The first tip of any travel guru is to book tickets and hotel stay as early as possible, to get a good deal. However, with the internet literally throwing offers and discounts at you, it may seem just as easy to plan a last minute holiday. While yes, it is possible to plan a last minute budget holiday, here are a few mistakes you should be beware of when planning a quick getaway.

Taking a holiday during the peak season
Whether it’s the beach or the hills you’re heading to, each place has a peak season and an offseason. Typically, when everyone heads to the beach, the hills are quiet and vice versa. Thus, if you’re planning a last minute holiday, don’t go where everyone else is headed. Visiting a place during the offseason helps you get better hotel and flight rates, and also gives you a chance to explore the place at your own pace.

Booking your stay just on a recommendation
When booking a hotel, don’t make your choice on merely one person’s recommendation. Understand that many factors could influence a person’s experience at a hotel including, when they stayed there, the company they had, the occasion if any that was being celebrated etc. Instead look at online reviews and take a more balanced view.

Flying on the weekend
The weekend is the most expensive time of the week to fly in. If you’re planning a last minute holiday, try starting it midweek so as to avail of lower air fares. In most cases, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to fly. When you’re looking at long distance flights, picking connecting flights may work out cheaper than a nonstop flight. However, this is an option that must be looked at only if you are taking a long holiday.

Making an inflexible plan
Flexibility is important for planning a budget holiday. From your travel dates to your itinerary, keeping things flexible can help you budget better and keep you calmer when things don’t go as planned. Don’t pack every day with a hundred things to do, instead leave time for exploring the place or simply relax.

Spending too much on accommodation
When it comes to late deals holidays, hotel costs typically take up a large part of your budget. While you do want to stay at a place that is comfortable and secure, indulging in an expensive hotel will keep you from enjoying other aspects of your holiday like experiences with local food or entertainment. If you are a few friends traveling together, you could look at service apartments instead of a hotel.

Get taken in by promotions
The moment you start searching for air tickets you will be snowed under by offers and discounts. While these may seem tempting to take up instantly, pay attention to the details and what all is offered in the package. Instead of random promotions, becoming a part of a loyalty program could be more beneficial to keeping your holiday within your budget.

Ever wondered how a car engine looks like? The hood of your car secures the main machine, and the jumble of wires with metal can be overwhelming, especially for the uninitiated. However, the engine is the reason why your car can be driven around, and it is great to have knowledge about the car engines. Moreover, if you are buying a new car, understanding engines will help you make an informed choice. Here are the different types of car engines.

Inline engine – In an inline car engine, the cylinders are arranged in a line. The cylinders are mounted one behind another and are placed in the upward direction. This is a common configuration that is used across several types of cars as it is more compact and fuel efficient. An inline engine is popularly employed in hatchback cars.

V engine – In a V car engine, the cylinders and pistons are aligned in a ‘V’ position. The two plans run in a shape that appears to be a ‘V’ from the top. The engines are shaped in the design to add to its functionality. The weight of the engine is reduced, and the length is shorter as compared to the inline engines.

W car engines – The W engine can be credited to Volkswagen as the car company employs this engine type for commercial use. The W engines use the principle that is not very different from the V engines. In a W engine, the cylinders appear as if they are squished together as they are placed closely in one block. Most car manufacturers steer away from using the W engine. However, it is notably used in cars like the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley Mulsanne.

OPOC engine – OPOC car engines are built with two cylinders at the two ends. The engine is devoid of valves and is different from the more conventionally built car engines. OPOC engines are smaller in size and also have a low bearing load. The fictions felt with these types of engines is lesser and the high power makes them a preferred choice for many vehicles.

The cylinder arrangement can help in identifying the type of engine fitted inside a car. The type of engine will greatly impact the efficiency of the vehicle. All the above engine types demand a different set of maintenance rules and a mechanic can help you sort out any further doubts.

Most of us are preoccupied with our busy work schedule. Social and professional gathering makes it difficult to balance your love life. Speed dating is a boon for people who are unable to make time for dating. It is a process in which single people find the opportunity to meet prospective romantic matches based on their preferences and interests. Speed dating or match dating is an event that involves a couple of minutes of face-to-face sessions that help you find the best match in a short span of time. You can also opt for various mature dating apps if you are looking for singles who are 40 years and above.

Here are some tips that will help you with speed or match dating.

Research your options
There is a plethora of dating services that you will find on the internet- online Christian dating, Asian dating, senior dating, travel dating, millionaire dating, and even divorced dating. Make sure which online dating service you are getting into before selecting the right dating service.

Dress up
Speed dating might be a group event but that does not mean that it is not an actual date. So, it is important that you make good first impressions through your appearance. How you carry yourself socially says a lot about your personality, which can be of great help when speed dating.

Show up early
Reach 10 to 15 minutes early to get comfortable with the ambiance. This will give you time to mingle around with singles arrived at the venue.

Reset yourself
If you have been through a breakup or a divorce, give yourself some time to reset so that you can go to speed or match dating with an open mind. Give your current date an opportunity to know you and take interest in knowing them at the same time. Engage in good and healthy conversations.

Have fun
Speed dating is supposed to be fun, have fun, and relax with your “speedster” and avoid making serious conversations. Trying to know about your date’s personal life and history is a red flag. It may come across too desperate, and you might appear to be trying too hard. Be sure to convey positive energy and smile. Avoid looking tensed. Irrespective of what type of date you are on, millionaire dating, divorce dating, travel dating etc, there is nothing wrong with teasing your date. It helps to ease up the atmosphere and break the ice, which would make your date more comfortable and interested in you.

Windows 8 is one of the most stable operating systems developed by Microsoft. When compared to Windows 7 there are major improvements in performance, capabilities, and security. If you’ve had to download Windows 7 but are now looking for the perfect upgrade, then Windows 8 is the one for you. What makes Windows 8 stand out is that it is designed to take advantage of touch screens.

Comparing Windows 8 To Windows 7

• Windows 8 has a faster startup time in comparison to windows 7. Windows 8 starts twice as fast as Windows 7.
• Windows 8 supports both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures.
• The start screen in Windows 8 has live tiles that constantly keep updating.
• Search engines like Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome perform faster on Windows 8.
• Upgrading your system to Windows 8 ensures that you have a longer battery life.
• Recovering data is very easy. The Push Button Reset returns your PC to factory settings without losing any data.
• Windows 8 has a modern and simple User Interface.
• Windows 8 gives users many new apps to explore. These apps display relevant information on their Start screen tiles, something that was not available in Windows 7.
• Windows 8 has faster Wi-Fi reconnect time.
• With Windows 8, SkyDrive is accessible to any app that wants to use it.
• The minimum system requirements for Windows 8 are slightly higher than those of Windows 7.

Update To Windows 8 Pro

• The Windows 8 Pro update was made to suit your business needs. With Windows 8 pro you get Remote Desktop connections, Windows Server domain, Encrypting File System, Hyper-V, Virtual Hard Disk Booting, Group Policy, BitLocker and BitLocker To Go.

Update To Windows 8.1

• With the Windows 8.1 update, the minimum system requirements for Windows was reduced. You can now install Windows 8.1 on devices with as little as 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.
• This update lets you run Metro-style apps inside desktop windows. The revised Start menu combines the app listing in the first column with a second that will display app tiles. With this update, you can uninstall multiple apps at once unlike in Windows 8 where you had to uninstall each app one at a time. Windows 8.1 supports advanced technologies such as Miracast streaming, Wi-Fi Direct, high-aresolution displays, and 3D printing.
• The Windows 8 has made touchscreen computing a reality. Most of us look forward to technology integrating into our lives seamlessly. Just this additional feature offered by Windows 8 is enough to make the upgrade. If you are already tied to Microsoft’s ecosystem, then hesitate no more to make the jump.

RockAuto is an online trader for auto parts; this is a family business run by two automotive engineers since 1999. RockAuto has received commendable reviews from their customers. Their credibility is also because of their two distinct goals that include listing all available items and product specifications on RockAuto.com that are not just what is stocked by one store or known by one salesperson and making auto parts affordable. RockAuto has auto parts that are easy to get from the comfort of your home. You could just select the specific auto part you would require from the RockAuto website and check its availability. Once you place your order, RockAuto will ship it to you.

RockAuto is indeed true to their word and customers really appreciate this. RockAuto sources their parts for even cars manufactured before 1998 and gets these sources from their tie-ups with different auto parts sellers. Their shipping is also available to customers all around the world.

The RockAuto website for auto parts lists a lot of details about various products, and the best part is that they have cataloged each part according to the brand, vehicle mode, year of making, etc. With the RockAuto auto parts website, checking for car parts has now become easier.

You simply have to open their website, click on part catalog, pick the brand and the country of manufacturing, or cars made before 1998. Once you have selected all of these categories, a list of products will be made available to you. Moreover, under the car type, you will find a listing of the engine models since some models need a different part as compared to its counterparts. You can also pick the type of part that you require such as belt drive, body, drivetrain, electrical, etc. or if you already know what you are looking for, then all you have to do is search the number of the part and you can get it delivered directly. However, if you do not find the exact part, then you can always find a compatible one from their exclusive page for universal tools and parts.

RockAuto parts is the one-stop shop for your auto needs.

Sexual conditions or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) generally affect a person through sexual contact. STDs are caused by bacteria, parasites, or viruses, which mainly enter the body through semen, blood, or other bodily fluids. They can enter the body non-sexually too; for instance, an affected person’s blood is used during a transfusion or if they share a needle with a person who has any form of STD. Herein, we discuss the various symptoms of a few sexual conditions.

Symptoms
STDs may have a range of symptoms or no signs at all. It mainly depends on the type of STD one may have. Here is a list of some common forms of sexual conditions and their symptoms.

• Chlamydia
  It is a bacterial infection that affects the genital tract. The symptoms may start to show a few weeks after the exposure. The most common symptoms include painful urination, abdominal pain, discharge from the penis, pain during intercourse for women, and testicular pain.
• Gonorrhea
  This is another bacterial infection that affects the genital tract, mouth, eyes, throat, and anus. Sometimes, the symptoms may take 10 days to show, or even months. The common symptoms of gonorrhea are thick or bloody discharge from the vagina or penis, burning sensation or pain during urination, heavy menstrual bleeding, swollen testicles that pains, painful bowel movements, and anal itching.
• Trichomoniasis
  Also referred to as Trichomonas vaginalis, this condition is caused due to a one-celled parasite. It occurs if one has intercourse with an infected person. It often does not cause any kind of symptom, and even if it does then that may take up to a month. The symptoms include clear, yellowish, white, or greenish vaginal discharge, discharge from the penis, strong vaginal odor, vaginal irritation or itching, itching inside the penis, pain during intercourse, and painful urination.
• HIV
  It is one of the most serious sexual conditions and it is caused by a virus that makes the immune system weaker. HIV can lead to AIDS, which is a life-threatening disease. The beginning stage of HIV does not have any clear symptoms. The main symptoms a patient may experience are fever, headache, sore throat, swollen lymph glands, rash, and fatigue. As these are common symptoms of many other medical conditions, they may get ignored. The best way of detecting this disease early is by getting tested. During the later stages of the disease, one may experience other more serious symptoms including diarrhea, weight loss, fever, cough, and breathing difficulties.

Causes

Sexual conditions have different causes. They can be a result of certain viruses like human papillomavirus, HIV, and genital herpes. Sexual diseases may also be caused by parasites like trichomoniasis and bacteria like gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis. These spread during sexual activities. There are a few STDs that may occur without any sexual contact, including hepatitis A, B, and C; viruses; Giardia intestinalis; and shigella.

Risk factors

The risk factors for STDs include unprotected sex, having multiple partners, a history of STI, sharing needles, and blood transfusion.

The best way to avoid sexual conditions is to go for regular STD/STI screenings. As many of these diseases do not show any early signs, only the screening can diagnose them early.