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Great Spots for an Exotic July Vacation

A posh Italian resort town, a summer ski trip and some other getaways are perfect summer destinations. Put these spots on your “must go” list.

Cartagena, Colombia – Planning a trip to Cartagena in July is a no-brainer. A number of airlines offer direct flights from New York at just under 5 hours. With no time difference, visiting the seaside city over a long weekend is easier than ever. What’s more, you’ll avoid the crowds that flock to the bustling port during the holidays, and also have your pick of great hotels. Among the best are Casa San Agustin, Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa and Tcherassi Hotel & Spa. All are located within the walls of the old city.

Lake Como, Italy – There’s no better time than July for a bucket list-worthy trip to Lake Como. You really can’t go wrong any week of the month. Book a room at the iconic Villa d’Este and you’ll feel right at home: the hotel has been hosting a July 4th Gala for its American guests to enjoy since the 1920s, complete with a cocktail party, gala dinner, dance performance and, of course, fireworks on the lake. Don’t be surprised if your fellow attendees aren’t from the US – as it turns out, non-American visitors love participating in the revelry too. It’s a great celebration.

French Polynesia – July is one of the most festive times to vacation in the South Pacific because Bastille Day celebrations are in full swing. Locals and tourists partake in the Heiva festival which includes drumming, dancing, singing and rowing competitions. With more than 100 islands to choose from, you can’t go wrong when deciding where to stop first, but The Brando, a private island located on a three-mile wide lagoon, is widely considered the area’s most luxe resort. Between snorkeling, sunbathing and meditating on pristine beaches, the exotic getaway is truly an escape you won’t find anywhere else in the world.

Kenya, East Africa – July marks the beginning of the Great Migration in Kenya, wherein wildebeests and zebras attempt to dodge the enemy – crocodiles – as they make their way across Mara River. With cooler temperatures and clear blue skies, the mid-summer month is an ideal time to experience the Kenyan safari you’ve been talking about for so long.

Zurich, Switzerland – Zurich is perfect place to visit if you enjoy traditional summer activities minus the unbearable heat. The average temperature is in the low 70’s during July, making it an ideal time to take a dip in one of the city’s 18 outdoor bathing spots. From a cultural perspective, you can immerse yourself in Swiss art while taking in the scenic view of the Alps at the lakeside sculpture festival which takes place from mid-June to the beginning of August.

Baden-Baden, Germany – Located not far from Zurich, this charming yet lively spot is known as one of the most famous spa towns in Europe. What’s best about this destination is that there’s something for everyone to enjoy. There’s Merkur Mountain for the active tourists seeking a view, art exhibits and monuments for the history buff and an endless amount of spa options for those looking to unwind. With temperatures in the mid to high 70’s, July is one of the most pleasant times to enjoy all this city has to offer.

Mount Hutt, New Zealand – It’s entirely possible to get your powder fix in the middle of summer – as long as you don’t mind flying halfway around the world. New Zealand’s ski season runs from June to mid-October, which, despite being a fairly “off-peak” travel window for tourists, promises unbelievable conditions for snow bunnies. Just two hours outside of Christchurch, you’ll find the country’s stunning southern alps – and plenty of space on the slopes.

Quebec, Canada – Travel to Quebec in July to experience the electricity of the city when it plays host to one of the world’s largest music festivals. The annual Quebec City Summer Festival takes place July 5-15 in various indoor and outdoor venues through the city. The renowned festival has come to be known for its eclectic musical selection, and this year’s line up does not disappoint. Acts range from The Weeknd and Neil Young, to The Chainsmokers and Dave Matthews Band.

Palm Beach, Florida – If you’re looking for a quiet weekend away head to Southern Florida. “People don’t realize it’s a year-round destination,” says Nick Gold, the public relations director at Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa, who adds that during the season, hotel rates drop by 30 to 40 percent. “I think it’s one of the most underrated times to visit. Plus, it’s less crowded than the Hamptons.”

Namibia – For those seeking an isolated adventure unlike no other, this desert escape is exactly what you’ve been waiting for – thanks to the orange dunes, cobalt blue waters, and what seems to be an endless horizon. Try kayaking with seals or cruising in a houseboat while elephants and giraffes drink from the waterside. To make your experience even more unforgettable, book a lodge at the soon-to-open Omaanda Resort. The micro-village consists of 10 luxurious huts located on a private 9,000-acre wildlife reserve. Or, check out Little Kulala, where you can request that your bed be made up underneath the stars.

Science Says Being Overweight Means You Live Longer

OK, so you’re packing a few more pounds than the doctor says you should be. That just might give you some extra life. We’re not talking obese here, just a bit overweight. It’s not like you’ll live forever but doctors might not be quite honest when addressing the health risks associated with people whose BMIs – that is, Body Mass Indexes – are between 25 and 30, ranked as “overweight” on the BMI scale.

BMI is the chart healthcare professionals swear by to determine a person’s percentage of fat based on their weight and height. Doctors have lectured on and on about the dangers of being “overweight,” but it might actually be better for you to have a little extra weight than to be at a “normal” BMI.

Wikipedia says “The generally accepted view is that being overweight causes similar health problems to obesity, but to a lesser degree.” But papers regarding the dangers of being overweight, like the Journal of the American Medical Association’s paper regarding “Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity,” you find statements like “Overweight was not associated with excess mortality.”

In fact, the findings are that people who are overweight actually live longer than people who are in the normal weight range. Translation is that being a little overweight might be, well, normal, while being considered of normal weight by the BMI chart you might actually be mildly underweight.

While research supports the idea that people within the “overweight” category are healthier and live longer, science and the doctors who recognize this issue are still unwilling to make the call and change “overweight” to “normal” for the charts.

This also suggests that the dangers of being within that category may be grossly over-exaggerated since doctors are continually finding out that “overweight” people actually tend to live longer, healthier lives than those within the “normal” weight groups.

Of course, at some point, the more weight you put on, the worse your health will become, because obesity is still damaging to your body – high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin issues, hormonal problems and many others. But where that point actually begins has been called into question.

So if you go to the clinic and your BMI is a little higher than “acceptable” to your doctor, don’t freak out and call off carbs. You just might be within a totally healthy weight group. You might be able to enjoy a longer life than your skinnier friends.

Far from the Maddening Crowds

If you enjoy travel, but hate the crowds at the world’s most popular places, here’s a look at the 10 least-visited realms around the world. You may find the food just as delicious, but less expensive. The beaches may be more tranquil without the mob scene. And you likely will get a better deal on your hotel room.

To figure out which destinations can best give you that off-the-beaten-path experience, we took a long look at the annual United Nations World Tourism Organization’s “Tourism Highlights” for 2017. Statistics in the report are from 2016.

The UN did not have data for every country in the world, but from the reports they did have, these are the least visited countries around the globe.

Tuvalu (2,000 visitors) –Tuvalu turned out to have the absolute least number of visitors – just 2,000. The fourth smallest country in the world, the Polynesian island nation is located in the South Pacific and has a total land area of just 10 square miles. Part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Commonwealth realm, Tuvalu doesn’t have much to do outside of beach activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming and sunning. Traditional culture has been kept quite alive here, with traditional dances being performed on special occasions, particularly at town halls.

Kiribati (5,000 visitors) – The former British colony of Kiribati is a central Pacific island nation that saw just 5,000 visitors in 2016. Its beaches are pretty untouched and stunning to see, perfect for boating and yachting. Some of the islands have prominent World War II sights, having been the site of some intense fighting, and guided tours are available to see and learn about the shipwrecks and the remains of tanks, planes and amtracs. Phoenix Islands Protected Area, one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, is also located in Kiribati. There you can discover coral reefs and hundreds of species of fish.

Niue (8,000 visitors) – Niue is one of the world’s largest coral islands, with a land area of about 101 square miles. Just 8,000 people visited the country in 2016, which is impressive considering its population that year was approximately 1,600. The South Pacific island nation, located 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand, is surrounded by a coral reef and has limestone cliffs and caves along its coast. A tropical rainforest takes up approximately 20 percent of the land area and is full of gorgeous and diverse flora and fauna. Cycling, diving, fishing, golf, kayaking and snorkeling are popular tourist activities on the island.

Montserrat (9,000 visitors) – Montserrat is a British territory in the Caribbean, measuring approximately 10 miles in length and 7 miles in width and with just 25 miles of coastline. It looks like coastal Ireland and, in fact, many Montserratians have Irish ancestry. It has been referred to as “The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean.” Montserrat was once a popular vacation spot before 1989 when Hurricane Hugo hit the island, damaging over 90 percent of its structures. In 1995, the island took another hit when the Soufrière Hills volcano erupted, burying its capital in ash and mud and forcing evacuations as well as airport and seaport closings. The island is still quite beautiful, however, and 9,000 visitors came in 2016 to enjoy its tropical forests and quiet, secluded beaches.

Marshall Islands (10,000 visitors) – Situated halfway between Hawaii and Australia, the Marshall Islands is a Pacific island nation right near the equator. The tropical climate is hot and humid. A mere 10,000 visitors made it to the country, which has suffered from flooding due to climate change as well as pollution. For a more tropical island experience, venture out to one of the outer islands.

American Samoa (20,000 visitors) – An unincorporated U.S. territory, American Samoa is another South Pacific destination, made up of five islands and two coral atolls. With an area of just under 77 square miles, it’s only slightly larger than Washington, D.C. Just 20,000 visitors came to American Samoa, which has wonderful beaches and beautiful coral reefs perfect for snorkeling, as well as a rainforest where you can go hiking in the mountains near the capital of Pago Pago.

Solomon Islands (22,000 visitors) – Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Islands saw only 22,000 visitors. Part of the Coral Triangle, it’s a prime destination for scuba diving, which has a significant part to play in the country’s tourism industry. A lack of infrastructure has held back growth in the industry, however, and caution is advised to tourists, particularly after dark.

Micronesia (24,000 visitors) – Officially known as the Federated States of Micronesia, Micronesia has four states made up of about 607 islands located in the western Pacific Ocean, just north of the equator. Just 24,000 people visited the country, likely due to the heavy rainfall that occurs all year but particularly from June to December when typhoons pose a particular threat. Diving and swimming are popular endeavors here, and the traditional culture of the islands is also a big draw. From 1947 until 1994, its government was administered by the United States, which continues to be responsible for Micronesia’s defense; as a result, the local currency is the U.S. dollar and U.S. citizens may live and work freely there.

Sierra Leone (54,000 visitors) – Tourism in the West African country of Sierra Leone has suffered as a result of the civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002 as well as an Ebola outbreak that lasted from 2014 to 2016. Just 54,000 visitors came to visit the country, which has just one international airport. As a result, the country has a largely unrealized potential for tourism, with fantastic beaches and an interesting colonial heritage. A Muslim-majority nation with a significant Christian minority, it’s also considered to be one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world. Locals are known to be very welcoming of foreigners, with most of them speaking English.

San Marino (60,000 visitors) – Claiming to be the oldest sovereign state in existence as well as the oldest constitutional republic, San Marino is a landlocked microstate within north-central Italy. Just over 24 square miles and with a population of just over 33,000, San Marino received approximately 60,000 visitors in 2016. Its biggest attractions include the medieval town hall, the Cathedral of San Marino and the Three Towers of San Marino, depicted on the country’s flag and coat of arms.

Live Longer – Be a Curmudgeon!

Old age is a time of life defined by loss of vigor, increasing frailty, rising disease risk and falling cognitive faculties. Add to that the unavoidable matter of the end of consciousness and the death that draws closer and closer. It’s the rare person who can confront the final decline with flippancy or ease.

Humans are pikers in life spans compared to some other species. Jeanne Calment lived to the age of 122 years, 164 days, becoming the oldest recorded human who ever lived. She died on August 4, 1997, in Arles, France, where she had lived her entire life.

But compared to some other species, her life was short. Bowhead whales are thought to be the longest-living mammal with an estimated life span of more than 200 years. And a clam dredged from the ocean off Iceland in 2006 carried growth lines on its shell indicating it had been around since 1499. That was enough time for 185,055 generations of mayfly, which live as little as a day, to come and go. Neither clam nor fly gave a thought to that mortal math.

Humans, as far as we know, are the only species who spend their life knowing death is coming. Globally, the average life span for humans is 71.4 years; for a few lucky people, it may exceed 100 years.

Humans have made at least some progress. Life expectancy in the U.S. exceeds the global average, clocking in at just under 79 years. In Canada, it’s a bit longer at 81.9 years. In 1900, U.S. life expectancy was just over 47 years. The extra decades came courtesy of vaccines, antibiotics, sanitation and improved detection and treatment of a range of diseases. Advances in genetics and in our understanding of dementia are helping to extend our lives still further.

A recent Yale University study found that in a group of 4,765 people with an average age of 72, those who carried a gene variant linked to dementia – but also had positive attitudes about aging – were 50% less likely to develop the disorder than people who carried the gene but faced aging with more pessimism or fear.

The study suggests there may be something to be said for aging less timidly, as a sort of happy contrarian who argues when you feel like it, plays when you feel like playing. Maybe you want to pass up the quiet of the country for the churn of a city. Maybe you want to drink a little, eat a rich meal, have some sex.

“The most important advice we offer people about longevity is, ‘Throw away your lists,’” says Howard Friedman, professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, and co-author of The Longevity Project. “We live in a self-help society full of lists: ‘lose weight, hit the gym.’ So why aren’t we all healthy? People who live a long time can work hard and play hard.” Under the right circumstances, it increasingly seems, so could all of us.

She’s hardly the only senior who loves city living. In the U.S., 80% of people ages 65 and older are now living in metropolitan areas, and according to the World Health Organization, by 2030, an estimated 60% of all people will live in cities. You may lose a little sidewalk speed and have to work harder to get up and down subway stairs, but cities increasingly rank high on both doctors’ and seniors’ lists of the best places to age gracefully.

Every year, the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging (CFA) ranks the best metropolitan places for successful aging, and most years, major cities sweep the top 10 spots. That’s not surprising since cities tend to have strong health systems, opportunities for continued learning, widespread public transportation and an abundance of arts and culture.

Some studies have found that friends are more important to the elderly than is family. Just as the primacy of family has been oversold as a key to long life, so has the importance of avoiding conflict or emotional upset. Shouting back at cable news is no way to spend your golden years, but passion, it turns out, may be more life-sustaining than apathy, engagement more than indifference.

In a study published by the American Aging Association, researchers analyzed data from the Georgia Centenarian Study, a survey of 285 people who were near or beyond 100 years old, as well as 273 family members and other proxies who provided information about them. The investigators were looking at how the subjects scored on various personality traits, including conscientiousness, extroversion, hostility and neuroticism.

As a group, the centenarians tested lower on neuroticism and higher on competence and extroversion. Their proxies ranked them a bit higher on neuroticism, as well as on hostility. It’s impossible to draw a straight line between those strong personality traits and long life, but the authors saw a potential one, citing other studies showing that centenarians rank high on “moral righteousness,” which leads to robust temperaments that “may help centenarians adapt well to later life.”

At the same time that crankiness, judiciously deployed, can be adaptive, its polar opposite – cheerfulness and optimism – may be less so. Worried people are likelier to be vigilant people, alert to a troubling physical symptom or a loss of some faculty that overly optimistic people might dismiss. Friedman and his collaborator, Leslie R. Martin, a professor of psychology at La Sierra University in Riverside, Calif., base their book on work begun in 1921 by Stanford University psychologist Lewis Terman, who recruited 1,500 boys and girls born around 1910 and proposed to follow them throughout their lifetimes and, when he died, as he did in 1956, to have successors continue the work. Friedman and Martin have been two of those successors, and they’ve learned a lot.

“Our research found that the more cheerful, outgoing children did not, for the most part, live any longer than their more introverted or serious classmates,” says Friedman. “Excessively happy people may ignore real threats and fail to take precautions or follow medical advice.”

One tip for long life that is not coming in for quite so much revisionist thinking is exercise. Adding even a small amount of movement to daily life has been repeatedly shown to be beneficial, for a whole range of reasons. “Exercise likely works through several mechanisms,” says Dr. Thomas Gill, director of the Yale Program on Aging. “Increasing physical activity will improve endurance; it benefits muscle strength and balance and reduces occurrence of serious fall injuries. It also provides a benefit to psychology, by lifting spirits.” A 2016 study found that elderly people who exercised for just 15 minutes a day, at an intensity level of a brisk walk, had a 22% lower risk of early death compared to people who did no exercise. A 2017 study found that exercising even just two days a week can lower risk for premature death. Researchers from McMaster University in Canada even found that breaking a sweat for just 60 seconds may be enough to improve health and fitness – as long as it’s a tough workout.

Healthy eating may have a lot more wiggle room than we’ve assumed. If there’s such a thing as a longevity diet, there may be more on the menu than seniors have been told. “It really is an issue of moderation,” says Peter Martin, a professor of human development and family studies at Iowa State University, who runs an ongoing study of centenarians. Martin notes that while most centenarians eat different but generally healthy diets, one consistent thing he has picked up from work with his 100-plus crowd is breakfast. “They rarely skip breakfast,” he says. “It’s often at a very specific time, and the routine is important.”

Alcohol has its place, too. An August 2017 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that light to moderate alcohol use (14 or fewer drinks per week for men and seven or fewer for women) is associated with a lower risk of death compared to people who don’t drink at all. If you’re a nondrinker, that’s no reason to start, and if you drink only infrequently, it’s no reason to drink more. Still, among the more than 333,000 people in the study, light and moderate drinkers were 20% less likely to die from any cause during the study period compared with their completely abstemious peers.

There may be no truly healthy centenarians – you can’t reach 100 years without getting worn out and banged up along the way. But there are independent centenarians and happy centenarians and centenarians who have had a rollicking good ride. The same is true for people who will never reach the 100-year mark but make the very most of the time they do get. The end of life is a nonnegotiable thing.

How to Lower Utility Costs

You may be able to trim your utility bills with just a few energy upgrades and tweaks.

“There are so many small changes people can make to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, and it all adds up to significantly lower energy bills and a smaller environmental footprint,” says Christina Kielich of the U.S. Department of Energy. Kielich and home energy auditor Erlend Kimmich offered the following tips on Curbed.com about how to cut energy costs in a home, including:

Replace lightbulbs. The typical American household spends 5 to 10 percent of its energy budget on lighting alone, according to the DOE. Replace incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs, which on average are 85 percent more energy-efficient. You can shave $100 a year on your energy costs by making the switch.

Unplug. Leaving cellphones, TVs, computers and other electronic devices plugged in can continue to pull power from the grid. That can add up over time. Unplug devices or plug your electronics into power strips that you can easily turn off whenever they’re not being used.

Use an automatic thermostat. Save up to 10 percent on your annual heating and cooling costs by just dropping the thermostat 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit from its normal setting for eight hours a day. An automatic thermostat, which can be purchased for less than $20, can help to more easily adjust the thermostat during the day and cut energy use, too.

Seal your attic and basement. For a more substantial investment, seal and insulate the attic and basement – basically the top and bottom of your home, says Kimmich. “Especially if the house was built before World War II, that’s where you tend to find the most leakage,” Kimmich adds. “Think of your home’s air sealing and insulation like a windbreaker worn over a sweater. If there’s a rip or you leave the windbreaker unbuttoned, it can’t really help. So we fix the sweater by making the insulation more substantial and we improve that air seal anywhere the indoor space is connected to the outdoor space.”

Folklorama Festival Aug. 5 – 18

Celebrate life and culture with world-class entertainment, delicious authentic food and beautiful cultural displays at the 49th annual Folklorama in Winnipeg this August. Folkorama is the largest and longest-running multicultural festival of its kind in the world.

Explore one of the most vibrant arts and culture scenes found in the heart of the continent during the first two weeks of August. Join friends and family and experience the world’s cultures in Winnipeg from August 5-18, 2018.

Folklorama began in 1970 as a celebration of Manitoba’s centennial, and has grown into an annual two-week festival of global culture that takes place the first two weeks in August. Over 40 volunteer-run pavilions participate each year, showcasing unique cultures in venues throughout Winnipeg. Pavilions feature lively entertainment, cultural displays, warm hospitality and authentic ethnic cuisine.

Tips for First-timers
Many visitors to the Festival plan to visit three pavilions in an evening and at least three to six pavilions in each week of the two-week festival. Bring an appetite and try an appetizer at the first pavilion, dinner at the second and a dessert at your last stop of the night

How Folklorama Works
Folklorama is a two-week multicultural festival featuring more than 40 pavilions during the first two weeks of every August. Half of the Festival’s pavilions operate in Week 1 of the festival and the other half operate in Week 2. The Folklorama Travel Guide is your most important festival planning tool. Printed copies of the Travel Guide are available at Manitoba Liquor Marts, Cambrian Credit Union branches, Vickar Automotive Group dealerships, 7-Eleven locations, leading Manitoba hotels and attractions, as well as the Folklorama office. The festival takes place during evenings, though there are some afternoon shows on the weekends. All show times are listed in the Travel Guide. A fold-out map in the center of the Folklorama Travel Guide displays the locations of pavilions across Winnipeg.

It takes 20,000 visitors to serve the roughly 400,000 people who attend this annual festival. Tour groups from across Canada and the United States, as well as from a many other nations descend on Winnepeg each year to take part in the events. August is a comfortable time to visit Winnepeg with average daily high temperatures in August ranging from 74 to 80 degrees, while lows range from 56 to 62 degrees.

Dino’s Storage is proud to operate a self-storage facility in Winnepeg and to be a part of such a vibrant, friendly community.

You can learn more about the festival on the web at www.folklorama.ca

20 Life-Changing Tips

1. Seize the Day Early
It’s tempting to keep pressing snooze until you absolutely have to get out of bed, but why not get up early so you actually have time to enjoy your morning before heading off to work? By preventing yourself from rushing around, you can keep your stress levels down and have a second to relax before your day actually begins.

2. Take Your Vitamins
Vitamins are a must at any age, even if you think you’re hitting all your bases with what you’re eating. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it’s good to look at those daily pills as an insurance policy against an imperfect diet: You’ll get everything you need to protect your body with minimal effort.

3. Always Eat Breakfast
Most days it might be easier skipping breakfast than taking the time to make it, but it’s one habit you should stick to: Many studies have shown that first meal is important for your well-being, and 2014 research published in Nutrition Journal even discovered it can play a big role in controlling your cravings throughout the day, helping with weight loss or simply being healthier overall.

4. Drink Lemon Water After You Wake Up
It takes about 5 seconds to make a glass of lemon water – and starting your day with it has plenty of benefits. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it aids digestion, protects your body against disease, and gives you a powerful dose of vitamin C and potassium.

5. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
By now you know working out is good for your body – and there are many reasons you should make it a daily habit. Aside from helping you stay in shape, it can also help you feel younger: One 2017 study published in the journal Preventive Medicine found people who have high levels of activity actually have younger cells than those who don’t – by a whopping nine years.

6. Have Sex
Why not make sex a part of you daily routine? Experts say making love not only helps you look young, but it makes you feel really good, too: Because of the endorphins that are released, you’ll have a natural way to bust stress, anxiety and help you sleep like a baby all night long.

7. Set Aside Time to Meditate
Meditation has been shown time and time again to do wonders for your well-being. All you need is 10 to 15 minutes a day – maybe in the morning before work or before you go to bed at night – to calm down your nerves. According to the Mayo Clinic, that can result in everything from less anxiety and stress to better sleep and feeling happier overall. Bonus: meditating is also a great body clock hack you can use to maximize your day.

8. Avoid Processed Foods
We eat a lot of processed food – and you’ve probably noticed just how crappy you feel after eating one too many packages of pasta or cans of soup. Make it a habit to eat less from boxes and more plants: When you get those additives, preservatives and sugars out of your life, you’ll feel more energized, lively and youthful.

9. Wear Sunscreen
You’ve made washing your face and brushing your teeth every morning a habit, and applying sunscreen belongs in your routine as well – no matter what season it is or what the weather is like outside. By taking some extra time to protect your skin, you’ll prevent wrinkles and dark spots down the road.

10. Take a Relaxing Bath
Everyone needs to make time for self-care, and a bath way is a great way to unwind after a long day of work. Grab your favorite bubbles or bath bomb, light some candles and spend some time lounging in warm water to calm your nerves and ease anxiety.

11. Write Down What You’re Grateful For
This might seem like a pointless habit – you probably already know what you’re grateful for, but there’s something special about writing it down. Every night before you go to bed, grab your notebook and jot down three things you’re thankful for – and you’ll go to sleep feeling very loved and at ease. Being thankful will change your life.

12. Get Some Sun
Everyone says to stay out of the sun, but there are some perks to getting a little vitamin D. It can be tricky getting the vitamin through foods since it’s not found naturally in many options, but spending a little time soaking up daylight can give you your fix. The Cleveland Clinic says that time outside will also make you feel good, giving you a boost of happiness and energy.

13. Take the Stairs
It’s always super tempting to take the elevator, but taking the stairs is a habit that can help you out in the long run. Just think: You’ll not only be hitting your daily step goals, but you’ll also build up some muscle over time that you might not have otherwise.

14. Spend Time Doing a Hobby
When you spend all day working for someone else, it’s nice to devote some time each day to yourself. Whether that’s doing some painting or knitting or maybe reading or doing a crossword, the choice is yours: Just focus on whatever makes you happy and helps you de-stress.

15. Start Your Day with an Affirmation
Saying “you are powerful” or “you are beautiful” to yourself in the mirror every morning before work might feel funny, but it can do some good. People swear affirmations give them a boost of self-confidence or make them feel more energized and ready to take on the day, so why not give it a try?

16. Go On a Walk in Nature
Nature has some serious healing powers, and making it a habit to get even 10 minutes outside each day can do you some good. An older study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found a quick outing – whether it’s during your lunch break or when you wake up – can give your energy a boost for up to two hours. And just think if you take a few walk breaks a day.

17. Drink Water Before Each Meal
Drinking water doesn’t just help you stay hydrated – it’s also great for keeping your hunger levels in check. By drinking a glass of water before every meal, you’ll help your body digest your food better – and make sure you don’t overeat.

18. Avoid Sugar as Much as Possible
Maybe it’s the sugar you add into your coffee or all the sweet stuff in your granola. Either way, sugar is everywhere and cutting down is a great habit to get into. The Cleveland Clinic says experts only recommend 5 teaspoons a day for women and 9 for men – which is a lot less than the 22 daily teaspoons most adults consume. And when you cut it out, you could also reduce everything from acid reflux and migraines to fatigue and anxiety in the process.

19. Call Someone You Love
Be honest – how many times a week do you actually call your mom? Whether it’s while you’re walking to work or when lounging at home at night, make it a habit to text or call your family to ask them how they’re doing – and let them know you care. The happiness that comes from connecting is a great mental health boost for both parties.

20. Light Some Candles
Is there anything more relaxing than lighting your favorite candle? Once you get home for the night, let the flicker and aroma from your candle send you straight into relaxation-mode, making you forget about everything negative that happened during the day and help you focus on all the positives.

Where Do Burglars Look?

Under the mattress. Burglars will make a beeline to the room with the most valuables. “The good stop is always going to be in the master bedroom,” says Chris McGoey, president of McGoey Security Consulting. “That’s where you have your clothes, your jewelry, your extra cash, your weapons, your prescriptions – anything of value.” Hiding things under the mattress is one of the oldest tricks in the book, so a thief will likely check there for hidden treasures, he says.

Bedroom closet. A thief might rummage through your entire closet – pockets and all – looking for cash or other valuables. If you do decide to store valuables in your closet, leave them in a box purposely mislabeled with a boring name (think: ‘college textbooks 1980’ or ‘baby clothes’) to keep sticky fingers out, suggests McGoey.

Dresser drawers. While burglars are in your bedroom, a jewelry box on top of the dresser is a hot commodity. Even you don’t store your jewelry in plain sight, a thief will probably hunt around in dresser drawers for a shoebox or other unique box that could be filled with watches, jewels and other valuables, says Robert Siciliano, security analyst with Hotspot Shield. Instead of putting your high-value belongings in an obvious box, ball them up in a sock, he suggests. Pick a pair with a bright pattern that will stand out to you but won’t look fishy to a crook.

Portable safe. You probably want to keep your precious items locked away, but it won’t do much good if the safe isn’t attached to the floor or a wall. “If it’s closed and locked, it implies there are things of value in there,” says McGoey. “If it’s small and portable, they’ll take the whole thing.” On the other hand, burglars are generally trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. They won’t bother using a stethoscope to crack the combination, so a heavy safe they can’t lift is your best bet, he says.

Medicine cabinet. Crooks want to make quick cash off your belongings, so they’ll be sure to browse your medicine cabinet for prescription pills they can sell. The pills might not be a concern because you can get a refill easily, but be careful what you store nearby. ‘”ou want to avoid putting anything of significant value around medication of any kind,” says Siciliano. For instance, using an old pill container as a hiding spot for jewels could actually make them a target.

Freezer. If you’ve thought of the freezer as a sneaky hiding spot, chances are a robber has, too. A burglar won’t rummage through your entire stack of frozen peas and fish sticks, but if you leave your treasures in something out-of-place, such as a sock, the thief will be onto you. “If you’re going to put something in the freezer, you want to put it in with something that looks legit, like wrapping it in a bag that used to have blueberries in it,” says Siciliano. Use the same rule of thumb if hiding anything in a pantry. Just give a loved one a heads up so that if anything happens, your valuables won’t be trashed with the rest of your food.

Office drawers. Think twice before stashing important papers like birth certificates or passports in your office drawers. “People want to be convenient. They have a file labeled,” says McGoey. Unfortunately, that also means you’re leading burglars straight to everything they need to steal your identity. Use a locked drawer to keep sensitive data safe, recommends Siciliano.

Vase. An empty vase could act as a hiding place for valuables, but swindlers are onto your tricks. They’ll likely tip the vase over or even break it, hoping to find goods inside. “Have something additional in it, like flowers, that would obscure somebody looking in it,” he says. They’ll also be less likely to empty your vase if it means dropping flowers all over the floor.

Liquor cabinet. A liquor cabinet might not seem like an obvious spot for thieves to hunt for valuables, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe. “It’s a target for kids looking for alcohol,” says Siciliano. You might not be devastated if your whiskey goes missing, but you don’t want to lose an heirloom along with it.

Suitcase. Your luggage might seem like a waste of valuable storage space when you’re not traveling, but don’t keep anything irreplaceable inside. “Suitcases are common things people use as a safe even though it’s not a safe,” says McGoey. Criminals will open a suitcase if they find one in your closet, he says.

Friendliest Cities in The World

There’s nothing quite like a vacation to lift one’s spirits. For many, jetting off to new and exciting locales is one of life’s greatest pleasures – but it’s important to do your research before you pick a destination for your next hard-earned vacation. It’s easy to research common factors like popular tourist attractions, weather or exchange rates, but one much less covered (but equally important) factor can be how friendly the people are.

Last year, Travelbird compiled a list of the 100 friendliest cities in the world. The travel site analyzed the top 500 global tourist destinations, paying special attention to factors that make tourists feel welcome. They ranked the top 100 cities by creating a combined score that took into account whether or not a city had a welcoming port of entry (like an accessible airport or train station), the happiness of its citizens, their openness to hosting tourists in their homes, English language proficiency and the amount of over-tourism each locale has to contend with during the year. Travelbird then combined their own data with a poll of 15,000 travel journalists who weighed in on how welcoming they found each city from their own experiences.

The end result? A well-researched list of the 100 most welcoming destinations for tourists.

From that lengthy list, here are the 10 most welcoming cities in the world:
1. Singapore, Singapore
2. Stockholm, Sweden
3. Helsinki, Finland
4. San Francisco, Calif., USA
5. Rotterdam, Netherlands
6. Lisbon, Portugal
7. Tokyo, Japan
8. Oslo, Norway
9. Zurich, Switzerland
10. Orlando, Florida, USA

Apartment Crisis Looming

Scan the downtowns of America’s largest cities, and you are likely to see a staggering array of cranes. Most of them are helping to build luxury apartment buildings. In fact, multifamily construction is now at a 40-year high; the trouble is, developers are putting up the wrong kinds of buildings.

The luxury market is largely overbuilt, while there is a shortage of affordable rental housing, and developers are hamstrung by the now record-high cost of construction.

Apartment completions in the 150 largest U.S. cities jumped to 395,775 units in 2017, beating 2016 production by a staggering 46 percent and more than doubling the long-term average, according to RealPage, an apartment management software and data company. Luxury, upscale buildings accounted for between 75 and 80 percent of the new supply in the current cycle.

“It’s really tough to deliver product at those lower price points. The cost of land, the cost of building materials, the cost of labor. It’s really about the same regardless of what product you’re doing and it’s just tough to make a deal work financially if you’re going toward that middle market price,” said Greg Willett, chief economist at RealPage.

Demand for luxury apartments is strong – by choice, not necessity. Tenants in luxury buildings are often renting a second or third home or perhaps downsizing from a larger suburban home. They are not struggling to afford the monthly payments.

“In our portfolio, which represents 70,000 units mostly in the luxury space, we’re seeing that our renters are spending a relatively low amount of their income on rent despite rents being perceptively high,” said Toby Bozzuto, president and CEO of The Bozzuto Group, a multifamily management and development company operating in the northeast and mid-Atlantic. “That being said, it is a tale of two cities. In the middle income and the lower income markets, people are spending proportionally more on their rent – so much so I believe there’s an acute crisis headed our way.”

Despite rising incomes, nearly half (47 percent) of all renter households (21 million) pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing, including 11 million households paying more than 50 percent of their income for housing, according to a late 2017 report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

“While the market has responded to rental housing needs for higher-income households, there are alarming trends that suggest a growing inability to supply housing that is affordable for middle- and working-class renters, let alone those with very low incomes,” said Christopher Herbert, the Joint Center’s managing director.

Rents on the high end flattened in the last year, and landlords are starting to offer concessions, like high-end amenity packages or a month’s free rent. That is not happening outside the luxury market, where rent increases are still strong due to low supply. Developers say they simply can’t afford to add anything but luxury.

“The two-by-four doesn’t care whether it’s in a luxury building or in an affordable building. It costs the same,” said Bozzuto. “The differential of course, is the rent and there’s a huge disparity in high end rent versus low end rent. So the issue is for us to develop an economically viable, feasible project, it has to be, by its very nature, high end. The rents have to be high to support the cost.”

Two-by-fours are now at a record high cost. Other products like steel and concrete are more expensive, but the real cost spikes are in land and labor. Skilled construction labor is not only expensive, it is extremely difficult to find.

Investors, Bozzuto said, are moving away from new construction and instead rehabbing older rental stock. These so-called “value-add” projects just raise the rents on current tenants even more.

There are some government programs that offer developers financial incentives to build lower-income housing, but they don’t meet the needs. “Those are finite and many, many of us are competing for those very finite resources,” Bozzuto said, adding that the luxury market is, “on the precipice of oversupply, but I think macroeconomic conditions are actually going to keep us this year from developing much further. Costs in particular, land costs, hard costs mostly driven by labor, will ultimately make it harder to build new buildings.”