How to survive a human stampede

How to survive a human stampede

● If you’re stuck in the middle, don’t move against the crowd; move in a diagonal with the
flow of the crowd, the same way you would if you were being carried by a river.
● Stay on the perimeters of the crowd, and avoid the densest areas.
● If you fall, get up fast. If you can’t get up, get on your knees and cover your head and
neck with your arms.
● If you have kids, keep them on your shoulders or elevated as much as possible.
● Keep your arms up around your chest so you have some space to breathe.
● If you start getting squeezed, turn sideways, perpendicular to the crowd so you're
crushed sideways and you’re still able to breathe.
● Don’t follow the crowd, try to get to places where there is a physical barrier between you
and the other people, such as a building.
● If you're stuck, assume a boxer stance to avoid being pushed over by the crowd. Keep
both feet spread apart, one foot ahead of the other, arms around your chest area, knees
bent slightly, and shuffle your feet when the crowd moves.

You can find more information on how to survive a human stampede in my Youtube video:

 

How to survive a riot

How to survive a riot

• Try to stay indoors and wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.  This will help protect you from debris and to minimize exposure to tear gas or pepper spray if you get caught outside.  Wear clothing that blends in, without bright colors or logos that attract attention. Don’t wear dark clothing, hoodies, or any clothing that looks like a uniform as it can be misinterpreted by police or military.  Stay calm and stay out of it. Stay up to date on what’s happening. You can plan an escape route, if needed, away from the mobs. 


• If you’re driving, drive away from the mobs, and drive slowly so you don’t attract attention.


• Walk away from problem areas. Leave your baggage behind, but carry your travel documents, cell phone, and some food with you.


• Avoid getting hit by riot control chemicals and weapons.


• Carry some toothpaste to smear under your eyes if tear gas is released.


• Bring a bandanna soaked in lemon juice or vinegar and keep it in a bag.  You can breathe through it to give you some protection from the gas. Keep rinsing the bandanna as it gets saturated with gas.


• Carry a solution of half liquid antacid and half water, which can be used to rinse your eyes if you’re exposed to tear gas.


• Wear glasses for eye protection, not contacts that can be very painful if tear gas gets underneath them; or wear swim goggles or a gas mask if you have any.


• Don’t rub your eyes, nose, or mouth; this will spread the chemicals that may have been sprayed on you.


• If you have an extra set of clothes, carry them with you in a plastic bag so you can change in case you’re hit with chemicals.


• Wear latex or vinyl gloves to protect your hands from pepper spray; getting the spray on your hands is very painful.


• Avoid wearing creams or sunblock, because chemicals can adhere to them and prolong the pain.

For more information on how to survive a riot click here.

How to create a budget and a financial plan

How to create a budget and a financial plan

Creating and keeping a budget will allow you to balance your spending and saving, to help ensure that you have enough money available for the things that are important to you, and for reaching your goals.  Budgets also help you stay out of debt, or help you get out of debt if you're in debt.  

    A financial plan tells you how to spend and invest the money you have budgeted to reach business goals.  When driving somewhere that you're not familiar with, you use a map, or these days a mapping application, to get to your desired destination.  This helps you get there the fastest, safest, and the most efficient way possible. Without a financial plan, you're going to waste money, make it much slower than you probably could, and put your money at unnecessary risk.  Create a budget with your current income and liabilities. Then make a written financial plan with short and long term financial goals that you can reference regularly. Having a business plan will give you a map to reference and to help you stay on the right path.  It's like using a workout routine when you go to the gym; without a plan, you can get hurt from overtraining, or not get the physique you want for the beach.

    One strategy to use is the 50-30-20 method.  Senator Elizabeth Warren helped develop this plan while at Harvard.  The biggest piece, 50% of your take-home income, should go towards essentials and basic living expenses; food, housing, and transportation.  The second is 30% for flexible spending on discretionary expenses; clothing, travel, and entertainment. The last 20% goes towards helping you meet your financial goals of paying down debt and saving. 

    First, look at all your sources of income and determine how much you have available to spend each month.  This will be your total income and this is what you're going to divide up into your 50/30/20 budget plan. If you are self-employed, you’ll need to track your wages more closely and base your plan on your average monthly income.     

    Second, keep track of all of your spending and divide it up into the three categories of essentials, flexible spending, and financial goals.  Now, if you’re overspending in one of the categories, adjust it so you’re falling into the 50/30/20 parameters. 

    For example, if you’re making $3,000 a month, your budget should be $1,500 for essentials, $900 for flexible spending, and $600 for financial goals.  If you're spending $2,000 on essentials, then you have to cut it by at least $500. The easiest way to do this is by cutting the big three: transportation, food, and housing.  One suggestion is to add a roommate who pays $750 a month, this way you're covering the extra $500 you went over on your essentials category, and now you have an extra $250 to go into one of your other categories, like financial goals.  

    There are several ways to save on transportation, like carpooling, riding a bike, or using public transportation.  

    Food is tricky because you want to save on the sources of food but not on the quality.  For example, a friend of mine and his wife really wanted to buy a nice house so they started eating top ramen every day for a year.  They saved a lot of money and bought a house. But I don’t believe that the collateral damage from the high salt and low nutrition was worth it, because they ended up with high blood pressure.  Instead, keep eating high-quality organic fruits and veggies, and cut back on eating out and substitute with economical options.      

    Overall the strategy is to cut as much as you can from the essentials and flexible spending categories so you can add more to the financial goals category.

  The 50-30-20 Rule works, because it’s simple and everything is clearly defined, making it much more likely that you’ll stick to your plan and meet your financial goals.  It also allows you to adjust percentages to help you meet your goals faster.

    This was my guide on how to create a budget and a financial plan. For more strategies on building wealth to increase your budget check out; How to Become Rich and Successful. The Secret of Success and the Habits of Successful People. Entrepreneurship and Developing Entrepreneur Characteristics or How to Become Rich and Successful: Creative Ways to Make Money with a Side Hustle.  

How to pack for a business trip

How to pack for a business trip

It’s especially important to travel light during business trips because typically you have little free time available between work and sightseeing.  So you don’t want to squander valuable time on managing luggage.  

    Do as much preparation and research as you can before your trip to help save time.  Outline a plan of what you would like to see before you get there. If you have limited time, go for the must-see places first. Use your time wisely; go sightseeing before dinner or during a lunch break, eat while you tour around, etc.  Try combining elements of your pleasure trip with your business trip so you can deduct part of your journey from your taxes.

Quick Business List:

• Maintain a bag ready to go with the essentials so you can get up and go quickly.


• Pack light.  Use some of the previously mentioned suggestions in the packing section.


• Avoid checking bags since these trips may be short.  You don’t want to waste time waiting for lost or delayed luggage.


• Bring items that can be used up while on your trip so the empty space can be filled on the way back with things you are bringing home.


• Make sure you are getting miles for as many aspects of your trip as you can: rental cars, meals, tickets, and all purchases.

Let me know in the comments section how do you pack for a business trip!

For more travel tips, check out my latest Amazon book.

How to Travel the World and Live with No Regrets.: Learn How to Travel for Free, Find Cheap Places to Travel, and Discover Life-Changing Travel Destinations. (Cheap Flights Book 1)

Five Strategies for Working Abroad

Five Strategies for Working Abroad

Working in a foreign country is the best way to learn about a culture and really immerse yourself in its customs.  It’s 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 are, the better traveler you will become.  The extra cash will also help you extend your travels and help you cover more ground for more extended periods without having to head back to your home court.

    However, to be successful at having an excellent overseas work experience, it’s going to take some planning to find better 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 in a non-traditional setting, 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 many resources online for finding jobs teaching languages worldwide.

    If you’re 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 visas are valid for about a year, and you can't work in one place for more than six 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 save money to keep traveling.  I’ve met people who travel for a few months, then work a few months in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or England. They save up some money, then go for another few months.  They can go back and forth for years and years making a life of working and traveling for the rest of their lives.

    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 where you are trying to work.  For these jobs, it is recommended to go with an agency that can place you much faster and help you navigate the requirements more rapidly. If you happen to be a healthcare professional, this is an even easier road to travel.

 

Five Strategies for Working Abroad: the most important thing is to implement these strategies from your home country before you travel, not when you get there.

1. Invest time looking for jobs.


2. Learn about the requirements for the countries where you want to work.


3. Contact expats and friends.


4. Apply online through agencies and employment websites.


5. Have your credentials ready.

How to Save on Airplane Tickets: 26 Ways to Save on Flights

Airline tickets typically go on sale eleven months before flight dates, so you can save on tickets to popular destinations and during peak travel times if you buy as far in advance as you can.  If you're flexible, then, last-minute travel can give you even better deals. Try using Google Flights, Fly.com, Orbitz, CheapOair, SkyScanner, Hopper, Travelzoo, and many more travel sites’ monthly flight fare charts to find the least expensive days to fly in any given month.

If you have to travel during a busy time like Christmas or during school holidays, then definitely book early, because these tickets don't usually go down in price, only up!

The best time of the year to score the best prices is usually September and January.

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 category.  If there’s 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'll 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 don't limit your searches to the weekends.  Fare sales generally target the next 2-3 months of travel and have a 14-21 day advance purchase requirement.

 

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, and 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 three-day weekends like Labor Day or Memorial Day. Then, everyone is looking to fly on the actual holiday, so that's the best time to try to add an extra vacation day.

 

4. Search for two one-way fares, even if they are 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 two one-way tickets to and from your destination.

 

5. Starting or ending your trip midweek on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or even Saturday, gives you the lowest fares as these are the days with the least passenger volume.

 

6. Travel packages are sometimes less expensive.
   If you need to book a hotel, in some cases packages offer better value than booking separately, since some big-name hotels will use this opportunity to hide their highly discounted rates in package deals to avoid having a discount associated with their name and lower their perceived value.

 

7. Act quickly on low fares.
   Airlines are required by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to offer 24-hour free hold on cancellations as long as you are booking your ticket seven days before your travel date.  You'll have to pay first, then you get a full refund should you decide to cancel. This applies 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.

 

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

 

9. 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't advertise directly. The fact is that airlines only have a certain number of seats they can advertise at a sale price. Once those are sold the flights go back up to higher tier prices.

 

10. Sometimes it’s better to pay a little more for your ticket when it earns you more points. 
    So you have to compare and see if you gain more from the rewards or the lowest fare. Airline credit cards, as well as travel 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.

 

11. Layovers can be a huge benefit.
    Even though a nonstop flight is ideal, you can sometimes save hundreds on connecting flights.

    Some airlines like Aeromexico, Air France, China Airlines, or Icelandair offer free stopovers.  A free stopover is when the airlines offer a night’s stay at their connecting hub and you don’t get charged for the benefit of staying there. The hub cities are where they concentrate their passenger traffic to save on airline costs.  This allows you to save on airfare, visit another city, and make it part of your vacation.

 

12. In the travel-industry, the calendar year is divided into three seasons: peak season (mid-June through August), shoulder season (April through mid-June and September through October), and off-season (November through March).  Shoulder and off-peak seasons are when the travel prices are the lowest. This is when the weather is not ideal and the volume of tourists is lower, or when there is terrible press during political unrest. Destinations will lower their flight and hotel prices to attract tourists to bring revenue into the region, sometimes to half the price or less. 

 

13. If you miss flights often, you can claim back the taxes from your tickets.

 

14. Travel when the weather is not ideal.
    For example, the seasons in South America are the opposite of ours.  It's winter in the Southern Hemisphere when we have summer; their off-peak season is about May through August.  During the off-season, hotels, airlines, and tours are much cheaper.

 

15. Travel after a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, political violence, or after some other tragic incident occurred.
    That can get you better deals since people will be canceling their trips and being wary of going to an area under such circumstances.  Before you go, make sure to check in on the situation, and wait just enough time till things stabilize. However, there is a short window of opportunity to benefit from the upside of the situation, as humanitarian aid or security forces rush in immediately afterward, and the area becomes safer than it will probably ever be again.

 

16. Travel websites often give discounts to people who book flights and rooms together.

 

17. Fridays and Saturdays are the most expensive time to book hotels and flights, while midweek tends to be the lowest priced. 
    If you have to stay somewhere during that time, stay in a business area. The rooms will be cheaper at that time since people are not conducting business on weekends.

 

18. Request a seat in the exit row.
    These seats have the most legroom and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

19. For a free upgrade, wait till the plane is full.
    Then, ask or wait and give up your seat to people who want to sit together.

 

20. If your flight is canceled, call the airline or travel agent instead of waiting in line with everyone else; it's faster, and you won't have to compete with the others.
    You can also ask that your ticket be endorsed to a competing airline.

 

21. If you have extra carry-on bags and you want to avoid being charged for them, be the last one to board the plane.
    The staff will be on a time crunch to get everyone boarded and close the gate, or risk making the plane late for departure. This will help you avoid being hassled about your bags or being charged extra baggage fees.

 

22. If the airline charges for water, a glass of ice is usually free, so you can order ice and wait for it to melt, or fill it up for free with water in the bathroom at the airport or on the plane, if it's potable.

 

23. If you’re planning to take a long trip, consider the convenience of an around the world ticket.
    You’ll get a bulk price for prebooking several flights at once. Specialized agencies are more knowledgeable, better equipped, and know how to deal with different airlines and connect unusual destinations.

    However, if you prefer planning the trip yourself, it’s sometimes less expensive to book multiple segments on your own than to buy one around the world ticket and be charged higher fees.  Around the world tickets usually cost you more than if you just book the trips yourself. Try comparing both options to see which is more cost-effective and gives you the options you're looking for. 

 

24. Keep Your Travel Searches Secret
    The cookies in your browser are watching what you search for online.  Therefore, when it sees you searching the same routes multiple times, your price will increase.  The search website will try to scare you into booking the flight quickly before prices get even higher. You can bypass this by searching for flights in Incognito or private browsing mode to see the lowest prices.

    In Firefox or Internet Explorer, hit Command (or Control if using a PC), Shift, “P”.  In Google Chrome or Safari, Incognito is enabled by hitting Command (or Control if using PC), Shift, “N”.  This will open a new browser window where your information is not tracked, and preventing the price from going up artificially as you search. 

    Every time you reopen an Incognito window, your cookies will be reset.  So for every flight search, you want to close all Incognito windows and open a new one.  This will prevent the site from remembering your previous searches and inflating your flight costs. 

 

25. Looking for tickets early mornings gets you better prices on flights, because people typically shop for trips in the evenings when they get off from work. 
    As people book flights, the prices go up as the supply of seats decreases. The following day, people may have buyer’s remorse; they change plans or they find better prices, and they cancel their flights to be able to get a free refund within the first 24 hours causing the supply of seats to increase every morning, which affects the algorithms that adjust the flight prices.  You can see this scenario play out every day as flight prices increase during lunchtime (when people have time to shop for flights), then increase more at night (when people are off from work), and then drop the following morning (as people wake up and cancel trips before they start their day in fear that they might forget and get stuck with a ticket they don’t want).  

 

26. Don’t jump at the first price you see. 
    If you have luggage, it’s better to avoid budget airlines. For example, I bought a round trip flight from Los Angeles to Miami on United or Delta airlines: $305 for the flight and $60 for baggage (one free carry-on and $30 each way for one checked bag,), $365 total ticket price. On Spirit airlines, a roundtrip ticket was only $260, but the baggage fees were $260 ($65 for one free carry-on and $65 each way for one checked bag), $520 total ticket price.  So to save $35 on the plane tickets, I would have had to pay $200 extra for my baggage.

For more travel tips, check out my latest Amazon book.

How to Travel the World and Live with No Regrets.: Learn How to Travel for Free, Find Cheap Places to Travel, and Discover Life-Changing Travel Destinations. (Cheap Flights Book 1)

How To Sleep For Increased Bone Healing

How To Sleep For Increased Bone Healing

It’s not the amount of sleep that you do that will help you heal faster, it is the quality of the sleep you do. Most people require between eight to ten hours of sleep a day. However, if you’re feeling tired after surgery or exercise and feel like you need more sleep than usual, then sleep as much as your body is asking you for.
Sleep is vital to the release of human growth hormone (HGH). HGH is released by the brain
into the bloodstream during deep sleep. Up to 75% of HGH is released during deep sleep and 25% during exercise. HGH is part of the repair and restoration function of the body. It is going to become even more important as your body is trying to heal from broken bones.
Because you may be experiencing pain from your fractured or surgically repaired bone, you
may need pain or sleeping medication to help you sleep depending on the level of pain. Stay away from caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol which can all have a stimulating effect and disturb your sleeping. The highest concentrations of HGH are released during slow-wave sleep (SWS) which starts a few hours after sleeping has started. Therefore, try to avoid naps after 3 pm, so you’re more tired at night and you’ll sleep for prolonged periods of time.

Dr. Ernesto Martinez will very soon publish his new book on bone healing. If you want to be notified when the book is out, you can join our +10.000 people waiting list in this link.

Is traveling expensive?

You're going to have tradeoffs everywhere you travel in the world. Let’s compare two cities,
such as Washington D.C. and Paris. In Washington D.C., most of the best museums, like the Smithsonian, and monuments, like the Lincoln Memorial, are free. However, in Paris, the Louvre is around twenty dollars, and most of the top museums charge an entrance fee. If you want to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, it costs about thirty dollars, but the wine, baguettes, and art are going to be the best in the world and at the best prices. The subway system is also much easier to use and more affordable.
No matter where you’re going, you will be spending money on things you usually wouldn’t. That’s part of the travel experience. You’re paying to see something new, like going to the movies to see the latest blockbuster or buying a meal at the new restaurant down the street.
The flight is usually the biggest expense, but you can make it up in other ways during your
trip. You can save on accommodations, food, alcohol, and entertainment. If you make
adjustments, you can live the same anywhere you go. In the Czech Republic, the beer is some of the best in the world, and it's cheaper than water. I ate a lot of eggs, dairy, and bread as they were very inexpensive there. When I traveled to Greece, those same food items were expensive, but olives, cheese, and tomatoes were a good deal. So I changed my diet and ate what the locals did.
Try to live as much like the locals as you can; this will give you a better experience and save you money. Avoid hotels and use Craigslist to find rooms or apartments for rent at a much lower price than even Airbnb. As you interact with locals, ask them where the best places are to eat and visit. These places are usually less expensive and give you a more traditional experience. Use the bus or ride the subway instead of taking Uber.
One more thing to keep in mind is that traveling is usually cheaper than staying at home.
When I calculate my rent ($1,500), food ($400), car ($300 gas only), and all my other expenses, I usually end up paying around $2,800 per month, and that only covers my basic living expenses. I have never spent more than that amount for a month’s worth of travel. I know that it can be done very quickly, even if you don’t make an effort to save on your trip. But I am not trying to spend all my hard-earned money in one place. I'm trying to make the most of it, and enjoy it as much as I can. For some useful strategies to build income for traveling; check out the books: How to Become Rich and Successful. The Secret of Success and the Habits of Successful People or How to Become Rich and Successful: Creative Ways to Make Money with a Side Hustle.

The Four Stages of Healing a Fractured Bone

The Four Stages of Healing a Fractured Bone

1) Formation of Hematoma at The Break
When a bone breaks, blood flows from the vessels torn by the fracture. These blood vessels
could be in the periosteum, osteons, and/or the medullary cavity. A blood clot forms in the area where the broken bone occurred. The blood begins to clot, and about six to eight hours after the fracture, the clotting blood has formed a fracture hematoma (Figure A). The hematoma contains a meshwork of proteins that provide a temporary plug to fill the gap created by the broken one. The disruption of blood flow to the bone results in the death of bone cells around the fracture.



The immune system takes action and starts the inflammatory response, which is the first part of healing. Inflammation triggers stem cells from the surrounding tissues, bone marrow, and blood to migrate to the fracture. The cells start two vital processes: bone formation and cartilage formation.

2) The Formation of a Fibrocartilaginous Callus
Within 48 hours after the fracture, chondrocytes from the endosteum have created an internal callus (plural= calli) by secreting a fibrocartilaginous matrix between the two ends of the broken bone. While the periosteal chondrocytes and osteoblasts form an external callus of hyaline cartilage and bone, around the outside of the break (Figure B), this stabilizes the broken bone.

3) Formation of a Bony Callus
Over the next few weeks, osteoclasts resorb the dead bone, osteogenic cells are activated,
divide, and differentiate into osteoblasts. The cartilage in the calli is replaced by trabecular bone via endochondral ossification (Figure C).

4) Remodeling and Addition of Compact Bone.
After about six to eight weeks, the internal and external calli unite, compact bone replaces
spongy bone at the outer boundaries of the fracture, and healing is completed. A bulging may remain on the outer surface of the bone, but over time that area is remodeled (Figure D), and no external evidence of the fracture remains. The healing time, however, could be extended significantly If you have multiple breaks, ligament, tendon, or muscle damage.

Dr. Ernesto Martinez will very soon publish his new book on bone healing. If you want to be notified when the book is out, you can join our +10.000 people waiting list in this link.