Travel Blog

The CES show is on in Las Vegas every year in January. There are lots of new devices being shown at the CES show. Which grab the attention of all the computer geeks around the world. It also grabs the attention of many people who are just interested in the evolution of technology that is taking place in the industry. Whatever your motivation, this is one of the premiere conferences and shows to go to every year. Book early, room rates skyrocket during this period.

What to Look for at the CES show

Three major areas that consumers should watch over the next year are going to generate many new technologies and devices that will change our lives.

The cloud has been talked about for the past year and will continue to grow as more and more people place information in the cloud. This means that you store your files and information on a server somewhere, just not on your local PC.

Miniaturization of devices so that we can wear them on our person, on our clothes, and purses and wallets. Computers, hard drives, thumb drives etc are all getting smaller. Our phones are physically getting larger, but the capabilities are expanding exponentially.

Sensors that will keep track of our daily activities, exercise, heart rates, blood-pressure. Also how much we walk and on and on. There is less privacy due to sensors and reporting information to computers, but with huge amounts of information available to the individual

This is just a sample of what is available and will be shown at the CES show every year. Keep track of the evolution of technology by attending shows like this one.

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We just purchased our travel insurance for our next trip, actually travel health insurance. Each year it gets more expensive and this is generally due to age and related health issues. We have found that if you have any existing conditions that are stable you can still obtain health insurance, although the price will be higher than it would be if you did not have the health issue. It is all about the risk of a claim and how much money they will be able to make off of you. They may not insure existing conditions, but then you do not want to go anywhere without coverage.

Travel Insurance – Don’t take the Risk

If your particular health issue is not stable, your health insurance  is going to be really high and depending on what it is, you may not be able to obtain insurance at all. This is one of the things that you have to deal with if you leave the province to another province or to another country, particularly the United States.

Answer all of the questions carefully and accurately. You do not want the insurance declined because you made a mistake about something. It could be a very expensive mistake!

Travel Insurance and  health insurance are actually two different things. Travel insurance insures your travel expenses, while health insurance covers expenses associated with health claims if you need to go to the hospital or to a clinic. Having experienced major claims several times, we feel that health insurance is a definite must.

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Usually it is only Canada that gets a bad rap for cold weather, snow and ice in the north, storms, this year. Most of the US has heard about the cold Artic air that is coming down from Canada. But this year,  Jan 2014,  we are well into our 3rd storm of the season. It is dropping snow by the foot on places like Buffalo and Syracuse. The roads are bad everywhere and it is just plain cold. This is the main reason we leave to head south and become what has been affectionately called “snowbirds”. There are literally millions of people who head south every year for a week to as long as six months to get away from the snow, the ice and the cold.

Snow and Ice in the North

There are snow storms all the way down to Mississippi and Louisiana and across to Texas. These areas are not usually used to snow and really suffer when they have to deal with icy roads and do not have the salt and gravel to spread on the roads.

They also do not know how to drive their cars in icy conditions and there are many accidents as a result. We have had snow since the beginning of November in eastern Ontario and there is more coming.

In fact it is not likely to go away until well into late spring. What an awful winter to endure. It is time to head south and become a snow bird.

For more posts about Canadian politics and other stores about Canada, click here.

Both the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 have seen a terribly cold winter so far. A new term has been brought into our understanding of the weather: a cold vortex encircling North America all the way down to Florida. It has bypassed the western states, with places like LA and Palm Springs staying relatively warm. The cold weather is being felt as far west as Texas and Arizona, especially in the south. We have had more snow this year. It began falling in early November and has never left.

Cold vortex in the North East

This will probably be one of the longest winters on record and break most temperature records. Most people just have to endure this cold and the snow that comes with it. Some of us head south for the winter to find warm weather and to get away from any hint of snow.

Well, this year is turning out to be more of a problem for many snowbirds because of the cold vortex that seems to be circulating around us. Many snowbirds heading to Florida and west to Mississippi and Louisiana are finding it very cold still. They may not have snow, but they are finding that there are still freezing temperatures. In fact, it has been reported that pipes are freezing in places that have not seen this before.

These poor people just do not know what to do. The best thing is stay warm, wear lots of clothes and make sure you heat your home safely.

For more travel-related topics, click here.

UP Weekly : Weekly Summary for Dec 23 – Dec 29
Last sync: Dec 30, 8:12am
Let’s start strong, Paul.
See how your daily sleep and step averages compare to the week of December 16.

This is a report that is sent to the user’s email account that summarizes all of the activity for the week.  It is nice to receive this report as a reminder of what your activity has been and also the areas that you need to focus on to improve your overall health and activity levels. The jawbone is easy to wear and in fact, after a while you do not even notice that you have it on. It is easy to take on and off and also to recharge the battery. In fact, you just use the USB adapter that comes with it and plug it into your computer to recharge it. Within an hour it is fully charged and can be used for the next 10 days without needing another charge.

We are not sure but we think that the number of times you update the application on the iPhone will impact the battery life and maybe shorten it by day if you update the report once a day or more often. Other than that it works really great and gives me much more information about activity levels and sleep patterns that I never had before.

UP Weekly : Report for the Week

– 39 m /night
– 510 steps/day
You got the most sleep
Saturday
7 h 9 m
This week’s average sleep
6 h 13 m
You hit your goal
0 times
Average bedtime
12:02 am
Uninterrupted Sleep
3 nights
Average wake time
6:49 am
Your best day of steps
Saturday
9,624 steps
This week’s average steps
4,407 steps/day
You hit your goal
0 times
Idle watch

UP Weekly : You were most idle

8 pm – 9 pm
Total distance
14.2 miles
Exercising consistently can make you happier…
Exercise releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in your brain. People
who work out regularly are happier, so get after it!
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For more exercise ideas, click here.

We just added a new app onto our iPhone 5, which takes advantage of the A7 chip in the iPhone to keep track of our activity during the day. It tracks your steps every day using a combination of motion, GPS if turned on, WiFi readings and tower connections for data service. There is a free version of the app as well as a paid version with more features.

We found that with the GPS turned on, it really used the battery power and I needed to charge the phone more often. We are still testing to see how accurate this new app is from Pacer. I turned the GPS off and also the location service feature on the iPhone for this app off as well. The battery is lasting much longer and the app seems to be reporting the steps I take accurately. I also recently upgraded to an iPhone 6 from the 5 model. These apps work much better on this version of iPhone and seemed to be more optimized for to maintain battery life.

Pacer App

I have been using the Pacer app for about a month and I am very satisfied with it. I carry my iPhone everywhere so it tracks all of my steps quite well. It also does not seem to matter where I have it. It tracks just as well when it is in my pants pocket as well as in a shirt or coat pocket. This is a great app if you want to get an idea of how far you are walking each day.

Note that it is not 100% accurate. But it is good enough to provide an indication of how active you are each day. You can also record your blood pressure and weight each day to provide a record of these areas. The app can also provide a graph going back 30 days of all of these areas. Or much longer if you pay for the upgrade. So far we are pretty happy with the free version. But may upgrade to gain access to the historical information that is saved within the app.

Track Blood Pressure with Pacer App

While the Pacer App will not take your blood pressure, it can record your blood pressure results and provide a graph of them over time. Use a separate blood pressure monitor and record the results in the app so that you have a record of the results to show your doctor the next time you visit. It is an excellent way of keeping track of blood pressure, your heart rate and also your weight. While having these results saved, you can only look at the graphs for the past 30 days. you will need to pay for an upgrade to see 6 month graphs and also one year graphs.

For more information about exercise and how to get started, click here.

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I’ve walked 2116 steps with Pacer today! #Pacerstats http://t.co/02Oc7HeZcK. This is a great app that runs in the background on your smart phone.

The App called Pacer is installed on my iPhone and apparently makes use of a chip on the iPhone called the A7. it is geared to measuring motion and also using GPS data to help measure how many steps are taken by the person carrying the iPhone. This is a little known feature that seems to work quite well based on several months of use.

It is not totally accurate. But it is certainly within the proper level of accuracy for users to feel confident about tracking  the amount of activity each day. I noticed that when I am biking, pacer keeps track of how far I have traveled although I have no idea if it is accurate or not. The results for the day tend to skew the results for the week and all trends. Bottom line though is that it is recording activity which is really what I am after with it.

Pacer results – Location of the iPhone

According to the APP documentation, there is no right or wrong place to wear or carry the iPhone. What we have found over the past week or so is that it does seem to make a difference regarding where you wear it. Although I have yet to find the sweet spot in terms of where to carry the iPhone, it is working and seems to measure about 90% of the steps. You can also track blood pressure, heart rate and keep track of all of these measures to help manage your over all health. I tend ot just carry the iPhone in my pocket and it seems to work just fine. The battery does seem to go down fairly quickly because I have the GPS turned on which apparently not necessary for the chip to work and deliver results of my days activity.

If you have used this app and have comments, let us know what you think and any hints you might have regarding how to improve accuracy of the APP. Apple products are getting better and better all of the time. For more information about pacer results and getting exercise, click here.

What an interesting idea! Spending your honeymoon in palm springs! Many of the movie stars as well as the average Joe will plan a Palm Springs Honeymoon in the Palm Springs area. For example, Elvis and Priscilla even spent their honeymoon in Palm Springs enjoying the warm weather the beautiful sites and just hanging around a great place.

With most hotels and motels having pools to spend your day at, hundreds of restaurants to try out, tennis courts, golf courses, hiking, and bicycling there is many things to do in Palm Springs on your honeymoon.

Palm Springs Honeymoon – Weather

Palm Springs receives approximately 350 days of sunshine every year. This makes this location a great place to spend time by the pool. There are over 115 golf courses to try out. Some are private, while many are public. They’re all really great places to try your hand at golf. There are public tennis courts as well as private tennis courts.

There are all kinds of restaurants in Palm Springs as well as the other desert cities in the Coachella Valley. Everything from fast food all the way up to fine dining, you can have your choice of special places to spend an evening or dinner with your new bride.

For those of you who are more active and would like to go bicycling, hiking, or even horse riding along mountain trails there are over 200 miles of hiking trails as well as many bicycling trails along the valley.

This is a great place to spend your honeymoon as well as a vacation for you and the family.

For a lot more information about Palm Springs, click here.

Several years ago the writer of this post decided to cancel his dental insurance. Recently we saw an article on one of the news TV stations talking about whether it is worthwhile to have dental insurance or not. This is article triggered the following post about, “is dental insurance worth it?”.

The writers dental insurance was costing approximately $2100 per year for both him and his wife. It covered all of the normal dental procedures, with special procedures included but only at a rate of 50%. This seemed rather expensive to us and after looking at the past expenses that we had from a dental perspective we decided to become self funding insurers for our own dental expenses.

Is dental insurance worth it – Cost

The average cost of our dental expenses for the year was approximately $500. This included two cleanings per year for both people and also x-rays every two years. The insurance we were paying at the time was $2100 as previously mentioned. It seem like a no-brainer to stop paying for dental insurance, which is exactly what we did.

The following year wouldn’t you know it, we had a special dental expense, a root canal in addition to our normal dental checkups. The total cost of the root canal plus the dental checkups came to approximately $2500.

Fortunately we had the $2000 that we saved from not paying our dental insurance and this also coupled with the dental cleaning put us $500 in the hole. The following year we only had our dental checkups and cleaning for total of $500. at the end of the second year we were $1000 ahead at the end of the third year we were $2500 ahead!

During the first year we wondered if we’ve made the right decision, it turns out that from a purely cash flow perspective we in fact have made the right decision to self fund our own dental expenses. Even if we had still had dental insurance, they would only have paid 50% of the root canal cost so we where still having to pay a significant amount of money in addition to the regular annual premium for dental insurance.

Conclusion

Paying for our own dental expenses, in other words self insuring ourselves has been the right decision for our family.

The savings that we capture year after year will more than pay for many of the expenses that we expect to have for dental cleaning, and other emergency dental requirements over the coming years. It is the right decision for our family.

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UP App for iPhone –  Weekly Summary Dec 30 – Jan 5 Last sync: Jan 6, 7:23am You’re a stellar sleeper, Paul. See how your daily sleep and step averages compare to the week of December 23. [image: Sleep] + 1 h 2 m /night [image: Move] – 1,383 steps/day. I do not use the UP App for iPhone any longer. The jawbone stopped working and I really would not recommend it to anyone. Do not buy the jawbone or install the UP App for iPhone.

You got the most sleep Monday 9 h 27 m This week’s average sleep 7 h 15 m You hit your goal 2 times Average bedtime 11:28 pm Uninterrupted Sleep 2 nights Average wake time 6:56 am Give your immune system a big old shot in the arm… Your body releases infection fighting proteins while you slumber. Sleep deprivation means fewer of these bug busting bad boys.

Your best day of steps Sunday 5,671 steps This week’s average steps 3,024 steps/day You hit your goal 0 times Idle watch You were most idle 2 pm – 3 pm Total distance 9.7 miles Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser.

UP App for iPhone

Unfortunately my UP band stopped working and I no longer get any updates. This is the second time that the band has stopped working for me. Both times it was the battery that would not recharge properly. I decided to not purchase another one. The band itself is not very sturdy and easily damaged. The UP App for iPhone works really well and I am quite happy with the app itself.

I also recently heard that Jawbone is going out of business or at least being sold. Who wants to invest in something that may not be around very long. There are lots of devices around that can be considered. I guess I will wait until there is a clear leader before purchasing another one.

They cost quite a bit of money, over $100. While that may not seem like much to some people it is more than I want to spend. It only lasts less than a year so it is not worth it. I have had my watch for over 10 years. This is what consumers are looking for.

For more travel related topics, click here.

I’ve walked 2116 steps with Pacer today! #Pacerstats http://t.co/02Oc7HeZcK. Although we have shown a jawbone product on the picture, which is a competitor of the iphone pacer product, we find that pacer is really a great app. Otherwise you may want to consider the jawbone instead of relying on pacer results only. Pacer does not track your sleep patterns for example which might be something that many consumers are interested in.

Pacer Results – the App

For those of you who may not be aware, Pacer is an App that can be downloaded for free from Apple to Iphones and Ipods. The free app comes with basic functionality. Users who like the app can pay to have an upgrade which gives you additional features. The basic app counts and displays your steps in a graph for you to review each day and over a month or year.

All you have to do is carry your iPhone with you all of the time in a pocket or even in your hand . It will count your steps. the objective is to hit 10,000 steps per day. This is all about spending money on your personal health. Pacer will only give you 3 months of history in the trends section unless you purchase the upgrade from Apple.

The  typical screen from the Pacer Results screen page showing the number of steps taken so far today. It also shows what your active time was and how many calories have been burned as a result is very informative. You can also switch to other screens that demonstrate trends. How far you have walked over the past, your blood pressure, your weight, your active time and so on.

This is a neat app to help manage and track your active time. Personally I track blood pressure and can show my doctor a graph of my blood pressure over the past 3 months. This helps in the decision about what medicine I should take along with how much medicine I should take. This is a great little app to have on your iPhone.

For more health related topics, click here.

Do you know what constitutes good heart health? Health professionals and dietitians indicate there are five indicators of Good heart health. It is so important to maintain your health especially as you get older. There will be less chance of having heart and other health related issues if you follow the suggestions listed below.

These indicators are the following:

• Being a non-smoker or someone who is quit smoking for more than 12 months
• Having a body mass index of less than 25
• Doing the equivalent of thirty minutes of walking each day
• Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables everyday
• No diabetes or high blood pressure.

A friend of ours was only 60 years old and just had a very serious stroke. She had high blood pressure, she was overweight, she had diabetes, she did not eat properly and she did not exercise. She actually was a nurse and should’ve known better based on all of the information that she is provided with and the patients that she sees. Unfortunately she did not follow the advice of her peers in the industry in general. Unfortunately she is also paying for this lack of personal health in a very serious way. No one wants to have to live in the manner that she is at the moment.

This is an extreme case considering all of the areas that she has bad heart health. However many of us baby boomers are succumbing to being overweight, being less active, and having high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol. This should be a wake up call for many people.

Good Heart Health

The fact that 10% or less of North Americans have bad heart health is an extreme health issue. The amount of suffering, the cost of looking after people who have had strokes and heart attacks, and the many other health issues is staggering.

The government is finding ways to try and provide healthcare to cover these extreme situations. Much of the support has the cost born by the individual. Consumers would be far better if they look after their part. Maintain good heart health to avoid the suffering and misery that goes along with having a stroke, or a heart attack. The lion share of support for individuals who succumb to some of these health issues, belongs to family, close friends and children.

As part of your New Year’s resolution for January 2014 take steps to increasing your activity and focusing on your health to avoid being part of the 90% group of North Americans who have bad heart health. For information about heart health and other health issues, click here.

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Many people in the northern part of North America dream about becoming a Snowbird when they retire. The fact of the matter is that the majority of these people do not follow through with heading south when the winter arrives.

27% of not yet retired North Americans report that they expect to become snowbirds once they retire. The definition of a snowbird is someone who regularly is going somewhere warm for the winter. In actual fact, only 16% of North Americans actually follow through and become snowbirds.

Becoming a Snowbird

It appears that both men and women are almost equally interested in becoming snowbirds. And over one third of North American pre-retired couples have not talked about what they want to do when they retire with their spouse or partners.

First of all it is very important to discuss your expectations and plans for retirement years with your spouse. This can be a particularly stressful time for some couples. Many are not used to spending a lot of time together. Once they retire they will be spending 100% of their time with each other. Discussing your plans to become snowbirds or to travel in general is very important.

Since many people do not really know what they were want to do in retirement, the best plan of action is to begin saving for retirement and make sure that they have sufficient funds available to allow them to do whatever they would prefer.

Traveling south to keep warm in the winter, traveling to other countries or staying at home all requires that you have the quality of life that you prefer. Plan now and save for retirement.

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Canadians, based on a report from their statistics arm of the government were expected to have a life expectancy of 79 years for men and 83 years for women. This data came from a report developed in 2007 to 2009.  They are further forecasting that by 2031, the average man will live to 82 and women will live to 86. Not only is the gap narrowing  a bit, both sexes are living longer as our health generally improves. Their health care gets better as well. Does this mean we are just kept alive longer. Do we also get to enjoy those extra years as well?  The ability to live long and healthy depends on many issues.

The key to living longer is not just in how many years you live but also experiencing a better quality of life as well. No one wants to be in a wheel chair for the last 10 years of their life and they do not want to be so forgetful, that they are really not living a normal life. While none of us can predict what will happen to us, there are some things we can do to improve the odds and maybe our quality of life as we get older.

What Steps Should We Take to Live Long and Healthy

There are a number of steps that we can all take to try to improve the odds that we will live long and also have a healthy life with a decent level of quality as well. There are no guarantees, but by following these steps or suggestions we can at least improve the odds. Here they are:

• Do not smoke, this is a well known health issue. Strokes, heart attacks and general declining health
• Review your blood pressure, cholesterol level, weight and waist circumference regularly. Take action if they are out of line
• If you need to lose weight, aim for 5% to 10% to improve your numbers and get down to your proper BMI level.
• Belt size should be less than 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men
• Eat 7 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. they have a lot less calories and are healthy for you as well
• Walk 10,000 steps every day, they can be added up easily if you focus on walking when you can ride or take the elevator
• Wear a pedometer to monitor your steps
• Take time to relax, to laugh a bit and socialize with family and friends
• Limit your alcohol content to 2 servings per day
• Understand your family heart history and monitor. Take precautions if there is a history of health issues
• Eliminate salt from your diet as much as possible to help control your blood pressure

Improve Your Health

All of these items will help to improve your health and to maintain your health. If you can stay healthy well into your older years you will have an excellent chance of not only hitting the average age for men and for women, there is a good chance that you will also have a good quality of life as well. You will be able to enjoy the grandchildren, travel, play or even work if that is what you want to do much later in life than you might have been able to otherwise. The main thing is to be able to enjoy our health and have a good quality of life.

Eat healthy and look after yourself to live long and stay healthy! For more information about how to live long and healthy, click here.

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The recent controversy surrounding the patriarch of the Robertson clan, host of the reality show Duck Dynasty, has created a firestorm of comments across the country. In one interview he managed to alienate many segments of society based on his religious views. We are wondering if this is the end of Duck Dynasty?

While there is freedom of speech and freedom of religion in the country, there is also a civil way to living in our society where we don’t have to alienate many people. Apparently he made comments against blacks as well as gays which are really uncalled for in the writer’s mind and totally unnecessary. At the same time A&E host of the duck dynasty reality show had to know about this interview and had to know what this client stands for when they signed up to do this reality show.

The End of Duck Dynasty – Share the Blame

They are as much to blame as the patriarch of the Robertson clan and all of the rednecks that support his comments.

What is even more unsettling, is the number of people who I stepped up to support him and his comments. They are doing so standing behind free speech and free religious views but not really taking into account the specifics of what he said. This is the trouble with many reality shows in that it demonstrates the worst of our society.

If you have an opinion on this blog, leave your comments as long as they are constructive and civil we will be glad to post them on this blog.

For more thoughts on reality shows, click here.

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There are many motels and hotels in Palm Springs Centered within a few blocks of downtown. We find that these locations are by far the best. You can walk to most  restaurants, bars and activities held in the Palm Springs area.

Some hotels are located at casinos and golf courses. These properties are very nice. If you’re a golfing enthusiast then you probably want to be near the golf course. However you must get in your car and drive anytime you want to go anywhere. Drinking and driving issues comes to mind in a situation like this.

Hotels in Palm Springs – Check Location

Check your location first based on what you like to do most. Book hotel or motel within walking distance or near a resort or by a golf course that you can go golf at.

There is a Hard rock hotel in downtown Palm Springs , which is one of three hotels in the downtown area of Palm Springs. There are also a number of luxury motels in the area which are very comfortable, have pools, and parking and are very  convenient to downtown.

At events that are held in the Palm Springs area, parking is usually at a premium. On Thursday night for example they have the Palm Springs Street fair which brings thousands of people into the downtown area. If you’re staying at a motel or hotel close by and can walk this is a major convenience compared to driving and then trying to find a place to park.

Book your hotel, or motel early so that you can find a place that you prefer. During January February and March there is a major snow bird surge in the population. Rooms are always at a premium and everyone is trying to find a place that meets their needs.

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White Water Rafting in Maine is over for the season, winter has set in with a vengeance at the end of 2013 and early 2014 with  very cold weather and lots of snow. Many people look forward to snow skiing and other winter sports. However the white water rafting enthusiasts  are sad that the season is done. It is time to get ready for the next season!

Time for companies to switch over to other activities. Such as guiding in the winter, maintaining ski hills and looking after equipment. This is an annual activity for all white water companies. They also move on to preparing for winter sports activities that they may be involved in.

Water Rafting in Maine

Repair and replacing gear for the coming season is one of the main activities. But then so is marketing and signing up guides. Also promoting deals with other local venders to help entice people to come to the are for white water rafting.

Skiing, hiking, winter sports are also part of the scene for many small B&B’s, hotels and restaurants. There is always a sports activity of some kind going on in outdoor Maine.

Preparing for the next season really picks up in the spring. this is the time to get a jump on the competition, update web sites, launch new offers and beginning to sign up customers for the coming season.

Setting up programs during the summer is also part of the spring activities. You want to get families thinking about going white water rafting and planning their summer vacation.

Developing advertising, whether it is a web site, send material to newspapers, emailing customers etc, there is a lot of work to be done. Advertising is a must if you are going to attract customers at the start of the white water rafting season.

Catalogs for Water Rafting in Maine

Consumers planning for the coming year can of course search the internet. They can also order catalogs from various government agencies and local chamber of commerce offices. Tourists can learn more about what the state has to offer as well as specific local areas. These resources are invaluable to help get started in planning a vacation regardless of where you are planning to spend your valuable vacation time. If you would like to go white water rafting in the early spring there are a couple of things to take into account. First the weather needs to cooperate i.e. the ice needs to be off the rivers and the rafting companies need to be ready. In addition, there is usually a rush to be first on the rivers, so you may want to book early!

The cost of parking in downtown areas in most cities in North America has become the incredibly expensive.  For example if you are parking using parking meters it can be as much as three or four dollars an hour.  If you use a parking lot that is maintained by a parking authority is not uncommon to pay $20-$30 a day.  Whether you are going to work or a tourist visiting the city it makes sense to plan your parking so that you can save money and reduce your overall cost for your vacation.

Parking meters

if you have to use a and one of the passengers is staying with the car you can often wait until you see the reader coming down the street before putting money in the parking meter.  Often people leave their parking spot with the meter still running and if you’re lucky you can score an empty spot with a running parking meter and save a few dollars.  Parking meters are suitable for short term parking, however if you need more than a couple of hours it makes sense to just use a parking lot or find some other alternative.

Paid parking lots

The hotel we’re staying they charge a fee for parking and if you have not negotiated the parking is part of your hotel bill when you made your reservation you will pay the full fee.  Some hotels upon negotiation will offer up a discount on parking or in some cases free parking if it is a slow period for them.  If you are driving into the city many parking lots offered early bird rates which are 20 to 25% lower than rates offered later on in the day.

In many parking lots you’ll have to arrive prior to 9 AM to get the early bird rate.  Another approach is to park at a free parking lot at the mall somewhere in the urban areas of the city and then take the mass transit into the downtown area that you are visiting.  Usually the cost of mass transit is lower than a parking brake at a downtown parking lot plus the cost of gas it used to get there.

Airport parking rates

Airports are notoriously expensive for parking overnight, by the week or even longer by the month.  There are a lot of alternatives to parking at the airport.  A friend can drive you to the airport, you can take a taxi to the airport, or in many cities you can even take mass transit and save a bundle on parking.  If you are going to need parking for a week or a month, usually the long term parking lots are a better place to park your car at lower rates.  For most people the best approach is to have someone driving to the airport and pick them up when they return home.  Even if you have to pay the person and the cost of gas is still would be cheaper than paying for parking.

Plan your trips carefully taking into account your accommodations, the cost of accommodations and the parking at the hotel where you will be staying.  Many hotels on the outskirts of the city will offer free parking and shuttle service to downtown areas as well as to airports.  This is another excellent way to reduce the overall cost of parking.

If you know of other ways to reduce the cost of parking, please leave a comment and we’ll be glad to add them to our list.

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Ottawa Canada Winter Wonderland is already here and it is only November. We have not had this much snow in a few years so early.

While New York City is basking in springlike temperatures, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is enduring freezing temperatures with lots of snow. The Christmas lights look beautiful reflecting on the snow and the skiing is wonderful. However the snow began falling in November and never melted. It is now April and we still have all of this snow to deal with. It looks nice until you have to shovel the stuff. Fortunately I have a snow blower, but I feel sorry for the folks who must shovel it.

Winter Wonderland – Too Much Snow Already

Most of the snow showing on this picture and the previous one has fallen before winter even started. We have at least 3 feet of snow on the lawn, with some snowbanks pushed up by the snowplow by at least 8 feet high. If this keeps up it is going to be truly a long winter. Which is exactly what happened this year 2013/2014. It is early April now and we still have lots and lots of snow. The Canadian polar vortex stayed with us for a long time this year.

For more posts about Canada and Ottawa, click here.

A few years ago we might have thought a story about drones delivering parcels  for Amazon would be pure science fiction! It turns out though that Amazon believes that by 2015 it will be doing just that. They will be delivering parcels within a 50 mile range of their major distribution centers. There’s a lot of development work to take place between now and then. But this is the stuff of pure science fiction becoming reality.

We read the story about Amazon intending to use drones to deliver parcels in December 2013. It is only two years away at the time of writing this article. We anticipate that the initial wave in 2015 will be just the beginning.  They are still working to perfect the system. There will be many drones delivering as well as monitoring our services and our lives in the future.

Drones delivering parcels for Amazon

Can you imagine ordering a diamond ring through Amazon in the morning. A few hours later the package is dropped on your front doorstep by a buzzing drone with eight rotating blades! This is the current plan of Amazon to be able to arrange for same-day delivery of small packages and parcels to their customers.

The drone may be controlled by an operator back at the plant or even at a central control agency. It will be equipped with video cameras. As well as microphones and speakers to communicate  with customers.  This is to ensure that the packages are delivered to the correct person at the address it is to be delivered to. We may even have to provide a thumbprint to ensure that we are the right person that the package should be delivered today.

There are lots of processes to be worked out. There are rules and regulations to be developed to ensure that the public is safe from buzzing drones over our heads. As well as the lighting or avoiding collusion with low-flying aircraft. A lot of work will need to be done over the next few years to develop this into a full-blown service delivery opportunity.

We can’t wait for FedEx and UPS to also become interested in this type of service delivery. More to come.

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Our last post about Canada post summarize the changes that they are planning to make. Canada Post pensions at risk in an effort to reduce their debt load and to reduce their operating loss. In summary they will be reducing 8008 positions and increasing the cost of the postage stamp to one dollar. They also plan on introducing community mailboxes in urban areas which previously had door-to-door service. All of this is aimed at a eliminating the operations loss or at the minimum reducing it significantly so that there is less burden on taxpayers.

This post is questioning the pension commitment by Canada Post to its pensioners. Whether they will be able to fund the Canada Post pension into the future? Will pensioners from Canada Post have to take a haircut in order to keep the pension system solvent?

Canada Post pensions at Risk – Precedents

While there is no precedent for post office system reducing their pensions to their pensioners at this time, there is a precedent for city and state governments in the United States having taken this action to reduce the pension payouts to their pensioners. This specifically has occurred in states or cities that have had to declare bankruptcy.

It will be many years before Canada post reaches this position. This will be a question of the Canadian government deciding not to prop up the Canada Post pension system. There will be a lot of discussion in the next 5 to 10 years about Canada post pensions how much they are and whether they should be sustained.

If you are a pensioner with Canada post and expect to collect your pension over the next 5 to 10 years we suggest that you plan for a decrease in your pension and funding. Do this to ensure the quality of life that you would prefer to have during your retirement years. If it does not happen then it’s a bonus and you’re way ahead of the game. If it does happen you’re prepared!

Many people might feel that this will never happen. It is better to be prepared and planning for such a pension calamity versus not to be ready for such a disruptive pension issue. For more posts about future trends, click here.

The Canadian post office system has just announced a new program. It will take place over five years to reduce the service to Canadians. Many people are upset and worried that they will not receive the service that they have been used to. This announcement took place in 2013. A new liberal government has just been elected. Now they have put the Canada Post reduces service program on hold. It is on hold until the new government has a chance to weigh in on this issue. Too bad, they will go on to lose millions at taxpayers expense.

The fact of the matter is the post office is losing billions of dollars. If we don’t do something soon this will just cost the taxpayer great deal of money which we cannot afford.

Over 8000 people will lose their jobs. The price of stamps will go up to one dollar. Local door-to-door service will replaced by community mailboxes. There are other steps that they are taking however these are the main ones that will reduce the cost to the post office over the future.

Canada Post reduces service!

Why are they taking these specific steps? Consumers simply are not using the post office in the same manner that they have been over the past hundred and 50 years. The majority of mail is being sent by email,. Electronic bill statements are common and people are cutting their costs by simply not sending out birthday cards, Christmas cards and other mail that they can just as easily send by electronic means.

In addition operations costs have increased at the post office with the higher wages, significant pension payments and many people retiring from the post office. The amount of money that they owe to the pension system is staggering.

Canada post is not alone! The US postal system has been losing billions of dollars for years and Congress is struggling with eliminating Saturday delivery service. The English UK post office has been receiving money from the government for years to keep them afloat. All of them are struggling to retain the same level of service that they’ve been delivering for years when their communities the customers no longer require the service.

Our next post is going to post some questions about the Canada Post pension system and whether it is sustainable or not. Will Canada post pensioners have to take a haircut? For more ideas about future trends, click here.

There are lots of issues to consider when you retire early aside from the fact that you are leaving your job and career behind to pursue a new life. Retire early what about health care is one of the questions. Certainly there is the issue about what you will do with your time and then there is always whether you will have sufficient money or not. Many people retire when they are healthy and do not give their health issues a seconds though. But what happens if you retire and suddenly are faced with some sort of health issue. Will you have sufficient funds or health insurance coverage to pay all of the bills.

There are really two parts to this question. Do you have enough money or insurance to pay for the cost of medical bills for doctors, tests and hospitals? Secondly do you have enough savings that will allow you to continue paying your day to day living expenses? Many people pay attention to the medical side of things and not so much the cost of living while you are recovering from whatever medical issue you have.

Retire Early What About Health Care – Hospital Insurance

We have talked to several seniors that have quite good plans for their medical coverage. All of the potential significant events are covered along with the proper level of doctors care, testing and prescriptions are covered up to 80%. As long as the medical bills are small most people can absorb these costs from within their regular living expenses.

But what if you are hospitalized for 10 days and face a $200,000 medical hospital bill like a friend of ours and you coverage is only 80%? Suddenly you now owe $40,000 to the hospital because your insurance does not cover the last 20%. There are solutions to this problem. The first is get more coverage specifically for that 20%. The second solution if it is already too late, is to negotiate with the hospital and assess just how much you can reduce the overall expense. Some hospitals are open to negotiation and any money you can save is money in your pocket.

Living expenses

When ever someone needs prolonged medical care, expenses are going to go up and they may not be covered by your insurance. For example, house and yard work may not be able to be completed. You my have to pay someone to come in and clean for you and perform the odd chores around the home for you. You may also need to arrange for someone to pick up groceries or get you to physio. Maybe you can no longer drive and you need to take taxis’s to get to medical appointments. The list goes on and on.

Do you have sufficient funds to get through this type of medical costs which are usually not covered by your insurance plan? Set aside an emergency savings amount to cover you when you need it. This is really the only way to make sure that you have enough money to deal with whatever it is you must deal with. Retire early what about health care is a serious issue for many people.

Stay Healthy is the Best Insurance

The best health insurance is to do your best to stay healthy. We all know what these are, but many of us ignore these suggestions until it is too late. Here is our list to help staying healthy:

• Exercise on a routine basis, at least 3 times per week
• Drink alcohol on a moderate level
• Do not smoke
• Get enough sleep
• Maintain the proper weight for your body type
• Avoid fatty and high calorie foods
• Make sure you have annual health checkups
• Take action if something is amiss from a health perspective.

Sounds simple, but for most of us it is very difficult to follow for some reason. Even with all of these steps there is no guarantee that something will not occur that affects your overall health. That’s the reason the previous two areas were discussed and should be given some consideration. For more information on retire early what about health care and others, click here.

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Restaurant tips can vary a lot depending on the location. Also the quality of the food, the level of service, even the decor. As well as the customer who may or may not be feeling generous.  Restaurant tip reporting can vary depending on may factors. The average seems to be 15% for average service.  Some people feel obliged to tip as much as 20%. If you are either part of a large group, the restaurant will levy a tip of 18% regardless of the type of service that you receive.  In fact when the waiters and waitresses know they’re getting 18% quite often the level of service declines.

Some people tip much more just because they feel obliged to tip more. They are embarrassed and worried that the waiter will give them a bad look or create a scene, or bad service if they come back again.  Many people will leave no tip at all. Which actually is really bad form, particularly if you received excellent service and excellence for food.

Restaurant Tip Reporting – Sending a Message

Many tips are on credit cards and are just added onto the total bill.  In fact the credit card machines already have the amount calculated for you or a selection that you can pick in terms of the percentage amount or the dollar amount.  But what is the right way to tip and what you do if you want to send a message.

In the industry a 15% tip appears to be the average tip that is expected for average service, average food and average surroundings.  I like to think that to apply 5% to each of these categories is the right approach.  The waiter is in control of the level of service, and to some degree of making sure that your food arrives hot and is exactly what you ordered.  The quality of the food is up to the chef and the surroundings are really up to the owner.  Should you penalize the waiter by tipping less when the quality of the food is not great or the surroundings of the restaurant is not great?

Tip Preference

The writer prefers to tip 15% and then call the waiter aside to mention any comments or concerns that they might have.  If you did not like the food or the food was bad you should send it back.  If the surroundings and the quality are not what you would like, then you should not have gone there in the first place.  When the service is terrible and the food is terrible then definitely send a message by lowering the amount of the tip.  Some people have left a one penny tip just to send a serious message to the waiter and the staff.  I think a better approach is to call the manager or the maître d’ over and explain the situation.

Accounting is easy for tips since most of them are pre-calculated. Use the credit card machines and easily added at the end of the night.  These are on record and must be reported by the restaurant accounting.  But what about cash tips?  Can cash tips be somehow siphoned off to avoid the tax man?  Many tax agencies have now ruled that waiters and waitresses should receive 15% of the total food and bar take regardless of whether it was paid via credit cards or in cash.  There’s no getting away from the taxman.

Hiding Income

Many servers consistently receive more than 15% in tips. Most waiters and waitresses will hide that money and avoid paying tax on it where they can.  However once it gets into the system in terms of credit card receipts there is little they can do but to report this income.  If the servers are ever audited, there’s a good chance that they will pay much more in income tax.

In summary consumers should consider 15% average, 20 percent for excellent service and 10% for poor service. However we suggest that you call the waiter, the manager or the maître d’ over. Explain why you’re providing a lower tip.  This gives everyone a chance to improve their service the next time.

There are all kinds of hotels in Palm Springs.  Most people are just happy to find a nice hotel in Palm Springs. Where they can spend some time at the pool, relax in the sun. Also go out for a great meal at one of the local restaurants.

There are luxury hotels in Palm Springs  that take you to another level. Enjoy the spa, play golf , get a massage, room service, relax by the pool in seclusion without noisy kids and teenagers. There are large  hotel chains like the Westin. Which provide all of the above services and you have to put up with many people around the pool etc. This may be fine for some people and the price is ok as well particularly if you negotiate a package deal.

Luxury Hotels Palm Springs

There are luxury hotels and motels that are much smaller. They offer intimacy, protection from nosy people and a place where you can relax, enjoy a good book. You can spend some quality time with your significant other. They offer concierge services, hotel transfer to and from the airport and they just about any other service that you will need. These luxury hotels and motels are literally within walking distance of the downtown area of Palm Springs as well. One such location is Melvins in Palm Springs.

They have a secluded compound, blocks from downtown Palm Springs, with a five star restaurant and small intimate bungalows for the ultimate privacy. They also have a piano bar which has an impromptu afternoon where local entertainers will come in and sign along or play along at the bar’s piano.  We have spent several Sunday afternoons at this location and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

While some people may not prefer this type of luxury, going for the big chain hotels instead, we would suggest that anyone on  vacation in Palm Springs should at least check out one of these style of luxury hotels in Palm Springs.

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Fall colors were spectacular for rafting in Maine this year just like they are every year. The fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year to be rafting, camping or hiking in the state of Maine. The trees are changing color and exhibiting fantastic colors for everyone to enjoy. A sunny day in the fall with the leaves in full color is one of the most beautiful times of the year to enjoy the outdoors. If you are rafting at this time of year, the water is going to be cold so make sure that you are dressed properly and do not suffer from hypothermia.

Your tour guide company can provide you with the proper guidelines. They should cover what clothing to wear and to bring along. In addition many will provide wet suits for rent to help in keeping you warm during your white water rafting ride. Check with them before you decide to find out schedules, availability, skill levels and clothing to ensure that you have the best trip you can.

We are writing this post  in December. Although the  season is over, the scenery is still fantastic with all of the snow now on the ground. Once it snows most of the leaves will be gone and the snow transforms the scenery completely.

Rafting Maine

Many white water rafting enthusiasts are still looking forward to spring. The companies that offer white water rafting are repairing gear. They are also deciding what they need to purchase to replace existing gear that is past it’s useful life. They will be planning new trips and updating old ones to prepare for the new season.

There will be the high spring run off to provide thrills and exciting rafting for many enthusiasts. Spring runoffs can be extremely high flowing rivers with lots of water going over rocks that are usually exposed. With the high water levels they can be hidden under the water level and provide extra thrills.

Safety is a concern especially when creeks and rivers are flooding. Only go with experts who know the river and its twists and turns.

River ratings may be higher due to the higher rate of water runoff. You may want to check first if a flooding river is still within your rating level.

May have extreme trips during the few weeks that the rivers are in flood stage.

Rafting Maine – Safety

Need wet suits to prevent hypothermia since the ice cold water will be approaching freezing levels.

Always bring second set of dry clothes to change into after you complete your rafting trip.

Enjoy your trip and follow all safety whitewater rafting guidelines. Safety is the utmost importance to ensure that you have an enjoyable trip without any significant incidents.

30% of retired baby boomers are living below the poverty line. They have no way of augmenting their income and only receive a government pension which is not enough to live on. These people did not receive a company pension nor did they save enough money to last well into their retirement years. As well many people are living longer than most people expected. Retirement plans looking great is not reality for many people.

They only have government pensions to rely on. Many baby boomers have found that they have to move in with family to survive. Moving in with your children is one option, and with brothers or sisters is another option, downsizing and moving in with friends is another option. But most people would prefer to be independent during retirement and have a high quality of life. For many this just does not happen.

Retirement plans looking great – Speak to an Adviser

If you’re still working now is the time to stress test your retirement savings plan. Work with a financial analyst or financial adviser to figure out how much money you can save for your retirement, how long it will last and how much you can expect to receive on a monthly basis. Your monthly income from savings is so important. It determines how you will pay your bills in retirement.

Planning to work into old age is not a good plan. There are too many things that can get in the way of being able to work well into your retirement years. For example health issues get in the way, being laid off gets in the way, not being able to find a job as well is a major obstacle. Stress test your retirement plan today and figure out just how much money you need to save.

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It is amazing how many people suffer from sleep apnea and do not even realize it. While many more know they have something and are not getting enough sleep. They are unwilling to do anything about it because they are afraid to wear a mask. Or deal with a hose and mask at night when they are sleeping. The fact of the matter is that they risk having strokes from lack of oxygen. They are getting a terrible nights sleep.

This leaves them tired and unable to perform properly at work and everyday life. They even fall asleep at the wheel when they are driving. If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, at least get tested. Then decide what you need to do. It could be a matter of losing some weight to alleviate the problem! The test is not that exciting. Basically you have to sleep at a sleep lab. You are hooked up to about 20 wires that monitor everything and report to a computer that produces a report. Take the test you may be quite surprised. I know I was. This post is about CPAP Supply CPAP Masks.

CPAP Supply CPAP Masks – CPAP Machine

The CPAP machine is supplied with a CPAP mask and associated hoses as well as a filter to keep the air clean. In addition, consumers should also purchase the humidifier with it to keep your nasal passages hydrated while you are wearing the mask. Personally I have found that by staying hydrated I have much less nasal congestion in addition to stopping the sleep apnea issues. In summary always purchase your CPAP supply with CPAP mask, hoses and filters all at the same time. You may have to replace them from time to time, however if they are looked after, they will last for a long time.

Keep CPAP Hoses and Masks Clean

The secret to the CPAP machine and masks working well is to keep them clean and comfortable. If you use them every night, they are clean and do not smell, you will actually enjoy being able to sleep well and you feel a lot better. Wash the mask and the water reservoir daily in warm water and mild soap. Let them dry before reinstalling them into the machine and attaching the hoses. Do the same thing for the hoses once a week as well. They will stay supple and clean for a long time if you follow this regular process.

Spare Mask

Once your mask gets a little older, let’s say one year, it may be a good idea to have a second mask as a backup especially if you are travelling and do not want to risk being without a mask. The same thing applies to hoses. As they get older, obtain a spare hose and carry it with you.

Distilled Water

You can use regular water with all of the impurities in it and breathe this into your lungs to keep your nasal passages hydrated. Personally I like to always use nice pure distilled water so that there is no impurities going into my lungs at all. In addition if you are using the heater for the water, there will be no impurities left on the hot plate that needs to be removed from time to time.

Sleep better and stay healthy with a CPAP machine that is well maintained and you will be happy that you made the transition from sleep apnea to a regular sleep once again. It is truly amazing and I know from first hand experience. For more information about CPAP Supply CPAP Masks, click here.

The fall is a fantastic time to go Main whitewater rafting in the state of Maine. The leaves are turning color, the sun is shining, and the days are just fantastic with what us known as Indian summer. Of course you can get some days when it’s cold and rainy but that just adds to the excitement as you are white water rafting down one of the many rivers in the state of Maine that are available.

If you do go at this time of year, you will need the proper set of clothes and probably a wet suit to protect you from hypothermia. Investigate with your white water rafting leader regarding the best things to bring to ensure that your trip is enjoyable. Some companies will provide everything you need and you just need to bring a second set of warm clothes to put on when you are finished with your whitewater trip.

Maine Whitewater – May Through Oct Rafting

Many people go white water rafting from the month of May right through until the end of October. The water flow depends on the weather, how much rain is received during the season, and whether the white water rafting rivers are below dams. The type of white water rafting will vary by month and even by day depending on storms etc.. Rivers that are below dams will often experienced regular discharges of water. This discharge creates great white water rafting trips. Check with the company you are planning to use to find out the best time to go whitewater rafting.

Always use a Rafting Guide

It is very important that you only go with experienced Whitewater rafting guides. You need to ensure that you are prepared for the release of water from the dams. Never go on your own or put a boat in the water when there could be a discharge from a dam. Many people have been washed away. They have been surprised by a sudden onrushing stream of high speed flowing water.

When you book your trip, make sure that you find out what clothes and gear you will need. You should have a set of dry warm clothes to change into at the end of your trip. Wet clothes can get pretty cold if you do not have something to change into. Your guide will also tell you what you need to bring on the actual trip. Also how you will be returned to your starting point.

This is another really great restaurant in Bucerias, Mexico. Just down the block from Marks restaurant, you might not even go onto this restaurant because it is also a boutique at the front with a great looking tropical restaurant at the back of the building. You may think it is just another small store, however if you go inside and go to the back of the store there is a great restaurant with great food to try!

This is a must location to visit for lunch or dinner. Some evenings they also will have entertainment. It is a wonderful place to spend an evening under the stars in a tropical environment.

Sandrinas Bucerias Mexico

Bucerias is a small Mexican town north of Puerto Vallarta on Banderas Bay. You get there by there by bus or car from Pureto Vallara and enjoy the day at the beach with a great dining experience that evening.

Tropical outdoor setting with a band playing on some evenings. As you can see from this picture, it is a very enjoyable spot to have a glass of wine or a beer. Perhaps some tequila, which is Mexico’s drink of choice.

Many restaurants in the Puerto Vallarta will serve their customers a shot or two of tequila regardless of what drink they order. At one location we ordered beers all around and the bartender followed the beers with shots of tequila to help us enjoy our meals.

We are not sure if the meals were better or not, but we were well satisfied with the service, the drinks and the meals we had. Sandrinas is a bit more upscale than these sort of restaurants. Patrons are dressed in tropical attire and generally are well dressed as well. Being close to the beach area’s patrons can stop in almost at any time for a meal or a snack under one of the umbrellas.

For more details about the Puerto Vallarta area, click here.

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