4 reasons to go on an off-season cruise
4 reasons to go on an off-season cruise

Are you hesitant to loosen your purse strings to accommodate that cruise holiday you have always wanted to take? If so, here’s something that will put an end to your financial woes—off-season cruise deals! It might come across as a bit of an oxymoron, but off-season cruises are a thing, and savvy travelers do it all the time. If you are on board a ship that sets sail during the off-season period, you may be taking one of your best vacations!

Still not convinced? Take a look at the slew of reasons to opt for off-season cruises.

  • Off-season cruises are cheaper!
    Price is the most important deciding factor when it comes to planning a vacation, and there is a simple rule of supply and demand at play for cruises. Families prefer going on cruises during summers as kids are in school during fall and spring, and this is when you have to start planning your itinerary. You can take advantage of this schedule limitation and save hundreds of dollars on the same trip if you take it at a different time. More cruises are available during the fall, and you’ll get amazing deals as well. Since popular summer cruises sell out early or limit the choice of rooms, flexibility on your end will help you get a good bargain.
  • You can take advantage of some extra privileges
    Since you will be cruising during the off-season period, you will have the place mostly to yourselves. Cruise lines will have more cabins to fill as families with kids won’t be traveling, and they become very generous in such cases. They will end up giving you bonus options like free gratuities, wine and beer packages, internet access, discounts on excursions, or if you are lucky enough, access to the upcharge restaurants onboard without any extra fees.
  • You can still do everything touristy
    The best part of grabbing off-season cruise deals is that you can make the most of the major attractions at your vacation destination. For instance, irrespective of the weather conditions, places like museums and art galleries will be open for tourists. In fact, you can make the most of such tours as you can walk through these places without the usual hullabaloo caused by fellow tourists. Even if the weather isn’t pleasant enough, being indoors will make it comfortable.
  • Accommodation hunting is easier
    When planning a cruise in the off-season period, you can consider adding days at the start or the end of the trip without worrying about the extra costs. Besides, you may even find reasonable deals while making new accommodation arrangements or extending your existing arrangements on a cruise.
  • The Evolution of the Ugly Christmas Sweater

    For anyone who has been noticing it, the fact that ugly Christmas sweaters have become a trend is probably a cause for no small hilarity. These garments, for ages considered an eyesore, are now making an appearance in wardrobes as a fashion apparel. No longer can one associate them with one’s great aunt or their second grade teacher. With Christmas symbolisms depicted in a manner nothing less than cartoonish, the snowman, reindeer or elf Christmas sweater, with felt appliqus and pompoms for the added amusement of the observer, is taking the country by storm during the holiday season.

    Though the ugly Christmas sweater has been in existence from way before the 20th century, people sat up and took notice of its hideousness only in the last few decades. One of the first few people responsible for making it trendy is probably Bill Cosby. He is, in fact, looked up to as an ugly sweater icon. But in the beginning of the ’90s, these Christmas jumpers lost popularity.

    However, in the last decade, these cheap Christmas sweaters is back again. There were books published on this even. The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book: The Definitive Guide to Getting Your Ugly On, for one, thanks to which, around the year 2001, these sweaters came into the limelight in a huge way. Now the sweaters are bigger, louder and trendier than ever before with even high-end fashion shops like H&M showcasing them.

    With people of all ages wanting to get in on the fashion train with the cheap ugly holiday sweaters, sweater themed parties have become the most popular during the Christmas season, with Christmas suits, and Christmas pajamas as viable alternatives for themed Christmas party wear. The sweaters are embellished with bows and frills and various form of decorations in an attempt to increases its tackiness. It has become so popular that the late night talk show host, Jimmy Fallon formed a segment around the theme called “The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters.”

    They are now trending in pop culture, fashion runways, and MTV documentaries. And this is not just limited to the United States alone. Thanks to Coin Firth and his cringe-worthy Christmas sweater from Bridget Jones’ Diary, the ugly holiday sweater has risen in popularity in the United Kingdom too.

    Naturally, more than it looks, what the cheap ugly Christmas sweater has going for – is the warm, fuzzy feeling along with the fun memories of Christmas which makes it all worthy.

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  • The best alcohol treatment centers in the US

    When battling with drug or alcohol addiction, it is essential to avail the best treatment you can afford. This article compiles some of the well-known, best alcohol rehab centers across the country:

    Addiction Solutions of Florida: It is a specialized and one of the best drug and alcohol treatment centers. It is located in South Florida. This is a private facility where they offer a tranquil environment that helps start the healing process. They also offer individual and affordable treatment options. It is a small 24-bed, male-only guest center. Treatment is done on a one-on-one basis and is completely personalized. The clients are not left alone. They can opt to also go home with their solutions facilitator to help them integrate into the community again.

    Hawaii Island Recovery: It is an 8-bed, luxury alcohol rehab and treatment facility located in Hawaii. The staff includes highly trained and licensed professionals. They utilize evidence-based treatment protocols and treat patients dealing with opiate, opioid, alcohol, cocaine, and many other illicit substance abuse. They also treat behavioral addictions for food, sex, pornography, and gambling. They encourage and support AA and NA fellowship.

    Sober College: This rehab is for young adults, aged from 18 to 26. This is a long-term treatment facility which provides an academic experience with comprehensive drug and alcohol addiction treatment. The college has a dual purpose addressing every part of the young adult’s life. The youngsters are given individual attention. They accept health insurance plans; programs are gender specific and designed for young adults.

    APEX Recovery Rehab: They offer a holistic and psychological approach to treat addiction. The addiction treatment programs consist of yoga, meditation, dietician counseling, physical fitness, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and much more.

    Northeast Addictions Treatment Center: This is a private treatment center located in New England. With a highly qualified and professional team, this center stands tall.

    Broadway Treatment Center: Based out of Huntington Beach, it has the highest standards of addiction treatment. They have designed their program to help clients to recover from drug and alcohol addiction by providing daily support and treatment. Clients are supervised 24 hours and have programs for male and females.

    Indiana Center for Recovery: Located in Indiana, they are bang in the center of luxurious addiction treatment centers. Here, they make sure that you spend your time to focus on recovery. They have a five-pronged approach physical fitness, mentally sound, emotionally mature, socially responsible, and spiritually resilient.

    Arrow Passage Recovery: This is a small, intimate facility that offers luxurious treatment facilities to their clientele. They have medical detox to Residential Treatment services and have all levels of outpatient care. This is a secluded mansion-style home providing comfort, elegance, and a friendly staff. The clinical team is skilled with a minimum of Masters Degrees and licensed professionals.

    The Ranch at Clear Springs: They offer full service care beginning with medical detox, residential care, and outpatient care.  The Ranch has one of the finest treatment facilities in the country.

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  • Smartphone Reviews On The Latest Devices

    Smartphone companies keep changing the models and enhance the features and add the new features which make them better every year. Let us try to understand what are the different smartphones that are available on the market. Let’s do a smartphone review based on the options available with reference to features, design, and price. There are many reviews that are available online that one can check and then make an informed decision.

    The iPhone X has grabbed the best performer award for the year 2017. The features such as Face ID and the edge-edge display give this smartphone an edge over all the other smartphones. This smartphone has bigger and best display when compared to all the other iPhone. There are some disadvantages for iPhone X such as the notch in the camera notch which makes it difficult to concentrate when watching videos.

    iPhone X is released after the release of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus and the price of the iPhone X is around $1000 which raised a question whether the iPhone X smartphone is worth the price? But the answer came as yes from millions of reviewers. The reason being that the iPhone X is the first iPhone which has an OLED display. This screen display is better than the LCD display in iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus as there is depth in the color display.

    When it comes to smartphones, there are many changes in shapes and sizes, especially the Android smartphones. The LG smartphones and Samsung smartphones are designed to be comparatively taller and narrower. These smartphones have much larger screen sizes when compared to the earlier models.

    The screens of the smartphones are getting bigger in size when compared to the earlier models. The screen of the Samsung Galaxy 8 is 5.8-inches. But there are various screen sizes of Android phones from 4.6 up to 6 inches. The smartphone with the biggest screen is the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with the maximum screen size of 6.3″.

    As the smartphone devices are manufactured by various companies, the features and sizes of Android smartphones differ from device to device. For an excellent Google experience, Google Pixel device is the best as the Google upgrades are applied to these devices first.

    The most advanced operating system i.e., Android 8.0 Oreo is available only on Google’s Pixel smartphones and on Sony’s XZ1and XZ1 Compact smartphones. LG, Motorola, and Samsung are planning on launching this operating system on their devices soon.

    It is better to buy smartphones with the operating system of 7.0 Nougat as the security flaws in these smartphones are much lesser when compared to the smartphones with 6.0 Nougat. Most of the phones are bound to a single carrier or service provider. But there are many smartphones available in the market that are unlocked and it does not mean that thousands of dollars have to be spent on these unlocked smartphones.

    The unlocked smartphones are available at around $100, but the best smartphones with high-end features are available at $250 and above. The smartphones from the Pixel, Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, the Motorola, and the LG V30 work can support all the four major service providers. The unlocked smartphones from other companies are compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile etc.

    AT&T is the service provider which supports more unlocked smartphones than any other service providers.  AT&T is the carrier which is considered the fastest and more widespread all over the country when compared to other service providers.

    AT&T is the service provider which is always compatible with other GSM networks. This made the AT&T the carrier which supports the higher number of smartphones. AT&T is the one which supported the first iPhone and various other Windows phones. Many of the devices manufactured by various smartphone companies are supported and compatible with AT&T.

    So, when it comes to smartphone reviews, the size of the smartphone screen is getting bigger while some devices such as Sony Xperia maintain the smaller size screens and concentrate more on the features. The unlocked smartphone devices are available in huge quantities in the market which is a very good change as the smartphone device can be used with the service provider of the customer’s choice. You can slo look upt to various reviews online before buying a particular smartphone.

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  • Here’s how BMI for women is different from that of men

    What exactly is a BMI?
    In simple words, it’s an indicator. It’s an index that tells you whether you have a healthy body weight or not. BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is a measure of predicting the risk of heart diseases and diabetes. It’s an empirical method to calculate the relationship between body weight and height. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an unhealthy BMI is a major risk factor for cardiovascular ailments including stroke, along with joint problems like osteoarthritis, and even cancer. In simple words, as person’s risk of certain diseases increases with the increase of his or her BMI.

    How to calculate BMI?
    Calculating your BMI is not a rocket science. The Body Mass Index calculation is weight in kg divided by height in meters squared. There are several BMI calculators on the Internet that tells you your BMI free of cost. So, how would you know if your BMI is on the healthy side of the spectrum or not? If you’re less than 18.5, then you’re in the underweight category. Being underweight is not good for your health. You may lack stamina and immunity, which may lead to several health complications in the future. It’s extremely important to maintain a healthy weight. Try and include more protein in your diet. Also, try to change your lifestyle by eating healthy and engaging in activities that improve health.

    There are three main sections of the BMI spectrum, that people fall into. One may be underweight, overweight, or obese. And, based on the demographic that you belong to, you may be asked to make changes in your diet or your lifestyle. Even after you come into a normal safe zone, make sure you keep monitoring your diet and lifestyle, to ensure that you don’t slip back into the underweight or obese categories.

    How is BMI for women different from men?
    This is a common question that people ask. In most cases, the BMI calculator for a man isn’t different from that of women. However, the method of calculating BMI for women should be different from men. Women tend to have more fatty tissues while men have a higher muscular weight. This is one factor that you need to consider when comparing the BMI for men and women.
    A BMI is not just an indicator of weight. It’s an indicator of discipline. Although it’s important to look and feel comfortable, it’s also important that we stay healthy. Indulging in a carefree lifestyle maybe exhilarating at first, but it comes at a price. Which is why it’s extremely crucial to make sure our lifestyle is managed in such a way that our body weight balances out our metabolism.

    At the end, it’s all about maintaining a healthy BMI. Work towards a healthy routine that involves good food and physical activities.

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  • Six amazing benefits of feeding canned foods to cats

    Food for Feline has become a controversial topic with juxtaposing opinions supporting both Canned edibles and dry kibbles alike. Most veterinarians, however, have started recommending a diet that consists solely of best-canned food for cats instead of dry kibble. Here are some reasons that indicate why Canned food is a better choice than dry kibble that we tend to feed our cats with:

    • Carbohydrate rich is not cat fit
      Wild varieties of cat sustain by consuming 8-10 small meals composed of high protein and low carbohydrate constituents. This is because cats cannot sustain a carbohydrate-heavy diet. The metabolism in cats is adapted to utilize protein and fat for energy. The dry kibble available in the market is a direct opposition to the food wild cats eat as it is carbohydrate-rich. The carbohydrate content of the food helps it to remain in pellet form but contributes immensely to its obesity. Whereas, some of the best-canned food for cats have the adequate amount of carbohydrates need.
    • Dry food can dehydrate your cat
      The water content in the dry kibble is too low for cats. On the other hand, best-canned food for cats is suitable for all kinds of cats. However, it might take some time for your pet cat to get used to it in the beginning. For cats who have been fed on dry kibble for quite some time in their lives may shy away from seeing canned food. They may not perceive it as food in the first place. Cats can resist consuming water until they are up to 3% dehydrated. Consuming only dry kibbles provides the animal with only half the moisture as compared to a cat eating only canned food. Such chronic dehydration may lead to problems like kidney disease, bladder disease (crystals, stones, FUS, FLUTD, cystitis). You will have to introduce the Wet Canned food subtly and gradually over a period.
    • Dry food can lead to unhealthy cats
      Research findings have claimed that cats lack the metabolic pathway for processing carbohydrates. The cats can digest and utilize a few carbs. However, the excess of carbs gets turned into body fat. This can be a cause of rising rate of feline diabetes. Thus, the dry kibble can be responsible for various medical conditions in cats as opposed to a healthier diet option which is offered by some of the best-canned food for cats.
    • Adding water to dry cat food is not prudent
      Adding a serving of water and milk to cat food is not a prudent option when it comes to balancing the hydration levels of your cat food. There are bacteria on the surface of the dry food, adding moisture can result in massive bacterial growth eventually resulting in a very upset tummy for the animal unlike some of the best-canned food for cats that are wet and safe to be consumed by cats.
    • To avert obesity in pet cats
      A strong meat stench or the fat flavor attracts the cat into eating the feed. Various pet food manufacturers make efforts transform starch-based dry foods attractive for cats. They sometimes coat the kibbles with fat or with “animal digest,” a powder made of chemically or enzymatically digested animal by-products. This leaves us with cats who overeat, not because of hunger, but because of the taste of the food offered and it becomes difficult for them to stop. However, if cats consume wet canned food, there are lesser chances of obesity.
    • Cutting out chances of allergies
      Pet Food manufacturers use processes that involve the use of high heat. This high temperature used to make dry kibbles can damage the proteins in the food. The unnatural forms if these highly processed foods may trigger immune responses that can lead to food allergies and inflammatory bowel disease. This is one of the main reasons why pet parents need to opt for best-canned food for cats over dry options available.
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  • Causes and prevention of arthritis

    Arthritis is an inflammation that occurs in the joints of bones in any part of the body. It is a series of symptoms that happen together that result in arthritis. It is the most common problem among the elderly, but it may affect any age group. Arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability in America. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, and over 50 million people have some kind of arthritis.

    Causes of arthritis
    There is no specific cause for this disease. The causes vary according to the type of arthritis. Any joint injury may lead to arthritis. Also, malfunction of the immune system, metabolism disorder, infection and inheritance may also lead to arthritis.

    Different kinds of arthritis
    The most common types of Arthritis that affect most people are listed below.

    Osteoarthritis: It is a degenerative joint disease which involves all joints i.e. cartilage, underlying bones and ligaments. It causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. A recent study shows that in America, 26.9 million adults are suffering from osteoarthritis.
    Infectious arthritis When a bacteria, virus, or fungus enters into joints and causes inflammation, it is called infectious arthritis. A disease like gonorrhoea or hepatitis C can infect the joint.

    Psoriatic arthritis: In the US, it is a common kind of arthritis. In most cases, adults between the age group of 30 – 50 are prone to this kind of arthritis. It is a joint problem, which often occurs with a skin condition called psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis not only causes joint pain, but also can cause death.

    Fibromyalgia: This kind of arthritis mainly affects the middle-aged people. In America, more than five million adults suffer from this kind of arthritis. It causes joint pain, sleep disturbance, psychological distress, and widespread pain all over the body.
    Diagnosis:

    For proper treatment, you must consult an orthopaedic doctor. He/she would examine your past and present medical history and may give you some pathology tests like complete blood count (CBC), Joint X-ray, bone scan, electrocardiogram (ECG), thyroid function tests, uric acid urine, uric acid blood, etc. Once the doctor has completed your diagnosis, he may prescribe medications. There are numerous drugs now available in the market to treat different kinds of arthritis. However, there are a few preventive measures that would give better relief.

    Some preventive measures for arthritis have been listed below.
    Maintaining a healthy weight
    Getting quality sleep
    Exercising regularly
    Staying active
    Protecting joints from stress
    Taking a healthy balanced diet with lots of green vegetables and antioxidants

    Arthritis is becoming quite common, and it not only disturbs your physical health, but also your mental peace. More than 43% adults and more than 30,000 children are being diagnosed with this disease every year. A considerable percentage of the affected are women.

    Though arthritis is dreaded for the pain it causes, the trauma due to the pain can be managed very well with a combination of medications and lifestyle changes.

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  • The Pros And Cons Of Investment With Banks And Financial Institutions

    Almost everyone wants to retire young and rich. That’s why most people want to start investing so that they get a high return on the money that they have. This lets the money to continue to flow in. You can choose banks or financial institutions for this purpose. Here are some of the pros and cons of investing in conventional methods like Bank fixed deposits, versus financial institute mutual funds.

    Fixed Deposits

    Fixed deposit is an investment plan where you invest a sum of money in a bank for a set period (tenure) with a specific rate of interest. This is one of the most common investment approaches with banks.
    Pros:
    Low risk
    The safest investment with a bank is a fixed deposit. It gives steady growth and provides maximum security to your principal amount.
    Assurance
    When you open a fixed deposit, the interest rate is predetermined and remains the same throughout the term. This means that the growth of your principal isn’t subject to any other influencing factors.
    Tax benefits
    You can get tax benefits when you start a fixed deposit. Your taxable amount will be deducted according to the deposit you’ve made.

    Cons:
    Lower earnings
    When compared to other investment plans, these have a very low rate of return. Although it’s risk-free, the earnings are mediocre at best.
    The effect of inflation
    When compared to inflation, FDs don’t offer returns good enough to beat the inflation. They’re just a decent investment that offers security at most.
    Taxable
    In spite of having tax benefits, FDs don’t entirely save tax. The returns you get after maturity are taxable. This means you won’t get the full benefit of your investment. That’s a major drawback.
    Low liquidity
    FDs come with a lock-in period. This takes away flexibility in your investments.
    A premature withdrawal has two side effects. First, you’ll be charged a fee for pre-closure. Second, the interest rate reduces. Both are losses that should be avoided.

    Mutual Funds
    Stock or equity is the ownership of shares in a company or business.
    Pros :
    Highest returns
    From all investments option, equity/stocks are the best when it comes to returns. If invested properly, the average returns ranges from 12-15%. Some good investors can even reach numbers of up to 20%.
    Liquidity
    Another advantage with stock investment is that you can withdraw your money anytime you want.
    This flexibility works better in the long run since it lets you keep control of your money.
    Tax-free Dividend
    Many companies give regular dividends on stocks. That’s a great way to generate an alternate income. The best part is that is that it’s not taxable.

    Defeat Inflation

    With returns being high, stocks are a great option to beat inflation significantly.
    Cons:
    Highest Risk
    Equity is the least secure investment you can make. With some strategic planning and proper management, this can be avoided to an extent.
    Reallocation
    Equity funds don’t perform all that well when you leave them to mature like FDs and PFs. They need to be monitored regularly.
    According to market fluctuation, certain funds might not perform well. In those times, you should reallocate these funds to a more profitable organisation. This isn’t easy and needs you to monitor the market regularly.

    Whether you’re investing with banks or financial institution, both have their own merits and demerits. You should take a call based on your current status and financial goals that you’ve set.

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  • Accessories You Can Buy For Your Baby Boy

    For every new parent, one of the things they look forward to is dressing up babies. Some parents as soon as they find out their bundle of joy is on the way, they start planning the outfits. With the overwhelming number of choices and types it’s difficult for the new parents to choose from the variety. It may cause some choice paralysis and maybe a little stressful as well, but researching about it and having a plan is the best cure for these early worries. If you are the parent who wants to be prepared and plan in advance, here are some of the baby boy’s apparel and accessories that you are mostly likely to have for your cute little one.

    Sleepwear

    Most of the babies and infants sleep most of the time. Its an important decision of buying the best, comfortable, and even cute sets of pajamas and other sleepwear. It needs to be cozy and comfortable as well as really cute. Such clothes are perfect for any weather. Such cozy sleepwear helps your baby sleep with all the comfort and you can catch a few hours of peace as well.

    Outfits for outdoor activities

    For the daring and outgoing parents, hunting outfits is fun. There are swimwear outfits like trunks and rash guards which are the most popular choices these days. For any outdoor activities that you plan for your baby boy, pair it with the special clothes that are perfect for the activity and look cute as well.

    Accessories

    Some eye-catching accessories would be perfect to complete the apparel collection of your baby boy. Great add-on’s to outfits like gloves, shoes, hats, socks, etc. serve a double purpose. Accessories are not just some fancy add-ons but also necessities. They not only complete the look of your baby’s boy outfit but also provide additional protection against various elements that surround them. A choice that parents just love these days are boots and booties. Apparel and accessories just make your baby look more cute than ever before.

    Onesie

    A top choice for parents all over the world when it comes to apparel and accessories is this baby boy outfit. In many different styles and varieties of rompers and overalls. These one piece baby boy clothes can come in long or short sleeves, cuts just below their cute bottoms or full body. Being one of the most comfortable dress for your baby boy and it’s an efficient and easy way to dress your baby as well.

    Formalwear

    Have you seen any apparel and accessories that looks cute on a baby boy than a full tux. Though some of the kids are really fussy about wearing these types of clothes for a long time, it might be a bit issue. While your babies are wearing their formalwear ensemble, you don’t have to worry as these options not only look amazing but are very comfortable to wear.

    Layered clothing

    One of the most important baby clothes for boys are layers. To help keep baby boys warm in wet and cold weather, these clothes are a perfect choice. Some best examples of great layered clothing are jackets, sweaters, vests, hoodies, and even snow pants. For babies that are too young, one coat and one sweater is enough as you have to take babies out of the house anyway.

    Dressing for the season

    Those who thought that dressing for the season is just for fashion forward adults have never seen seasonal wear for babies. Whichever is the season or however is the weather, maybe warm or cold or hot, you can have the perfect apparel and accessories that are particularly designed for your baby to wear in that season.

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