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reymundomattix1995-blog · 4 years ago

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onlinemarketinghelp · 5 years ago

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Let’s Talk: Suicide And Student Loan Debt https://ift.tt/2NObXJI

The only way I see myself escaping my student loan debt is to kill myself.

I want you to read that again: The only way I see myself escaping my student loan debt is to kill myself.

Reading that sentence gets me emotional. I can sense the pain. I can feel the despair in the words. It creates a tightness in my chest as I hold back tears thinking about what that means. You can sense the burden that is on her shoulders thinking that the only way out is to end her life. Isn't that the most horrible thing you've read?

You want to know something, though? I've read that sentence twice this year talking to readers here on this site.

And the truth is that there are many more people out there than the two readers that reached out to me. People that we haven't necessarily connected with, but maybe will find this article and feel a little weight lifted off their shoulders.

Let's talk.

This blog post is part of the 4th Annual Suicide Prevention Awareness Month blog tour. If you are feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741.

Quick Navigation

Suicide Is Not The Answer (It Makes Things MUCH Worse)

How To Get Help For Your Student Loan Debt

Where To Find Someone To Talk To (Or Get Help For A Friend)

Suicide Is Not The Answer (It Makes Things MUCH Worse)

I'm going to be straight with you on two levels. First, the emotional level, and second, the factual money level.

Suicide is never the answer because there are countless people who love and depend on you. Your mom and dad. Your brothers and sisters. Maybe your children. I know that today you think you're going to do them all a service by taking away a "burden", but I promise you, you being gone will be a 1000x burden and will cause more pain and sorrow that you could even imagine.

No amount of money is worth your life. You can live with student loan debt. You can smile with student loan debt. You can play with your children with student loan debt. Ending your life is not the answer. There are countless ways to deal with your student loan debt, and there are countless people that can help you navigate the confusing and frustrating world that is student loan debt. But that's gone if you take your life.

And you think you're possibly making it easier on your family financially. Well, I'm here to tell you it doesn't. Here's why:

Your family is NEVER on the hook for your Federal student loans, only you are - so you're not a burden to them financially

However, if you have a cosigner on your student loans, like 90% of private loans today, if you die, your cosigner (typically a parent) will still have to pay the debt.

So, in situation #1, with Federal loans, you're not a burden. It might seem tough for you today, but you're not impacting anyone else. In situation #2, if you die and have private student loans, your parents could still owe the debt. And with you gone, how are they going to pay it? You're really leaving them with a burden that didn't exist before.

How To Get Help For Your Student Loan Debt

Now, let's talk about your loans for a second, because we know that they are the driving factor of your despair. Being burdened with a debt that you don't think you can ever repay is crippling. You can feel like your debt is suffocating you - both mentally and physically. When you're deep in debt and feel like you have no chance of paying it back, and the phone is ringing with collectors, and you're getting mail, it's a dark time.

But there are several easy ways to get help for your student loans. Follow this simple action plan.

Step 1. Call Your Lender. Too many people are afraid to call their lender. But what nobody seems to realize is that student loans are owned by the government, and managed by student loan servicing companies. These companies are paid for managing the loans - including by helping borrowers stay current. They are actually there to help you. Yes, it's a call center, and yes, you might get a rep that's not very helpful. But many are, and most will be able to point you in the right direction.

Step 2. Immediate Relief With Deferment Or Forbearance. If you simply need relief right now and can't make a payment, ask for a deferment or forbearance. This will allow you to not make payments for a certain amount of time. You don't want to do this too long, because your loan balance will continue to grow.

Step 3. Get On An Income-Based Repayment Plan. These are the best repayment plans for Federal student loans if you're struggling. They will make your payments 10-15% of your monthly income, or less if you're close to or below the poverty line in your state. So, if you have no income, your monthly payment will be $0. And that $0 per month payment counts towards student loan forgiveness. That's a win-win situation right there.

If You Have Private Loans... If you have private loans, there are less options, but there are still things you can do to get help. Some lenders offer programs very similar to income-based repayment and deferment. You can also look at refinancing your loan, which could lower your monthly payment. We break down all the options for private student loans here.

And please, please, make sure you avoid these common student loan scams. When you're the most desperate for help, that's when people and companies prey on you. It's easy to become a victim when you're already hurting inside.

Where To Find Someone To Talk To (Or Get Help For A Friend)

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a counselor. If you or someone you know is talking about wanting to die or kill one's self, feeling hopeless or like they have no reason to live, feeling trapped or having unbearable pain, or think they are a burden to others, please reach out for help.

You can call this hotline and talk to someone 24 hours a day: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

If you see a post on social media, don't ignore it. All of the major social media sites include ways to help a friend in need.

Facebook: Click here to anonymously report someone as suicidal on Facebook. A member of Facebook’s Safety Team will send the user an e-mail with the Lifeline number and possibly a link to chat with Lifeline counselor.

Twitter: Click here and select “Self-Harm” to send an e-mail to Twitter reporting a suicidal user. Twitter will send the user a direct message with the Lifeline number.

MySpace: Click on the “Report Abuse” link that appears at the bottom of every MySpace page and complete the form. MySpace will then send an e-mail to the MySpace user with the Lifeline number.

YouTube: To report suicidal content, click on the flag icon under a video and select “Harmful Dangerous Acts” and then “Suicide or Self-Injury.” You Tube will then review the video and may send a message to the user that uploaded the video with the Lifeline number.

Some other resources you may find helpful:

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Project Semicolon

CNQR

Open Path Collective

Debtors Anonymous

You can also check your local college to see if their graduate program in counseling offers discounted sessions.

Remember, you're not alone with your student loan debt. But no matter how you're feeling about your debt, your friends and family need you and care about you more than you could ever realize.

P.S. I encourage you to share this article on social not for me, but maybe for someone who is suffering in silence and this article may benefit. You don't want to learn about it after it's too late. Please share as you see fit.

The post Let’s Talk: Suicide And Student Loan Debt appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

The only way I see myself escaping my student loan debt is to kill myself.

I want you to read that again: The only way I see myself escaping my student loan debt is to kill myself.

You want to know something, though? I've read that sentence twice this year talking to readers here on this site.

Let's talk.

Quick Navigation

Suicide Is Not The Answer (It Makes Things MUCH Worse)

How To Get Help For Your Student Loan Debt

Where To Find Someone To Talk To (Or Get Help For A Friend)

Suicide Is Not The Answer (It Makes Things MUCH Worse)

I'm going to be straight with you on two levels. First, the emotional level, and second, the factual money level.

And you think you're possibly making it easier on your family financially. Well, I'm here to tell you it doesn't. Here's why:

Your family is NEVER on the hook for your Federal student loans, only you are - so you're not a burden to them financially

However, if you have a cosigner on your student loans, like 90% of private loans today, if you die, your cosigner (typically a parent) will still have to pay the debt.

How To Get Help For Your Student Loan Debt

But there are several easy ways to get help for your student loans. Follow this simple action plan.

Where To Find Someone To Talk To (Or Get Help For A Friend)

You can call this hotline and talk to someone 24 hours a day: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

If you see a post on social media, don't ignore it. All of the major social media sites include ways to help a friend in need.

Twitter: Click here and select “Self-Harm” to send an e-mail to Twitter reporting a suicidal user. Twitter will send the user a direct message with the Lifeline number.

MySpace: Click on the “Report Abuse” link that appears at the bottom of every MySpace page and complete the form. MySpace will then send an e-mail to the MySpace user with the Lifeline number.

Some other resources you may find helpful:

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Project Semicolon

CNQR

Open Path Collective

Debtors Anonymous

You can also check your local college to see if their graduate program in counseling offers discounted sessions.

Remember, you're not alone with your student loan debt. But no matter how you're feeling about your debt, your friends and family need you and care about you more than you could ever realize.

The post Let’s Talk: Suicide And Student Loan Debt appeared first on The College Investor.

https://ift.tt/2Zx6uOz September 02, 2019 at 10:15AM https://ift.tt/2xXUdV3

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jeffsalbumoftheweek · 7 years ago

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The Bitter Roots Waning Days Interview

As it happens, my would be band, The Bitter Roots will be releasing our 5th Album, Waning Days, on October 27th. Whenever I put out a new album I like to blog a few words for those lucky few that may have the time or inclination to read more about what went into making the album. Despite what some folks may believe, it does not take 3 minutes to record and produce a 3 minute song. An album usually takes me a few years to write and record. Art is the labor of love. So if you might indulge me...

This time around, instead of aimlessly ambling on of my own account, I thought it would be fun to do an interview. With all the fake news floating around out there, who better to trust, who better to conduct this important interview, than my old friend Yale Kaul. All star drummer, fellow Missoulian, Go Griz, former moderator of the most excellent pre-social media blog Yalestar, and also a frequent contributor to the former Missoula music scene, fanzine, Shat Upon. So take it away it Yale, give me your best shot. Order Up.

Y: Congratulations on the new album. What is this, your fourth or fifth one with this band?

J: Thank you. Yes, this is the 5th full length TBRs record in 10 years now. I really like to stay busy writing new songs. I love to make and record new music, and so does Ben.

Y: Where's that on the cover? It looks like Central Washington perhaps?

J: You have a keen eye. That photo was taken looking due north off the I-90 overpass at the Templins exit just east of Ritzville. I took it through the windshield with a cell phone. I was driving back to Seattle by myself shortly after the death of my Mother in Law as it so happened. I think the image captures the state of our crumbling and adrift former American Empire rather nicely.

Y: Is our crumbling empire a theme of the album overall?

J: You know, at first it was, because the album started to come together around the tracks Informed Consent, I am Nobody and Cuddly cats. We had been jamming those out live quite a bit before they went to tape. They are all pretty dark on subject matter lyrically, heavy rock sounds, and you have to remember this album was recorded in the 1st 6 months after the disastrous election. But as we added more tunes to the album I think it went more from the Dark to the Light.

Y: About that baritone guitar: is this the first time you've used one on an album?

J: It is. For the uninitiated a regular guitar has a 25 1/2" long neck and is generally in standard tuning of EADGBE. The Baritone has a considerably longer neck, mine is 28 5/8" and is tuned to CFA#D#GC. The main driver for it is to create more space in the mix for my vocal range, which tends to have more contention with standard tuning. Also tuning down 2 full steps from E to C allows me to appear to have a larger upper vocal range, it is easier to hit the high notes when you tune down. Led Zep did that for that last big reunion show to make it easier for Robert Plant to sing some of their tunes. As you age, there is no escape for it, your vocal register tunes lower.

Y: Yeah, your voice definitely sounds lower, especially on the first song. So do you guys play live as a two-piece, i.e. bassless? If so, I'd imagine the baritone guitar can fill in a lot of the lower frequencies?

J: We have played out as a duo quite a bit, but not in 6 years, because we had bass players. I have played the baritone out as a trio and it sounds rad. For the Duo live, the best rig we came up with is an Acoustic brand 100 watt head, a mesa 4x12 slant cab, using just my acoustic guitars which are a '78 Guild F50 and a '87 Guild JF-55. Those are big concert grand guitars, it can be hard to manage the feedback live, but we dialed it in a few times to good crowd effect. Neither us much prefer the duo live, there is something about needing that separate low end to really lock with the drum kit, we prefer it with 3 pieces and 2 voices. I also have a lot of harmonies I need someone to sing with me for the full intended effect in the live setting.

Y: The recording itself sounds very pro! You guys did the whole thing in your home studio right?

J: Thank you. We do the tracking in my studio which is 24 track tape, it is a good sized studio, it takes up the entire basement of my house. It has separate rooms for guitars and drums as well as a control room. Then we take the tape and the machine to Studio Litho where we dump it to pro tools and mix it down from 24 tracks to stereo 2 track using Litho's gorgeous vintage API console. We do no digital editing or correcting, nor do we use any auto tuning. We master the mix as well at a separate room that is now called Resonant here in Seattle, where final volume level and EQ adjustments are made on the stereo mix down. The advantage to tracking at my place is that we can do it as many times as we like because we are not on the clock, under pressure, spending money to use another room.

Y: So when we were younger men, back in the Burnin' 80s™, I knew you were big into Hendrix, Bad Brains, Soundgarden. Obviously your music palate has developed over the years. What's turning your crank these days?

J: Excellent Punk Rock Talk question right there. I try to check out newer stuff as much as I can. There is a rock band from Scotland, Biffy Clyro, they sell out arenas in Europe in minutes, they are very very talented, and fun to see live too. There is a band from Bend OR called Larry and his Flask. They are the craziest punk bluegrass rag time rockabilly thing. The Rev Horton Heat are big fans of those guys too, we saw Larry open for both The Rev and Fishbone, so that is saying something right there, they do fish style durges too, its super cool. But with streaming, I have been able to delve deeply into catalogs of one artist or another. We could not dream of such access as kids when records were 7 bucks, that was a lot of money back then. Renting at Rudy's was what 2 bucks? With streaming I can listen to for instance lately in chronological order as I prefer, the entire back catalogs of Steely Dan, Tom Petty, David Bowie, B-52s, REM. All the Fat Wreck chords bands Strung out and Lagwagon, those are great bands. Stiff little Fingers, Smiths, System of A Down, Audioslave, Rage and others.

Y: Also, Ben: he and I went to high school together, although I never knew him back then (he's 3 years ahead). Where's he coming from musically? Is his use of the traditional drum grip any indication? [I may have that wrong, but I thought I recalled him using that grip in early Silkworm shows... And is he involved much in the song smithing?

J: Ben has super eclectic tastes in music. He loves the Rock, loves to play Rock, also a huge Soundgarden fan, Tool, Stone Temple Pilots etc... But he also listens to a lot of classical and plays a lot of classical music on the piano as well, J.S Bach is his favorite, he also follows all the session drummer dudes and he goes to the clinics and demos they do in music stores when they come around Seatown, guys like JoJo Mayer for instance. He switches his grips depending on his mood or the song, he also switches at will, left and right handed orientation to the snare and hi hat, sometimes in mid tune, he is that good. In albums past I have gotten some fine keyboard parts and bass parts from him as well, but for this record I did all the music and words and then as always we collaborate on the drum parts, the tempo and the final arrangements.

Y: So the album is called Waning Days, which immediately reminded me of the book "Dark Age Ahead," Jane Jacobs' last book before she died, where she goes deep on five areas where the west (but mostly the US) is pretty much clusterfucking itself into oblivion (culture-wise, financial, higher education, climate, etc). The book is just over 10 years old and it's looking more and more like she was spot-on. HOWEVER: it must be noted that aside from the album title and cover photo, there's not a real pessimistic outlook in the songs, or at least not that I could detect. So I ask you: am I missing some overarching theme of cultural and institutional decline among the songs?

J: Perhaps. Track 1 Informed Consent is a song about sexual assault and in particular the demise of Bill Cosby, and Trump pussy grabbing, so there is that. Track 2 I am nobody is about how as you age and your youthful self aggrandized importance in society wanes, as you just become another average Joe going to the mall and getting loaded too often, the lament of many as you grind into middle age and realize, yup, this is it, this is living, this is all there is. Whatever you make it or can afford to make it. Track 4 Cuddly Cats is a direct statement against the music business and the music business in the internet age, where music itself has become window dressing after thought for other commercial ventures, where kitties get more attention than actual artists trying to convey a meaningful message, where fake and sexy imagery is all that matters, trying to sell you stupid crap you don't need anyway. Those messages are there in the lyrics, however subtle. So there is some darkness but on the whole the message of the record is counter. Yeah we are in some Waning Days, but there is hope and light, all is not lost.

Y: You've been at this a long time. Inasmuch as you're able to say, what are some of the lessons you've learned about navigating the music industry, especially now as a man in his 40s with a job and family and so forth? Obviously until about the 2000s people still made a living playing music, but now that number is vanishingly small, and those people make most of their money playing live shows and slinging merch. But at least nowadays it's easier than ever to at least get your stuff out there, right? So what's a person to do?

J: I have never had a record deal, never had a manager or an agent, and although I have played a ton of shows and used to promote out of town shows even in Missoula back in the day, recorded now 11 albums, I never felt like I was part of the music industry. I have never made any real money from music. I think of myself the same way I am pretty sure most of my good friends think of me too as just an artist and a huge music fan, a recording artist.

There is no budget in the music industry anymore. Floyd, our Mix and Master friend of many years now, he is one of 2 guys left in Seattle makes a living just recording people as a hired engineer on a project. There is no investment in new talent anymore. Way way back for instance, Journey put out 3 records before they got Steve Perry and then became huge. Today no record company would give you budget for 3 records in the hopes you hit on the 4th one, no way. You would be surprised how little playing live pays these days as well, even for artists with hits in their back catalogs. There are only a few corporations that control nearly every live venue of any size in the entire country who book pre-paid package tours at venue capacities of 250 all the way to 40,000 people. These companies take a lions share of the revenue, especially in the smaller rooms. It is corporate parasitic control of the medium and the media, fuck them all.

Despite the relative ease of self publishing these days, It may surprise you that It is not really easier to 'get your stuff out there' anymore because of the complete information overload now, music is just 1s and 0s just like all other commodified information, entertainment and or otherwise. It is just not worth much anymore because there is just too damn much of it out there, new and back catalog alike. A small needle in a million haystacks. You can have the #1 record in America buy selling a mere 50k copies in a week. To contrast, when Nevermind came out in the weeks to follow they were selling 100K an hour, dig it.

So the thing to do is just to be your creative self and do it because you love to do it, because it is a part of you, and be glad you don't have the pressures of an industry telling you what you should sound like. If you don't get famous in your 20s, chances are, you are not going to get famous playing rock music, so just don't worry about it, don't quit, keep playing, keep creating. As Tolkein said in the beginning there was light, and there was music. We are of light and music. There will always be new songs to write and share.

Y: Well yeah, by 'get your stuff out there' I meant anyone can put their entire creative output somewhere where 3+ billion people could potentially get it, and with very little upfront capital outlay, but then of course it's effectively commodified. And whether anyone ends up giving a shit... that's another matter of course. It's a paradox of unforseen consequences.

J: Totally.

Y: Well hell, I don't have any other specific questions other than the usual "what's next for the Bitter Roots?" So what's next for the Bitter Roots? Any other hard-fought wisdom you'd like to impart to other independent artists, or to the world in general?

J: What is next for us is more songs and more recording. We have already started in on a new set, probably take a few years to put out. No shows planned at this time, maybe in the future, who knows. I don't have any profound words of wisdom other than, as an independent artist trust your own judgement and don't worry too much about external validation, cause these days the state of shit is as hollow as Facebook. Stay positive, Trump's days are numbered and we the good, the meek, the thoughtful, the artistic and domestic alike will rise again and steer us all toward a more equitable future in the fashion of MLK and Obama.

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rakhall · 8 years ago

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I got tagged, and I’ll do this kind of post for first and last time...

Tagged by @cid331 AND @heavybond56 and by a lot of anon mails, but those don’t count, please stop.

RULES : answer the questions and tag 20 amazing followers you’d like to get to know better!

⭐⭐⭐

NAME: Yeah... You probably couldn’t pronounce it correctly and I don’t want you to cause permanent damage in your tongue.

NICKNAMES: Call me whatever you want, until it’s not rude or disrespectful.

ZODIAC SIGN: Which zodiac are you talking about? The Chinese Zodiac, oooor...

HEIGHT : 6ft 2.409449i.... What? What did you expect from me? A round number?

ORIENTATION: Heterosexual

ETHNICITY: Ethnicity matters less and less in the 21st century because tradition and culture are constantly and drastically changing and transforming, in smaller countries as well as among ethnic minorities in every country they live in. And I’m not only talking about cultural assimilation but also about the fact that more and more places in Europe and Asia start to adopt American habits and cultural elements. This process is due to the consumer society and multiculturalism, but the internet is playing a big role in it too. Just to mention an example: In some Middle European countries, people celebrated the so-called “All Souls' Day”/”All Saints’day”/”Day of The Dead” -sorry, I couldn’t find a proper translation- but nowadays, even in these countries Halloween costumes and Halloween pumpkins became m ore and more common, in stores. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, neither that it’s something good. But one thing is for sure, in the future as well as in the present, the only barriers of complete cultural amalgamation will be religion, language, and nationalism. So after this, let me ask you the question. What matters more the ethnicity you are born into, or the ethnicity you feel comfortable with?

FAVORITE FRUIT: Depends on... If I want to eat it, then pear, If I want to write a fanfiction, then lemon...

FAVORITE SEASON: Winter. I can’t take the sunlight. It doesn’t matter if there’s 313.15K (yes, I used kelvin because I’m an a**hole so your brain gets a little extra exercise while you google the celsius-kelvin calculator,) until I can stay any place where I can avoid sunlight.

FAVOR BOOK: Too many to choose from, so I’ll just go with the one that made the biggest impact on me: “The Tragedy of Man” Synopsis: The main characters are Adam, Eve and Lucifer. As God creates the universe, Lucifer decries it as futile, stating that man will soon aspire to be god and demanding his own right of the world, because God was forced to create with him, "the ancient spirit of denial". God casts him out of Heaven, but grants his wish: the two cursed trees in Eden, the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Immortality. Playing on Eve's vanity and Adam's pride, Lucifer tempts both into sin. After the Fall and expulsion from Eden, Adam is still too proud to admit that he acted wrongly. Instead, he recounts his dreams of human progress and achievement; he feels that now, unencumbered by God's rules, he is ready to pursue his own glory. Lucifer puts Adam to sleep, and the two begin to travel through history. There is a link you can read it online legally for free if you are interested.

FAVORITE FLOWER: I don’t like flowers, but I do happen to know, that in the language of flowers walnut blossom means stupidity, and nettle means in rough translation “Get the heck away from me you freak me out!!!”

FAVORITE SCENT: If I write something edgy and dark-overlord-like as “the smell of death, and rotting flesh” no one’s gonna take me serious ever again and everyone unfollows me, BUT if I will say “the smell of fried chicken legs” I’ll be called swallow, and 90% of the vegans are gonna attack me for it.

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Axolotl. When that lil’ dingaling -sorry but I already swore too much in this post so I won’t do it again, unless it’s a quotation- somehow is washed ashore, instead of drowning it simply goes with an “All right f*ck you from now on, I’m gonna breathe air! Mother nature is my b*tch, b*tch!”

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT COCOA: No.

CAT OR DOG PERSON: No.

FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER: Actually I have a lot, so I can’t simply go with one, sorry.

DREAM TRIP: Any place that’s far away from Goldshire Inn.

BLOG CREATED: I don’t understand... So I’ll just divide this question into two parts: 1) “What kind of blog did you create” To answer this question: It is a fan-drawing blog (I used this word combination instead of “fan art” because I don’t consider my drawings as “art”. 2) “What’s the purpose of the blog/why was it created” Originally it was created so I could share the jokes I made up in my comics with more people, not just with the ones on Deviantart. Later on, the purpose changed when I got into STVFOE, and it became my main drawing site, (while Deviantart became secondary,) where I shared my exaggerated parody comics or my “what-if” ideas about the show. Right now my goal is to turn this blog into a fammiliar place where my followers like to be, and also turn it into a friendly community.

NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS: To avoid hate, I’ll skip this question.

WHAT DO I POST: My drawings, and thoughts... I don’t really reblog, because it would make harder to navigate for those who aren’t tumblr users, just bystanders who found my blog.

DO I GET ASKS ON A REGULAR BASIS: Yes I do, and sorry for not answering all of them, I read them all guys, but I don’t want to spoil, the future comics, neither confuse the readers. If I can answer privately, it makes my job easier though. I only have the “anonymous” option, because this way everyone can write to me not just tumblr users...

AESTHETIC: Noun: a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. alternative meaning: a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art. Adjective: concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.

FAVORITE BAND: Don’t have favorites, I listen to what I like, it doesn’t matter which band plays it. If the whole band has only one single track I like, then I listen to that one, and nothing else from them.

FICTIONAL CHARACTER I’D DATE: again, depends on, what my goal is. If I want everyone to hate me then I’d choose a typical “Everyone’sWaifu” like Heka-the-best-girl-poo, if I would want to spend a good time with someone I would have common topic with, then someone smart and kind enough not to turn all of our conversations into something swallow, or to give smart, but mean/offensively sarcastic answers. The problem is, most of these characters have already someone.

(if they don’t, they are underage, lol)

HOGWARTS HOUSE: Why always Harry Potter? I mean I don’t have anything against it, but why is the extra question always Harry Potter? Why never “Horde or Alliance” or “Favorite Digimon” or “Demon or Angel” or anything...

I don’t tag 20 people because I don’t make difference between my followers... consider yourselves all tagged. Or none of you, whichever you want.

#Rakhall thoughts

32 notes · View notes

topfygad · 5 years ago

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Tips and how to travel to Saudi Arabia in 2020

Last year, I was one of the first very few tourists to ever travel to Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa.

Before, the only way to travel to Saudi was on a business visa, via a strong local connection who could sponsor your visit or by getting a pilgrimage visa to visit Mecca and Medina (only for Muslims).

Therefore, the fact that, all of a sudden, Western tourists can visit Saudi Arabia on their own, with a backpack, both men and women, is a very radical change.

This incredibly big change, however, didn’t come alone.

During the last couple of years, a lot of their super strict Islamic laws have been softened or, at least, they have become more flexible. For example, allowing women and men to hang out together in public spaces was one of the most significant changes.

All these small changes will make things easier for future international visitors.

Moreover, you should also know that, despite everything that you may have read in the media, Saudi Arabia is an incredible country which is filled with loads of stunning sites, both natural and archaeological, hugely contrasting landscapes and some extremely hospitable people that could easily rival my beloved friends from Pakistan and Iran.

Personally, this country has been the most surprising country I have ever been to, especially because nobody had ever told me the good things about it.

That being said, after visiting all around the country for a little bit more than two weeks, I have compiled this comprehensive guide that contains plenty of tips and everything you need to know to travel to Saudi Arabia in 2019, one of the least visited destinations in the world.

By the way, if you want to keep track of all my photos and travels, remember to follow @againstthecompass on Instagram.

This guide contains all the practical information. For places to visit read my Saudi Arabia itinerary

Index:

Visa Travel Insurance Getting to Saudi Tourism in Saudi Arabia Is it ethical? Blocked websites How to behave The people – The Saudis The food Solo female travel Safety Money Moving around Saudi Internet and SIM Card Accommodation More information

Hey, have you ever wondered how I make a full living from blogging? Learn here how I started monetizing my blog and get over 200,000 monthly page views in less than 3 years

Check this introductory video from my friend Brian from The World Hiker! (I am also in the video!)

youtube

Visa for traveling to Saudi Arabia

Amazing News October 2019 – E-visa finally available through visitsaudi.com – Continue reading to know more about it

In December 2018, the only way of traveling to Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa was by purchasing a ticket for a Formula-E event that would take place in Riyadh.

You could book your tickets through the website sharek.sa and, immediately after purchasing them, they would issue a legit and valid e-visa to travel to Saudi Arabia.

I paid 395SR (105USD) for the Formula-E ticket and 640SR (170USD) for the e-visa. In total, it was 1,035SR (275USD).

With my Spanish passport, the visa was valid for 30 days and it allowed me to travel anywhere but Medina and Mecca.

My e-visa for Saudi Arabia

This was just a one-time event and, after that, they celebrated one or two more, the last one being in July 2019.

The truth is that there were some rumors saying that the Saudi Government would introduce a regular e-visa system somewhere in 2019, so those events were just a test aimed at seeing how would the country handle independent Western tourists for the first time in their history.

Apparently, their results and experience were rather satisfactory and, along with the fact that Saudi is trying to find alternative ways of not being so dependant on oil revenue, they finally announced the introduction of an e-visa system, starting from September 2019.

How to apply for Saudi tourist e-visa

Applying for the e-visa is pretty straightforward and you can do it through this portal.

Which countries are eligible to get a Saudi tourist visa?

All EU countries within Schengen zone + Andorra, Monaco, United Kingdom and Ukraine, Brunei, China, Canada, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, United States

How long is the Saudi visa for?

With this visa, you can travel in Saudi Arabia for 90 days.

How much does the Saudi e-visa cost?

It costs 117USD + VAT.

Can single women apply for the same Saudi e-visa?

Yes, you can, as long as you are 25 years old or more.

Don’t forget to read my 2-week itinerary in Saudi Arabia.

Outside of Riyadh, on the way to the Edge of the World – Tourism in Saudi Arabia

Travel Insurance for Saudi Arabia

Remember to always travel with the proper travel insurance, especially in countries like Saudi Arabia where, for foreigners, the Health Care System is crazy expensive.

I strongly recommend World Nomads for the following reasons:

It is the only company that offers an unlimited budget policy, very useful for Saudi Arabia

It provides coverage for pretty much any nationality

It covers a wide range of adventure activities

Getting to Saudi Arabia

By air – The easiest way to travel to Saudi Arabia is by flying in. There are loads of international flights, especially to Jeddah and Riyadh. Saudia Airlines has many direct flights from Europe and other destinations.

By land – Right before visiting Saudi Arabia, I was traveling in Oman, so my initial idea was to overland via UAE. However, in the visa application, I had to specify my port of entry and they didn’t give you the choice of selecting a land border entry point, so I preferred to just book a flight because, in any case, going from Muscat to Riyadh was a very long way and I didn’t even know about public transportation options.

The border between Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait should be open to anyone with a valid visa. The rest of the borders, however, are currently closed: Yemen, due to the ongoing conflict; Qatar, due to their current diplomatic issues; and Oman, due to it being under construction. I am not sure about the Iraqi border but, most likely, you won’t be crossing from there.

Read: Ultimate 7-day itinerary to Dubai and the UAE

Another very cool canyon outside of Riyadh – Can you travel to Saudi Arabia

Tourism in Saudi Arabia

As you may imagine, tourism in Saudi Arabia is in a very embryonic stage.

Random Saudi: Where are you from? Me: Spain Random Saudi: Where do you live, in Jeddah or Riyadh? Me: Nowhere, I am just visiting Random Saudi: No, I mean where in Saudi are you working?

I had this conversation over and over. They still don’t know that foreigners can now travel to Saudi Arabia.

When I was exploring the southern part of the country and was walking around the souk with my big backpack, people were asking me if I was carrying a parachute and one even said if it was an inflatable boat.

Read: Places to visit in Saudi Arabia – Complete itinerary

Rajal Almaa, a beautiful village in southern Saudi Arabia – Travel guide to Saudi Arabia

So yeah, the idea of having international visitors who are not expats or workers is still a concept they aren’t familiar with.

However, there is a relatively developed domestic tourism infrastructure, so you can find hotels pretty much everywhere, even though they tend to be expensive.

Moreover, as per things to do, you should know that there are loads, loads of things to do in this country. I mean, just check its size and you will see that it is bigger than any European country. I will publish a travel guide to Saudi with itinerary included very, very soon.

The beautiful Old City of Jeddah – This photo was chosen the 2nd best photo in Instagram by Lonely Planet in January 2019

Is it ethical to travel to Saudi Arabia?

When I came back from Saudi Arabia, I received many, many messages from very upset people who claimed that traveling to Saudi Arabia implicated collaborating with a regime that doesn’t respect the basic human rights.

Some messages were from friendly, skeptical people who wanted a response, while others were from really extreme haters who I blocked right away.

Well, let me tell you something: like in any place around the world, you find good and bad people and, when I travel, I don’t meet with Prime Ministers but I visit places and hang out with humble locals.

This a very long and controversial topic, so I recommend you read my article:

Is it ethical to travel to Saudi Arabia as a tourist?

Hanging out with local friends in Abha

How to access blocked sites in Saudi

Something you should know is that, in Saudi, the internet is censored.

This means that some websites might be blocked and inaccessible for regular internet users.

Moreover, because of this censorship and, since there is no freedom of speech, the Government reserves the right to monitor your internet activity.

Therefore, if you want to access blocked sites and navigate anonymously, you will need something called a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

Don’t worry, it is less complicated than it sounds and, in this tutorial, you can find out everything about it:

What is it and how to find the right VPN for Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia travel guide – Tips on how to behave

Heads-up.

Saudi Arabia is the most religious country I have ever been to.

In fact, this is the most religious Muslim country in the world. Everybody knows that.

Most Saudis follow a branch of Islam named Wahhabism, which is characterized for having the most conservative interpretation of Islam and the law of Saudi Arabia strictly follows it.

This means that their penal code includes some very hardcore punishments such as public beheading or getting flogged. This is their country and we are not here to judge and unless you plan to kill someone, smuggle drugs or have sex in public, you shouldn’t be afraid of traveling to Saudi Arabia as a tourist.

Seriously, it is not even close to what you may think.

Note – Saudis prefer to be called Salafis, instead of Wahabis. In their eyes, Wahabism is a few steps ahead than Salafism when it comes to conservatism, meaning that it is really extreme, a term usually used to designate Islamic terrorists. Whereas Salafists are really, really conservative in nature, it is more socially accepted. Thank you, Graham, from Inside Other Places for the clarification

A man reading the Quran is Jawtha Mosque, the second mosque the prophet Mohammed ever prayed at, in Hofuf, east of Saudi Arabia – Can you visit Saudi Arabia?

Some rules you need to follow when you travel to Saudi Arabia

Women need to wear an abaya – The abaya is a local dress that covers your body (not your head).

Some public spaces are segregated by sex – You will figure it out by yourself but some restaurants or cafés are still composed of two areas: men and family section. Women or men that go with women need to sit in the family section. This kind of segregation is slowly disappearing, especially in Jeddah and Riyadh.

Depending on where you are, during prayer time, you can’t be inside shops or restaurants – To be honest, this rule has become more flexible but, outside of Riyadh and Jeddah, they kicked me out from shops during the prayers and I could not even stand in front but I had to walk away. A very weird rule.

Don’t drink alcohol – Drinking alcohol in Saudi Arabia is not legal, not even in 5-star hotels.

Seriously, stay away from drugs – Drugs may lead to death sentence, so don’t play with them.

No public shows of affection – Same as when you travel to Dubai or Qatar.

Don’t say you are an atheist – Even if you were, say you are a Christian or any major religion in your home country. Being an atheist can be considered as blasphemy and this is a very serious crime in Saudi. Moreover, you came to Saudi to meet people and make local friends, so saying you are an atheist won’t help you at all.

The Old City of Riyadh – Saudi Arabia travel tips

Misconceptions about Saudi Arabia – Things you can actually do

Like I said before, in the last couple of years, the laws of Saudi Arabia have become more flexible. Well, this is not entirely right. According to my local Saudi friends, some laws haven’t been changed but the religious Islamic police (mutaween) has lost power, so they aren’t controlling what people do anymore.

Men and women who aren’t family related can hang out together, in public – Some years ago, you couldn’t go to a restaurant or a café with a friend from the opposite sex but now you can do it normally, like in any other country.

Foreign women can travel around the country independently, and alone – I have already lost count of all the women who asked me if they can go there by themselves. Yes, you can travel to Saudi Arabia as a woman, by yourself. Would it be challenging? It would be different from being a man, indeed, but it is definitely legal.

Single foreign women can also visit Saudi on a tourist visa – You can travel to Saudi with your unmarried boyfriend and even if you are single, no problem.

Women don’t need to wear hijab – You don’t need to cover your head but, like I just said, you must cover your body with an abaya. If you travel to Iran, you will see that the clothing rules are even more strict.

Women can drive, including renting a car – From June 2018, women can finally drive and, as a female tourist, you can also rent it.

Men can wear shorts – Nobody will say anything to you.

These are the things I could come up with so far. Do you have any more questions about the law in Saudi? Please, post it in the comments section.

with @nadaalnahdi and @esraarayes – Can I visit Saudi Arabia

The people and the culture – The Saudis

Like in many Middle Eastern countries, in Saudi, you find loads of particularly kind people.

Typically, Saudis are so easy to recognize because they wear the thawb, which is the white traditional dress. They also cover their heads with the ghutrah, which can be of different colors but red & white seems to be the most commonly used.

A Saudi man – Can tourists visit Saudi Arabia?

Language – Arabic is the official language. English can be a sometimes problem when you travel in Saudi Arabia, as most people don’t speak it but you will always find someone who does.

Religion – According to the Saudi Government, 100% of the Saudis are Muslim, the large majority being Sunni Wahabbis. There is a large Shia population, as well. Remember that Saudis are very conservative, so try to be respectful and sensitive.

Saudis are extremely hospitable

Before traveling to Saudi Arabia, I knew a lot of people who had been there on a business visa and the truth is that I am extremely disappointed with all of them because they had told me:

Saudis are arrogant

Saudis are racist to anyone who is not from the Gulf

There is nothing to do in Saudi

Seriously, I don’t know where they have been but, from the moment I met the immigration officer who stamped my passport with a big smile while he tried to improve his Spanish, I have just had positive experiences with Saudi people.

Saudi people are extremely hospitable. From endless coffee and meal invitations to random people who insisted on showing me around the city, I seriously met some incredible locals, some of whom I can call now friends.

Honestly, the experience was no different from the blessings of hospitality in Pakistan, Oman or Iran, no kidding. I shared many short moments with so many locals but there were two Saudis in particular who really changed the perspective of my trip.

First, I met Abdullah, an English teacher from Kharj. He picked me up when I was hitchhiking and drove me to a city which was 80km away (and it was not his way). There, we met with one of his friends, we had lunch at his house and then we visited his camel farm. Abdullah taught me many interesting things about Saudi culture, especially their interpretation of Islam.

Do you like extreme destinations? Read: How to travel to Syria

With Abdullah – Can I travel to Saudi Arabia

A few days after, I met Ibrahim, a real Saudi from Abha. We met at the souk of Abha and, after having a chat, he invited me to his famous village named Rajal Alma. We had dinner, stayed at his friend’s house and showed me around on the day after. Ibrahim comes from a very traditional Saudi family (his father was actually a famous Imam from the region) but he married a Filipina girl, something quite unheard of from Saudis with a similar background.

Seriously, don’t trust anyone who has just been to Jeddah or Riyadh for business. First of all, you can’t judge a country by the inhabitants of a several-million people city. And second of all, don’t trust the judgment from someone who has traveled to Saudi Arabia for business because he hasn’t seen much beyond the office, the fancy restaurant, and the hotel.

Saudis are not happy about how the Western media portraits them

Our media doesn’t really do justice to Saudi people, as they portray them as religious fanatics who force women to submit to their Sharia rules.

The reality is miles away from this stereotype.

Like in any country, there are loads of awesome people and, like in any off the beaten track Muslim country, most of them are extra-nice with foreigners.

Saudi women

Most women in Saudi wear the black niqab, which covers the whole face except the eyes.

The reason they wear it is that, according to their interpretation of the Quran, women can’t show their face to any man who isn’t their dad, uncles, grandfathers, sons, and husband, of course.

For years, many pro-feminist groups in Europe have been claiming that the use of niqab is sexist, against the women’s rights and they wear it against their will.

Whereas I fully understand their point, I think that their argument is quite simplistic and it just lets you see one tiny side of the whole picture.

Please note that I am not trying to justify the use of the niqab but I just wanted you to know that many Saudi women actually choose to wear it. Really. They choose to wear it because they think that this is the right thing to do because the Quran says so. They believe they need to wear it as much as men believe it.

Obviously, there will be many cases of liberal Saudi women who will tell you a different story but I am just talking in generic terms.

My point is that this topic is way more complicated than we think and, as tourists, we shouldn’t be talking or trying to change it because you are traveling to Saudi Arabia to learn about their culture and visit beautiful places.

How to deal with women in Saudi – Now that every day you see more and more women working in public spaces, you are likely to talk to quite a few Saudi women who wear the niqab.

If you are a man, don’t try to shake hands and keep a reasonable distance with them but you can talk to them freely and you will see that they are as lovely women like any other. If you are a foreign woman, they will definitely be extra nice to you and, if you are on the countryside, expect them to invite you to their house.

When I visited Al-Jawf, 1,000km north of Riyadh, I went there to work on an assignment for a local company and I was very lucky to be received by two super nice ladies wearing niqab. I spent the whole day with them. They showed me around their province, we went to have some coffee and I even went to their house where they fed me until I exploded. They were as hospitable as any Muslim man I had met before and the only difference is that I didn’t see their faces. It was an enriching experience.

Chilling with a Saudi woman in Al-Jawf – How to travel to Saudi Arabia?

Saudis are multi-ethnic

For centuries, Muslims from all over the world came to Saudi on their journey to Mecca and, at some point, decided to settle there.

Over time, they became Saudi citizens and that is why, today, you find Saudis from all types of ethnicities. From Bedouin to East-African-looking people and even the cultural-Yemeni-like people from the south of the country, in Jizan, Saudi is the most multi-ethnic Arab country.

For me, this was one of the most surprising things about the country.

A Yemeni-like Saudi man from Jizan – Traveling to Saudi Arabia what to know

Food when visiting Saudi Arabia

The food was another extremely surprising thing about traveling in Saudi.

Before visiting Saudi, I was traveling in Oman for 1 month. In Oman, I felt that, after day 2, I had already tasted all the local food, which was always simplified to different variations of rice with meat, chicken or fish. Then, I tasted one or two different local dishes in some houses and the rest was all Indian food.

Saudi, however, is a different story. Since it borders with so many Arabic countries, its huge dimensions with many different geographical areas and its multi-ethnic population, the food in Saudi Arabia is a real blend of all the Arabic food you can think of.

From the Yemeni food-like dishes from the south to the olive oil-rich food from the north of the country, Levantine Arabic dishes such as vine leaves and makluba, foul and hummus for breakfast and, of course, the classic Gulf food that includes all sorts of rice with meat, the cuisine of Saudi Arabia also shows the cultural richness of the country.

By the way, traditionally, Saudis eat on the floor and use their right hand to eat. Eating like them is a sign of respect but if you are struggling, you can always help yourself with a spoon.

– This is mandi, which is originally from Yemen – Travel tips for Saudi Arabia

Solo female travel in Saudi

Since I left Saudi Arabia, I have been bombed with tens of questions from many women who are skeptical about traveling to Saudi.

Sure, Saudi is an extremely patriarchal country, so this kind of reaction is perfectly understandable. However, let me tell you that, as a woman, Saudi Arabia is much safer than you could ever think.

I am perfectly aware that, since I am not a woman, my opinion doesn’t really count here but, luckily, during my journey, I met Nada al Nahdi, a Yemeni / Indonesian girl who was born in Saudi, so she knows the people and culture very well and has traveled around the country extensively.

Nada wrote an article about this topic on my site, so if you want to know more, read:

9 misconceptions about traveling to Saudi Arabia as a woman.

Nada trekking in Saudi Arabia

Is it safe to travel to Saudi Arabia?

From a crime perspective, Saudi Arabia is just another very safe place to visit in the Middle East. I mean, you should always be aware of your belongings but pickpocketing or being robbed is quite unheard of.

As per terrorism threat, I will not deny the fact that there have been some one-off terrorist attacks but even UK travel advice says that, except for the areas close to the Yemeni border, all Saudi Arabia is safe to visit.

However, I also went to Jizan, the region bordering Yemen and everything was extra peaceful. The war is happening on the other side of the border, not in Saudi.

In my opinion, the only actual threat when traveling in Saudi Arabia are the extremely crazy drivers. Seriously, after all my years of travels, I can now confirm that Saudi people are the most insane people on wheels.

For a more detailed analysis, read this article from Joao Leitao: Is Saudi Arabia a safe country to travel?

Hanging out with some Saudis – Photo by @joaoleitaoviagens – Travel tips to Saudi Arabia

Money in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Rial is the official currency – And, in January 2019, 1USD = 3,75SR

Exchanging money – Euros, United States dollars or British Pounds are widely accepted. You can even exchange Indian and Pakistani rupees and other Asian currencies, as there is a large Asian population living in Saudi. Of course, the currencies from other Gulf countries, such as Omani Rials or UAE Dirhams are also accepted.

ATM and credit cards – ATMs are available pretty much everywhere and credit cards are accepted in most modern cafés, restaurants, and hotels. However, bring always some extra cash, as the Indian-run cafés and other more local places don’t accept cards.

Cost of travel to Saudi Arabia – These are the prices of the most typical things:

Budget Hotel – Double room from 100 to 150SR (26 to 40USD)

Breakfast in Indian-run café – 5 to 10SR (1.30 to 2.60USD)

Breakfast in local Saudi eatery – 10 to 15SR (2.60 to 4USD)

Lunch in Indian-run restaurant – 10 to 15SR (2.60 to 4USD)

Lunch in local Saudi eatery – 15 to 20SR (4USD to 5.30USD)

Lunch in mid-range restaurant – From 30-35SR (8-9USD)

Short taxi ride in Riyadh – 15 to 25SR (4 to 6.60USD)

Moving around when traveling in Saudi Arabia

Something you need to know: Saudi Arabia is the least walking-friendly place I have ever been to. That being said, here is what you need to know regarding moving around the Kingdom:

Moving inside cities – Public transportation in Saudi cities is awful and, except in some parts of Jeddah, you must drive with your own car or by taxi. You can’t seriously walk. If you aren’t self-driving, I recommend you download Uber or Careem, so you won’t have to deal with negotiating a price with a taxi.

Domestic flights – Another problem of Saudi Arabia is that distances are ridiculously huge and the nice places to visit in Saudi are scattered all around the country. For example, Al-Ula is nearly 1,000km north of Jeddah and Jizan is another 1,000 south of Jeddah. If you are short of time, a very good alternative is taking domestic flights.

I recommend you check on Saudia Airlines, as they have the largest number of domestic connections in the country. Actually, the most effective way to travel in Saudi Arabia would be taking a domestic flight and then renting a car in the destination itself.

Rent a car – In order to enjoy the country, renting a car is crucial. Gas is cheap, so are the daily rental rates. However, all companies offer limited daily mileage, around 250-300km a day I think, so if you drive to faraway places like Al-Ula or Jizan, you may end up paying quite a lot. By the way, most rental companies won’t rent you a car if you don’t have an international driving license, so remember to convert it before leaving your country.

I strongly recommend you look for the best deals on Rental Car, a search engine that shows you the best available options in each country and city.

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE BEST CAR RENTAL DEALS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Buses – You can also move by bus between cities. They are very cheap but the problem is that you will have to rely on taxis once you get to any destination. There is not a single city in Saudi which is walking friendly.

You check all bus schedules and buy tickets on this website.

Hitchhiking – As crazy as it may sound, I hitchhiked across Saudi Arabia. I actually hitchhiked from Riyadh to Jizan, 1,300km. I had some really good experiences but, at the same time, I had not so good experiences. On the one hand, it is relatively easy to get a ride and, normally, Saudis will be extremely helpful and, if you are lucky, they will invite you to their house.

On the other hand, most places in Saudi are connected with highways where people drive extremely fast and, sometimes, they overtake cars by the shoulder of the road, which is extremely dangerous if you are waiting there. Moreover, many Saudis are crazy drivers, more than in any other country I have been to. On one occasion, I refused to continue with a man because I was seriously afraid of dying. When I finally reached Jizan, I decided not to hitchhike anymore. It was too intense.

We had some issues when hitchhiking with these guys – Can I travel to Saudi Arabia alone

Internet and SIM Card

Wi-Fi – It works pretty well all across the country, including in the budget hotels. You won’t find Wi-Fi in the cheap cafés but most malls or Western-Style cafés have public Wi-Fi.

SIM Card and 3G – I got ZAIN which, according to locals, has the worst network but it was the only company I found which you could buy just 1 or 2GB. Mobily is the most popular one but they asked me to buy 10GB, at least, which was around 150SR (40USD). With ZAIN, I think I just paid around 30SR for the SIM Card plus 1GB worth of data.

Remember that, in Saudi, the internet is censored and, if you want to access blocked sites, you will need a VPN. Read: How to find the right VPN for Saudi Arabia

Accommodation

In Saudi Arabia, accommodation is quite expensive, especially for solo travelers.

Airbnb – The cheapest option would be finding a room on Airbnb and remember that, if you create an account through my link, you will get up to 35€ of FREE credit on your next booking.

Hotels – Prices start at 25-30USD but, on the bright side, budget hotels are usually apartment-hotels with a kitchen and, for just a few more USD, you could have a 3 or 4-bedroom apartment, so if you are a family or travel with more people they are a great value for money.

You can find hotels all over the country. If you have a larger budget, all cities are filled with good accommodation options, especially in Jeddah and Riyadh, where you can find the most luxurious hotels.

If you are self-driving for long distances, most small towns you pass by will also have budget apartment-hotels which are always clean, at least in my experience.

You can find plenty of hotels in Booking.com

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE BEST HOTELS DEALS ON BOOKING.COM

Falconry is also a very big deal in Saudi – Travel Guide to Saud Arabia

More information for traveling to Saudi

When to travel to Saudi – Winter is, definitely, the best time. Avoid summer, late spring and early autumn, as during day time, temperatures average 40-45ºC.

Weekend falls on Friday and Saturday – This is not different than many Muslim countries.

On Friday, everything is closed until Asr prayer, which is around 4 or 5pm – Not everything will be closed but some restaurants may open in the morning. However, at noon, during Dhuhr prayer, absolutely everything is closed.

Eat with your right hand, always – This is a generic Muslim rule but in Saudi is particularly strict. If you are sharing a meal with more traditional people, try to always eat with your right hand. I am actually left-handed and sometimes I forget about it and Saudi has been the only place where the locals got a bit upset when they saw me eating with my left hand.

Don’t travel to Saudi during the holy month of Ramadan – During Ramadan, the law is really extreme in Saudi, so all business will be closed during day time.

All my travel guides to Saudi Arabia

Places to visit in Saudi Arabia – 2-week itinerary 9 Misconceptions about solo female travel in Saudi How to visit Riyadh in 3 days Is it ethical to visit Saudi as a tourist?

And here you can find all my articles and guides to the Middle East.

from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/2XwMxoT via https://ift.tt/2NIqXKN

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sempiternalsandpitturtle · 5 years ago

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A content marketer’s guide to video distribution

Okay, seriously, get on the video train. Do it. Write a script, shoot some interviews and put it online.

Where online? Oh, isn’t that the question.

For all the fuss we’ve made about video – and we’re serious, by the way. Make one. Your inner Ava Duvernay doesn’t mean diddly if people don’t show up to the box office. Making videos is important, but where, when and how you distribute those videos matters, too.

More than half (59 percent) of senior executives prefer videos over lots of text. But you can probably bet those C-suite types aren’t Googling “videos on best EHR solution” (or whatever your business offers). They want the content to come to them.

And you, my darling marketer? You have the power to hand-deliver right to their desk.

The video platforms you need to utilise

When video is part of your marketing strategy, the first thing you need to do is decide where these files will live. The channels you use will define elements like duration, resolution, orientation (i.e., portrait versus landscape) and more.

So with that in mind, here’s a list of the major players:

The hosting platforms: YouTube, Vimeo

You already know about YouTube. With more than one billion users and a reach greater than any cable network, this site is the OG of video distribution. It’s owned by Google, so you know that YouTube understands your marketing goals. It’s also very user friendly, as it’s super easy to upload and embed video content.

If YouTube isn’t your jam, consider Vimeo. It calls itself “the high-quality home for video hosting and watching”, and users agree thanks to its sleek design and lack of memes.

Beyond that, however, Vimeo is more supportive of content creation than YouTube. It’s got a nice supply of stock footage and great audience engagement tools to use during live streaming. It’s not a household name like YouTube, but you might find you’re able to do more with it.

That said, neither of these are really the best place for B2B video discovery. Remember, decision-makers don’t seek out video, so they’re not going to these websites when searching for your content. If you’re gonna use YouTube or Vimeo, you’ve got to embed your video somewhere else.

I suggest an optimised spot on your website — whether a blog post or a landing page — that will allow you to target related keywords. Google will have a much easier time crawling through your content, and your site will be 53 percent more likely to show up on the first page of results.

“Should I have a separate landing page for every video?”

Well, that depends. On the one hand, it’s great for SEO. You can target keywords based on a single video’s content (rather than trying to mention every single one), making it easier for search engines to understand everything that’s on the page.

On the other, it adds a lot of infrastructure to your website. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something to be aware of. Also, if you do decide to post each video on a unique page, make sure navigation is really easy. No one’s going to dive deep into your website looking for content that lasts 90 seconds max.

The social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Snapchat

Posting videos on social media gives your profiles a dynamic edge, interspersing moving content with static pictures and text. Plus, the sharing aspect can increase your reach by leaps and bounds.

Social media is now a top advertising platform, so of course these companies are going to do what they can to help you promote your videos. Sometimes this means paid ads (and you can get pretty targeted with tools on Facebook and Instagram); other times it means posting organically at the right moment.

Also, don’t forget about influencers, who work well for both paid and organic strategies. Influencers are great for increasing brand awareness and recognition, connecting you to a large audience of new, potential customers.

The streaming platforms: Twitch, webinars

Livestreaming is a great way for B2B companies to interact with their audience. Showcase your experience at an industry convention, show a little behind-the-scenes action or host a short Q&A with various employees. Most livestreaming platforms let viewers comment in real time, which gets them more engaged with your business.

Twitch is arguably the most well-known streaming platform. To be fair, it hosts a lot of gaming content, but businesses of all types are finding it very helpful for their video marketing strategies.

Webinars are related to livestreams in that they’re filmed in real time and allow for viewer interaction. However, they’re a bit more useful in terms of marketing. Most webinars can be hosted or embedded on your website, making it easier for viewers to navigate through your content (and hopefully to your sales page). Additionally, you can make users register for your webinar and capture helpful data like email addresses. You can then filter this information and design additional marketing materials based on the different interests of your viewers.

The sharing platforms: Email, guest posts

These distribution methods are often overlooked, but they’re quite powerful! With email, you can send a preview of your video to everyone on your newsletter mailing list. Include screenshots and / or gifs so viewers get a taste of what they’re in for. Having imagery makes your newsletters that much more appealing, anyway.

As for guest posts, well, what blog isn’t enhanced with a little video? If you have the opportunity to write for an influencer’s website or industry publication, embed a video within the copy to boost engagement.

SEO and video: Yes, they do work together

Google can’t crawl a video (remember how bad those YouTube automatic captions were?), but it can review the details around one. Search engines treat your video’s title and description like an image’s metadata and caption. This means that, yes, optimisation is an important part of your video distribution strategy.

But how do you make your videos support your SEO strategy? Just include the following:

Keywords: I already noted that you should use them wisely on your landing page, but don’t forget about the video itself. Include keywords in your video’s title and description for better SEO. Remember, Google will place relevant videos toward the top of the search results page if they reflect the user’s query.

Look at those videos. I’ll forgive you if you spend the next 20 minutes watching kittens on YouTube.

Calls-to-action: You don’t want to leave viewers with nothing to do after they finish your video. At the very least, you want them to come back to your website. Include a call-to-action at the end of the video itself (by displaying your company contact information, for example) so your audience has reason to stay engaged with your brand.

Video seeding: Building backlinks organically is neither fast nor easy, but video seeding helps the process greatly. This concept involves reaching out to specific websites or blogs with target audiences interested in your products or services. If everything works as planned, other reputable sites will see your content and want to post it on their pages.

When to post your videos

Time isn’t the biggest factor when it comes to increasing views, but it certainly holds a bit of influence. Keep these easy tips in mind:

If you’re using YouTube or Vimeo to host your videos, or you’re posting this content on your website, you can use a posting schedule similar to that of your blog.

Going the social media route? Post your videos during times that see high engagement.

As for webinars? These are usually held during business hours. They’re designed for professionals, and even the best of us don’t like staying after hours.

The proper way to add video to your marketing strategy

So what am I saying with all of these words? Don’t take video lightly; it’s a very useful tool, but great production means nothing if you have no distribution strategy. Choose your platforms wisely and script and orient your video accordingly. Post at the right times and in the right places. Do things right, and you’ll be the Steven Spielberg (or Akira Kurosawa or Spike Lee or Kathryn Bigelow or … ) of your industry.

from http://bit.ly/34KDYqe

#content marketing

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shukrant25 · 6 years ago

Link

So You Probably Must Have Heard About All The Cliche Talks on How to Rank on Google Without Backlinks.

There are exactly “1,27,00,000” Results Right Now on Google Which Are Talking About How To Rank w/o Backlinks, But none of them has any type of practicals examples included.

I know, I know …… You want to see the proof of the traffic that I’m talking about.

So look at it first.

Satisfied Now?

Now let’s talk about how I actually got there.

Before starting, I’m not going to share the website’s URL here. You can leave if you’re only here for the name.

I registered this domain name in July this year. For those who’re curious to that from where did I register the domain? I got it for 200 INR from Bigrock. Also, It doesn’t matter where you buy the domain from. #CouponsRock

The site is based on WordPress. It’s the best CMS for personal websites.

For those of you who’re thinking that I am lying about backlinks, then here is the data on top linking domains from Google Search Console.

Most of them are Social Media Sites for which I set up IFTTT to post content automatically. You can not consider them as direct backlinks.

Still not satisfied with the data?

Look at this ahrefs report.

Now I can not convince you more than this. You can stop reading if you don’t believe me.

Still here? ……. Let’s Jump into the real deal.

So you must be wondering what special things I did to this website.

I’ll be breaking all the things pointwise so that they become easier to navigate.

#1 Site Structure

This may be the most important thing, that’s why I kept it on top.

We all know about creating categories on our website, but we forget about the real meaning of it. They are made to make your website’s navigation better.

Don’t just create categories and forget about them. Instead, work on them. Wondering How?

First of all, create as many in-depth categories as you can create. This gives a much better signal to Google of what the content is all about.

Now create a menu around your categories and add them to the header. This way it creates much better navigation around your website.

Enough of categories, now jumping on to internal linking.

Internal Linking is sooo sooo powerful that it can change your entire rankings by 180 degrees if implemented the right way.

Wondering how I internal linked in this website?

I basically Internal link 2-3 RELEVANT web pages from the website or you can say that the pages that come under the same category.

I’m not a huge fan of internal linking any post just for the sake of doing it. Google’s much smarter than you. Don’t try to fool anyone.

Only Internal Link relevant posts on your website under the same category. This creates a huge impact on seeing your site from the top.

You can also link relevant category pages as well. No doubt that it works.

#2 Bombard Content

As much cliche as it sounds, It is THE THING If you aren’t willing to make a ton of backlinks.

No matter which niche you’re working on, There’s always some content that you can put up there on the Internet.

Let me talk about my approach to publishing new content every single day.

First & foremost, Make a structure for your posts. In my niche, Every article kinda followed the same post structure. So before publishing my first article on the site, I made a post structure on Google Keep. I wrote all the Sub Headings, Content Structure there and whenever I needed to publish new content I just copy pasted the structure from G Keep, Edited a few things here and there, Sprinkled with some on-page optimization.

With that said, you’re good to go.

At least publish 1 new article every single day.

I went a little hardcore by publishing around 4-5 articles per day.

Because you don’t know which article make your site boom. Try to cover every single bit in your niche.

Google will start loving you if you update content frequently then your competitors, This way the crawler will come more often to your website because it saves crawler the budget. Your content will start indexing in a lesser amount of time.

Also, Internal linking also plays a huge role in indexing. I noticed that content with internal linkings of famous posts indexed way faster than content without internal links.

One thing to keep in mind is that Bombarding content doesn’t mean that you start copying other’s content or start spinning it.

I know writing that much content could be boring for a lot of people and coming up new ideas every single day is a difficult task in its own.

For that, you can look at what your competitors are doing, Get some idea from there content and structure it in your words. Do anything you want just DON’T COPY THE COMPLETE THING.

You can hire a content writer if you’re too busy or just not interested in writing. or Make a friend who loves writing

Are you thinking about how long that content should be?

Ideally, Anything about 1000 words has the potential to rank if optimized decently. Try to break down your content in as much heading and questions as you can. It just works.

#3 On-Site SEO Optimization

When you aren’t working on your Off-site SEO, You need to make sure that you’re doing everything right on your On-Page Tweaks.

As the matter of fact, You can use any SEO plugin that you want to use.

Personally, I Like Yoast.

A few days back a new plugin was also released named “Rank Math SEO“. I recently started liking this plugin only because it has an In-built schema feature. I like it’s SERP Preview as well. LOL!

Plugins are not going to help you if you don’t set up them the right way.

One thing that I want to tell everyone is that I feel like you don’t need to incorporate your categories, tags & author pages in the sitemap. I only keep Pages & Posts in it. Try to make it as much clean as possible. Don’t create a complete mess out of it.

Now talking about your SEO title and Meta Description.

Try to add your targeted keyword at least once in both of them. Also, try to make a clickbaity type of title, It will help you increase your CTR.

Adding Numbers to your title also tends to increase their CTR. Check what the Person on No. 1 is doing. Try to learn from it. There’s a reason why he’s on No. 1 & you aren’t.

Big DISCLAIMER – Stop giving a shit about those Green ticks in your SEO Plugins. They don’t mean anything.

Now If we’re talking about CTRs, Let’s talk about a thing that actually helps you increase it.

This.

Wondering How to get these for your articles?

Install this plugin

Easy Table of Contents

Show the TOC on top of your content and wait till Google crawls & start showing it.

Now You must be wondering How to optimize images to rank higher?

Don’t apply any rocket science to it.

Just add your targeted keyword with different prefixes & suffixes to your Image’s Title & ALT Text. With this You’re good to go.

Your main aim with On-Page optimization is to tell Google that what your content is all about.

Schema helps you doing that much easier and I know for that fact that you aren’t doing it on point.

No matter what your niche is there’s a schema structure for you.

Confused about what’s good for your blog?

Go to schema.org

Search anything your niche or article is about. Whether it be reviews or games or music or anything, You’ll get an answer.

Still aren’t able to find?

Take your 5 competitors for a particular article.

Take their URLs & put it into Structured data testing tool.

Check what kind of schema they are using and learn from them.

That’s It, Bud.

And Yes, You can get those stars in SERPs with the help of it. It Helps in Increasing the CTR.

Now as we are talking about ON PAGE SEO, a lot of you think that putting in your keywords “X” number of times in your article will help you rank higher in SERPs.

I won’t lie, It actually would help a bit but only for some short period of time. At the end of the day, Your site will get vanished and you can also receive a manual penalty from Google. I know you don’t want to get your site vanished from Google. So STOP playing those dirty tricks NOW.

#4 Site’s Loading Speed

Now It’s a Ranking Signal from Google as well. So Don’t take it for granted.

It plays a major role in rankings & acts as a backbone for user experience.

Poor site speed can result in making your site’s experience worse. It tends to increase the bounce rate, which tells Google that people aren’t interested in your content.

Even if your content is excellent but lacks speed then people will start leaving your content straight away.

A major role is played by the server on which your site is hosted.

I am not a big fan of shared hosting servers but if you’re just starting or have little to no traffic, You can use it. No issues with that.

But with time you should upgrade your server.

I personally use cloud hosting servers.

Also, you can make tweaks to your website as well which will increase your site’s speed.

Use caching plugins to boost your speed and try to minify your code as much as you can.

I use WP Rocket for optimizing my website. You can use pretty much anything which goes with your hosting server.

When talking about speed, The page size is the most important aspect of it and Images are the one dominating the size.

Which clearly suggests that you need to optimize your images to get much faster speeds.

I use TinyPNG to optimize my images before uploading to WordPress. Then After that, I use the SMUSH Plugin to optimize the images much further. Even after doing both of them if the images are not getting compressed, Then I use Adobe PhotoShop to compress them. This method works best for me and I’m using it for a long time.

After doing all the tweaks make sure your website is loading under 4 secs in GTMetrix Dashboard in your desired locations.

Create a Free account on GTMetrix with the help of which you can check your site’s speed in different countries from different devices and browsers.

#5 Content Sharing

Sharing is caring.

So Start caring for the people who are interested in your content which means start sharing your content more often.

With that being said, I’m not asking you to share every single piece content manually on different sites.

Let’s talk about how to fully automate this process for FREE.

For this task, there are different tools in the market that you can use for FREE.

On this website I use IFTTT, This is the best service that I know till date.

You can attach your WordPress website to it and create different applets that will automatically run whenever you’ll hit that “Publish” button.

Keep in mind that I’m not asking to just share the link. It looks spammy.

Show some creativity and use IFTTT’s Feature to the fullest. You can make some serious damage with it.

Make sure that you’re sharing it on all the famous social media’s such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Quora, Instagram, Medium.

If you don’t like IFTTT for some reason, Then here’s a WP plugin that can work as an alternative for you.

NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster

It Just takes a little bit more time to set up but then you can manage the post sharing from your website as well. Also, In addition, It can impact your site’s speed as well.

But you need to understand that you have to share posts on Social Media Sites. It gives a positive signal to SEs & makes your content look more engaging.

#6 Making Your Own User Base

This is a thing that I want to start a conversation around.

I’m pretty sure that you must be knowing about PUSH NOTIFICATIONS.

It is very important to have push notifications integrated with your blog. There are several reasons that why you should do it today.

You should not be totally dependent on any single type of source for your traffic. Maybe Tomorrow Google makes changes to its algorithm and you lose all your traffic because of it. So building your own audience is a pretty amazing idea!

It helps your audience to get updated regularly with all the updates that you’re making to your blog because search engines take some time to reflect these changes while with push notifications you can let them know instantly about them!

If you know how to play with your visitor’s mind then you can do a hell lot of damage to the market!

Over these months I grew my subscription list to over 15k subscribers with the help of push notifications.

The best part is that all these people have an interest in the niche that I’m targeting, So I can also target them later on with some other content.

ONESIGNAL is the best Free push notifications add-on that’s available right now according to my POV.

You can do the same thing with E-mail marketing as well. I like Push Notifications much more as it gives me direct access to their phone’s notifications.

What’s Your take on it?

Jump into the comments if you feel I’ve missed something important or you want to ask something.

Peace Out.

The post Ranking Without Backlinks: How I Got 1,055,811 Visitors In Just 90 Days! appeared first on Shukrant Tanwar.

#SEO #Wordpress #Marketing #Link Building #Viral Marketing

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rb-abroad · 6 years ago

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BONUS - Tips for your own globe trot!

Hi y’all! Before I wrap this blog up, I wanted to do a short post on some of the tips and tricks I learned along my travels and share some of the less-than-perfect instances and straight-up epic fails of my trip. On social media, we are usually sharing our best, most idyllic moments, and YES this trip was the most wonderful and dreamy experience, BUT there were some hiccups along the way that I would like to share in hopes that all of you planning your next getaway can learn a thing or two!

Understand (CLEARLY!) the terms of your travel abilities as a US citizen / what your travel visa allows. Before I left the US, I had some trouble finding the end-all-be-all source that clearly explained how long I was allowed to stay abroad without a student or work visa. If you’re planning an extended trip to Europe, here’s a quick summary: There is a group of European countries called the Schengen Area (get the list of the 26 here) that do not have passport control at their mutual borders. This means it’s suuuper easy to get in and out of these countries (who doesn’t love skipping customs?), but it also means that you cannot stay any longer than 90 days (combined) during a 180-day period. For example, my time spent in England and Ireland did not count toward my 90 days, but the time I spent in every other country on my trip did count. I extended my stay in London just so I could comply with these rules and literally left Holland on my 90th day. Also, DO NOT OVERSTAY!!! If you overstay even 3 days over your allotted 90, you could be subject to an entry ban for one year or more! That would be the worst, so just don’t do it! Thank god for the sage advice I got from my ex-pat gal pals Lizz and Kaylee (and the Dutch Consulate was super helpful, too!), otherwise I’d probably be banned from Europe and consequently would hate myself :)

Use Hopper and Google Flights to find good travel deals, but be sure to enter your passport info on the airline’s site once you book. This is less of a problem for Google Flights and moreso a piece of Hopper advice. My family had a hell of a time getting over to Amsterdam on our way out from the US because our flight from LAX to London was super delayed and we missed our connection to Amsterdam. We booked through Hopper and got a sweet deal, but we didn’t realize that it really helps improve your experience to write your passport info in your airline reservation profile after you book. Since our online profile was blank (aka, we did not go to AA.com and enter in our passport info after booking), the airline was not able to automatically re-book us on a new flight out to Amsterdam, and therefore I spent nearly THREE HOURS on the phone with Hopper and AA trying to sort new flights for us. It was a logistical nightmare, so just trust me on this and please enter your passport info in your airline profile.

Buy travel + health insurance. Luckily I didn’t have to use mine, but it definitely gave me peace of mind. For example, just tooootally hypothetically speaking, you might be biking around Amsterdam one day, and you just tooootally hypothetically might get hit by a car. And then you’ll hypothetically get up, and you’ll be completely fine minus a bruise and a scrape, and everyone around you will be so nice and make sure you’re ok and sit with you until you feel calm enough to get back on your bike because you don’t have data and you can’t call your boyfriend, but what if you weren’t so lucky and you actually got seriously hurt and couldn’t go to Germany the next day??? That would have been unbelievably awful. Anyway, that’s just a totally hypothetical story, Mom and Dad...

If you’re visiting a US Embassy anywhere, DO NOT bring electronics with you! You can bring in your phone, but that’s it. Don’t make the same mistake I did and bring literally ALL THE ELECTRONICS to your embassy appointment when it clearly states on your appointment confirmation NOT. TO. BRING. ELECTRONICS. They won’t let you in and you’ll have to reschedule your appointment for another date. I’m still rolling my eyes at myself.

Download Google Maps and star your favorite places. My brother taught me this trick, and it’s a life-saver. When you go on the Google Maps app, search for the city you’re going to (e.g. Paris, France), tap the banner that pops up on the bottom of your screen, and click “Download.” This saves the map to your phone so you can access it offline/on airplane mode! You can also star/save your favorite places or places you want to visit when you have data/wifi and access those offline as well.

Pack light when possible. If you’re country-hopping via train or you’re carrying on for your flight, pack as lightly as you can. There’s a lot of overhead lifting involved on planes and trains, so lightweight, versatile clothes and essentials only, ladies! The allowed airplane carry-on size is a bit smaller in Europe than in the US, so just keep that in mind so the flight attendants don’t glare at you (silly American!) as you try to stuff your roller bag into the overhead compartment.

Having some data and minutes is never a bad thing. If you download your Google Maps and plan all your outings in advance / when you have internet, you can definitely get by. But I can’t tell you how many times I was SO GRATEFUL that I could use my phone to call a cab in a pinch, double check whether something was actually open before trekking all the way over there, or just navigate public transit and get from A to B much easier. Something to consider...

Look up the rules for train & bus tickets/transit and abide by them! Getting written up for not instantly punching your bus ticket sucks. Thinking you can use your London Oyster Card to get to other cities in England is just plain dumb. Look up the rules! Better safe than sorry!

Make friends with locals whenever possible. Don’t be shy! I’ve found it just makes your experience in a city that much better. The world is a friendly place and people are generally nice!

Be zen when sh*t doesn’t go your way. It’s a basic concept, but it’s worth stating. You will probably miss flights, trains will be late, your AirBnB host won’t show up when (s)he’s supposed to... but you just gotta roll with the punches. It’s part of the fun (?) of travel!

Now go out and globe trot with confidence, my friends!

0 notes

ruthellisneda · 7 years ago

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Paleo? Keto? Slow Carb? Vegan? How to Determine the Perfect Diet For You.

Today we’re gonna get down and dirty and dig into the big diets:

Paleo. Keto. Slow Carb. IF. Vegan. Twinkie (yes this is a thing).

And it all starts with an admission of guilt. Every day, we get multiple emails from people that say something like:

“I know you guys are a paleo blog, but…”

I guess that doesn’t really surprise me. Our “beginner’s guide to the Paleo Diet” has been viewed like 25 million times since I first wrote it.

So I get it. But I have a confession to make. Step into my trust tree.

Outside of a 30 day experiment back in 2011, I haven’t been “Paleo.”

[AUDIBLE GASP]

Seriously, I just heard you gasp.

I have three more truth bombs for you:

I don’t care what cavemen actually ate, nor if the Paleo Diet is historically accurate.

I don’t think it works for a majority of people.

I LOVE the Paleo Diet and have seen it help hundreds of thousands.

I know. “What the hell, Steve!?”

Am I a walking writing contradiction?

Am I flip-flopper who can’t commit?!

For starters, when it comes to health and fitness, flip-flopping is a good thing. It’s called “getting smarter undumber when new information comes to light.”

But that’s irrelevant here.

Why? Because it literally DOESN’T MATTER what a caveman actually ate!

I don’t care if a caveman once ate wheat 30,000 years ago—this is what people rage about on the internet because they need to be angry at something and it’s fun to point out holes in a dogmatic popular approach to nutrition.

So, why do I like the Paleo Diet?

Because of “reality” and “human behavior.”

I like the Paleo Diet, just like I like the Keto Diet.

And Intermittent Fasting, and the Slow Carb Diet.[1]

I even like the vegetarian diet or vegan diet for the right people (with some caveats, which I’ll explain below).

I don’t actually think of the diets above as “diets,” but rather as a Mental Model for how to understand and navigate the food choices we make every day.

And mental models can be the difference between effortless weight loss and frustration.

Today I’m gonna teach you how to determine the diet that is perfect for you.

This is one of the most important articles I think you can read on Nerd Fitness, so make sure you set aside the time to dive in!

Quick note: This MASSIVE article is actually the exact philosophy we incorporate into our uber popular 1-on-1 Coaching Program. We cut through the crap, learn your situation, and then help you adjust your nutrition each month until you reach your goals.

Read this monster article, and if you want expert guidance and accountability, click on the image below to schedule a free call with our team to learn more.

How to Eat For Healthy Weight Loss

#1 – Eat fewer calories than you burn every day.

#2 – Want to also be healthy? Eat mostly real food.

Full stop.

Want to KEEP the weight off?

Add #3: Do those two things consistently for a decade.

This solution will get you like 90% of the way towards a killer physique and a consistently healthy checkup at the doctor.

Mix in the right training and you’ll be 99% of the way there.

The problem is that pesky things like “reality” and “genetics” and “human behavior” keep getting in the way.

It’s why everybody goes on diet after diet after diet, gaining and losing the same 10-50 lbs.

Most people can only stick with a diet for a few weeks before they’re so miserable that they can’t wait to go back to how they were eating before.

They count calories and allow themselves to eat “health food” like low-fat ice cream and low-fat chips and just two Oreos. These people are so nutritionally deficient—eating calorie-heavy, unfulfilling foods—that they struggle to stay under their allotment of calories for they day. D’oh.

To make matters worse, even if they’re counting calories, they’re probably overeating without realizing it.[2]

This is why people get so dang frustrated when they go on a calorie-restricted diet, track their food, and still don’t lose weight. The only explanation must be that their bodies must have slow metabolisms.

Watch this quick video of a person who believes she has a slow metabolism[3].

It turns out the exact opposite is true. Crap.:

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Despite everything stacked against us, Nerd Fitness is FULL of success stories of people who have lost 100s of pounds and kept the weight off. Here are a few dramatic ones (click on the images to read their full stories):

What gives?

Nerd Fitness doesn’t just tell you what to eat. Any Google search can tell you that.

Though we help there too.

At Nerd Fitness, we’re helping you learn HOW to think about eating too.

And that’s the difference maker.

Mental Models for the Win

The Nerd Fitness community is full of ridiculously smart people. Smart people that have tried in vain to lose weight for years or decades.

It’s because we’re fighting a brutal, uphill battle.

For many of us, food is way more than fuel: it’s a coping mechanism. It’s how our moms showed us love. It’s what we turn to when we’re happy or sad. It’s the only thing that provides us with a small bit of happiness in a boring existence.

Add in the fact that unhealthy food has been designed in a laboratory to be so delicious that it must be consumed in mass quantities, and trying to eat “just a few” of something is nearly impossible.

Next, add a dash of “I am obsessive and if I start to track calories I’m going to drive myself insane,” “even if I track my calories I’ll probably underreport how many calories I eat by at least 20%,” and “there is so much information that this all appears so overwhelming, so it’s a lost cause.”

This is why Mental Models are so useful (hat tip to my friend Shane over at Farnam Street Blog who taught me about Mental Models). I’m gonna borrow the concept here for nutrition.

Enter a MENTAL MODEL DIET:

Paleo Diet: If a caveman didn’t eat it, neither should you. “Okay, what would a caveman eat? Probably things that grow in the ground, so vegetables and fruit, and also animals. They wouldn’t eat candy or bread or pasta or drink soda.”

Keto Diet: Keep your carb intake under 5% (or more extreme, 10 grams, for example) of your total calories so your body has to burn fat for fuel instead of carbs and sugar. “Time to learn how many carbs are in everything I eat, and start tracking.”

Slow Carb Diet: Eat legumes, protein, veggies. “Time to learn how to make food that only fits the slow carb model. At least until cheat day!”

Intermittent Fasting: Only eat between 12pm and 8pm. Occasionally do 24 hour fasts. “Okay, so I’ll just skip breakfast. That’s one less meal I have to think about.”

In each of the above options, there are a few similarities that make them such trendy/popular diet choices.

For the sake of simplicity, we’re going to hold off on digging into the health benefits that apply to a small percentage of the population on certain diets (Keto to treat epilepsy, Paleo/Keto for Hashimoto’s Disease, identifying a gluten intolerance, etc), we’re going to focus on the reasons MOST people pick these diets.

They’re simple to comprehend and will probably help you lose weight:

#1) They all will result in you eating fewer calories (usually).

If you follow the Paleo Diet, you are eliminating some of the most calorie dense, nutritionally deficient, unhealthy foods out there. No more soda, no candy, no bread, no pasta, no sugar, no dairy.

If you follow the Keto Diet, you must track your carb intake, which means you’re going to also learn how many calories are in everything else you eat. You’re also essentially eliminating an entire macronutrient from your diet that’s notorious for keeping people overweight.

If you follow the Slow Carb Diet, you learn about which foods you can eat and which foods you can’t eat: yes to beans, no to dairy and grains. Like Paleo or Keto, you’re eliminating massively unhealthy foods from your diet, which will most likely result in weight loss.

If you do Intermittent Fasting, you’re eliminating 1/3rd of your meals for the day! Let’s say you normally ate an 800 calorie breakfast, 800 calorie lunch, and 800 calorie dinner. If you SKIP breakfast, that means you could eat larger lunches and dinners (1000 calories each) and still end up eating 400 calories less per day on average. That’s enough for 3-4 pounds of weight loss per month!

#2) You can answer “YES” or “NO” to adherence.

Sure, it would be great if you could weigh every element of food that you eat, and track each meal in a spreadsheet and KNOW you’re tracking each calorie and macronutrient correctly.

And for some people looking to get to bodybuilder levels of bodyfat, this level of perfection is required.

However, for the rest of us, working regular jobs, with kids, and lives, this shit is wayyyyy too much.

So these mental models are so damn helpful because they can simplify the overly complicated and allow us to get out of our own heads.

These Mental Model Diets require compliance and consistency. In each instance, there’s a very specific answer you can say every day, and a question you can ask yourself with each meal.

As our favorite green Jedi Master once said, “Do or do not. There is no try.”:

Paleo Diet: “Would a caveman eat this?” Yes or no.

Keto Diet: “Am I in ketosis?” Yes or no. You can even pee on strips to see if you are in ketosis.

Slow Carb Diet: “Did I only eat slow carb foods today?” Yes or no.

Intermittent Fasting: “Did I skip breakfast today? Did I stop eating after my feeding window?” Yes or no.

In each of these examples above, it removes ALLLLLLLL of the fluff, simplifies the heck out of our complex physiology and a complex problem. And it allows us to stop fooling ourselves.

With the mental models above, we have rules and a framework within which we can operate. It starts with black and white YES or NO questions we can ask.

We know what (or when) we can and can’t eat.

It’s a lot easier to fool ourselves when we are sneaking bites of cookies, having an extra roll at dinner, drinking a larger soda during a long night at work, eating some of our kid’s Halloween candy, and overeating while absentmindedly watching television.

When the rules are black and white, yes or no, there’s no place to hide.

Which means we need to get our act together if we’re going to stick with something.

We start to understand the quality and quantity of things we are putting in our pie holes. We start to dig into our relationship with food.

And in MANY cases, we start to lose some weight (again, see #1 above); this starts to make us feel better about ourselves. And we chase that feeling.

We create a positive virtuous cycle where you lose weight, get complimented, wake up not feeling like crap, look forward to exercising, and over time we become permanently changed, healthier, happier people.

In a similar vein, The Whole 30 Diet works for many people (“I only eat Whole 30 foods for the next 30 days”), but it will not result in long term changes if somebody goes back to their original unhealthy diet after the 30 days are up.

Temporary changes = temporary results.

#3) They can be done incorrectly, are tough to stick with long term, and won’t work for everybody.

Depending on our genetics, upbringing, lifestyle choices, addiction to sugar, relationship with food, what foods satiate us, etc., some of these options might work better for us than others.

As mentioned above, if ANY of the above nutritional strategies are done temporarily, they will result in temporary changes. This is how the majority of people go through life: gaining and losing the same 15-30 (or 50, or 100) pounds as they go on a diet and off a diet.

It’s a rollercoaster.

And not the good kind of rollercoaster with flips and corkscrews and probably involving Batman. It’s more like one of those rickety old wooden coasters that ruins your back.

Those rollercoasters suck, and so does putting your body through crazy weight loss extremes, up down, yes no, yo-yo.

Although these Mental Model diets can help people lose weight, they are often done for short time periods to get quick results.

And that’s only if people can actually stick with them long enough to get results!

Let me explain.

Why These Diets Probably Won’t Work For You

There are two main reasons why these diets won’t work for you.

Some of them are more strict, have more rules, and require you to be more militant in your approach. And even if you are strict in applying the rules, you can STILL do the diets incorrectly and gain weight because of this whole concept of thermodynamics.

Don’t get mad at me. Get mad at science.[4]

#1) You Can Do These Mental Model Diets Incorrectly:

Paleo: I know people who “go paleo” but eat just as many calories as they did in the past: they are eating paleo cookies, buckets of dried fruit (soooo much sugar and carbs), sweet potatoes, and so on. This person will be frustrated when they don’t lose weight.

Keto: If you go Keto but eat 5,000 calories per day, you’re gonna put on weight. Do this while sitting on your ass not doing heavy strength training, and that weight will be all fat.

Intermittent Fasting: If you do intermittent fasting but eat 2,000 calorie lunches and dinners, you’re gonna put on weight. Hell, I put on probably 30 pounds while doing IF, which was my plan.

Slow Carb: If you go slow carb but eat 6,000 calories of beans and other slow-carb worthy foods, you’re gonna gain weight (and have extreme flatulence).

#2) Sticking with these Mental Model Diets for the long haul can be tough

The Paleo Diet and the Keto diet often come up dead last when it comes to a “List of Best Diets.”[5]

Now, the people writing those lists certainly have agendas, are trying to deal with the general population, adherence, a number of other factors, and more. In addition, there just haven’t been enough long term studies on some of these newer diet strategies.

Oh, and factor in anybody too that wants to get page views by taking shots and tearing down whatever becomes popular. We’ll call this the “hipster phenomenon.” I look forward to the vitriolic backlash to Keto Diets over the next 3 years.

And you never know who to trust. Coca-Cola famously used to bribe scientists to conduct studies claiming sugar was healthy.

So why the hate for diets that have changed millions of lives and will probably help you lose weight?

The reason these diets have poor compliance is because most people will abandon them within days/weeks after starting them:

If somebody is following Paleo or Keto, they’re gonna go through “carb flu” symptoms as their body has to learn to burn fat instead of carbs for fuel. Their body can revolt against this, making them miserable for days or weeks.

Many give up and go back to sweet, comforting carbs. I imagine this happens to a majority of people.

For others, they might make it past the physiological challenges but still give up on the date. They hate having to be the difficult one at barbecues, they hate weighing food or counting carbs, and find the diets too restrictive to fit into their lives.

Compliance and elimination of certain foods can be really challenging, especially for people with families, who travel for work, and aren’t in control of the lunch and dinner options.

In an EXTREME example of a Mental Model diet done for publicity, a professor went on the Twinkie Diet (he ONLY ate Twinkies) and lost 27 pounds.[6]

Disregarding the health implications of only eating Twinkies, I can’t imagine saying “this is a diet I can stick with for the next decade.”

#3) People think “All or Nothing” and quickly abandon the diet when compliance fails.

If you are somebody who is on a Keto Diet or Paleo, you have a very specific set of rules to follow. If you accidentally slip up:

Oh crap, that food had more carbs than I realized, I am now out of ketosis and my world has ended.

Oh crap, I didn’t realize this was dairy. I have now brought shame upon my paleo heritage and must attone for my sins.

Life happens. Shit happens. And with these diets, we dumb humans have this unique ability to take one tiny mistake and allow it to ruin the next decade:

“I ate a breakfast that wasn’t Paleo, today is ruined and so this month. I’ll try again next month (even though it’s only the 5th). Oh look, a pile of carbs! NOM NOM NOM.”

“I got knocked out of Ketosis, which makes me a loser that can’t stick with anything and I hate myself. What’s the point? Who cares that I was in ketosis and lost 30 pounds. I’ll try again later. Now back to my regularly scheduled program of carbs and carbs and carbs topped with carbs!”

No wonder 60+% of America is overweight! We’re surrounded by calorie-dense, nutritionally-deficient foods designed to make us overeat. We’re also surrounded by diet plans and products that promise fast results with no effort. We sabotage ourselves by thinking “99% complaint” is a failure and thus it’s a quick slide back to “0% compliant.”

It’s for these reasons I LOVE the IDEA of the Mental Model Diets above, but know that they’re not for everybody. They’re actually not for most people.

I think they can be a valuable starting point to help somebody simplify their decision-making process and educate themselves about the food they’re eating.

These Mental Model Diets can help people identify certain nutritional deficiencies or imbalances somebody might have, or unknown allergies.

They can help people identify sugar addictions, gluten intolerances, emotional triggers for food, and other valuable information to uncover. And as..

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#Paleo? Keto? Slow Carb? Vegan? How to Determine the Perfect Diet For You.

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almajonesnjna · 7 years ago