Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people across the globe.
Did you know Christmas wasn’t always celebrated on December 25th? Get the whole story behind the holiday. Here is an interesting video about Bet You Didn’t Know: Christmas
Christmas desserts. How could we forget Christmas food, below is a video on how to make a Gingerbread House, one of the quintessential desserts.
Christmas carols – Christmas is incomplete without carols. So, here is an evergreen carol from
Kelly Clarkson – Silent Night ft. Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire
Thanksgiving reflections remind us that gratitude is timeless…”
Thanksgiving Traditions Beyond the Feast
Thanksgiving reflections through song and gratitude — discover timeless traditions and meaning.”
Thanksgiving song overlay with a gratitude theme”
On the occasion of Thanksgiving, I came across this wonderful video, which I would like to share with you.
Don Moen’s ‘Thank You Lord’- A great man of God, a blessed worship leader, and a gifted songwriter. Don Moen performs “Thank You Lord” from his live performance.
Social Media Week (SMW) was held in Mumbai from November 16 to 20, 2015. I was invited by Blogadda to attend Day 4 sessions of #SMWMumbai. It was at IMDI. Social Media Week (SMW) was one of the hyper-social week-long festivals in the country. This event focuses on digital, social & innovation. The overarching theme for this SMW Mumbai 2015 is – ‘Upwardly Mobile: The Rise of Connected Class’. SMW was happening in three cities simultaneously – Mumbai, Chicago & Santiago.
SMW Mumbai was hosted byR SQUARE Consultinga marketing firm focusing on building Communities through Brand Properties and executing Marketing Communication strategies for Clients through Events & Activations, Digital Marketing & Technology and Creative Services. For more visitwww.rsquareconsulting.net
The first session for the day was ‘Come, Plan, Go’ –travel workshop. Ansoo Gupta started off by saying that “Travel is our best teacher. It opens up your mind. The world is an oyster.”
She focussed on how you can travel the world on a limited budget (budget travel). There are many kinds of travellers one who are on a shoe-string budget and the other who travels the world in a private jet. She also differentiated between a traveller and a tourist. A tourist is one who travels a planned itinerary whereas a traveller does not have a set itinerary but makes one of his own through locals and exploring new places.
Travel workshop in progress with Ansoo Gupta
Another aspect that was spoken about was group travel vs solo travel. Solo travel makes a difference. It allows you to slow down and connect with the environment. The magic happens when you leave your comfort zone.
Planning your trip. See the tips below:
Where to go?
Bucket list
-Budget
-Duration
-Season
-Events
-Interests
Visa
Once you fill up the visa form on your own. Then you will be able to handle Visa process on your own. It is said that if you need to learn, do it 3 times so that you become a master in it.
Air travel (Resources)- The following are few mobile apps that shall help you in planning your trip
Skyscanner
Kayak/Ixigo
Expedia
Cleartrip
Seat Guru
Flyertalk
Stay–
Resources on stay
Hostelworld
Airbnb
Couchsurfing
Onenightstay
Hospitality world
Globalfreeloaders
Wwwoof- Worldwide opportunities for organic farms
How I got ‘free stays’ and friends for life
Few other tips
-Get a railway pass eg. Eurail
– Standard Indian License works everywhere. You do not need an international license.
-Use GPS
-Don’t use SLR. Take a mobile phone as it is light to carry and improved camera features are available.
-Turn off mobile data on the smart phone as it is expensive abroad.
-Lots of places have Free WiFi access, so make use of it.
Memberships–
-Youth hostels of India
-International Student Card
-YMCA/YWCA
-Iskon
-Thorntree (Ask specific questions in relation to your travel here)
Discounts
Rail passes
RTW tickets
Bus tickets
Local SIM cards
Currency –ATM
Biggest saving- Avoid buying souvenirs
Safety emergencies: Here are a few emergencies while travelling abroad that you should prepare yourself for:
-Lost passport
-Lost money
-Street food
-Medical
-Women travelling alone
To conclude, here are quick tips while planning your next trip
