Lifestyle Archives | Page 486 of 580

How To Travel For Free And Get Paid In The Process

1. WORK AT A CRUISE SHIP

Cruise on the clear blue seas without spending a cent by getting a job at an international cruise line. Cruise lines all over the world are in constant need of staff such as entertainers, waitresses, and housekeepers. Find a job that suits you best to get the free boarding and your desired pay. With few opportunities to spend your money while on the cruise, you are sure to come home with more money than you left with!

2. BE A MYSTERY SHOPPER

Mystery shoppers are individuals that the company hires to pose as regular clients in order to evaluate their services and products. Feedback about their experiences are given to the stores, groceries, and restaurants. In most cases mystery shoppers are hired locally, but there are overseas mystery shopping assignments too. However, these assignments are usually given to experienced mystery shoppers. Work towards it!

3. FIND JOBS AT HOSTELS, RESTAURANTS OR RESORTS

In exchange for free bedroom accommodation, why don’t you work in either the hostel’s front desk or the cleaning services? Hostels are usually looking for new staff and the same goes for resorts. For resorts, you make take on jobs on the front desk, restaurant, and entertainment department.

Image Credits: pixabay.com (CC0 Public Domain)

Lying on the country’s classified ads are cafe or restaurant job opportunities. Flip it open and apply. Explore your options to choose the best working hour that fits your travel itineraries.

4. OPEN A MOVING COMPANY

Get paid to head on a road trip by delivering furniture, animals, and other items from one destination to another by opening your own moving company. Professional movers pack the client’s items carefully and deliver them safely through trucks or vans. If you are up to the task then this is an idea that you must consider.

5. TEACH ENGLISH ABROAD

Hundreds of job opportunities that cater to TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certified individuals, native English speakers or people who are fluent in the said language. A simple way to make a buck is to check out Dave Sperling’s ESL Cafe.

ESL Cafe is a website that is open for people who teach English and provides them students from around the world. You may send your resume or C.V. to schools and individuals in South Korea, China, Japan, and other locations.

Image Credits: pixabay.com (CC0 Public Domain)

Sources: 1 & 2

Sensible Steps To Prepare For Your Child’s Tertiary Education

1. ESTIMATE YOUR TOTAL COSTS

The education system in Singapore follows high standards of quality and fosters excellence in its students. Offering various choices for pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary education, it is worth taking a careful consideration at Singapore’s local schools. Not only do they provide a more affordable rate but they also set the bar for all the universities across the nation.

Estimate how much you have to pay for the school fees, living expenses, and other miscellaneous. Do not forget to factor in the inflation rate. For example: If the school fee at NTU or NUS is about S$27,560 last 2010, it will increase to up to S$38,000 by 2030 due to the annual inflation rate of 1.6%. How do you plan to save up for that?

2. LOWER THE COSTS

If the total spending capacity of your household is tight, consider reducing your child’s university expenses. Take up scholarships and other financial aids available at the school. Also, it is important for your child to figure out what he or she really desires to become before venturing off to a course and later shifting to another. An education fund for four years is definitely cheaper than a fund for six.

3. CHOOSE THE FINANCIAL PACKAGE WISELY

There are tons of financial packages tailored to help you save for your child’s tertiary education. Before deciding to commit to one, you must…(a) set your goals first, (b) assess if the package meets your needs, (c) determine how much you can afford, (d) and know how much risk you are willing to take.

After clearing those things up, you must choose between:

a. LIFE INSURANCE PLANS

If you are going to rely on whole life policies, note that only a part of the policy value is guaranteed. The rest of the non-guaranteed value relies on the performance of the insurer’s participating fund. While investment-linked policies do not guarantee the fund values. Said values rely on the investment performance of underlying funds.

b. UNIT TRUSTS AND EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (ETF)

The underlying assets that your unit trust or ETF is invested in determines the value of your investment. Given that your investment path is fixed until your child enters tertiary education, you must select a unit trust or ETF that accommodates your timeline and investment objective.

c. BONDS

Bonds, usually regarded as less risky than equities, are primarily fixed income-securities. You shall receive the bond face amount on maturity. However, it comes with the credit default risk of the issuer. A decreasing credit quality of the issuer may cause its bond’s price to decline.

Image Credits: pixabay.com (CC0 Public Domain)

d. TUITION FEE LOAN SCHEME

Aside from the options above, you can consider loans such as the Tuition Fee Loan Scheme for approved schools. The loan has 0% interest during the period of study.

e. CPF EDUCATION SCHEME

The CPF Education Scheme allows you to borrow from your CPF ordinary account to sustain your child’s local tertiary education costs at approved schools. It is subjected to a withdrawal cap. After graduating, your child will be required to repay the amount withdrawn plus additional interest.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

KAYAK.sg reveals travel hacks for visiting the 10 most popular school holiday destinations

The travel search engine shares its wallet-friendly tips for booking a summer family getaway from Singapore

Head to Bangkok for S$187 and stay in a four-star hotel averaging S$133 per night
By booking on the right day of the week, travellers can save up to 33% on flights
KAYAK.sg recommends escaping Singapore’s heat and humidity with a visit to Melbourne and catching the open-air festivals in Paris

Singapore, 26 April 2016: The month-long June school holidays are a great time for a longer trip with the family, but high demand often means inflated flight prices and hotel bills. Parents (and their wallets) deserve a break as much as their kids do this summer, so the travel experts at KAYAK.sg crunched the numbers to reveal when to book flights to the top 10 most popular school break destinations for maximum savings.

Debby Soo, KAYAK Vice President APAC said, “School holidays are a peak time for families to travel together and prices tend to increase as a result. By choosing a value-for-money destination and employing a few budget-friendly travel hacks, the whole family can enjoy a summer getaway without breaking the bank. Savvy travellers search for flights and hotels on KAYAK.sg to ensure they are getting the best price and sign up for Price Alerts to receive notifications when the price drops for their desired flight and hotel.”

KAYAK.sg data reveals the top 10 destinations for school holidays based on the average median price for travel between 1 and 30 June 2016. Many families take advantage of the month-long school break in June to visit long-haul cities like Paris and New York, while others escape to nearby destinations in Southeast Asia like Bangkok and Bali. Booking on the right day of the week can save travellers between seven and 33 per cent.

Bangkok, Thailand: Best value destination in Asia

@Travel mania/Shutterstock.com

Among the most popular June school holiday options, Bangkok is the all-around best value destination for both flights and four-star hotels. Round trip flights to the City of Angels in June cost S$187 on average and a four-star hotel stay averages S$133 per night. Travellers booking their flights on a Tuesday up to 15 weeks in advance can save up to 30%. On average, travellers pay S$155 when they book on a Tuesday, while those who book on a Monday pay S$222. June is a great month to visit the Thai capital: there are fewer tourists than at other times of the year and the heavy rains of the monsoon season won’t begin until later in the summer. In addition, many retailers participate in Thailand’s Amazing Grand Sale from 15 June to 15 August, offering discounts on clothes, jewellery and electronics.

Melbourne, Australia: Most affordable long-haul destination

@Gordon Bell/Shutterstock.com

According to KAYAK.sg research, the most affordable long-haul destination in the list is Melbourne, Australia. Despite the Land Down Under’s reputation for being an expensive travel destination, fourstar hotels are only slightly more expensive than in Bangkok, averaging S$143 per night. Round trip flights to Melbourne cost S$584 on average, but travellers can save S$45 by booking on a Monday up to 20 weeks in advance for an average flight price of S$539. Melbourne’s winter temperatures in June (7-14 degrees Celsius) are a nice change from Singapore’s heat and humidity. Animal-loving kids can tap into their wild side with visits to the city’s excellent zoo and Sea Life Aquarium.

Paris, France: Best value ultra long-haul destination

@IM_photo/Shutterstock.com

The City of Light offers great value for a family summer sojourn. With flights averaging S$992 from Singapore and four-star hotels averaging S$324 per night in June, Paris is the most affordable ultra long-haul destination in the top 10. Travellers can save up to 20% by booking flights up to 20 weeks in advance on a Monday (average flight price S$866), versus booking on a Sunday (average flight price S$1076). In June, Paris comes alive with festivals and outdoor events like the Fete de la Musique and open-air film screenings in Parc de la Villette.

Affordable Summer Looks And Fashionable DIY Ideas

Since Singapore is geographically located near the equator, it is relatively hot all year round. With no particular period for summer, it is cool to dress the part while you go out and while you travel.

1. REVAMP YOUR DULL FLATS

Exude the summer vibe to your shoes by decorating it with bright laces or ribbons. Simply place a large amount of glue to your shoes and even it out with a bristled paint brush. Once everything is laid out nicely, push the lace down on the top. Place the “scalloped” portion of the lace on the curves to keep everything uniform and to avoid overlaps. Using your scissors, cut the excess lace around the edges of the shoes. Try to make all your lines as straight as possible.

Purchase inexpensive laces or ribbons at Spotlight Singapore.

Image Credits: dreamalittlebigger.com

2. HAVE A COTTON ON HAUL

Indulge on Cotton On’s sale items that are suitable for the hot weather. For women, you may purchase the Caged-back Cami that is fitted and detailed to stay cool and ready for spontaneous workouts. It retails for only S$5. Pair this with comfy denim shorts and gorgeous Coco Sandal. The Coco Sandal, that comes in multiple colors, retails for only S$10.

Men on the other hand can enjoy the breeze running through their slim Anchor Tank (S$10). You can pair it with just about anything from swimming shorts to skinny denim jeans.

3. PURCHASE TIMELY ACCESSORIES

To complete your overall look, purchase appropriate summer accessories such as sunglasses and hats. UV-protective tinted lenses are best to beat the hit. Adding a dash of style with the S$9.90 sunglasses from H&M would not hurt your wallets (for women and men)! And as for Bohemian hats and sun visors that will cost you less than S$10, shop at qoo10.sg.

4. BLEACH YOUR OLD SHORTS

Tired of your denim shorts? Turn it up a notch by giving it a stylish ombre look. To do so, soak your shorts in water first then dip it into a mixture of bleach and water. Let the mixture hit up to three inches below where you want it to reach as it will run upwards eventually. Set it in place for 30 minutes and rinse it out with white vinegar and water. Lastly, you must wash and dry your trendy ombre shorts. Pair it with jewel wedges or a neon top to embrace the summer colors!

A liter of bleach is sold for only S$1.10 at FairPrice.

Image Credits: http://www.hercampus.com/style/11-ways-diy-your-shorts-summer

Image Credits: hercampus.com

Amazingly Free Ways To Boost Your Online Security

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Cybersecurity (or online security) is defined as the measures taken to protect a computer or a computer system against unauthorized access or attack. Those who gain unauthorized access to the data in the computer or the system are usually called as hackers.

Recently, I had been a victim of a Facebook malware attack. For those of you who are less tech savvy, a malware is any software used to collect sensitive information, harm computer operations, gain access to private devices or display undesired advertising. Needless to say, the experience was daunting and I had to take immediate actions. Firstly, I downloaded anti-malware softwares. Secondly, I changed all my passwords and added an extra layer of security. Lastly, I added other extensions that improved my privacy.

To avoid this scenario, here are some helpful ways to strengthen your virtual shield:

1. ADD THE PRIVACY BADGER

Remember the undesired advertising that I was talking about? You can block that as well as other third-party trackers by adding the browser extension called Privacy Badger for S$0. To the advertisers, it is as if you suddenly disappeared!

2. SCAN WITH MALWAREBYTES

As your information is golden, keep it safe with an internet security and anti-malware software called Malwarebytes. The free version will scan your entire computer, detect any malwares, and remove all the infections. Scans for the most dangerous and newest threats are done in the process.

3. FILTER YOUR EMAIL

Filter your email contents by not opening the spam mail. To avoid downloading virus or other malware, only open attachments that were given by your friends, family, partners, and clients. Delete the previous emails that are no longer needed so that no one can use them.

4. SECURE YOUR BROWSING

To make your browsing more secure, download the HTTPS Everywhere extension. It encrypts your communications to major websites on Firefox, Chrome, and Opera. Get it for free at eff.org/https-everywhere.

5. SEARCH WITH DUCKDUCKGO

Search engines, especially those with big names, track your search history and build personalized profiles to provide results based on your search history. To escape from this “filter bubble”, you must switch to a search engine that does not track your every move. Emphasizing on protecting the user’s privacy, DuckDuckGo is always my go-to safe search engine!

Image Credits: pixabay.com (CC0 Public Domain)

Yes! It is totally free with no sign-in requirements.

Sources: 1,2, 3,& 4

Search the site