Since I sold my home in 2007, I have spent the vast majority of my nights in hotel and hostel rooms around the world. I spent almost 9 years traveling around the world non-stop, even after I stopped traveling full-time, the better part of each year was spent on the road. Even in 2020, I …
Read moreWhat Does A World Traveler Do When He Can’t Travel?
The post What Does A World Traveler Do When He Can’t Travel? appeared first on Everything Everywhere Travel Blog.
This week I am joined by Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, Chris Christensen and this week’s guest Anietra Hamper. Anietra Hamper is an award-winning travel writer and photographer with a penchant for outdoor adventure and fishing for some of the largest fish in the world. Prior to writing for travel publications, Anietra spent 18 years as …
Read moreThis Week in Travel – Episode 262
The post This Week in Travel – Episode 262 appeared first on Everything Everywhere Travel Blog.
This week I am joined by Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, Chris Christensen and this week’s guest Anietra Hamper. Anietra Hamper is an award-winning travel writer and photographer with a penchant for outdoor adventure and fishing for some of the largest fish in the world. Prior to writing for travel publications, Anietra spent 18 years as …
Read moreThis Week in Travel – Episode 262
The post This Week in Travel – Episode 262 appeared first on Everything Everywhere Travel Blog.
Posted: 5/11/2020 | May 11th, 2020
With the world on hold for the foreseeable, it’s going to be a long time before we get back on the road. Even as we begin to look to the summer, it’s likely that many destinations keep their doors shut to international travelers until the fall.
But that doesn’t mean we have to put our wanderlust on hold.
With the world at our virtual fingertips, there are plenty of ways to feed your inner traveler from the comfort of your bed.
Many destinations and museums now let you “visit them” virtually. And there are also plenty of amazing books you can read, interesting films and TV shows you can watch, and fun meetups and classes to join.
In short, you can still see the world from home. Here’s a list of ways you can travel virtually and keep your wanderlust spirit alive:
Reading is one of the best and most budget-friendly ways to “travel” when you’re stuck indoors. You can transport yourself to far-flung destinations and get inspired by the power of words — all from the comfort (and safety) of home.
Some great recent reads: The Yellow Envelope, Wanderlust, Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, and An Irreverent Curiosity.
Here are a plethora of articles with more books:
Additionally, if you want some monthly suggestions, check out our monthly book club. Each month you’ll get 3-5 books sent right to your inbox.
There are many amazing films to choose online right now. I mean between Hulu, HBO, Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+, you can get anything you want. (Netflix has been especially on fire this month.) Some of my favorites:
For more suggestions, here is the complete list of my favorite travel movies and another post on LGBT Travel Movies and one on Africa related films.
Looking for some binge-worthy TV? Here are a few suggestions to keep your wanderlust satiated from the comfort of your own couch:
Since we can’t meet in person right now, we’ve been hosting our own through The Nomadic Network. Every week, we have meetups where we share stories, host guest speakers, and play games. We do about 2-3 a week.
You can click to see our upcoming events!
It seems every destination or museum is now offering some virtual tour. I’m all for it. While it’s not the same as being there in person, it’s still an enjoyable way to pass the time, get inspired, and learn about the world. Here are some of my favorites:
Free Tours by Foot is also offer a handful of tours from around the globe. They have walking tours, historical videos, and much more. Check out their YouTube page for a comprehensive list!
With so many people home, online courses are seeing a huge surge in activity. In fact, I myself have finally been able to get around to taking some of the courses I’ve bought ages ago. If you’re looking to jump into a new online course, here are a few worth checking out:
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Learn something new. Or meet some new friends in a virtual meetup. Or just chill out and eat snacks and watch some movies.
We’ll be back on the road again.
But, until we can, at least we can travel the world through our computer.
P.S. – We’ve launched a new Patreon where you can get untold stories, photos, weekly Q&As, and free books. It’s our new member platform. So, if you want more of the content we have here, click here to check it out and get access. Your support helps keep this website going while giving you perks and content exclusive to Patrons!
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines, because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com, as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all those I use — and they’ll save you time and money too.
The post How to (Virtually) Travel the World appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
We created a beautiful outdoor oasis by screening in a real room under the deck in our backyard and updating the entire patio into 3 entertaining areas, perfect for summer outdoor living. I can’t wait to share it all with you!
When I shared our plans back here in my earlier patio post, I shared the Before shots, but I’ll share them here again as well as some other Befores, so you can see where we started almost 3 years ago. This time of year 3 years ago we were just looking at our house and we closed at the end of June 2017.
The post Screen Porch and Patio Reveal! appeared first on Southern Hospitality.
A charity has said “only time will tell” if an emaciated pony blind in one eye, who was left for dead on a nature reserve, will survive.
The RSPCA rescued the mare from Great Ryburgh, Norfolk, more than two weeks ago after a concerned landowner contacted the charity.
A spokesman for the charity said staff, along with a vet and with assistance from Redwings, attended the nature reserve and used pen sections in order to catch the pony, who has been named Nightingale. The mare was taken to a private boarding facility for urgent treatment.
“Nightingale had been left to die. We were shocked at how emaciated she was and she was clearly terrified by her ordeal,” said RSPCA inspector Jason Finch.
“We think she is between 10 and 15 years old. She was very skinny, blind in one eye and had diarrhoea. She also has a sinus infection which caused discharge from her nose and she had an awful smell coming from her mouth.”
Mr Finch said Nightingale seemed very dejected, adding her spirit was “flat”.
“Who knows what this poor mare had been through in her life,” he said.
“Her condition is worrying and time will only tell if she has enough fight in her to get better. She’s on a course of antibiotics for her infection – but if it doesn’t clear then she will require further treatment which could include X-rays and a sinus flush.”
The spokesman added after Nightingale was de-wormed the mare passed parasites the length of a human hand.
“We are all hoping she has the strength to fight and the infection can be brought under control,” said Mr Finch. “She’s so very sweet and nervous, it’s tragic that she has been just dumped in a field to die because she is no longer of value to whoever owned her previously.
“The people caring for her say they are seeing small signs of improvement with her and she’s starting to eat a little now as well, but we do have to take one day at a time.”
Credit: HAPPA
The mare’s pregnancy came as an ‘extra surprise’ after she was part of a multi-agency rescue in June 2019
Credit: Blue Cross
Equine charities have shared signs of hope as supporters step in to foster horses, and rehoming looks possible in the
Credit: TI Media
If you want to keep up with the latest from the equestrian world without leaving home, grab a H&H subscription
Nightingale will remain in RSPCA care while she receives ongoing veterinary treatment.
“If she is strong enough to pull through she has been offered a home at Redwings at a later date,” said the spokesman.
Since the start of the lockdown the RSPCA has dealt with more than 21,000 animal incidents, an average of 660 a day, or 27 an hour. In Norfolk, the charity has dealt with 365 incidents since the start of lockdown.
We continue to publish Horse & Hound magazine weekly during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as keeping horseandhound.co.uk up to date with all the breaking news, features and more. Click here for info about magazine subscriptions (six issues for £6) and access to our premium H&H Plus content online.
HI, friends & I hope you are ready for Mother’s Day weekend, whatever that looks like for you. We are going to celebrate with our mom at my sister’s one the porch, so we are looking forward to that. It’s definitely a different Mother’s Day for us since Lauren and her girls won’t be here. We will miss them. But we still must celebrate even during these hard days.
Enjoy these decorating tips and ideas from my friends today! Enjoy your weekend. I’ll be sharing the porch and patio reveal tomorrow, so be on the lookout for it!
The post Home Style Saturday 189 appeared first on Southern Hospitality.
This was such a fun visit to Moss Mountain, so I’m resharing this post from 2017. Enjoy!
I’m still riding on a cloud from my visit to Moss Mountain farm last week near Little Rock, AR. Getting invited to this beautiful farm that belongs to P. Allen Smith was a high point in my blogging journey and it definitely didn’t disappoint at all. In fact, this is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited here in our glorious United States. I had never been to AR, but it truly was a beautiful place. We stayed in the iconic Capital Hotel and visited the farm for 2 whole days and it was such a fun time. Today, I’m sharing the farmhouse tour. We were invited inside to see the farmhouse and guided by Allen himself, so we got to ask lots of questions and hear his comments about the house.
The post Feature Friday: Moss Mountain Farmhouse, Part 1 appeared first on Southern Hospitality.
Working from home is not as easy as it sounds, and many people are suddenly learning this the hard way. Here are some tips that I hope will make it easier for you!
With the Coronavirus pandemic taking an economic, physical, and emotional toll around the world, millions of professionals have unexpectedly been forced to work from home and telecommute for the first time.
I’ve been working remotely (from home or in foreign countries) for the last 10 years while running my travel blogging business, and my wife Anna also works from home. We also have a 1 year old son to look after.
So I know from personal experience that it can be stressful & takes practice!
Working from home can be tricky when you have no coworkers or bosses nearby to keep you on track. It’s easy to get distracted, feel lonely, become overwhelmed, or stay unproductive!
So here are my best tips for working from home to help you tackle this new normal — who knows, you may never want to return to the office again!
Working from home doesn’t mean typing on your laptop from a beach hammock. Photos like that are usually staged and it just isn’t practical. Have you ever tried to read your laptop outside in the glaring sun?
One of the biggest challenges to working from home according to Stanford economics professor Nicholas Bloom is keeping work separate from the rest of your life. Building a dedicated workspace helps.
I highly recommend investing in things like a standing desk, ergonomic office chair, an external monitor for your laptop, hanging artwork on the walls, placing potted plants around (real or fake), and creating a workspace that helps YOU feel calm and productive. Whatever that may look like.
While working from your couch or the kitchen counter is possible, in my experience it’s much easier to get distracted if you don’t use a dedicated room or corner that you’ve designed specifically as a workspace.
When I first started working from home many years ago, I would just work whenever I felt like it. Why not sleep until noon and work after that? Well, after a few months of this, I realized I wasn’t really getting much done. I kept putting off work because I could — there was no boss breathing down my neck.
Eventually you realize you’ll need a regular routine, much like when you were working from the office. A dedicated start time, an end time, and maybe even some kind of “commute” to act as a transition between your work day and home time.
Pick any hours you’d like of course, but then stick with them. Some people, like myself, work best in the mornings. Others, like my wife, prefer evenings.
Normally my morning “commute” consists of driving our son Dylan to daycare, then grabbing a coffee. Returning home to sit at my desk officially starts my workday.
I’ve certainly worked from home in my underwear on more than one occasion — with a glass of wine in one hand and a bag of cookies in the other. It can be fun, but generally the day ends up being pretty unproductive.
So now I tend to get dressed up for “work” just like when I had a typical 9 to 5 job, even while working from home.
You can definitely dress more relaxed, but working from your home computer without pants is probably best saved for causal Fridays.
Plus, with all the video conferencing going on these days, you probably want to appear presentable on camera. That also means taking a shower, shaving, hair, makeup, etc. Whatever your routine used to be — keep most of it.
It’s so very easy to get distracted these days — in fact companies are making billions trying to figure out new ways to fight for your limited attention. These challenges are especially difficult for people who work from home.
I recommend completely logging out of social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter when you don’t need to access them for work purposes. Turn off certain notifications on your smartphone too.
If that’s still not enough, you can use software like Apple’s Screen Time that limits when you can even access these programs.
To keep from getting distracted by other things going on in your home, try picking up a pair of noise canceling headphones and listen to your favorite tunes.
You need to step it up and police yourself! Otherwise you’ll suddenly look at the clock realizing the day is over — with nothing to show for it.
When you start working from home, other people may not understand what it means. Family and friends may assume you have nothing to do all day, or can just postpone your work indefinitely to help them with random chores and errands.
That’s not how this works. Kindly explain that working from home doesn’t actually change too much — you still need to be strict with when work-time starts and ends. Don’t let them take advantage of the fact that you’re home.
Set boundaries and let people know there will be blocks of time when you need to focus on work and nothing else. Because if you’re not working, you’re not earning money! Working from home is not an extended vacation.
Don’t neglect your body while working from home. Even if you sit at a desk all day, there are ways to exercise and stay healthy. Remember that in a normal office environment you’re moving around the building — so do the same at home.
Take a break and go for a walk down the street. Experiment with using a standing desk so you’re not sitting in a chair all day. Practice office stretching routines every few hours.
Maybe hit the gym or go for a run before/after work. Exercising on a regular basis will help you feel healthy and stay focused on the work at hand. You’ll be more productive.
Working in a home office 7 days a week can be lonely. In a regular office setting you have coworkers to joke with or catch up on the latest gossip at the water cooler. Try to keep up with these types of social interactions — and find new ones.
Connect with other people through messaging programs like Slack or video calls like Zoom. Even text messaging works. Check up on coworkers, see how they’re doing, get book recommendations, or ask what they’ve been watching lately (I’m loving Hunters on Amazon Prime right now!)
You can also join online communities made up of others who work from home like you do. Because I’m a blogger, I’m part of some Facebook mastermind groups with others in the same field. We often share tips, struggles, and funny anecdotes that we can all relate to.
While the introverts among us (like me!) will thrive working from home, others might experience strong feelings of loneliness and depression without the normal office setting they’re used to.
This is one reason why it’s so important to decompress after work.
Go for a walk. Take a hike (if pandemic restrictions allow). Play with your pets or kids in the backyard. Do some yoga or meditation. Listen to music or a podcast. Jump on a video call with friends.
Whatever you need to relax and “turn off” work mode for the day, do it.
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you should work if you’re feeling sick. If you work for yourself, it can be tempting to work in bed from your laptop. Don’t do this — it’s better to rest and get healthy again as soon as possible.
If you’re employed by another company, do they offer paid sick leave while you’re working remotely? What kinds of guidelines are in place for this scenario? Ask questions and talk to human resources to find out.
No one should be forced to work while sick, whether they’re working in a typical office setting or telecommuting from home. Get answers now so there are no misunderstandings. With so many people forced to work remotely for the first time — there are bound to be some problems.
One benefit to working from home is the ability to spend more time with your family. But this can also be a headache, as I’m sure many are experiencing with schools shut down during the pandemic.
Trying to juggle parenting while working from home is difficult.
When we have to work at home with Dylan around, my wife and I try to take turns watching him while the other one works. Luckily he still takes afternoon naps, so we both get a 2 hour break in the afternoon.
Sometimes I’ll get up extra early to work while he’s sleeping, and Anna works late in the evening after he’s gone to bed. It can be tough — but manageable with good communication and planning.
Obviously this becomes much more difficult if there’s no one else to help you watch them. Sending your kids to daycare makes things easier, but it’s not an option for everyone.
Try to stock up on books, games, and puzzles to keep them entertained. Don’t be afraid to fire up Netflix Kids and let them watch shows or movies too. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures!
So there you go, a few of my best tips for working from home after 10 years as a professional remote worker.
It can be a jarring experience in the beginning, but eventually you’ll become a pro. Good luck, stay safe out there, and don’t forget your pants!
I hope you enjoyed my guide on how to work from home! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:
Have any questions about working from home? Do you have other suggestions to add? Let me know in the comments below!
This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.
On a daily basis, stuff happens around here. With 8 horses, 2 dogs, 4 cats and all kinds of wildlife activity… I’m noticing ‘things’ all day long.
Today, I had my phone with me so I documented it all.
I groomed Dalton and was amazed by his beautiful, natural mane highlights. No Covid shutdowns of beauty parlors for this guy…
Do you play this game with your horse? Pick long grass and when the roots come out, well, the horse doesn’t want the dirt part… so grab the roots and let him bite and pull, like he naturally would when grazing. Dalton loves to do this! That’s me holding onto the roots while he pulls.
Norma Jean is pissed at me. I put on her grazing muzzle and she was very upset – probably because I put it on incorrectly… and I didn’t notice until I took it off.
As I was doing chores, I noted Norma Jean in stealth mode. (It was hot yesterday and she has not yet shed.)
Yup. Now you see why I have a panel in front of the hay. It is supposed to keep her OUT. She uses the hay as a climbing gym and if a bale is opened, she will throw it all over the place. Vivey is very, very agile.
Fixing the irrigation is an ongoing process. Here, someone pulled out the emitter and there was a spray.
But I noticed BG was very eager to be sprayed… so before I fixed it, I pointed it towards her and she ran through the sprinkler.
Grumpy Norma, wearing her muzzle, decided to eat the tree leaves instead of trying to get grass bits. Thanks, Norma.
As I was putting shavings in her pen, I noticed that Norma had come over. She was so perplexed as to why I was looking at her from where she usually looks at me!
And lastly… of course, Missy Miss and Mo created their own new window before throwing both of their buckets out for me to notice. Clearly telling me that they want them filled again, please. Sigh.
The post Ranch Rants and Smiles: Things that happened today around here… appeared first on Horse and Man.
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