If you find travelling the world to be a rejuvenating experience, you don’t have to strain your budget to stay young and kicking on the travel circuit.I’m sure you’ll agree, It’s a lovely planet we live in, and Lonely Planet guides can show you the best treats, eats and retreats which some luxury tours choose to overlook as they sometimes only show you only the glossy, well worn parts of the country that you have chosen to visit, and leave you with the feeling of a somewhat ‘plastic’ holiday experienceIf you are planning a backpacking trip of your own, then the correct use of Lonely Planet guides and various travel blogs are a great way to familiarise yourself with your chosen travel destination before you ever leave home. They are a great option since they include some of the best kept travel secrets, helping you to travel further & longer with confidence.Just because you want to travel doesn’t necessarily mean that you have burn a whole pile of cash to get an amazing travelling experience.Backpacking from place to place can give you the chance to meet locals, as well as other travellers, and learn more about the planet we live in and the diversities of other cultures.The famous Lonely Planet Guides have provided tourists with useful and practical information for many years.Created after its founders splendid honeymoon during which they travelled across two continents and an ocean with borrowed money.I always liked how the Lonely Planet guides are packed full of practical travel information and advice about the places I want to visit, however, I sometimes have found the guides to be outdated on more than one occasion.The Guides are laid out beautifully with helpful maps & various photographs from local attractions.Combine the photos with descriptions of cities & countries from around the globe and you have a great book that will inspire you to plan your next travel adventure.What I enjoy most about the Lonely Planet Books is they can help to generate fresh ideas of new places to travel and things worth doing when I’m in need of some travel inspiration.The books are full of lists. Top 10 Countries, Top 10 Regions, Top 10 Cities and so on.I don’t know if I agree with the top 10 in each of these categories, and you might not either, but that is not the point.Use the book to inspire you to travel to new places you haven’t yet been, and to generate ideas and travel inspiration.Even if you don’t travel to the locations listed in the Lonely Planet Travel Guides, they will help you create awareness of what’s out there, and of the places that are available for you to explore.If you enjoy traveling, you will enjoy looking through the Lonely Planet Travel Guides for fresh new backpacking ideas.In 2007 approximately seventy five percent of the Lonely Planet was acquired by BBC Worldwide who resolved to continue creating travel guides as they have always been created in the past, providing trustworthy advice to independent travellers and backpackers.Each year approximately 500 new Lonely Planet guides are published for travellers.You can either purchase them from bookstores all over the world, or online directly from the company’s official website.In addition, you can even download the guides now as an audio book.Wandering from one distant place to another, allows you to experience the diversity of the world’s cultures, and the world-renowned Lonely Planet Guides have been helping tourists with their itineraries since it’s founders went on their own life-changing adventure, spending borrowed money and savings on an unforgettable travel experience across two continents.Lonely Planet Publications is one of the world’s largest travel guidebook publishers, founded by Tony and Maureen Wheeler, who cashed in on their wanderlust.Tony came up with the company name, having misheard the phrase ‘lovely planet’ in Joe Cocker and Leon Russell’s song, ‘Space Captain.’Of late, Travel Blogs have become one of the more popular ways to learn about the mighty world of travel.Backpackers, travellers on the move, and jet setters who love to travel the world can find a bunch of relevant information on travel blogs especially information that may not be available in a standard printed travel book or guide.First hand information about a possible travel location can come in very handy for the regular traveller, especially if it concerns local travel, hotel and food information, local weather information and travel maps etc.Don’t depend on a single source for travel information. Flick through the Lonely Planet Guides, find a good Travel Blog with relevant & accurate information & even use Google to find helpful useful travel advice & tips.
Lonely Planet Guides Vs Travel Blogs – Which Is Better?
Do You Make These Mistakes in Choosing Your Health Care Plans
There are a lot of details to consider when you are choosing a health care plan, whether it’s one offered through your employer or one you buy on your own. No matter what age you are, your health should be a primary concern, although young people often act as if they will live forever and sometimes postpone making health care decisions.Here is a list of common mistakes that people make all the time when choosing a health care plan. They are in no particular order, and all are important to consider, carefully and completely. If you are not conversant with all the terminology or are finding it difficult to make the decisions, you should ask for help from a neutral third-party such as family member or friend. Don’t ask a health insurance company unless you want to hear a sales pitch!Common mistakes
- You don’t check out your doctor, or any others – Although some healthcare plans require you to use a physician in their own network, other plans are more inviting. If you already have a physician, and are buying your own insurance, check with the doctor to see what plans he is a member of. If you do have to choose a new doctor, you should look into the health plan doctors’ credentials by contacting the AMA.- You forget “location, location, location” – The location of your doctor or clinic, and the travel time required, are other factors you should consider when considering health care plans. Find out where the doctor is located and also look into the regular and emergency hours of the facility.- You don’t consider specialists – If you already need specialist care, or think you may need to in the future, you need to know the health care plan’s procedures on using them. Some plans require you to contact a primary care physician, while others allow you to make specialist appointments directly.- You don’t consider your own specialist – You should definitely find out if your current specialist is in the health care plan you are considering. If not, perhaps your specialist can refer you to one who is.- You forget to check the policy on “pre-existing conditions” – Even though this should be a “no-brainer,” people forget to ask about the policies on pre-existing conditions. Coverage for pre-existing conditions varies widely among health plans. Some exclude them entirely, and will not even consider coverage, while others cover them fully. Many health care plans fall somewhere in the middle, offering coverage after a certain amount of time, or for a certain amount of time or expense. Rules promulgated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guarantees you coverage for your pre-existing conditions if you join a new group plan offered by your employer after being insured the previous year. Do your research to make sure you know what your policy covers.Less common oversights
- You don’t ask about physicals and health screenings – Again, it seems an obvious thing to ask, but if you appreciate getting regular physicals and health screenings you should ensure that they are covered. Most “managed care” plans do cover these types of procedures, usually on an annual basis, but there are some plans that do not cover them. If you have children, make sure to ask if “well baby” check-ups, physicals and immunizations are covered.- You forget about additional services – Everything, from prescription drug coverage to mental health care, is an important consideration. You need to consider which of the various additional services that you may need are, in fact, covered when you are comparing health care plans. Other examples of these additional services that may be important to you are drug and alcohol counseling and treatment, home health care, nursing home or extended care, hospices, experimental treatments, alternative and complementary medicine, chiropractic care and physical therapy.Bottom line considerations
- You don’t price things out correctly – Once you know what you want in your health care plan you need to compare costs, and you need to do it right, which means covering all the bases. You will need to know exactly what deductibles must be paid first before the health care plan coverage starts paying, and don’t forget to ask if the deductible needs to be met before certain services can be utilized. Find out about “out of network” charges if you anticipate having to go beyond your plan facilities or physicians. Finally, there are co-payment, cap amounts and total-care limits you need to know about. Some plans have lifetime limits, some have lifetime and annual limits, and others have mixed formulas for making this determination. Get all the facts.- You don’t check the exclusions – If you don’t read the exclusions list, you will not know what is not covered. You need to see if any condition you currently have, or that you expect to contract in the future, is included. This is an important bottom-line consideration since, if you don’t get this settled and dealt with up front, you will likely spend a great deal of money down the line to treat excluded conditions.It is a difficult thing to look at your health in a dispassionate, dollar-oriented way, but that’s life. As we age, more of our energy goes into thinking and planning against death and disability, but the subject need not be morbid or depressing. Do your best to get a health care plan that covers what your particular needs are, and remind yourself that you are worth the trouble – and the expense.
Education in 50 Years: A Futurist’s Perspective
Education is an important tool that is applied in the contemporary world to succeed. The word education means ‘to bring up’. Education provides the basic knowledge that makes a human a human. Since the start of human history people have been learning and educating. People in the past struggled very much to get education. Education has progressed from that time. In the present time only educated people can get success in the world. Without education success is impossible.Education helps an individual to live a respectful life. Educated people are more helpful in the progress of a country. It is playing an important role in the economic and social prosperity. Career wise, education is the foundation of developing individuals by providing knowledge regarding humanity all over the world. Individuals in the society acquire new approaches in life that build opinions on the economical and social life. Education enables the society to interpret the world around them rightly, innovating to new ways and means that conform to their environment.Contrary to the ways of getting education in the past, now a day’s getting education is easy. New technologies, books and many other things have made it easy to get education.According to my perspective education in the future will be even much advanced than the past and present. With the advancement of science and technology education in the future will be very wonder full. The internet is playing an important role in getting education and it will be of great help in the future. In the future everything will be connected with the internet. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers and everything today that is helping in getting education will be much more upgraded. In the next 50 years we will be able to open any book while sitting at home with just a gesture of hand. Instead of LCDs or screens everything will be projected in front of us with the help of holographic technology. Even the children’s of 1-3 years of age which are not able to go to school will learn many new things with this technology at home.Like there are always two faces of a picture, one is bright while other is dark in the same way there are two ways the education in next fifty years can go. Education in the next fifty years may become very easy because everything will be in a student’s reach while sitting at home. There will be no need to carry big and heavy bags to school and colleges. And because of the advancement in science and technology all the lessons and lectures will be provided online. But there may arise many problems due to this. Students will become very lazy and inactive and many problems will surround them due to their inactivity. They will get everything while sitting at home which will distort their health.The education in next 50 years may become a little difficult for students because new ideas and discovery’s are being made and students are forced to study all that in a very little age so it becomes a burden on them to understand everything but it will be beneficial for them because for getting something you have to lose something. In the whole world, there are many countries which include developed and developing countries. The education system after 50 years will be different in both. It will be really good in developed countries but in developing countries it will not be that much advances because the countries are way back in the field of science and technology. In next fifty years system of education in school, colleges and universities will totally be changed. Studies will become very easy. Science and technology will play an important role in future education but it will not reduce the importance of teacher. A teacher is the main guide in the whole life of a student. He guides them and makes them well disciplined and educated and in the future also teacher will play an important role in the career building of a student. Even if the students will be able to get knowledge from advance resources like internet, still they will need a teacher. Teachers will educate them in school, colleges and universities in a proper way. The role of a teacher in the life a student can’t be neglected.A teacher is also considered as a “spiritual father” of a student. A student can learn all the knowledge of the world but he can’t understand it without the aid of a teacher. Without a teacher, students will get distracted and get involved in other activities. They will become manner less and their interest for seeking education will die out. The advance technology will also help teacher to convey his teachings in a better way to the students. There is a golden saying:-”Get knowledge from a child’s cradle till grave”Role of a teacher in the life of a student in the next fifty years will remain the same as it is in present. As education makes a student well-mannered and well-disciplined so a student of future will also be well mannered and disciplined. He will respect his elders and his teachers. He will follow the right path.In next fifty years the life of a student will also be changed completely. Now a day, students have a very tough routine. They go to school in morning, from school to tuition and again have to study at home. Their whole day is spent in this routine and they don’t have time for themselves. In future the students will not have to do that much hard work because it is bad for their health and education means to bring up not to bring down. In present days the illiteracy rate is very high. Many children in many countries of the world do not go to school but in future all this would be changed and every child will get education because getting education is the right of every one. System of education in the next fifty years will also be improved as compared to today.In short, whatever the configuration of an education of future might be technology will play an important role in it. With technology teachers will also play an important role in educating the students. If all the teachers are well educated then they will play a better role and with the coordination of a teacher and new technology the students of future will be the best and they will take their nation or country to the peaks of progress.
All Loans In One – Student Loan Consolidation
A student loan is a kind of loan that students can avail of to help them in paying for their professional education. Student loans are guaranteed by the government and typically have lower interest rates than other kinds of loans.Sometimes, one loan is not enough to finance all of your educational expenses, including tuition, books and school supplies. This can force you to borrow several student loans from different lenders, which can be quite confusing and even more expensive. To prevent this, you should consider student loan consolidation.WHAT IS STUDENT LOAN CONSOLIDATIONStudent Loan Consolidation is the process of combining all of your student loans into a single new loan with one repayment plan issued by one lender. The balances from all your previous student loans are paid off by the new loan. This allows you to pay only one loan instead of multiple loans.The interest rate for the consolidated student loans is computed by averaging the interest rates of your current loans.You can also consolidate your student loans with the loans of another person, such as your spouse. However, this is not advisable. This is because if you need deferment, both of you have to meet the necessary criteria. Also, you will still have to repay the loan even if you separate or divorce.Most federal loans, such as FFELP and FISL loans, can be consolidated. Some private loans can also be consolidated. Various banks and student loan lenders typically offer loan consolidation options. You can also go directly to the Department of Education to consolidate. Both students and their parents can avail of loan consolidation.ADVANTAGES OF CONSOLIDATIONAside from simplifying your payment responsibilities, another benefit of student loan consolidation is that you are able to decide on the structure of your loan. Typically, consolidated student loans require smaller monthly payments than the original loans. If you’re having trouble making your monthly payments, then this option may just be for you. You can also convert your variable interest rate to a lower fixed rate, which can save you a lot of money. You can also extend your repayment term from the standard 10 years for federal loans to reach up to 30 years. There is no maximum amount that you can consolidate, and interest you pay may be tax deductible. Consolidated student loans also have flexible repayment options, including no prepayment penalties, allowing you to pay more than your monthly payments.DISADVANTAGES OF CONSOLIDATIONOf course, there are also disadvantages to consolidating your student loans. By lowering your monthly payments, you will have to extend the repayment period, which, in the end, can result in more interest. However, since there are no prepayment penalties, you can pay more than the required payments so that you can repay the loan faster. Another disadvantage to consolidation is that once the student loans have been consolidated, you may not separate them again. You may end up losing benefits, such as loan deferment. You can also only consolidate once. Thus, it is essential that you research thoroughly for the best consolidation options before going through with the process.AM I ELIGIBLE FOR CONSOLIDATION?There are certain criteria you have to meet before you can consolidate your student loans. For federal student loan consolidation, you can only consolidate if your current loans amount to more than $10,000. You must be within your 6-month loan grace period after graduation or you should have already started repaying your loans. In order to be eligible, you also should have no previous record of loan consolidation. If you’ve gone back to school after your initial consolidation, then you are still eligible for a new one.WHEN SHOULD I CONSOLIDATE?Once you have started repayment or you are within the grace period, you can already consolidate your student loans. It is advisable to consolidate during the grace period, since this usually results in a lower interest rate.HOW TO CONSOLIDATEIf you’ve decided to consolidate all or some of your existing student loans, the first thing you have to do is look for a bank or lender with the best offer. Student loan consolidation plans have different interest rates, fees for late payments and repayment terms. There are websites, such as FinAid, that can provide you with a list of lenders and their offers. Some websites can also help you arrange the consolidation. You can also consult a qualified loan counselor to help you determine whether consolidating your loans will truly be beneficial for you or not. They can help you in calculating the costs of your existing loans and compare it with the cost of the single consolidated loan. They can also explain to you your other options, such as income contingent payments, extended repayment and graduated repayment. By doing this, you can make an informed decision regarding student loan consolidation, and save a good deal of money in the long run.