#I also need to get my flight to portugal in december

[theirloveisgross]

.

[nancydrewwouldnever]

I book travel extensively for work and you could go from Portugal to the US in fall 2021. Just just had to show a negative test and mask up on the flight. It wasn’t any different than it was when they came in December. There is no other reason for his brother and bf, friends, even the freaking dog to follow a completely public profile. No one needed to follow her to keep an eye on her. They must’ve had their egos crushed when she didn’t follow any of them back. Chris is no victim here, he knows and he doesn’t care. And yeah, I’m glad someone else made that connection to the Office tweet. I also thought his anxiety tweet had something to do with this. I’m older than most of you and I truly can’t imagine my friends doing these follows and QUEEN shit if we knew damn well that our friends was a celebrity that had a rapid fan base who would monitor stuff like this. It’s almost like they wanted her to get hate.

The change in US travel restrictions came on November 8, 2021. That was when US borders opened again to European travelers with vaccines and Covid negative tests. Lots of people hypothesizing were trying to make things happen before that rule change. But then again, they were also ignoring that she spent about four months in Spain filming season two of that show of hers and was unavailable to travel.

Personally, I don't think his Office tweet or anxiety tweet had anything to so with anybody else. (But then I try not to make everything Chris does about a woman, and also try not to make everything everyone in Chris' orbit does about Chris.)

[workfromhomeyoutuber]

Delicious Brains Inc: Product Developer (React & PHP)

Headquarters: Nova Scotia, Canada URL: https://deliciousbrains.com

Hi, my name is Brad Touesnard. I’m the founder of Delicious Brains Inc. We make high quality products for WordPress.

The “we” is currently Ian Jones, Iain Poulson, Ashley Rich, Gilbert Pellegrom, Matt Shaw, Peter Tasker, Caillie West, Lewis Warren and myself. Caillie works on marketing and support, Lewis handles all things design, and the rest of the crew develop our products and support our customers. I primarily wear the CEO and Product Manager hats at the moment. I’m currently in the process of hiring a marketer, a writer, two developers, and helping Iain transition to a Product Manager role. Exciting times!

We put a lot of effort into making sure our products are a pleasure to use, which means very few bugs and all the details are just right. We’re looking for someone who recognizes the value in this and is passionate about building an awesome product and owning the little big details. If this piques your interest, you should consider this opportunity

I personally review all applications myself.

THE JOB

About a year ago, I laid out a detailed roadmap for our flagship product, WP Migrate DB Pro. We’re in the process of rebuilding the airplane while it’s in flight. With each release we aim to modernize a chunk of the codebase while at the same time delivering some new value to our customers. Over the past year Peter has been rewriting the entire frontend in React and implementing a new design. We’re about a month away from a first beta release.

You will work with Peter on fixing up WP Migrate DB Pro and building long overdue features. You’ll open pull requests for him to review and he’ll open pull requests for you to review. You’ll push each other to be better developers. You will ramp up quickly and will be ready to take over lead development of the plugin within six months

From day one, you will also handle support requests from our customers. You’ll start by drafting replies and having Peter review them before sending, but in short order you will reply directly to customers.

You’ll also join the rest of our team in writing articles and tutorials for the 17k subscribers to our blog

Although this is how you’ll start, I’ve shuffled people around lots in the past and we’ll certainly be building new products in the future, so your role is certainly not set in stone.

ABOUT YOU

You’re thrilled to work with the latest hotness JavaScript library (React) but also thrive working on a “fixer-upper” project. You respect old code, no matter how ugly it looks. You truly enjoy figuring out how old code works, refactoring it, and tackling the challenges that come with that process. You have extensive experience doing this type of work.

Although you might not have a ton of experience with React, you’re an expert JavaScript developer as well as PHP. Your HTML & CSS skills are solid too.

You’re curious and love to learn. You look forward to meetings with fellow developers and are energized by technical conversations. Although you often need people to help you generate ideas and formulate a plan of attack on a project, you do your best work in isolation without interruption. You’re proactive in tackling things that need to be done without direction.

You embrace the opportunity to level up, learn something new and really dig into it. You’re a disciplined worker and have no trouble getting work done at home on any given day.

You’re exceptional at communicating in writing via instant message, email, etc. You’re ok on the phone and video chat too. You understand that excellent communication is part of what makes a team work better together and clear, concise written communication is how remote teams thrive. Putting a pull request up for review without explaining its context or what you need from the team is unheard of in your world.

You own both your successes and your failures. You practice Extreme Ownership. When a project you’re leading turns into a disaster, you own it and you learn from it. You never point the finger at others.

You invite criticism and genuinely want to grow as a professional. We’re big on pushing each other to be better. That’s how we grow as individuals and a team. It’s one thing to accept criticism and another to ask for it and use it to level up.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Collaborate with Peter working on the WP Migrate DB Pro plugin for WordPress

Help handle support requests from customers

Write articles and tutorials for our blog

Attend company retreats (see details below)

REQUIREMENTS

Excellent English communication skills (spoken and written)

Work hours that overlap with the EST/EDT (Ottawa) timezone

Expert PHP & JavaScript development skills

Great HTML & CSS skills

Some experience writing React code

Self-motivated and work well independently

Comfortable working remotely (we don’t have an office)

Experience using git

Invites criticism and genuinely wants to grow as a developer

Values consistency above “my way” and is willing to adopt new coding styles, standards, and tools

NICE-TO-HAVE

Open source contributions

Experience developing WordPress plugins

Experience working on software products

System administration skills

UX and design skills

Computer Science degree or equivalent

BENEFITS

What’s an attractive benefits package? Well, it really depends on the person. What do you value? Maybe a competitive salary is what you’re after. Or maybe you really value vacation time and would rather less pay and more vacation days. Maybe health coverage is important to you, or maybe you’re already covered.

Because everyone values things differently, I’m leaving this wide open. Carte blanche. I’m certain we can work out an arrangement you’ll be happy with.

Here are some of the benefits everyone gets:

Location Independent

In the beginning, it will be important that your work hours overlap with Peter’s work hours: 8am – 4pm Ottawa time Monday to Friday. But after the first few months, we can relax this and as long as you overlap with half Peter’s hours, it should be fine. Work from wherever you’re happiest. We’re distributed across the globe, working from our homes in Nova Scotia, Ontario, California, Pennsylvania, Scotland and England. As long as you continue to overlap with Peter’s work hours, your specific location doesn’t matter to us. You Choose Your Schedule

Most companies claim to have flexible hours these days, but the reality is often very different. We flex our hours for real. 💪 Some of us work a typical 9 to 5 schedule while others work 4 hours one day and 8 hours the next. Some of us put in time in the evenings and weekends, while others fiercely protect their evenings and weekend. Some of us work 37.5 hours per week, others 32 hours per week, while others surf between 28 and 34 hours depending on the week. It really doesn’t matter as long as it’s 30+ hours per week on average and you do what you say you’ll do.

No one on the team works more than 37.5 hours per week. I forbid it.

Company Retreats

As a remote company, it’s important that we meet up at least once per year to get some face time. For these events, the company covers food/drink, flights/trains/cars, and accommodations. Check out our past company retreats:

2019 Berlin

2018 Negril, Jamaica

2017 Nova Scotia

2016 Vienna

2015 Miami

We’re headed to Portugal in June 2020. Will you be joining us?

Personal Development

If there’s a conference or event that will help you level up, the company will pay for your ticket, travel, accommodation, and meals. In addition, you are allotted 3 hours per month to learn something for your career but that’s not necessarily required for your work, participate in community discussions, and/or contribute to an open source project. Totally optional though.

Profit Sharing

Every quarter I share a Profit & Loss report with the team so that everyone knows the breakdown of income and expenses and can have an understanding of the health of the business. In October I look at the profit for the past four quarters, plug it into a formula, and it spits out numbers for everyone on the team. When the company does well, the team does well.

Company Holidays

Things get pretty quiet in late December / early January, so we always take a couple of weeks off as a company during this time. Most of us take the whole time off while others work a day here or there and bank it as a day off for the future.

Paid Leave

For the birth or adoption of a child, the company offers 100% paid leave of 8 weeks for primary caregivers and 3 weeks leave for secondary caregivers. In the event of the death of an immediate family member, the company offers 3 days paid leave. Every member of the team gets five paid sick days per anniversary year as well.

Competitive Salaries

The company pays salaries that are competitive with the market where the person resides. We don’t use the benefits of remote as leverage to negotiate lower salaries.

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer. Application information that is prone to unconscious biases is hidden during the review process whenever possible. We judge the content of the applications on their own without knowledge of the applicant’s race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, or age. We support workplace diversity, but not at the expense of equal opportunity and meritocracy. We’re looking for talented and empathetic people no matter their other attributes. I look forward to personally reviewing your application.

Best of luck,

Brad Touesnard Founder & CEO Delicious Brains Inc.

To apply: https://deliciousbrains.com/product-developer-apply

from We Work Remotely: Remote jobs in design, programming, marketing and more https://ift.tt/2RL4AVj from Work From Home YouTuber Job Board Blog https://ift.tt/2EoeYux

[shannrussell-blog1]

Toronto has a lot of names. The ‘Foodie City’, ‘the Baby New York’, ‘T.O’ (T as in Toronto and O for Ontario), are just a handful of them. I never categorise a complete city experience into one label, I certainly do see why Toronto is the city you come to, to eat… or get an entree of the Big Apple, but served up on a friendly plate.

With a population of nearly 2.8 million, it’s a sizeable city. I must admit, when I first arrived last month, I was a little, let’s say, confused. Sure, I had come from New York (and we seem to have a special talent for comparing every city to NYC after living there), but I was surprised at how spread out Toronto is.

“People leave the city to do things, actually”, a new friend said, when I was looking for Toronto’s ‘Manhattan equivalent.’ The penny dropped.

Welcome to Toronto, the baby New York.

Toronto’s lively neighbourhoods & nooks

Alright, this is where the action happens. Just like New York (sorry, I can’t help myself), you can pick where you hang out, according to what you feel like doing (or eating).

I’m smack-bang in between ‘Little Portugal’ and ‘Little Italy’, which could easily be mistaken for the ‘burbs. But, wandering around the main streets and you’ll find coffee shops, bars and boutiques a-plenty.

Explore the coffee shops, boutiques and bars in the city. 

West Queen West

My two favourite spots so far are West Queen West and Chinatown. Follow two main thoroughfares, Queen Street and King Street, which connect the two areas.

Having an affinity for street art, which both neighbourhoods are known for, I enjoy tackling sections of these two main streets, stopping in the various eateries and shops along the way.

Explore the streets and check out the street art along the way. 

Chinatown

In Chinatown, Graffiti Alley is worth a look (especially if you’re familiar with and love Melbourne’s laneways). Slightly north is the Kensington Markets – the famous and colourfully quirky area that attracts both tourists and local weekend market-goers.

Distillery District

St. Lawrence Market, further east in Toronto’s trendy Distillery District (a spectacle in itself with its 19th Century whiskey distillery buildings), is another Saturday activity, as it’s shut on Sunday. Meander at your ‘market-pace’ around the 100+ vendors, bakers, butchers, artists and collectors.

While the quaint Distillery District has enough indie restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, outdoor sculptors and music performances to keep you occupied, you’re in for a special treat if you visit in November or December – as this is when Toronto’s Christmas Markets is on. Picture a big Christmas tree, fairy lights, mulled wine, sweets, carols and, most probably, snow.

Again, there’s plenty of opportunities for more food eating, but that’s okay!

Wander through the old distillery district to see what it has to offer. 

Where else should you visit?

If you’ve got time, visit the world’s tallest free-standing structure in the western hemisphere – the CN Tower.

And, if it’s warm enough, head to the Toronto Islands which is only a short ferry ride from downtown Toronto.

The CN Tower is an iconic landmark to visit in Toronto. 

Poutine, pancakes & coffee

You can literally eat your way around the world without leaving Toronto… Latin American, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Indian, Chinese, Polish as well as many Canadian-themed dishes.

Get ready to eat more than you should (but it’ll be worth it) consuming triple-stacked pancakes, sweet Canadian bacon or poutine – french fries, cheese curds, brown gravy and usually some delicious meat.

And yes, it’s as good as it sounds. Forget the calories.

Toronto is known for its food, so sample as much as you can!

Enjoy some craft beer tasting

Brunch is also religion here, as is craft beer tasting. Check out Bellwoods Brewery, Kensington Brewing Company and Junction Craft Brewing.

If you’re stuck in food choice paralysis, Blog TO is a great resource for finding somewhere to dine.

Daily brunch is not to be missed during your visit. 

Organising your trip to Toronto

Life in Canada is pretty darn close to home, culture-wise. You don’t need to worry about vaccinations or learning the basics of a new language.

Organising and planning a trip here is fairly straightforward. 

Transport to and from the airport

When you’re booking your flight, keep in mind there are two airports. If you’re travelling from Australia, you’ll most likely arrive at Pearson International Airport. Jump in an Uber to the city, which should only be around CAD$24 vs. a $55 taxi.

However, if you’re connecting in North America, you might land at Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto Island. Walk 10 minutes in the underground tunnel and you’ll come out in downtown Toronto.

Getting around the city – Uber Pool and the Subway system

Getting around the city depends on two things: the weather and where you want to go. I use Uber pool most of the time, but there is an underground subway system, Toronto Transit Commission, and something locals call ‘the trolley’, which is like Melbourne’s tram system. Visit TTC for more information.

But given that Toronto’s public transport is notoriously poor, many Torontonians ride their bike. And yes… that’s in sunshine, rain, hail or snow.

Ride, walk or use ride-sharing services when getting around the city. 

Booking accommodation – where should you stay?

As for pre-booking your accommodation, don’t assume that you need to be right in the city’s downtown (near the water). Remember, the outer neighbourhoods are where it’s at. I’d suggest looking for AirBnb’s around Chinatown, Little Portugal, and King West Village. I spent most of my time in the Chinatown district. It’s always best to book a week or two earlier, especially during the warmer months.

Packing for the weather

The last part of your preparation, and probably the most important part, is packing for the weather. The summer sits at a perfect mid-twenties, but as soon as we get closer to November, it gets chilly… and I mean bone-aching kind of cold. Rug up, Aussies.

Pack your warm down jacket, a beanie and a scarf to keep yourself warm. 

What gear to bring to Toronto

Thermals

Thick socks

Gloves

A scarf or /shoes

Daypack for sightseeing

It’s cold here, particularly in winter! So pack accordingly. 

Visas and getting there

As for the visa, Australians can enter Canada (and stay for up to six months) on something they’ve recently introduced called an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA).

You can apply for your eTA through the Government of Canada website. As for the currency, they take Canadian dollars, which is virtually one for one with the Australian dollar.

  What’s your favourite city in Canada? 

The post The Essential Guide to Visiting Toronto appeared first on Snowys Blog.

[evannalily]

2020 from Pinterest

So yet again another new year has rolled around and I feel like this year is going to be a good one because this time I am going to make it my own. I always go into the new year like the rest of you with new resolutions and new commitments that never last but this year I have some definitely goals and promises that I intend to keep.

2019 was full of ups and downs and some changes in both my personal life and my professional life. Just to keep up with whats been going on heres quick recap of the year

Started January off by getting another kitten. I say “got” another kitten but he chose us and even then it may have been my other cat who chose him. I currently have 4 cats and 3 of them were strays that appeared at or near to our house but Alfie was actually brought home to us by our other cat George! I went to let George into the house one night and he just had Alfie with him and its nearly a year later and he is still here!

In February as a Valentines present Kevin got us flights to Berlin for five days which was very cool. It was really nice to have a mini break and I had never been to Berlin before but I had been to Germany with my school so I knew a little bit of German but not enough!  So it was nice to see the sights and take some time away from everyday life.

In April my grandparents celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary which is amazing to be married for that long and to be with the same person for that many years and counting. I cant even begin to imagine spending that length of time with someone going through the ups and downs, the changes in life and growing old and still feeling the same way you did 65 years previously. I think the only people I know of who have been married longer than them is The Queen and Prince Philip who are on nearly 70 years I think?

Kevin surprised me in April with a little trip away by coming over one day after I had finished work and told me to pack a bag as we were going away for two days to a surprise location which turned out to be Galway! It was really nice going back there after all those years and showing him my old house, where I went to college and just the atmosphere of Galway as a place and as somewhere that holds so many memories for me both good and bad.

In May Éimear and myself headed to the Olympia Theatre in Dublin to see Dermot Kennedy for again which as usual was amazing as he is such a brilliant artist and his music just touches your soul. We also had one of the most fun nights and we didn’t even go out! We literally just spent time back at the hotel after the show having a proper laugh and got spice-bags delivered to the hotel and ate them in bed. Honestly one of the best nights of my life.

In June Kevin and I headed to London for the second time to housesit (and cat sit) for my aunt. It was a bit more relaxed this time as we had been before we had got the touristy things out of the way as Kevin had never been before (Im actually English living in Ireland) but we did do some cool things like visiting Stamford Bridge. (you can see my London post here). I also found the new title for the blog that I been searching for and deciding on for a long time. It just hit me in the middle of a restaurant that that was it and so when I came home the blog was officially changed to Basic by Lily.

In July myself and Kevin moved into together (that post is on the way I swear) for the first time. To be honest we didn’t actually talk about it first we just sort of both said we were bored of being at home and wanted to have our own spaces and we just started looking and then we viewed one place and moved in a few weeks later. It has now been 6 months and we haven’t killed each other yet!

August wasn’t the happiest month as my older dog Cookie who was around fifteen years old died. She had been one of two dogs we got when we first moved to Ireland the other being Lola who died in 2015. Cookie had been having trouble with her legs a bit as its quite common in Labradors (she was a black lab) when they get older that they have hip problems and she had been finding it difficult to get up and could no longer do things like run for the ball or go for a proper walk like our newer dog Holly and then one day she could no longer get up at all. She had just had enough and was ready to go.  That night she went in her sleep with my dad beside her and on her favourite pillow.

Kevin turned 30 in October and we had a fun surprise party for him. It was mainly organised by his mum and family but it was the first time our families met which was nice and was such a good occasion to do that on! He definitely enjoyed himself and had some fun too which was the whole point of it!

December I turned 24 and got a new lease of life and new outlook and attitude to life and work and just on myself.

  Kevin and I in Berlin on top of the Reichstag Building

My Lil Lion Cub

London

Alfies official Photo for the gram!

Sitting Room Set Up

Dermot Kennedy in the Olympia Theatre

Kevins 30th

My Sweet Cookie

Kevin and I at a wedding in Carlow

Walking on Cars in the INEC

Mondello Park Drifting

Holly’s annual Christmas photo!

And now heading into a new year I do feel like a change is happening. Maybe it has already happened Im not sure but I feel like I am going into the new year with a new sense of direction and a clearer vision and I am just generally feeling fresh and new and ready for the new year to come! Usually I sort of indifferent about it I mean I like ringing in the new year with my family and seeing the clock hit midnight but generally don’t feel anything amazing about a new year but this year I am looking forward to it and to see what it has in-store. I definitely have a few goals for 2020 too!

Definitely need to get some travel in. In 2019 I went to Berlin for five days and London for two weeks and as fun and nice as city breaks are I really love having a sun holiday which I did not get in 2019. Usually myself and Kevin have been on one sun holiday a year since we met and have been to Portugal a couple of times but we didn’t make it to a sunny spot this year so in 2020 I am definitely aiming to get around three holidays in. One short city type break, one longish city break and a longer sun holiday. I just feel like having a sun holiday is good for your mind body and soul because you get that ultimate relaxation time for your mind, the sea salt and warm air for your skin and body and just the experience of different culture and lifestyle to educate your soul.

I definitely want to experience more and not be so cautious about everything. My family got my brother a course at Mondello Park in Kildare for his birthday in Drifting a car and even though I know I would be such a scaredy cat I definitely would like to try it at least once. So I want to try more things and do new experiences and just live life a bit more.

I also would like to grow more as a person and get out of some not so great habits and not get too lazy about things for example eating properly. When Kevin and I moved in together we said we were only getting take away once a week and because I’m the only one of us who can cook when Im tired from work I tend to get lazy and then Kevin suggests chinese or pizza and I usually give in because I have not get the energy to think of a meal never mind create one. When I do though I feel like I can make really nice dishes (I actually made a really nice soy honey pork stir fry the other week and shocked myself) but I’m always getting lazy. Definitely will treat myself to a fast food once a week but definitely plan on cutting back.

I hope that you all have a wonderful new years eve and new years day (I’ll be working but look someone has to) and that you make 2020 your own and leave any stress or worry behind in 2019 and start anew.

Ever yours

Lily

xx

2020 : A New Chapter So yet again another new year has rolled around and I feel like this year is going to be a good one because this time I am going to make it my own.

[tripstations]

Summer holiday rush as deals spark last-minute travel boom | Travel

The great British holiday getaway is usually the most anticipated weekend of the year, a culmination of months of fretting and planning. But this is the year of the last-minute summer.

Huge numbers of people have delayed making bookings thanks to a messy cocktail of weather, politics and a plunging pound. Travel agents, tour operators, hotels and B&Bs all say they have been battling Brexit uncertainty to get people to make bookings for months.

Yet in the last few weeks, the yen for travel appears to have returned. More than 8,800 planes took off on Friday – the final tally will probably break records, according to the National Air Traffic Control Service – with two million travellers due to fly out of the UK over the weekend, said travel agents’ association Abta.

Those staying in the UK are also heading off, making 13.4m car journeys throughout the weekend – 4m more than this time last year – although there were the usual problems: a crash on the M5 led to 70 miles of tailbacks in Devon and Somerset.

David Hope of GfK, a market research firm which monitors package holiday sales, said travel companies had been discounting fiercely to overcome political problems. “It’s been massively impacted by Brexit,” he said, pinpointing the moment when people were put off booking holidays as 16 December 2018 – the date when a cabinet discussion about post-Brexit travel arrangements was leaked to a newspaper.

“It was saying basically ‘after Brexit don’t travel’. Before that, at the end of November, bookings were 10% up. After the leak, bookings immediately dropped by 18% and they have struggled ever since, until the government changed the Brexit date to 31 October. It could be coincidental, but it mirrors exactly when the leak happened. We’re now seeing bookings 1% ahead of summer 2018.”

The good news for travel companies may not last if planned strikes at several airports go ahead. Easyjet baggage handlers at Stansted and about 4,000 staff at Heathrow are due to walk out for two days if the pay disputes between employers and the Unite trade union are not resolved, with further two-day strikes planned. Talks continue at conciliation service Acas. Workers at Gatwick and British Airways pilots are also holding strike ballots.

The fall in the value of the pound is also prompting more people to search for all-inclusive holidays, according to Travel Supermarket’s Emma Coulthurst. “The storm of Brexit and its impact on currency exchange rates has seen many delay booking and prices come down as a result of the drop in demand,” she said. “There are many family holidays available from as little as £300 per person or less for a family of four this summer school holiday. That’s unheard of.”

Spain – particularly Tenerife and Mallorca – remain the most popular places to go, but Coulthurst reported a surge in interest in Turkey, especially the southern coastline near Antalya.

A tourist boat in the Mediterranean, west of popular holiday destination Antalya, Turkey. Photograph: Burhan Özbilici/AP

The biggest gainer is Tunisia, whose tourism industry collapsed after the terror attacks in 2015. UK nationals made 155,000 trips to Tunisia in 2018, according to the Office for National Statistics, but this year should see levels similar to 2015’s 411,000 visitors.

Sardinia, the Costa Dorada near Barcelona, and Bulgaria are also all up, Coulthurst said, at the expense of Orlando, Dubrovnik and Dubai.A According to Brett Gerrett of Sunvil, an independent travel agent in southwest London. “I haven’t seen fares in this position in the last six years. They started low, went high, and came back down again. It’s been a very strange year.”Gerrett was at Heathrow early on Friday in an effort to beat the crowds. “We’re on the tarmac at the moment. I’m on a BA flight going to Madrid and I’ve paid £119 for a club seat – and it’s the second day of the summer holidays. We’ve had people coming in, not complaining exactly, but making a point to us that they paid high prices in advance and now it’s lower. Nobody ever does that.”Travellers with more money to spend were also leaving things late. Pete Brudenell, of luxury villa firm, CV Villas, said June bookings were up by more than half, particularly for Portugal and Turkey.

Staycationers in the UK banking on a reprisal of last year’s long hot summer will be pleased to see temperatures hit 30C in parts of England this week.But owners of B&Bs and self-catering accommodation have also been hit by the last-minute summer.

“We’re getting shorter stays and later bookings,” said Ali Kayley, who runs a glamping and holiday cottage business at Westley Farm in the Cotswolds. “People are booking in the same week, and that wasn’t happening a year ago.”

She said there had been a marked decline in the number of European visitors: “We get lots of German and Dutch families and our numbers are considerably down this year.” Some European guests were put off by fears they would need a visa to get into the UK: “One of our regular guests from Holland was due to come in April, and he wanted a guarantee that he would get his money back.”

Joss Croft, the chief executive of trade body UKinbound, said hotels and operators serving American and Chinese visitors were doing well. “But 15% of my members are seeing a decrease in Germany and France, and Europeans make up 60% of our inbound visitors,” he said. “But a bigger concern is where on earth they’re going to get the staff from – a lot of EU people have left, French speakers, Spanish speakers. People that were previously getting 25 applicants for each job are now not getting any.”

The post Summer holiday rush as deals spark last-minute travel boom | Travel appeared first on Tripstations.

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[zachthevagabond]

Next Stop...Portugal!

It’s Thursday afternoon here in Luxembourg. As you know, that means Friday afternoon for me -with my balling four-day teaching schedule!  It’s 10:45am and I just got home from the lycée. I taught one lesson this morning on the American Education system, and then did an hour of rubric grading with Liane for another class. 

I think my kids really enjoyed the lesson today. They thought it was so interesting to compare and contrast what school is like in Luxembourg and the United States. I showed them some videos of cheerleaders, and they were surprised to see that the football-cheerleading-prom depictions of American high school in the movies isn’t all that far from our reality. My students in this class are the equivalent of high school juniors, and I have to say that they are one of my classes. I also have to point out here that I say this about every single one of my classes that I teach...why have I been the luckiest teacher on the planet to always have such great students during every chapter of my teaching experience?!

Next week, I am taking on a new class at the lycée. They are cinquièmes in the Luxembourgish system, which translates to 8th grader/high school freshmen in English. They will be the youngest students that I have had in Luxembourg. Their teacher is Marina, a twenty-something-year-old hipster teacher who could pass for an American with the most American English you’d ever heard from a foreigner. She studied at the University of Hawaii (are you as jealous as I am?) as well as the University of Rochester. Small world, or what? Needless to say, I am so pumped to be working with her this upcoming semester, and to be teaching a new level. 

I’m currently writing this while throwing a backpack together for Portugal. That’s right, PORTUGAL! Taylor is teaching until around noon today, and then she and I are off! Our flight is at 6pm tonight, but we’ve planned to head into Luxembourg City early to enjoy lunch together and then wander around the city before heading to the airport this afternoon. As is our little tradition, the restaurant of choice for lunch is Pizza Hut. Sometimes you just need a taste of home!

I am beyond excited for our four day weekend get-away, and we have decided that this trip will be entitled “Eating and Drinking Our Way Through Portugal.” Taylor and I both have Portuguese students (did you know that the highest immigrant population in Luxembourg is the Portuguese?), and we’ve told them about our upcoming trip. They’re ecstatic that their American teachers are able to see their home country, and provided us with all kinds of tips and restaurant recommendations. Despite a great deal of discrimination that Portuguese immigrants face in Luxembourg, I have personally found my Portuguese students to be the most hardworking, good-hearted, and animated students that I’ve ever had in class. 

I say this about every time I post, but I’m sorry that I don't find time to post more often. Life happens so fast here, and it’s impossible to share everything with you. Please know that I miss you as much as you miss me reading this, and I promise to be better with the blog to keep you on this wild adventure with me. 

I’ve decided to divide the rest of this update into sections to give you the most information in the most concise and efficient matter (if that sentence isn’t indicative of some of my Germanic genetics LOL)!

Here goes it...

Current Obsession on Netflix: Outlander. I am completely invested in it. Some of the English teacher that I work with at my lycée were talking about it a couple of weeks back, and I wanted to watch it to have a perspective to add to the conversation. I’ve become obsessed with it. I’m currently on episode 11 of season one. I highly recommend to anyone looking to start a new series.

Currently on my playlist: Is music not a great way to think of people? Check out some of these songs. Know that on trains and planes 4,000 miles away, I’ll be jamming out to the same ones. 

Lucky Strike [Troye Silvan]

J’aurais voulu être un artiste [Nicole Croisille]

No Matter What [Calum Scott]

Come Home [OneRepublic]

Fool for You [ZAYN]

Just like a Pill [Pink]

Balance ton quoi [Angèle]

American [Lana Del Rey]

Toute ces choses [Céline Dion]

Health: My knees are lower back are still really bothering me. I’ve seen a really good chiropractor here who has reset certain areas in my back and legs, but the pain creeps back shortly after visiting him. I’m currently not running or doing anything too extensive at the gym for fear of making matters worse. I was almost 15,000 steps a day, so I am at least keeping myself active in that sense.  I think something is seriously wrong. When returning to the U.S. in July, I want to see some specialists to know what the F*$% is going on with my body. I’m 23 years old, and was running six miles a  day this time last year. Weight gain nightmares keep me up at night, because I can’t exercise as much and in the ways that I use to be doing regularly.   

I’m moving. Again. Yes, you read that correctly. This will be my third and final time being displaced from the fire incident back in September. The University Housing has informed us that we will be leaving our studios and move across the street to a smaller room without a kitchen. I still can’t cook, so the kitchen poses no problem to me. I am looking forward to lower rent, as well as having a new space. Taylor will be in the same building as me, so there’s not one thing about this move that I have the right to complain about. 

I’ll have a green tea, please!  As per my New Year’s Resolution post back at the end of December, I am actively trying to reduce my daily consumption of coffee. No, I haven’t completely given up the bean of wonder, but I am reducing how many cups I have a day and trying to not drink it on the weekends. While I always drink my coffee black, green tea seems to be emerging in the dieting world as the most beneficial caffeinated drink for health and weight maintenance. I do have to admit, I’m becoming a fan of the taste!

Upcoming travel: Taylor and I are planning a trip to Morocco for spring break. It will be my first time in Africa, and the second time for her. We haven’t booked anything yet, but have started to compare prices and look into the best airline deals. I am also dying to go to Switzerland, which will be the last Francophone country on my list to visit in Western Europe. After watching Outlander, I have also recently become obsessed with the rolling hills and fog scenes of Scotland and Ireland. Have you seen some of the pictures of these countries online? We are thinking of trying to head to the ‘highlands’ and Ireland for a four or five day weekend, but we have to see how our $$ situation is after Portugal and Morocco. I hope I wasn’t the only one who didn’t realize that Ireland was on a different landmass than England and Scotland?

Melissa Etheridge: After learning that one of my favorite lesbian chill artists is coming to Luxembourg, I pulled the trigger. As a birthday gift to myself and my sister-from-another-mister, I bought Taylor and I tickets for the end of February. I can’t even tell you the last time I went to a concert, but I am so much looking forward to it. We have been blasting her music together every time we hang out.

New Friends: Taylor and I have been blessed with some new friends this past week. We met a group of expats living here in Luxembourg from Turkey, Spain, and Sri Lanka. Among them is our new friend Thambo, who is an executive at J.P. Morgan Luxembourg. One of the most well-traveled and cultured people I have ever met, Taylor and I are infatuated with his stories and take on living as an expat in Luxembourg. We also have a new friend that comes from Normandy. His name is Mayeul, and he is just finishing up his third masters degree before going to law school back in France. He lives in the city, and Taylor and I see him a couple of times a week for drinks. The three of us are trying to plan a weekend trip somewhere close together one of these upcoming weekends. 

Conclusive Statement: If I could be doing anything anywhere in the world right now, it would be exactly what I’m doing right here in this moment. And that realization, ladies and gents, makes me one happy dude. ZJ

[lifewithoutmeds]

december 28, 2018

it’s been a while, per usual.

lots has happened. again, as per usual.

kristal3.0 is trying again. she had given up for a while. things were feeling out of control. i was going out a lot, a lot of happy hours, a lot of bars, ubers, strip clubs (found a new one that i liked in culver city). but things have calmed down considerably, appreciatively.

i got back from lisbon, portugal about a week ago. or rather, on December 23rd (and today is the 28th). my jet lag is moderate.

lisbon was interesting. there were some personality conflicts, and i felt uncomfortable with my friends even though they were some of my very best friends. i realized that i liked to wander the streets, go to supermarkets, and sort of experience the day-to-day life of a local, rather than just go to the nicest restaurants and all the museums, historic places. i like to sit, and to soak in, and to drink coffee. i also like to meet and fall in love with locals. that seems to be the biggest thing.

i met her. patty lou, on an app, and then in person. and it was delightful. she was so smart and artistic and articulate. we held hands. we cuddled in her bed. i helped make her a fried egg (not knowing she wanted it scrambled). i looked at pictures of her parents. i felt the softness of her bed, and the weird scratchiness of the pajamas that she had laid out for me. it felt like love. but of course, it was over too soon, and i wept, and felt all the grief of it both at once, and then in ebbs and flows in the following days and nights.

yesterday i asked if she would meet me in paris next month. she declined. i felt my heart break. 

i know it wouldn’t have worked. i know the distance is too far and neither of us are willing to give up our lives for the other. i know i just have this giant desperate hole in my heart that i am so so longing to fill, and i projected it to her, and thought she was it, when she statistically was not. but it threw me into another roller coaster of emotions. 

but i’m learning, and being told that something in my desperation is super duper unhealthy and mildly psychotic. offering to fly across the world to meet a virtual stranger is unhealthy. waiting all day for a message is unhealthy. i would have been jealous and toxic and psychotic and it would have been bad for us both. what’s important for me is .... finding myself. being at peace with myself. standing up for myself. caring for myself.

and so begins, or rather, resumes, more discipline, more mindfulness. amir challenged/forced me into a three day moderate fast/prayer in which i give up meat, eggs, dairy products, and alcohol, and pray about this desperation, this need, this desire, these shackles that drive me into the arms of the nearest stranger. i have yet to pray, but i have had a cheese-less tortilla, and red lentil “pasta” with white clam sauce (kinda gross). it is extremely limiting, as i’m accustomed to eggs and cheese every morning, and pretty literally, half the stuff in my refrigerator right now is shredded cheese for some reason.

next will come the prayer, but i can already feel the passion, and the loss, and the grief ebbing away. it was crazy for me to almost book that flight. it’s crazy how little impulse control i have. i’m so crazy.

i’m trying again: three days of this, and NoSpendJanuary, in which i attempt to spend only on necessities: food, clothes, utilities, mortgage, gas, prescriptions, medical, etc. i’ve looked into my finances and started documenting my monthly expenses and figure that i can get by on $1,000 a month (mandatory gym membership, gas, groceries, internet, and phone bill, with a couple hundred buffer), which would allow me to save $1,000 a month. especially if i give up drinking and SC’s for a while, this should not be so difficult, and this is especially necessary at this time in my life as: i have exhibited so little impulse control, in general i have burned through my buffer savings accounts i have spent more than usual on travel for this portugal trip i will be spending more on travel for argentina in february the stupid SC habit has cost me more than i care to calculate.

and so i try, again. for now, cut out a few food/drink items, and for next month, just ... no unnecessary amazon purchases, no bars, no alcohol, maybe a handful of eating out, but putting everything on credit and closely analyzing my spending afterward.

i’m also reading Your Money or Your Life which i hope shifts my thoughts and attitudes and hopefully philosophy on money.

feeling moderately hopeful.

[themoneybuff-blog]

Time is more valuable than money

It's a GRS tradition! Each year on Halloween, I publish a story about planning for death. Usually these are general articles about estate planning. This year's story is personal. When my best friend died in 2009, one of my biggest regrets was that I hadn't made time to travel with him. Sparky had previously asked me to join him on trips to Burning Man (in 1996) and southeast Asia (in 1998) and Mexico (in 2003). I'd declined each invitation, in part because I was deep in debt but also because I thought there'd be plenty of time to do that sort of thing in the future. Turns out, there wasn't plenty of time to do that sort of thing in the future. After Sparky died, I resolved to make the most of opportunities like this. Being in a better financial position helped. Having ample savings gives me the flexibility to join friends on short adventures or to explore the U.S. by RV for fifteen months without money worries. (Yes, I realize that's a fortunate position to be in.) Here's an example. In 2012, my cousin Duane asked me to join him for a three-week trip to Turkey. Remembering my vow after Sparky's death (and remembering the power of yes), I agreed. That trip to Turkey is one of the highlights of my life so far. I'm glad I did it. It was worth every penny. [embedded content] The Best Laid Plans Early in 2017, Duane contacted me. This fall will be the five-year anniversary of our trip to Turkey, he said. Want to have another big adventure? Sure! I said. So, we started planning. We bought books, watched videos, and browsed websites. We invited Kim to join us. Over the course of several months, our plans crystalized. We'd fly to Paris, rent a car, then spend three or four weeks driving around France and Spain and Portugal, enjoying festivals, experiencing the grape harvest, and exploring ruins. (Duane loves ruins!)

In June of last year, I sent Duane an email. I'm going to buy plane tickets tomorrow. Do you want me to buy yours? Hold up, he responded. We need to talk. He called me on the phone. What's going on? I asked. Well, J.D., it's like this, he said. I have cancer. I've been having problems with my throat for a few months, but I thought that was because of indigestion or something. It's not indigestion. I have throat cancer. Long-time GRS readers know about the curse afflicting the men of my family. We die young because of cancer. My father died of cancer ten days before his fiftieth birthday. Duane's father died of cancer at age 51. Duane's brother died of cancer at 47. Now Duane was telling me that he had cancer at age 53. (Is there any wonder I fear I'll die of cancer in the next few years?) Holy shit, I said. Are you serious? Yes, Duane said. And the prognosis isn't good. I need to start chemo as soon as possible, which means I won't be able to do this trip. You and Kim should go without me. We did not go without him. We discussed doing so, but felt like it wouldn't be the same. (Instead, Kim and I took the money we would have used to see France, Spain, and Portugal, and used it to remodel our new house.) Fortunately, Duane's treatment seemed to work. His cancer went into remission. Although things were scary there for a while, his health began to improve. Things Come Undone Two months ago, at the end of August, Duane invited me to join him for a mid-week trip to the Oregon coast. Can I bring the dog with me? I asked. Sure, he said.

On a sunny Wednesday, we piled into my Mini Cooper and drove the ninety minutes to Seaside, Oregon. There, we walked on the beach, bought saltwater taffy, and ate clam chowder for lunch. We talked about a variety of nerdy things. You see, Duane is a nerd just like me. Like me, he loves his videogames. (In fact, he likes videogames more than I do.)He's an avid player of Magic: The Gathering.He used to collect semi-official Canadian airmail stamps.For 20+ years, he's collected ancient coins. (By which I mean coins from before the birth of Christ.) His desk at the box factory used to be covered with uncleaned coins that he was soaking to remove centuries of dirt and grime. Duane is also a money nerd. In fact, were it not for Duane, it's unlikely that I would be a money nerd. In 1992, Duane was the person who introduced me to mutual funds. He convinced me to set up an automatic investment plan into some Invesco funds. I contributed $50 per month to five different funds, for a total of $250 per month. That lasted for four months until I cashed out to buy a new computer. Duane introduced me to a variety of money books, most notably The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias. He taught me a ton of other lessons about life and money, some of which I've shared here at Get Rich Slowly over the years. (The Duane story I most often mention includes this lesson: It's not bad to want thingsIt's not want that's the problem, but the habit of constantly satisfying wants.) During our walk on the beach, Duane gave me the news that I'd been dreading. My cancer is back, he said. I've been doing immunotherapy. What's immunotherapy? I asked. Well, it's an attempt to stimulate the body's immune system to fight the cancer. With chemotherapy, the drugs are fight the cancer. Immunotherapy is a newer treatment and its effects less well known. It's not as harsh as chemotherapy, but it's also not usually as effective. How is it working for you? I asked. It's too soon to tell, Duane said. But so far I'm hopeful, and so are the doctors.

I wanted to ask what his prognosis was, but was afraid to ask. I thought maybe he'd volunteer the info. He didn't. Finally, several hours later as we were driving home, I got up the courage to ask. What do the doctors have to tell you about your current situation? I asked. For some reason, whenever I talk about Duane's cancer, I call it his situation. Honestly, it's not good, he said. At the end of June, they told me I probably had three to six months left to live. Holy shit, I said as I did the math in my head. Yeah. It doesn't look like I have much time left, Duane said. The Farewell Tour So, I've been thinking, Duane said as we reached the outskirts of Portland. I'd really like to go to Europe this winter. I want to see the Christmas markets in Vienna and Prague. Assuming I make it to December, of course. Do you want to come with me? Of course, I said. You let me know when and where, and I'll make it happen. I was thinking of all of the times Paul had asked me to do things with him and all of the times I'd said no. I didn't have the money then, and I didn't have the perspective of age. Now I have both. Later that evening, I talked to Kim about Duane's situation. Duane is one of my best friends, I said. He's being pragmatic about his situation and so am I, but that doesn't mean I'm not torn up about it. I want to spend as much time with him as I can before he dies. I totally support that, Kim said. You do what you have to do, and we'll figure it out. Last week, Duane and I met for lunch. He's now at the end of his fourth month of borrowed time. Honestly, he looks and sounds great. But I can tell that The End is weighing heavy on his mind. Do you still want to make the trip to Europe? I asked. Absolutely! he said. My brother and his wife plan to join us. And their daughter and her husband. There'll be six of us. Over the past week, we've been sorting out details. I booked a moderately expensive round-trip flight to Berlin. (Moderately expensive because I'm being fussy. I only want one layover. I want the flights to be short as possible. I have a limited set of dates on which I'll fly.)Duane and his niece picked the cities we'll visit: Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. She made a list of potential AirBNB rentals. Yesterday, I booked lodging for the six of us.After everyone else has flown home, Duane and I will fart around Germany without any real direction or plans just like we did in Turkey. There's a part of me that wonders if Duane will be healthy enough to travel in five weeks. (I let him proof this post. When he did, he expressed the same concern.) Again, he looks great now, and he's continued to defy the odds over the past eighteen months. (He recently ran the numbers for me based on the survival rate for various stages of his cancer. I can't remember the exact figure, but he's already lived longer than something like 98% of people in his situation.) But I worry what might happen before the trip. When my own father was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, he was given six months to live. He lived another six years. It's my deepest hope that Duane too will fight that long, but I'm also trying to be realistic about his situation. I think he is too. In many ways, this trip to Europe is a sort of farewell tour.

Time Is More Valuable Than Money When all is said and done, this trip will cost each of us several thousand dollars. Under normal circumstances, that's a lot of money. In this case, it seems like peanuts. My friend Grant Sabatier has a book coming out in early February. It's called Financial Freedom. I read it last weekend so that I could provide a blurb. (It's good! You should check it out when it's available.) If some ninety-year-old rich dude offered you $100 million to trade places with him, would you do it? Grant writes at the start of the second chapter. Of course not. Why? Because time is more valuable than money. You can always make more moneybut you can't make more time. This is not permission to spend lavishly on anything and everything just because you might get hit by a truck tomorrow. It is, however, an invitation to consider what's important to you and to focus on that. It's encouragement to get clear on your personal mission statement and to build your life around it. Over the past few months, Duane has made a superhuman effort to spend time with his family and friends. This time together is important to him. More than that, I think that he knows it's important to us, the ones he'll leave behind. We love him. We don't want him to die but we cannot control that. All we can control is the time we spend with him today. All we can do is build more memories. Here's another anecdote I like. Duane and I went shopping after our lunch date last week. We stopped at the Icebreaker store to look at expensive wool shirts for our trip to Europe. I have a curious relationship with money now, Duane told me as he held up a $130 shirt. I can't take it with me, so what does it matter if I spend it? If I want a $130 shirt, I'm going to buy a $130 shirt even if I only get to wear it once or twice. Duane did not buy that $130 shirt. Duane is a frugal fellow. I don't think he could buy a $130 shirt even if he tried!

Author: J.D. Roth In 2006, J.D. founded Get Rich Slowly to document his quest to get out of debt. Over time, he learned how to save and how to invest. Today, he's managed to reach early retirement! He wants to help you master your money and your life. No scams. No gimmicks. Just smart money advice to help you reach your goals. https://www.getrichslowly.org/time-is-more-valuable-than-money/

[mindfullyminimalist]

shopping ban week 4 update

a little earlier than usual, but we’re at the end of another week! this week had been much, much better than last week. I paid off $6030 of school fees (so I'm definitely going to Greece this summer, and won't it be a mish to spend as little money as possible whilst I am #MindfullyMinimalistOnTour) and I only bought 2 things (kind of? my mum paid, so I didn't buy them- okay on the shopping front but not on the minimalism front, I guess.) One was a shirt I bought for a DIY project after the original shirt I decided to use... did not survive the sewing process. After I brought it home I realised it's actually A.) a pretty nice Tommy Hilfiger shirt (for, uh, $8 NZD at our local op shop) and B.) it's too small to cut into a wrap top. So the hunt continues! Next year. When I am home. The second thing mum bought for me was a vintage 1960's rural China-themed wallet for $2 NZD. It needs to have the screws on the metal plate or the plate itself replaced (easy as and I will get my dad to do it) but I have a nice new wallet, which I needed! 

shopping:

As above. Technically, I spent nothing. I'm going wardrobe diving for my great grandmother's old silk scarves to wear in my hair tomorrow. I'm only going to take one down with me because on Sunday I'm beginning the process of downsizing to next to nothing. Next Wednesday I have approximately $650 of disposable income after rent. This is going to get blown on flights home (c$100 and then my Athens-Rome flight ($300) on December 21st. Whatever is left over is going on actual food for the first time in so. so long. But then? Savings for that nice pair of boots I'm buying in Germany off my approved purchases list (or at this really nice op shop in Rome I found close to my hostel.) 

minimalism

As previously mentioned, pretty good! I'm currently at my parent's house so it has kind of ground to a standstill, but when I get back I'm going through all those clothes like a madwoman. If my belongings don't fit in 2-3 medium sized boxes and my two suitcases, they aren't mine anymore. The next thing to do is to sort out accommodation for next year, but since I don't know where I'll be working in January it's all up in the air! Fingers crossed it's in Government this summer because I would LOVE the opportunity (and, uh, the money) again. 

Otherwise, project downsize is going really really well. The next step is to read Curated Closet and implement the stuff suggested to really reduce my need to B U Y everything because I own nothing. 

personal development

reading:

last week I was reading the below

The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck

You Do You

Get Your Shit Together

Pretty Iconic

currently, I am reading

The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck

You Do You

Get Your Shit Together 

The High Mountains of Portugal 

exercise:

put on hold due to injury this week :( I don't feel like myself when I don't run. 

meditation and visualisation:

not great, but also not terrible. 

studying:

bad. horrible. there are a number of classes I'm not sure I'll pass this year. Oh well. We'll power thru. 

and hey... we’re nearly at a month!

[londonlanded]

Week 19

Monday morning in Greece, I took Brooke and her coworker back up to the Kastro since they'd only visited it by bus before. One bonus of having companions is that its far more fun to trespass when you've got witnesses.

Headed back to the centre of town after our hike, snapped a much nicer shot of the Arch of Galerius in the sunshine, and enjoyed that the sun had come out at least for a small time during our trip. After a quick stop at a corner shop to stock up on nougat and chocolate (I'm on an all-carb diet), I hopped on the airport bus back to the airport, and 45 minutes later, I was sitting by my gate a good 2 hours early for my flight. As usual! I suppose I've learned from my history of arriving early at airports. No one of note this time around, but the hour of downtime was enough for me to catch up with my dad over the phone, which was more of a sign of the manic pace of things recently and less of a sign of us formally needing to.

Had an amusing encounter with some flight attendants from Portugal, too. Though I'm not as talented as dad and Lisa when it comes to charming their airborne assistants, I managed to get enough of a giggle out of mine that it earned me a free Twix, and this hilarious keepsake that I've still got in my wallet.

Wednesday morning, quickly made my way amidst the surprisingly light, pre-rush hour tube traffic to Waterloo Station, where I met up with some of the members of my team to start our day-trip to the other Four Seasons property in the UK. Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire is a re-purposed manor house where you can live out your English fantasies, with the inclusion of clay pigeon shooting, horseback riding, rope swinging and fly fishing. It's a beautiful, rather large green space, pretty much as countryside as it gets, and it was a lovely departure from the usual routine of the city.

The reason we were heading out there for the day was because our job involves a "shared service" where we work for all three of the FS properties in the UK, even though we're only based at one location. The nature of this results in us frequently being asked questions by guests in Hampshire that we have no idea how to answer, since before that day, we had never seen the place they were asking about. Our field trip also served as a dry run for the hotel, to see how their guests would field getting to and form the hotel themselves upon their arrival in London.

From Waterloo, it's around an hour to Fleet station, and around 15 minutes in a cab from the station to the hotel. We were warmly welcomed by the manager on duty, and brought down to the canteen to rest before our tour. We were shown all the different hotel room types, and we were essentially given free reign over the place to explore and meet the staff we had only ever met remotely. A highlight was seeing the “royal suite,” I may have forgotten the official name but it was something along those lines. It’s not yet been used by any guests as it’s only just been finished, but to give you an idea of the scale of the place, this photo was taken not in the hotel lobby as you might think, but in the room itself...

We toured the rooms and grounds to get a feel for the hotel, and were welcomed at the hotel's restaurant for lunch on the house. Naturally, my favourite thing about my five-star hotel meal was the fries.

One happy note about working for Four Seasons is that every time I go to any of their properties, no matter where I am in the world, they fly the Canadian flag alongside the flag of the country you’re in. Hampshire is no exception, as the Canadian flag flies beside the union jack and the EU flag (at least for now). 

After a fairly painless trip home on the train, I headed out to meet one of my colleagues for a drink in Notting Hill which is quickly becoming one of my favourite neighbourhoods in the city. It's hard to find a comfortable, community, smalltown vibe in a place as vibrant and busy as London, but all it takes is someone who knows their way around. We found ourselves at the bar of the Electric Diner, eating mozzarella sticks and sipping white wine, she taught me some Norwegian and we talked through her next career move. It's all beginning to feel a bit like home.

Thursday, I spent a day in another department yet again. Viola, my trainer from the day, is a sassy Italian who's been at the hotel for almost 9 months. I spent the day in the Reservations department, which is where 10% of the hotel's income is funnelled through. While I can't imagine a job less desirable than the one they do, in that they have to deal with everyone from irritated travel agents to sassy guests and everyone in between, I can understand and appreciate what they're doing now that I've spent a day with them. There are so many pieces to running a hotel, this industry, this building, there's so much more going on than any of us realize when we check in for visits of our own.

Friday, I had the day off and decided to spend it recovering from the few weeks of full-throttle life I had been living, I slept, cooked, and didn't speak to another human being until maybe 6PM. Very exciting. Of note though, what was in reality just a short circuit at Oxford Circus tube station turned into a terrorism scare that froze the entire city. My supervisor wound up being locked in the basement of the department store he was in with the majority of the staff, and while it was eventually deemed a false alarm caused by someone running into the store and making a scene, it was yet another reflection of the current mindset of London. Everyone is on guard, and to have a fire on black friday at the busiest tube stop in the city wasn’t exactly a welcome coincidence. 

It was a quiet weekend, both personally and at work, so nothing major to report except the sun came out on Sunday and that in and of itself is worth writing about. 

Next week, it’s apparently December??? 

e

[windycityf]

I’ve been wanting to visit Portugal for years! It was on the top of the list of places that I wanted to visit but for some reason, it never made it into my travel plans.I had planned on being in the States for holidays, but my plans changed and I ended up coming in a week earlier then planned. I love my family, but 3 weeks, especially at the holidays was just not going to happen.

As much as I love European Christmas Markets, I was not willing to bear the cold weather. And the best ones, in my opinion,close on December 24th. I had fun trying to find a location that would not be too cold and that I could also get a decent flight. Oh and I need to fly on American Airlines or at least a One World partner because I need to the miles to keep my status. Madrid and Barcelona, ticked each box. I had been to Barcelona a few years, so I opted for Madrid. But then I realized I was so close to Portugal. I decided to just book another ticket, wise use of my British Airways Miles, and headed straight to Lisbon.

Best idea, ever!  Here is the part that I should say it was awful, that I had a horrible time and I would not recommend it at all.  I would say this so it stays amazing and does not become over run with tourists.  I just felt relaxed. Not paranoid about pickpockets like I was in Spain,  or ring scams in Paris. The skies were blue, albeit a little chilly. The streets were clean and while there were tourist there were not everywhere. They had the fun pedestrian paths in the middle of the busy streets, like in Barcelona.

I made an interesting hotel choice. I did not, gasp, stay at a Hilton or Hyatt. I stayed at a Marriott property, Fontecruz Lisboa.  It’s more boutique then large chain hotel. The location was great, located on one of the major streets. I  headed out to take in the sights. I opted for the Hop on Hop off bus. I find they are a great way to orient yourself in a new city. I tend to do the loop first and then hop off.

Lisbon is quite walk-able, if you can handle the cobble streets and some hills. Ladies, bring your sensible shoes. In fact, just bring an old ugly pair so you have an excuse to go shop. I did… and well it was quite an adventure trying to get my stuff home.

I took sidetrips to Sintra and Fatima.  I booked the tours last minute and ended up on a big bus one. I wish I had done better research and gone with a smaller tour company.  I probably could have done them on my own. Something to redo on the next trip.

There was situation with a nutella crepe in Sintra. Let’s just say I learned my lesson about trying to eat messy street food. I am still finding nutella on stuff.

I headed back to Madrid for New Year’s Eve. I had high hopes of doing all this sightseeing, specially checking out the Prado Museum.  All those plans changed drastically when I arrived and it was freezing.  I was tired and cold and so basically I did nothing in Madrid. Well nothing that I am willing to admit doing on this public blog. There may or may not have been a potential meal at a American chain restaurant.

I really enjoyed this trip, I just wish I had more time. And I probably go back when the weather is warmer. I also think if I had to do it again, I would suggest doing Madrid first, then Lisbon. Two totally different cities with different energies.

Until next time, safe travels!

  Portugal and Spain- December 2016 I've been wanting to visit Portugal for years! It was on the top of the list of places that I wanted to visit but for some reason, it never made it into my travel plans.I had planned on being in the States for holidays, but my plans changed and I ended up coming in a week earlier then planned.

[uprootedandrelentless]

Catching Up - Miraya

This December while I was traveling in Budapest with Olivia we started talking about how we should continue Uprooted and Relentless. It had been two years since we’d posted last and we were all in such different places than before. While in our hotel, we had a Skype call with Elaine, fueled to get the blog going again. Then Christmas hit, then New Years, we all got busy and no one posted. Out of the blue a few days into the new year I received an email from a girl I’d met in New York; she was just dropping me a note to let me know that she’d been reading our old blog as she navigates “the struggles of 20-something adult life” and said it was comforting and inspiring to get a glimpse into our journeys, knowing where she is now, a few years behind. Well I took that as an ah-ha moment that we must start writing again! Maybe we’ll inspire others, but at very least we’ll motivate ourselves and each other as we navigate the remaining years of our 20s.

So how to start? Two years ago when I last posted I was just launching my events company, Pop Productions. Now two years later I finally feel like the pieces are starting to line up, but still there is so much to learn and figure out. Each day and month have been so different, with the uncertainty of client work and project deadlines. I’ve gotten to organize some pretty incredible events all over the world from a Kiva launch for 1000 community members in Oakland to The ShopUp boutique children’s shopping fairs in LA, NY and London and Airbnb host conferences in Chicago and New York. I also partnered with my friend Liang to launch New York’s first dessert festival, Dessert Goals, which wildly exceeded our expectations. If you had asked in the beginning of 2016 what I would be doing at the end of the year, I never would have guessed I’d be planning a dessert festival, but now I couldn’t imagine not doing it.

I’m still figuring out what Pop Productions is and the types of events I want to focus on but along this journey I definitely feel like I’m getting closer to creating the life I want to live. In March I moved into my own one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn and created a Pop Productions studio out of the living room, with crafting accessories, storage for event supplies and decor galore. I wanted to create a living and working environment for myself where I could be productive from home while making my own coffee and lunches. In the beginning of the year I had two contract employees and it was motivating creating a team, then a few months after that it was back to just me. In June I hired my first full time contractor who would work from my home most days. As we entered into the busy fall season of events, we divided outreach and tasks. Then at the end of the event contracts, it was back to me myself and I. With all the travel this year for work, I extended my trips to see friends and family. While running Pop Productions solo I have much more flexibility to work remotely. Right now I envision two futures for Pop Productions; in one version I imagine a team of us working out of an office but I also see another version where it’s just myself, bringing contractors on for specific events, with more freedom to travel. For now I feel like I can’t really plan out one over the other, I just have to see what happens with the clients and events I work on and when/if it makes sense to grow my team.

At the end of October I wrapped up all of my events for the calendar year except for The ShopUp in December in London. It was the strangest feeling from the weeks before not being able to sleep because of to do lists running through my head and calls all day, to then having no concrete deadlines or tasks. I knew I’d be planning The ShopUp twice in 2017 and Liang and I had plans for growing Dessert Goals, so there was plenty I could be doing, but since The ShopUp was flying me to London for the event and I had this break in my schedule, I decided to take some time to travel. What I thought would be a solo trip turned into a 23 day whirlwind in 11 cities and meeting up with friends and family along the way. 5 nights in London, 2 in Budapest, 3 in Amsterdam, 4 in Belgium, 5 in Spain and 3 in Portugal. As usual on my trips I often think I’ll have some great revelation, discover something about myself, be inspired - and as usual this didn’t happen. I ate so much amazing food, explored castles, relaxed in ancient baths, devoured chocolates, and enjoyed life. I slept peacefully each night with the only stress of what time to catch a flight or re-packing my suitcase, no emails and contracts to dread. Occasionally anxiety would hit that I needed to be planning, but I tried to remind myself that after a year of hard work I deserved this break to unplug.

2017 is about to bring a lot of changes for me, the biggest is this April I’ll be leaving New York to move to Los Angeles with my boyfriend Matt. I never thought I would leave New York, especially for a guy, but here I am. Even though I’ve been here for almost 5 years, I don’t feel like I’m done with New York, I still love the energy and the people, and I know I’ll be back lots. As cliche as it sounds, my love for Matt exceeds my love for New York. When I’m with him I feel at home more than I do in New York. Matt is moving to LA to pursue screenwriting and I’ll be joining him to expand Dessert Goals, The ShopUp and whatever other event opportunities come my way on the west coast (or elsewhere, as I can still travel for events!).

Matt and I have known each other for 12 years, we went to high school and college together, and have been dating since May long distance (he’s in Oakland). I’ll be moving all my belongings across the country and moving in with a guy for the first time. After being long distance for almost a year and seeing each other for a few days every month, it’s going to be quite the adjustment of seeing each other every day and both of us working from home. I’m definitely nervous but I’m mostly excited. It feels like the perfect next step for us to go to a new city together as opposed to sliding into one of our own cities and lives. We’ll decorate our home, discover restaurants, establish friends, together.

I just finished reading the book The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them about how your 20s are your most important years of your life. A friend suggested I read it and instantly I thought that it sounded stressful, but decided to give it a shot. The book is broken up into three sections, work, love and mind & body as the author, Meg Jay who got her PHD in clinical psychology from UC Berkeley (Go Bears!), chats with clients, recites stats and shares advice on navigating situations in your 20s. One of my takeaways was about how influential your 20s are in gaining experiences to navigate the rest of your life. The connections, the capital, the learnings will be what impact the next steps. I always have felt by 30 I’ll have it all figured out, a common feeling amongst the subjects in the book, but as long as we’re taking active steps towards figuring it out, we’re headed in the right direction.

With the upcoming move to Los Angeles, constant uncertainty of client work or my daily schedule, it’s easy to stress. I’m honestly not sure what Pop Productions will look like when I’m 30 (which is only 3.5 years away) or even the end of this year. But I do know I’m meeting so many people, gaining valuable experiences and putting on events I am proud of. I’m excited what the future unfolds… and to share the journey here.

I got to see my Uprooted ladies more this year than ever before! Claire, who lives in Oakland, where Matt lives, jokes that Matt is good for our friendship which is true because I get to see her so much! I visited Elaine in Irvine when I was in LA for meetings and saw Olivia in New York, London and Budapest. Here are some photos of us that make me smile :)

-Miraya

[themoneybuff-blog]

Time is more valuable than money

It's a GRS tradition! Each year on Halloween, I publish a story about planning for death. Usually these are general articles about estate planning. This year's story is personal. When my best friend died in 2009, one of my biggest regrets was that I hadn't made time to travel with him. Sparky had previously asked me to join him on trips to Burning Man (in 1996) and southeast Asia (in 1998) and Mexico (in 2003). I'd declined each invitation, in part because I was deep in debt but also because I thought there'd be plenty of time to do that sort of thing in the future. Turns out, there wasn't plenty of time to do that sort of thing in the future. After Sparky died, I resolved to make the most of opportunities like this. Being in a better financial position helped. Having ample savings gives me the flexibility to join friends on short adventures or to explore the U.S. by RV for fifteen months without money worries. (Yes, I realize that's a fortunate position to be in.) Here's an example. In 2012, my cousin Duane asked me to join him for a three-week trip to Turkey. Remembering my vow after Sparky's death (and remembering the power of yes), I agreed. That trip to Turkey is one of the highlights of my life so far. I'm glad I did it. It was worth every penny. [embedded content] The Best Laid Plans Early in 2017, Duane contacted me. This fall will be the five-year anniversary of our trip to Turkey, he said. Want to have another big adventure? Sure! I said. So, we started planning. We bought books, watched videos, and browsed websites. We invited Kim to join us. Over the course of several months, our plans crystalized. We'd fly to Paris, rent a car, then spend three or four weeks driving around France and Spain and Portugal, enjoying festivals, experiencing the grape harvest, and exploring ruins. (Duane loves ruins!)

In June of last year, I sent Duane an email. I'm going to buy plane tickets tomorrow. Do you want me to buy yours? Hold up, he responded. We need to talk. He called me on the phone. What's going on? I asked. Well, J.D., it's like this, he said. I have cancer. I've been having problems with my throat for a few months, but I thought that was because of indigestion or something. It's not indigestion. I have throat cancer. Long-time GRS readers know about the curse afflicting the men of my family. We die young because of cancer. My father died of cancer ten days before his fiftieth birthday. Duane's father died of cancer at age 51. Duane's brother died of cancer at 47. Now Duane was telling me that he had cancer at age 53. (Is there any wonder I fear I'll die of cancer in the next few years?) Holy shit, I said. Are you serious? Yes, Duane said. And the prognosis isn't good. I need to start chemo as soon as possible, which means I won't be able to do this trip. You and Kim should go without me. We did not go without him. We discussed doing so, but felt like it wouldn't be the same. (Instead, Kim and I took the money we would have used to see France, Spain, and Portugal, and used it to remodel our new house.) Fortunately, Duane's treatment seemed to work. His cancer went into remission. Although things were scary there for a while, his health began to improve. Things Come Undone Two months ago, at the end of August, Duane invited me to join him for a mid-week trip to the Oregon coast. Can I bring the dog with me? I asked. Sure, he said.

On a sunny Wednesday, we piled into my Mini Cooper and drove the ninety minutes to Seaside, Oregon. There, we walked on the beach, bought saltwater taffy, and ate clam chowder for lunch. We talked about a variety of nerdy things. You see, Duane is a nerd just like me. Like me, he loves his videogames. (In fact, he likes videogames more than I do.)He's an avid player of Magic: The Gathering.He used to collect semi-official Canadian airmail stamps.For 20+ years, he's collected ancient coins. (By which I mean coins from before the birth of Christ.) His desk at the box factory used to be covered with uncleaned coins that he was soaking to remove centuries of dirt and grime. Duane is also a money nerd. In fact, were it not for Duane, it's unlikely that I would be a money nerd. In 1992, Duane was the person who introduced me to mutual funds. He convinced me to set up an automatic investment plan into some Invesco funds. I contributed $50 per month to five different funds, for a total of $250 per month. That lasted for four months until I cashed out to buy a new computer. Duane introduced me to a variety of money books, most notably The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias. He taught me a ton of other lessons about life and money, some of which I've shared here at Get Rich Slowly over the years. (The Duane story I most often mention includes this lesson: It's not bad to want thingsIt's not want that's the problem, but the habit of constantly satisfying wants.) During our walk on the beach, Duane gave me the news that I'd been dreading. My cancer is back, he said. I've been doing immunotherapy. What's immunotherapy? I asked. Well, it's an attempt to stimulate the body's immune system to fight the cancer. With chemotherapy, the drugs are fight the cancer. Immunotherapy is a newer treatment and its effects less well known. It's not as harsh as chemotherapy, but it's also not usually as effective. How is it working for you? I asked. It's too soon to tell, Duane said. But so far I'm hopeful, and so are the doctors.

I wanted to ask what his prognosis was, but was afraid to ask. I thought maybe he'd volunteer the info. He didn't. Finally, several hours later as we were driving home, I got up the courage to ask. What do the doctors have to tell you about your current situation? I asked. For some reason, whenever I talk about Duane's cancer, I call it his situation. Honestly, it's not good, he said. At the end of June, they told me I probably had three to six months left to live. Holy shit, I said as I did the math in my head. Yeah. It doesn't look like I have much time left, Duane said. The Farewell Tour So, I've been thinking, Duane said as we reached the outskirts of Portland. I'd really like to go to Europe this winter. I want to see the Christmas markets in Vienna and Prague. Assuming I make it to December, of course. Do you want to come with me? Of course, I said. You let me know when and where, and I'll make it happen. I was thinking of all of the times Paul had asked me to do things with him and all of the times I'd said no. I didn't have the money then, and I didn't have the perspective of age. Now I have both. Later that evening, I talked to Kim about Duane's situation. Duane is one of my best friends, I said. He's being pragmatic about his situation and so am I, but that doesn't mean I'm not torn up about it. I want to spend as much time with him as I can before he dies. I totally support that, Kim said. You do what you have to do, and we'll figure it out. Last week, Duane and I met for lunch. He's now at the end of his fourth month of borrowed time. Honestly, he looks and sounds great. But I can tell that The End is weighing heavy on his mind. Do you still want to make the trip to Europe? I asked. Absolutely! he said. My brother and his wife plan to join us. And their daughter and her husband. There'll be six of us. Over the past week, we've been sorting out details. I booked a moderately expensive round-trip flight to Berlin. (Moderately expensive because I'm being fussy. I only want one layover. I want the flights to be short as possible. I have a limited set of dates on which I'll fly.)Duane and his niece picked the cities we'll visit: Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. She made a list of potential AirBNB rentals. Yesterday, I booked lodging for the six of us.After everyone else has flown home, Duane and I will fart around Germany without any real direction or plans just like we did in Turkey. There's a part of me that wonders if Duane will be healthy enough to travel in five weeks. (I let him proof this post. When he did, he expressed the same concern.) Again, he looks great now, and he's continued to defy the odds over the past eighteen months. (He recently ran the numbers for me based on the survival rate for various stages of his cancer. I can't remember the exact figure, but he's already lived longer than something like 98% of people in his situation.) But I worry what might happen before the trip. When my own father was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, he was given six months to live. He lived another six years. It's my deepest hope that Duane too will fight that long, but I'm also trying to be realistic about his situation. I think he is too. In many ways, this trip to Europe is a sort of farewell tour.

Time Is More Valuable Than Money When all is said and done, this trip will cost each of us several thousand dollars. Under normal circumstances, that's a lot of money. In this case, it seems like peanuts. My friend Grant Sabatier has a book coming out in early February. It's called Financial Freedom. I read it last weekend so that I could provide a blurb. (It's good! You should check it out when it's available.) If some ninety-year-old rich dude offered you $100 million to trade places with him, would you do it? Grant writes at the start of the second chapter. Of course not. Why? Because time is more valuable than money. You can always make more moneybut you can't make more time. This is not permission to spend lavishly on anything and everything just because you might get hit by a truck tomorrow. It is, however, an invitation to consider what's important to you and to focus on that. It's encouragement to get clear on your personal mission statement and to build your life around it. Over the past few months, Duane has made a superhuman effort to spend time with his family and friends. This time together is important to him. More than that, I think that he knows it's important to us, the ones he'll leave behind. We love him. We don't want him to die but we cannot control that. All we can control is the time we spend with him today. All we can do is build more memories. Here's another anecdote I like. Duane and I went shopping after our lunch date last week. We stopped at the Icebreaker store to look at expensive wool shirts for our trip to Europe. I have a curious relationship with money now, Duane told me as he held up a $130 shirt. I can't take it with me, so what does it matter if I spend it? If I want a $130 shirt, I'm going to buy a $130 shirt even if I only get to wear it once or twice. Duane did not buy that $130 shirt. Duane is a frugal fellow. I don't think he could buy a $130 shirt even if he tried!

Author: J.D. Roth In 2006, J.D. founded Get Rich Slowly to document his quest to get out of debt. Over time, he learned how to save and how to invest. Today, he's managed to reach early retirement! He wants to help you master your money and your life. No scams. No gimmicks. Just smart money advice to help you reach your goals. https://www.getrichslowly.org/time-is-more-valuable-than-money/