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A lot has changed over the last few months.
Thanks to the coronavirus, jobs have ended, travel plans have been disrupted, and we have all had to adapt to a new way of living. Wearing masks when out of the house is now the norm, and many of us are now a little more suspicious about close contact with people than we used to be.
It has been a rough ride, and it’s not quite over yet. However, we should take stock of the life lessons that the pandemic has taught us. Yes, our lives have been thrown into chaos, but we should still be thankful for these lessons, as they will positively impact our lives in the long-term.
Lesson #1: Our health matters
We know our health matters, of course, but some of us can be a little careless when it comes to self-preservation. We fall into bad habits, such as smoking, drinking too much, and snack eating. And we put off medical appointments because we’re too busy or because we assume we are probably okay.
The pandemic has made us all take better care of ourselves. We have seen the devastation it has done to the health of others, and this has shaped the way we live and behave. Ask yourself: How many times have you washed your hands today? Chances are, you may have washed them more than usual.
With the knowledge that our life is fragile, we should now have the incentive to take better care of ourselves. We should make an effort to overcome life-damaging habits, and we should make the necessary check-ups, be that with a doctor, quality dental care, or those other services that are unique to some of us.
Lesson #2: We need to care for our financial wellbeing
Over this last year, the financial position of many of us has changed. We may have lost our jobs or been forced to live on less if our employers haven’t been able to pay us our full salaries. We may have had to make cutbacks in an effort to reduce our living costs, and we may have had to delve into our savings to make ends meet.
It’s been a tough time, but it has been a reminder that we should start saving money for other emergency situations. It has also been a reminder that it is possible to live on less with a little bit of frugal thinking. When the pandemic ends, we should remember the financial lessons learned, for the long-term sake of our future finances.
Lesson #3: We should prioritize our relationships
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or so the saying goes, and this has been true over the last year. Many of us have missed out on contact with family members, friends, and other loved ones. We haven’t been able to socialize like we used to, and this is because of self-protection and self-isolation, as well the preservation of the people we’re close to.
The pandemic has been a reminder that our relationships matter, and it might be a wake-up call to those of us who are sometimes too busy to make time for others. And knowing that the lives of our loved ones are also fragile, we might now be reminded to spend as much time with them as we can before they are no longer here at all.
What life lessons have you learned? Let us know in the comments below.
Why is it that you travel? To see more of the world? To bring back memories? For a lot of people, there is a sense of achievement that comes with broadening one’s horizons. But if you’re longing for that feeling, there are even more ways to bolster that sense of achievement and purpose with your trips away from home. Here are some interesting suggestions.
Link to Image – Pixabay License
Start A New Career
If you’re a travel lover, there are plenty of jobs that can help you see more of the world. What’s more, you can get into a career that helps you gain a whole new sense of satisfaction wherever you go. You can look into being a travel consultant. In this position, you will understand your clients needs and suggest suitable trips, especially now since travel is mostly local. And, there is still great demand.
Learn the lingo
If you want to not only get a sense of achievement but also foster some real improvements in your trip, then there are few better ways to do that than by learning to speak the language. By being better able to interface with the language of the place you visit, not only can you communicate better, but you can navigate better, spend more wisely, and even make some friends on your travels. Linguistic apps like Mondly can make a huge difference to the way that you see travel, even if you don’t necessarily become fluent. And you will be all ready and well prepared for your next trip, when the time comes.
Engage with the wildlife
Wherever you go, there will be wildlife to see and, sometimes, to interact with more closely. Safari trips can be deeply satisfying because they can allow you to get closer to animals in their natural habitat than you ever would, otherwise. Learning to fish with sites like Tailored Tackle can be just as engaging. Not only can you get involved in the struggle of nature locally, but you can also come back with a souvenir too. And pick up a new hobby!!!
Preserve the places that you visit
There’s an increasing trend towards forms of responsible travel that allow people on vacation to help take care of the places that they visit. Volunteer travel programs as described in Volunteer Forever have some great tips for helping to organize a trip to help the environment that you visit.
Vacations away from home offer far more than just things to do and attractions to see. They offer ways to accomplish new goals and develop further as a person. The above examples can help you see how to do just that.
I love all the clothes from Rungolee. I first discovered this stylish company at a friend’s trunk show years ago. I was drawn to the beautiful patterns and the flowy comfortable fit of their blouses. Throughout the years I have purchased a few. All the pieces are created by designer, ANJALI KAMRA. She travels the world for inspiration for her unique clothing line. I was so happy when I received the photos from the Fall line. The colors are so pretty and I noticed a bunch of new silhouettes. I love the Wine On Cloud 9 and the Forest Night Sky prints. They also just added a selection of really pretty masks to the Rungolee assortment. Check out the Website for the entire collection.
Sometimes, we visit a country for vacation and realize that we never want to leave. Whether you fall in love with the food, the culture, or the weather, you might make the bold decision to move abroad. Thankfully, there is plenty of advice online that is designed to help make moving home easier, though much of this advice doesn’t take into account those that may be moving to another country.
With that in mind, here are some tips that can make moving abroad easier!
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
1: Nail down the technicalities
When you move to another country, you need to ensure you have all of the appropriate documentation required to live there safely and legally. This means you will need to obtain a visa. The type of visa you will need will vary largely on the country you are moving to, so ensure you spend some time researching visas until you find one that best matches your needs. For example, if you are moving to the UK, you can apply for a range of visas, including:
- An artist’s visa
- Family visa
- Finance visa
- Spouse visa
- Unmarried partner visa
- Tier 1/Tier 2 Visa
If you have been living in the UK for five years, and continue to wish to stay, work and live within the UK, you can reach out to an immigration lawyer who can assist with your UK ILR application. This means the rules pertaining to your ability to work are the same as those that pertain to British citizens.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
2: Set yourself a budget. Stick to it.
You’ve probably already figured out that moving abroad is going to be expensive. From visa fees to transportation costs, you’re going to need to dip into your savings a little to make it all possible. As a result, it is important that you reign in your spending wherever possible. One way in which you can do this is by noting down everything you need to pay for – from the cost of having your belongings shipped overseas, to the cost of living in your new destination – and curating a budget accordingly. There are plenty of budgeting apps you can download on your phone that make budgeting easy!
Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash
3: Travel Lightly
It can be hard to let go of your belongings, but moving your entire life abroad would be particularly costly, especially if you are planning on shipping heavy-duty items, such as your wardrobe and bed. As a result, you must travel as light as possible – bring with you the essentials you’ll need to go about your daily life, and nothing more. You can always ask friends and family to send over items later if you realize you need them. You can keep things you don’t bring along in storage, or if you no longer have use for them, donate them to local charities or sell them to earn extra cash before the big move. Remember, you’ll be able to buy new furniture, clothes and more in your new home. Not bringing everything along gives you a great excuse to go shopping!
It is only 99 days until Christmas which means the holiday seasons are almost here!!! The holidays can be stressful, especially all the extended family time. It’s a good idea to do whatever you can to try to make things much more enjoyable with your entire family. Whether you are already starting to think about Christmas, or you are just hoping to make sure that you have a good Halloween together, the following advice should help you to make those times count as much as possible, and keep everyone in the family happy!!!!!
Make Sure Everyone Is Considered
One of the major things you can do is to ensure that everyone in the family gets a say in what happens. That’s important whether you are all on holiday somewhere together, or just when you are spending a lot of time together indoors for the holiday period. The simple way to ensure that everyone is included and feels considered is to make it a safe space to speak your minds. That way, if someone objects they can merely say so, and you are going to be able to keep everyone much happier.
Get Gifts For Each Other
The value of gifts in all this is incredibly important. They are a valuable way of you showing each other that you really do care, and not just because you happen to be family. This is especially true if you manage to find gifts for each other which actually speaks to that individual in an appropriate way. Alternatively, you can buy gifts that are suitable for what you are doing as a family. A great idea would be to create a “Theme” Christmas this year. So a Hawaiian Christmas could mean you give each other flowers, for instance. This would allow for everyone to exchange a small token together, keeping with the holiday spirit.
Keep The Stress Low
It is often natural for families to get stressed when they spend long periods of time together. But you can do plenty to try and keep that stress at bay, and doing so is often going to make for a much more enjoyable time in general. There are many ways to achieve this. One is to simply keep your own mind in check, and hope that other people follow suit. That does work pretty well. You can also ensure that everyone has a little alone time where necessary, in order to stop things getting too heated.
Enjoy It
Above all, enjoy it! Make sure that you are making the most of the time spent with your family, and that you are doing everything you can to make it the most enjoyable time possible. As long as you actively try to do that, there is no reason why you can’t make it a reality. Before you know it, family holiday times could become much more enjoyable and more like something you look forward to than you might have thought possible.
Another local company that I am OBSESSED with is Trvl Design. They make the most wonderful travel, makeup, and storage bags. I have them all over my house. I store jewelry, toiletries, hair products, almost everything in mine….The prints are soooo cute and the quality is beyond. And they look adorable in my drawers and on my shelves. The packing cubes are not only great for when you travel but also to store off-season clothing. They fit perfectly in a suitcase or road trip duffle. The shapes and sizes are really clever too. Oh, and they make fabulous gifts…Right now for their 1 year Birthday, Trvl is offering NS Lifestyle readers a 20% discount on every purchase now through August 7th. Use the code HAPPY1 at checkout on their WEBSITE. Here are some of my favorite styles,
