Top 5 Tips For Traveling After an Operation

If you’ve just had an operation or surgery and you want to fly, it’s vital that you take all of the necessary precautions. One of the first things you should do pre-flight is to check with your doctor that you’re physically able to travel – as the type of surgery will determine how long you’ll need to leave it before you travel long distances.
Working While Traveling: Top Tips To Make It Work

The ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle means that people are able to work for themselves, forge careers while still being able to see the world. Here are our top tips to make it work!
The Reasons That We Travel

You may only associate travel with gap year students who are still finding their way in the world. However, backpacking and hostel hopping is not the only reason people jump on the next flight out and don’t come back until they are satisfied they’ve seen enough, even if enough is always one more trip. These reasons are plentiful, and they can range from the familial to the medical; the curious to the ambitious. It’s not just about finding yourself, though. It’s not just about the perfect photo op for the ‘Gram at sunrise. So, here are all the reasons that we travel. For Medical Treatment Medical tourism is not a new thing. People have been doing it for years, especially considering that some countries have cheaper medical treatment compared to others. You can look into cosmetic surgery or find a dentist to fit and care for veneers before and after treatment. This medical tourism can help boost your confidence, but it is also useful for people who want the best possible treatment that may not be available in your home country. If you can afford the flight and the time off work for recovery, it’s easy for you to seek out treatment for a range of issues whether you want to undergo treatment or book yourself in for surgery that could take a long time if you stayed at home. To Find Yourself A lot of people go travelling to find themselves. Typically, it’s backpacking through Southeast Asia, although South America is becoming increasingly popular. Often, it’s their first taste of freedom after leaving home, and it helps them experiment with what they love about themselves and the world. Finding yourself while travelling is nothing new, and while there is the insufferably cliche of people coming back with dreadlocks, ankle tattoos, and baggy trousers, it’s still something to admire. The desire to find yourself can be what creates the travel itch, and it can help ignite the passion for travel that so many people discover. For a Brand New Start A lot of people love their hometown, but it’s likely the same number also despise it. It’s easy to feel stuck in a rut, and like you’re spinning your wheels. You don’t want to move to a new city halfway across the country, though. You want to experience something completely different somewhere else. Packing your life away and travelling to a brand new country to start a new life, whether you want to emulate Hunter S. Thompson, sipping rum and writing on Cuban beaches, or going the TEFL route in Thailand or Vietnam. With businesses becoming increasingly global, there’s also the option to transfer to another country while still being employed by your current company. To Appease Our Curiosity Humans are naturally curious. We see photographs online or landscapes in movies, and we want to be there. This curiosity can be what drives us to travel, and it’s the consistent mysteries of the world that keep us going. From the pyramids of Egypt to the dense jungles of the Amazon, there is always something new waiting for you to discover it. You may only want to see one thing here or another there, but you might also find that just these wonders are not enough, and you won’t feel satisfied until you’ve seen as much as you can. To Catch Up With Friends and Family Traveling isn’t just about sipping cocktails on the beach or hiking up ancient ruins to catch the sunset at the top of a mountain. Many people will also pack their life into a backpack to catch up with friends and family. If your friends live on the other side of the world, then taking a trip to see them won’t just be a pleasant surprise, it will also give you the chance to scratch your travelling itch. If you live close enough to one another that flights are cheap, you can make a weekend of it, which shouldn’t disrupt your working life too much. To See What All The Fuss Is About Seeing pictures and videos posted by your favorite travel bloggers is fun, but after a while, living vicariously is not enough. You want to see it all for yourself, and this is what drives people to book a one-way flight to see what all the fuss is about. To Take a Break It doesn’t take a lot for life to grind you down, and that’s why taking a vacation is something that everyone looks forward to. Your travels do not need to be huge odysseys where you live out of a backpack for six months. Instead, a quick weeklong trip to somewhere relaxing can do wonders for your mental and physical well being. For The Bucket List We’ve all got something that we want to see and do, but we may not be able to make these dreams a reality where we live, and that’s why travelling can open plenty of options for you. It’s unlikely that you’re able to skydive in a small town in the midwest, but taking a flight to Australia or somewhere similar will make this possible. Ticking items off your bucket list can help you feel alive, and it gives you a reason to seek out these new experiences. With every new tick, you can feel closer to ‘completing’ life, which is something that everyone searches for in their own little way. Seeing The World You could ask everyone you’ve ever met during your travels why they are where they are, and you’ll likely get a different answer every single time. This is the beauty of traveling. It brings so many different people together for the same experience and all for various reasons, and whatever the reason, it’s the right reason for them.
Everything You Need to Know about Winter at Tantora in Al-‘Ula, Saudi Arabia

Winter at Tantora Festival in Al-‘Ula is where tourists can experience a range of unique events and activities, pop-up restaurants, and historical sites!
Staying at the InterContinental Jeddah Hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The InterContinental Jeddah Hotel is often referred to as the staple of luxury hospitality in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I had a chance to stay there and here is everything you need to know.
Should you be traveling to Asia now? The Coronavirus explained and more

The Coronavirus is having an indisputable impact on the travel industry. Here is some basic information and whether or not you should be traveling to Asia.
Surprising Benefits To Travel

There are of course some obvious benefits to travelling, such as the relaxation, and the benefits it can have to your mental health, but there are some surprising and benefits to travelling that you may not think about. If travel is something that you do on a regular basis then it may be something that you consider. But if travel is something new to you and you aren’t entirely sure how it might benefit you, then here are some ideas on how to travel can actually benefit you that and so commonly thought about. Photo by Mesut Kaya on Unsplash Fitness Traveling can be something of a physical and tasking option. Having to carry around your backpack, use public transport, and explore the surroundings of wherever you happen to land, you end up walking and lifting more than you would ever do at home. This isn’t a bad thing, it just means that you need to be prepared for a little bit of physical activity when you’re traveling. It’s not quite as simple as getting on an airplane, and turning up at your destination for a well and rest, it can take a lot of time and effort to ensure that you end up in the right place and that you are comfortable. It’s not always easy to find exactly what you’re looking for when you’re traveling, so walking around and around is a common theme around travel and tourism. Many people use their Fitbits while they’re traveling, and this can give you an idea of how much extra walking and activity that you do. Learning Learning all about a particular area that you travel to is one thing, but really imagine yourself into the museum culture and opportunities that are available everywhere you go, can be wonderful. Many people come back from traveling with many new skills, and more knowledge than they left with. It goes without saying that difficult as always have something different to share with us, and if you travel to a different country and they share their cultures with you, and it’s great to learn as much as you can to at least be respectful. Sometimes learning while traveling can boil down to learning how to bass fish while discovering the fishing options available to you. Learning all about the world is exactly what travelers. If you want to see the northern lights, then working out where you can learn the most about them, to be able to spot them, is essential and build your mental condition as well. Friendships When traveling we often come across other people who are visiting the areas that we are visiting. Many travelers in the past have explained that they have forged great friendships, and with technology is great as it is, and social media as prevalent as it is, it’s easy to keep in touch with people once you have gotten home. So making sure that you are open-minded, and chat to people that you’re getting on well with, might mean that you have much more time and energy, for other things as well.
The Growing Need For Cybersecurity in Business

There are plenty of threats out there in the world, but it’s usually the new ones that cause the most damage, purely because people and organizations aren’t fully aware of the correct way to handle them yet. One such example is cybercrime, which has been steadily on the rise in recent years, and can now be considered one of the world’s most potent dangers. There have been a series of high-profile cases in recent years, which have compromised the data of hundreds of millions of people. While the vast majority of attacks are committed against small to medium-sized businesses, large companies are targeted too (these are the most famous cases). It’s a problem that can affect any company. And because of this, there’s a growing demand for cybersecurity managers, people that can help to protect digital infrastructures from the would-be criminal who intends to hack the system. There’s something of a shortage in this field at the minute, and the demand will likely become even more pressing in the coming years. Moving forward, the business world will need cybersecurity experts that can lead projects, interpret big data, and who have a knowledge of the emerging cyber defense tools. For this reason and more, it’s a field that has positive long-term prospects. Indeed, this is a position that can be counted among the most secure jobs out there. To learn more about the growing need for cybersecurity managers, take a look at the infographic from the University of Alabama Birmingham below. Infographic by University of Alabama Birmingham University of Alabama Birmingham
Bellissimo Authentic Dishes To Cook At Home That Will Remind You Of Italy

Italy is the land of sun, passion, and above all else, high-quality food. Sadly, we cannot always pick up our lives and head across the pond to visit this beautiful country, whenever we hear her siren call. However, there are some things you can do to comfort that yearning for Itallia. One of which is to treat yourself to some of the authentic dishes that hail from her shores. Keep reading for three of the most delicious recipes that will transport you to an alfresco balcony in Italy no matter where you live, at least in spirit. Pasta Puttanesca A simple dish to make at home, pasta puttanesca hails from Naples originally. The key here is to start with good quality spaghetti, fresh if you can get it, or why not have a go at making your own? It is actually a lot easier than you think. https://www.youtube.com/To this pasta, you will need to cook a sauce made from some of the most iconic Italian ingredients there are. Yes, I’m talking about chopped tomatoes, capers, black olives, and garlic. While some folks like to add dried chilli flakes and even anchovies for a saltier kick. Of course, you can find plenty of recipes with measurements like this one to follow online. Although after you have made this dish once, it is common practice to adjust the proportions to favor your own particular taste. Something that means you get to have the best puttanesca experience each and every time. Fiorentina Steak OK, unless you are having a genuine Chianina cow loin raised in Tuscany shipped over, you will need to make a few little adaptations to this recipe. While keeping it as authentic as possible, of course. In fact, you can get a very similar effect by getting your butcher to cut you T-bone steak of around 5 cms in thickness. Then, be sure to brown off either side, while keeping the inside as rare as possible, just like how they eat this dish in Florence. https://youtu.be/dlL8L0mrXkEObviously, you’ll want a tasty side dish to compliment such a premium cut of meat, and that is where making some simple Italian roasted vegetables come in. In fact, you can head on over to the site like The Mediterranean Dish for an easy-to-make-recipe that will perfectly match the rich and fatty beef. While making sure to include those authentic Italian flavors. Caprese Salad Finally, one of the easiest yet authentic Italian dishes to make at home is the Caprese salad. In fact, it doesn’t get much more Italian than a meal with ingredients in red, white and green! The red, of course, comes from delicious vine-ripened tomatoes, while the green is fresh basil. The white, however, is soft and creamy mozzarella, which is the perfect salty contrast to the other ingredients. Of course, if you are looking for something that has the essence of Italy, but is also a little different why not try replacing the mozzarella with burrata instead? (The soft Italian cheese with the cream inside) A twist that will have you exclaiming Bellissimo for sure!
5 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

1. Introduction and is it safe to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone? Disclaimer: The goal of this post is not to convince you to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This is an informative piece that outlines my experience and provides you with basic information as well as my personal takes on the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. I vaguely remember my grandfathers funeral. A few years later it was my grandmas. Then one uncle. Then the other. Then my other grandpa. Cancer. Then me. I wish I was able to accept it as simply “it being their fate” or that “this is how it was meant to be” because a higher force willed it. On April 26, 1986 at 1:23AM, there was an explosion in the # 4 reactor in Chernobyl, Ukraine. The silent killer. No one had a clue that the air they were breathing, radiation, was slowly eating away their flesh and bones. My father was about 7 hours north in Minsk, Belarus so by the time he woke up on April 26th – he was already inhaling the breeze coming from nuclear power plant. The rest of my family was scattered around Ukraine within a few hours away from the accident. Everyone got a dose. The fate of hundreds of thousands of people was not simply fate: it was the result of a man made disaster. The entire world was perpetually and systematically let down. Many died, thousands didn’t live to see 40, miscarriages, abortions, children born with defects, cancer, an abandoned city, a 30KM exclusion zone, and a possibility of another explosion that could’ve wiped out most of Europe. “This is how it was meant to be,” is simply not enough for me. So I decided to go and see and learn for myself. The question of safety does not have one true answer. People live in Chernobyl now. Mostly scientists, professors and scholars. No children under the age of 18 live there, inhabitants can’t walk outside after 10PM and can’t drive cars after 8PM. The “residents” of Chernobyl can only spend 15 days out of a month in the city. Given these circumstances, it is hard for me to believe that it is as safe as they say. I spoke with many people before making the decision to go … including scholars, locals and scientists. I read articles and watched documentaries. The general conclusion is that spending a few hours at various radiation levels cumulatively will only equate to the dose you would get from a cat-scan. During the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone tour, I’ve encountered a wide range of radiation levels (measured with a personal dosimeter) … generally on the lower end of the scale. To reiterate, this is an extremely personal decision to make and I recommend that you do as much research as possible before hand. Here is a link to some great reads and documentaries about Chernobyl. This is what it’s like visit the remaining soil of one of the worst disasters in history. Welcome to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. 2. How to get to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone To visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, you must go with a legally operating tour guide or group. You cannot visit Chernobyl on your own as there is security and passport control to enter the site (don’t forget your passport!). I went with go2chernobyl which offers 1 day tours for $99 ($49 if you have a Ukrainian passport), 2 day tours for $249 ($118 if you have a Ukrainian passport), and individual tours (private or for private groups). These are standard prices across all tour operators and the only price that varies is if you book a private tour. Private tours range anywhere from $300-500 and beyond. Tours that are multiple days accommodate visitors with a hotel located in Chernobyl city. The day will begin early at around 8 AM (for the 1 day tour). The bus drive from a central location in Kyiv to the first checkpoint is around 1.5 – 2 hours long. You will learn the basic rules about radiation safety and conduct in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and a brief documentary on the disaster. Tour guides generally speak English, Russian and Ukrainian. For an additional $75 you can hire a separate interpreter to translate to your mother tongue. 3. What to expect from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Once you pass the checkpoint, you will drive towards the 30KM Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – the entire area is split into zones based on how many kilometers they are from the reactor where the explosion occurred. You will see Chernobyl, where many people still work and live. There is a park, a Church, a river port, a memorial and many more interesting areas. There are many abandoned villages in the area as you continue driving through the zones (20KM, 15KM, 10KM, etc). Lunch is served at the main cafeteria which the tour guides say is “the cleanest place in all of Chernobyl.” In order to get into the cafeteria, you have to go through a special radiation machine that determines if you are “clean enough” to come inside. In the unlikely occasion that someone doesn’t pass through the machine, visitors are told to wash the contaminated body part/piece of clothing. You will have to go through the same machine when you are departing from Chernobyl back to Kyiv. After lunch you will see Chernobyl-2, a secret city and radar station that still stands because it is too contaminated to destroy. You will also visit Pripyat, the quite literal ghost town that thousands of people evacuated from (thinking that they would return within a few days). The one day tour ends around 5PM and you will be back in Kyiv at 7PM depending on traffic. 4. What to wear to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone The one day Chernobyl Exclusion Zone tour will last an entire day and requires quite a bit of walking. Contrary to popular belief, there is no requirement to wear any special suits or masks for the tour. You are