Selling Car not as easy as Pie

Yes, selling the car is not that easy. There's plenty of ways to get your car seen, but because this is not a simple purchase, buyers can be discouraged at a drop of a hat. I remember how picky I was when I was buying my car. First of all you don't know the history of the car, if it has been in an accident, are there any problems that will need to be fixed? There's always something wrong with a second hand car, and it will never be in pristine condition.

But I don't despair yet, I drive with the big cardboard sign on the dash - 'For Sale' with my phone number, and also description on the side windows. I try to park by busy roads, so many passing drivers can see me. I have read somewhere that it's good to park in the supermarkets car parks - I've done that over the weekend, picked a spot facing the main entrance and parked up (for the allowed time). Car boots are good as well, I had few people asking me about the car when I took it to the car boots over the weekend.

If I don't sell it by 20th September, I'll take it to the local car auction, I might get less then I wanted - they will probably buy it off me to re-sell - but even £200-300 profit is better then none.

On more positiver note, I went through some of my old stuff, and found original 1960s Parker Pen - worth around £45. I must have bought it with an auction lot at some point. Lucky that, I have already photographed it this morning and listed on ebay. And just finished baking Brie & Spinach Pastry Pie - mmmm, time for lunch :)

Budget Travel pt.1 - Accommodation

Here we go, new three part series on budget travel. Tips on saving money, looking for cheaper options and not paying over the odds just because your from 'Grongolandia'!
First part is all about accommodation. This will be the biggest chunk of your travel budget - staying in hostels, hotels b&bs. We'll look into cheaper alternatives so you don't end up out of pocket.

1. Never ever ever book a hotel in advance for the whole stay. First few nights in new place is fine (recommended even) - you need to know you have somewhere to go when you step out of the plane - just for your peace of mind. But don't book the hotel for the whole journey - you will most likely pay full price, and you never know if that's the hotel with the best location / atmosphere. Look around, once you've arrived, and ask about the prices in local hotels. That way you will pick the location you like, you will see the hotel and the room up close, and the staff will usually give you a discount on the night just to fill up the hotel. Even smaller profit for them is better then keeping the room empty for the night!
2. Staying in one place longer is much cheaper then moving around. That of course works if you are travelling long term, you're on a gap year etc. If you stay in one place for a month or longer, ask for better deal at the hotel / hostel if you pay in advance. You will most likely get 30% off the full price. Also ask if there's further discount if you don't take the breakfast. By the end of the day, you will most likely be served tea and toast, and for the money saved you could grab something in town!
3. If you have to travel somewhere long distance, like 200km to your next destination, take a night train. You will save the money on overnight accommodation, and don't waste the whole sunny day stuck on the train.
4. Rent a room or apartment. It will be way cheaper then paying for each night at the hostel. Look for adverts in local papers or estate agencies. If you don't know the language, ask a local person for help. For £5-10 they could go with you through adverts, make calls and translate. You can even go for 2 bedroom apartment in central location (large busy towns) and sub-let the spare room to the tourists - now that's a smart way! Just make sure it's a tourist destination, and your prices are competitive with local hotels. Put few adverts around town, local shops, or even Air Bnb. You might need to get a local sim card (if you have unlocked phone) so people will call you on a local number (and you don't pay the roaming charges back home).
5. Try home sitting and stay rent-free! Yes, you can look after someone's home when they're away and don't pay for accommodation! That requires preparation in advance, ideally before you set of for travels. Create house sitting profile on specialists websites: TrustedHousesitters and HouseCarers. These sites connect home owners with house sitters. Most likely you will be required to look after the pets (dogs, cats, sometimes farm animals). So experience is preferred. 
6. Couchsurfing. I haven't tried that myself but it's an option to stay in someone's place for free for up to few nights. You might get a couch, spare bed or even own room! There's few sites connecting people together, most popular without a doubt is Couchsurfing.com Check it out and set your profile now!
7. Work exchange (WWOOF-ing). You can live and work on organic farms, help with a work load, and stay on the premises. Great deal, but requires a lot of hard labour - if you're prepared to do it on your travels. Look at it as a working holiday. In some places you can stay free, but in some you will be expected to pay for the accommodation, still it will be much cheaper then the hotel, and you'd probably get meals in that price too. Check this site: WWOOF International
8. Volunteering. That's a fantastic option. You can volunteer for nature / animal preservation organisation and help them with their work. In exchange you will stay with the group of volunteers rent free. That doubles as amazing experience, you could be saving rare species of animals, teaching local kids English or help comfort victims of domestic abuse. You will make a difference to local communities, contribute and meet amazing people in the process. Start here: Workaway.info
9. Try Homestays – similar to apartment rentals and Couchsurfing, homestays are just like they sound — you stay at someone’s home for a set amount of time — but the difference between this and the other options is that for a set price (usually a couple of hundred dollars per week), meals and language lessons with your hosts are also included. You find a lot of these in developing countries, particularly Central and South America, where they are very widespread. For safety reasons, recommended to couples and single males only.
10. Home exchange. Now that's a different level. Have you seen movie 'Holiday'? It's like that - you exchange homes with someone else who's willing to stay in your place, for a set period of time. This method works best for older travellers who already own a home. Home exchange programs have been around for a long time but are growing in popularity due to good marketing and word-of-mouth. Home exchanges are just like they sound — for a set amount of time, you exchange homes with a family from another country.Most people don’t do this because they worry about security — but remember the other family trusts you with their home, too. Moreover, websites that facilitate home exchanges usually have various levels of verification and security similar to Couchsurfing. Families talk to each other over phone and e-mail, and there’s no commitment if you find that it’s not right for you. Sounds interesting? Check this site: HomeExchange.com

See also:
Budget travel pt 2 - Food
Budget travel pt 3 - Getting around

Saturday planking...

Car boot sales are fun. Especially if you have plenty of small items to get rid of, or have a house clearance. Especially now in the Summer they're booming. And they still will be going until October, as long there's a good weather. It can't be raining for too long, because most of car boot sales are outdoor, on the fields. Today's car boot was fantastic, topped up my sales this week, and it means that the holiday budget is rising. Hip hip and all that.
There was supposed to be someone coming to view the bed this afternoon, and they just texted and cancelled. And I actually cleaned the house this morning, hoovered, especially under the bed, and changed the bedding. Never mind at least it's done, and I would do it anyway over the weekend. So silver linings and all that.
Now, please excuse, I'm going to practise planking in the fresh bedding until tomorrow. Ta!

Travel Safety - Top 10 Tips

Going to Central America, the main concern (for me and my parents) is the safety. My parents are very worried, as the main source of information about these countries for us here is the news. And let's face it, only the worst cases make the news - robberies, mugging, thefts and so on. Nobody talks about 99% of peaceful travellers, only extreme 1% actually make it to the news. But from experience I know that what you hear on tv is rarely true, and all of my travels were completely trouble free. Of course, you have to keep the common sense about you, because there are some shady characters. But as long as you stay in the safe area, have eyes wide open and be sensible you should have enjoyable holiday.
That safety concern also inspired my today's post: 10 tips on staying safe on your travels:

1. Look confident. When you walk around town, don't behave like a tourist, don't walk slowly, looking around and appearing lost. You want to look like locals (expats) who know where they're going, walk with a purpose in mind. If you need to look on the map, don't stop in the middle of the road, go to any hotel lobby or a cafe, sit down and then refer to the map. 
2. If you get hassled by locals, don't appear flustered. Stay calm, don't panic, in some countries these are local 'salesmen' looking for clients for their boat trips, massages, hotels etc. It was happening to us in Sri Lanka almost everyday. I simply ignored them, and they walked away after few minutes, that seemed to work. Engaging in conversation only encourages further hassling.
3. Keep your eyes wide open. Be aware of your surroundings. Do you see somebody walking for a longer time at the same pace as you? It is rarely a coincidence. Stop by a shop display, look for something in a handbag and see if they walked past. If it turns out they did, don't get fooled, they might sit on the bench around the corner. If that's a persistent type, call a taxi, and ride two blocks away. That should work the magic. 
   
4. Dress like a local! Grab some cheap T-shirt and shorts from local market to blend in easier. It's surprisingly easy to tell a tourist from an expat by the way they dress. I can recognise Polish, Spanish, Italian people on the streets of UK just by the way they dress, cut their hair etc.
5. Don't wear a backpack. It's like wearing a sign - I'm a tourist! No, get a plastic shopping bag from a local supermarket and carry your stuff in one of those when walking around town.
6. Beware of volcanic areas - like Central America, Hawaii etc. Areas near active volcanoes often have toxic running water. So taking a shower may cause serious skin irritation. Volcanic ash may cause sort-term chemical changes in water quality, when it's got contact with open water-supply systems (uncovered reservoirs, lakes, streams, and water-catchment systems). Luckily the recorded cases are rare, and the contamination is short-term (few hours to few days), but you need to be aware of the risk. 
7. If you see somebody walking your direction looking aggressive, look directly into their eyes, and ask a question. Ask a direction to the post office or a beach. That will put them in a different state of mind because they will have to think of an answer. You will confuse them and they will change their initial plan (whatever that was). 
   
8. Taxi fair from the airport if the most risk-prone of all. By the end of the day you still have ALL your belongings with you, you never had a chance to leave your laptop, cash or passport in the hotel. So the taxi ride from the airport should be only arranged with the accredited taxi booking service at the airport. Don't get offered a cheap ride from the 'taxi drivers' waiting in the lobby. They might leave you high and dry in the middle of nowhere, driving away with all your belongings. 
9. Have two different wallets on you - a 'dummy' and a proper wallet. In case of a robbery, don't resist (the attackers often carry knives). Just give them the 'dummy' wallet with some cheap card and few notes, so they run away before analysing the fact. Also 'dummy' wallet sits in the back pocket, proper wallet deep inside your trousers. Get one with the clip, so you can attach it inside the waist belt. 
10. Bring some strong cable lock with you. When you take a bus or a train, these are perfect to secure the bag around the rail or the seat, so you can relax and travel care free knowing that no one will take your bag when you're not looking.

And remember about law of attraction. You attract what you radiate. It works on travels too! If you focus on avoiding accidents, think all the time about dangers around you, you might attract these. Relax, enjoy your trip and believe that only good things will happen to you. And only good things will come your way!

Vaccination project continues...

As you know, I'm in the process of sorting out my vaccines before travelling (ouch, my arm still hurts from yesterday!), and Hepatitis B and Rabies are on my mind right now, should I, should I not? They will seriously affect my budget, and they are not required (only recommended) for South America. They cover extreme cases, like infection from bodily fluids or being bitten by an animal, but these things can happen anywhere, and when you think about it, they don't happen that often, unless you've got a medical or veterinary job. So I'm on the verge of not taking them, just getting good health insurance, which would work out cheaper then both of these vaccines. It could be a better solution.

On more optimistic hand, I have finally cut my hair today, managed to track down my favourite hair stylist, who went mobile, and found her place. First hairstylist, after 11 years of looking, who is actually listening to what you want. Found her only now, when I'm about to leave the country, boo.. Never mind. My next haircut will be done in South America - and I bet this will be an experience - I better focus on learning Spanish phrases for 'short choppy bob', it could be more useful then knowing days of the week :) Miercoles!

Update on Malaria Tablets

I'm absolutely shattered today, had a busy day, but I promised myself to stick to the plan no matter what - and the plan says write a blog post every day, so here I go. Apologies if it doesn't make sense, though. If you feel like skipping this one, I won't take it against you, I'll take it as an excuse to jabber on...
Anyway, I'm glad I have pushed myself to wash, vacuum and wax the car yesterday, and now it shines so amazingly, I'm really proud. I took all the photos of exterior, interior and the engine, to list it online. I also prepared few 'For Sale' ads which are now fitted in the car - I already had one guy asking me about the car, so they must be working!

I was at the surgery today to get necessary vaccines for the travel. It turns out that my Hepatitis A and Yellow Fever are still valid, so I only got the Typhoid jab today. I thought I already had Hep B before, but apparently it's not available free on NHS, it is necessary to pay for it, and the cost of 3 set of jabs is about £130. But when I read a little bit more online, it turns out that most adults received basic Hep B vaccines as kids which are enough for everyday life, unless you work in health industry. It basically covers from any contamination when you're in touch with bodily fluids. But for most adults the early years' vaccines are perfectly enough.

Now, with Malaria tablets, you can actually get them from Boots or larger supermarkets with their own pharmacy section. It's even better to buy them over the counter, as getting them on NHS is the most expensive way. You can also order malaria tablets online, if you fill in a questionnaire about your health, other medications you're currently taking and treatment history. The cost online starts at about £20 and depends on the time you spend in the Malaria risk area. You need to take the tablets few days before your trip, everyday while you are there, and continue for up to 4 weeks after you come back. You don't need to take tablets all the time you are in the country with Malaria risk. Large cities and high altitude places are usually Malaria free. Only if you decide going on the jungle treck or a back-country trip, this time counts only as high-risk.

The most common Malaria tablets are: Malarone, Doxycycline and Lariam, which are all available online. Apparently Malarone is the safest, you take the tablets for the shortest time, and they have got no side effects. Yet they are most expensive. Lariam and Doxycycline are little cheaper, but you have to take them for longer time, and they have number of side effects, from greater sensitivity to the sunlight, nausea to anxiety. But I think, with every medication, this information is included just for warning, but the chance of risk could be small.
I will look into that a little bit deeper tomorrow and try to sort it out. Thanks for sticking with me up till now dear reader, have a lovely evening!

10 Rules for losing weight without starving

After I turned 35 I realised how difficult it is to stay in shape. Basically I started putting on weight while eating the same things I did all my life. But while in my 20s the weight was falling off me, now it's a different story. I remember my Mum used to tell me how difficult it is to lose weight in her age (or once you are in your 40s and 50s) and now I can understand what she meant. But after a while, I discovered there's a way of staying in shape, as long as you are smart with what you eat (and best thing, you won't have to starve!)

These are 10 rules of staying in shape: 

1st rule: Stop eating before you feel full. I like to put the plate away while I'm still slightly hungry. I found that before when I ate until I was full, after about 20 mins after the meal I felt like bursting. So perhaps the food needs to settle in your stomach before you realise you had enough. This rule definitely makes me lose weight quicker.

2nd rule: Eat breakfasts rich in proteins. Porridge, boiled eggs, cottage cheese, dark bread sandwich with cheese or muesli with milk. This way you stay fuller for longer, protein gives energy for the day and allow burn fats quicker.

3rd rule: Don't snack between meals. Not even biscuits with your tea or a yogurt. Any snacks allowed are fruits and veggies (apples, bananas, carrots, tomatoes etc.)

4th rule: Cravings... If you really crave something, wait until your main meal, and eat just a small chunk of it (like half a Snickers bar as a dessert after lunch).

5th rule: Eating Out. Very difficult to navigate through it... When dining out, choose meals that are low in calories, no Italian meals, like lasagna or pasta. Stick to salads, boiled vegetables, fruit bowls as desserts. Go for things baked over fried. Opt out of mayonnaise or oil dressings. Jacket potatoes instead of roast ones. Go to Chinese restaurant instead of Indian. And eat slowly, with smaller chunks. Maybe engage in a conversation with other diner, so you'll be focused on talking and forget about the food.

6th rule: forget about big dinner! In Poland where I'm from, our main meal is in lunchtime, and evening meal is a small supper. It's never good to eat a heavy meal late (or 4 hours before going to bed). Remember to make your last meal of the day something light but filling, like a yogurt with a bowl of fruits or a salad with no dressing. Never eat anything after 6pm.

7th rule: Drink plenty of water. I personally don't like cold water, so I tend to drink 4-5 cups of tepid boiled water.

8th rule: avoid carbohydrates: potatoes, pasta, rice and white bread. This evil stuff will sit in your belly and hips for-ev-er!

9th rule: exercise! I know you thought you'll get away without it, but... Even doing crunches everyday will speed up your metabolism. Try doing between 30 and 100, as long as you do it everyday.

10th rule: Motivation. Before reaching for a snack, think twice: do I prefer 2 minutes of food pleasure or a lifetime pleasure of looking fab? For me it works (almost) every time :) And have a strong defined goal you want to achieve, that's the best way to help you shed pounds and stay in shape!

Good Luck!

Do you feel lucky?

We often underestimate the significance of luck. It's good to be lucky, things come easier to you. Like a new cashier point is opening in a busy supermarket when you're queueing, or you have just managed to squeeze before a tractor on the roundabout, so you're not stuck behind him. These little things can ease your journey through a day, and maybe through your life. Sometimes we don't even notice these little things, until we get few unlucky happenings. Like a screaming toddler sitting right behind you on the 3 hour flight.

From time to time, when luck is on our side, it has got even more grandeur effect on your life. It can actually save you from the car accident, robbery or even death. You can be saved by a stranger, by the traffic jam or a computer glitch. The survivors of 9/11 attack mostly have been saved by some unusual events that disturbed their daily routine and prevented them from being in the office at 9am that fatal day.

One such story is told by Elise O'Kane:
United Airlines flight attendant Elise O'Kane had wanted to work her usual trip from Boston to Los Angeles that month.
But in August, when scheduling her flights for September on the airline's computer system, she accidentally inverted two code numbers and wound up with the wrong schedule.
She managed to trade flights with other attendants for all her trips -- except for Flight 175 on 9/11.
So the night before, she logged into the computer system again and tried to request that flight. The system froze. By the time it finally processed her request, it was one minute past the airline's deadline for such changes.
Her request for Flight 175 was denied. She would have to fly to Denver instead of Los Angeles.
She missed the flight that eventually crashed into World Trade Center that day. She survived...
Full story is available on CNN website.

How often we are being held up in the traffic, are sat in the delayed train and curse our bad luck? Maybe we should be grateful that this situation is saving us from a disaster or an accident. Next time your daily routine is distracted or you can't finish your online purchase, sit back, relax and let it go. It's the mighty force directing you to the safe place. Just take this situation as it is and be grateful for the intrusion. It could be your lucky day!

Something resembling a plan...

It was fantastic day for a car boot sale. Bit cloudy in the morning, but by noon, when the car boot started, it suddenly cleared out and the Sun appeared. I had a massive clear out, so apart from my regular home decor which I sell online, I took some of my private stuff, from clothing, DVDs, CDs, tools etc. I was so happy to be busy, sold very well, and pocketed £90 - that's a result :) That goes straight to my bank account on monday. Adding to my savings towards a big trip.

I've spent whole day yesterday researching, and I begin to have something resembling a plan. As I won't be having loads of money when going to South America, and a slim chance of getting a job there, I will need to allocate myself in a dirt-cheap place (like Ecuador or Peru) for 6 months. Then find some decent flat (maybe 2-bedroom) in central location, with plenty of tourists. Also it has to have a Wi-Fi. I found plenty of inspiration here: Cheap places in South America.
Now the plan is to spend this time growing online business until some decent money starts coming in. In the meantime sublet the extra room to the tourists, earning some extra cash this way. Once I get a regular income from working online, I will be able to travel anywhere, and keep working and making money. So after 6 months have passed, I will then start travelling across South America, go to Mexico and Panama, later head towards new Zealand for 2-3 months and settle in Australia in the end. That is the plan! Finally something to go towards to, a direction. Now I have to stick to it, and do tiny steps everyday, to achieve it :)
Wish me luck!

Visualisation - the power is in your mind!

When you describe your flat layout to a friend and you see it with your mind's eyes, you are visualising. Anyone can do it. It's our imagination, and it often is linked to our emotions, as well .Do you remember when you smiled to yourself when you thought about the joke you heard last week? It's an emotional side of visualisation.
This powerful tool can also help you achieve what you want in life. So how does it work? You simply need to imagine yourself in a situation you want to be in - as a millionaire, having healthy, happy family and a loving partner, travelling the world, working as a head chef in a top restaurant... Do it everyday, simply relax, sit down, or lie down on the bed, close your eyes and spend this time visualising.

I devote 10 minutes everyday for that. I put on relaxing music from YouTube, close my eyes and focus on the situation I want to be in in few years time. I see myself sat on the beach, on a sun lounger, under the parasol, with my loving partner next to me. My wallet is filled with banknotes. I have a full manicure, deep sun tan, coconut cocktail in my hand, and a Caribbean music plays in the background. I try to stick to one situation, the same settings, that way it's more powerful. And it's important to imagine even smallest details in the settings - the colour outfit you are wearing, taste of the drink, sounds you are hearing, how does the surface of the table feel etc. This makes your visualisation more powerful.

Now, how does visualisation can get you what you want? Our mind is a really surprising and mighty force. By visualising you let know your mind, that you already are in that situation. You can see, feel and smell all that's around you. Your mind will think that you already have it, and now it's the best part - it will lead you towards that goal, towards that situation. You will suddenly discover that you are planning a weekend on the beach, where there's a cocktail hut (with coconut cocktails). You will find yourself in the shop looking at identical outfit you've been wearing in your mind's eyes. Or your friends will invite you to the pub, where there's Caribbean band playing that night. You will discover how powerful the visualisation can be, and it will bring you what you want in most bizarre ways!

I remember there was the time when I was visualising myself sitting by the BBQ with friends, having berry ciders and enjoying the view by my dream home. Within few weeks time one of my friends' was going through the phase of having BBQ dinners everyday in his garden, and my other friend ended up stocking on loads of berry ciders, as he came across some offer in the local shop. It's surprising, bizarre, how visualisation brought me what I wanted, although only some bits were delivered to my life, not the whole picture! Then I realised it's better to dream bigger dreams then too small. If you end up dreaming like me in the beginning about BBQ and drinks, that's what will be delivered, BBQ and drinks, and nothing else - hardly a big dream, right? So I make sure now to dream bigger, see myself on a tropical island, somewhere warm and exotic.
So good luck with your visualisation, and let me know how it went!

Schedule you day and follow bigger plan!

Ok, so you finally prepared a 5 year plan, which makes you super excited and motivated about achieving your goals. Now, after writing it all down, and seeing it in front of you, you need to divide the action plan into smaller chunks. For example, divide your plan for the first year into 12 small chunks for each month. Write down what you need to achieve by the end of each month. Make it reasonable and achievable. Remember the SMART rule: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time bound.

Each goal cannot feel out of reach, you must feel you can achieve it. It is important that your goal is specific. If you want to make more money, write down- I would like be making £300 a week. That is specific and can give you some more attainable ideas how to make this sum of money, instead of just saying: I would like to make more money. It leaves the target in a 'dreamyland', out of reach. Now, that is specific and measurable target. Is it attainable? You will need to analyse it. If you are selling CDs online at £4.00 each, you will need to be selling 75 of these each week to make £300. 75 CDs is over 10 CDs per day. So you know, that in order to make £300 a week, you need to be selling 10 CDs per day. That is measurable and attainable approach.

Selling CDs must be relevant with what you want to achieve in life, that way you will be motivated to sell more. Goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to take. By keeping goals aligned with this, you'll develop the focus you need to get ahead and do what you want. Set widely scattered and inconsistent goals, and you'll fritter your time – and your life – away. This is relevant approach.
Time bound gives you an idea when you would like to achieve your targets - do you want to be selling consistently at £300 per week in two months time, or by the end of this year?

Also don't forget to schedule your day, in order to see what to achieve, and know which direction to go. Write down what you want to sort out in a given day, do it in the morning, or a night before. Have it in a visible place, by your computer, so you often look at it. Cross the tasks off as you go along - it's such a great feeling! And try this little smart tip: once you start working on one thing, focus on it, and don't get distracted, by ANYTHING. No cups of tea, no checking Facebook, no dealing with emails. You will be surprised how more efficient your day will become! It's incredible how much time we lose each day on those little sneaky distractions!

Reasonability vs. Spontaneity

Is reasonability the only winning factor in making decisions? Does spontaneity have any right to be followed? I've always been spontaneous, followed my gut feeling at the drop of a hat, and I love that. Maybe not the best thing if you want to make a plan and stick to it, but it's more fun this way. Being reasonable kills fun factor, don't you think? 'Everything will work out' is fun way of planning things, right? Maybe it won't guarantee a good pension (but to have a good pension, you have to stay in one country all your life, anyway), it won't let you create a 5-year plan, but in the end it will let you experience one in a lifetime events. Running Bahamas marathon. Diving with jellyfish. Night walk on local cemetery (only for the brave). I'd rather do that (or plan it, anyway) then staying safe and reasonable. And salute to that!

The trivial pursuits

Very trivial happenings. If you have been selling on ebay, you can understand. Ebay has been very strict and demanding on sellers, but very forgiving with the buyers. Of course, they want to attract buyers, and most of the buyers are absolutely perfect. But there's odd 1% less then  perfect and likely to exploit the forgiving rules. I won't be digging too deep, but let's say, after 10 years, as a seller you have to bend over backwards just to get by. Being on this platform reminds me of a little quote I found in absolutely amazing book 'Brasil' years ago: "We willingly enslave ourselves for crumbs. For mere shadows of crumbs..."

So true, that's what the 'normal World' demands of us. Just work hard to pay the bills, and don't stick above the rest. Just inspire to be a little cog in the big wheel. Get stuck in the traffic on Bank Holidays and Christmas. Over spend when you're told to. Take a burden of a mortgage and kids. Don't ask too many questions. It sure reminds me of 'Matrix' - the reality we live in. Just paddling on the surface of life, trying not to dive too deep. You risk breaking the mould, the cookie cutter form, by following your dreams. And you have to try really hard to break the mould, and say no to the trivial life. No other peoples' expectations, no to being team player, sacrificing yourself for the greater good. It is difficult, but it's worth it. And there's many people out there questioning life, and the given rules. Some of them have the courage to create their own reality and become nomads, live on the tropical island teaching local kids, or become monks. What is your dream, what's your calling? Share it with me!

How to set goals?

Yes, that is a big question. How to set goals? Well, I have many theories, on paper. You know the tennis players, ballerinas, singers? They have a strict regime they follow, the commitment they abide to achieve what they want. But do they have these little pangs from time to time, when they just want to have a sofa day, and over-indulge on the jam doughnuts? What do they do? Do they just slap themselves in the face, and say, get a grip? Isn't it too big of a commitment? Change your life and devote it completely to one thing? But these people, the ones who make sacrifices, take a slap, are finally rewarded by being the greatest. By reaching over other athletes, who didn't make the commitment, and maybe did indulge on a doughnut. I admire these people. Their strong will, the sacrifice they make.

Now, by contrast, there's lil o'me. I have to admit, I never managed to commit to one goal, as my goals change at least twice a week, or at least they are being modified. Some of them survive the cocoon phase of three months, although these are rare and involve me turning everything around - and abandoning anything that involved my previous goals, courses I was taking, books I was reading and any given research. There was too many projects I started but never finished.

But travelling was one recurring commitment that never went away. Always present in my life, and too deeply rooted to neglect. It's my calling, my nature, and I cannot change it. And I'm proud of it, it's true what they say - 'Your longing is your calling'. I believe everything has got the reason, and I need to find my own reasons.

From now on, however, my readers, I make a promise to you and to myself. I have you as a witness, so I better stick to that promise. I will finish all that I started. The blog, the travels, the projects. I will commit to my goals. I will make sacrifices, and plans. And I won't quit at a drop of a hat. I need to make deeper ridges in my life, dig deeper to reach my goals. And stay positive! That will happen from now on.

But for now, Good Night :)

Power of positive thinking

I would like to talk to you today about something that has played a major role in my life for the past 6 months. It's called 'Positive Affirmations'. It is a powerful method that focuses on the way you think and talk about yourself, your life and others. It's aim is to bring you what you desire in your life, by you thinking that you already have it.
Let's say, you want to make more money. You are thinking to yourself: "I'm a millionaire, I can afford the best quality clothing, tropical holiday, and pay all my bills with ease and pleasure". You put yourself in that position by your way of thinking, you are affirming that positive situation, and you are attracting all that you desire. By thinking positively, you bring positive things into your life.
It is working, I have been doing it for the past 6 months, and it brought into my life exactly what I've been affirming, sometimes in quite surprising forms.

You start by paying attention to the way you speak and talk about yourself. Notice how many times you criticise yourself in your head, or say negative things when speaking with others. When you complain about your life, your money, weather, it's all negative affirmations. By focusing on negative aspects of your life, you attract more negativity.
By thinking of yourself as a failure, loser or lazy bum, you are affirming it and attracting more of these into your life.

Start by completely blocking the negative thoughts that come to your head, and replace them by positive ones. Had just an argument? Don't think about it, don't focus on this negative situation. Instead, imagine more positive outcome, reaching an agreement, laughing together, working towards the same goal. It will be very difficult at first, but by constant practise, it will become easier and easier as the time goes by.

Also don't complain! Each and every complaint is a negative affirmation, and tells your mind that you want more of that negativity in your life. Instead, think twice before telling anything negative (even about the weather) and instead focus on some small positive thing that you can find. Maybe talk about the fact that petrol prices dropped (ok, that's unlikely), or that you had a productive day, managed to stick to the diet, cleaned the house etc. etc. With time, you'll notice that you stop talking about negative things, and you actually notice how often people complain around you.

Something to think about: how many times have you seen a happy rich person complaining? And how many times have you seen a poor, disabled person on benefits complaining? Till tomorrow...

Everyone says I'm running away...

My dad always asks what I’m running away from with my travels. A few weeks ago, a commenter told me to stop running away and live life. And I once came across a blog called “Mom says I’m running away.”
I’m not sure why, but there is this perception out there that anyone who travels long term and isn’t interested in settling down or getting a conventional job must be running away from something.
They are just trying to “escape life.”
The general opinion is that traveling is something everyone should do—that gap years after college and short vacations are acceptable. But for those of us who lead nomadic lifestyles, or who linger just a bit too long somewhere before reaching that final homestretch, we are accused of running away.
Yes, travel—but just not for too long.
We nomads must have awful, miserable lives, or are weird, or have had something traumatic happen to us that we are trying to escape. People assume that we are simply running away from our problems, running away from “the real world.”
And to all those people who say that, I say to you—you’re right.
Completely right.
I am running away.
I’m running away from your idea of the “real” world.
I’m avoiding your life.
And, instead, I’m running towards everything – towards the world, exotic places, new people, different cultures, and my own idea of freedom.
While there may be exceptions (as there are with everything), most people who become vagabonds, nomads, and wanderers do so because they want to experience the world, not escape problems. We are running away from office life, commuting, and weekend errands, and running toward everything the world has to offer. We (I) want to experience every culture, see every mountain, eat weird food, attend crazy festivals, meet new people, and enjoy different holidays around the world.
Life is short, and we only get to live it once. I want to look back and say I did crazy things, not say I spent my life reading blogs like this while wishing I was doing the same thing.
As an American, my perspective might be different from the rest of yours. In my country, you go to school, you get a job, you get married, you buy a house, and have your 2.5 children. Society boxes you in and restricts your movements to their expectations. It’s like the matrix. And any deviation is considered abnormal and weird. People may want to travel, tell you they envy what you do, say they wish they could do the same thing. But really, they don’t. They are simply fascinated by a lifestyle so outside the norm. There’s nothing wrong with having a family or owning a house — most of my friends lead happy lives doing so. However, the general attitude in the States is “do it this way if you want to be normal.” And, well, I don’t want to be normal.
I feel like the reason why people tell us we are running away is because they can’t fathom the fact that we broke the mold and are living outside the norm. To want to break all of society’s conventions, there simply must be something wrong with us.
Years ago, at the height of the economic boom, a book called “The Secret” came out. According to “The Secret,” if you just wish for and want something badly enough, you’ll get it. But the real secret to life is that you get what you want when you do what you want.
Life is what you make it out to be. Life is yours to create. We are all chained down by the burdens we place upon ourselves, whether they are bills, errands, or, like me, self-imposed blogging deadlines. If you really want something, you have to go after it.
People who travel the world aren’t running away from life. Just the opposite. Those that break the mold, explore the world, and live on their own terms are running toward true living, in my opinion. We have a degree of freedom a lot of people will never experience. We get to be the captains of our ships. But it is a freedom we chose to have. We looked around and said, “I want something different.” It was that freedom and attitude I saw in travelers years ago that inspired me to do what I am doing now. I saw them break the mold and I thought to myself, “Why not me too?”
I’m not running away.
I am running towards the world and my idea of life.
And I never plan to look back.

Original post to be found at:
http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/everyone-say-im-running-away/

House Sitting Job in South of France?

I have received an email this morning from a lady in South of France, regarding a house sitting job. She has got three dogs and one cat. She recently had a nasty accident, leaving her slightly immobilised. She's still at home, and expected to remain in the constant therapy for another 6 months. But she has to travel for regular checks to the hospital. Now she needs someone to walk the dogs regularly (since she cannot do it herself) and look after the house, keep it in good condition, probably maintain the garden, water the plants, answer the door etc.
She sounded very keen, and the assignment would take three months, from mid September till 15 December. That would be such a perfect solution, as that way I could go to Brazil afterwards straight away. My main target is to arrive in Brazil before the end of December, to celebrate NYE in Copacabana - and celebrate the brand New Year of travelling in style :)
Let's hope it will work out, the location sounds idyllic, tucked away in the middle of nowhere, in French countryside. I can see myself wandering around vineyards, going on long sunny car rides and stopping for occasional coffee, or a glass of wine, bliss...

First Pet Sitter Job!

Today I had my first interview for the house and pet sitter job. It's in the place not far away from me, about 15min drive, so absolutely perfect. It's lovely cottage tucked away in the countryside, with private 1.5 acre of land and gorgeous garden with the pond. Lovely couple with 4 Labradors, which are all related. Mother, two daughters, and one baby. Sweet kind Labradors. The guy has got very interesting job, as he is a professional yachtsman - so he's often away and travels for a living - a dream job! The lady works from home, advising people on packaging solutions for the grocery products that are being brought to the market - rather complex and interesting job. The house is fantastic, they do have two self-catering cottages on the back, that were made from converted barn, and now they rent them out.

So they need someone on various dates, to come and stay with the dogs while the lady needs to go away for the day, and the guy would be sailing. That would be staying there just for the day, and come home in the evening, or stay overnight, maybe over the weekend, if they wanted to take some short break, weekend away.

That works for me, the garden looked so fantastic, I can see myself having a morning coffee admiring the views, or enjoying the glass of wine in the evening - I will actually start having drinks just because it's called for!
Now, the best thing is, they want to pay me for that! Yes, absolutely! They will pay me for sitting in their place and walking the dogs. Absolutely amazing, and I'm so grateful, as there's so many house sitters applying for the jobs, so the owners have got rich pickings from all that are happy to do it for free. It's a bonus, and not bad for a first assignment!
Now, the plan is to meet them next week and come with them for the walk with their Labradors. It will be also a chance to see if the dogs will react to me calling them, as I'm the new person in their life, not their owner, so they might not feel the authority. But hopefully we'll work something out, that will be all my dearest, have a good life!

Time Is Money - How To Deal with a Mad Workload

My laptop is finally running faster, yes! After days of struggling to reset it myself, I called today for a help of professional. It cost me £25, ok, but I figured out - time is money, and the time I am spending trying to work out this thing, could be spent on my online projects, taking photos of new stock etc. So, I have done rare thing for me and I outsourced. Normally, I like to think of myself as a self taught and self-sufficient, but this time I thought I will speed my work load and increase a productivity tenfold if I leave it to a professional.

And it was such a great move, the guy turned up within an hour, cleaned the laptop within 10 minutes, and then re-installed my Windows 8. I will leave it as it is, don't want to install 8.1 as I had some issues resetting it myself after it was installed. Although I prefer the simplified 'Power-off' access in 8.1 I'll make a conscious compromise.
Ok, so here I am whizzing off on my shiny new operating system, and the laptop that makes no noises whatsoever. What a pleasure!

Can't Fight (Online) Fate...

Online work seems to be etched in my life line. It is an inevitable part of my being, no matter how much I try to drift in other direction, it always seems to find me. My affair with working online started in 2007, when I set up my first business, Little Black Cherry. It was (and still is, up and running, yet under different management) a Scene Emo clothing shop - who remembers that trend? Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy, Hayley Williams... These were the days. I have discovered a fascinating phenomenon called 'teenagers' and loved researching this market, what trends they loved, which idols they followed, and all about their culture. I really enjoyed doing that job, photoshoots, fashion shows, it was fun fun fun.

But after 5 years, I struggled to motivate myself to keep doing the same thing, I lost this passion I had in the beginning, my research was less thorough, my blog posts were more lame, and you could definitely see it in the shop, with the product descriptions, layout etc. I needed a change, I think I have a bit of Short Attention Span, this thing you see in some of the children. I love the change, I crave a challenge. So after meeting my partner, I moved to Cornwall, and was happy to get a break from the livelihood online.

But this crept back into my life, somehow, someday, like unwanted STI. Yes, it was back, I found myself writing Facebook posts again, sharing blog content all over the place, basically trying to leave a trace wherever it was permitted. This time, my online business was focused on selling furniture online, and I'm still doing it today. It's not bad way of making money, and with the minimum wage being rather steady, and commodities and cost of living going constantly up, it does make sense to take charge of your earnings.

Now, planning a move to South America, another subject seemed to find me, online blogging. I caught myself watching YouTube videos on how to make your blog successful, how to start earning money from your blog, and it feels like I'm heading this direction. I don't mind, I love writing, I think I've got a bearable readable style, and so far I know a thing or two on sharing content, getting traffic and researching the market. So that's my new career goal, to become a professional blogger and be writing for a living. It won't happen overnight, and it probably will take few good years, but I don't mind doing it, even if I will have to find a full time job in the meantime - boohoo :/

Vaccinations for South America

I'm in the process of sorting out all the necessary vaccinations before leaving UK, luckily NHS has got plenty of free jabs for South America. Hepatitis A and B as standard, but mine could still be valid since my trip to Sri Lanka, Rabies jab I  sorted in 2010, and got a booster, which covers me for 10 years - really worth doing for few quid extra. The ones they also offer at no extra cost are for Typhoid, Tetanus and Polio. You would simply need to sort out the Yellow Fever jabs yourself, but there's always some specialist clinic in every area that can offer that for a small amount. Basically none of these is mandatory before entering any country in South America, but from time they might require a certificate of vaccination against Yellow Fever when arriving in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador and few others.

Hepatitis A and B is rather important, as it protects you from most common stomach bugs when eating foreign food. It worked so far, we even ate street food in Sri Lanka, and I drank a water from the stream (no purification), although it was in the mountains, so that's this water had no chance of any contamination yet.

Rabies is recommended for your own peace of mind, if you get bitten by a stray dog, bat or a monkey, as they might carry the infection. Rabies can cause inflammation of the spinal cord and the brain. It is not transmitted by bodily fluids. Read more about Rabies here.

If you will be travelling to the rain forest jungle and stay in remote areas, it is also recommended that you get the Malaria protection too. You cannot get the vaccinations, but you can protect yourself by avoiding the mosquito bites. Mosquito net and the Citronella spray has been a godsend on our trip to Sri Lanka - the mosquitos absolutely resented the citronella spray, so yay for that!
Also it is recommended that you start taking malaria pills on a regular basis three weeks prior to your trip. In UK chloroquine and proguanil can be purchased from a local pharmacy. Read more about malaria prevention here.

Can you smell a memory?

Smells carry enormous amount of emotional information. We associate them with certain events in our lives, and some particular smells can bring so many clear and strong memories. It is incredible how our brain works.
I remember the first day when I moved to Plymouth, and on the first evening I went on the Hoe, where the grass was being cut earlier that day. The Sun was shining, the Drake Island was on the horizon with plentiful of boats around and the strong smell of freshly cut grass was in the air. It was such positive sensation, which gave me a feeling that moving here was great decision and only amazing things will happen from now on. Plenty of amazing things happened in Plymouth, and the freshly cut grass still brings this positive energy and memory of the first evening in Plymouth.

When a small shower comes on a sunny Summer day, sometimes you can smell a butter in the air. It's the rain water mixing with the hot tarmac that creates this unusual fragrance. Whenever I smell it, my memories take me to the P.E. lesson in my primary school, I must have been about 7 or 8 years old. We were jogging in the local playground, and it was a very hot day. Suddenly few clouds appeared and there was a small shower. This buttery smell hit my nostrils and I remember thinking how strange it is that you can smell butter here in the park. But I remember it vividly.

Sometimes a smell of ginger cake can take you to the Christmas at your Grandma, when you were a child. It can transport you to this moment, and you can see it all again so clearly, it is absolutely fascinating.
Have you got some unusual smells that you love and that carry some vivid memories?

Do you delete cookies before searching for flights?

Did you know that when you research flights online, the websites you're visiting store cookies (of course), but then they track your steps online, and when they spot you search for similar flights, they work on commission with flight operators and increase the prices? It is true, and the price can suddenly increase for up to £200 - £300, depending how expensive the flight initially is. It is not a housewives' tale, it is an actual fact. I remember when I started looking at the flights to New Zealand, the cost was about £800 - £900 from UK, then I was reading New Zealand guides, blogs etc. and after 2 weeks I looked at the flights again, suddenly the prices jumped up to £1000 - £1100, no joke. At that point, I was like 'oh, well it's not £800 as I thought'. And left it at that. But after viewing few travel videos and blogs, this was mentioned by few people. It is all to do with your IP address.

So, the best way, is not to research the flights on a regular basis using laptop at home, but leave it for one day (let's say 2 months prior to your trip, when apparently that's the best time to book), and then either block cookies on your laptop for the whole day and focus on searching the flight. Why can't you block the cookies for good anyway, and live in privacy? Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Cookies allow you to view the majority of websites, remember passwords, display content etc. so they are essential for everyday surfing. But, if you block the cookies for one day only, and don't do anything else online until you find the flight, you should be ok.
Another option is to use different laptops when searching for the flights. E.g. use computers in the library, our library has got at least 10 different computers. Just come one day, use one, the next day use another one. Genius! And don't trust the comparison sites exclusively. They work on commission, so might not show you all the flights, and you might find cheaper flights directly on the flight operator website. Don't shy away from 2nd, 3rd, and (yes it exists) 4th page of Google. They can contain a highly valuable pieces of information, and when you're on a mission to find the best deals, venture there too - Good Luck :)