Monthly Archives: October 2017

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Growing Old Gracefully: Bathroom Tricks To Help Your Parents Keep Their Dignity

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When we’re young, our parents do everything for us. They are the supports on which we lean. Which is why it can be confusing for everyone when the tables turn. Inevitably, we all end up caring for our parents at some stage. Sadly, that is the circle of life. But, when the time comes, it can be challenging to strike the right balance. You’ll want to offer the best care possible, without imposing or taking your parents freedom. Thus, you may find that you’re treading on eggshells, or failing to provide the care they need.

To help everyone move forward, it’s worth having a conversation about the part your parents would like you to play. They may try to hold onto their independence for as long as possible, and there’s nothing you can do about that. Or, they may accept that they need help, but express a desire to keep their dignity. If this is the case, it’s important to consider how you can provide dignified care, specifically when it comes to the bathroom. And, to help you settle on a plan which works, we’re going to consider some of your options.

A bathtub for ease

The most substantial issue to consider is that of bathing. When mobility starts to fail, your parents will find it difficult to get in and out of the bathtub. They may even do themselves an injury by trying it. But, they may be reluctant to let you lift them in and out. It would involve exposure that they may not be comfortable with.

So, find a compromise. By helping your parents choose a tub which opens at the side, you can ensure they can get in and out without worry. An option with a seat included would even allow you to rest easy that they can remain in an upright position. Or, if their mobility isn’t that bad yet, you may want to browse modern bathtubs which are freestanding. Options like these often dip in the middle, making them easier to get into. Plus, their freestanding nature will allow you ease of access once they’re already in the water. That way, you can help them wash, then leave them to it.

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Installed rails

It’s also worth installing grab rails in showers, and around the toilet. These will prove a huge support, and will mean that your parents can hold themselves up. Thus, you won’t need to lift them onto the toilet and so on. Again, these will go a massive way towards helping your parents keep their dignity. Often, toilet issues are the most embarrassing of all. Dealing with them in this way could be the best of both worlds.

Urinal in Hong-Kong on the Lung Fu Shai Fitness Trail, with handles for the elderly.

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An alarm by the toilet

Bear in mind, though, that an alarm chord by the toilet could be a huge help in ensuring your parents safety. That way, you can be on hand if they do need you for any reason. Without this, there’s a risk they’ll be stuck on the toilet for extended periods, which would undo your efforts at modesty. The chances are that they’ll never need to use it. But, it’s not worth the risk. When you know it’s there, you can rest easy. And, though they may not say it, your parents will also feel much better for its presence.

A sink with a seat

Standing by the sink could also become a real challenge for your parent’s. Even brushing their teeth for two minutes could prove too much. So, it’s worth getting a seat installed near their sink. If possible, you could have one built into the same cabinet that their sink is on. This will look like part of the decor and means they can have a quick sit down if they’re struggling.

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Or, you could carve a space underneath the sink, and slip a chair there, instead. To guests, this will look like a vanity-style sink setup. But, it could be a real dignity saver for your parents. Plus, this option has the benefit of allowing them to sit while they do what they need to.

A final word

As you can see, there are any number of ways to help your parents keep their bathroom dignity. While there may come a time when you’ll need to take a more active role, these steps will ensure that time is a long way off. Of course, you’ll need to check with your parents before putting anything in place. But, once you’ve explained, they’re sure to be on board.

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Taking The Long Journey To Become Financially Ready For Business

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A small business is truly an extension of yourself. It’s your unique idea that has come to life and is trying to make the world a better place. On top of this comes the multitude of exciting things that could be competing with your rivals to show consumers you have a better product or service, finding ways to make the most money but keep quality assurance high as possible and of course, one day expanding to become a powerful entity in of yourself. However, what comes before all of that is the need to be financially prepared. This is the long journey that every single person must take before they start their own business for good, and make sure it can last beyond the critical first year. Unfortunately, even though there are many books out there that tell you how to set up a business, there aren’t many that dive into detail of what you should be doing before you open the doors to your small business. There are many paths to the same goal, but there are some more prevalent and important that you can look into that may help you find a way.

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Can you assign collateral

If you’re truly serious about setting up a business, you need to have an emergency and large funds available just in case your main source runs dry. It’s a tough and morbid task, but you must go through it, and that is, assigning things in your life that you could do without. Should you not find investment large enough, or simply can’t find anyone that will not put in as much as you do, then you need to make a list of the items and possibly property that could fund your business. Sit down, and on a clear day where you will have no distractions, write out the things in your home that you are willing to sell, should the road to success get a little bumpy. Make two categories, which divide your major collateral assets, and your pure consumer goods and items that aren’t detrimental to your living standard. The latter is quite easy to make up once you get the hang of it, but your major assets are where it gets serious. Your house, car, and potential savings in your bank should be placed in this category, whereby you are ready to use to help your business get off the ground. Granted it’s a very serious move, but if you want your passion to be a reality, tough choices will need to be made.

Carefully make a budget

Budgeting your small business is not as complicated as it first might seem. Although larger businesses have to worry about external issues, such as satisfying shareholders and fighting in the courts for legal superiorities with their largest rival, a small business does not. What your task should be is to plan for the next year, and nothing more so far. Clearly define your largest expenditures, which will more than likely fall under paying salaries, and paying for advertisements. Lesser expenditures will be making the products and services, which will need to be calculated per unit. This may vary with regards to your distributor and manufacturing supplier. It’s much easier to plan out your budget when you have a plan for each financial quarter. When you can, you clearly plan out what your goals will be, and the timeframe in which you wish to achieve them, the demands of funds and the list of priorities will grow and formulate.

Image by Nick Youngson

Generating the funds

No business can live on your own funds alone unless you’re incredibly rich. There are lots of ways to get the funds you need for your operations. You may want to look into the independent investor path. You’re more than likely going to be dealing with someone on a one-on-one basis. They will have their personal expectations of what you need to return to them with regards to profits; however, there’s more of a human element involved whereby the relationship can be very flexible and lenient. However, if you’re confident in your credit rating, and have saved up for a long time and or showed you’re responsible and trustworthy financially, you could get a loan from UnsecuredFinanceAustralia.com.au. An unsecured loan would mean that you’re going to be receiving a loan, purely based off of your credit score alone, without collateral being placed on the list of potential recuperation of money. Whether you need the money quickly for a new project and or expansion, you can get up to $5 – 300K. Unlike a bank that would possibly take a long time for approval, such companies will have a simple and quick process of application to start you on the road to fulfilling your dreams.

Save money where you can

Even before you get up and moving, update yourself on the latest techniques in your industry. Next technologies might initially seem more expensive and a little too much for a small business, but if you can speed up your business because of them, you’re saving time and therefore able to deal with more orders and customers. Equally, if you know somebody who can give you a cheaper material or supply than the industry experts, then always have them on your list of options. Saving money where you can, requires a savvy mind and a flourishing and ever-expanding network of contacts. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but in business, it’s a case of ‘shoulda woulda, coulda’. Losing money due to practices that could otherwise be avoided, should be a thing of the past. If you can meet people in the same field as you, and mingle with other business experts at meetings such as business expos and other workshops before you commit, that could save you a lot of money. Write down any useful hints and advice for areas where you have the least knowledge to help you avoid pitfalls.

Being ready to financially support your business is a long and open road. You could take many different turns to get to your goal, but there is always a clear marrow that runs through the planning stages. Be meticulous, and always take on board as much information you can, and be ready to make sacrifices to prop up your business if no one else will.

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5 Common Mistakes of Startups

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Running a startup is many people’s dream come true, but unless you know what you are doing before you get started, you will find it much more difficult to find the formula for success. So, it is a good idea to go as much research as you possibly can to put yourself in the very best position. One of the most useful things that you can do is read about some common mistakes that people make so you can avoid repeating them. So, here are five errors that your business startup should avoid.

Lack of Focus

To start off with, your business needs to have a very clear focus that you can define within a single line of writing. Yes, many companies succeed by diversifying over time, but when you are just getting started off, you are much better off having a clear niche. What is it that you can do better than your competitors? Focus on this area and devote your time and energy to improving your overall offering.

Not Enough Motivation

If you have created your startup simply as a way of getting out of your regular full-time job, you are barking up the wrong tree. You need to have a genuine passion for your particular field or you are never going to have the energy to make a success of your business. Running a startup is not an easy option, and thousands of people are trying to do exactly the same thing as you every day. The people who enjoy success are the ones who have bags of commitment, motivation and passion.

Poor Knowledge

We have touched on this at the start of the article, but you can never do enough research before you start your business. How will you be running your business on a day to day basis? Will you be working from home or will you share working space? Who are your direct competitors likely to be? What will be your marketing techniques? All these questions and more are the type of things that you will need to be asking yourself before you actually take the plunge and start your business for real.

Unwillingness to Learn

Of course, running a business means that you can do things your way, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to the experts. You should take in any advice that you hear and factor it into your own company. It is likely that you will be a novice in this field, and you can’t hope to become an expert overnight. Therefore, it is worth listening and learning from the people who have already been there and done it.

Lack of Investment Capital

Finally – and it may be an obvious one – many startups fail because they simply don’t have enough money to invest. So, you should ensure that you know exactly where your money is coming from before you go any further down this path or you could find yourself in real difficulty before you know it.

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5 Simple Ways To Take Care Of Your Elders

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With today’s super fast-paced, digitally hyper-connected world at our fingertips 24/7, it’s easy to feel the generational gap more acutely than ever. Modern society is almost geared up to give us a laser focus on the self, and it’s no wonder that many younger people feel out of touch with their grandparents generation. But there’s so much that we can learn from our elders – life lessons that are just as relevant today as they ever were, even if the world outside looks very different. Many people find that once they put effort into developing a connection with their seniors, it enriches their lives in ways that they never imagined. So how can you best look after your older loved ones? Here are five ways to do just that:

Organise their medications

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One thing that usually happens as relatives age is that they take increasing amounts of medication or have more medical appointments. A real, practical way to take care of elders in your life is to make sure that these drugs are in order. It can be as simple as helping them set up reminder alarms on a cell phone specifically designed for senior use, or it could be making sure their pills are organized into a storage container clearly labeled by date. Ensuring nothing is missed helps reduce damage to health in the long run.  Helping them to stay on top of this area is essential to their health –and your peace of mind.

Help them take control of finances

It’s an area that many of us don’t like to talk about, but helping our elders ensure that their financial affairs are in order can save a lot of confusion and stress for them, and their families. A typical state of affairs is that when an older woman becomes widowed, they suddenly find themselves dealing with all sorts of financial matters that had previously been handled by their husband. Elderly relatives may have little idea about modern banking procedures that could save time and money, like automatic direct debit payments, or even comparing energy suppliers to make sure they have the best deal on their utilities. A few minutes spent guiding them through a process online can be a beneficial gift of your time, in return for all the life experience they can give to you. The vital part is not to take over – involve them in the process too.

Look after their health

Whether its mental health or physical, younger relatives can do a lot by ensuring their older family members have good health in both respects. Are they taking part in enough social activities? Help them find clubs and societies in their local area to join in with. Do they take regular exercise? Invite them out for a walk at the weekend. Or, invest in exercise equipment for seniors that cater specifically to older age groups while still helping them to keep fit.  Tools like these help them stay motivated to exercise even when it becomes more arduous, as the resistance can be adjusted to account for their physical capabilities. 

It’s also vital to watch out that they stay clear of any illnesses that hit the elderly harder, such as kidney infections and pneumonia. Check out these tips from CaregiverConnection to see if they may be coming down with something. The earlier things like that are treated, the less overall impact they will have on health.

Find shared activities to do together

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One of the most significant joys that older people seem to provide is encouraging us to take it slower sometimes. When we step out of our busy lives and match ourselves to their pace for a while, it can make a world of difference to wellbeing. Instead of thinking about that their age limits them from doing, think about what you can do together. A sponsored walk to raise money for a favorite course can be enjoyable. Or is there a craft they are expert in that you’d like to learn? From crochet to jam-making, homespun skills are all the rage again now – and the older generation often have considerable talents in these areas!

Think about their environment

Relatively small changes in the home environment of an older adult can change their daily life for the better. So spend some time thinking about how to adapt their home to their changing needs, and you could help them out.Cluttered interiors with unused pieces of furniture can make navigating on their own harder – perhaps it’s time to introduce them to making money on eBay! Installing support bars in the bathroom is low-cost but can make elders a lot safer in their own homes – as can installing and monitoring new fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and helping them to prepare their home for winter. Even just purchasing a cable tidy to keep trailing electrical wires tucked away can prevent an accident.

It doesn’t take much to look after your loved ones, and simple ways to show you care can mean the world. We’ll all become elderly ourselves one day if we are lucky, so it only makes sense to have better relationships with our seniors and set an example to those younger than us.

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The Magic of Marketing: Three Techniques To Get The Word Out About Your Business

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You might have an incredible business, selling products or services that you know people want. But you’re a small fish in a big pond, to do well you have to get your name out there. Marketing is an element of business that you simply cannot overlook, it’s not just a case of ‘build it and they will come’. You have to make sure you’re promoting correctly and getting the word out. Here are some different techniques you should try.

Attend a Business Expo

Attending an event is the perfect opportunity to get your business message across, and network to secure new customers and clients. But business expos can be a minefield if you’re new to the game, and there’s a few things you will need to bear in mind to get the most out of the event. First is your stall itself. Since these are large events with lots of stalls, customers won’t be able to visit them all so will make their decisions based largely on how they look. Don’t go with the same old boring display and presentations that many others will be using. Go with something interesting and dynamic. Have a look at the services you can order from Steelhead Productions and other companies which create custom show booths. They can really help you to make an impact and communicate your brand’s message. Things like games, competitions, challenges and live demonstrations will all grab the audience’s interest, so make sure your booth is up to the task. Another thing to consider is foot traffic. Ideally you should book in advance to snag a great location, somewhere where people will be walking past a lot such as near to food being sold. The ends of aisles are also a good location rather too. As well as people walking past, you could contact some potential clients before the event and set up a few appointments through the day. Just letting them know that you’re attending and the best time to swing by, but be sure to leave free time for those walking past too. This way you’re as proactive as possible and making the very best of your time. Finally, it’s important to follow up on all of the leads gained at the event, after all this is the reason why you attended. If you take down contact details of interested businesses you can send them a polite follow-up shortly afterwards and proceed from there.

Utilise Social Media

Social media is incredibly important when it comes to business, in fact it’s one of the most valuable tools that modern businesses can utilise. Not only does it have higher conversion rates than most other types of marketing but it can help build up your brand and reputation. Customers who can see interaction from a company’s social media accounts, reviews from real people and a good following, they can see that your business is legitimate. One of the hardest things to do as a new business is prove that you are trustworthy, that customers can order from you and get the products and services they want. With so many scams and things online people can be wary and guarded when it comes to shopping somewhere new, which is why many consumers only stick to brands they already know and trust. Running your social media accounts well is a good way to help show potential customers that many others have shopped with you and have had a good experience, and that they will too. Best of all, setting up social accounts is completely free. It’s an easy way to advertise and promote to a wide range of potential customers and you can communicate in a more informal and personal way. Get a social media marketing expert on your team to you run everything and ensure you’re making the absolute most of the opportunities social media can bring to your business.

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Experiment With Affiliate Marketing

This old method of marketing might not be the main way you generate sales in your business, but it’s still something not to overlook. It works by you putting an ad or link on another website, and paying the website owner a small cut every time traffic or sales are generated. As a company, you’re only paying out a tiny percentage of every sale made and it could mean leads and sales that you otherwise would have never gotten. Plus it’s easy for the website owner too since only a small piece of code needs to be inserted onto their site or blog. There are lots of different websites you can sign up for, meaning everything is taken care of and it’s an easy and hassle free way to get your name out there and get more custom. You could sign up with Google Adsense too, that way your ad is shown on lots of sites to people who are likely to be interested in your products. Work out your budget and how much you want to spend on something like this, it might take a bit of experimenting and tweaking in the beginning to get it right.

Don’t Overlook Older Methods Like Leaflet Distribution

Since the age of instant communication and the internet, older marketing methods like leaflet distribution tend to be overlooked. And while these aren’t the most effective ways to promote your business, they can be useful if you’re smart about it. For example, if you have a local business like a launderette or a food shop, you could put leaflets in places like student halls where it will be seen by people who are likely to use your services. If you sell luxury furniture or other high-end items, you could put leaflets through the doors of expensive neighbourhoods where the homeowners are more likely to be interested. It doesn’t make sense to send out thousands of flyers aimlessly, they need to be targeted to those who are most likely to be interested. Have a think and work out if this would be suitable for your business, and the best way to tackle leaflet distribution as a marketing method.  

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Will Autonomous Cars Eliminate Accidents? Don’t Count On It

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There is a lot of hype and excitement surrounding autonomous cars with some people believing that they could take the level of accidents on the road down to zero someday soon. But before we get carried away, there are a few things to consider here.

Autonomous Cars Are In Their Infancy Stages

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You might think that the tech surrounding autonomous cars is highly advanced and it is. However, it’s still in its infancy stages. You can think about these cars like the first laptops that appeared on the market. They were bulky, used a lot of power and were nothing compared to the ones that we have today. Well, that’s a great way to look at the autonomous car market. Right now, there’s only one or two developers of autonomous cars meaning that customers don’t have a wide range of choices. And when they do, there’s going to be significant difference in the level of the tech. Some cars will be completely hands-free while others will be glorified versions of cruise control. As such, the tech just isn’t at the stage where it can be the massive advancement in safety that people are hoping for. If you don’t believe this, be sure to check out the advice that Tesla provide to owners of their self-driving vehicles.

Tesla explicitly state that drivers still need to pay attention to the roads, even keeping both hands on the wheel. Since Tesla are currently the producer developing the most advanced form of this tech, one has to wonder how autonomous these cars actually are. After all, there have already been reports of cars crashing because the drivers weren’t paying attention to the road. That brings us to the next point.

Distracted Driving

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What causes the most car accidents on the road? If you speak to a an accident attorney from firms like Jones Wilson, they will probably tell you it’s distractions. We often associate distractions with talking on our phones while driving. But a distraction can be anything. It could be fiddling with the sound on the radio, an argument going on in the back seat or someone flipping you the bird. Anything like this can be a distraction that could ultimately lead to an accident. Will autonomous cars be able to fix this issue? Probably not because don’t forget, the man who crashed his self-driving Tesla car was actually watching Harry Potter at the time.

But let’s assume for the moment that the tech is advanced enough to do whatever you want while the car is driving itself. It isn’t, but let’s imagine for a moment it is. There’s still another issue that we can’t ignore, and that’s the situation with rights.

Licence To Drive

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Imagine that you’re a teenager and you have just learned to drive ten or twenty years from now. Congratulations! You probably can’t wait to get your hands on a wheel and take a car for a spin. But wait, a law passed a couple of years ago prohibits driver cars being allowed on the roads. Just take a moment and think about whether a law like that would be passed. Don’t forget, plenty of people enjoy driving. You might say, well that’s okay because people who want to drive still can and those that don’t can use driverless cars. Cool but if you take that tactic you’ll never get to zero accidents on the road because human error will still be a factor. Though, if the majority chose to buy self driving cars, then you would see a sharp, massive reduction in the number of accidents. Note we did say, If.

Concerns Of Cost

Despite energy efficient alternatives being readily available to majority of people still buy cars with petrol and diesel engines. Why? Some people may just prefer a true gas engine, but the majority just can’t afford to buy a car like this. Even second-hand, they are still far too expensive for the average individual. So, if people can’t afford to buy a car like this, what are the chances they’ll be able to afford one that can drive itself. For at least a few years, this tech is going to be out of reach for the majority of the buying public.

So you see the only way autonomous cars leads to safer roads is by making several assumptions. The tech has to be cheap, the tech has to be reliable, and the tech needs to be advanced enough to work without human interference. Right now, none of these assumptions are true, and it’s unlikely this will change in our lifetime. 

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How to Budget for Your Dream Holiday

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Is there a place you’ve always wanted to visit? Maybe an exotic medieval city in Southern Europe, or a tropical island where coconuts grow in great bunches high up in lush palm trees?

Perhaps you simply haven’t had the time to get away, or maybe you’ve been struggling to justify the expense.

Here’s a look at how you can budget for your dream holiday and finally work towards turning it into a reality.

Keep a record of your income

The first thing to do at the start of any budgeting scheme is to keep a record of your earnings. This can be done in a variety of ways, both paper and digital, but it’s absolutely crucial that you keep a record of how much money you’ve got coming in, so that you can reasonably determine how much you’re able to set aside.

investing in a check stub maker can be one good way of achieving this, as can signing up to a service such as Mint.com.

Cut out the waste in your day-to-day life

If you’re going to begin putting money aside for your dream holiday, you’ll need to free some up first. One of the key ways that this can be accomplished is by looking at the different areas of your life where you frequently spend money, and plugging up the unnecessary “leaks”.

Simply put, these “leaks” are under-the-radar expenses which don’t serve a vital function in your life, can be avoided with a small degree of attention and planning, and which add up to substantial costs over time.

Examples of these leaks could be things like buying a ready-made sandwich from the shop every day on the way to work, instead of making your own. Or paying subscriptions to entertainment services which you rarely if ever use.

Put aside small amounts at a time

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, goes the saying attributed to Lao Tzu. This turns out to be a great bit of advice for anyone who’s budgeting for a particular event.

If your holiday would cost you a thousand dollars in total, you’d likely find it difficult to pull that money together in any given month. If, however, you started putting a couple of hundred aside in a savings account each month, you could end up with enough for the trip within a few months. That’s without financially crippling yourself in the meantime.

Taking the long view, planning ahead, and saving in small increments is one of the ultimate secrets of turning your dreams into a reality. If you’re not doing it already, you should be.

Research your destination well in advance

Researching the destination you plan to visit is essential in creating an accurate budget for your trip. It does you no good to set aside a certain amount of money for your adventures only to arrive and find that you’ll need to spend far more than you originally thought.

There’s no reason for this to be a painful exercise. Treat it like a game. Spend time searching the web for attractions in the area, read reviews, get a sense of what, specifically, you’d like to get up to and how much it’d cost you.

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How To Plan A Road Trip Safely And Efficiently

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Going on a road trip can be one of the most amazing experiences of anyone’s life because there’s no limits on what you can see or do. If you can drive there, you can experience it. However, road trips can sometimes go wrong and in this article, is going to be how you can plan a road trip safely and efficiently.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/asphalt-environment-grass-highway-239520/

Packing

First and foremost, you will need to pack your car with everything that you will need on your road trip. Even if you’re not necessarily driving for a long period of time there are still many essentials that you will need to take with you to make sure you’re not left stuck at any point. Here’s your checklist:

  • Phone and phone charger (with a car adapter to charge while you’re driving).
  • Water, and lots of it too. You never know when you’re going to be stuck somewhere, especially if your car breaks down at any point.
  • Clothing. Pack enough to last you the entire trip incase you’re unable to stop anywhere to clean your clothes.
  • Camera
  • Something to sleep in. If you’re not going to be sleeping in your car, of course.
  • First aid kit
  • Washbag full of personal toiletries like shampoo and toothpaste
  • GPS or a map
  • All important documents like your passport, visa and driving license.
  • Toilet paper
  • Pots and pans
  • Food that’s not perishable for the length of your trip
  • Toolbox
  • Any necessary medication, and also some NSAIDs in case you happen to have any minor complaints.
  • Music, because what’s a road trip without some amazing music?

Another thing that you will need to do before setting off, is to check your car to make sure that it’s safe enough to drive. If you’re not sure how to do this, take it to the garage for a quick service to avoid any chances of accidents while you’re driving.

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Driving

Once you’re ready to set off, make sure that you’ve got your first route to your first destination planned out. If you’re using a GPS, put the location in and get your road trip underway!

While you’re driving, you will need to make sure to remember some key points so that you can stay as safe as possible on the road. These are:

  • Never drive drowsy, because tired drivers can be just as dangerous as drunk ones. If you’re feeling fatigued, pull over for some coffee and a bit of sleep before carrying on with your journey.
  • Never drive after an alcoholic drink. There are safety laws put in place for a reason, and the best way to avoid an accident or conviction, is to not drink at all if you’re going to be driving. If you’re travelling with someone, make sure to remember that if either one of you has had an alcoholic drink, that you should not be driving for at least a day to make sure the alcohol has left your system.
  • Put your phone where you can’t reach it so that if it rings you will have to pull over safely to see who is trying to contact you. Don’t let yourself become distracted while driving.
  • Keep your eyes on the road at all times. You might be a safe driver, but that doesn’t mean everyone else is. Don’t trust anyone when it comes to driving on the roads.
  • Remember to have your dash cam switched on if you’ve got one fitted in the car, so that you can prove you’ve been driving correctly if needs be.

Even though you’re doing your part to keep the roads safe to drive on, if you do happen to be in a car accident while you’re driving, don’t hesitate in contacting a car accident lawyer who will be able to assist you in claiming against the driver at fault.

Sight Seeing

Finally, the sight-seeing. Breath in the incredible world that we live in and bask in the glory of making it to such a wonderful part of the earth. Don’t forget to take lots of snaps to look back on for the rest of your life. If you get the chance to do something out of the ordinary like take a hot air balloon ride, then do that too!

Road trips can be an amazing experience if you take the right precautions. Make sure to follow this guide if you’re planning on taking a road trip in the future, and most of all, enjoy yourself!

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The Challenges For A Small Business In The Catering And Hospitality Sector

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Getting started in a new business is never easy, but it can certainly be exciting. It brings a lot of freedom when it comes to making all the decisions. And you know your success depends only on you. Best of all, you’re in the top position from day one! But there are many challenges and obstacles that all businesses need to face. If you’re hoping to get started in catering and hospitality, you may have even more to worry about:

Licensing

The first challenge you have to overcome is the red tape for licensing and permissions. The premises from which you operate must be fit for purpose and approved for the work you’re doing. You may also need to be personally licensed to sell food and beverages. It’s important you keep in contact with your local authority representative to ensure you have everything in place before you start trading. And yes, there will be costs involved here.

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Equipment

Setting up a commercial kitchen or bar is another challenge new business owners face. Big brands like Beverage Air manufacture most of what you might need to get started. Find an equipment supplier that knows how to help you figure out what your kitchen needs. You might want beverage fridges on the shop floor for customers too. In some places, your equipment will need to be checked for safety every few years. Find out what you need to know before placing your order.

Health, Safety & Hygiene

Health, safety and hygiene are the most important things you need to consider. In fact, you should be thinking about them every hour of the day! Not only does the health and well-being of your customers become your responsibility but so does the safety of your staff. They must be trained and sometimes certified to use certain pieces of equipment. You’ll need to provide all the facilities customers need to be comfortable while on your premises.

Can’t Cook and Serve!

Whether you’re opening a small sandwich kiosk, or you’re about to launch a hotel, you can’t be in two places at once! You either handle the food, or you handle the money. This means you need at least one other member of staff with you at all times during opening hours. You might hire someone casually, but you might get more loyalty, commitment and performance out of a payroll employee. Consider the training required as well as the ongoing appraisals. Don’t forget – they will need vacations too!

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The Personal Touch

Hospitality thrives with a personality in charge. Get to know your customers and make sure they have opportunities to get to know you. People like to feel special when they’re eating and drinking in your establishment. After all, repeat business or loyal customers are easier to acquire than new ones every single day. Offer rewards schemes, and don’t forget the personal touch!

No business is guaranteed success. It takes hard work, astute marketing skills, and a friendly personality to make in the hospitality sector. So what are you waiting for?

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Winter Is Coming! Prepare Your Home

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Winter is only a couple of months away now and the season of snow and ice is almost upon us. What does that mean? Well, we should certainly be starting to think about how we can prepare our home for frozen chills. One possibility to consider for instance would be to install shutter gutters. Shutter gutters are rather useful in the build-up to the winter season. As fall arrives, the leaves begin to drift from the trees, falling on and around our homes. For instance, you might find that your gutters are regularly blocked up with leaves. But that won’t happen if you have shutter gutters. Shutter gutters fit over your gutters and stop any dirt, muck or leaves entering, keeping them clean and completely clear. It’s rather useful and will stop your home smelling due to clogged gutters. Let’s look at some of the other improvements you can make to your home before winter.

Cut The Grass Short

The first step that you should take is to make sure that you are cutting the grass as short as possible. If you’re a new homeowner, you might not realise that grass doesn’t actually grow all that much through the winter season. So as long as you cut it short early enough, you won’t have to worry about it growing out of control. Instead, you’ll have a lawn that looks freshly mowed all through the winter months. Of course, to do this, you need to make sure you have the right power equipment like a Honda lawnmower. A mower like this has enough power and weight behind it to ensure that your lawn is trimmed within an inch of its life. That’s exactly what you want heading into the season of chills.

Improve Insulation?

You might be looking at a more expensive change that you can make to your home for winter. If that’s the case, consider the possibility of improving the insulation around your home. One of the ways that you can do this is by upgrading the windows and doors in your property. New windows and doors, hopefully with double glazing will keep the warm air trapped inside the home and let the gold air out. That’s exactly what you want to ensure that your home is the perfect place to spend those winter nights. Of course, if you don’t want to spend a few thousand improving your home for winter, you can think about just getting thicker curtains and a thicker duvet.

Backup Power

If you live out in the country, you might find that winter power knocks out your electricity at least once or twice. That won’t be detrimental in the middle of the week when you’re at work, and the kids are at school. But, it will certainly be a problem during the festive season. Imagine not being able to get that turkey cooked for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas day. The solution is a backup power generator. Costing a few hundred, that will allow you to keep the lights on and get the oven powered even if the rest of the neighbourhood is pitch black.

We hope you find this advice helpful when preparing your home for winter.

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