A ‘great’ honeymoon is defined, first, by the person you’re traveling with and, second, by the destination you choose. Depending on your couple’s idea of a good time, there are limitless destinations to choose from, both in the US and abroad. It’s entirely possible to plan the perfect honeymoon for you and your spouse on any budget.
Check out the following destinations to see what we mean.
Romantic
Traditional is the operative word here. When you think of honeymoons, you probably picture couples lying around on the sand, sipping from fancy glasses, holding hands walking down quaint little streets. These destinations certainly offer all the romance that a honeymoon should.
Bora Bora – Renowned for world-class, all-inclusive resorts, Bora Bora is a true island paradise in French Polynesia, hidden away in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean.
Paris – Paris is synonymous with romance. If you can spring for a Paris vacation, then why not??
Savannah, Georgia – If your budget won’t stretch to Paris and back, consider cozy little Savannah. You’ll have access to beaches, classic Southern cuisine, and many tour opportunities – from movie tours to ghost hunts!
Adventurous
For a couple that loves adventure, a honeymoon spent in beach chairs and fancy restaurants might not be the ticket. Instead, opt for a destination that allows you to have an outdoor adventure together!
Kauai, Hawaii – This lesser known Hawaiian island has multiple hiking trails that will lead honeymooners through bogs, into valleys and alongside breathtaking cliffs. Couples can choose day hikes or camp overnight in paradise.
Aspen, Colorado – A classic vacation destination for many Americans, Aspen offers some of the best skiing in the world, combined with luxurious lodges, restaurants and spas.
Entertaining
Some couples want to be entertained every moment of their first wedded vacation. In that case, choose a locale that has built-in entertainment 24 hours a day. You won’t have to search for activities, shows and events in these places!
Las Vegas, Nevada – It’s the first place most people think of when they think about a party that never ends. Vegas has casinos and shows that are open around the clock for the just-married couple who thinks sleep is overrated!
Nice, France – Specifically, visit here in the winter. Nice is along the famous French Riviera and hosts Carnival Nice, a constant barrage of concerts, events and parades, each year in February.
Unique
If you’re looking for something a bit less traditional, you should opt for a destination that is undiscovered. Believe us, there are still some out there! These places have nice hotels and plenty of restaurants to choose from, but you won’t find yourself caught up in a touristy, cookie-cutter vacation.
Reykjavik, Iceland – Ancient times meet present-day in this beautiful capital city. Couples are drawn here because of the city’s safety and presence of the Northern Lights from August to April.
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador – Known for its array of indigenous wildlife and great weather almost all year long, the Galapagos offer unique experience on land and at sea.
The guitar is an amazing tool, isn’t it? No other musical instrument (not counting a microphone) can elevate a person to the status of legend. You don’t need to have a great voice or be lyrically gifted– all you need to do is transfer your soul onto the wires, so to speak.
Every guitar player has an idea of what his or her music career should look like. Some do it as a form of stress relief, others enjoy playing along their favorite songs, while others yet want to become the next Slash or Jimi Hendrix.
The latter might be a tall order, but everyone with a little talent and a lot of practice can learn to amaze others with their guitar skills. The question is, can an online course teach you this art? Lots of people want to play but can’t afford expensive tutoring, or simply don’t have the time for lessons in person. Learning the ropes on your computer seems convenient… but does it really work? Here are 3 best online guitar courses and an overview of what they really offer.
The age of this website coupled with its popularity means the owners must be doing something right. It started almost two decades ago as a way for people to learn the guitar from the comfort of their own homes. By now, the site has accumulated an astounding 8,000+ video lessons catering to everyone – don’t like the teacher or lesson? Just skip on to the next one. You can be a beginner trying not to break the strings or a seasoned player looking for some new tips – either way, the website can teach you plenty. Its price of $14.95 per month is part of the reason why it’s one of the leaders in the field, and there’s also a 14-day free trial that gives you complete access to everything.
Another online course with a seemingly endless stream of video content, Jamplay is attractive to many because it doesn’t just feature adult lessons – there are courses that help youngsters learn and love the guitar as soon as they can hold it. If you think your child has what it takes to become the next great guitar player, have him or her explore the site while you sit back and listen. With 1000+ hours of lessons taught by certified experts (and around 70 of those experts to choose from), some might feel a bit overwhelmed, but don’t worry – the site groups the lessons fairly intuitively. For $19.95 a month, you aren’t likely to get a better deal.
While the price of $49.95 might seem a bit high, remember that Jamorama isn’t just a website – it’s a software that downloads content on your computer. That means you can stock up on lessons and learn even in the absence of an internet connection (or if the site is experiencing difficulties). Unlike other items on this list, Jamorama is aimed towards beginners and isn’t shy about it – this might be the most beginner-friendly program you can find.
Basketball is a sport that tests a player’s strength, agility and skill. Sure, a large portion of success relies on an individual’s natural athletic abilities. But, your performance can also improve with an increase in practice and training in a number of different areas. Starting with the fundamentals, it’s important to understand the basics before attempting to master techniques in dribbling, shooting, passing or defense. Working on improving one’s strength, speed and conditioning can also help to give players an advantage on the court.
Becoming a great basketball player doesn’t happen overnight, and it can take a lot of time, effort and dedication. For those of you determined to improve your skills and become the best player you can be, take a look at the following tips and tricks regarding strength training, speeding and conditioning, and finally core skills and fundamentals.
Strength
Believe it or not, spending time in the weight room will payoff working on your upper body, lower body, and core strength. This can really play a major role in giving you a huge leg up against the competition. Building your muscle strength can help you run faster, jump higher, and become a more explosive player. Additionally, strengthening certain muscles you may not even think about, such as your wrists or even your fingertips, can help improve your shooting. You’ll be able to shoot from further outside the paint, making you a bigger scoring threat and more difficult to guard.
Because basketball can sometimes be a very physical sport, it’s also important to build your strength to reduce your chance of injury.
Speed & conditioning
A typical basketball game generally lasts about 40 to 48 minutes—depending on what level you are playing. While it may not seem like much, players can become exhausted and dehydrated in that short amount of time. This is especially true if they are not prepared and properly conditioned. While speed provides a clear advantage over opponents, endurance can give players and teams that extra push. You’ll want this advantage when the game is on the line with only a few minutes left in play. Unlike soccer, lacrosse or cross country, basketball is a sport where speed and conditioning training is most effective when it is done in short, fast segments.
Running sprints and timed intervals can help basketball players to improve more so than if they are running a mile or a marathon. When thinking of speed and conditioning, it’s important to include footwork. Using an agility ladder and jumping rope will also assist in increasing one’s speed. Therefore, increasing your overall chance of success on the court.
Core skills & fundamentals
After focusing on your strength and conditioning off the court, a vital step in training comes in with practice on the court. Passing drills, shooting drills, defensive slides, fast breaks, ball handling, rebounding, boxing out, you name it. Basketball is not just about scoring on offense, it’s also about playing good defense. You should also look to create opportunities for your teammates, and do the grunt work when it comes to going after rebounds and steals. For most players, it’s common to master one skill out of the many needed to be a well-rounded basketball player.
For example, you may be really good at shooting three-pointers. Or, maybe your strengths fall under ball handling or even playing good, tough defensive. Usually it doesn’t take long for players to determine their strengths and weaknesses on the court. Once you have, put the majority of your energy towards improving both. Work on mastering your strengths, and spend a lot of time on developing your weaknesses so gradually overtime, they can also become strengths as well. If you have a true love for the game, you’ll be ready and willing to put in the commitment needed in order to help yourself improve as a player.
If you’re not on Angie’s List and you own a business that provides services, you should be on Angie’s List. Like Yelp and similar pages, the List creates a necessity to be included for virtually every business, even those that hate the idea.
There are several things that Angie and her entourage do better than their competitors. For one, the site is managed much more actively, with the site’s owners aiming to engage the multi-million-strong user base on a regular basis. The site is also notably geared towards small businesses offering cleaning, repairs, construction and so forth – if your business falls in this category, it pays to learn how to leverage Angie’s List for your benefit. Here are some ways to do it.
Writing relevant posts on Angie’s List
Angie’s List is chock-full of useful posts explaining what to look for in a business, offering DIY advice, listing reasonable prices and so forth. A good way to leverage the List would be to have your post featured on the site.
In the post, you’d explain an intricacy regarding your profession and things you encounter. If your company performs rain gutter repairs and installation, you could make a post that explains why so-and-so rain gutters aren’t good for so-and-so environments and how the readers can prepare themselves for incoming rough weather.
Your name and business will be featured in the post – if it’s useful enough, it’s sure to get people to notice you and have them at least consider doing business with you.
Using ‘Who to do business with’ posts for your benefit
We mentioned that Angie’s List informs its users about the dos-and-don’ts of doing business with a contractor, but you can also use it to improve your company in the eyes of others.
Find the most frequently-visited posts on the site that explain what makes a good contractor in your niche and try to minimize any negative sides of your business that are listed in the post. Ideally, none of your practices or behaviors would ever be listed, but if they are, you should at least look to conceal these negatives until improvements can be made.
Keep an eye out for posts like these in the future, too, as industry standards are always being updated and so is general awareness of good and bad practices.
Introduce an ‘Angie’s List discount’ to your services
Using Angie’s List is a bit more difficult than using Yelp or Google Maps, which is why many people can’t bother going through the account-creating and review-making processes.
Every good review you have on this site stands to do a lot for your business – if you’re confident in your service and your people skills, there’s no reason to expect bad reviews. Therefore, you can introduce a small discount for any customer that’s an approved member of Angie’s List – of course, while you’re offering the service, it would be good to ensure that they actually end up posting a review.
See it as an investment – if a few 5% discounts for Angie’s Listers grant you a single new customer(which they very well might), the money you passed up on will return multifold.
If you’ve spent enough time deciding what improvements you’d like to have done on your home, but aren’t quite sure of where to start, home and garden expos is a great place to get advice and inspiration. These shows are held all over the country, and normally have exhibitors, speakers, workshops, and places to shop. You’ll also usually find giveaways and discounts you won’t receive in your stores at home, so home and garden shows are popular ways to find new products for less.
The greatest advantage to these shows is you can hold products in your hand, walk through demo versions of their structures, see what the paint colors looks like on an actual wall, and even get a chance to learn how to make improvements on your own. If you need a quick and easy way to find a home and garden show near you, or anywhere in the United States, there are plenty of online directories that will help you locate the best one for you.
Events in America
For a comprehensive listing of all home and garden shows across the country, Events in America is an easy way to quickly find shows during a specific weekend, or in the area you’d like to visit, and includes the number of attendees who visit each year. Although there is information specifically for exhibitors looking to find new customers, there’s also a lot written for visitors who need to make sure the show is right for them. Once you click on the name of the show, you’ll find basic information including dates, hours, ticket prices, and if the show is open to the public. They also list who they believe the show will best benefit, and what type of information you can find at the show. For more information they include the website to the show.
Festival Net
Festival Net has a search feature to find home and garden shows anywhere in the United States, either this year or next. Once you find shows near you that fit your schedule, you can easily see how many people normally attend the show, how many exhibitors there are, and if prizes are given out as well. The handy listings give a short description on the different activities, and if food booths are available, helping to ensure the home and garden show you’re looking into, will meet your expectations. The website does have a pro version available, so if you’re just using it for the listings you’ll need to search the web for the specific home show for more details.
Angie’s List
Angie’s List, the highly popular and reputable business rating website, lists recommendations for upcoming home shows across the country in an easy to read list. They update the list each month or so, listing the shows they will be visiting and encouraging visitors to stop by for freebies, and information to help them find contractors and other home improvement experts.
As you can see, finding the perfect home and garden show can be easy using the websites listed. These listings include information you need to find the best home and garden show for you and your family.
Picking nightlife establishments can seem too hard for some. Nobody wants to pick a joint that isn’t classy enough, nor one that doesn’t let its visitors unwind and have fun. Things are made more difficult when we’re talking a place like Corpus Christi, full of great nightclubs to choose from. Still, there are always a few that truly stand out from the mass. Here are some of the best choices you can make, although the list is far from complete.
Havana Club
Looking for a distinct Cuban feel during a Corpus Christi night out? The Havana Club is probably your best bet. Havana isn’t an overly-presumptious night club enforcing a dress code and charging too much for drinks. Instead, you’re treated to a friendly, no-pressure atmosphere where you can sit back and relax with some chilled-out lounge music and affordable drinking. While it’s not the best place to hold a wild bash in, it should deliver in most other scenarios.
Rockit’s Whiskey Bar
Also known as Rockit’s Blues Bar, this place promises to deliver the blues without causing them. How? Through a combination of good music and drinks that don’t force you into debt. Perhaps even more than Havana Club, Rockit’s is meant to act as a relaxing spot for your weekend away from home and isn’t really a good choice to ‘let loose’.
Porky’s Saloon
Whoever Porky is, he got himself a good thing going on: this club has numerous dance floors where you can rock and bang to the tune of chart-topping sounds. The Saloon also features a ‘mini-VIP’ lounge where you can take a break from the dancing, a balcony area with a nice view and drinks that everyone should be able to afford.
Club Toxic
Another place meant to satisfy club-goers, Toxic calls out to any and all Corpus Christi hip-hop lovers looking for a good place to mingle. It frequently features live performers with dirt-cheap entry fees that make this location worth missing only if you really can’t stand the music.
Runway Club
It’s true – the Runway Club looks like an abandoned warehouse from the outside. On the inside, though, it’s an attractive state-of-the-art nightclub with multiple levels to hang out in – from a dance floor that’s always alive to calming and well-designed lounges. Add to that the cheap drinks and entry fee, and you’ll quickly realize that you should only pass up on the Runway if you don’t like people very much.
Twisted T
While it’s less of a club and more of a bar, Twisted T nevertheless features a dance floor that invites patrons all night long. Unlike some other places on the list, this unassuming establishment doesn’t cater to a certain age group and features all sorts of different music.
Troubadours Bar & Grill
If you often get the munchies during your night out, Troubadours offers some quality food in-between your drinking and dancing. The laid-back atmosphere of this club is further accentuated by the constant stream of jazz music being played, making it an ideal choice for those looking for milder nightlife adventures.
Consumers loooove saving money. One way they can save serious dough when dining out is to employ coupons from the likes of Groupon and other online coupon sites. As a restaurant owner, however, you have different criteria to consider when deciding if Groupon is actually a smart move for your restaurant. Let’s examine some of the benefits and drawbacks of offering these coupons for your restaurant.
First, the positives of using Groupon
If your restaurant is new, advertising on Groupon can really get your name out there. In large markets, you may sell as many as 2,000 vouchers in a day. Amazing! If your restaurant is brand new, you may not see these types of results, but it is possible for established businesses.
You can generate quick income for your restaurant offering Groupon coupons, especially during slow seasons. Groupon has specific time limits on their contracts, so this extra cash flow may only last for a few weeks or a few months, but it could be enough to carry your business through a slow season. Depending on the type of restaurant you own, this could be any time of the year.
Many people purchase vouchers from Groupon and never use them. Bad for them, but good for you! Your restaurant gets 100% of the profit from those unused vouchers. Plus, you also don’t have to spend money to pay employees and buy the food that those potential customers would have ordered.
Now, the drawbacks
People who buy Groupon coupons are most likely buying them because they already know about your restaurant and they recognize that they coupon is a good deal. Most people won’t take a chance buying a coupon for a place they’ve never even heard of, so you probably won’t draw in brand new customers.
You probably won’t make Advertisement for is about all you can hope to get from Groupon. After all, if you offer 50% off a meal, all that’s left is your food and labor costs.
You won’t earn long-term customers. Chances are, if a customer’s first experience at your restaurant is based on a Groupon coupon, he or she will value the experience at that price rather than full price. Next time, the customer may consider going somewhere else because they feel that it it’s worth full price, or they’ll go where they have another coupon.
If you’re constantly discounting your food and services, customers may feel like you initially overpriced your goods. Additionally, your brand may seem “cheap” to them since they got such a good deal.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s a good idea to run specials on Groupon. Just don’t do it so often that your customers begin to think that they don’t have to pay full price for meals, drinks and appetizers at your restaurant. Also, be aware that thrifty shoppers – the ones using Groupon, most likely – don’t usually tip as well as customers paying full price. This may be a frustration of your wait staff which you have to address.
For novice and avid outdoorsmen alike, a private ranch, hunting preserve or hunting lodge is often the preferred locale for their sport. With the outfitters who own or manage the property taking charge of many of the arrangements for the trip, hunters of every experience level can have the hunting trip of a lifetime. Here’s a look at some of the many benefits hunters will find when planning a trip to one of our local Texas Hunting Lodges.
Texas Hunting Lodges: Cost
Aside from travel costs, the fees for the trip usually covers transportation to and from the airport, meals, lodging, the services of an experienced private hunting guide, great fishing and other recreational opportunities, and amenities to suit your style. The cost of your credentials is not included in the price of the hunt package, but you are covered for everything else. You choose the type of accommodations you want, from tents to resort-like lodges.
Higher Success Rates
Public lands face a lot more hunting pressure than the private lands we used by Texas Hunting Lodges. With more hunters using the public lands, it can be harder to locate the deer. There is also a higher risk of being shot at accidentally. In addition, public lands have fewer animals available due to being more heavily hunted. You are far more likely to take home a trophy on a guided trip. Not to mention, guided trips tend to have better trophy quality.
Your likelihood of bagging an elk, trophy mule deer, moose, or antelope is excellent. Hunting lodges of this type assure that visitors get their money’s worth while the wildlife on the property is correctly managed. This means that it meets the supply for healthy, mature animals without depleting the herds. The number of hunters booked corresponds to the available wildlife.
Expert Advice
The success of any hunting venture usually depends on how well you know the area. When you go on one of our guided hunting trips, you have the major benefit of working alongside someone who knows the area very well. Your guide will know how to find and draw out the biggest bucks. You can rest assured knowing that you will not accidentally trespass onto private property or become lost as well.
Guided hunting trips also allow beginners to lean on more experienced guides when necessary. If you are just starting out and need assistance with licensing, hunting lodge guides are happy to help. Your guide will advise you on what to bring on your trip, what to wear in the field, how to prepare for your venture, and so much more.
Whether you need advice about the type of weaponry to buy, the terrain in the local area, or the best way to hunt, the guides and other hunting outfitter personnel are available to answer questions and talk to in the time leading up to the hunting trip. For trips with professional guides, you will have access to a pro around the clock during your trip. They’ll also offer expert advice. Not to mention, you’ll get a hands-on experience and invaluable lessons you can take with you on future hunts.
Every big business founder started small, filing a form to start a company. No doubt, starting a business for the first time can be scary. Will it fail? What if it attracts lawsuits? Or, what if you can’t deal with all the responsibilities? These are just some of the concerns new entrepreneurs often have.
Yet pushing through and becoming a business owner can have many rewards – you’ll be your own boss with your own work hours and you’ll do whatever you like(let’s hope it’s legal and profitable, though). Before starting any business, you should become intimately familiar with different types of business entities to figure out one that’s most to your liking. Here are some common types:
Sole proprietor
Most family businesses and similar small enterprises will fall in this category, especially when a single person is doing the bulk of operations. Sole proprietor businesses are simple and easy to run – you won’t encounter many complications if you file your taxes and avoid legal calamities. The latter is important, as any lawsuit against the business will essentially be a lawsuit against the owner(you) no matter how many employees you might have, and your assets might get frozen and/or seized as a result.
Limited Liability Company(LLC)
The ‘next step’ in terms of business ownership, running a LLC business is a bit more complicated but with a few notable benefits over sole proprietorship. For one, even if you’re the sole owner, your personal assets will be safe from any legal action against the company. LLCs also let you have any number of owners without requiring you to host a certain number of meetings like other business types might. Aside from protecting your personal assets or wanting to share ownership, you might also want to start a LLC over a sole proprietorship or partnership in order to seem more like a legitimate enterprise and less like a family-run venture.
C-corporation
Who doesn’t want their business called a ‘corporation’? As appealing as this might be, running a C-corp is a bit trickier than a sole proprietor business or even a LLC. C-corps have an entire hierarchy consisting of directors, shareholders and various other positions in the ranking system, and they also mandate a certain number of annual meetings. While a C-corp will do wonders for your credentials, has no limits imposed on growth and exists even if the original owner leaves, there’s also a major drawback. C-corps suffer a kind of double tax wherein taxation is applied to earnings as well as dividends of your shareholders.
S-corporation
If the words ‘double’ and ‘tax’ used in conjuction give you a headache, an S-corp might be more to your liking. Unlike a C-corp, an S-corporation taxes its shareholders more than it does the company. It also lets the owners file tax returns only once a year. As is the case with the C-corp, S-corporations also separate owners’ and shareholders’ personal assets from the company. Additionally, it provides additional credibility to owners when compared to a standard LLC.
While some look forward to weddings without worrying for a moment, others are quite concerned with the logistics of the whole thing. Few events in our lives get as big as weddings, and they can seem especially scary considering we’re at the center of it all. Detailed wedding planning is extremely important to ensure everything goes smoothly – if it wasn’t, ‘wedding planner’ wouldn’t be a choice of profession for many. You won’t need to pay big bucks for a pro planner, however – here are some tips to plan out your wedding perfectly.
A great wedding is one that both you and your significant other enjoy. Two people will usually have distinctly different visions of how their perfect wedding should look like, no matter how much they love each other. The trick is to find a perfect middle ground by combining the best of both worlds. Finding that perfect combination will also help showcase the strength of your bond and will set a great precedent for the future.
Budget
Weddings are just as expensive as they are big. If you’re not going for a four-person in-office non-ceremony, chances are you’ll have quite a few expenses to deal with. It’s true that marrying the person you love is no occasion to get stingy, but there’s another point of view to consider: going into debt over a wedding might make marital life uncomfortable. Remember that there’s a whole lifetime to spend together after the big day – saving a little money during your wedding planning might make things much easier later on.
Attendance
If you’re like most people, you probably want everyone you’ve ever known in attendance, witnessing the glorious moment when you and your spouse join hands in marriage. But why? In reality, you don’t need anyone other than the people closest to you. That includes families of both you and your spouse, mutual friends and a select few closest friends of each. Anyone else should have to contend with merely hearing how great the wedding was. Not to mention, a smaller attendance will reduce the costs accordingly.
Enjoy Yourself
While you should plan each step of the wedding, this doesn’t mean you should freak out if things don’t go exactly as planned. Like everything in life, a wedding is best if you leave some room for unpredictability, and welcome unplanned situations by handling them with grace. There’s no easier way to ruin a wedding than by trying to strictly adhere to a fantasy vision. You and your spouse getting married is what’s important – let everything else unravel as it has to.
Honeymoon
Don’t forget that honeymoon! For some reason, the honeymoon often gets left out of the wedding planning timeline. As you’re planning a wedding budget, make sure to also include what will probably be an expensive trip afterwards. While the wedding is the big day, the honeymoon will be just as epic, and you’ll have an easier time making it such if you saved a little money on your ceremony. In fact, if you’re working on a budget, it’s probably a great idea to prioritize resources for the honeymoon rather than the ceremony itself – as the years go by, you and your spouse will actually end up reminiscing the former more than the latter.
