7 Small Towns Perfect for a Romantic Getaway

Hallstat, Austria

Popular travel destinations are famous all over the world. It’s unlikely that an average traveler hasn’t heard about Prague, Marrakech, Vatican or Vienna. An average traveler has probably been at least to one of them. It’s a good habit of a romantic couple to travel together. They discover this world together, they share strong emotions and they get to one another better. If you and your significant other are into traveling, and you like the off-the-beaten-track destinations, then visiting the following small towns is a must for you.

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Ko Phi Phi doesn’t hit the lists of mainstream destinations, but this island has something that makes it worth your visit. Once it was the location for the famous film “The Beach” starring Leo DiCaprio. The landscape is mind-blowing so it’s no wonder. After the film release, people flocked here to see white sand beaches, turquoise water and emerald cliffs. It’s a perfect option for the lovers of romantic beach getaways. There are lots of tourists, but, nevertheless, Ko Phi Phi is incredible. You can rent a yacht and try diving. Take a boat tour to Monkey Island to meet its inhabitants – monkeys in the wild.

Cesky Krumlov, the Czech Republic

A small town in the south of the Czech Republic is one of the most idyllic places in the world. It is famous for its beautiful and magnificent State Castle that is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It attracts active tourists, the fans of festivals, and romantic couples. It’s truly a fairytale town. At every turn – in the castle, park, by the river, in the narrow streets, and in the salt cave – the legends come alive. Cobblestone streets, colorful houses – romance is in the air.

Chefchaouen, Morocco

Initially founded as a fortress in the 15th century, Chefchaouen mesmerizes with its incredible views and heavenly color. It’s nicknamed as the blue city and is considered to be the most beautiful city in Morocco. It got its nickname for the blue buildings. As a legend has it, Jewish and Moorish immigrants painted the house walls blue for religious reasons – to honor the color of the sky. Azure winding streets look like a magical labyrinth when looking at the city from the fortress. You should definitely add this city to your list of romantic weekend getaways.

Madison, Georgia, the USA

If you are planning a weekend for two in the USA, consider romantic getaways in Georgia. Are you longing for Southern authenticity? You’ll get it in Madison. This small town has numerous accolades. The most recent one is the title one of the “Top 16 Most Picturesque Villages in the World”. It’s a perfect option for a day trip. The town carefully preserves its history – there are a lot of old neat houses, antique shops, and dining options.

Santa Maddalena, Italy

This small mountain village in the Dolomites, surrounded by the snowy peaks and green hills, is an incredibly picturesque place as if made for romantic getaways. In summer, it’s a postcard village, and in winter – it’s a true paradise for skiers. Santa Maddalena can’t boast vibrant life and the variety of hotels, but it’s an amazing escape from the daily hustle.

Ronda, Spain

In the 9th century the Moorish invaders did a good work: in Andalucia, high in the mountains, over the El Tajo gorge, they established Ronda – one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. The largest bullring, built in 1784, is situated here.

Hallstatt, Austria

It’s not that easy to find Hallstatt among numerous Alpine towns and villages. Historians claim that Hallstatt is the oldest inhabited village in Europe. Its pastel baroque buildings and picturesque wooden houses that beautifully sit underneath the Dachstein Mountains will charm all family couples. Romantic getaway spent here will be a breath of fresh air.

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10 Reasons Why Couples Should Travel Together

Trips fill us with joy and optimism, give us a sense of satisfaction. And if you travel together with your beloved, it is even more exciting! Traveling together often strengthen the relationship of a couple. Well, there is a number of objective reasons for it from http://planetofbrides.com/

  1. The common goal

When you plan to travel together around the country, you focus on a common goal. You are planning the routs to cover, looking for interesting places to visit, and planning your finances. All these things bring you the feeling of being on the same page.

  1. Diplomatic skills

Truth is born of argument. Of course, couples have disputes and arguments. However, a trip with your travel buddy can persuade the person to listen to the opinion of the partner and take into account his or her wishes. When you plan a trip with your travel companion, especially beloved one, willy-nilly you learn to look for compromises.

  1. The reset button

Relationships often remind me a river, where calm places always alternate with rapids and waterfalls. And this is true because any relationship changes depending on living conditions. Sometimes it happens that you stand at one point and stop developing as a couple, and this is a threatening situation, which often leads to a breakup. Traveling allows you to reset the relationship, to look at your soul mate with new eyes.

  1. Things to laugh at

Funny stories happen a lot to travelers. Sometimes they are hilarious, sometimes they are just positive. One thing I know for sure is that such stories are good to think of and are good to tell about in a tight circle of friends. And if you two have experienced such situations, sometimes a phrase like “Do you remember …” is enough to see the smile on your beloved’s face. It is awesome when you understand each other with a half-word. It brings people together and makes them feel as a whole.

  1. True feelings

Traveling demonstrates people from different perspectives. Since you spend all the time together when traveling, you can rediscover your partner and see the features did not even notice before. Some may sound just fine, and some may irritate you. It teaches us being condescending and sensitive to the partner.

  1. Family values

Traveling gives a person a clear understanding of why he lives. All secondary things become pale and take a back seat. Parents, family, and relatives – you keep thinking about them when you are on the other side of the continent. You miss them being apart and enjoy their company when you are back. This is when you realize what makes you really happy.

  1. New experiences

So it’s great to try something new together. Unusual feelings, excitement, and fear – they make your relationship bright and colorful when you experience them together. This is what makes your couple more saturated and passionate.

  1. The shared finances

Before you go to another country, you need to calculate your finances for the trip and plan your finances for the future, in order to know how much to leave at home and where to save. The two of you should agree on your family budget and discard unnecessary expenses. As soon as the couple understands the purpose of the planning, it makes the relationship even more trusting.

  1. A lifetime friend

Romantic feelings, love, and passion – you experience all the diversity of emotions when you travel with your lover. However, this is not the only thing to bring two people together. Joint trips will give you the opportunity to discover something new, to solve the common problems, to communicate, to argue, to debate. The trip may help you discover a lifetime friend in your lover.

  1. The breathtaking lifestyle

Daily things usually spoil the romance in a relationship. Traveling allows you to add diversity and spontaneity to relationships, to make them unforgettable and colorful. Of course, there are couples who have lived together for a long time and have never gone anywhere from their state. Traveling is not the only thing that keeps lovers together. Love and common values are much more important here. However, joint trips are really capable of strengthening relationships. Moments of joy, happiness, new discoveries, experienced by your couple, keep the fire alive and teach us to value each other.

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Budget-Friendly Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Hair

A decent amount of body hair is to be expected on men and women alike. However, the situation changes when the hair gets darker and thicker in certain places. You do not want to look like you are wearing a furry rug on your back or a bushy jungle on your pits, right?

Draw the line by getting rid of unwanted hair. I have listed affordable ways to get rid of unwanted hair based on my personal experience. The last one being the most painful option among the three.

CREAM IT

Are you looking for a time-efficient technique that will help you remove unwanted hair with minimal pain? The search is over! A depilatory cream can satisfy your needs.

Its name may sound complex but, the mechanism behind it is not! Depilatory creams (e.g., Veet and Nair) are designed to remove the hair by breaking it down. It is applied to an area for at least 5 to 10 minutes before it is washed away with warm cloth. Always read the instructions as leaving it for too long may result to skin damage. Consider doing a skin test first.

Let us go back to the advantages of using this product. Firstly, it is a quick procedure that you can administer at home. Secondly, most depilatory creams are inexpensive. Take Veet as an example. Veet for Sensitive Skin, enriched with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, retails for S$13.45 at Watsons.

PLUCK IT

More often than not, plucking is a route that most of us venture on. Grabbing tweezers to remove fine facial hair is an easy task! After all, tweezers are readily available at the households or at the stores. You may drop by the nearest FairPrice to buy slanted or square-tipped tweezers for only S$2.32 (ongoing promotion at the website).

Plucking is best used for small, localized areas such as chins and brows. Let us face it! Plucking is labor intensive. You do not want to waste your day off with the mere task of plucking your underarm hair.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Dr. Lavanya Krishnan, a dermatologist based in the United States, stresses that you need to sanitize your tweezers diligently. She recommends cleansing your tweezers once a day with warm soap and water. Then, you must store it in a dry place.

LASER HAIR REMOVAL

You might be wondering why an expensive hair removal procedure like laser hair removal is on this list. However, contrary to popular belief laser hair removal is really affordable these days. You can easily do hair removal through laser by Anu Aesthetics without burning a hole in your pocket.

Besides this, laser hair removal is a much better alternative to every other hair removal procedure as the results are more effective and long-lasting in terms of results. Additionally, there is no need to do this procedure every second week making it a perfect choice for anyone looking for an affordable yet lasting hair removal procedure.

WAX IT

Waxing is a timeless technique used to effectively remove one’s hair. It works by applying either hot or cold wax on an area. Afterwards, an esthetician will use a cloth or paper strip to remove the hair out by the follicle. You read that right! This is why some people will experience bleeding at first.

Are you ready for the waxing pros? I sure am! For starters, you will be hairless for about 2 to 8 weeks. Things mainly depend on your hair’s texture and growth cycle. Waxing is relatively inexpensive too. You can always do it yourself (e.g., body wax strips retail for as low as S$5.53 at Watsons)! Lastly, people typically experience less pain each time they wax.

Now, let us dive into the “cons”. Waxing is painful! I cannot deny the pain that I have experienced before. I sweated profusely and screamed during my first session. In the process of maintaining my waxing sessions, I needed to adopt an exfoliating routine to ward off ingrown hair. Moreover, people with sensitive skin may experience irritation from the products applied.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Simply put, waxing is an age-old method ideal for larger body areas such as legs and arms. It gets rid of the unwanted hair down to its follicle! If your pain threshold permits, it works best for people with coarse hair.

Sources: 1 & 2

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Why It’s Better To Give Than To Receive

Evolutionary speaking, survival of the fittest reigns supreme. The competition used to be fierce! The strongest species live another day while, the weaklings die out. Let us fast-forward to the present time. Nowadays, sustainability is attained by sharing our resources. Why else would companies like Grab or Airbnb exist?

The act of giving is deeply wired within our moral compass. Not everyone is blessed with the same resources that we bathe in. This is something that we have to accept. I have to admit! It took me a long time to accept that I can use my resources to effectively help others.

At a young age, I questioned why we needed to give up our financial resources to benefit our relatives. With maturity and time, I realized the importance of detaching oneself from the materialistic views. The benefits of selfless acts contributes to a higher sense of wellbeing. That is what Aristotle knew all along!

On that note, here are some of the reasons why giving is seemingly better than receiving.

#1: HELPING THOSE IN NEED

Let us face it! The world we live in is far from perfect.

The interest rates are shooting up, the global economy is unstable, and the financial difficulties are experienced by many families. That is merely on the financial side. Shall I elaborate further on Singapore’s general challenges such as unemployment and teenage pregnancy? I suppose not. We are well aware of the pressing issues.

What we do with the above information shapes our character. A gesture as simple as donating your old clothes and books can go a long way! Giving a portion of what you have to those in desperate need helps alleviate the situation that they are in. That in itself is rewarding.

#2: THE NATURAL HIGH 

Speaking of rewards, the act of giving elicits a type reward that is both intangible and powerful. I am referring to its physiological benefits. In a 2007 study, charitable contributions demonstrated pleasurable responses in the brain. Said responses were triggered by a surge of endorphins and dopamine.

As physiological responses are deeply rooted, its pleasurable consequences can last longer than the effects of purchasing a new outfit in Orchard Road.

#3: A BOOST IN EMPLOYEE MORALE

Ms. Molly St. Louis, a creative executive, once shared her insights on charity and employee morale. She once wrote this: “If a company chooses to make a corporate donation, workplace culture can improve with increased employee involvement and a positive general attitude.”

Participating in your company’s altruistic campaigns can make you feel like a part of a meaningful cause. On the other hand, employers may improve the group dynamics by offering volunteer opportunities for everyone.

#4: A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

Individuals, corporations, trustees, and partnerships that are carrying on profession, trade, or business in Singapore are chargeable with tax. Reduce the payable amount by listing down your tax deductables. You may qualify for several tax deductables including the “donations” category.

Being generous may help you reap double tax deductions (i.e., twice the amount of the donation). Eligible donations exist in these forms:

a. Cash Donations
b. Shares Donations
c. Computer Donations
d. Artefact Donations
e. Public Art Tax Incentive Scheme
f. Land and Building Donations

For instance, you may donate a priceless artwork to the Singapore museums that have obtained the Approved Museum Status with the National Heritage Board.

#5: PROMOTING SELFLESS ACTS

As an educator to young minds, I know how important it is to promote positive behaviors. Mimicing is the basic learning model that children follow. When your child sees your selfless acts, it is more likely that he or she adopts an altruistic mindset.

I speak from my personal experience. As a child, I was exposed to this mindset as my grandparents were frequent volunteers of the Red Cross. As a teenager, I hosted my 13th birthday at a humble orphanage. Last Christmas, we had a chance to share our blessings to the intellectually disabled youth. It goes without saying that I will pass on this mindset to my future children.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

As for you, you may take small steps first. Start by allowing your child to donate your loose change to charitable institutions. It is common to see adolescents with “donation cans” roaming at the Orchard Road or in the train stations. You may consider donating to them too.

Sources: 1 & 2

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Is Athleisure Worth Splurging On?

You may have noticed that athleisure is making a huge comeback. It is not just you – athleisure is everywhere! By definition, athleisure is a form of “casual clothing to be worn for exercising and for general use”. Its versatility and comfort paved way for major retailers and specialized companies to invest on this trend.

On that note, here are some of the reasons why you must consider purchasing athleisure clothing articles:

IT IS COMFORTABLE

It goes without saying that leaving the house in your sweatpants is comfortable. As far as most Singaporeans are concerned, comfort reigns supreme! We are drawn to athleisure not only because it looks good, but also because it feels good.

Fashion capitals such as New York and Tokyo have embraced this comfortable innovation in the streets and in the catwalks. If you are confident enough to wear your athletic clothing in and out of the gym then, go ahead! Expand your wardrobe by investing on key athleisure pieces.

IT IS VERSATILE

Mr. Deirdre Clemente, a lecturer at the University of Nevada, once dubbed athleisure as the “new casual”. He was right! While athletic wear is mainly worn for sports, athleisure’s function is way beyond that. Athleisure fuses smart casual with athletic wear. Its versatility is one of the primary reasons why consumers are drawn to it.

Gone are the days when sports gear is exclusively appropriate in the studio. Imagine wearing Jane Fonda’s bold neon suit and bright leggings to a board meeting. Who in the right mind would do that? Fortunately, it is acceptable to wear modern atheleisure (e.g., black yoga pants) without causing anyone to bat an eye!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

The successful fusion between durability, style, and comfort paved way for the social prominence of athleisure.

IT IS SPECIALIZED

Athleisure is a globally booming business. Due to its popularity, most major retailers tried to jump on the bandwagon. Notice the increasing number of sports bras and yoga pants in H&M and Cotton On. Do not get me started with Ivy Park – Topshop’s 2016 collaboration with Beyoncé!

Despite the widespread of options, athleisure is a specialized category of clothing. A savvy consumer knows how to filter out the best brands from the duds. Consider investing your money on items produced by the internationally known Lululemon Athletica or by the locally sourced Vivre Activewear.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Would you believe that my mother’s Lululemon leggings and jacket lasted for about 8 years? Favor trusted brands over cheap retailers to reap similar benefits of longevity and quality.

Sources: 1, 2, 3,4& 5

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