Travel

Life Lessons Learned From Living Abroad

Living abroad can be a very scary and very rewarding experience all at once. If you’re considering making the move yourself, read through these common experiences first.

Published

3 months ago

March 12, 2023

Loren Thorn

For some of us, the thought of living abroad is a nearly unachievable fantasy if not a completely unappealing and crazy decision. But for others, it’s the most magical and exciting choice available. Regardless of what your personal opinions are about living abroad, there are plenty of positives and negatives that come with it. Here are some that anyone who has actually done it can agree with.

RELATIONSHIPS COME AND GO

One of the greatest things that comes from living abroad is new and wonderful friendships. Meeting people from different areas of the world with different experiences than yourself can be invigorating. It can help you learn more about yourself and give you a new and powerful perspective on life.

But on the flip side, moving abroad can greatly damage your existing relationships. Is it so hard to believe? Suddenly everyone you’ve ever known and gotten close with is halfway around the world. So naturally, you’ll lose some friends. Some of those losses will be organic, some will happen because certain friends are angry you left.

This can make the experience very difficult. But if you’re considering making the move don’t let this deter you. The most important people, the relationships that really matter, will always be there. And in some cases, it will even make the bond stronger.

SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEWFOUND CONFIDENCE

Deciding to move to a different country where you have little to no comfort zone can be very scary. How are you supposed to get comfortable in this new, foreign city? How are you supposed to just build a new social circle from scratch? How on Earth will you get comfortable?!

But dealing with those questions, and eventually answering them, can be an extremely rewarding experience. It will force you to know yourself better than you ever have and achieve a level of confidence and comfort with yourself that you never thought was possible. And you can take that newfound comfort and confidence with you for the rest of your life, wherever you may go.

GET READY TO MISS VERY IMPORTANT STUFF BACK HOME

This can be one of the hardest parts for anyone living abroad. There will be some many important events: birthdays, funerals, weddings, the arrival of a new baby, etc, etc. And you will most certainly miss at least some of them. It’s just impossible to travel back home enough to be there for every important moment. So it will be very difficult to pick and choose which ones you use your vacation days on.

But while you’ll miss lots of memorable events with family and friends, hopefully you can convince plenty of them to come and visit you for always enjoyable memories abroad!

BE PATIENT, BE WILLING

Many people, when visiting or moving to a new country, will remain in their own comfort zone and make very little effort to truly immerse themselves into the local culture. This is a sure fire way to make sure you move back home much sooner than expected.

It’s important to really make an effort to take in whatever city you move to in all its glory and imperfections. And, possibly even more crucial, it’s important to be patient and give yourself time to get comfortable there. It could take a while. Longer than you think. But if you give yourself plenty of time to adapt and get comfortable in your new city, you will eventually get the full experience you set out to get in the first place.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

The concept of “home” has a lot of different definitions for different people. For many people, it’s as simple as where they’re from – where they grew up. But for others, it’s as simple as where they live. Either way, it’s easy to move to a foreign city and find yourself missing that feeling of “home,” regardless of how many friends you have or how much you’ve immersed yourself in the culture.

This can be a very difficult emotion to live with and there’s really no perfect answer for how to deal with it. It will vary from person to person. But be sure to give it the proper amount of attention and really evaluate on your own time what “home” means to you and how important it is. Because that childhood home that you’ve barely spent any time in over the last decade may not be as important as it used to be anymore.

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How To Pack The Marie Kondo Way

Published

8 hours ago

May 27, 2023

Owen Gardocki

Marie Kondo is all the rage these days thanks to her cute and inspiring hit Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. The show is all about decluttering your life. Getting rid of all that junk you’re holding on to that you definitely don’t need and only keeping things that “bring you joy”. There are plenty of awesome and effective tips in the show for how to make your home life more joyous, but there’s another way to implement the “KonMari Method” in your life: packing!

We all hate packing. It’s always so stressful to pick the few outfits you’re able to fit in your suitcase, and then even when we do decide, we usually just throw it in the suitcase with some shoddy folding and spend our vacation walking around in wrinkly clothing. But you don’t have to vacation like that ever again! Follow these simple tips from Marie and you may just start to enjoy packing…

FIND A SUITCASE YOU ACTUALLY LOVE

So many of us grab either the cheapest suitcase we can find or the most durable one we can find. And they’re all so boring! Then we drag them around, get them all banged up and, frankly, show them no respect whatsoever! But there are a lot of suitcase options out there and you can actually find one you really like! So treat yourself and go out and grab one that’s a cool color or has some cool feature that most don’t.

It may seem silly, but actually liking your suitcase can make packing, and traveling, all that much more fun!

CHANGE THE WAY YOU FOLD YOUR CLOTHES

I think basically everyone folds their clothes the same way. We fold everything into little squares or rectangles and then stack it all on top of each other. But what happens then? The stuff at the bottom is carrying all the weight and gets extra wrinkled and you end up doing so much digging around to find the shirt you want to wear that the entire suitcase becomes an absolute mess. Well… stop it! Thanks to Marie Kondo, there’s a better way to fold your clothes.

In her method, you actually roll the clothes into an almost triangular shape and actually line them up in your suitcase standing up. You see how much nicer that is? You can actually see every single item and all you have to do is grab the one you want! It really makes all the difference in the world.

DON’T BOTHER WITH ALL THOSE ACCESSORIES

As I stated earlier, the KonMari Method is all about what sparks joy. And, be honest, do those three extra pairs of shoes and those scarves and hats and all those other accessories really spark joy? Do you really need all of them for this 4 day trip to Nashville? That’s what I thought. And when you stop bothering with all those extra non-essentials, you’ll have more room to fit in what you really need and do so comfortably.

DON’T GET LAZY

OK… so you’ve packed the KonMari way and your suitcase has never looked more organized. Good for you! But just because you’re actually on your vacation now doesn’t mean you get to erase all that hard work and go right back to being a slob! You still need to keep things tidy while on the trip.

One easy way to do this is to fold your dirty clothes and keep them separated from your clean clothes. It will keep your stress levels as low as possible during your trip and it also makes unpacking easier than ever.

And that’s all there is to it folks! All this stuff may seem pretty simple or even obvious to some of you. But so, so many people don’t pack efficiently and it really can affect your day-to-day mood on a vacation. So if you’re like me and are a sloppy packer, start implementing these packing tips ASAP!

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Don’t Be A Baby When Traveling With Your Baby

Published

21 hours ago

May 27, 2023

Owen Gardocki

Traveling is hard enough, but throw a baby into the mix and your stress increases 10 fold. You remembered diapers, but did you remember diaper cream? Sure you have socks, but did you remember tiny nail clippers? There is just so much to remember. Did you pick the right hotel room? How are you going to carry that car seat? When you sit down to try and plan how to travel with your brand new baby, you don’t do much planning, in fact, you just have a panic attack or six.

Well calm down and take a deep breath because we have an easy to follow guide to help you plan for traveling with a baby the right way.

Check your carry-on checklist

Your carry-on is no longer your carry-on, it’s your baby’s carry-on luggage. Sorry, but your baby needs supplies more than you need that romance novel, so fill your carry-on with all your baby supplies and if you’re not sure what those are, here is a good checklist that we use when we travel: diapers, wipes, tissues, disposable plastic bags (for dirty diapers), an umbrella, a sweater or jacket, first aid kit, drinks, snacks (non-perishable,) spoons, straws, books and toys.

Join a Facebook travel group

The easiest way to travel as a family is to learn from other families who have done it before you. If you don’t have any friends with kids in your personal life than Facebook is a great resource for you. Join a group focused on family travel for all the tips you need or for things you didn’t think of when it comes to your traveling tot.

Bring Ziploc bags and extra clothes. Trust us.

You never know what is going to happen on a plane, but you want to be prepared. It’s a good idea to always bring more fresh clothes and Ziploc bags than you think you’ll need. Your baby will constantly surprise you with how quickly they can ruin their own clothes and Ziploc bags are a great way to keep those stinky clothes out of sight and out of mind. Oh, and you might want to bring yourself a change of clothes too. Babies can make you a mess just as easily as they can make themselves a mess, so if you want to stay clean then you should probably bring something to change into.

Hit the dollar store

Buying a bunch of new things for your child is a great way to keep them distracted on a flight. If they haven’t played with anything before then the odds are they will love it. A toy car or toy wand or even a kitchen utensil will all do wonders for your sanity and their sanity as well.

Keep baby cool

Bring a small fan you can use to keep your baby cool. A lot of car seats just aren’t that breathable and babies can get too hot very easily. A hot baby is a miserable baby and a miserable baby is a miserable you. So if you want to enjoy your trip, then think about packing that fan.

Featured

Vacation Destinations For Large Groups

Published

1 day ago

May 26, 2023

Owen Gardocki

Going on a trip with a bunch of friends and family always sounds like a great idea until it is time for you to plan the vacation. Do you really want to figure out travel, accommodations, and meals for a giant group? I don’t. I have enough trouble trying to figure out meals at home for myself, let alone an entire group out on vacation.

Some vacations are perfect for large groups, while others just prove to be a giant headache. Traveling with a bunch of people is always a great time though, and if it is your task to plan everything all that stress will truly pay off when you’re somewhere awesome with a bunch of your favorite people.
We’ve decided to make your life easier by taking the stress out of planning the large travel by giving you our favorite destinations we always choose when traveling with a large group.

Maine Windjammer Cruises
Take up to 40 people on a giant sailing ship and you will be sure to give everyone a trip to remember. The Maine Windjammer Cruises offer three-to-six day sailing cruises depending on the weather which is great for groups. On board everyone gets to enjoy delectable fresh baked goods and, of course, it wouldn’t be a Maine company if they didn’t offer their passengers a lobster bake. When you’re done cramming your gullet full of lobster and snacks then you can enjoy your time swimming off the ship or learning how to sail one of these massive ships. Or if you’re feeling lazy, just enjoy the beautiful water and the wildlife that accompanies the unreal scenery.

Busch Gardens
Riding roller coasters is something everyone can get behind and there’s no better place to do that than in the entertainment-filled Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens is great because it isn’t jam-packed like other parks and they offer fantastic group rates. YOu can either ride coasters all day, hit the water park, or if your group is full of energy try to hit both. You can please anyone at Busch Gardens from grandpas to babies with their awesome rides and great shows it is sure to be a hit with everyone in your large group.

Mackinac Island, Michigan
Ditch the cars and head to Mackinac Island in Michigan for a lot of old-school fun that has to be seen to be believed. You and your group will arrive by ferry and can get around the car-free island by carriages or bikes. On this island, you can see beautiful shops and galleries and eat some of the most delicious fudge you’ve ever tasted. Trust us, it’s amazing. Even if someone in your group hates islands, once they taste the fudge they’ll be feeling a-ok. The cute boutiques and shops are guaranteed to keep any group large or small busy for hours and the charm this island holds is absolutely undeniable. Traveling in a large group can sound like a bad idea but if you pick the right destination it will be a trip of majestic wonder.