_overview.cfm. I've purchased their policies for myself and my parents when I travel, and I had found that they offer coverage just about anywhere on the planet and they are convenient to use and file claims with. For around $30 you can get coverage for yourself for a 2-week vacation, that's a fantastic deal considering the risks of incurring significant medical costs. Working in hospitals, I have encountered countless scenarios where I've seen a family destroyed financially due to an accident or illness while traveling abroad. Two particular stories I can remember was one where a young couple from Colorado went to Ecuador, and the young man got bit by a mosquito and got meningitis, he was treated in a hospital in Ecuador but possibly due to lack of resources at the hospital he ended up in a coma. His girlfriend started a gofundme.com page to try and raise the $50,000 necessary to fly him back to the States so he could be treated here with better medical care and have his costs covered by his insurance. Unfortunately, the process took a while, and he ended up in a permanent vegetative state due to the delays. Had they purchased travel health insurance he would have been seen at the best medical facilities there, then the insurance would have paid for him to get a medical transport plane back to the USA for treatment.
Another patient who was under my care, he was a 65-year-old male who had flown to Mexico with his wife for a two-week vacation in Guadalajara. Once he landed in Mexico, as he was walking off the plane, he had a massive stroke on the tarmac and fell to the ground with his bags in hand. The gentlemen had 10 grown children here in the USA, all with their own children. Everyone pitched in to pay dads medical bills so he would be treated at a quality medical facility and have a better chance of survival. According to the Mexican doctors he needed 3 months to become medically stable so that he could be transported back to the USA for treatment. At that point, the medivac plane cost the working class family members $50,000 to get their dad back to Los Angeles. Upon arrival at Los Angeles, the gentleman was brought to my acute rehabilitation unit for intense therapy. He made significant gains although he had sustained a lot of damage from the stroke. I could not help but think how much better he might have been had he been brought in 3 months earlier, as his family indicated that in Mexico he did not receive therapies as they primarily had him in bed while he was treated. The family shared their stories of financial hardship on all 10 children and even on the grandchildren who were able to pitch in. They said they had spent over $100,000 in the 3 months of medical treatment and transport back to the USA. This could have all been avoided if they had bought travel insurance for about $40.

The risk reward is too high to avoid not buying health insurance when you travel.

I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.

Travel Safety - How to be safe during traveling

How to avoid plane crashes
Try to take nonstop flights. The fewer connections, the less likely you are to crash. Most crashes happen during takeoff or landings. Odds of survival are higher sitting in the back.

Muggers


Do not fight or argue over material objects, give them to them. It's not worth your life. If it is clear they are going to hurt you, then aim to do severe damage and disable in one blow.

• Poke them as hard as you can in the eyes.


• Hit or squeeze their balls if it's a male.


• Elbow them to the ribs.


• Drive your knee into their groin.


• Strike their throat with a chopping motion or punching them in the throat.


• If you have a key or a stick, aim for the eyes. Hold the key between your fingers and punch their face.

Scorpion Sting
Try to remain calm. Apply heat or cold packs for pain relief. Scorpions are typically not deadly. A tournakit can cause more harm. Don't cut and suck the wound, that will spread the venom. Scorpions like to seek refuge in shoes, towels, or linens.

How to remove a leech
Don't burn, squeeze, or salting, insect repellant, etc. This will only cause regurgitation which will cause them to give you an infection. Look for the smaller part of the leech and slide your nail sideways under its mouth and flick the leech off. Leeches hang out in shallow water and can sense heat and vibrations.

Taxi

Here is what to do to avoid being kidnapped or having your items stolen in a taxi. Always place your bags in your lap and on the seats next to you. When you arrive, open the door, put your bags on the ground on the side of the car, then step out of the taxi to pay him/her. If you have someone with you as a spouse have them do the same on the opposite side of the car, so you're both stepping out at the same time. If you step out and wait for the second person to get out, you risk the taxi driving off with your partner. If you don't have room and have to place them in the back, then have the driver get off to open and unload your bags for you. These days Uber or Lyft is much safer than taxis anywhere in the world since the drivers are pre-vetted and if you forget something in the taxi, you can just contact them through the app and recover your belongings. It also helps you avoid price gouging. In some countries riding a taxi can be dangerous, so if you have to use a taxi at times its best to have your hotel order you a taxi. This often costs more than usual, but you’ll usually get something safer.

Hiding places for money
Bras with removable pads and tampon tubes are good places to hide money. Because people tend to stay away from personal items when they search or steal from you.

Expensive equipment
If you have cameras, laptops, etc. use kids backpacks and diaper bags to carry them for travel safety. No one will think to steal them. The fancy bags attract attention and advertise that you have something expensive in there. Make your luggage look specific. Tie colored bands to it, so that when you go to baggage claim, you can spot your luggage easily. As a backup, I recommend taking pictures of your luggage and your items so you can show the pics to someone in case you lose them. Packing clothes in ziplock bags can also help to prevent wrinkles.

False wallet 
Wrap your wallet with a rubber band so you can feel if someone is trying to pull it out of your pocket.  Carry it sideways instead of up and down, that makes it harder to pull it out of your wallet.  Use this wallet for daily expenses in case you get robbed.

Before a trip medical examination 
For 19-39-year-olds, have a physical every 2-3 years. After 40, check-ups should include an eye examination, blood pressure, head, neck, heart, abdomen, peripheral pulses, reflexes, and nervous system. Women should have a Pap smear, and both men and women should have rectal exams.  Routine blood tests should include a cholesterol, urine, and blood sugar test. Stool tests are done as needed. Colonoscopy should be done every 5-10 years for people over 50. ECG is recommended for people over 45 years old. Chest X-ray is done depending on the past medical history of tuberculosis and or smoking. Mammograms should be done every 1-2 years for women over 40.
Medical examinations after a trip are not necessary unless you have symptoms of fever, jaundice, diarrhea, skin disorders, genital disorders or persistent cough. All of these can be caused by a variety of ailments including malaria, tuberculosis, filariasis, hepatitis, typhoid, parasites, typhus, trachoma, trypanosomiasis, and sexually transmitted diseases. Early detection and treatment of these disorders can prevent long-term complications.

Medical kit


Should include all prescribed medications, paracetamol and acetaminophen for fevers, aspirin although some people are allergic to it. Diarrhea medications include charcoal tablets, Kaopectate, kaolin, and Pepto-Bismol. Lomotil and Imodium are strong and can provide immediate relief, but should not be used if you have blood in your stools or fever, and should be discontinued after 48 hours of use. Take oral hydration packets and lots of water to avoid dehydration as a result of diarrhea.  Travelers with more severe symptoms of diarrhea as in 3 or more loose stools in 8 hours may be for from an antibiotic treatment such as Bactrim, Ciprobay, Lexinor, and/or Vibramycin.  Vibramycin, aka Doxycycline, should not be taken by pregnant women or children under 10 years old.   As always, a doctor should be consulted if symptoms persist.  Antihistamines and decongestants are useful to carry in case of sinusitis or respiratory infections (cold or flu) symptoms. A tube of antibiotic cream for cuts and scrapes which can quickly become infected Sunblock, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and lip protection. Mosquito repellent containing at least 30 percent Deet. Spray clothing with Permethrin. A daily multivitamin is useful in case your diet becomes unbalanced. For motion sickness bring Dramamine.

Heat and its harmful effects
Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to excessive loss of water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. If heat exhaustion is left untreated, it can lead to heat stroke which can have long term health effects. A heat rash is a skin rash that occurs when sweat ducts trap perspiration under the skin.  Sunburn is also a result of excessive heat exposure.

How to find doctors when you need them

• Hotel doctors. Many will visit you in your room.


• Embassy referrals. Many will speak your language.


• Travel information organizations such as travel agencies.


• International travel assistance. A list of doctors usually provided by your travel health insurance company.

I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.

Family Travel Tips - Traveling with kids

Seat assignments



Request bulkhead seating when traveling with kids so there are not people in front of you for your child to bump into bassinets, but you need to confirm it since bassinets are not in all bulkhead seating areas. App SeatGuru allows you to check the best seats on a model of the plane for kids, the location of bassinets, what types of outlets they have, and bathrooms.

Prepare your child for the trip: tell them what to expect and what you'll be doing at the airport. Reading children's books about flying and travel is an excellent way to start.

Plan for extra time at the airport
Get there early, so you can check in, go through security, feed and change your child before the flight. So your not rushing or stressed.

If you are breastfeeding, feed your child at takeoff and landing. This will help their ears adjust to the cabin pressure.

If your child is eating solid foods, try to do so before boarding, so the movement doesn't jar the baby food out of your hands.

Read the TSA's travel with kids section here
https://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/traveling-children

Use a collapsible stroller so you can check it at the gate and it'll be available for you at landing, so you don't have to carry your child to baggage claim.

Use Trunki.

A multipurpose child's luggage that can also be used as a footrest, seat, and a cart for your child to sit on when they are tired so you can pull them through the airport.

Bring some cleaning wipes with you.

As soon as you sit down wipe down everything within reach of your child to help ensure everything is clean for him/her.

Before take-off, gather all the essentials you'll need for your child in the first 30 min or so. Make sure you have liquids available for your child during the flight at all times to avoid "Daddy,  I'm thirsty".

Etiquette when traveling with kids
Make sure your child is not bothering other passengers, lifting the tray table up and down, kicking seats, running in the isles, etc.

Diapers



Bring extras in case of delays. Some airlines stock diapers as a courtesy, but they may not have your child's size. It is always good to bring your own changing mat. So ensure you have a clean service and leave the service you are using clean when changing your baby on the plane. Bring diaper disposal bags to throw away diapers in. And bring baby powder to dose inside of waste diapers, so you don't smell the place up for other passengers.

Use extra diaper cream to avoid your child getting a diaper rash during long flights. Your child will be sitting in their diaper for much longer than they're accustomed to. So diaper rashes are common for flying babies if you don't take precautions.

Baby foods

The formula, breast milk, and juice for infants or toddlers are permitted above the typical 3.4-ounce limit, in reasonable quantities through the airline security checkpoint. Remove these items from your carry-on bag to be screened separately from the rest of your belongings. Inform the TSA officer at the beginning of the screening process that you carry formula, breast milk, and juice in excess of 3.4 ounces in your carry-on bag. These liquids are typically screened by X-ray. The Food and Drug Administration states that there are no known adverse effects from eating food, drinking beverages and using medicine screened by X-ray. TSA officers may need to test liquids for explosives or concealed prohibited items. Officers may ask you to open the container and/or have you transfer a small quantity of the liquid to a separate empty container or dispose of a small quantity, if feasible. If you do not want the formula to inform the TSA officer, breast milk and/or juice to be X-rayed or opened. Additional steps will be taken to clear the liquid and you or the traveling guardian will undergo additional screening procedures, to include a pat-down and screening of other carry-on property. Bring your own baby food. Airlines often offer jarred baby food for babies, but you don't know what they have to offer and you don't want your baby having an allergic reaction or upset stomach during a flight. You have to request child meals in advance, or you won't have one. These typically have juice boxes, smaller utensils, and kid-friendly snacks.

Snacks when traveling with kids
Bring plenty of them. You don't want a hungry child on a flight. Don't bring snacks that smell and bring snacks that are satiating. Limit sugar, so your kids aren't bouncing off the walls.

Onboard entertainment
Bring everything you can to keep your kids entertained. If you do not allow TV at home, now is the time to break that rule.

Sleeping

Ask your doctor if using children's Benadryl is fine to use with your child to help your child sleep during long trips. If your child has a special blanket or doll that s/he sleeps with, bringing it on the plane will help them rest better.

When you get to your new destination try to keep the same routine for your children's nap times, eating, bathing, etc. If your child decides to sleep beyond their normal sleep times, wake them up and stick to the usual schedule.

Traveling with kids overseas

It's a good idea to bring a notarized letter from your partner giving you permission to travel with your children. Not that they ask very often, but that is the rule for international travel with children.

Work and travel at the same time - How to work abroad

We definitely won't be talking about this kind of work and travel! 😂

 

Working in a foreign country is the best way to learn about a culture and really immerse yourself in its customs.

It is the best way to learn a language, and it allows you to meet a lot of people in different contexts. These experiences lend themselves to helping you become more adaptable, and the more versatile you're, the better traveler you'll become. The extra cash will also help you extend your travels and help you cover more ground for more extended periods of time without having to head back to your home court.

However, to be successful in having an excellent overseas work experience takes some planning to find the best jobs. This allows you to work out the issues regarding language barriers, work permits, or visa requirements. If you just show up, you're likely to find a lower paying job and be limited to seasonal work, teaching a language, or trading your labor for room and board. English is the universal language; therefore there are many more opportunities for English speakers, although there are opportunities for people who speak other languages as well. There are countless resources online for finding job teaching languages worldwide. If you are an English speaking traveler, you can apply in your home country for a visa to work on a work holiday assignment in English speaking countries. These visa for good for about a year and you can not work in one place for more than 6 months at a time. These are good for people taking time off from school or between jobs. These jobs are usually in the service industry and are not often very well paid. But they are enough to support you and help you continue the process of work and travel. I've met people who travel for a few months then work a few months in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or England save up some money then got for another few months and will go back and forth for year and years like this working and traveling throughout the year. You could forcibly do this your entire life if you wanted to just travel for the rest of your life.

If you are a professional these jobs take even more planning and time to land as you have to meet the visa, language and professional requirements for the country you're trying to work in. For these jobs, it is recommended to go with an agency that can place you much faster and help you navigate the requirements much quicker. If you happen to be a healthcare professional, this is an even easier road to travel.

Strategies to find gigs overseas: the most important is to implement all of these strategies from your home country not while your traveling.

• Invest time looking for jobs.


• Learn about the requirements for the countries you want to work in.


• Contact your network and friends.


• Apply online through agencies and employment websites.


• Have all of your credentials ready.

 

I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.

Hitchhiking Basic Guide

One of my first major trips by myself was during my summer college break when I was 21 years old. The university had just let out for the summer and I wanted to travel. The first thing I did was ask all my friends if they wanted to take a trip for the summer. Everyone had the usual reasons why he or she could not come "no money, no time, I don't know how to do it, I am scared, I don't want to leave my girl/boyfriend" etc. I thought about it and asked myself "do I want to stay home all summer or do I want to go see the world?". The first trip is the scariest, it's similar to going to a movie by yourself. You feel as if people are watching you everywhere you go. I started by shopping around the internet and deciding to buy a one-way ticket to Mazatlán Mexico. I speak Spanish and I am familiar with the culture so I decided this would be a good place for me to travel to for my first solo trip. I ended up hitchhiking for 3 months and went down into Belize and then made my way back up to the state of Chihuahua by the USA border. Hitchhiking is a subculture of sharing.

Preparing to hitchhike

1. Invest in a good map.



A detailed map is worth the money. If you need a free map, however, find a tourist spot, such as a hotel, airport, bus station, or tourist information booth, and pick up a pamphlet that has a decent map inside. State welcome centers on interstate highways also have free highway maps for their state. Rental car places tend to have the best free maps. Look for a map that shows road numbers, rest areas, and gas stations. Having a good map will also make you look more knowledgeable and prepared, and thus appealing to drivers. That said if you have data with a smartphone that is the ideal way to search and use the most up to date maps.

2. Know how to find a good hitchhiking spot.

A good spot might be near an on-ramp; these locations often have steady traffic and enough space for a car to pull over and pick you up. Near stop signs and stoplights is often a good option because it gives drivers enough time to check you out and decide whether they want to offer you a ride. Make sure that you are on the side of the city or town that's in the direction you're traveling. For example, if you're heading west, get on the west side of town. Choose a straight stretch of road, so that drivers can see you from a distance. An incline would be even better, so a driver can see you from even further away. Choose a place where cars passing at low speeds so its easier for them to stop and pick you up. Make sure that the spot is well-lit. This will not only keep you safe but also make you more noticeable.

3. Pack as light as possible, but bring enough supplies to last you a few days.

The less you carry, the easier it will be for you to travel and for drivers to want to pick you up. People are more willing to pick you up when they’re going to be inconvenienced as little as possible. So when they stop you want to get in and out as quick as possible. Avoid suitcases and trash bags, as they make you look low class and more of a danger in most people’s minds, use a backpack instead. It is easier to get in and out of cars with a backpack. Pack as though you are going for a three-day hike, in case you get stranded and are unable to find a ride. Consider bringing the following: Water, snacks, sunblock, insect repellent, sleeping bag, tent, clothes, light jacket, raincoat/poncho, extra socks, long underwear, a hat, boots, cell phone chargers, and any other care necessities. Don’t bring guitars and/or items of sentimental value as they simply weight you down. Consider packing some pepper spray, especially if you are female. Keep in mind that pepper spray is not legal in some areas.

4. Use signs.

Signs are a good way to catch people’s attention and quickly let them know where your headed and prevent people from making unnecessary stops in case they’re going in a different direction. It also shows people that you have a plan or destination in mind and not just drifting around. Using a permanent marker make a short message with large dark letters on a piece of cardboard. This will make your sign easier and quicker to read. You can also write the name of well-known attractions or cities you’re headed to, in order to make it easier for people to figure out where you're going. Writing catchy phrases on your sign will also help, such as; “have a nice day” or “God bless” etc.

5. Be aware of the laws.

Laws regarding hitchhiking will vary from place to place. For example, hitchhiking is legal in all 50 states of the US, but how you do it will vary from state to state. In general, however, you should stay off the highways.

6. Make digital copies of all your IDs, documents, and papers.

Scan your ID (and passport, if traveling internationally) and e-mail it to yourself before hitchhiking. This way, if it gets stolen, print out copies at a library. For passports, go to an embassy with your copies and do what you need to do to get a new passport. If you lose your credit card, call them immediately, cancel your card, and have them send a new one to an address where you can receive it, like an embassy.

7. Be prepared financially.

Have some backup money, as well as travelers health insurance. Accidents happen, and you will need to be prepared for that; travelers insurance will help you with that. Also, having spare money will help you get food and shelter in the event you are stranded in a certain area for longer than you expected.

8. Be mindful of the weather. 



In most cases, it's better just to wait out rain or snow as drivers are reluctant to pick up drivers who might wet their seats. Rain will not increase your chances of getting picked up, especially if you are totally drenched. People don’t want their seats to get wet, so they’ll avoid picking someone up in the rain. If you have an umbrella or a raincoat that will help reassure drivers that you are not going to damage their car. Snow, however, tends to increase your chances of getting picked up for a ride. People generally do not mind some snow on their upholstery because it brushes off easily, while rain absorbs into seat cushions.

I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.

How to find CHEAP FLIGHTS - 12 hacks on how to save on plane tickets

Plane Travel - How to save on plane tickets and find cheap flights

Airline tickets typically go on sale 11 months before, so you can typically save on tickets to popular destinations and during peak travel times if you buy as far in advance as you can. Otherwise, I have had luck using google flights for last minute tickets as well. The best months of the year to score the best prices is usually in September and January. If you have to travel during a busy time like Christmas or during school holidays. Then definitely book early, because these tickets do not usually go down in price only up!

1. Search for plane tickets one at a time.

Even if you’re flying with a group. Airlines often sell multiple fare classes at different prices, with a couple of seats in each class. If there is only one seat left in the lowest fare class and you search for four seats, most automated systems will show you the highest fare class for all four tickets. Try searching one at a time, just in case there are limited seats on sale. This way, you will rest assured that at least some, if not all of your tickets, were purchased for the lowest possible price. If for some reason you don’t like your seats or you don’t get all of the seats you want, most websites give you 24 hours to cancel flights with no penalty. If you lock in the cheap fare and have the option to select seats, pick one next to an empty seat; then, immediately book the second ticket and select the seat next to the first one. It takes a little time and effort, but can really pay off.

2. Search for flights midweek.

Airlines tend to have lower prices from Tuesday through Thursday, so do not limit your searches to the weekends. Fare sales generally target the next 2-3 months of travel and have 14-21-day advance purchase requirements.

3. No need to avoid flying on the actual holiday.

Changing your departure or return date by one day can lower your ticket price substantially. Sometimes flying on the actual holiday like Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving can get you the lowest fare, since you most likely missed the holiday, but you’ll cash in on the savings. The exception is 3 day weekends like Labor Day or Memorial Day. Then, everyone is looking to fly on the actual holiday, so that is the best time to try and add an extra vacation day.

4. Search for two one-way fares, even if they’re on different airlines.

Some airlines charge extra for a one-way fare, but if demand is down you can sometimes get better prices by buying 2 one-way tickets to
and from your destination.

5. Travel packages are sometimes less expensive.

If you need to book a hotel, in some cases packages offer better value than booking separately. Due to the fact that some big name hotels will use this opportunity to hide their highly discounted rate in a package deals, in order to avoid having a discount associated with their name and lower their perceived value.

6. Act quickly on low fares.

Airlines are required by the DOT to offer 24-hour freehold or cancellations as long as you are booking your ticket 7 days prior to your travel date. You will have to pay first, then you get the full refund, should you decide to cancel. This only when buying directly from the airline. However, online travel agencies (OTA) such as Expedia or Orbitz often offer the same courtesy. I have booked a few hours before a flight, then hit a snag and was not able to make the flight, so I simply went online and canceled.

7. Use second-tier airports.

JetBlue, for example, uses less traveled airports in big cities, in order to lower their ticket prices by $500-$100.

8. Follow your favorite airlines on social media.

Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and sign up for travel website emails. This will give you access to deals that airlines can not advertise directly. The fact is that Airlines only have a certain number of seats they can advertise at a sales price, once those are sold the flights go back up to higher tier prices.

9. Sometimes it's better to pay a little more for your flights when it earns you more points.

So you have to compare and see if you gain more from the points or the lowest fare. Airline credit cards, as well as travel sight credit cards, offer free flights for signing up for their services, not to mention perks like priority boarding, free checked luggage, paying your TSA pre-approved or global traveler fees, offering insurance, and more.

10. Layovers can be a huge benefit.

Even though a nonstop is ideal, you can sometimes save hundreds by laying over somewhere. Some airlines like Aeromexico, Airfrance, WOW airlines, China airlines, or Icelandair offers free stopovers. Which means you can layover in the that airline’s hub city, which is typically where they concentrate their passenger traffic to save on airline costs. This allows you to layover in an extra city and makes it part of your vacation while saving on the airfare.

11. Shop for trips during shoulder season or off-peak travel.

When weather is not ideal, bad press, during political issues, or simply when lower volumes of tourists. Destinations will lower their flight and hotel prices. Sometimes to half price or less.

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12. Travel after a natural disaster, after a terrorist attack, or some other tragic incident.

This can get you better deals since people will be canceling trips and will be wary of going to a place that has recently suffered from an event. Make sure to check in and wait just enough till things stabilize before you go. However, this usually is shortly after the event as usually humanitarian aid or security forces rush in immediately afterward and the place becomes immediately safer than it will probably ever be again.

I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.

 

Why travel is IMPORTANT. HEALTH reasons for travel.

Health Reasons for Travel

People are naturally curious and this is why travel is IMPORTANT to satisfy the mind's curiosity. There are also many HEALTH reasons for travel. We seek new experiences to stimulate our minds and enrich our lives.  Most of us live in the same place, with the same people, and do the same things for most of our lives. After a while, we start getting curious about other people and the way they may be living in faraway lands.  The combination of cultures, lifestyles, and environments helps make people one of a kind. Immersing yourself into these new places changes you forever by teaching you new things, making you more worldly, smarter, more resourceful, and enriching your existence.  Travel is not only fun, but it makes you healthier and happier.

  Traveling is a multisensory experience like no other human experience.  Traveling to new places challenges your mind and stimulates your senses in ways that change your brain synapses.  The mind’s search for sensory and intellectual stimulation guide a lot of the activities that you engage in. When you enter a new environment, you're exposed to new sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and experiences for your brain to learn from.  As we move about our surroundings, our body’s are learning and making adjustments to survive in these new environments. This type of sensory stimulation lends itself to intellectual development and a sense of achievement.

Traveling to a new place is like going to a buffet of healthy stimulation for your brain.  In one day of travel, you can learn more than you learn in a month of school or reading books.



Some of the direct health reasons for travel include;

 

1. Travel lowers stress levels. 

It allows you to put aside your everyday problems and redirect your attention to the new experiences in front of you.  Chronic stress causes a build-up of the stress hormone cortisol in your body. Cortisol is responsible for increasing your risk of stroke and heart attacks.  Studies show that vacationing relaxes you, increases your happiness, decreases your depression, and reduces anxiety.

        2. Travel strengthens your immune system.  

By exposing yourself to different environments your also exposing your immune system to different types of bacteria.  Being exposed to different types of bacteria allows your immune system to create different types of antibodies to fight more types of infections.  

3. Travel makes your brain healthier. 

Stimulating your mind in new environments increases cognitive flexibility, keeping your mind sharp, increase in creativity, improving memory circuits, sharpening decision-making and delaying the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

4. Travel decreases your risk of heart disease.

Taking a break from stressors will reduce your stress and anxiety which helps prevent the development of heart disease.  Traveling can lower men’s risk of death by 21 percent and mortality from cardiovascular disease by 32 percent.

5. Travel keeps you in good shape.

When you travel to a new place the only way you're actually going to experience it, is to go out and explore.  This will give you ample opportunities to be active walking on beaches, hiking, or even exploring cities.

6. Travel exposes you to the healing properties of nature.

Energy flows through nature, being immersed in it allows your body to soak it up.  Whether its mineral-rich waters, solar energy, wind, electricity, or energy from a vortex.  

7. Travel will let you live longer.

Due to all of the health benefits, stress reduction, and boosts in brain health. People who travel have a longer life expectancy.

I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.

Travel Hygiene: Methods & hacks to stay clean

Toilet Hygiene

Bucket of water

Used throughout south-east Asia and called the Tabo in the Philippines. In India, there is usually a community bucket full of water next to the toilet from which you cup water out of using your left hand and splash onto your anus. Meanwhile using your fingers to rub free any fecal matter. If you are lucky there will be a faucet from which you can get water (not necessarily clean water) running into the bucket for you to perform the same action. Another technique is for the user to raise up slightly from the toilet seat and pours water towards the small of the back where the space between the butt cheeks is. The water naturally flows down and over the skin and washes the area. This usually leads to the restroom areas to be wet.

The bidet

A second shallow toilet installed next to a regular toilet, that one squats over to wash the area. These usually have hot/cold running water and can squirt, rinse and spray into the anus area causing any debris from toileting to wash free. Some folks may also supplement with soap.

The electronic bidet toilet seat.

Basically, a bidet integrated into your existing toilet seat. These devices, controlled with the push of a button are designed to wash and then dry the area, without the user leaving the seat. Some are simple and some are full of hi-tech features.

The bidet shower spray.

The Arabs call it a Shattaf, (sounds like shit off, which is basically what it does), but this is nothing more than a handheld water shower that connects to the water inlet valve for the toilet via a T-connection. Room temperature water is sprayed on the anus after the business is done. As with the Tabo, hand washing the area with soap is an unmentioned option. These sprays are often called diaper sprays or nappy sprayers because they can also be used to wash off most of the baby poo from your baby’s diaper before tossing it in the bleach pail. The baby poo just goes right down the loo. The downside to using a handheld shower spray in a colder climate is, in winter, the tap water can be extremely cold. In some places, these are called the Muslim bidet and other names, because the Muslim world is apparently quite particular about keeping clean down there. But if your bathroom is in Thailand or Saudi Arabia, to name a couple of places, you’ll probably have a sprayer adjacent to the toilet, and the water will not be a cold shock.

The sprayer pipe.

In Egypt, you are likely to see a curved brass pipe at the back of the toilet bowl. This is water spraying at it’s most basic. Just turn on the tap and a jet of water shoots towards the butt for hands-free washing, or manually assisted soaping, like the Tabo. Although this is a topic not many of us want to discuss, it is obvious that the eastern way of cleaning is the most hygienic way of doing so. Even though most western cultures see these activities as uncivilized. Whichever route you choose as long as you wash your hands afterward with soap and water you’ll decrease your risk of infections.

Sink showers

Sometimes finding a shower or bathtub is not always possible, especially if you are camping, doing outdoor labor or find yourself temporarily homeless. If you have access to clean running water, however, taking a "bird bath" can keep you smelling fresh, looking good and feeling your best. It might not be the most comfortable or easiest way to clean yourself, but you will feel better than not having bathed at all.

Splash warm water on your face and neck, lather the soap and wash your face and neck, either with a wet washcloth or with your hands. Soak the washcloth in lukewarm water and gently wring it. Rub the washcloth all over your body to moisten your skin. Lather the soap and apply it to your body, focusing on places that tend to collect bacteria, such as the underarm area, inner thighs, genital area, buttocks and behind your ears. Rinse the washcloth, wring it and scrub your body with it, making sure you get all the soap off your skin. Rinse the washcloth again, wring it and repeat as necessary. Dry yourself off with a towel. Fill the plastic cup with warm water and turn off the faucet. Bend over the sink, making sure your head is close to the bottom of the basin. Pour the water over your head. Repeat until your hair is very wet. Apply shampoo, lather, rinse by pouring a cup of warm water over your hair, and repeat with a conditioner. Towel-dry your hair or use a hairdryer.

Things Needed:

• Tall plastic cup


• Bar of soap or liquid soap


• Towel


• Washcloth


• Shampoo


• Conditioner (optional)


• Bath towel


• Hair dryer (optional)

Washing clothes in the sink and shower

Aloksak Bag Method

An Aloksak is a large heavy-duty ziplock bag, that is known for its durability and waterproofness, the bags are able to withstand underwater pressures down to 190 feet deep for two weeks! But it’s also lightweight and easy to pack. They come in many sizes, but for laundry, I use a 16″ x 24″. I also use the Aloksak for storing my dirty (smelly) clothes. To wash with it, firstly dump in a pinch of detergent, fill with hot water and mix everything up for 5 minutes with your hand. Imagine the oscillating action inside a washing machine. Finally, zip up the bag and allow your clothing to soak in the soapy water for another 10 minutes. To rinse clean you can either refill the bag with fresh water, use a sink, or my personal favorite method jump in the shower and wash your clothes while you shower!

Sink Wash Approach

The sink approach is pretty simple also. Plug the drain of a sink, add soap, fill with hot water, and handwash your clothes. It’s one of the most popular ways for backpackers to clean their garments. For heavily soiled clothing you can allow soaking overnight. There’s even a universal drain plug specifically made for travelers. Otherwise, you can roll up a sock and wrap it with a plastic bag and stuff it into the drain. Rinse your clothes in the sink when done.

Coin-Operated

Coin-operated laundromats can be found all over the world, usually in larger towns & cities. Sometimes hostels or guesthouses will even have a few machines. Many will often have WiFi, and it’s a great place to meet people.

Local Laundry house

In most countries, there is a family run laundry usually within a short stroll in every neighborhood. Family run laundromats can have your clothes washed and smelling good in a few hours! However, the overnight wait is typical. Depending on the country, most neighborhoods have a small (or large) family-run laundry operation based on their home. Your clothing is weighed on a scale to determine the price. Sometimes you can choose between machine drying (quicker but more expensive) or line drying in the sunlight.

How To Dry Your Clothes

If you’re washing clothes with the Aloksak bag or sink techniques, finding a fast and efficient way to dry them is key. When it’s sunny out, and your guesthouse or hostel has a clothesline outside (often on the roof), line drying in the fresh air only takes a few hours. But if the weather is bad, or you’re forced to dry them inside, here’s a little trick I use to speed things up. Find a dry towel, lay it on the bed, place a garment on the towel, and roll it up tight. The dry towel will suck out some additional moisture, allowing your clothes to dry faster when hanging inside on a rope or travel-friendly elastic laundry line.

Recycling or re-wearing clothes

To help reduce the amount of laundry I do, it’s common for me to re-wear pants & shirts until they start to look or feel dirty. Wearing your clothes until they’re actually soiled makes sense if you’re on the move and want to save some time.

 

I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.

The Secret Of LODGING. The Best TRAVEL ACCOMMODATIONS.

 

Accommodations are going to be your second largest expense after your airfare.  Youth hostels, pensions, and renting rooms from families are my favorite options.  Information on all of these is readily available in the travel guides Lonely Planet, Barefoot Guides, Let's Go, Frommer’s, etc. Additional resources for housing are Airbnb, HomeAway from home, craigslist.com, and couchsurfing.net.

Why stay in shared spaces?  This is one of the issues that friends, who are learning to travel, have a hard time with. Learning to stay in shared spaces will help you feel comfortable trusting and being open to people you don't know helping you, giving you rides, and staying in houses of strangers.  Hostels are the best places to meet other travelers and staff who are knowledgeable about traveling.

Once I traveled alone to Chiapas in the south of Mexico with the understanding that my brother Bobby would be going with me. Well, as usual, Bobby kept delaying and ultimately ended up not showing up for the trip. Meanwhile, Bobby booked a room in the most beautiful hotel in town.  He urged me to please stay in the place, because it was already paid for, or it was going to go to waste. I finally agreed and went into the luxury room with feather down comforters, water fountains everywhere, and staff waiting to do anything I wanted at my request. The only problem was, I was bored and lonely in my luxury room. No one to talk to or exchange ideas with, so I went out to the shared spaces to speak to staff and to look for other travelers to share stories with.  There were none, everyone was in his or her room watching cable TV.

After one night, I left and checked into the nearest youth hostel where I made friends quickly with multiple people whom I’ve stayed in contact with for years. A militant vegan from London, a writer from Puerto Rico, and a shaman from the jungle.  These people made my trip exciting, and we joined forces for various excursions and nightlife outings. To date, I have dozens of friends from all over the world, whom I enjoy visiting, hosting, traveling with, and simply sharing my life with. Unfortunately, on this particular trip, I did catch scabies at the hostel. However, those are quickly cured by applying the cream all over your body and not showering for twenty-four hours until the poison has done its thing.

 

Rooms

Block-booked hotel rooms are released at 6 pm, so often you can find good last-minute deals after 6 pm.

If you have a room booked, arriving late can help you get a free room upgrade if all the other rooms sold out during a busy period.

When booking a room or transportation, be aware of local holidays.  This can significantly affect the price, availability, and options when planning your trip.  Travel websites often give discounts to people who book flights and rooms together.

For sleeping

Go to a bus station, buy the cheapest bus passage available, pin the ticket to your shirt, and go to sleep on a bench.  Having a visible ticket will keep security from bothering you while you rest. When you wake up, you can get a refund for the unused ticket.  I used this hack for traveling through Europe and the USA on a very limited budget. This allowed me and my belongings to be safe while I slept on a very tight budget.

My Favorite favorite websites for finding the best accommodation deals.

HomeAway.com

TrustedHousesitters.com

Airbnb.com

Orbitz.com

Booking.com

Craigslist.org

Hostelworld.com

Agoda.com

Hotels.com

Couchsurfing.com

Priceline.com

 

1. Hostels

Hostels are my favorite place to stay.  Most of the rooms are dormitory style with shared facilities.  I’ve met some of the most exciting people in youth hostels, although their people of all ages.  I’ve met people in their 70’s here. Many hostels also offer private rooms like hotels and a lot of the same amenities such as;   wifi, tour services, desks, kitchens, bars, curtains, laundry, lockers for your stuff, big bathrooms, and restaurants. Hostels offer you an unparalleled opportunity to meet other travelers from all over the world.  

Hostels cost from $2-$50 a night for a dorm bed and more for private rooms or rooms with fewer people in them.   The best website to find hostels is Hostelworld. Hostels are plentiful, safe, inexpensive, and secure.

2. Hospitality Exchanges

Hospitality Exchange or Home Stay is a form of accommodation where you stay in a local’s house or apartment in a city where you are traveling.  The stay is usually in exchange for a future visit, or for a visit at the same time (home swapping), can be free, for a charge, and sometimes it’s in exchange for work or services at the host’s property.

Top sites are; Global Freeloaders, Couchsurfing, and Hospitality Club.

Hospitality exchanges are great because they allow you to live with a local and see how they live.  These folks are also the most knowledgeable about their surroundings, and they can show you places you’d never be able to find on your own.  My hosts have taken me to weddings, birthdays, churches, family, dinners, and several places that you can’t find in guide books.

You’ll also save a lot of money staying in hospitality exchanges, which allows you to travel for more extended periods.

My favorite site is CouchSurfing.com because it is well organized and it has profiles of the hosts you can stay with.  I recommend reading the hosts profile, staying with hosts that have verified accounts, and staying with folks who have a profile picture.    

Before you confirm your stay with a host, you should chat with them before and make sure your expectations are in line with one another.

3. Short term rentals

   Short term rentals are cheaper than hotels and provide many more amenities.  They are especially useful if you have pets or a large group because they can come with a kitchen which would save you on food costs.  Another great thing about short term rentals is the unique opportunities they offer; I’ve stayed in a tree house, igloo, and a Tee Pee.

The top sites are; HomeAway, Wimdu, 9flats, OneFineStay, Booking.com, FlipKey, VacationRentals.com, and Airbnb.

4. Monasteries

   Monasteries offer basic accommodations and often come with a meal included.  The locations are run by monks and nuns and usually have a curfew. They often come with a desk, chair, and bed, unless you’re staying in the dormitories.  Monasteries are family-friendly, in historic buildings, and quiet. Many of the monasteries are free, ask for a donation, or start around $20.

Resources for finding a monastery:

Northeast US.

Holy Cross Monastery: West Park, New York. Guests stay in former monk quarters, with a bed, dresser, desk, lamp, and shared bathrooms. Meals are eaten with the monks, and the prayer services are open to guests.  The recommended donation is $70 per night.

Mount Saviour Monastery: Pine City, New York. The men's section has 15 small, private rooms; the women’s section and couples have two double rooms and three single rooms.  Also available are three separate bedrooms, each with a kitchen area. The recommended donation is $40 per night per person.

Society of Saint John the Evangelist: Cambridge, Massachusetts, and West Newbury, Massachusetts. Spiritual retreats are offered.  The recommended donation ranges from $60 per night to $95 per night.

Southeast US.

Abbey of Gethsemani: New Haven, Kentucky. Guests have been staying here since it opened in 1848. Guests are encouraged to assist the monks during communion, and monks are available for consultations. Each guest room has its own shower. Donations are on a free-will basis.

Mepkin Abbey: Moncks Corner, South Carolina. This monastery offers facilities to people for short (1-6 days) retreats and long (30 days) term stays.  Visitors observe the same silence as the monks, eat the same vegetarian meals and can take part in the services. The monks of Mepkin Abbey belong to the worldwide Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance.

St. Bernard Abbey: Cullman, Alabama. Guest rooms for men are air-conditioned with a shared bathroom; women and couples have air-conditioning and a private bathroom. Guests eat with the monks; dinner is a formal monastic meal. Donations are made on a free-will basis.

Midwest US.

Monastery of the Holy Cross: Chicago, Illinois. Individual guest rooms with a shared bathroom. Guests can join the monks in daily services. Monks are available for spiritual assistance. A $25 deposit is requested, but donations are on a free-will basis.

Our Lady's Monastery: Coleman, Michigan. Four guest rooms, all with single beds (six beds are available, you can have four more guests if sleeping bags are used). The monastery is located on the Chippewa Indian reservation in a rural setting. The cost is $40 to $50 daily.

St. Gregory's Abbey: Shawnee, Oklahoma. Weekend retreat dates are posted at this monastery's website. The daily rate is $62 per person. Two individual guest rooms also are available.

St. John's Abbey: Collegeville, Minnesota. Individual and group retreats are available, to accommodate 12 to 15 people.  This is a personal retreat, where you will meet with a spiritual director once a day.

West US.

Assumption Abbey: Richardton, North Dakota. The monastery started in 1899.  They offer retreats as a monastic live-in experience at this monastery.

Incarnation Monastery: Berkeley, California.  A few blocks from the University of California at Berkeley campus.  All rooms are for single occupancy; each room has a half-bath and a personal garden.  Suggested donation is $60 to $70 per night.

Europe

Buckfast Abbey: Devon, England.  The only English monastery to be restored and used for its religious purpose after the destruction of monasteries under King Henry VIII.  It has been open since 1018.

5.  Home Exchanges

   You can swap your home or apartment with a person in another country for a mutually agreed upon time.  Before the exchange you go through various levels of verification, then you communicate with each other before you do the trade to set up parameters for the transfer.  It’s an excellent way to live in a new city, have all the comforts of home, and not have to pay bills for the new place. These types of exchanges are very useful as people tend to be very respectful of one another’s homes.  You can also have family or friends check up on your guest to make sure everything is going well.

You can get all the comforts of home (hot water, laundry, etc.) while in another city, without paying for it.

Top sites are;

Seniors Home Exchange, IHEN, HomExchange.com, Craiglist, and Home for Exchange.

6.  House Sitting

If you don’t have a house to swap or would rather not do so, then you can trade labor for a place to stay.  In exchange for watching someone’s house, watering their plants, feeding their pets, and keeping it clean. You get to stay in their home.  This is an excellent option if you’re looking for a place to stay for a prolonged period.

Top sites are; Craigslist, Mind My House, Luxury House Sitting, and House Carers

7. Stay on a Farm

You can live on a farm and learn valuable skills through WWOOFusa.org.  The farms offer educational opportunities like beekeeping, growing veggies, caring for animals, and winemaking.  You can either trade labor for free room and board or pay for your accommodations and observe. Similar to a bed and breakfast and rates start at around $40 per night.

Top sites; WWOOFusa.org, Farm Stay US, Farm Stay UK, Farm Stay Australia, and Farm Stay Accommodation.

 

I talk more in-depth of travel issues in my Amazon Book. Check it out here.