#I’m looking at flights but none of the budget options go to the right city.

[why-bless-your-heart]

hhhhhhh

[megaera-of-pigeon]

[Shining Nikki fan fiction, 3,447 words, superhero au concept courtesy of @deadcereus. Janus content courtesy of @just-love-nikki-things] 

Mercury stood outside of the door. In one arm, he was carrying a duffle bag stuffed so full it was straining at its zipper. In the other, he h​​eld a top-of-the-line luxury cat carrier. As he brought a fist up to knock on the door, he glanced down into the cat-carrier and caught the glowing golden topazes that were his cat’s eyes looking up at him.

He bit his lip and slowly lowered his fist. Was he really ready to do this?

It was much too soon, wasn’t it?

Did he really need to go to this conference?

Before he could manage to second guess his decision and get out of the building before he was spotted, the door flew open.  

“Mercury! You’re late! That’s unlike you.”

Mercury managed to tear his eyes away from Janus’ and meet the gaze of his younger half-sister. “Ophelia,” he nodded to her, banishing any trace of worry and allowing his face to settle into its comfortable frown. “Traffic was backed up.”

“Oh, no! The morning you’re to leave on your big exciting trip, too! Well, come on in; I’m all ready to see my pretty little nephew Janny-poo!”

Mercury bristled as he stepped into the apartment and kicked the door shut behind him. “I’ve told you not to call him that.”

Ophelia just grinned. “He likes it, though! Don’t you, Janny-poo?”

The cat in question, who’d been calmly sitting in his carrier for most of the journey like the well-behaved little gentleman he was, had perked up at the sound of Ophelia’s voice, and now started to claw at the fabric and meow in indignation. Mercury heaved a sigh and knelt down so that he could set the carrier on the floor and unzip the door. The second there was enough space open for Janus to get out, he scrambled his way out of confinement and dashed across the floor to jump into Ophelia’s waiting arms.

“Oh, I’ve missed you too, my little angel!” Ophelia cooed as she cuddled his cat into her chest and stroked his head. For his part, Janus seemed to return her greeting with a loud, rumbling purr. Mercury did his best to stamp down his jealousy at how openly affectionate his cat was acting towards his sister. It was just a fact of life that everyone loved Ophelia—animals, small children, all of their relatives. She couldn’t walk down the block without finding something or someone to befriend. It was her naivete that held the effortless charm that drew everyone in, and he’d long outgrown his envy of that particular characteristic. He had honed his own brand of ‘charm’ that served him just as well, after all.

As Mercury stood up and slid Janus’ bag off his shoulder, he happened to notice that unlike the last time he’d visited Ophelia’s apartment, there were about a dozen pairs of shoes sitting next to the front door. Several of them appeared to be thin, strappy heels, which didn't suit his sister’s style. He furrowed his brow and glanced around, and noticed some other things that had escaped his notice before: two coats hanging on the hooks; two purses sitting on the table. That was twice as many as one young woman needed.

“Is there someone else here?” He asked, gesturing towards the purses. She’d have told him if there was a girlfriend in the picture, and his sister didn’t strike him as the type to do a one night stand, so he was having trouble coming up with a logical explanation….

Ophelia’s shoulder tensed as she leaned down and released Janus, who strutted off to begin his inspection of the apartment. When she stood back up, her face had gone blank.

“Uh, yes. There is. Didn’t I mention? I have a roommate now. She moved in two weeks ago.”

Mercury gaped at her. “A roommate?” He’d never have agreed to leave Janus in an apartment with a stranger! He’d have at least had a background check done at first! “Please tell me one of your friends from London moved here and needed a place to stay, or something like that, and that you didn’t invite a random person to come live with you!”

Ophelia tucked some of her hair behind her ear and glanced at the floor. “Um. Well. I put up some flyers…”

Mercury took a deep breath and then exhaled as slowly as he could, but when he finally spoke, it was through gritted teeth. “Where did you put them up? How many were there? And what personal information were you publicly advertising?”

“I put up maybe half a dozen here and there… you know, the coffee shops down by the college, the student center, places like that. I just had my first name and phone number, not my address! They had to call for that—”

“You’re getting a new phone number,” he said firmly, glaring at her. “God, Ophelia, how could you be so foolish? Do you even know what types of dangerous people lurk in this town? For all you know, this ‘roommate’ of yours is one of them!”

“Calm down, Ashley is fine. And I’m not changing my phone number, that’s such a hassle!”

“We can talk about it later,” Mercury said firmly, although he was already planning on instructing his assistant to take care of changing his sister’s number once he made it to the airport. “Tell me why you decided to get a roommate in the first place. We never discussed this as an option when you were moving here.”

Ophelia shrugged, still refusing to meet his eyes. “I’ve been struggling to make the rent on this place with my budget. I can’t move to a cheaper part of town, because if my mum comes to visit and my living situation is not up to her standards, I’d never hear the end of it! You know how she is, she’d have me moving back to London before I could even defend my choices!”

“If you need money, you are to come to me,” he said sternly. “Taking care of your rent would be nothing to me, but instead you neglect to tell me there’s an issue and decide to invite a stranger off the street into your home? How irresponsible can you get!”

Ophelia scoffed. “You’re right, it would have been nothing to you. What about for me? I can’t come running to my brother to fix every little problem I have for the rest of my life, now can I? I’m an adult, I need to find my own solutions to things. That’s being responsible. The solution to making rent on this ridiculously huge apartment that you found for me is to split the burden with a roommate!”

Mercury opened his mouth to continue berating Ophelia for her ridiculous views on something as trivial as asking for his help, but before he could, his watch beeped, notifying him that he was running out of time to get going and make his flight. Despite his personal, feline-related reluctance to leave the city right now, this conference was one he couldn’t afford to miss. He’d have to deal with Ophelia’s roommate situation when he got back… although there was one thing that had to happen. “Where is this ‘Ashley’? I need to meet her before I leave Janus here.”

“Is that really necessary—?”

“The other solution is for you to go pack a bag right now, and go stay with Janus at my house for the week. I am not leaving my cat in the hands of someone I’ve never met!”

Ophelia glared back at him for a long minute, before finally sighing and looking over her shoulder. “Hey, Ashley,” she called. “Can you come here?”

A moment later, light footsteps sounded down the hall as the mysterious roommate approached. “What do you need now? Is your brother gone yet?”

The owner of the voice turned out to be a slender young woman with long, dark hair, and large, bright blue eyes. With her high cheekbones, symmetrical facial features, and full, red-tinted lips, she’d be considered conventionally attractive in most people’s estimation—but most people were incapable of looking past a surface appearance and judging what truly lurked beneath. And Mercury happened to know first hand that this woman’s angelic beauty was all a lie; she was none other than Lilith, a master manipulator and a scourge he’d thought he banished from his city long ago.

For her part, Lilith looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. Her eyes grew wide as she glanced between Mercury and Ophelia, and Mercury could almost see the wheels turning in her scheming little brain. After a moment though, her neutral mask fell back into place and she stuck out her hand. “You must be the big brother I’ve heard far too little about. I’m Ashley; I moved in with Ophelia not too long ago.”

“Ashley?” He tried a smile, so as not to make Ophelia suspicious of any prior involvement with her new ‘roommate’, but he couldn’t stop it from turning into a sneer as he shook her hand, squeezing more firmly than was strictly necessary. “And what brings you here?”

A sneer of her own pulled at Lilith’s lips as she returned his iron handshake with just as much force. “Just a job. I won’t bore you with the details; from what I hear, you’re quite busy. Don’t you have somewhere to be?” She nodded to the door behind him, and he decided that her smug little dismissal wasn’t going to do at all.

He dropped her hand and stepped back, his eyes never leaving Lilith’s. “Ophelia; I’d like to have a word with Ashley for a moment. I just need to make her understand the responsibility that comes with living in the same apartment as my… cat.”

Ophelia glanced between the two of them and seemed hesitant to leave them alone, but he gave her a pointed stare, and that was enough for her to clear her throat. “Alright, I’ll just go find Janus wherever he’s wandered off to so you can say goodbye. Uh. Be nice.”

Once his sister had disappeared further into her apartment, Mercury stepped closer to Lilith again so he could tower over her and hiss into her ear. “What the fuck are you playing at? You moved in with my sister?”

“Well I didn’t know she was your sister until two minutes ago,” Lilith snapped, taking a step back and crossing her arms while glaring up at him. “Trust me, if I had, I definitely wouldn’t have signed the damn lease.”

Mercury glared at her for a minute, trying to decide if he should believe her. Because honestly, what were the odds that his old, forgotten rival would move in with one of his family members? Although, no one at the League besides his assistant even knew he had a sister, as he’d hidden her existence for years, and Ophelia didn’t know what he actually did for a living, so it was somewhat plausible that this was just an unhappy accident. In either case…

“You’ll have to move out immediately.”

Lilith gaped at him. “What? No way! I just finished unpacking yesterday, and I already did all the paperwork—I can’t afford to break a lease!”

Mercury narrowed his eyes. “So whatever ‘job’ lured you back to my city doesn’t even pay well? I’m very curious to know the details.”

She scoffed and flipped her head to send her curtain of dark hair back back over her shoulder. “My life these days is none of your business, actually. As is who I’ve chosen to be my roommate. Trust me, I’m not stupid enough to do anything to your precious little kitten while Ophelia is catsitting. So you can go ahead and go now. We wouldn’t want you to miss your big photo op with the UN.”

“Your life became my business when you chose to involve yourself in my sister’s affairs,” he said through gritted teeth. “And that’s another thing—you can not say a word to Ophelia about our past or reveal my secret identity.”

Lilith blinked several times. “Wait… she doesn’t know that you’re Silver Boy?”

“It’s Silver Bullet now,” he snapped. “And no, she does not; I don’t like to bring my work home with me. She’s clueless, and she will stay that way if you know what’s good for you.”

Lilith furrowed her brow, but nodded slowly. “My past is dead and buried, so she won’t hear it from me.”

Mercury pursed his lips, but glanced at his watch. He would have preferred to keep talking so he could get more information about Lilith’s sudden return as well as impress upon her further the importance of keeping his secret from Ophelia, but he really had to get going this time.

“Hey, are you two done yet?” Ophelia asked as she entered the room again, this time with a wriggling Janus in her arms. “I thought you had a flight to catch.”

“I’ll have to leave in a minute,” Mercury confirmed, stepping closer to take Janus from her so he could say goodbye. Learning that Ophelia had a roommate and then Lilith’s reappearance had distracted him from his previous worries, but now they all came rushing back as he was moments away from stepping out the door. Janus leaned his head into Mercury’s chest and purred softly, and all Mercury could think of was how he was abandoning his son. They hadn’t been apart for any extended period of time since Janus had come home with him! If Lilith hadn’t been standing there, he would have told Janus that he loved him very much and would be back soon, that he was sorry to have to go and would rather just stay with him. As it was, he simply squeezed his eyes shut and pressed a firm kiss atop Janus’ head in between his ears.

“Cute cat you’ve got there,” Lilith said, and Mercury glared at her again. “How old is he?”

“About six months,” Ophelia answered as she reached out to stroke Janus’ fur. “Mercury found him when he was a kitten. Isn’t he just the best little boy?”

“You found a kitten six months ago, huh? I just bet there’s some great pictures of the two of you together back then.” Lilith smirked at him, and Mercury knew that she’d just figured it out. His grip on Janus tightened.

About six months ago, he—well, the superhero known as Silver Bullet—had raided an underground lab belonging to the evil scientist known as Gray Raven. After the fight, the League’s Media Liaison had shown up and had him pose for pictures holding some of the rescued animal test subjects—including a very young black kitten. After the photos, the League’s cleanup crew had taken all of the animals away so the results of Gray Raven’s experiments could be professionally monitored. It wasn’t until he’d gotten home that night that he’d realized the tiny black kitten he’d posed with had somehow snuck its way into his bag as he was leaving, and fallen asleep!

He should have notified his handlers immediately and turned the kitten over to the League like the rest of the rescued animals, but… he couldn’t bring himself to part with the little guy. So the kitten was named Janus and became his companion, and no one at work needed to know he’d gotten a cat. Ophelia had only found out after an unannounced visit shortly after that, which he’d never regretted, at least until now. Her mother had allowed her to have cats and other pets while growing up, an indulgence their father never allowed for him, so she had been able to fill him in on some of the knowledge he was lacking. It also meant that he didn’t have to trust a stranger in his home or consider boarding his precious cat when compelled to travel for work.

If he’d known Lilith would be in the picture, though…  

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he knew it would be his assistant checking up on him to make sure he was on track to make his schedule. There really was no more time to linger.

Mercury sighed as he released Janus and tried to brush some of the cat hair off of his suit. He kept a lint roller in his car, so the rest of the evidence would be gone by the time he made it to the airport. “I really need to go now, but this discussion isn’t over,” he said, glancing at Lilith before fixing his gaze on Ophelia, who had the good sense to appear guilty about the shock she’d put him through at such an inopportune time. “I’ll see you in a week. Behave yourselves until then.” After a forced smile and quick hug from Ophelia, he turned and left. With every step he took away from the door, he was regretting his decision. It had been hard enough to agree to this when it was just leaving his cat with his sister, but now she was there!

He swore to himself that if any harm came to his cat or his sister and he could find the slightest bit of fault with her, then that demon woman would have hell to pay.

X

“So.” Ashley was standing with her arms crossed and was glaring at the door that Mercury had vanished through just minutes ago. “Your brother is Silver Boy.”

Ophelia took a deep breath and stood up from where she’d knelt to comfort Janus, who had started mewling in protest when his dad left, but had quickly been soothed when she dug out some cat treats from his bag. “Well he’s the Silver Bullet, now. The League rebranded him when he turned twenty.”

Ashley rolled her eyes. “Right. Rebranding. I’m forever thankful I ditched the League before I had to go through my own stupid ‘image update’. But regardless of what he goes by these days, did it not occur to you that this fact might be something I needed to know? We’re supposed to be partners!”

Ophelia crossed her arms to match Ashely’s stance. “You’re the one who said that just because we’re assigned partners doesn’t mean we’ve got to spill all of our secrets! You weren’t supposed to meet him in the first place, I told you to move your stuff from the entryway and keep quiet while he was here!”

She scoffed. “I forgot, ok? But this is a pretty big secret, a little heads up might have been nice! And he thinks you don’t know? What’s that about?”

“He and dad always made such a big effort to keep their identities from me when I came to visit, I didn’t have the heart to tell them mum had spilled the beans ages ago. So I played dumb… and so they just keep assuming that I am dumb. Anyway, it works to our advantage now, right? If I had been part of his Super world when my powers showed up, there’s no way I’d get a chance to complete the Justicar Trial with you. I know him; he’d have me carted off to the League and working as a registered Superhero on his team faster than you could say ‘Solar Flare’!”

“Right. Does Zoey know?”

“Zoey knows everything,” Ophelia confirmed, and Ashley finally relaxed her arms and shook her head.

“Well, as long as Ms. Butterfly is in on it, I suppose I can’t complain. She’ll have made all her little plans with him in mind. Your brother has no idea you’re powered?”

“None whatsoever, and it’s going to stay that way for as long as possible.” Ophelia tried to fix Ashley with a fierce stare to let her know Ophelia meant business. She knew she wasn’t nearly as capable of intimidation as her brother, but she had picked up a few things from him.

Ashley just scoffed. “No need to worry about him hearing it from me; I’d have been happy never to see his face again, and shall strive to avoid him as much as humanly possible while living with his sister. Next question: that cat. You do realize it came from an evil scientist’s lab, likely has some sort of mutant ability as a result, and will now be roaming freely around our apartment?”

That made Ophelia smile. “Yes, I know that, and understand where your concern is coming from, but there’s something you have failed to consider.”

“And what’s that?”

“He might be an evil science experiment, but Janus is also a very good boy.”

[giantroboticplatypusbutt218]

I finished watching Loonatics Unleashed and I have Some Thoughts. I guess this is like a part 2 to the other post I made about the show so yeah.

I swear I don’t intend for everything I write to be an essay but whatever. It’s all under the cut. No massive story spoilers, but I will talk about episodes and will warn accordingly. (But who actually cares about being spoiled on the plot of Loonatics Unleashed?)

Alright so I finally figured out why Ace has laser vision. ...It’s kinda dumb but it’s because rabbits eat carrots(in cartoons). It’s... a reason at least. Still kinda sucks that it’s his only power when everyone else got 2 and some change. Kickass swords don’t count, even if they are magic. Seriously; Transformation. Duplication. Imitation. Tons of other “ation”s. They could’ve leaned into his trickster side but no. He eats carrots... so he got laser vision. Also he only ate carrots like three times in the show so wtf...

Okay so the pacing... improved somewhat in season 2. Don’t get me wrong there were still problems in some episodes but at least they learned how to build the stakes until the climax. They still sometimes went from zero to eighty after the opening credits, but at least it wasn’t zero to a hundred. Much less whiplash was had is what I’m saying. 

I don’t think I really mentioned the villains before but they’re uh... generally not very good. They’ve got cool gimmicks but most of the time they’re just two stereotypes and a cliche in a trench coat. Season 2 brought back classic anthro characters to be villains a few times, and while they still weren’t well written and just referenced old bits half the time... at least they weren’t dehumanized humans. 

I also don’t think I mentioned the animation so... it’s fine. It’s got cut corners but all cartoons do. Sometimes fight scenes look cool, sometimes they’re stiff. Sometimes the slapstick is well timed, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes the facial expressions match the voice acting, sometimes they don’t. Speaking of voice acting, it’s good. There’s not really anything stand out to perform in the first place but everyone does a good job with what they have. 

Okay random note before getting deeper into things... the intro themes were... not good. I swear the first song ended on a note that it wasn’t supposed to. The second song fixed that but added people announcing the characters which... is just worse to me. Not much else to say because I skipped them after the first few times. 

(Very mild spoilers for the general plots of episodes past this point.)

Ace and Lexi improved a little in the second season, but I still find them kinda bland. Ace still just feels like zero calorie Bugs Bunny. His wit is confined to being the leader, snarky comebacks, and some decent sleuthing skills... and that’s really it. He doesn’t really play around with the villains the way Bugs would. Ace was also supposed to have an arc learning to use his magic sword which... didn’t really happen. Lexi’s defining trait outside of her powers is still that she’s “the girl” which... sucks... Uh... she upgraded to Gamer Girl in the second season which while neat, amounted to nothing outside that one episode. At the very least she was never kidnapped for more than 5 seconds?(That “honor” goes to Zadavia) They also never really brought up their backstories in a meaningful way again, which sucks. 

I still like the rest of the team. Slam got an episode about wrestling that built on his backstory and was fun to watch. Duck discovered that his egg powers work differently in water which was neat and matched him being a waterfowl.(Lexi’s powers work differently in water too but it’s never brought up again). Rev is still Rev and I still love him. He got an episode about his family and struggle to impress them(specifically his parents) despite his career choice which was also neat, but I will be coming back to this episode later. Tech is also still Tech and I also still love him. But uh, every character and also me wanted to see him get out of the lab more, and then he got like a nibble of an episode to get out of the lab, and then the show was over. Oof.

Speaking of Tech, it might be for the best he hardly ever left the lab because his powers are... possibly way too effective against all the robots and machines the team fights. Now, him being “overpowered” could’ve been used as a fun writing challenge. Robot goons aren’t a good option for villains anymore. Fighting against him in a city filled with metal is harder. Villains can’t rely on simply killing him thanks to his regeneration. Fight scenes including Tech would have to be handled in a fun and interesting way. But... no. In a team with two tech guys, the one with super speed and flight comes with while the one who can control metal and literally can’t die stays behind. Oh well. Doubt they could’ve added him into more fights without accidentally dumbing him down anyway. 

Oh crap I forgot to talk about Zadavia! Uh... she exists. She’s the team’s boss who sends them out on missions. Uh... I can’t talk too much about her without spoiling what little overarching plot this show has, but just know that she’s neat, but affected by the usual sexism going on in the show’s writing.

(Character and episode spoilers past this point.)

You know, for being The Loonatics the main cast wasn’t very loony. You know who were though? Basically all the villains. Yeah I don’t wanna go there but oops here I go anyway. It’s pretty messed up that all the main characters’ zany traits were dialed down, while the defining feature of practically every villain (besides their stereotypes)is that they’re insane. I mean, if you’re looking for good mental illness rep in The Looney Tunes you’re gonna be disappointed, but at least in the shorts almost every character was a little unhinged and a bit of an asshole, making none of them stand out for those traits specifically. 

Also messed up is that a lot of the villains are disfigured and made fun of for it by the main cast. Hot take of the century, but I think making fun of people for having a big head or only one eye is... bad. Oh and if they’re a woman then they’re also judged on how hot they are. Actually all women in the show are subjected to sexist writing. I remember like one episode where women were treated with a sliver of respect for a split second and that was in the obligatory “the cast comes across an island of amazon women” episode. However since most of the time was spent painting them as villains until the “actually sexism is bad” ending, there was hardly a moment of reprieve from the bullshit if a woman was on screen. 

I’m not the best person to speak on this but uh... it’s fucked up that since literally every notable human is a villain, all the people of color are bad guys, right? Like, obviously it’s not as bad as some of the shit the old shorts pulled, but that’s like saying getting punched is not as bad as getting stabbed. It’s true... but I’m sure most people would prefer neither. 

And here’s where I bring up that Rev episode I mentioned earlier. Rev’s parents are racist against coyotes (cartoons sure love to make carnivores allegories for black people don’t they?) and obviously with Tech E. Coyote being his close friend, that causes trouble. ...Right? Uh, no. They say some racist crap to Tech, and that’s it. There is not even an attempt to correct their behavior from anyone. It’s just treated as some unfortunate quirk. In fact the episode’s conflict actually revolves around Rev’s brother, Rip. Honestly, I doubt that they could’ve handled a decent “racism is bad” episode anyway. But they could’ve also... just not brought up racism if they couldn’t handle it? I’m sure having no racism topic at all would be better than having Tech just take the parents’ racist bull crap lying down and then help Rev impress them with an invention he doesn’t get credit for. Also at one point Rev says if Tech wasn’t a coyote and a guy he’d kiss him, which has two uncomfortable implications, but this section is already too long. 

(Spoilers end here.)

Overall... yeah the show’s not very good. Of course it wasn’t. It was always going to be a little garbage. And no not because of the darker style or strange setting or any of that superficial crap. Team dynamic shows are popular and with Teen Titans doing so well WB probably thought they might as well shove out a 2 season Looney Tunes version to grab a little more cash, probably minimizing the budget to squeeze out as much profit as possible. If anyone working on the show was passionate about it, I doubt they had the budget or time to act on most their ideas. 

Still, there were things to like. There are some funny jokes throughout the show, a few of which even managed to come out of Ace’s mouth. Danger Duck was literally just Daffy and he’s always great. Ironically, Rev and Tech were the most fun to listen to, and also to watch interacting in general. Slam didn’t do much but was a sweetheart who deserves success. There managed to be some decently twisty twist villains, if only because Disney ruined my brain with their ceaseless and lazy attempts at them, and I wasn’t looking out for them in this show. And, while almost nothing was properly developed, at least the concepts and characters are fun to think about?

I can’t say I’d recommend this show to everybody, but uh... if you’re a Furry with low standards and too much free time like me, maybe you’ll like it? Just go in with low expectations so when nice things happen you’re decently surprised. 

[littlemarvelfics]

Come Back... Chapter Ten

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: about 1,700

Warnings: none

A/N: This is it y’all. The last full chapter of Come Back… Thank you guys SO much for all the support on this one. The next thing on my to write list is a Steve Rogers series. If you want a tag for that let me know! Also, let me know if you want to be moved from the Come Back list to a different tag list. All tag and writing requests can be sent in here. You can find the series masterlist here and my main masterlist here.

Previous Chapter

After you made it back to the inn, you flung yourself on the bed and let the tears fall. You knew you had messed up. You knew it moments after walking away from Bucky but it didn't change anything. He might not have ruined your life then or now but you weren't wrong when you said it had all been a mistake. Being 16 and in love didn't mean the two of you could just pick up where you left off. You had gotten over him once, you could do it again, right? You got out of bed and took what was left of your makeup off before taking off your dress and getting back into bed. It was too late now anyway. Bucky probably went back into the reception and continued on with his night like nothing happened.

Bucky left the reception shortly after you did, he couldn't find it in himself to be in a party mood. He thought back to what you had said. He never thought you took the breakup that hard. He always assumed you went the romcom route, having a good cry and then moving on with your life immediately after. It killed him that he was the reason for any pain in your life. And here he was doing it again. He loved you. He loved you more than he ever thought possible. But more than that, he knew you. He knew you weren’t happy. He could see it in the way your smile faded just a little when someone asked you about New York or your job. But he also knew that after the countless arguments with your parents, you weren't about to just give up. Bucky got himself ready for bed and tossed and turned until his phone lit up with a text from Steve.

I’m taking her to the airport tomorrow. 10 am. Don't be late.

Bucky smiled to himself. He wouldn’t ask you to stay again. It wasn’t fair to keep pressuring you. But at least he could say goodbye, even if it killed him inside.

You sat in Steve’s car, both of you silent as he drove you to the airport. You had told him you could find another ride but he insisted on it until you finally caved. So far, neither one of you had brought up the night before. Steve pulled up to the airport and walked you in. You knew you at least needed to apologize about last night.

“Steve, I am so sorry about last night. I cause a scene and then I bailed and-”

Steve stopped you before you could continue.

“It’s okay Y/N. There wasn't a scene that anyone noticed and I understood why you left. But I do need you to know that Bucky wasn’t trying to mess anything up for you.”

“I know. And he didn't actually. I was just upset and overreacting,” you said.

“I am so glad to hear you say that because…” he trailed off, pointing behind you.

You turned and saw Bucky standing a few feet away with his hands in his pockets.

You turned back to Steve and rolled your eyes.

“You just can’t help but meddle huh?” you said with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied, pulling you in for a hug.

You knew you were gonna miss Steve. You had missed him before and this trip just made it worse. Besides Bucky, Steve had been your best friend for years. Even when he was the smallest guy in your class, he was always looking out for you and doing his best to protect you. You helped each other through everything big or small. He helped you fill out the application for NYU and you held his hand when he had to bury his mother. Steve was there when your parents would fight and you were there when his house was too quiet.

“I’m gonna miss you,” you whispered, tears filling your eyes.

“I’m gonna miss you too buddy. But you know I’m always here for you. No matter what.”

Steve kissed the top of your head as he released you, wishing you a safe flight and heading back out the door.

You turned back to Bucky and started talking before he could.

“I’m sorry Bucky. I was a bitch last night and I didn’t mean the things I said. I was upset at the situation and I just started yelling at whoever was closest and that was you.”

Bucky gave you a small smile, forgiving you instantly.

“It’s okay Y/N. I just wanted to see you off. I didn’t want to leave things like that.”

“Me either,” you replied.

Bucky took a deep breath, preparing to let you go. Instead, when he opened his mouth, something else entirely came out.

“Stay. Stay here with me, please. We can make this work Y/N. We aren't kids anymore, I love you so much. When I picture my future, I picture you. We can figure this all out together. Come back, stay with me. Move in with me and write what you love again.”

You attempted to speak but Bucky stopped you.

“I know you’re gonna say something about money but don’t. I can help you.”

You tried again to object but Bucky wasn't having it.

“I have money now, you'll have money later. Even if you don’t, it doesn't matter Y/N. You’re dreams and your happiness are so much more important. I really think I can make you happy Y/N. I love you, please just give us a chance.”

“I can’t Bucky! I can’t come back here. I can’t fail again. I need to do this. I need to prove to myself and my parents and everyone else who called me crazy for going to New York that I’m not a failure. I’m sorry Bucky.”

You placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and walked away from him once again, tears filling your eyes.

-one month later-

True to his word, Josh kicked you out almost immediately when you arrived back in the city. On such short notice, the only place you could find was over budget and the size of a shoebox. You were determined to make it work though. Until you walked into your office building a week later and found out you had been fired. Your articles weren’t doing well enough anymore and they no longer had room for you on staff. Leaving you with the smallest of severance pay and a bruised ego, you set out to find another job. Finding a writing job had proved nearly impossible so instead, you found yourself here, at a shitty hole in the wall diner, waiting tables.

It seemed that today the universe had it out for you. Twenty minutes into your double shift, a kid spilled a soda on you, leaving you sticky for the rest of the day. Not long after that, a customer ‘accidentally’ grabbed your ass and somehow your boss got mad at you for ‘inappropriate behavior’. The rest of your shift dragged on, getting stiffed on tips and tables, leaving you worried about making your rent on time this month. And to top off your horrendous day, halfway through your walk home, the skies opened up and left you drenched.

You walked into your building and saw the elevator was down for maintenance. Throwing your head back and groaning, you started up the stairs to your apartment. When you finally got to your door, you were shocked to see Bucky sat in front of it. When he looked up and saw you staring at him, he pushed up off the floor and moved out of your way so you could unlock the door.

“What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you. Please, can I come in?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

You unlocked the door to the cramped studio apartments and immediately felt embarrassed for Bucky to see it. Money was tight so decorating or repainting wasn't an option, leaving you with grungy looking walls and tattered second-hand furniture. Books were piled everywhere, along with boxes of clothes you hadn’t been able to find space for. Suffice to say, you didn’t exactly look like you were killing it. You were about to tell Bucky you needed to change out of your wet clothes when he started talking.

“I haven't been able to stop thinking about you this past month. God, Y/N, please come back home with me,” Bucky blurted out.

“Bucky! We’ve had this conversation a million times. I can’t!”

“You can!”

“Are you crazy?” you asked.

“Probably,” he conceded. “But do it, come with me.”

“I can’t do that,” you said dismissively.

“You don’t think you can do it but you can! You can do whatever you want!”

“It’s not what I want!”

“It is what you want! I know you.”

“You don’t know me. Not anymore Bucky.”

“Come back with me. We can work, we’ll live together, we’ll be together. It’s what we both want.”

“No!” you yelled, losing your patience with this conversation.

“I want to be with you. Here or back home. Where ever you want, name the place and I’m there. I just want to be with you. We can start over!”

“There’s nothing to start.”

“You can count on me now! I know you couldn't before and I know you're probably scared and to be honest I am too. But I am ready to be that guy now. The responsible guy that you can count on.”

“No!”

“I love you. We’re supposed to be together. I knew it when I met you when we were eight years old. I know it and you know it.”

“No, no, no, no,” you repeated it like a mantra, trying to block out Bucky’s words.

“Don’t say no just to make me shut up or to make me go away. Only say no if you really don’t want to be with me.”

You looked into Bucky’s eyes and saw the desperation and slight hope there. You thought about the past month and the few days you were back in your hometown. You need to make a choice, once and for all.

Next Chapter

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[redfistblogs-blog]

Filming Days 1-3

     April 6th, 2017.  The first, and well, only scene that we worked on for that day and the next was Roman meeting Nightmare.  It was a 2-minute scene that took 2 days.  It was a fitting scene to start the production, because it had the most Noirish look in the entire episode.  The low-key lighting (with a lot of help from Venetian blinds) and the fog sold that aesthetic.

       While we heavily relied on the storyboard, we improvised some creepy shots on set.  Like the one that pans right with Roman in his office as he searches for the source of Nightmare’s voice, then pans left to show Nightmare now standing in the background.  And the close-up where lightning flashes to fully reveal Nightmare’s mask.

                        Cameraman Dennis Manning suggested this shot.

     Both Raw and Seth asked a lot of questions about their characters.  There were some debates on certain character choices, such as whether or not Nightmare’s cane is magical.  For the record, no one at Red Fist supported this, but for our own amusement (and because it was quicker to do instead of argue about for an hour), obliged the others by filming a quick shot where Roman’s gun is magically forced down by the Magicane.

     Raw was the MVP of the first leg of production.  Every day was a blast with him.  He was also a great mentor and guide for us.  Everybody was excited to meet and talk with him.  (Our technical crew, especially).  When Justin visited, he and Raw immediately hit it off.  He supported Matt every step of the way when being directed by him.  All in all, he was a class act.

                                                   Filming: Day 2

    ��April 7th, 2017.  The second day actually finished early.  Thank God too, because we were already exhausted from driving the actors to hotels/AirBnb homes and restaurants, and from airports for the last two days.  And there were some sore points on and off set, mainly because of a prima donna attitude.  But any exhaustion and toxicity were no match for the cathartic feeling of filming something unprecedented on multiple fronts.

     First off, this was the first time we had filmed anything of this script, which had been written over a year before.  This was also the first time any of us had worked on a Batman story.  (As lifelong Batman fans, that alone meant everything).  In addition, these first two days marked Red Fist’s inaugural web series (which meant, for the first time ever, professional working actors and a full crew), which dovetails into the fourth front--this was by far our best work at that point (and we were only getting started).

     It was also fun listening to Raw’s stories of working with various people on certain movies.  (He LOVES telling the one about egging on Samuel L. Jackson to cuss him out on the set of “Hateful Eight”).  And, it was cool to learn more about Raw and his developing career.  In between scenes, I even had the pleasure of reading with him for a video audition.

     That said, we didn’t want to say goodbye to Raw so soon; but the next morning, he was heading back home in Philadelphia.  Ben was scheduled to arrive that next morning, to film his scenes with Seth that night.  But who needs schedules when you have severe thunderstorms?

     See, there was a major thunderstorm happening in Atlanta, where Ben’s flight (from North Carolina) had made an emergency stop.  The rest of his flight was cancelled that day.  Over the course of about 24 hours, he was stuck at the airport, struggling to find a different flight, a bus, or rent a car that could get him to St. Louis in time.

     Since I had to get up at 3:30AM to take Raw to the airport, I went to bed earlyish (around 11:30PM).  But then Raw texts me at 3AM, and says for me to get some sleep, because his flight was cancelled too!!!  We were excited that he’d be staying at least another day, and would (maybe) get to meet Ben, but we were also fretting that we’d have to pay another night for a hotel for him, and find a new one on top of that.  (Hotels and flights were the bane of our budget).

                            Our rewards points are useless against him!

     Matt, Ian, and I all got to sleep until 8 the next morning.  And when we woke up, we realized we needed the sleep.  There was a whole new bevy of problems to address.

                                                      Filming: Day 3

     By this point, we were sick of Chipotle, Applebees, and just eating out in general.  The challenge of doing a million jobs is you don’t always get time to make food for every meal.  We don’t go out to eat anymore, so if you want Cheesecake Factory, bring your own.  I mean, nowadays we bring salad, bagels, pasta, beans, rice (you know, healthy stuff).  So screw your cheesecake.

                      I know you like overpriced food, but we ain’t got none!

     Anyway, the third day we didn’t film at Fat Chimp.  Actually, we didn’t even film during the day.  Since Rawn Weasley had to stay an extra night, and couldn’t get another flight till the next day, we had to scramble to find him a new hotel.  Well, we did that in no time; that was easy.  The real challenge actually had nothing to do with Raws al Ghul.

     The storm made its way down to North Carolina, where Ben Curns (Gordon) was.  All flights for that day were cancelled for him.  He was scheduled to film two scenes with Roman.  We couldn’t get Seth Michaels (Roman) back the following weekend (when Ben would’ve been filming more scenes anyway).  On top of finding a hotel for Raw, we also had to help Ben figure out a way to get to St. Louis, because he was still stuck in Atlanta!  The last available flight he had been crossing his fingers to get was cancelled too.  By that point, no bus or train was going to be fast enough.  The only option was rent-a-car, which just wasn’t in our budget (over $100 a day!).  Just like that, Ben, against his will, had to catch the next flight back to North Carolina.

                           Life imitating one of the greatest comedies ever.    

   That meant one thing--rewrites!  Which we had to film that night!  Naturally, Gordon was removed from the city hall scene with Roman.  And we had to tweak Roman’s opening lines from something like, “Gordon’s with me tonight” to “Gordon had a pressing matter so he’ll be here in a little bit”.  Since this show already melded multiple genres (Film Noir, Martial Arts, Gothic Horror), we figured a dash of documentary wouldn’t hurt.  We also had to change the scene where Roman visits Gordon’s office to hand him the file given to him by Nightmare.  Roman was no longer in it, and Gordon’s secretary gives it to him instead.  Like Day 2, Day 3 was shortened to where we filmed Roman’s remaining two scenes at Cathedral.

     And that was so much fun.  A lot of our friends came out for the shoot to be journalists, bodyguards for the mayor, and some just hung out in the background.  Raw was still there, clad in unforgettable yellow sweatpants, a lime green tank top, and an overcoat that I don’t think was even his.  If we were gonna finish the first leg of filming without Ben, I’m glad Raw was there to entertain everyone.

                                 Especially this miles-deep sea of reporters.

Raw’s full get-up was too legendary to be caught on camera, but you get the idea.  (On the right is also our friend, actor Adam Flowers).

     All of the footage we needed from Raw and Seth was in the can, and we could finally take a breather before next week’s filming.  Well, almost...

[cake-faceshawty]

If you remember my first travel post (Bienvenido a Cuba!), I shared my promise to myself to visit at least one new country each year. And being the birthday diva I am, what better way to kick off twenty-nine twenty-fine than with a girls trip to somewhere new. And thus,

#DESTINATIONTWENTYFINE

was born.

Upon my return from Havana last July, I instinctively started searching for my next vacation spot, and was drawn to the beautiful beaches, exciting adventures and delicious food DR had to offer. I therefore had no doubt that #DESTINATIONTWENTYFINE would be in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

I know what you’re thinking – what is this chick’s obsession with Spanish-speaking countries? Honestly, I’m not sure either 😂 (aside from my love of Hispanic food), but keep in mind that my birthday is in the dead of winter, so travel options are limited due to the weather.

Being the lunatic that I am, by the end of July I had presented my closest girlfriends with a full on PDF document that had everythangggggg (I do my homework, okay!). I had decided on travel dates, given airline options from each person’s point of origin, accommodation options, a full on itinerary and a budget for the entire trip.

However, similar to my Cuba planning, I found limited information online. Even harder, was finding out anything beyond the confinements of all-inclusive resorts. Perhaps it’s because I’m from a popular tourist destination (so I know how it goes), but the thought of staying in a hotel and ONLY experiencing what they present to you at the resort does not excite me. I want to explore the cuisine that hasn’t been watered down to satisfy the palates of tourists; I want to interact with locals and explore beyond the resort walls. And while Punta Cana is known for being a resort town, I knew there was more to be seen than the hotel disco and food buffet.

Within three months, three girlfriends and I had booked flights (catch flights, not feelings okurrrrr), secured a beautiful bungalow via Airbnb and committed to a fully packed birthday getaway to D.R.!

We spent 6 days exploring Punta Cana, eating way too much rice, consuming wayyy too much alcohol and collecting memories to last a lifetime.

Of course I couldn’t limit you guys to just glam shots on Instagram! So, here are all my tips for planning a vacation to Punta Cana.

My follow-up post will have more on where to go, what to eat, what I wore (you know I love a slaycation) and things to do. I hope these posts will answer all your questions!

About Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a part of the second biggest Caribbean island, Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. From a tourist’s perspective, the island would seem to be simply beaches and palm trees; however, they also have mountains, deserts and a rich history.

The official language of DR is Spanish, and while some might assume based on the popularity that Punta Cana is the capital of DR, it is actually Santo Domingo.

Their currency is the Dominican Peso, however, USD, CAD, Euros and GBP are accepted in most places in Punta Cana.

Punta Cana

Punta Cana is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean and therefore has tons of resorts and villa options. It encompasses Cap Cana, Macao, Bavaro, El Cortecito, Cabeza de Toro, Uvero Alto and Arena Gorda. From the picturesque beaches to the epic nightlife, Punta Cana has become a prime vacation spot if you’re looking for a luxury vacation, some kind of turn up or just want to slay relax on the beach all day – and of course learn a little about the country’s culture!

The beaches and surrounding area reminded me of Jamaica’s north coast – beautiful white sand, lush grass, palm and coconut trees, and warm locals willing to accommodate you despite the language barrier.

What you should know before traveling to Punta Cana

While US passport holders do not need a visa to enter DR, there are visa restrictions for some countries. Jamaicans can enter DR without any visa requirements, however, if you are travelling through the US, you will of course need a US visa. Multiple blog posts had warned of a $10 visitor fee that must be paid before going through immigration, however, we were not required to pay any additional fees. Perhaps that fee is now outdated or included in the ticket fee, but no cash payment was required at the airport from any of us – and we traveled from different locations on different airlines.

Arrange your transportation beforehand: whether you plan to rent a car or need a driver to take you to your accommodation, make these plans before you travel to avoid unnecessary airport stress and get the best prices possible.

About 90% of the resorts are all-inclusive: if you want that resort life and prefer to pre-pay for accommodation, food, alcohol and entertainment, one of these resorts may be your best bet.

Most places in Punta Cana accept USD, Euros, GBP and CAD, so there’s no reason to change your money to pesos. Major credit cards were accepted most places, however, I recommend you bring cash (mostly small bills) for some excursions, tips, and other small purchases.

You can book a lot your excursions in advance online, so you don’t have to worry about them getting sold out. We tried to book as much as we could beforehand in order to efficiently plan our itinerary.

The weather app isn’t always right. The day before we traveled, I was getting a bit nervous because all I saw were rain clouds and possible thunder storms on the Weather App. However, since this is a tropical place, occasional rain clouds appear for short periods. It drizzled maybe twice during our stay and none of our plans were affected by these rain drops.

As a mostly Catholic country, nudity is illegal! So save your topless tanning for elsewhere. If you really want to avoid tan lines, spend some extra dinero on a room with a private pool.

SIM cards with unlimited data for a week are available for $10 USD through Claro, so save on roaming charges and just purchase one at BlueMall (literally less than 10 minutes from the airport) to stay in the loop. Most public places also have Wi-Fi, so you’ll be able to instagram all your amazing pictures in real-time.

What to pack…

As previously stated in my Cuba post, I am not a light packer – I embrace the slaycation lifestyle completely and commit to the slayage – which you cannot do from simply a carry-on. I simply must check a bag when I travel! I’ll try to stick to the basics because  I will have a follow-up post on how to pack for a slaycation, so stay tuned!

Passport. Duh, for any international flight this is necessary – but it always has to top the packing list. I can’t imagine driving all the way to the airport only to realise I left my passport on the bed.

Money. Get your coins ready – and whatever cards you’ll be carrying.

Bags. 1 carry-on, 1 checked bag, a backpack/tote, appropriate bags for outfits.

Toiletries. I’m a naturalista, so of course I have to pack shampoo, conditioner, styling products and a spray bottle. But, you’ll also need toothbrush, toothpaste, mouth wash, first aid kit, any necessary medication, deodorant, sunblock, tanning oil, lotion, tampons/pads, makeup, razor, bug spray and makeup. The good thing about this destination is that Supermercado Nacional in Punta Cana has most things you could possibly want: from Advil to Andrews to Herbal Essences. So if you forget any toiletries there’s no need to fret – you can get most of your necessities at the supermarket.

Electronics. Cell phone, iPad/tablet, camera, portable charger, charger cables for all devices, earphones, blue tooth speaker. I opted to leave my laptop at home to resist any temptation to work while on vacation.

Clothing. Underwear (my standard is 2/day plus extras), shorts, cool clothing (it is a tropical destination), swimsuits, a sweater/jacket, sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, heels/dress shoes, “fancy” clothes, sleep clothes and a hat. Once again, Punta Cana is a modernized island so if you need anything, you can probably pick it up at a mall. BlueMall has a huge Zara, Nike, Aldo, Levi’s, Under Armour, just to name a few. So if you forget anything or want to change an outfit, you can always go shopping 💁🏾.

Travel

We booked our tickets online through our preferred airlines. I use an app called Hopper where you can put in your destination and dates to see flight price predictions on various airlines. You can also watch the flight to know when the right time to book is in order to get the most affordable ticket. If you prefer to stay at an all-inclusive resort, you can find flight + hotel options on aa.com, Expedia, Travelocity, etc.

Traveling from Kingston, Jamaica, Justine-Renee and I booked on American Airlines (my preferred airline). The flight was from KIN (Norman Manley International Airport) to MIA (Miami International Airport), then to PUJ (Punta Cana International Airport). The flight from MIA to PUJ was about 2 hours and the entire travel time was about 7 hours. We left Kingston at 7:49 AM and landed in Punta Cana at 3:15 (DR is 1 hour ahead). The cost for my ticket was $715 USD, which is kinda pricey considering I booked it from October, but I digress…

Please note that the flight prices were probably higher than usual since it is a tropical destination and February is right in the middle of peak season.

My friend Tamara traveled on Jet Blue for less, but her travel time was longer as it went from KIN to FLL to SJU (Puerto Rico) to PUJ. Her return flight, however, only had a layover in FLL.

Christine traveled from North Carolina on Southwest Airlines; her travel time was a bit longer than ours and went from RDU to ATL to PUJ. Her return flight stopped at FLL instead of ATL.

Estimate the ticket price to be anywhere between $500 to $800 depending on your city of origin and when you book the ticket.

Accommodation

As previously stated, I wasn’t too keen on the idea of staying at an all-inclusive resort, plus based on the size of my group, it was more economical to stay at a villa/bungalow. However, there are a wide range of resorts to choose from, especially in Bávaro.

Cap Cana, which is less than 20 minutes from the airport, is a gated resort area containing luxury condos, resorts, beaches and entertainment options.

We rented a villa that was absolutely amazing! It was safe (you need a pass to get through the Cap Cana entrance and to enter Green Village where we stayed), spacious, beautifully decorated, and just perfect for our girls’ trip. It had an outdoor shower and bath tub, and our own private pool and barbecue patio with an expansive backyard (not to mention a beautiful view!). We were also close to the shopping mall, supermarket, restaurants and Scape Park so the location was perfect. Our host, Carlos, was very welcoming and checked on us often; he gave us wonderful recommendations for activities, beaches and restaurants, and replied quickly if we had any questions.

For 5 nights, our villa was about $1400 USD total, which wasn’t too bad when split 4 ways.

Check out our home in paradise (thank you Carlos) here:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/plus/23742780?guests=1&adults=1

How to get around

One thing that had us anxious when planning this vacation was transportation. While Punta Cana does have public transportation (taxis) and tour buses, we felt it would be easier on our schedule (and pockets) to rent a car. I can honestly say we found the least helpful information as it related to car rental.

First of all, you must know this: the people of Punta Cana drive like taxi men in Montego Bay, so if you can handle that, you can handle Punta Cana. As for people used to “safer” driving conditions, I can understand your reservation – you may want to stick to taxis or private tour operators. I’m pretty sure we only passed two stoplights around downtown Punta Cana; otherwise, it was just a bunch of roundabouts (they really love roundabouts) and wildness a bit of a free-for-all.

I highly recommend you reserve your car prior to your arrival. We reserved our Alamo rental a week before (no deposit required) through Expedia. While I did pay for the collision insurance through Expedia ($11/day that you pay upfront), I think you can pass on that. The insurance company offers a good insurance package and we opted to get all the recommended insurance since we were driving in unfamiliar territory.

Originally, in trying to keep within the budget, I had reserved a midsize sedan. However, we reached an agreement that the four of us AND our luggage would not be comfortable in a Tiida (A TIIDAAAA!?!) so we decided to upgrade to an SUV upon arrival. Fortunately, they were out of the immediate upgrade option, and for the same price as a Suzuki Vitara, we were able to rent a full-size SUV. For 6 days and the full insurance package, we paid $418 with no hidden fees or surprises. The only request was that we  bring the car back with a full tank of gas.

The full tank the car came with was sufficient for 6 days of driving all over the place! We didn’t have to get gas until we filled it right before the return time. The cost to fill the tank was about $75USD.

One thing to note is that in order to rent a car, the person renting must have a valid driver’s license and credit card with the same name. You don’t pay for the car when you first rent it: instead, the company will put a hold on the credit card for $500USD and upon return of the car (provided no damages or accidents), they will subtract the cost of the rental from the $500 hold and return the balance to your credit card. This was a relief for us as we were under the impression that they would be charging the rental fee AND putting the hold for $500 all at once.

Overall the rental experience was hassle-free with no hidden charges, and driving in Punta Cana wasn’t a bad experience. Plus, whether you are roaming or purchase a SIM card, you can use WAZE or Google Maps to get around easily.

  The cost

It’s safe to say that Punta Cana is a pricey vacation spot. I mean let’s face it: it is an area developed for tourism. However, plane ticket and accommodation aside, it wasn’t too bad on the pocket. Grocery shopping is so affordable, we were actually in shock! During our first supermarket run, we bought food items, more alcohol, toiletries, and just so much stuff for the four of us, and somehow the bill was only $120!!! If you live in Jamaica, you can understand how cheap that is for a full cart of things for four people.

There are many affordable options for dining out. Depending on your budget, you can spend anywhere between $10-60 on a meal (sometimes including cocktails). Just do your research beforehand and explore your dining options. We were also happy to have a place to cook in so we could budget our meals efficiently.

I had initially placed our total budget (airfare, accommodation, car rental, food, excursions, “braffing”) at $1700-$2000 USD per person. And while we did upgrade the car rental, we stayed within that budget range.

  My tips + thoughts

Get a Spanish dictionary app. Know the basics! I’m not going to lie, I felt like I experienced more of a language barrier in DR than I did in Cuba. Some do know English, but we did experience several service persons who did not speak a lick of English. Just because it’s a tourist destination, do not expect everyone to know Enlglish!!! You are in a Spanish-speaking country!!!!

Purchase the SIM card. I don’t care how much of a shella you are, once your phone is unlocked, purchase the $10 SIM card from Claro. $10 is so affordable and it’s unlimited data for a week. Like… where [else] dey do dat at????

Buy your alcohol in Duty Free when you land. If you plan on getting lit like we did, get your alcohol (especially champagne, Hennessy, tequila) in the duty-free store because it’s so much cheaper! They had some great deals (like 2 bottles of Moet for $120USD) and they had these delicious fruit-infused spirits. You can sample them literally as you step out of immigration. We bought the Papaya-infused Tequila and the Mango-infused Rum. The only downside is we did have to mix some Appleton in the cocktails because those spirits are only 20% alcohol and in Jamaica we’re used to 40% Appleton and 63% White Rum so you know how that goes…. 😁.

Drink bottled water. While the water is relatively clean, depending on where you’re from, you can still get traveler’s diarrhoea or some kind of stomach reaction. I prefer to keep it safe – especially after getting sick in Cuba 🤦🏾‍♀️.

Do not wait until the last-minute to buy souvenirs! We waited until the morning we were leaving and headed to Bavaro to find some souvenir shops. A lot of those places don’t open until midday, so we couldn’t wait and ended up with the limited (and overpriced – $9 for a shot glass 😒) airport finds. Try to actually visit some local stores outside of the airport.

Be open to new experiences – especially food! While you will find American chains such as Wendy’s and Pizza Hut, do not travel to a new country to only eat French fries and pizza! Try some local cuisine – explore the food options!

While it is disappointing, there is a chance you could experience some racism or prejudice while in DR. I don’t want to bash the entire island for 2 instances we experienced, but I do think it is 2 too many. However, if you’re familiar with how some Dominicans think about black people and people of Hispanic descent who don’t speak Spanish, you’ll understand why we weren’t exactly surprised; we were more taken aback that this could happen in a tourist area like Punta Cana, when so many tourists from all over the world come to visit year-round. Anyway, please don’t let those two incidents discourage from seeing all that Punta Cana has to offer. We had a wonderful time otherwise and were met with warmth and hospitality from the other locals.

  Tips for planning a group trip

Plan your trip at least six months in advance. This gives people enough time to bail on plans to commit to everything.

Be cautious of who you invite on a group trip: personalities clash and nothing is worse than spending a ton of money to go see a new country only for a spoil-sport to rain on everyone’s parade. Take into consideration personality traits and rooming arrangements (don’t invite a neat freak and a messy Betty and have them room together – that’s an argument waiting to happen).

Plan your budget from the jump and set a reasonable timeline for that budget. A good thing to do is to mark up all costs, so there’s some wiggle room in case things come up or prices go up (or if you live in Jamaica, you can work with the fluctuation of the dollar). It’s better to come back with some extra funds than to have an insufficient amount while overseas.

Pay for things as you go along to avoid having to fork out a lump sum. Since the budget for this trip was kinda steep, I made sure we paid for things over the six month period, so that by the time the trip came around, any money spent would be on going out and other trip expenses. We started by paying for the Airbnb from September (you can pay 50% upfront and the balance 2 weeks before your trip), booked the flights in October, shopped for outfits between November and December, paid for excursions in January and by the end of January we paid the balance on the villa. By the middle of February our only costs were things paid for in DR. This was so much easier than forking out $2000USD one time! After all, my friends and I don’t have sugar daddies are not big ballers (YET!).

Try to make an itinerary beforehand: this way, you can have an idea of what each day will be like (what will the wake up call be? will the lunch spot be close to the activity we’ll do in the morning?), and you can efficiently plan your outfit options based on what you’ll be doing. I’m a foodie, so I also like to check restaurant reviews and menus before I go so I don’t waste money on bad tasting food. Not to mention, this will help you stay within your budget so you don’t end up going to restaurants with four dollar signs and have no money left in the budget for activities. But keep your options open: certain places may not pan out, so it’s important to have back-ups. I’ll be sharing my psychopathic  PDF with you guys at the end of this post.

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Have you ever been to Punta Cana? Are you planning a trip there? Comment below and let me know. Feel free to ask any questions also ❤️

Be sure to follow me on my other social media platforms:

@tiffanysamantha_ (blog)

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¡DESTINACIÓN PUNTA CANA! If you remember my first travel post (Bienvenido a Cuba!), I shared my promise to myself to visit at least one new country each year. 3,648 more words

[entergamingxp]

How Flight Simulator delivers maximum fidelity visuals • Eurogamer.net

Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is every bit as spectacular as we hoped it would be. Footage released to date has highlighted its almost photo-realistic approach to rendering – and yes, the game fully delivers there – but what’s more difficult to illustrate is the unprecedented detail level from the macro to the micro level, on a literally global scale. This is one vision for the next generation of graphics: it looks incredible but at a price: be prepared for daunting PC system requirements to deliver anything close to 60 frames per second on its highest quality presets. Flight Simulator will run relatively well on the hardware of today, but it’s designed to scale onto the PC components of the future.

Beyond the visuals, what I like about Flight Simulator is the level of accessibility. The basic gameplay is similar to previous series entries, albeit embellished with even more detail and simulation. Flying an Airbus A320 is complex in real life and can be just as complex in the game, but you can scale down the simulation input and automation to a level of difficulty of your choice: the easy mode is great to play with a standard controller, for example. However, the physics and world simulation remains the same, so don’t expect it to feel like an arcade game, it’s just less ‘manual’. The core gameplay loop is simple: it’s all about flying from place to place – and that simplicity is the game’s strength. For me, at its best, this game is very relaxing – I spent my more than 10 hours with the preview learning how to pilot the plane, exploring the planets and enjoying the sights. I did this for hours on end without really thinking about time – much like you might in the real world while hiking, for example.

At the technological level, the new Flight Simulation is built off of the simulation engine of its predecessor but with extensive improvements and a brand new rendering engine on top, architected by Asobo Studio. That’s the developer of the excellent A Plague Tale: Innocence, so it’s a studio with a pedigree in delivering bespoke rendering solutions – and the team has truly gone overboard with this one. Delivering the entire world in a game is no mean feat: the engine leverages satellite imagery or fly-by image scans as the basis for height and terrain texture data. An offline procedural generation AI then reads these textures based on their own parameters and properly populates terrain with materials, roads, buildings, bushes, trees and more based on brush set assets the team has made. After this step, the artists can go in and embellish specific locations with even more detail with photogrammetrically captured materials and textures. So, you can expect something a little more lavish with capital cities, specific culture heritage sites or natural landmarks.

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Breathtaking visuals – Digital Foundry’s video breakdown of the incredible Flight Simulator 2020 preview.

When playing the game, you’re essentially looking at an extremely high resolution image of the entire globe in 3D – think Google Earth but of a much higher quality. Conceivably, we’re looking at multiple terabytes of texture and height map data that you’d never have the hard drive space to store to deliver the achieved effect. The developer’s solution is ingenious. This is a simulator and therefore the speed of flight is accurately depicted – and it’s rather sedate by arcade standards, of course. Using a base mesh and textures, the game utilises your internet connection to stream even higher quality terrain data onto your PC as you play, via the Azure cloud. It is a novel way to boost the game’s fidelity and diversity that I’ve yet to see in any other release. This is indeed a fully fledged ‘power of the cloud’ implementation that delivers something that just wouldn’t be possible to the same fidelity with a conventional download. It’s a system that’s also relatively efficient: over 10 hours of gameplay, I noted downloads of around seven gigabytes in total.

It’s not just environment detail that’s streamed in either. Flight Simulator also accurately renders the real-time world location of actual planes in your vicinity. Weather is accurately simulated based on other real world data too, down to thunder storms and cloud rendering. The aim is to represent real world flight and weather conditions 24/7 – it’s ambitious, it’s unique and it works. In terms of rendering that weather, the engine delivers near and distant fog, light scattering and cloud volumetric coverage to cover the wide variety of weather scenarios the game presents. Flight Simulator is – obviously – a game about altitude and as around half of the screen is typically rendering the sky, a lot of the rendering budget is spent here.

Massive volumetric cloud formations stretch as far as the eye can see with no visible detail transitions or ‘pop in’. Clouds cast shadows onto themselves, onto clouds below them and onto the ground, while they form and dissipate based upon wind and weather conditions. On ultra settings the volumetric clouds are of such a high resolution, the realism is breathtaking. When the atmospheric rendering, clouds and light combine it leads to something very special.

Lighting and cloud rendering is sublime. Yes, this is indeed a real-time screenshot. And yes, the HDR support is stunning.

Terrain below the clouds is also given a great attention to detail with bushes, trees, buildings, roads stretching out very far into the distance on the ultra settings. On a technical level, some areas hold up better than others depending on the quality of the satellite data driving them – or whether or not they use streamed in photogrammetric assets, but on the whole most locations hold up beautifully. Flying close to the ground outside of cities reveals highly detailed assets, right down to individual blades of grass. Needless to say, at altitude, the results are almost photo-realistic. Not only that, but the world is not static below you. Cities have their own day-night cycles with rendered cars and buses flowing through their streets, with thousands of light sources and other dynamic elements that all affect the volumetric light rendering in the game. If you fly over a city at night, you can even see the bottom side of your jet or plane being ambiently lit from the glow city below you. Needless to say, the aircraft and cockpit rendering is second to none too. Ray tracing is mooted for a future upgrade and I’m fascinated to see how that pans out.

However, a generational leap in fidelity obvious comes at a cost. On a Ryzen 9 3900X with an RTX 2080 Ti, ultra settings at 4K means frame-rates in 30-40fps territory for most of the time. Variability in frame-rate depends on how close to the ground you are, or how close to the clouds you get. The cloud system, for example, is very heavy on the GPU, while low altitude flying at ultra is more CPU-intensive, to say the least. But fear not, because Flight Simulator scales very well both on the GPU and CPU, based upon various graphics options they offer here.

We’ll go into more depth with an optimised settings selection when the game actually launches, but there are some easy wins here. For example, in a completely CPU-limited scenario I could double performance by dropping down to the lowest settings from the highest – so there is definitely some granularity for CPU scaling in these options. At 4K, in GPU-limited situations, dropping from ultra to high settings increased performance by 32 per cent, rising to 61 per cent if you opted for medium settings. I intend to look at each setting in a more granular way, but right now, I think the high preset offers the best visual bang for the buck: the hit to visual quality is minimal and the performance increase is palpable. The internal resolution scaler is also worth looking at – particularly as it may well be using image reconstruction when set to lower than 100 per cent. For a mainstream PC, dropping to 1080p at medium settings saw a Core i5 8400 system equipped with GTX 1060 or RX 580 running in the 30-40fps window, with Nvidia having a very significant 25 per cent performance advantage. I’d hope to see some settings magic from AMD here, as it seems that its Polaris champion is under-performing somewhat.

As you would expect, cockpit rendering is astonishingly good. Note the excellent use of screen-space reflections on glass to the left.

But the point is that this is basically a next-gen game with a different, more taxing hardware requirement and while the scalability is there to run the game well enough across a range of hardware, you are not seeing it at its best on a mainstream level PC. With that said, like Red Dead Redemption 2 before it, the medium settings here are honestly better than many games out there in terms of the quality of the overall presentation, so it’s just as much about scaling your perception of the quality settings with a game where ‘medium settings’ looks better than many running at ultra.

In my short time with this preview version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, I have seen a level of ambition and craft that is monstrously high. I think the developers have done a good job in terms of graphics scalability (though I really would like to see Nvidia DLSS support for a welcome step-up to performance) but it’s important to note that Flight Simulator also stresses your CPU too, something that may improve in the future as the game transitions from the current DirectX 11 renderer to DX12.

But ultimately, what I loved best about Flight Simulator is that it genuinely feels like a PC exclusive. Yes, an Xbox version is coming, but the game is built primarily for the PC and the immense plurality of hardware supported by the platform, something that goes beyond CPUs, GPU, keyboards and mice. I played with a controller, a mouse and keyboard, HOTAS, a flight yoke with pedals – everything. The game automatically recognises each input system and has default mappings for almost everything, just like the great flight sims before it. The flight yoke with pedals and throttle was the best and most enjoyable way to play the game due to how sturdy and precise it is, but even a basic Xbox 360 controller was very relaxing on the easy difficulty setting.

The game maintains this level of support while also being intuitive to customise: you can edit every single thing you can think of in the game view window itself, turning off widgets and moving their location around like an RPG game of old or a military sim. In this respect, it is simply incredible. You can play via a third-person camera, first-person, or you can watch your plane fly around in a free camera with no restrictions, moving multiple kilometres away if that’s what you feel like doing. This isn’t just a game and I feel that it’s much more than a simulator. In more than one sense of the word, this is a journey – and it’s a beautiful one.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/07/how-flight-simulator-delivers-maximum-fidelity-visuals-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-flight-simulator-delivers-maximum-fidelity-visuals-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

[marinaaniseed]

Getting this out of my head

I mentioned a while back that I’m going on a youth exchange to Cyprus. I fly on Monday, and still have no idea where I’m staying. The NGO I’m going with have no idea either.

Understandably, this is making me very, very nervous.

I’m also not having a good time of it because when I originally found out I had a place on the exchange, the NGO told me to book a particular flight because that is the flight that they’d be taking.

So I did.

Except they’re on a much earlier flight. So, I’m on a late crappy flight, with a tiny amount of hand baggage. And I wrongly figured that once we arrived, there’d be a plan to get from the airport to where we’re staying.

But no, it’s everyone fending for themselves. 

And so, because I’m taking the crappy late flight, the shuttle from the airport to the city is once an hour, and I just miss one. 

Inconvenient, but then once I’m in the city, plain sailing, right?

Nah. 

Turns out, we’re staying in northern Cyprus. And the bus that would take me to the border crossing doesn’t run that late at night so ????? guess I’m trying to find a taxi, late at night, in a city I’ve never been to before, then crossing the border, then walking to some accommodation that I don’t know where it is yet, and it’ll be gone midnight by the time I get there.

Like, if they’d told me in advance that we’d be fending for ourselves, I’d have looked at the buses, realised there were none, and would’ve booked an earlier flight. 

If they’d have told me in advance that we were going to be staying in the north, then I would’ve flown to the north.

I just...this is supposed to be fun. I’m using my annual leave to do this, and like...I could’ve been stressed and pissed off without leaving the house.

I’ve done a lot of crying about the situation, so I guess it’s time to find it all darkly, hilariously funny. Or get really drunk. That’s definitely an option.

Bonus freaking out material: Back in the year 2000, I went on holiday with my family to Cyprus. We flew from the same airport in the UK to the same airport in Cyprus, with an equally budget airline. On the way back, we were stranded in  Larnaca airport 13 hours, and when we *finally* made it into the air, my dad, who at the time held a pilot’s license, came out with the following gem, roughly word for word.

So...I’ve done the maths. We’ve been flying too long. We don’t have enough fuel to complete this journey.

I don’t think he was wrong. Fire engines were following us down the runway as we came in to land :/

And people wonder why I don’t like flying?!

[relationshipadviser-blog]

Bail reforms complex relationship with tech

New Post has been published on https://relationshipqia.com/must-see/bail-reforms-complex-relationship-with-tech/

Bail reforms complex relationship with tech

On any given day in the United States, more than 450,000 people are behind bars awaiting their constitutionally mandated fair trial. None of them have been convicted of a crime — they’ve been accused of committing a crime, but no formal ruling of guilt or innocence has been made. That means these hundreds of thousands of people are incarcerated simply because they don’t have the financial means to post bail. 

Bail was originally designed to incentivize people to show up for their court dates, but it has since evolved into a system that separates the financially well-off from the poor. It requires arrested individuals to pay money in order to get out of jail while they await trial. For those who can’t afford bail, they wind up having to sit in jail, which means they may be at risk of missing rent payments, losing their jobs and failing to meet other responsibilities. 

Money bail is all too often a common condition to secure release from jail while a case is in progress. Cash bail systems result in leaving many people incarcerated, even though they haven’t been convicted of a crime. 

The cash bail system in the United States is one of the greatest injustices in the criminal justice system, ACLU Deputy National Political Director Udi Ofer tells TechCrunch. Bail reform, Ofer says, is a “key way to achieve” the goals of challenging racial disparities in the criminal justice system and ending mass incarceration. 

As we explored in “The other pipeline,” the criminal justice system in the United States is deeply rooted in racism and a history of oppression. Black and Latino people comprise about 1.5 million of the total 2.2 million people incarcerated in the U.S. adult correctional system, or 67 percent of the prison population, while making up just 37 percent of the total U.S. population, according to the Sentencing Project.

With a criminal justice system that disproportionately affects people of color, it’s no wonder the cash bail system does the same. For one, people of color are 25 percent more likely than white people to be denied the option of bail, according to a pre-trial study by Dr. Traci Schlesinger. And for the black people who are given the option to pay bail, the amount is 35 percent higher on average than bail for white men, according to a 2010 study.

The national felony bail median is $10,000. For those who can’t afford it, they have to rely on bail bond agencies, which charge a non-refundable fee to pay the required bail amount on the person’s behalf. The bail bond companies, which are backed by insurance companies, collect between $1.4 billion and $2.4 billion a year, according to the ACLU and Color of Change.

Source: ACLU/Color of Change

And if bail bond companies are out of reach, those who are sitting in jail awaiting trial are more likely to be convicted of the crime they were charged with. The non-felony conviction rate rose from 50 percent to 92 percent for those jailed pre-trial, according to a study by the New York City Criminal Justice Agency. Along the way, leading up to the trial, some prosecutors incentivize people to plead guilty to the charges even if they’re innocent.

“It’s time to end our nation’s system of cash bail that lets the size of your wallet determine whether you are granted freedom or stay locked up in jail,” Ofer says. “Money should never decide a person’s freedom yet that’s exactly what happens every day in the United States.”

Pre-trial detention is also costly to local cities, counties and taxpayers. It costs about $38 million a day to keep these largely nonviolent people behind bars, according to the Pretrial Justice Institute. Annually, that comes out to about $14 billion to jail unconvicted people.

“The only people benefiting from bail is the for-profit bail industry,” Ofer said. “If we’re ever going to end mass incarceration in the United States, then we need to end cash bail.”

Bail reform is coming

Across the nation, bail reform has made its way into a handful of states. New Jersey’s bail reform law took effect last January; since then, its daily jail population has dropped 17.2 percent, and courts have imposed cash bail on just 33 defendants out of 33,400, according to the ACLU.

The ACLU itself is working on bail reform in 38 states, including California, where Ofer says he is optimistic reform will happen this year. Right now, a pre-trial release bill, Senate Bill 10, is up for consideration in the Assembly. The bill argues California should ensure people awaiting trial are not incarcerated simply because they can’t afford to pay bail. The bill also advocates for counties to establish pre-trial services agencies to better determine if people are fit to be released.

The bill, introduced by Senators Bob Hertzberg and others, is backed by the ACLU and Essie Justice Group, an Oakland-based organization that advocates for actual justice in the criminal justice system.

“Today we have a system that allows for people to be released pre-trial if they have enough money to afford their bail,” Essie Justice Group founder Gina Clayton tells TechCrunch. “Everyone else is required to sit inside of a cage without any way out.”

Essie Justice Group works mostly with and for women who have incarcerated loved ones. Often, the only way out for people is help from family or a plea deal, Clayton says.

“When we see people making the bail, we see that women are going into tremendous debt and are also beholden to an industry that has time and time again been cited and known to practice in quite an incredibly despicable way in terms of coercing and harassing their customers,” Clayton says. “When we think about who are the people who know about what’s going on with bail, it’s black and brown women in this country.”

For the past two years, Essie Justice Group held an action around Mother’s Day, with the goal of bailing moms out of jail or immigration detention. Last year’s action led to the release of 30 women.

Photo via Essie Justice Group

Can tech help?

The short the answer is maybe. Earlier this month, Google banned ads for bail bond services, which Clayton says is the largest step any corporation has taken on behalf of people who have loved ones in jail. But while tech can help in some ways, Clayton has some concerns with additional for-profit entities entering the criminal justice system.

“There are definitely tech solutions that I’m very against,” Clayton said, but declined to comment on which ones in particular. “I will say that my energy around this doesn’t come from an imagined place. I’m seeing it happen. One of the things we’re seeing is companies who are interested in bail reform because they see another opportunity to make money off of families. Like, ‘let this person out, but have them, at a cost, check in with people I hire to do this fancy but expensive drug testing three times a week, pay for an ankle shackle or bracelet and GPS monitoring.’ I think the companies that are making money off of those types of things are the ones we need to be wary of.”

There is, however, one for-profit company that immediately jumped to Clayton’s mind as being one doing actual good in the criminal justice space. That company is Uptrust, which provides text message reminders to people regarding court dates.

“I think that is a really great addition to the landscape,” Clayton says. “The reason I’m a proponent of theirs is because I understand their politics and I know what they won’t do, which is take it a step further or get involved with getting incentivized to add on bells and whistles that look less like freedom for people but more revenue for them.”

Uptrust, founded by Jacob Sills and Elijah Gwynn, aims to help people make their court dates. While the movies like to depict flight risks and people skipping town ahead of their court dates, failure to appear in court often comes down to a lack of transportation, work conflicts, not receiving a reminder, childcare or poor time management, Sills tells TechCrunch.

That’s where the idea came to humanize the system a bit more, by enabling public defenders to more easily connect with their clients. Uptrust is two-way in nature and reminds people on behalf of the public defender about court dates. Clients can also communicate any issues they may have about making it to court.

“If the public defender knows the client has an issue, they can usually get court moved,” Sills says. “But if they don’t have the information, they’re not going to lie on behalf of clients.”

Because public defenders don’t have much budget, Uptrust doesn’t charge very much, Sills says.

“But they really care about the client and one of the things we saw with this was we needed to change the whole front end of the system to be less adversarial and more human,” Sills says.

In addition to text reminders, Uptrust enables public defenders to assist with other needs clients may have.

“A lot of stuff around bail reform is around risk assessment rather than need assessment,” Sills tells me. “But we saw a lot of these individuals have needs, like help with rides, child care or reminders.”

Public defenders who are invested in the care of their clients can remind them via Uptrust to do things like ask for time off work or schedule child care.

For the end-user, the client, Uptrust is all text-based. For the public defenders, Uptrust offers a software solution that integrates into their case management systems.

Since launching in the summer of 2016 in California’s Contra Costa County, the court appearance rate improved from 80 percent to 95 percent, Sills says. To date, Uptrust has supported 20,000 people with a five percent FTA rate.

“As we improve product, if we can get [the FTA rate] down to 3 percent, you really can start taking that data and pushing forth major policy change,” Sills says.

Uptrust’s goal is to shift from risk assessment to needs assessment and ensure people are supported throughout their interactions with the criminal justice system.

“Our view is in terms of bail reform, we need to make sure there’s not a proliferation of things like ankle monitors and whatnot,” Sills says. “For us, success is really being a subcontractor to the community as well as working with the government. I think there’s a huge risk in bail reform as it relates to technology because people see it as a big business opportunity. If a company replaces the government, they may not have the community’s best interest in mind. So it’s important to keep in mind they have the community’s best interest in mind.”

Similar to Uptrust, a tech organization called Appolition works by operating within the confines of the system. Appolition, founded by Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler, enables people to funnel their spare change into the National Bail Out fund. As of April, Appolition has facilitated more than $130,000 to go toward bail relief. Ziegler was not available for comment for this story.

Promise, on the other hand, aims to provide an alternative to the cash bail system. In March, Promise raised a $3 million round led by First Round Capital with participation from Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

The idea is to offer counties and local governments an alternative approach to holding people behind bars simply because they can’t afford bail. With Promise, case managers can monitor compliance with court orders and better keep tabs on people via the app. GPS monitoring is also an option, albeit a controversial one.

Let’s say you get arrested and end up having a bail hearing. Instead of asking you to pay bail, the public defender could suggest a pre-trial release with Promise. From there, Promise would work with the public defender and your case manager to determine your care plan.

“It’s clear that our values are about keeping people out of jail,” Promise CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins told me on an episode of CTRL+T. “Like, we’re running a company but we fundamentally believe that not just it’s more cost-effective but that it’s the right thing to do.”

Instead of a county jail paying $190 per day per person, Ellis-Lamkins said, Promise charges some counties just $17 per person per day. In some cases, Promise charges even less per person.

It’s that for-profit model that worries Clayton.

“Whenever you bring in the for-profit ethos in a criminal justice space, I think we need to be careful,” Clayton says.

She didn’t explicitly call out any companies. In fact, she said she doesn’t feel ready to make a judgment on Promise just yet. But she has a general concern of tech solutions that “dazzle and distract system actors who we really need to hold accountable and see operate in more systemic, holistic ways.”

Solutions, Clayton says, look like social safety nets like hospitals and clinics instead of jails.

“If we want to really move ourselves away from this path we’ve been on,” Clayton says, “which is towards normalizing state control of people, then we should be really careful that our system that once looked like slavery to Jim Crow to mass incarceration doesn’t then become tech surveillance of all people.”

Read more: https://techcrunch.com

[mysteriouslyzealouspandalov-blog]

Bail reforms complex relationship with tech

New Post has been published on https://relationshipguideto.com/must-see/bail-reforms-complex-relationship-with-tech/

Bail reforms complex relationship with tech

On any given day in the United States, more than 450,000 people are behind bars awaiting their constitutionally mandated fair trial. None of them have been convicted of a crime — they’ve been accused of committing a crime, but no formal ruling of guilt or innocence has been made. That means these hundreds of thousands of people are incarcerated simply because they don’t have the financial means to post bail. 

Bail was originally designed to incentivize people to show up for their court dates, but it has since evolved into a system that separates the financially well-off from the poor. It requires arrested individuals to pay money in order to get out of jail while they await trial. For those who can’t afford bail, they wind up having to sit in jail, which means they may be at risk of missing rent payments, losing their jobs and failing to meet other responsibilities. 

Money bail is all too often a common condition to secure release from jail while a case is in progress. Cash bail systems result in leaving many people incarcerated, even though they haven’t been convicted of a crime. 

The cash bail system in the United States is one of the greatest injustices in the criminal justice system, ACLU Deputy National Political Director Udi Ofer tells TechCrunch. Bail reform, Ofer says, is a “key way to achieve” the goals of challenging racial disparities in the criminal justice system and ending mass incarceration. 

As we explored in “The other pipeline,” the criminal justice system in the United States is deeply rooted in racism and a history of oppression. Black and Latino people comprise about 1.5 million of the total 2.2 million people incarcerated in the U.S. adult correctional system, or 67 percent of the prison population, while making up just 37 percent of the total U.S. population, according to the Sentencing Project.

With a criminal justice system that disproportionately affects people of color, it’s no wonder the cash bail system does the same. For one, people of color are 25 percent more likely than white people to be denied the option of bail, according to a pre-trial study by Dr. Traci Schlesinger. And for the black people who are given the option to pay bail, the amount is 35 percent higher on average than bail for white men, according to a 2010 study.

The national felony bail median is $10,000. For those who can’t afford it, they have to rely on bail bond agencies, which charge a non-refundable fee to pay the required bail amount on the person’s behalf. The bail bond companies, which are backed by insurance companies, collect between $1.4 billion and $2.4 billion a year, according to the ACLU and Color of Change.

Source: ACLU/Color of Change

And if bail bond companies are out of reach, those who are sitting in jail awaiting trial are more likely to be convicted of the crime they were charged with. The non-felony conviction rate rose from 50 percent to 92 percent for those jailed pre-trial, according to a study by the New York City Criminal Justice Agency. Along the way, leading up to the trial, some prosecutors incentivize people to plead guilty to the charges even if they’re innocent.

“It’s time to end our nation’s system of cash bail that lets the size of your wallet determine whether you are granted freedom or stay locked up in jail,” Ofer says. “Money should never decide a person’s freedom yet that’s exactly what happens every day in the United States.”

Pre-trial detention is also costly to local cities, counties and taxpayers. It costs about $38 million a day to keep these largely nonviolent people behind bars, according to the Pretrial Justice Institute. Annually, that comes out to about $14 billion to jail unconvicted people.

“The only people benefiting from bail is the for-profit bail industry,” Ofer said. “If we’re ever going to end mass incarceration in the United States, then we need to end cash bail.”

Bail reform is coming

Across the nation, bail reform has made its way into a handful of states. New Jersey’s bail reform law took effect last January; since then, its daily jail population has dropped 17.2 percent, and courts have imposed cash bail on just 33 defendants out of 33,400, according to the ACLU.

The ACLU itself is working on bail reform in 38 states, including California, where Ofer says he is optimistic reform will happen this year. Right now, a pre-trial release bill, Senate Bill 10, is up for consideration in the Assembly. The bill argues California should ensure people awaiting trial are not incarcerated simply because they can’t afford to pay bail. The bill also advocates for counties to establish pre-trial services agencies to better determine if people are fit to be released.

The bill, introduced by Senators Bob Hertzberg and others, is backed by the ACLU and Essie Justice Group, an Oakland-based organization that advocates for actual justice in the criminal justice system.

“Today we have a system that allows for people to be released pre-trial if they have enough money to afford their bail,” Essie Justice Group founder Gina Clayton tells TechCrunch. “Everyone else is required to sit inside of a cage without any way out.”

Essie Justice Group works mostly with and for women who have incarcerated loved ones. Often, the only way out for people is help from family or a plea deal, Clayton says.

“When we see people making the bail, we see that women are going into tremendous debt and are also beholden to an industry that has time and time again been cited and known to practice in quite an incredibly despicable way in terms of coercing and harassing their customers,” Clayton says. “When we think about who are the people who know about what’s going on with bail, it’s black and brown women in this country.”

For the past two years, Essie Justice Group held an action around Mother’s Day, with the goal of bailing moms out of jail or immigration detention. Last year’s action led to the release of 30 women.

Photo via Essie Justice Group

Can tech help?

The short the answer is maybe. Earlier this month, Google banned ads for bail bond services, which Clayton says is the largest step any corporation has taken on behalf of people who have loved ones in jail. But while tech can help in some ways, Clayton has some concerns with additional for-profit entities entering the criminal justice system.

“There are definitely tech solutions that I’m very against,” Clayton said, but declined to comment on which ones in particular. “I will say that my energy around this doesn’t come from an imagined place. I’m seeing it happen. One of the things we’re seeing is companies who are interested in bail reform because they see another opportunity to make money off of families. Like, ‘let this person out, but have them, at a cost, check in with people I hire to do this fancy but expensive drug testing three times a week, pay for an ankle shackle or bracelet and GPS monitoring.’ I think the companies that are making money off of those types of things are the ones we need to be wary of.”

There is, however, one for-profit company that immediately jumped to Clayton’s mind as being one doing actual good in the criminal justice space. That company is Uptrust, which provides text message reminders to people regarding court dates.

“I think that is a really great addition to the landscape,” Clayton says. “The reason I’m a proponent of theirs is because I understand their politics and I know what they won’t do, which is take it a step further or get involved with getting incentivized to add on bells and whistles that look less like freedom for people but more revenue for them.”

Uptrust, founded by Jacob Sills and Elijah Gwynn, aims to help people make their court dates. While the movies like to depict flight risks and people skipping town ahead of their court dates, failure to appear in court often comes down to a lack of transportation, work conflicts, not receiving a reminder, childcare or poor time management, Sills tells TechCrunch.

That’s where the idea came to humanize the system a bit more, by enabling public defenders to more easily connect with their clients. Uptrust is two-way in nature and reminds people on behalf of the public defender about court dates. Clients can also communicate any issues they may have about making it to court.

“If the public defender knows the client has an issue, they can usually get court moved,” Sills says. “But if they don’t have the information, they’re not going to lie on behalf of clients.”

Because public defenders don’t have much budget, Uptrust doesn’t charge very much, Sills says.

“But they really care about the client and one of the things we saw with this was we needed to change the whole front end of the system to be less adversarial and more human,” Sills says.

In addition to text reminders, Uptrust enables public defenders to assist with other needs clients may have.

“A lot of stuff around bail reform is around risk assessment rather than need assessment,” Sills tells me. “But we saw a lot of these individuals have needs, like help with rides, child care or reminders.”

Public defenders who are invested in the care of their clients can remind them via Uptrust to do things like ask for time off work or schedule child care.

For the end-user, the client, Uptrust is all text-based. For the public defenders, Uptrust offers a software solution that integrates into their case management systems.

Since launching in the summer of 2016 in California’s Contra Costa County, the court appearance rate improved from 80 percent to 95 percent, Sills says. To date, Uptrust has supported 20,000 people with a five percent FTA rate.

“As we improve product, if we can get [the FTA rate] down to 3 percent, you really can start taking that data and pushing forth major policy change,” Sills says.

Uptrust’s goal is to shift from risk assessment to needs assessment and ensure people are supported throughout their interactions with the criminal justice system.

“Our view is in terms of bail reform, we need to make sure there’s not a proliferation of things like ankle monitors and whatnot,” Sills says. “For us, success is really being a subcontractor to the community as well as working with the government. I think there’s a huge risk in bail reform as it relates to technology because people see it as a big business opportunity. If a company replaces the government, they may not have the community’s best interest in mind. So it’s important to keep in mind they have the community’s best interest in mind.”

Similar to Uptrust, a tech organization called Appolition works by operating within the confines of the system. Appolition, founded by Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler, enables people to funnel their spare change into the National Bail Out fund. As of April, Appolition has facilitated more than $130,000 to go toward bail relief. Ziegler was not available for comment for this story.

Promise, on the other hand, aims to provide an alternative to the cash bail system. In March, Promise raised a $3 million round led by First Round Capital with participation from Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

The idea is to offer counties and local governments an alternative approach to holding people behind bars simply because they can’t afford bail. With Promise, case managers can monitor compliance with court orders and better keep tabs on people via the app. GPS monitoring is also an option, albeit a controversial one.

Let’s say you get arrested and end up having a bail hearing. Instead of asking you to pay bail, the public defender could suggest a pre-trial release with Promise. From there, Promise would work with the public defender and your case manager to determine your care plan.

“It’s clear that our values are about keeping people out of jail,” Promise CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins told me on an episode of CTRL+T. “Like, we’re running a company but we fundamentally believe that not just it’s more cost-effective but that it’s the right thing to do.”

Instead of a county jail paying $190 per day per person, Ellis-Lamkins said, Promise charges some counties just $17 per person per day. In some cases, Promise charges even less per person.

It’s that for-profit model that worries Clayton.

“Whenever you bring in the for-profit ethos in a criminal justice space, I think we need to be careful,” Clayton says.

She didn’t explicitly call out any companies. In fact, she said she doesn’t feel ready to make a judgment on Promise just yet. But she has a general concern of tech solutions that “dazzle and distract system actors who we really need to hold accountable and see operate in more systemic, holistic ways.”

Solutions, Clayton says, look like social safety nets like hospitals and clinics instead of jails.

“If we want to really move ourselves away from this path we’ve been on,” Clayton says, “which is towards normalizing state control of people, then we should be really careful that our system that once looked like slavery to Jim Crow to mass incarceration doesn’t then become tech surveillance of all people.”

Read more: https://techcrunch.com

[gsmatthews95]

Oz: a recap

The time has come. It has been ten months in waiting but it had to come. It is with a slight twinge of sadness but an overpowering sense of excitement and happiness that I am leaving Australia on my way to Singapore. Which  is actually pretty ideal because I have a nice long 9 hour layover. There are very few occasions I would describe a 9 hour layover as "ideal" but this is one of them. Such a cool city. So much to do and see. And, apparently, it isn't even too big. So I'm hoping I should be able to DO/COMPLETE Singapore in a nice six hour stint, tick it off my list, add another pin to the map and tell everyone about how I've now basically completed Asia. Sick eh?. A wee bit more background before I delve into the meat of this potentially juicy post which I think I will compare to a fat fillet steak by comparison to the rest of my posts that I would say are more like coles BBQ sausages, 24 for $8... good value but not much substance. A good reference I reckon. So I'm currently on my flight. It is maybe 9am Aussie time and I am awake, not that tired, with very little to do in this flight as I went for the lost budget option (still pretty expenny). You have to pay 11 bucks for films, Ye right. Go do one scoot airlines. Urgh, absolute scandal for a 7 hour flight. No worries however. Gives me ample time to write an absolute Goliath of a blog post. Okay seriously guys stop cheering. It's distracting me and my brain flow you have to pay for food and entertainment. Not good. However, the there are two upsides to this flight with nothing to do, firstly it allows me to blog blog blog and the other upside of this prehistoric flight comfort is that it gives me a chance to register to Stephen Hawkins "a  brief history of time", what a bangin audiobook. Well bloody confusing but I feel cleverer listening to it. Although in the last nine months I have forgotten the vast, vast majority of it. All the better it's like a new book. I'm now not that excited however about my connecting flight to Berlin. 14 hours. 13 hours of no films, just sleep, urgh lame. I may find some more wee audiobooks. I'll tell you what, I may get the game Of thrones ones. They'd be immense, especially as I'm now a proper game of thrones loser (read loser as legend/fanatic).

This is what I mean, I have so much time to ramble this piece is gonna drag. Oo I have an idea. As I didn't have this blog for the majority of the trip should I go back and wrote posts for them? Hmmmm, that does kinda defeat the point of the blog though. I don't think I'll do that. the other nagging question is whether I carry on the blog for the next 3 months as I galavant around Europe. I think I should. You're welcome guys. I love you all too. Also sick that I'm using my British passport to its full extent before we F off out of Europe as part of brexit. Wooo freedom of movement. Cosmopolitan ideals, something we should probs all strive for as much as possible. However, I do think we probs made the right decision leaving the EU as most people who have spoken to me about it will know. This post is not about my political views however. Otherwise it would not be called holidaying. Maybe something like #Jezza4PM would be a better name for it if I were to become a political blogger slash activist. But I digress.

So as many of you may have gauged from speaking to me, reading this blog or merely by observing my Facebook presence. I have had an immense time. Even though my article about the ups and downs of travelling may have seemed a bit depressing, I can safely say the last ten months, yes that ten months, a long time, have been smashing. I am currently conflicted, in poor stylistic technique I have embarked upon this post without a plan. And now I am at a crossroads. Do I continue chronologically or thematically? I think I will stay true to convincing writing styles and go thematically. Let's push the boat out he he. Ok ok ok so I'll start with my hostels. I believe I do want to talk about them a little bit first.  To start, I have been in lots. Off the top of my head in Sydney alone I was in 7 separate hostels. Many for a week as I was forced to move because of the price increase, my bed being sold, being chucked out etc. But 3 main ones. Firstly, hump. What to say about this place. A mad house, a good outside smoking area, a room that stays open all night and a lot of sound people who I've seen since leaving Sydney too. One jack gawthorpe, I've seen in four separate places (who's stalking who...). My month or so there was heavy. There was always something going on, I have very fond memories. Secondly, dury house. As described by James, my friend who I took there one night: "that was literally a crack den". Yes James, but it was our crack den. With the roof that never closed and the never ending session, there was always something going on, whether it be 11am on a Sunday morning or 4am on a Friday night. And again some belter people, who again I've seen down the east coast. Thirdly, finally, and ultimately we had the palms. What a place. What a time. November-December 2017. The palms glory days. Clean hostel, nice kitchen, comfy beds, sound people, like a giant sharehouse it had the intimate feel that you knew everyone but was big enough to still be lots of fun. The palms massive made my first xmas away from home so fun and so comforting. Never forget. Loved everyone there, except dan obvs, I hate dan. Everyone else though, I love you. And the hostel. I'll give a quick shout out to bev and micks in Melbourne. Small, intimate, cosy and friendly. Not that exciting or fun but enjoyable for my three weeks. Plus it was the cheapest place around. However, barossa backpackers. Dirty, smelly, small, tiny kitchen, leaky fridges, small room, had to pay for wifi and in the middle of nowhere. Pretty crap hostel tbh. But as I was there for some time, working with and living with everyone. I had an unreal time. Even working in a potato factory. So much fun cause you're constantly with you're mates and chilling, I won't forget those few months in barossa. The hostels down the east coast were nice. Big and nice but with my motivation waiting and the fact that I was staying at each place for a few days I didn't really form much of a bond with many of them. The hostel is key to your experience. Regardless how long you are in a place for but especially if it's for the long term. And overall I think I did well with a only a few mistakes.

Work. Ok so work never went quite as I'd hoped before I came out to Australia. Maybe I was naive, maybe I just wasn't made for call centres. My one regret actually was not going in to construction in Sydney, making lots of money, doing easy work and finishing at 3:30 each day. I then could have done it all over oz as I'd have had experience and wouldn't have had to do some of my crap jobs. We live and learn, one of my bigger regrets I'd say. No hassle though, all has worked out well and I haven't been too low on money. But yes call centres and cold calling, not the job for me. Neither as it turns out is face to face fundraising. What I have learnt though is that there is no worse job than those and I now have sympathy for those doing it, I have the knowledge that I will never work in a job like that again and it has now given me a great  appreciation of any job that isn't that. Which was one reason I think I enjoyed the potatoes so much. Mainly because it was so easy and so much less depressing than my other jobs. Everyone constantly complained, I just smiled and said it could be worse. People said the job would break me. It never did. Smashing job, smashing people, smashing time. The worst of all these jobs though was the charity fundraising, I knew it would be but I just wanted 2-3 weeks work and it paid well. I lasted 1 week. Never again. The best job. Easy. Grape picking and wine making. It was so sick. I got a lot of hours, lots of free wine and food and learnt to make wine in the sun. Dream job. I even have a wine named after me, I'm gonna get a case delivered home of the 2018 vintage GSM lol. But that's enough about work after all it is a work holiday visa.

This part will be harder to split up do I discuss  specific experiences? Or parts of the journey. Oo I have an idea. Animals. I have devoted a few pieces to various animals but I haven't spoken about all of them. There are two that I will leave out though as they deserve their own piece. Australia, famous for its diverse and unique wildlife and I think I've done well in seeing a lot of it. And I got selfies with lots of them. Firstly I have fed and patted wild kangaroos and wallabies. So cute, they love carrots btw, not apples so much. One of the wallabies even had a tiny Joey in its pouch. Too much for my heart. They're great I loved em both. Then came the quokka. As many of you may have seen by my  Valentine's Day post devoted to this one. They are like giant rodents. Although they're not giant, and they're actually cute. I dunno how to describe them actually just look at my photo, well adorable. I will now move on to the dangerous segment of the list of animals, cause, as we all know, that's what oz is most famous for. Firstly, the red back spider, v venomous. Hannah (friend not sister) almost died as she entered his layer/graveyard and only just escaped with her life. I have also seen three wild snakes, woohoo. That was a real target. The python in the kitchen and the two cuties slithering across the path in Lichfield national park and the twelve (4) apostles. Now. The personal favourite. The crocs. There have been lots of crocs, none completely in the wild without a tour guide sadly, but the jumping crocs were wild and were damn sick. I even have a croc tooth necklace (sorry axel, Brutus and dominator). The one animal conspicuous by its absence I haven't seen though, sadly, a shark. Waaaaa I should have gone shark cage diving, ah it was too expensive anyway. I think I'll carry on with my sea critters vibe now for a few more. Next was the manta. MANTA MANTA MANTA. I saw lots in Indonesia but another at whitsundays. So big, graceful and noble. I love them, as everyone does, they're god personified in an animal I reckon.  I would like to be a manta ray. Next up dolphins. Not many and both times I saw them from a cliff. Not overly exciting mainly because I have been spoilt in the past both in cornwall And in the SAN blas when they swam with our boat, so very nice. My final sea dweller. Whales. Lots of humpbacks as I said in my Fraser Island piece. They are awesome, so big and majestic and loving. I would also like to be a whale. Sue me. I saw lots of camels too, they're funny I like camels teehee and dingos, they're so cute, not scary. I would like to chat to a dingo and befriend him. I love dingos. I think however, my proudest find and subsequent selfie was with the koalas. We found 8 on magnetic island. One barely 8 foot away. Perfect for a selfie. And I snapped it yay. They're such chillers too, I love koalas. I love animals actually. I also miss Rolland, I love you too Rolland!!!

So as to stop myself writing another dissertation I may make this the final para. And I'm going to try and be concise. My favourite moments. I won't describe them much but merely mention them. There's a variety of reasons why a moment could have been so great. Maybe where I was, what I was doing, who I was with. Who knows? Maybe I just felt at peace and the world felt right for a moment. Deep. And I'm not talking about every moment I sat down with a full box of goon. Ok ok seriously. The hump boat party. Both 1 and 2. Unreal, a boat party in the Sydney harbour, beers, mates, opera house, swimming, tunes, I won't ever forget those two days. My first moment seeing the extent of the blue mountains at the end of the garden of the nbb Jill and Richard had so kindly rented for us. A little ten minute walk and you were on the edge of the crator with the blue trees stretching out, I reckon I spent a couple of hours just sat there over the three days, peaceful. Sash, pretty much every sash, but one in particular when I'm pretty sure everyone I knew in Sydney was there. It was sunny and we boogied. I was having so much fun several separate people came and asked me if I sold drugs cause I was so deliriously happy. Oo also the sash it rained that was unreal, dancing in the rain with the boys, never forget. Two more from Sydney. The beach party, amazing. One of the best, if not the best day of my life. Music and goon on the beach, swimming as the sun set over the harbour bridge, so wicked. And finally xmas day. Singing for the Aussie prime minister with a broken voice having lost it the night before was something I will NEVER ever forget especially as I have the video of it all ahahahaha. We move on to mine and Hannis road trip. My first thought. The pinnacles. The pinnacles were sick, so random just a load of pointy rocks in the ground. I doubt two people have ever been so excited in one place. So funny. Also actually hannah, all of our carpool karaokes. They made your company bearable. Completing the 8km hike in kalbari was also a good moment as it was 30+ degrees and we had about two litres of water between us, stupid English. But we did it, I'm proud. Finally hanni, 100% when we chilled with Roos in morriset park for hours after Jill and richard basically laughed us down for going, v funny. A good afternoon. Days of our lives festival. Awesome, what a send off from Sydney. Dury house you did yourselves and me proud, cheers for convincing me to go xoxoxo. The whole outback trip was awesome, if I picked a few moments though... I reckon the first proper big fire was a great moment, and sorting out the car light that we couldn't turn off meaning we didn't have to take the fuse out every time we stopped the car, sheer happiness. Also getting in to alice springs. This may seem weird but I cannot explain how touchy everyone was, we needed food, civilisation, electricity, a shower and some goon. We got all of the above and spirits were restored. Also the natural springs were amazing. So beautiful, completely free and refreshing. Darwin, croc diving, easy, it was unreal. Spotting the koalas on magnetic island obvs was memorable. I want to pick some moments from Fraser but it was all so fun. If I had to pick a few though, I'd say the horse racing on the second night united everyone, we were all so into it and the crumbed sausage obvs haha. I have missed things out but when I look back on oz these are the things I feel stand out as specific moments but like I've said before travelling isn't just about the moments (sorry Alina) but the whole experience, what you feel and who you meet.

What a holiday. I am content with my time in oz. if I came back I'd change things but I'm happy just the way they went. It's been sick. Stay posted I have one more oz piece before we move to EUROPE yahoooooooo. This piece has literally killed at least two hours of my flight maybe even three. I have been very engrossed aha. But back to mr hawking for me. G.

[theglobetrottergp-blog]

Planning your South America Itinerary

South America has long been on my bucket list and 9 months ago I found myself putting together my ultimate South America itinerary – determined to cram as many life-changing experiences into a 10 week trip as possible.

I started by listing all my South America must-sees and prioritising those I had lusted after for the longest, namely Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. I knew I wanted a good mix of wildlife, landscapes and culture with a few cities thrown in for good measure. As a keen dancer, the opportunity to dance would be a real bonus so Argentina and Brazil made it onto my bucket list.

An important thing to consider when planning your ultimate South America itinerary is the climate. It varies wildly from country to country and you need to take this into account when planning your route through South America. For example, the Inca Trail is actually closed for part of the rainy season as it’s too slippy and dangerous. When it dry and sunny in Brazil, it’s sub-zero up a mountain in the Andes.

So for me, leaving in October, the route had to start west and work eastwards. This meant I could fit in some Andes mountain trekking before the rainy season hit and also meant that I got my fix of sunshine and caipirinhas on the beach in Rio before my flight home.

How to get around South America

If you’ve travelled in South East Asia or Europe, you are probably used to getting about by train. However, there aren’t many trains in South America so you are better off getting about by bus or plane.

South America by Plane

Whilst South America, in general, is not that cheap, getting about by plane is not as expensive as you may imagine as long as you don’t mind small rickety planes! Booked well in advance, you can get short international flights such as Cuzco to La Paz for $50-70. Airports are pretty straightforward. I booked my flights with trusty Skyscanner – personally, I find this to be the best tool to find the biggest variety of flights at the best prices.

South America on Tour

To save the hassle of finding your own way about, one option is to join a tour. This is possibly the easiest way to pack a LOT of highlights into your South America itinerary in a short time period. You can focus on enjoying the highlights and not having to worry about the practicalities.

I’ve taken a few Gadventures tours in South America and they were great! Brilliant informative tour leaders, well organised and decent transport (mostly air-conditioned minibuses!)

Whilst I haven’t used Intrepid in South America, I have sampled their trips in Africa and South East Asia and again, I was very impressed. Their trips are actually very similar. Check them out and see if any of their South America Itineraries takes your fancy!

South America by Hop on Hop off Bus

Perhaps the best of both worlds, this style of travel will allow you the freedom of doing it your own way with the convenience of jumping on a bus headed straight for the tourist attractions of hot spots in South America. The Bamba Experience is one of the most popular companies that organise hop on hop off trips.

South America by Local Bus

Sometimes it can be tricky finding the right bus and understanding timetables and prices when you don’t speak the local lingo. BusBud has provided a great solution for that – a website where you can search for local bus journeys in almost any country and in multiple currencies.

Planning Your South America Itinerary Budget

Without a doubt, the most expensive place to visit in South America is going to be The Galapagos Islands but boy is it worth it!! Being 1000Km off the mainland and with restricted numbers of visitors allowed on the islands at any given time, a trip to The Galapagos comes with a hefty price tag!

Spending time in Brazil is also pretty pricey with Chile and Argentina not far behind. If you want to make your pennies stretch further, you’ll want to spend more time in Bolivia and Peru. Bolivia particularly is cheap as chips. I would say if you are being careful, you could survive on $20-25/day in Bolivia whereas Brazil will set you back $50-70 per day.

My 9-week trip set me back $14000 which may seem like a lot of money, however, this included a week’s cruise in The Galapagos (which accounted for a whopping $3000) and I took several budget tours in order to pack a lot into a limited amount of time.

If I had the luxury of time, I would have travelled solo and I expect it would have been significantly cheaper! It really depends on what your priorities are! At that particular time, seeing as much as possible in a short time frame was mine.

For more practical tips for your trip to South America, check out my article: 20 Useful Tips for Travel in South America.

Ok so let’s get onto the good bit… What should be on your South America Bucket list?! Let’s get planning your South America Itinerary!

The Great Big South America Bucket List

South America Itinerary 1 – The Galapagos Islands

Best for Wildlife and Scenery

Budget

$200-300 per day if you take a cruise. Remember to factor in tips for your crew!

How Long?

7-10 days. Most trips will start from Quito on the mainland so factor a day or two either side of your boat trip. A week actually exploring The Galapagos Islands is about right. You could easily spend longer but a week will allow you to tick off most of the big wildlife and scenic attractions and will give you a good flavour of the islands. If you cut your trip short, there’s a chance you’ll miss out on the best bits like getting the opportunity to snorkel with sea lions!

Where to stay

Most trips are boat based so your board and food will all be included. So it might be pricey but at least you know exactly how much money you will need.

You will undoubtedly save money by staying on dry land and arranging day trips but be warned, you’ll likely have to deal with bigger crowds and will spend a lot of time on the boats getting to the islands. The cruise ships and stay-onboard boats will sale overnight to maximise your time exploring the islands and get you there before the other tourists arrive!

Since I have been desperate to visit the Galapagos for over 10 years, I really went to town on my research to get the best trip covering the most highlights but at the best price. I settled on a Gadventures boat called The Monserrat – I highly recommend it. I didn’t find any better prices and the trip was fantastic from start to finish! (The food by-the-way was to die for!) Check out their tours here!

Top Tip: If you have plenty of time, you can save money by flying to the Galapagos independently and arranging a last-minute boat when you get there. The risk is there will be none available but if you have plenty of time OR go in the shoulder seasons, you are likely to get lucky!

The Galapagos Eastern Islands

Best for beautiful scenery

Visit Isla Lobos for some close encounters with frigate birds and blue-footed boobies. There are SO many sea lions here. A great place to start your Galapagos adventure! Another eastern highlight is Cerro Brujo – possibly the prettiest beach I’ve ever had the privilege to visit. Unspoilt bright white sand and azure ocean in stark contrast with the black volcanic rock dotted with the occasional marine iguana or sea lion. I think this was one of my biggest ‘Wow’ moments in South America!

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The Galapagos Central Islands

Best for rugged scenery

The scenery in the central islands is more varied and rugged. See the black lava formations at Sullivan Bay on Santiago and whilst you’re there, snorkel off the beach – this is where I spotted my first shark!

Take a hike to the viewpoint on the volcanic islet Bartolome island. The views are beautiful but beware the wind!

If you want to catch sight of the elusive land iguana (much harder to spot than marine iguanas,) head to Cerro Dragon. We were lucky to see two on our nature walk here!

For giant tortoises, head over to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. Here you will find the Charles Darwin Conservation Centre, a great place to start and learn about the tortoises’ history on the island. Then head into the hinterlands to spot some in the wild!

If you are lucky you might spot a pod of wild orcas like we did. They may even put on a show for you like we were lucky to witness. That said, you are more likely to see whales on the western islands which I didn’t get chance to visit.

The Galapagos Southern Islands

Best for wildlife

For me, the best snorkel trip I took in The Galapagos was off the boat, not far from Espanola island. The most colourful coral I’ve ever seen but the best part was swimming with sea lions. There were so many of them and all fairly young which meant they were super playful. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this was the absolute TOP moment of my South America trip! Between Cerro Brujo and here, The Galapagos were scoring pretty high marks!

Another highlight of the Southern Islands was Floreana. This was absolute wildlife paradise. Here you can see the rarely spotted Galapagos Albatross and you will see so many marine iguanas – they lie on top of each other to keep warm so there will actually be piles of them! Hundreds of iguanas basking in the sun, careful not to step on them! Don’t worry, they are a lot more placid than they look!

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  South America Itinerary 2 – Peru to Bolivia

Best for Scenery Seekers 

Budget

$20-40. You can do it really cheap but this budget will allow you a decent hotel room and the occasional luxury.

How Long?

2-4 weeks. You can cover the main highlights (Inca Trail, Lake Titicaca, Bolivian Altiplano) in a fortnight but you may want to allow yourself longer to travel at a more relaxed pace.

Where to Stay

Since accommodation is cheap as chips here, I’d recommend splashing out on budget hotels and guesthouses. Save the hostels for the more pricey countries!

Top Tip! If you plan to do the Inca Trail, you will need to be super organised! Inca Trail permits need to be bought well in advance – often as early as 6 months! On writing this article in April, the next available permits are for October! If you don’t get yours in time, there are plenty of great alternative treks so don’t panic!

And another Top Tip (I’m good to you like that…) Pack lot’s of layers! The temperature can vary from glorious 25 degrees plus to minus figures within just a matter of hours. This can make it tricky to pack for South America but fear not, I’ve got you covered with my South America Packing Guide!

Cuzco

Previously the capital of the Inca Empire this attractive city is made beautiful by the well preserved Spanish colonial architecture and is well positioned in the stunning Andes Mountains. Beware it is at 3400 metres altitude so take your time climbing the stairs here! There are oodles of beautiful churches and colourful markets to explore but you can also use Cuzco as a great base for getting out into the surrounding mountains and visiting a few Inca sites.

Machu Picchu

Okay, you can’t really miss out this iconic site from your South America Itinerary, let’s face it! The question is not really IF you should visit it, but more HOW.

You could catch a scenic train ride or you could (and should in my humble opinion) take a trek to get there. Why you ask?! Well because the scenery is stunning and you won’t really get the full experience by seeing it from a train window! So providing you are in a reasonable state of fitness, book yourself onto one of the several treks in the area. You won’t regret it!

The Inca Trail is obviously the most well known. Book well ahead and prepare to be one of many of the trail. The scenery is diverse, beautiful and leads you straight to Machu Picchu plus you can say you did the actual Inca Trail which totally gives you street cred!

Another great alternative is the Lares Trek.

The Lares is much quieter, it’ll be just you, your team and the llamas. You may see an occasional farmer but otherwise, you’ll have the trail pretty much to yourself. It goes to a higher altitude 4800 metres so you can brag about that to your Inca trail friends! The scenery is absolutely mind-blowing. I asked my guide which trail he preferred, his answer? The Lares Trek every time!

Read about my Lares experience here.

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Lake Titicaca

Situated at 3800 metres altitude, this lake is really unique and not just because it is the worlds highest lake. What makes it truly unique are the local’s who live by it and even on it! You can take a tour of the local reed villages – yes made ENTIRELY of reed. The local inhabitants make a living by fishing and trading the fish at local markets.

You can easily arrange a homestay at one of the farming villages on the lakeside.  See inside a traditional Peruvian farm, eat with the family and experience traditional cuisine that you won’t get in restaurants and then help out with the farm work the next day.

Don’t be put off by the fact that many won’t speak English. We muddled by using a mixture of English words the children learnt in school, my VERY poor Spanish, lots of miming and showing photos on our phones of our homes, pets and families!

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La Paz

The capital city of Bolivia, La Paz is quite an experience especially if you take a taxi from the airport…

Whilst you’re here, visit the Witches markets – dried llama fetus, anyone?! Also, take a cable car trip and get amazing views of this huge city!

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Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats

Visit the worlds largest salt plane – 11000 sq Km of bright white desert created when a prehistoric lake dried up leaving these vast salt planes dotted with little cacti islands!

Enjoy taking some great perspective photos here. If you visit in the rainy season, you may get beautiful reflection photos.

The Bolivian Altiplano

The scenery here will have you speechless. There’s not a lot to ‘do’ here per se but I personally was entranced by the scenery that the long drive from Salar de Uyuni was actually one of my trip highlights. See the spurting bubbling geysers, find aqua and red lakes filled with flamingos and see desert which stretches for miles. For more inspiration, see my photos to inspire your trip to Bolivia.

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  South America Itinerary 3 – San Pedro to Buenos Aires

Best for wine and dancing

Budget

$30-60. Chile and Argentina are much more expensive than Bolivia but slightly cheaper than Brazil so expect to pay a bit more in some restaurants and for tours. The prices are not dissimilar to western countries so expect to pay similar to what you pay back home (unless home is Bolivia.)

How Long?

This route will take 2-3 weeks to cover properly.

Where to stay

As prices are beginning to rise, this may be the time to consider staying in hostels. Most hostels have private rooms if you like a bit of privacy on a budget. Hostels are also a great way to meet people! I use booking.com to find hostels and hotels and usually find they have a great selection of accommodations and you can easily search for your specification – a swimming pool and a hot tub puh-lease!

San Pedro

Ah, I LOVED this place. From the cute little shops lining the streets to the drinking holes that look like they’ve been taken straight from a western movie, San Pedro certainly has character. I also didn’t have a single bad meal here – the food was Ah-mazing! It’s a great place to arrange trips to Moon Valley and into Bolivia for the Altiplano. There are so many outdoorsy activities to do here, you won’t be short of things to do! The scenery at Moon Valley, in particular, is just stunning! See my San Pedro guide for more info.

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  El Cafayate Wine Tasting

Head to Argentina and get wine tasting in the beautiful countryside. Then go out for a juicy Argentinian steak washed down with some delicious merlot! There are wineries both in the countryside and in town that you can visit. Some trips need to be pre-arranged but often you can just turn up and join the next tour or tasting session.

Stay on a Ranch or Estancia in rural Argentina

Experience the real rural Argentina on an estancia stay. Several estancias (or cattle ranches) offer accommodation and activities such as horse riding and wildlife watching. Learn to swing a lasso like a real cowgirl or indulge in an Argentinian BBQ. I stayed at Estancia Los Potreros and had an absolute ball! In addition to the activities above, we also had more wine tasting and a music session with some local cowboys. Read about it here.

Get your Tango on in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a brilliant city! Colourful and diverse, traditional yet cosmopolitan, this city has a lot to offer travellers.

La Boca

This super colourful neighbourhood is popular with tourists so it can get busy – go early in the morning to escape the crowds. Visit markets, enjoy street tango performances and enjoy the colourful buildings and street art. But make sure you go home before dark as it can be a little unsafe here at night time.

San Telmo Market

Visit San Telmo Market on a Sunday. This huge street bazaar meets flea market sells everything from traditional tourist souvenirs to clothes, records, books and antiques. You can easily get lost here and potentially spend a fortune. I expected that bargaining would be expected but was surprised to find that most prices here are fixed! No harm in trying though…

Learn Argentine tango

There is no better place to learn to Tango than Buenos Aires! Watch a street show, attend a formal show or take a lesson. But if you want to see the real tango, find a milonga. These are like afternoon tea dances where everyone will be dancing for fun – not for the tourists.

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South America Itinerary 4 – Brazil

Best for eco-tourism

Budget

$50-100 Brazil is pretty pricey so unless you are happy to rough it, expect to spend a bit of money here!

How long?

2-3 weeks should be enough to cover most of the highlights in South Brazil but of course, there are plenty more places to explore in Brazil if you have time.

Where to stay

To keep costs low, I’d recommend staying in hostels or even camping. I stayed at a few campsites in Brazil which were great and the weather is nice and warm.

Foz do Igauzu Falls

The largest waterfall system in the WORLD, this will surely be a highlight of your South America itinerary! Bordering both Argentina and Brazil, it’s worth visiting from both sides. From The Argentina side, you can get close to the falls to appreciate their power. From the Brazil side, there are some great opportunities to see it from afar and appreciate the overall beauty! I’ve written a detailed guide to Igauzu falls, see it here.

Also on the Brazil side, there is a great tropical bird park Parque das Aves where you can get up close to some beautiful birds including the colourful macaws and toucans!

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Bonito

Did you know Bonito is the eco-tourism capital of Brazil? And rightly so! There are so many amazing places to see in this area!

Rio da Prata

One of the best places worldwide to try freshwater snorkelling with an average visibility of 50 metres. You will drift for 90 minutes along with the current enjoying the underwater garden seeing colourful fish and if you’re lucky a caiman or anaconda! Read more about it in my Bonito Guide.

Buraco Das Araras

This limestone sinkhole is a meeting place for hundreds of brightly coloured and NOISY macaws!

Grotto de Azur

Visit this beautiful bright blue lake within a cave. The light beaming into the cave bounces off the limestone giving its incredible blue colour. Sadly there’s no swimming here so you’ll have to head to an estancia for some waterfall swimming to cool off afterwards!

South Pantanal

If you are a big fan of wildlife, head over to The South Pantanal, Brazilian wetlands where you stand a reasonable chance of seeing one of the big cats, possibly even a jaguar! You will undoubtedly see plenty of caiman crocs and birdlife and there are plenty of chances to see capybara, anteaters and even cute little river otters which apparently are not so cute after all! Did you know river otters are territorial so they are actually more dangerous than the caimans or anacondas if you were to fall in the river! Explore by 4WD safari vehicle, on foot, by boat or on horseback. I highly recommend a night safari for your best chance of seeing a jaguar!

Paraty

Paraty is a really lovely well preserved Portuguese colonial coastal town with cobbled streets and only horse and cart for transport. Spend time exploring the shops and cafe and take a day trip in one of the colourful wooden boats stopping at beaches and islands.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is one of the fastest paced, diverse, colourful, lively cities you could visit.  There are so many iconic viewpoints you will want to visit such as Sugar Loaf Mountain and The Christ Redeemer statue. Visit the colourful Escadaria Selarón steps and then have a caipirinha on Copacabana or Ipanema beach.

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  Other Places you might want to put on your South America Itinerary

There are still so many places on my South America bucket list that I need to go back and tick off at some point! I would love to see more of Chile and I didn’t even step foot in Colombia and I’ve heard so many great things about it. Here are a few places that will be on my next South America itinerary!

Guatapé, Colombia.

I seem drawn to any colourful town – Cinque de Terre in Italy, by the way, is awesome! Guatape in Colombia is possibly the most colourful of them all. Not only that but it overlooks Penol-Guatape a beautiful man-made reservoir and a great place for water sports.

The W trek, Torres del Paine,  Patagonia

Landscapes don’t get more dramatic than this – think snow-capped mountains and bright blue glacial lakes. This is a challenging 5-day trek but surely worth the effort for views like this?!

Ushuaia, Argentina

In the South of Argentina, is Ushuaia, the starting point for many cruises to the Antarctic. But you don’t have to go that far to see penguins!

The Amazon Jungle

Head deep into the Amazon in Peru, Equador or Brazil to get close to the wildlife and creepie crawlies. Take night walks and river safaris but perhaps not if you are an arachnophobe…

So there we have it, your ultimate South America Itinerary with all the practical information you need and the photographic inspiration to fuel your wanderlust! What is on YOUR South America bucket list? Have I missed any South American gems? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Psssst, I’d love it if you can share this article and spread the word how amazing South America is! Please use the share buttons below or pin to Pinterest for later! Thanks a million!

                                                          The Ultimate South America Itinerary Planning your South America Itinerary South America has long been on my bucket list and 9 months ago I found myself putting together my ultimate South America itinerary - determined to cram as many life-changing experiences into a 10 week trip as possible.

[magnificentdeerfest-blog]

My 30 Best Travel Tips After 7 Years Traveling The World

Travel Tips

It’s now been 7 years since I sold everything and left the United States to travel the world. These are the best travel tips I’ve discovered along the way.

It all started when I took a one-way flight from Miami to Guatemala City, leaping nervously into the unknown and leaving much of my old life behind while embarking on an epic travel adventure around the world.

It’s been a wild ride, and I’ve learned a lot since I first left. To celebrate my “travelversary”, I’ve decided to share a collection of my best and most useful travel tips to help inspire you to make travel a priority in your life.

Feel free to share your own best travel tips at the end!

1. Patience Is Important

Don’t sweat the stuff you can’t control. Life is much too short to be angry & annoyed all the time. Did you miss your bus? No worries, there will be another one. ATMs out of money? Great! Take an unplanned road trip over to the next town and explore. Sometimes freakouts happen regardless.

Just take a deep breath and remind yourself that it could be worse.

2. Wake Up Early

Rise at sunrise to have the best attractions all to yourself while avoiding crowds. It’s also a magical time for photos due to soft diffused light, and usually easier to interact with locals. Sketchy areas are less dangerous in the morning too. Honest hardworking people wake up early; touts, scammers, and criminals sleep in.

READ MORE: 15 Common Travel Scams

Skydiving Over Fiji

3. Laugh At Yourself

You will definitely look like a fool many times when traveling to new places. Rather than get embarrassed, laugh at yourself. Don’t be afraid to screw up, and don’t take life so seriously.

Once a whole bus full of Guatemalans laughed with glee when I forced our driver to stop so I could urgently pee on the side of the road. Returning to the bus and laughing with them gave me new friends for the rest of the journey.

4. Stash Extra Cash

Cash is king around the world. To cover your ass in an emergency, make sure to stash some in a few different places. I recommend at least a couple hundred dollars worth. If you lose your wallet, your card stops working, or the ATMs run out of money, you’ll be glad you did.

Some of my favorite stash spots include socks, under shoe inserts, a toiletry bag, around the frame of a backpack, even sewn behind a patch on your bag.

READ MORE: How To Protect Your Money Traveling

Meeting Locals in South Africa

5. Meet Local People

Make it a point to avoid other travelers from time to time and start conversations with local people. Basic English is spoken widely all over the world, so it’s easier to communicate than you might think, especially when you combine hand gestures and body language.

Learn from those who live in the country you’re visiting. People enrich your travels more than sights do.

6. Pack A Scarf

I happen to use a shemagh, but sarongs also work great. This simple piece of cotton cloth is one of my most useful travel accessories with many different practical applications. It’s great for sun protection, a makeshift towel, carrying stuff around, an eye mask, and much more.

I can’t tell you how many times a scarf has come in handy around the world.

Watching Daily Life in Nicaragua

7. Observe Daily Life

If you really want to get a feel for the pulse of a place, I recommend spending a few hours sitting in a park or on a busy street corner by yourself just watching day to day life happen in front of you.

Slow down your train of thought and pay close attention to the details around you. The smells, the colors, human interactions, and sounds. It’s a kind of meditation — and you’ll see stuff you never noticed before.

8. Back Everything Up

When my laptop computer was stolen in Panama, having most of my important documents and photos backed up saved my ass. Keep both digital and physical copies of your passport, visas, driver’s license, birth certificate, health insurance card, serial numbers, and important phone numbers ready to go in case of an emergency.

Backup your files & photos on an external hard drive as well as online with software like Backblaze.

Photographing a Village in Norway

9. Take Lots Of Photos

You may only see these places & meet these people once in your lifetime. Remember them forever with plenty of photos. Don’t worry about looking like a “tourist”. Are you traveling to look cool? No one cares. Great photos are the ultimate souvenir.

They don’t cost anything, they’re easy to share with others, and they don’t take up space in your luggage. Just remember once you have your shot to get out from behind the lens and enjoy the view.

10. There’s Always A Way

Nothing is impossible. If you are having trouble going somewhere or doing something, don’t give up. You just haven’t found the best solution or met the right person yet. Don’t listen to those who say it can’t be done.

Perseverance pays off. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told what I want isn’t possible, only to prove it wrong later when I don’t listen to the advice and try anyway.

READ MORE: Useful Travel Photography Tips

Making Friends with Gypsies in Spain

11. Smile & Say Hello

Having trouble interacting with locals? Do people seem unfriendly? Maybe it’s your body language. One of my best travel tips is to make eye contact and smile as you walk by. If they smile back, say hello in the local language too. This is a fast way to make new friends.

You can’t expect everyone to just walk around with a big stupid grin on their face. That’s your job. Usually, all it takes is for you to initiate contact and they’ll open up.

12. Splurge A Bit

I’m a huge fan of budget travel, as it allows you to travel longer and actually experience more of the fascinating world we live in rather than waste your hard-earned money on stuff you don’t need. In fact you can travel many places for $50 a day with no problems.

That said, living on a shoestring gets old after a while. It’s nice (and healthy) to go over your budget occasionally. Book a few days at a nice hotel, eat out at a fancy restaurant or spend a wild night on the town.

Learning About Muslim Culture in Afghanistan

13. Keep An Open Mind

Don’t judge the lifestyles of others if different from your own. Listen to opinions you don’t agree with. It’s arrogant to assume your views are correct and other people are wrong. Practice empathy and put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Embrace different possibilities, opportunities, people, suggestions, and interests. Ask questions. You don’t have to agree, but you may be surprised what you’ll learn from the people you meet during your travels.

14. Try Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing.org is a large online community of travelers who share their spare rooms or couches with strangers for free. If you truly want to experience a country and its people, staying with a local is the way to go.

There are millions of couchsurfers around the world willing to host you and provide recommendations. Expensive hotels are not the only option, there are all kinds of cheap travel accommodation options out there.

15. Volunteer Occasionally

Make it a point to volunteer some of your time for worthwhile projects when traveling. Not only is it a very rewarding experience, but you’ll often learn more about the country and its people while also making new friends.

There’s a great site called Grassroots Volunteering where you can search for highly recommended volunteer opportunities around the world.

16. Pack Ear Plugs

This should actually be #1 on the list. I love my earplugs! Muffle the sounds of crying babies, drunk Australians, barking dogs, honking horns, dormitory sex, natural gas salesmen, and more. A traveler’s best friend. These are my favorite earplugs for comfort & effectiveness.

READ MORE: My Complete Travel Gear Guide

17. Don’t Be Afraid

The world is not nearly as dangerous as the media makes it out to be. Keep an eye out for sketchy situations but don’t let that be the focus of your whole trip. Use common sense and you’ll be ok. Most people are friendly, trustworthy, generous, and willing to help you out.

This goes for women too. I realize I’m not a woman, but I’ve met plenty of experienced female travelers who agree.

18. Get Lost On Purpose

If you want to see the parts of town where real people live & work, you need to go visit them. The best way to do this is on foot — without knowing exactly where you’re going. Write down the name of your hotel so you can catch a taxi back if needed, then just pick a direction and start walking.

Don’t worry too much about stumbling into dangerous neighborhoods either, as locals will generally warn you before you get that far.

READ MORE: 25 Important Travel Safety Tips

19. Eat Local Food

Think you already know what Mexican food tastes like? You’re probably wrong. Taste a bit of everything when you travel, especially if you don’t know what it is. Ask local people for recommendations. Eat street food from vendors with big lines out front.

I’ve been very sick only twice in my travels. Don’t be scared of the food.

20. Say Yes Often

Be impulsive and say yes when someone randomly invites you to meet their family, try a new activity, or explore a place you didn’t know existed. It’s these unexpected and unplanned situations that add spice to your travels and always turn into the best stories later.

Accept the kindness of strangers when you travel — you’ll have plenty of opportunities.

READ MORE: The Food Traveler’s Handbook

21. Slow Down

Please don’t try to cram 6 countries into 6 weeks of travel. All the good stuff happens when you really take the time to explore. You’ll learn about activities that aren’t in your guidebook and meet people who are eager to show you around.

I can honestly say that NONE of my best travel experiences happened within the first few days of arriving somewhere. Spend more time in fewer places for maximum enjoyment.

22. Keep Good Notes

My memory for details sucks. When I first started traveling the world 7 years ago, I didn’t keep a good journal, and now I’m regretting it. Information like the names of people I met, conversations I had, feelings about a new experience, or what a particular town smelled like.

If you ever want to write about your travels, these details are handy. These days I use an incredible note-taking app called Evernote, which I use as my 2nd brain. So useful for all kinds of applications — from planning trips to journaling about them later.

23. Break Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Challenge yourself to try things that normally give you anxiety. The more you do this, the more that anxiety will fade away. Not a hiker? Go on more hikes. Have trouble talking to strangers? Talk to everyone. Scared of weird food? Eat the weirdest thing you can find.

The reason this works so well while traveling is because everything is already so different, what’s one more new/uncomfortable experience?

24. Don’t Plan Too Much

I cringe when readers ask how many days they should spend in a particular country or city. The truth is I have no idea what you’ll enjoy or who you’ll meet. I thought I’d rocket through Nicaragua in a week or two, but ended up living there for 4 months.

My advice is to pick a starting point, 1 or 2 must-do activities, and an ending point (or not). Then just let the universe determine the rest.

25. Pack Less Stuff

You don’t need 1/2 the gear you think you do to travel anywhere. We’ve all done it. It’s a right of passage for travelers to slowly become better at packing less. My first backpack was 70 liters packed full, my current bag is only 38 liters.

As a full-time vagabond, everything I own fits on my back. If you’re not sure about packing something, you don’t need it. It’s also possible to buy most things at your destination country if you discover you need them.

26. Listen To Podcasts

Podcasts are awesome. It’s like creating your own personal radio station and filling it with shows and music you always want to listen to. I never thought I’d actually look forward to a 10-hour bus ride. But with podcasts, it’s possible (well, as long as the seats are comfortable).

Time will fly by as you listen to incredible storytelling, fun music, or interviews with experts. Here are some of my favorites: This American Life, The Moth, RISK!, Radiolab, Smart Passive Income, and Electro-Swing.

27. Treat Your Body Well

Travel can throw your body out of whack. When you’re moving from place to place it’s difficult to maintain a workout routine, and many of us slack off. Or we don’t sleep enough. Or we eat too many cupcakes. I’m guilty of not flossing my teeth.

Remember to be nice to your body. Get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat healthily, use sunscreen, and exercise often (check out this body weight routine, no gym required!). And, yes, flossing too I guess.

28. Stay In Touch

Remember to call your family & friends from time to time. Maybe surprise them and go old-school by sending a postcard (it’s in the mail, Mom!). Travel isn’t lonely, far from it. You constantly meet other people. But many of those relationships are fleeting. So maintaining a strong connection with the people who know you best is important.

29. Get Off The Beaten Path

I know it’s cliché, but you should still attempt it. Seek out interesting and unusual places that don’t see much tourism. Many memorable travel experiences have happened to me in areas that are not easy to visit. By all means, travel to popular sites, but don’t rule out other locations just because they’re not on the tourist trail.

Although please realize that just because an area is remote or dangerous doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a life-changing experience.

30. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance

No one ever thinks they’ll get sick, injured, or robbed while traveling. But it happens. I’ve sliced up my head on a volcano, contracted Dengue fever, and lost my laptop to thieves. With travel insurance you don’t have to worry about huge hospital bills or stolen gear when it eventually happens.

For all kinds of trips ranging from a weekend up to a few months long, I always recommend World Nomads Insurance.

Get Out There!

Bonus Tip: Travel More!

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed over the past 7 years, it’s that many people back home love to tell me how lucky I am while making excuses why they can’t travel. It’s too expensive. They can’t get time off work.

Who will feed their pets?

When I suggest solutions to these “problems”, they still don’t take action. Why? Because they’re often hiding behind the true reason: they’re scared.

Unfortunately most people who wait to travel the world never do.

You don’t need to sell all your worldly possessions and become a homeless vagabond like I did. Just get out there more than you do now. Start with a weekend in a different state. Then maybe try a week in the country next door.

The new car, remodeling project, and iPhone can wait. If you truly want to travel more, you can make it happen. Career breaks are possible. You have friends who would love to watch your pets.

It’s a big, beautiful, exciting, and fascinating world out there.

Explore some of it now, rather than later. ★

[pianomovershq]

What’s the Cost of Moving a Piano in 2017?

How Much Does It Cost To Move a Piano?

One of the major problems these days among families is relocation, especially when a family owned expensive furniture like a piano. The problem with moving out even they need to do so is somewhat not the easiest thing to do. The parents should find a way or will get through all the process before they finally come up a decision to relocate.

For one to consider is the price of moving the item like the Piano. How much will it cost? It just can’t transfer like any ordinary package or home appliance it needs a bit of “Handle it with care” course of action. So, therefore, before you went all through the moving out the piano mission, you must take this following important reminder.

When transferring to another place your precious piano is at stake so it’s either you plan to move it yourself

Firstly, the cost for moving your own piano will consider some aspects you need.

 or hire piano movers to make things less complicated. So, in this article, you will find the difference between do-it-yourself against hiring a professional piano cargo company. How the two options will cost your hard earned budget.

  You need to equip yourself with following moving tools like the four wheeled dollies, strap or strong enough ropes to keep your expensive musical from moving while on the road, assembling a moving team and of course a transportation that has enough space to accommodate your precious instruments.

It’s either you’ll borrow these moving tools or worse buy them and pay the people that will help you. So you must know this will add to your moving plan cost. And the possibility of damaging your piano while you’re moving it yourself is really evident. So whether go on with the project and hold the risk or give the stress to professional piano movers and pay instead. For practicality better hire pro movers to do the job.

Now you’re hiring piano movers, you will have the following list of things to consider. The type of piano you have, the distance of relocation. And for the piano movers, you need to know their hourly rate, fixed rate, and truck rental.

What’s the Cost of Moving a Piano Based Upon the Type of Piano?

Type of Piano Low-End Cost High-End Cost Spinet Piano $150 $300 Upright Piano $150 $350 Baby Grand Piano     $300 $500 Grand Piano $700 $1,000 Player Piano $500 $1,000 Organ $800 $1,500

This one is obvious because the size and weight of the piano differ significantly based on the type of piano it is. An upright piano can be usually done by two men. A baby grand piano and grand piano usually requires disassembly of the legs and A LOT heavier. These type of moves usually require three to four really strong men. Even with equipment, the bigger pianos are very difficult to move.

  Typical Piano Moving Costs Based Upon Distance

Distance Low-End Cost High-End Cost Within 15 Miles $0 $100 Within City Limits But More Than 15 miles $100 $500 Across State Lines or Long Distance (100 Miles+)   $600 $1,000 Moving Overseas? $2,000 $3,500

  Obviously, there are reasons why the cost can range some much especially for long distance moves and overseas moves. Most of the time, the moving company has to provide customs papers, pay taxes and fees on top of the gas and travel fees. Again, it all really depends where you live! If you live in Los Angeles, where gas prices are ridiculously high, you’re going to have a higher cost. If you are looking for a piano moving cost in Los Angeles, then give our partners a call. 

Don’t forget to include the packaging tapes, blankets, and moving pads. These tools are also needed for the moving, which is usually included by the piano moving company.

Typical Piano Moving Costs Based Upon Stairs

Most piano movers do have a stair fees. This means the piano movers either have to move a piano up or down a flight of stairs. 

The obstacles of moving the piano are also apparent. And what are these two common difficulties when moving your priceless piano?

The area where you will place the piano – Not all residential are the same, so you’re out for a challenge when your new place is located on the top floor. So definitely this would make your moving uneasy.

The pathway where you’re delivering the piano – If the terrain or road where the piano will be transferred is difficult. It’s either rough or narrow of some sort.

Aside from the usual moving cost there are also extra charges to look up to like;

The schedule of moving whether it’s rush or not, there may additional charges for this process.

The weather condition is also important. This will also cost you extra payment if you’re moving is during the winter or rainy season where moving is really difficult.

How Much Should You Tip Your Piano Mover?

Tipping is something I definitely recommend for your piano move because that piano is HEAVY and very delicate. Obviously, a customary 15-20 percent is standard for tips in any industry. But if you have a very difficult piano moves that involve going up or down any flights of stairs, I highly suggest you tip at least 25%. Most of piano movers are probably not making more than $10/hr and a generous tip goes a long way. So don’t be stingy! 

So How Much Will It Cost To Move a Piano in the end?

Type of Piano Low-End Cost High-End Cost Upright-Spinet Piano $150 $400 Baby Grand Piano $300 $900 Grand Piano $700 $1,500 Player  $700 $1,500

The estimated national average cost is about $300- $2000 or it depends on how valuable your piano is and how old or new it is.  This would include tip and gas and everything else. Again, rough estimates based on our experience. If you get a piano moving estimate within these ranges, you’re definitely getting a good deal. If you’re getting either too low of a bid, I would be wary as I’m guessing they don’t have the proper insurance or none at all. Like in any real business, there are HARD costs that are non-negotiable. So don’t go for the guys on Craig’s List who does piano moving on the weekend for $75. 

Relocating is really not going to happen overnight especially if you’re moving a piano. Do your research. However, it will never become difficult if you’ll just know that right thing to do before you start thinking about moving your piano. Just get the best piano movers in your town that can give you reasonable price and most of all can keep your piano secure while in the process of transferring.

Of course if you’re looking for the best damn piano movers in America! Check out Piano Movers HQ – Locations page to find a piano mover near you.

  The post What’s the Cost of Moving a Piano in 2017? appeared first on Piano Movers HQ.

from Piano Movers HQ http://www.pianomovershq.net/piano-moving-costs

[dandelliongirl]

It’s been

three weeks.

Wow I’ve been both busy and lazy.

So Eurovision, right? That’s where I left off. I had an amazing evening with two homemade pizzas all to myself and a bottle of disgusting non-alcoholic wine. I loved Portugal’s song and it was one of my favourites. Actually all of top 3 were according to my list so it was definitely a good result. Now I also have many new songs that I actively listen to.

I spent Mother’s day with mum and dad. We went to the cottage and I got to work on my landscape and macro photography. Mum and dad assembled the little pier/dock for the summer and I went around taking photos. We came back as it started getting cloudier. I started working on a post-BoTW fic. I have a lot of issues with the writing and story of that game, some of which obviously come from the genre and can’t really be fixed because the story is completely optional but I kind of want to put my spin on the story a little bit and take the headcanons from my head onto paper. I still haven’t finished my post-TP or SS fics either so we’ll see what happens with this one but it’s not like I publish my fics anymore so...

On Monday I worked on school stuff and ACNL. I also cleaned the house a bit. In the evening my guy took me to see Kimi no Na Wa. It wasn’t my favourite, mostly because I couldn’t relate to either of the protagonists on any level. I was impatient and couldn’t wait for the movie to end. It just wasn’t for me even though most people seem to love it and usually I’m all up for time travel stuff. Anyway after the movie my guy’s sister came over. We stayed up until 2am talking and watching stupid YouTube videos. I can’t believe she’s graduating high school in a week!

On Tuesday I walked my guy’s sister to uni entrance exams and went to do my office hours while she was taking the test. Then we walked back and spent a few hours hanging out at the apartment. Then she went to visit some family friends for a night. I went to a housing cooperative meeting and rushed off to ballet. The dance mat was completely ruined and wrinkly so we couldn’t do anything with our pointe shoes on so we scheduled some extra rehearsal time on stage for Wednesday morning.

We had to be on stage at 8:15am. Our dress rehearsal started at 8:30 and the show at 10. It was over in a flash but it was pretty tiring to do two pointe choreos almost back to back. We did our Coppélia variation and then me and my friend performed Pearls in the same outfits. After the show I came bcak to the apartment and worked on school stuff again. I revised for my methods exam and my guy played DAI. His sister came back over to spend the night with us.

My guy’s sister went to another exam on Thursday morning. I went to study Japanese with my friend and then we had lunch together. I had a sort of an exam and self-evaluation/peer evaluation class for Methods. I hated every second of it but at least it’s over now. We had to write an essay and then evaluate and grade ourselves. Then we graded ourselves for the rest of the course and then we took a break before evaluating course assignments in groups. Then we discussed the course and how to improve it in the future. It was a really tiring experience spending four hours in methods class.. After class me, my guy and his friend played some BoTW before I had to go to my last ballet class. We had our last rehearsal with lights and clothes and the camera crew checking angles and edits.

On Friday I had my last master’s thesis seminar. We went through the last seminar paper and then gave feedback on the course. Our teacher also told us about finishing the thesis itself and we discussed employment and future plans together. It was stressful and I think it has really hit home that in a year from now I have to have a plan of sorts. Right now I have three options: either to stay at the uni and get a PhD in history, study to become a dance teacher or get a degree in education management. If none of these work out for me or if I don’t feel like studying any more after finishing my MA thesis I need to start job hunting after Christmas. Super scary.. I have some serious soul searching to do over these next few months.. Anyway the rest of Friday was spent relaxing and mentally celebrating the end of the academic year. I also picked up a new internet modem from the post office and prepared everything for the weekend’s dance shows.

Saturday was a full day. I went to dress rehearsals at 11 and got out around 2pm. I had some lunch, took a shower and put on my hair and makeup for another dress rehearsal at 5:30pm and a show at 7:30pm. We did Pearls for the last time, and it went pretty well.♥ After the show I listened to a concert that was happening out on our street right opposite from my livingroom window. It was a warm and summer-y day and we had a city festival with lots of events and lots of people outside. I also Facetimed my parents.

On Sunday I had two shows; at 3pm and at 6pm. At 12 I went downtown to pick up a flower for our teacher on behalf of the whole group and I had to be on stage at 2:15pm for a last minute check. Mum and dad watched the 3pm show from their AirBnB apartment and I hear granny watched the show as well. ♥ Makes me happy. Both shows went pretty well, although there was some drama between them. My guy was out getting his car back up and running and him and I were supposed to go look for a new phone for me inbetween my shows. Well he was an hour late and I was super pissed off since I had hurried off stage, handed my responsibilities to my friend and skipped the end of the show where all dancers come on stage to receive applause. I ended up sitting outside for an hour and giving up. I was seething with rage and it really screwed with my performance. My friend ended up covering for me in the second show as well. My guy did drive me and my friend over to her place and we dropped her off at the bus station though.

So this Monday my guy and I went to get me a new phone. The Huawei Honor 8 lite was on sale for 199€ and since it was under the 200€ budget I had set for myself I had to get it. The entire day was spent on configuring everything and learning how to use it. So far it has been a very good phone but honestly my old one was so bad that you don’t need much for the new one to be an improvement. It’s dark blue though so I’m desperate for my case to arrive because I can’t find it. My old phone was bright pink with a bright blue case so it was easy to spot and this one is dark and flat and sneaky. I had a dance feedback discussion with my teacher at 5:15pm and I went off to another housing cooperative meeting that started at 6pm. This was a long and tedious one, and there was this one asshole who saw fit to nitpick over every single detail of the printed materials. I was out of there after 8pm-ish and went to pick up my friend from the park. She came over to test hairdos for a wedding she’s attending this weekend. We played ME2 while I did her hair.

On Tuesday morning we went shopping. It was a sunny day so I decided to screw thesis-writing since there’ll be lots of rainy days to waste on that stuff. It did give me anxiety to throw away my plans like that but at the same time it felt kind of nice to spend a sunny day with a friend. We spent a good hour or so at the park eating take-away salads and soaking in the sun and warmth.☼ We came back to the apartment, I dyed my friend’s hair and curled it for the official hairdo test. We ended up going for two simple waterfall braids combined in the back with corkscrew curls. In the evening my friend went for the movies and I got a really big anxiety attack from skipping my responsibilities and throwing away my plans on two consecutive weekdays. I did check my emails on Tuesday morning but I hadn’t even looked at my calendar and I realized how much stuff I had left to do. I had to do something to feel productive so I scrubbed our bathroom basically from floor to ceiling for no other reason than - well yes it was dirty but I felt like I needed to do some form of actual work.

On Wednesday I was really productive. I went to study Japanese with my friend at 9 and to a meeting at 11. Then I went to the office to delegate a bunch of my work to our intern. She is a real angel since I was just realizing how badly I was drowning in work. I’m spending two full workdays next week at an event so I won’t be at the office at all and she is a huge help in doing office stuff for me. ♥ It took me until 6pm before I was back at the apartment.

Mum and dad came back from Hungary late Tuesday/early Wednesday. Their flight was postponed because of a broken weather radar on the plane and a huge storm. The electricity was cut at the airport security and water flooded in through the ceiling. Apparently subways in the city were not operational either because of all the water. Anyway after Wednesday’s office day I biked over to spend the evening with mum. We went for a bit of a run in the warm sunny summer weather, did some Pilates workouts and went to the sauna. I’ve really taken to heart spending the few sunny and warm days outdoors and saving thesis writing for the inevitable rain and gloom. I wasn’t back at the apartment until 10pm -ish. Mum got me a super cute almost tie-dye -ish lace dress and I love it!

Today I caught up on my thesis writing for this week - finally. What a relief. It was also rainy and colder today so it was fitting. Around 1pm my friend came over and we played ACNL until around 6pm. She gave me three of my dream villagers as a late birthday gift. I got Chevre, Carmen and Annalisa. She also got us Felicity to share and a bunch of cards of her own that she can scan in using my NFC reader. Even my guy played ACNL with us and we went on a bunch of island tours together. ♥ ♥ ♥ I worked on Sonetia’s layout/landscaping and I’ve decided where I want to put Carmen’s house. I’m replacing Henry with Carmen, Lolly with Chevre and probably Pekoe or Melba with Annalisa. Then all I need is Merengue but she’s expensive and hard to find. Also Marshal but I already have a piece of land set out for Merengue, which is currently empty. I did some reconfiguring with my paths to get a little plantation going. I finished my illuminated tree project and next I’m either building the scarecrow or taking down the fence to get Carmen to move in. I’m also doing lots of gardening to get some more hybrid flowers to decorate town with.

My guy made some dinner and me and my friend baked chocolate brownies with mocha frosting. They didn’t turn out that great but at least the taste was on point. We played BoTW for a while and then she left. I’ve been typing this catchup blog post for at least an hour now.. I really hope I have more free evenings now so that I can blog more often. This is such a special time in my life and I don’t want to forget a single day... I find it super sad that even a week or two is enough for me to forget lots of details and events. I want to come back to this day, the 25th of May, Ascension day, in the future and remember that I had the best time playing ACNL with my friend.

So yup, spending tomorrow doing JLPT stuff and playing ACNL. Doing my friend’s hair for the wedding on Saturday morning but other than that it’s a free weekend. Finally! I need time off after the past few weeks.

[atticusblog2016-blog]

New Post has been published on Atticusblog

New Post has been published on https://atticusblog.com/sicily-tour-with-titan-travel-review/

Sicily tour with Titan Travel: review

An admirable trot spherical many of Sicily’s finest hits, among them a number of the Mediterranean’s greatest websites. There are quite some, so the tempo is severe however profitable.

The excursion works excellent for learners to Sicily, the ones looking an introduction to its lengthy, entrancing and distinguished past. Quartering the island – the trip covers an awesome deal of territory – additionally favors appreciation of fine and olive-rich landscapes and a fantastic coast. No heading off a positive apathy in a few urban regions, mind. But that, too, is Sicily. A 10-day tour starting in Catania and Syracuse on the east coast, this is an honest old romp. As referred to, magisterial bits – historic and geographical – are from time to time obscured by city forget about, no longer least in second prevent-over, Palermo. But Sicilian recollections are powerful, enshrined in Norman-Byzantine churches, vineyards and olive groves – and Hellenic temples of startling perfection at Segesta, Selinunte or, supremely, the Valley of Temples at Agrigento. In a series of stand-outs, the mosaics of the Romana del Casale villa – enormous and vibrant with lifestyles and movement – additionally have their location. As, back at the east coast, does Taormina and its Greco-Roman theater. Tour ends with an experience up Etna which I had to omit, but which should have been magnificent. Overall, the 4 tour resorts (all 4-superstar) got higher because of the trip advanced. And that they had started off pretty nicely, in Catania. The Una Hotel Palace turned into a bang vital, big city spot, with a graceful of efficiency and roof-pinnacle eating place affording views to Etna. In Palermo, the recent uniting and relooking of two venerable homes had delivered forth the Hotel Palazzo Sitano in a kind of black-and-white Mafia sublime. Onward to the pick-of-the-bunch Baia-di-Ulisse, a rambling, hacienda-style operation, with terraced gardens unraveling to the beach at Agrigento. Finally, at Giardini Naxos beneath Taormina, the grounds of the San Alpha Grand inn have been additionally as a substitute swell: pool, classical statues, bougainvillea. Within, the area becomes slightly displaying its age, now not least via charging for Wifi.

I joined the tour past due – and left it early – so did not advantage from Titan’s home select-up coverage. Those who did found it located it a boon. Once in Sicily, the train turned into amply at ease and dealt with verve by way of driver Vito. Though I’m not positive the coverage of converting seats every day is a long-time period winner.

Value for Money eight/10

At £1299pp all in – together with front to all websites – the excursion seems in no way overpriced. As stated, I’d be tempted to feature £a hundred, make investments it in the dinners, and perhaps provide wine, too. But that is possibly why I don’t run an excursion organization, and Titan does.

Essentials

Sicily: Jewel of the Mediterranean 10-day tour, from £1,299pp, which include domestic choose-up, flights, 4-star lodging, all breakfasts, seven dinners, tours and publications (0808 274 6966; titantravel.Co.United kingdom).

A Long Tour in Cairo and Alexandria

Alexandria:

Alexandria – the second biggest metropolis in Egypt and the popular Mediterranean motel. It is a type of symbiosis of historic records and cutting-edge beach lodge. Style and lifestyle of Alexandria are very specific from the rest of u . S .: they’re tons in the direction of Europe. The seemingly gain of recreation right here – the opportunity to combine a wealthy “revel in” with a seaside vacation.

Entertainment and attractions of Alexandria

  Alexandria – is not most effective a beach lodge but additionally a cutting-edge city. There are many cafes, eating places, casinos, and nightclubs. This rating level is an awful lot lower than in other motels in Egypt. A Luxurious Long Tour in Cairo and Alexandria is one of the fine things you may ever reveal in on your profession.

Cairo:

The capital of Cairo – the most important town in Africa and one of the most important in the international! The territory is twice decreased than Moscow, is domestic to extra than 20 million people.

In Cairo and its environs, in which the metropolis starts directly behind the desert plateau of the pyramids, the story regarded to “come to the floor.” Including the Biblical story. Even the tombs and mummies of the Cairo Museum, paying homage to Old Testament instances – this is the construction of Egyptian cities, the ruins of which can be these days the most ambitious within the global, overwork humans of Israel, this is whilst considered one of “the most” of the Pharaohs became an excellent exodus of Israel to the Promised Land.

  Fishing Tackle Review: The Normark Titan 2000 Float Rod

If you revel in flow fishing, then it’s pretty sure you also enjoy looking for glide fishing tackle. Here’s some information on a glide rod I’ve lately acquired: the Norwalk Titan 2000.

Key Features of the Titan 2000 Float Rod

The Titan Norwalk 2000 rod is an high-quality all-around piece of fishing address that’s eminently suited for plenty sorts of fishing. If you’re fortunate sufficient to still fish in herbal lakes and rivers, realize that the flexible Titan 2000 can be used as a stick-waft type of rod in addition to a conventional carp rod. The motion of the rod fits it preferably for anglers who use lightweight strains and small hooks. That is not to mention, though, that this rod won’t carry out admirably with heavier weight traces of.16 and up. Another characteristic I liked approximately this nicely-designed piece of fishing tackle is that it has the twist grip reel seat that is so famous with fishermen because it does a terrific process keeping the reel in an everlasting, strong role.

More About the Normark Titan 2000

One function I specifically like approximately this rod is the tip phase. It has a totally nice diameter, so it permits me to fish light, something I regularly like to do. I’ve additionally observed that that is a one-piece, in preference to a spliced tip, giving the Titan 2000 an exceptionally suited modern and sluggish bend, that is an important characteristic for stalking larger fish. There are none of the flat spots that you usually discover in rods with spliced recommendations. For anglers who experience using the lighter address for the sport and mission of it, especially when you hook a massive, feisty carp, recognize that this rod is perfectly suited to this fashion of fishing, even when in comparison to extra high-priced models.

  6 Ultimate Discount Travel Tips

We are almost into 2017. And most probably you have made New Year resolutions- workout, eat wholesomely, give up smoking, and so forth. However, traveling greater is something that you may need to do not forget in the New Year. Most human beings tend no longer to tour lots because they suppose that it’s miles too high-priced but the correct information is that saving cash when you travel is pretty simple. In reality, bargain journey is now simpler than ever earlier than and here are 6 pointers to get you started out as follows:

1. Engage The Sharing Economy

A few decades ago, tourists had to locate accommodation within the phone book, ebook flights at the airport, and plan their itinerary weeks, if now not months in advance. Thankfully, those days are lengthy gone with modern day sharing economic system offering travelers extra options- and opposition denotes savings. And whilst many sharing economic system websites had been in life for years, their growth remains phenomenal. For example, Airbnb boasted barely over half 1,000,000 listings two years in the past, and now it has over one million. Vacationers can, therefore, put the sharing financial system to paintings for pretty much whatever- from in which you sleep to meals, guided excursions, transportation and so on. Some of the most famous websites include Airbnb, EatWith, BlaBlaCar, and Guided by means of a Local.

2. Try Budget Airlines

While gas prices may be at their cheapest in years, this does not translate to ordinary airways decreasing their fares. If something, they are looking to squeeze in greater seats in order to make more money. Thankfully, there are a bunch of price range airlines along with Air Asia, Wow, and Norwegian Air that fly cheaply from Asia and Europe to the U.S. They do the identical issue as normal airways, flying you between continents, but and not using frills and at lower prices. For example, Norwegian Air operates flights from each American coasts to mainland Europe for as low as $150 for a one-way flight. Once there, vacation makers can then discover their way to Asia for simplest $two hundred one-manner. Even more exciting is that Air Asia operates $20 one-manner flights around the area and in case you want to go to Australia from Asia, a one-manner ticket will handiest set you returned $a hundred and fifty.

3. Visit Cheaper Destinations

This is surely a no-brainer. A weekend live at a 5-megastar motel in Paris will without a doubt value greater than the same journey, to say, Prague. Take advantage of destinations whose economies are underperforming or those that have amazing exchange charges. Currently, some destinations that can be of interest to tourists encompass Greece (terrible economy), India, Australia, Russia, and Japan (all of which have seen their currencies fall in assessment to the dollar as a consequence making them manner extra low cost. Admittedly, at the same time as the charges in these locations have not fallen, they have become less expensive attributable to the drop in currencies.