#Online Hotel Booking In Barcelona

[elisysd]

Eyes Open

Cruel Summer Masterlist

Losing Julia in the paddock

Every lesson forms a new scar

Julia was six now and knew her way inside and out a paddock. But still, Lyanna and Charles were reluctant at the idea of letting her wander alone. The family was off to Silverstone to cheer on Charles. It was Julia’s first time on the English soil and she was excited. She had already gone to Monza, Barcelona, Monaco obviously (she went there each year) and Spa but never had she been to Silverstone and she was excited. Especially when she knew that it was one of her dad’s favourite track.

They had taken the private jet along with her godfather and godmother but also at her big disappointment with the Verstappen. Since that fateful accident in kindergarten, time had passed and rivalry ended. Between Charles and Max. Not between Ethan and Julia. They still hated each other and were not missing an occasion to make it known. Both families were used to it and were not even trying to say anything. As long as they were not physically fighting and no bones were broken, it was fine.

“Hi Joolsie!” waved Ethan, when he saw her getting in the plane closely followed by her mom.

Joolsie was the nickname Ethan found her. It came when they were both younger and it stuck when Ethan understood that it annoyed her. She rolled her eyes, not bothering to say anything back and took her seat, near the window and right beside Pierre as Lyanna went to Kika and Kat who were a little away in the plane.

“Where’s your dad Ju’?” asked Pierre.

“He said that he had an urgent phone call to make.”

She pulled from her backpack a book. She was still trying to learn how to read and wanted to know how to before Ethan. It was her biggest objective and she was giving her all to achieve it as soon as possible. And it was like that for everything. Everything was a good excuse to turn it into a challenge. Lyanna often said that her daughter inherited from Charles her competitiveness. And Charles was proud.

Finally her dad showed up and took place in front of her, after shaking hands with Max and ruffling playfully Ethan’s hair. Julia, noticing the scene, snorted and ignored her dad when he kissed the top of her head.

“What’s wrong princess?”

“You are making friend with the enemy, daddy.”

“Oh come on, sweetheart.”

She shrugged not bothering to answer and Charles looked at Lyanna who was watching the scene from afar, smiling. It was going to be a long flight. They landed two hours later and made their way to the hotel. Julia was going to share the bedroom with her parents and she could not be happier. It was not everyday it was happening and at home there was a strict policy of not coming into her parents room when the door was closed. When she had questioned her mommy about why she couldn’t go there when they were inside, she had told her that they needed to spend some alone time. Julia didn’t understand why but she knew better than to keep on insisting.

On Thursday, as Charles was out all day to give interviews and filming content with Ferrari’s media team, Lyanna had taken Julia to London to do some shopping. It would be a girl day, something Julia was excited about. It didn’t happen a lot between school and her mom work. Lyanna had paused her career after getting the Oscar, she wanted to spend time with her daughter away from everything and she wanted to see her grow up. She felt like she had accomplished everything that she could and with the success the movie had and the solicitations it became overwhelming for her. She had then decided to do a break to pursue online studies in business. She really wanted to set up an agency that would help young artists, mostly women and actresses, to not fall into weird traps and to accompany them on a mental health side, something she cared a lot about. Charles was supporting her at 100% and even suggested that it could later on be extended to women in sport.

The two Leclerc girls spend their day from shops to shops until their feet were hurting and they decided to go buy ice creams and settle in a park to cool off. When they finally got back to the hotel, shopping bags in their hands, Charles was already there and waiting for them.

“How was your day with your mum, Ju’?”

“So cool! I have a new dress daddy! Do you want to see it!”

“Is that even a question? Of course, princess!”

Julia took the bag and ran to the bathroom to put it on.

“How are you doing? I hope she didn’t tire you out too much.” ask Charles as Lyanna was sitting on his lap.

“She has a lot of energy but we had fun.”

The Friday, it’s Julia who insisted on going with her dad to the paddock. Lyanna was not sure she would have fun and thought they could do some more exploring in London but Julia really wanted to see the cars and the track. And Charles had told her that later, if they could he would take the bike and ride together along the track so Julia could understand better what her daddy could feeling while driving. Julia was so excited that Lyanna had to watch her very carefully if she didn’t want to loose the little girl.

On their way to the hospitality, they encountered Sarah, Mick’s wife and Romy who was just turning five years old. Mick’s was driving for Audi and was doing a pretty decent job always managing to stay in the points. After everything he had been through Lyanna was happy for him. Charles as well, he really like Mick. They didn’t live close to each other, the Schumacher living in Switzerland but whenever they could they would always try their best to organise dinner, especially since Julia and Romy were getting along very well. Julia didn’t have a lot of friends so it was making her parents happy that she had found someone that she could play with, even if they were not seeing each other a lot.

Saturday went well for Charles, managing a P5. It was not the result he hoped for, obviously but the season was not going that great and he tried his best to see the positive side of things. Julia was disappointed for her dad and almost cried when she understood that it would not be in front tomorrow. Charles tried his best to explain to her that it was okay and that he would try his best to go snatch a podium. For Julia.

Sunday was busy. Lyanna and Charles were holding firmly Julia’s hands to be sure she was not leaving their side. There were so many people, so many VIPs too and so many activities that if they were not careful, it would be easy to loose her. Charles wanted to get his family in the Ferrari garage as soon as he could so they would be safe and away from the crowd. As soon as they stepped in Charles put noise cancelling headphones on Julia's ears and he went straight to his room to change himself.

“Mommy, can I go see grandpa Fred?”

“Sure Ju’ but you stay with him and when he tells you to come back to me, you come back to me. Copy?”

“Copy!”

Lyanna took the opportunity to go talk to Arthur who was there too. Arthur were not racing anymore, preferring to focus on mentoring younger kids rather than trying to force his way into F1. They spent a while talking until Charles came back, ready to go into his car. He went up to Fred who was showing graphs to Julia who was intently listening. He kissed her forehead and Julia stopped watching to throw her hands around her dad’s waist.

“I love you daddy.”

“I love you too, princess.”

He then went to Lyanna, squeezing her waist as she threw her arms around his neck to kiss him.

“Be fast. Come back to me. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

As the race was about to start, Lyanna search for Julia and panic rushed over her when she saw that she was not there anymore. She alerted Arthur who tried to reassure her by saying that she could not be far away and that he was going to help her search for her. They spent an hour running around the paddock asking everyone if they had seen Julia. Tears were falling down on Lyanna’s face until a voice called out for them.

On their right, coming from the Audi’s garage, Sebastian Vettel was coming towards them with the little girl in his arms.

“Julia!” Lyanna ran to her. “Don’t run away ever again like that okay? I was so scared!”

“Sorry mummy. there was a man with a Ferrari shirt that was working on something and he went away and I wanted to see what he was doing and I followed him and I lost him and I didn’t know how to come back and I got lost.”

“You’re lucky , I recognised her only because she was wearing Charles number and she is his spiting image.”

“Thank you so much, Seb. Really.”

Needless to say that Julia never had been scolded this hard in her entire short life. Charles ended up on the third place of the podium and he was so happy that Lyanna didn’t want to tell him about his daughter shenanigans. And Julia was happy too. Seeing her dad on the podium, she clapped her hands as loud as she could. She was on Arthur’s shoulders so she could have a clear view on the podium and so that Charles could see her straight away. After the celebrations (and a well deserve shower) they all get back to the hotel. As Charles was taking care of his daughter was helping her get ready to bed he asked her how she had found the weekend.

“So cool! I learned a lot of stuff about cars.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes! I want to help people make cars when I’m older. I want to help you have a very fast car.”

“That’s very nice, princess. But before, time to bed.”

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taglist

@zendayabelova @purplephantomwolf @ru-kru @dakotali @blueflorals @aundercover @ruleroftheuniverse @fangirlika @writerscurse @elijahmikaelsonbitch @leclerc13 @karmabyfernando @stargaryenx @pitlanebabe @boiohboii @reengard @shikshinkwon@smoooothoperator

[pr1ncemax]

things to do when ur stuck in bed, but u have a phone! pt2!

Morpheus 

NASA @ Home!

Virtual visits

-Oceangraphic 

-Faces of Frida Kahlo 

-National Art Gallery 

-New York

-OIL 

-Armchair Travel

-Paris Catacombs 

-Winchester House ($)

-Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation

-Rijksmuseum

-British Museum 

-Musée d’Orsay, Paris

-barnes foundation

-The Broad 

-Uffizi

-National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

-MASP - Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand

-National Gallery of Victoria 

-Museo Frida Kahlo

-Picasso

-Broken Relationships

Live Cams of fun stuff! ( Kinda makes u feel like a spy) 

-Northern Lights 

-Shedd Aquarium

-Fred Hotel

-Aspen

-Portola

-Resort Cams 

-Las Vegas

-Pandas

-San Diego Zoo

-Melbourne Zoo

-Smithsonian Zoo

-Africam

-WHALE

VR/360 views of cool stuff! 

Harry potter ride! (Without supporting JKR)

Cherry blossoms! 

Google Map Cities!  (Recommended cities below)

-Paris from Sacré-Coeur

-London from The Shard

-Barcelona from Turó de la Rovira

-Hong Kong from Lion Rock

-Jaipur from Nahargarh Fort

-Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

-New York City from Top of the Rock

-Chicago from 875 North Michigan Avenue

-Singapore from OCBC Skyway

-Cape Town from Table Mountain

-Lisbon from Cristo Rei

-Los Angeles from Griffith Observatory

-Naples from Castel Sant’Elmo

-Rio de Janeiro from Sugarloaf Mountain

Learn Japanese! X / X / X / X / X

AIRBnB Experiences! X / X / X / X 

Learn about hawai’i! 

Art is where the home is! 

The Show Must go onLINE - watch Shakespeare plays thru zoom! 

Watch a concert from 2019! 

No? How about from 1986? 

7 day free trial to see Met opera , or to broadwayhd

Murakami’s 'personal record collection' ( 280+ hours) 

Word Ladders! Anagrams! Hidden Objects!  

Daily spot the difference! 

Pick a book that takes place in every country! 

Learn Korean With BTS or Find a new artist to listen too

Funny Wildlife photos 

The Pano Awards

Learn about drones

Online escape rooms! 

-Hogwarts Digital Escape Room

-365 Escape Games

-Crazy Games

[charlotteswebbbbb]

What’s the vibe? #57

News:

Matchesfashion has gone into administration and they’ve also cut their workforce by half. So Farfetch sold, Net-A-Porter looking for a buyer, MyTheresa and SSense doing okay I assume?

What are the jobs of the future? Where is truly safe from risk? No where but here are some suggestions for jobs always needed: health/care, food, agriculture, public transportation, engineering, artists, craftspeople. Will expand upon this later on with more research but this is something to chew on.

Miu Miu is in my eyes, now, a brand for women of all ages, a brand that plays with the idea of youth and intellect and I guess customers really like it. From BOF this weekend….

“Prada Group released [its annual report] yesterday, with an eye-popping 82 percent uptick in Q4 sales at Miu Miu, the main driver of growth is ready-to-wear, up 24 percent year over year, and up 64 percent versus 2021, compared to 3 percent and 25 percent growth in leather goods, respectively.”

What was also great was the ideal Miu Miu customer walking the runway….Meet Dr Qin Huilan

The post continues on: "Therefore, I also want to encourage everyone who is confused at a certain point, never give up on your dreams! Before the age of 70, I only cared about my patients as a doctor. Who would have thought that at the age of 70, I would be standing here on the runway today? Come on! Look! This is Paris! Look! This is miumiu’s runway! Look! This is 70-year-old Qin. #miumiu"

Living the "brand values" as they say.

Thread of thought: Kate Middleton conspiracy theories > lack of trust in British society > interpersonal relationships - "do we even believe each other?" > I'll see it to believe it culture > low hope? during an election year. Feels like the slog but I also feel like this is why people are latching onto these theories so quickly. But the photoshop was terrible and honestly, the news agencies killing the photo does not bode well for the family regardless of outcome.

In the theatre:

Bluets @ Royal Theatre (Fri 17 May - Sat 29 Jun 2024)

Slave Play (29 June - 21 September 2024) - sort of controversial but will be hyped and seen.

Person of the Week:

Fromm Studio - 3D artists, Vince Ibay and Jessica Miller, located in London (Barcelona also). They also just had an exhibition at Mother (@downstairsatmother) which finished 3rd March.

Reading List:

Really interesting as the guy who ran it said he wanted to quit because of the "enshittification" of the internet?

from the ft article!!!

"But in case you want to be more precise, let’s examine how enshittification works. It’s a three-stage process: first, platforms are good to their users. Then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers. Finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, there is a fourth stage: they die."

also

[taxi-bambino]

Choosing the Right Family Taxi with Car Seat in Spain: Expert Tips

Travelling with children in Spain, whether for a holiday or daily routines, requires careful planning, especially when it comes to transportation. Choosing the right family taxi that offers car seats is crucial for your child’s safety and your peace of mind. Here’s a guide with expert tips on how to make the best choice.

1. Understand the Legal Requirements

Spain has strict laws regarding child car seats, and it’s important to be aware of them before booking a taxi. Children under 135 cm in height must use an appropriate child restraint system. The type of car seat required depends on the child’s age, weight, and height:

Group 0/0+: For infants up to 13 kg, rear-facing seats are mandatory.

Group 1: For children between 9-18 kg, forward-facing seats with a harness are used.

Group 2/3: For children between 15-36 kg, booster seats with or without a backrest are used. Ensure that the taxi service you choose complies with these regulations and provides the appropriate car seat for your child’s needs.

2. Research Taxi Services Specialising in Family Transport

Not all taxi services in Spain are equipped to provide child car seats. Look for services that specialise in family transportation, as they are more likely to offer a variety of car seats and understand the importance of correct installation. Companies like Taxi Bambino in Madrid and Barcelona, for example, offer this specialised service. Additionally, some ride-hailing apps, such as Uber and Cabify, may have options for requesting a vehicle with a car seat, but it’s essential to check availability in your specific area.

3. Check for Safety and Comfort

Safety is paramount, but comfort is also important, especially on longer journeys. When choosing a taxi service, inquire about the condition and quality of their car seats. Ask if the seats are regularly maintained and meet European safety standards (ECE R44/04 or the newer i-Size R129). Also, consider the comfort features, such as padding and reclining options, to ensure your child is both safe and comfortable during the trip.

4. Book in Advance

Family taxis with car seats are in high demand, especially in tourist-heavy areas like Madrid, Barcelona, and the Costa del Sol. It’s advisable to book your taxi in advance to ensure availability. When booking, clearly specify the type of car seat you need, including the age, weight, and height of your child. This will help the taxi service prepare the correct seat and avoid any last-minute issues.

5. Consider the Cost

While some taxi services in Spain offer car seats at no extra cost, others may charge a fee. It’s important to factor this into your budget. Compare prices among different providers and check if the cost includes the installation of the car seat. Remember, the cheapest option isn’t always the best, especially when it comes to your child’s safety.

6. Read Reviews and Seek Recommendations

Before booking, read reviews from other parents who have used the service. Their experiences can provide valuable insights into the reliability and quality of the taxi service. Online platforms like TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and parenting forums can be useful resources. Additionally, ask for recommendations from local residents or hotel staff, as they might know the most reliable family-friendly taxi services in the area.

7. Plan for Emergencies

It’s always good to have a backup plan in case your booked taxi is delayed or doesn’t meet your expectations. Familiarise yourself with the contact details of alternative family taxi services in the area. Also, keep a portable child safety seat in case you need to use a standard taxi without prior booking.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Are child car seats mandatory in all taxis in Spain?Yes, child car seats are mandatory in Spain for children under 135 cm in height. However, in some cities, taxis are exempt from this rule for short urban trips, but it's always safer to use a car seat.

2. How can I ensure the taxi service provides the correct car seat?When booking, provide detailed information about your child’s age, weight, and height. Confirm with the taxi service that they have the correct car seat and inquire about their experience in installing it correctly.

3. Can I bring my own car seat when using a taxi in Spain?Yes, you can bring your own car seat, and many parents prefer this to ensure the seat meets their safety and comfort standards. However, make sure the taxi is compatible with your seat, especially in terms of the seat belt system.

4. Are there any ride-hailing apps that offer taxis with car seats in Spain?Yes, some ride-hailing apps like Uber and Cabify offer the option to request a vehicle with a car seat in certain cities. However, availability may vary, so it’s important to check the app’s options in your specific location.

Conclusion

Choosing the right family taxi with a car seat Spain requires careful planning, research, and communication with the service provider. By understanding the legal requirements, researching specialised services, and prioritising safety and comfort, you can ensure a smooth and safe journey for your family.

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[mayakshethra]

Discover the World with Our Expert Travel Agency

Travel has a unique way of opening our minds and hearts to the vast, diverse world we live in. It allows us to experience new cultures, meet interesting people, and create memories that last a lifetime. However, planning a trip can be overwhelming, with endless details to consider. This is where our expert travel agency comes in, transforming your travel dreams into reality with ease and precision best travel agency in kochi

Why Choose a Travel Agency?

In the age of the internet, you might wonder why you should use a travel agency when you can book everything online. While it’s true that online booking platforms offer a plethora of options, they can also be a double-edged sword. The sheer volume of information can be confusing, and it’s hard to know if you’re really getting the best deal or the most suitable itinerary for your needs. Here’s how our travel agency stands out:

Personalized Service: We believe that travel should be a reflection of your personal interests and desires. Our travel experts take the time to understand your preferences, budget, and expectations. Whether you’re an adventurer seeking thrill, a couple looking for a romantic getaway, or a family in need of a fun-filled vacation, we tailor our services to meet your unique needs.

Expert Knowledge: Our team comprises seasoned travelers and industry professionals who have firsthand experience in various destinations worldwide. They stay updated with the latest travel trends, safety protocols, and destination-specific information, ensuring you get the most current and relevant advice.

Time-Saving Convenience: Planning a trip involves countless hours of research and coordination. Our travel agents handle everything, from booking flights and accommodations to arranging tours and activities. This saves you valuable time and spares you the stress of planning.

Access to Exclusive Deals: Thanks to our established relationships with airlines, hotels, and tour operators, we can offer you deals and discounts that aren’t available to the general public. We strive to provide you with the best value for your money.

24/7 Support: Travel can be unpredictable, with potential issues such as flight cancellations, lost luggage, or sudden changes in plans. Our agency offers round-the-clock support to assist you in resolving any problems promptly, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey.

Top Destinations to Explore

Our travel agency specializes in curating trips to some of the most sought-after destinations around the globe. Here are a few highlights:

European Escapades: Europe’s rich history, diverse cultures, and stunning landscapes make it a perennial favorite. Explore the romantic streets of Paris, the historic landmarks of Rome, the vibrant nightlife of Barcelona, or the scenic beauty of the Swiss Alps.

Asian Adventures: From the bustling markets of Bangkok to the serene temples of Kyoto, Asia offers a fascinating blend of old and new. Experience the majestic Great Wall of China, the tranquil beaches of Bali, or the futuristic skyline of Singapore.

African Safaris: Africa’s wildlife and natural beauty are unparalleled. Embark on a safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, witness the majestic Victoria Falls, or explore the vibrant culture and history of Morocco.

American Journeys: The Americas offer a vast array of experiences. Discover the natural wonders of the Grand Canyon, the cultural melting pot of New York City, the pristine beaches of the Caribbean, or the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.

Oceanic Wonders: Oceania’s unique landscapes and friendly locals make it a must-visit. Dive into the Great Barrier Reef, explore the fjords of New Zealand, or relax on the idyllic beaches of Fiji.

Customized Travel Experiences

At our travel agency, we pride ourselves on offering customized travel experiences that cater to your specific interests. Here are a few examples:

Adventure Travel: For thrill-seekers, we offer packages that include activities like hiking, scuba diving, skiing, and wildlife safaris. Whether you want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or dive in the Maldives, we’ve got you covered.

Cultural Tours: Immerse yourself in the local culture with tours that highlight the history, art, and traditions of your destination. Visit ancient ruins, attend traditional festivals, and savor authentic cuisine.

Luxury Vacations: Indulge in the finer things in life with our luxury travel packages. Stay in five-star hotels, enjoy private tours, and relax in world-class spas. We ensure every aspect of your trip exudes elegance and comfort.

Family Trips: Traveling with family requires special considerations. We create family-friendly itineraries that include activities and accommodations suitable for all ages, ensuring a fun and stress-free vacation.

Honeymoons and Romantic Getaways: Celebrate your love with a romantic escape to a dreamy destination. Whether it’s a secluded beach resort, a cozy mountain lodge, or a vibrant city known for its romance, we make your honeymoon unforgettable.

Your Journey Begins HereTravel is more than just visiting new places; it’s about experiencing the world in a way that enriches your life. Our expert travel agency is dedicated to making your travel dreams come true, providing you with personalized service, expert advice, and seamless planning. Discover the world with us and embark on a journey that will leave you with lasting memories and a newfound appreciation for the beauty and diversity of our planet. Let us handle the details, so you can focus on enjoying the adventure best travel agency in alappuzha

[europeas20]

Ultimate One Day Tour Guide: Explore Barcelona's Top Attractions

#VisitBarcelona #BarcelonaTravel #BarcelonaHostels #ExploreBarcelona #BarcelonaAdventure #BudgetTravelBarcelona #BarcelonaVacation #BackpackersBarcelona #AffordableBarcelona #DiscoverBarcelona Morning: - Start your day with a visit to La Sagrada Familia, one of the most famous landmarks in Barcelona. This iconic basilica was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi and is still under construction, with an estimated completion date of 2026. - After your visit to La Sagrada Familia, head to Park Güell, another of Gaudi's masterpieces. This park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features colorful mosaics, unique architecture, and stunning views of the city.

Lunch: - For lunch, head to the Barceloneta neighborhood and try some authentic seafood at one of the local restaurants. Barceloneta is known for its fresh seafood, and you can find plenty of great options along the beachfront. Afternoon: - After lunch, take a stroll along La Rambla, Barcelona's famous pedestrian street. This bustling street is lined with shops, restaurants, and street performers, and is a great place to people-watch and soak up the atmosphere. - From La Rambla, head to the Gothic Quarter, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Barcelona. This area is full of narrow streets, beautiful architecture, and hidden squares. Be sure to visit the Cathedral of Barcelona and the Plaça del Rei while you're there. - Finish off your day with a visit to the Picasso Museum, which features a large collection of works by the famous artist, including many from his early years. -

Evening: - For dinner, head to the El Raval neighborhood and try some tapas at one of the many bars and restaurants in the area. El Raval is known for its lively nightlife and eclectic mix of cultures, and is a great place to experience a different side of Barcelona. - After dinner, take a walk along the beachfront and enjoy the sea breeze before calling it a night. Of course, this is just one possible itinerary, and there are many other things to see and do in Barcelona. But hopefully, this gives you a good starting point for planning your own one-day tour of the city. Enjoy your trip!

Hotels and Hostels Booking.com is available in 43 languages and offers more than 28 million reported accommodation listings, including over 6.6 million homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay. TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel guidance platform. With more than 1 billion reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, and book experiences. Klook is a booking platform on which travelers can book hotels, cars, tours and activities, tickets to attractions, and shows at great prices. Hotellook is a service that helps you find and compare prices on hotels around the world, provided by a leading reservation system. Today, Hotellook.com offered to put together information on more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries. Hostelworld, the global hostel-focused online booking platform, inspires passionate travelers to see the world, meet new people, and come back with extraordinary stories to tell. Hostelworld has more than 13 million reviews across over 17,000 hostels in more than 179 countries, making the brand the leading online hub for social travel. Tours and excursions WeGoTrip is an online service for booking audio excursions and tours on 35+ countries on different languages (mostly english). Travelers can take audio excursions created by professional tour guides and local experts. Tiqets’ innovative technology ensures that travelers can book tickets on their phone at the last minute, receive their tickets directly in a digital form, and show their mobile phones in place of physical tickets to museums, places of interest, and attractions. Offers available passes in Europe and the US. Car Rental You can find the best car rental prices at QEEQ.COM. QEEQ.COM serves road trip travellers from different countries by working with car rental companies all over the world. The company offers its customers the widest set of car rental options and always strives to offer the most competitive price. Read the full article

[bookingtwosblog]

When it comes to booking hotels and flights, convenience and affordability are key. With a plethora of online platforms and travel agencies available, finding the best deals can be overwhelming. However, by leveraging comparison websites, loyalty programs, and booking apps, travelers can secure competitive prices and exclusive offers. Additionally, flexibility with travel dates and destinations can lead to significant savings. Keeping an eye out for flash sales and last-minute deals can also result in great discounts. Ultimately, thorough research and strategic planning are essential for maximizing value when booking hotels and flights.

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For details: Bookingtwo.com

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#HotelBooking #LuxuryGetaway #TravelGoals #Staycation #VacationMode #BestHotels #ExploreTheWorld #HotelLife #DreamDestination #BookYourStay

#luxuryhotel #Barcelona #Mediterraneanview #5star #travelinstyle #Flightreservation

#Hotelreservation

#Flightbooking

#Hotelbooking

[travelbookingnow]

#travelbookingnow

Escape to the vibrant rhythm of Spain for an unforgettable three-week adventure. Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Spanish culture, indulge in delectable cuisine, explore mesmerizing historical sites, and bask in the warmth of the Mediterranean sun. From the buzzing streets of Barcelona to the enchanting alleys of Seville, let Spain captivate your senses and leave an indelible mark on your soul. Join us on this immersive journey and discover the true essence of Spain, one week at a time.

[legendarypostdaze]

best place to stay in Barcelona Fundamentals Explained

Discovering the Best Accommodations: A Comprehensive Guide

Finding the best hotels in Barcelona can be a thrilling adventure. With the city's vibrant culture, choosing the best place to stay in Barcelona requires careful planning. Many hotels in Barcelona offer unique experiences, blending historical charm with modern amenities. Budget-conscious travelers can find cheap hotels in Barcelona that don't compromise on quality. Luxury, 5 star hotels in Barcelona provide world-class services and facilities. Seeking out Barcelona hotel deals can lead to significant savings. In conclusion, the city's hospitality embraces all, ensuring a memorable stay.

Finding The Perfect Barcelona Stay: A Guide to Selecting Top Accommodations

When looking at hotels in Barcelona, consider location as well as price. Downtown hotels in Barcelona are ideal for those keen to explore the city's landmarks. On the other hand, quieter neighborhoods offer a more relaxed atmosphere. Special deals on cheap hotels in Barcelona can be found during off-peak seasons. However, booking 5 star hotels in Barcelona requires early reservations for the best rates. The best hotels in Barcelona often feature exquisite views, superb service, and luxurious amenities. To secure the best Barcelona hotel deals, it's advisable to compare prices online. Also, reviews can Find more info assist in the right choice. The best place to stay in Barcelona depends on individual preferences and budget. In the end, Barcelona offers something for everyone.

[earaercircular]

The company that turns coffee grounds into mushrooms

The Catalan company Noah Ecoliving is committed to the regeneration of waste and the circular economy with a cultivation kit to obtain edible mushrooms at home.

After failing with several business projects, success came to Eduardo Iglesias (born in Lleida/Lerida (E), 34 years old) through his ecological approach and the fact that he is a coffee consumer; two facets that he shares with his partner and partner, Cristina Sánchez, 30 years old. In December they launched the company Noah Ecoliving[1] to produce mushrooms grown on coffee grounds, and have already achieved meteoric commercial results by almost tripling their initial investment of €30,000. The business plan plans to reach three million in turnover by 2025. "The commercial impact has been very rapid," says the Barcelona-based businessman.

The company opened two lines of business. The first, with the collection of coffee grinds in cafeterias and restaurants to create an ideal substrate where healthy mushrooms suitable for food grow. The bags of substrate are inoculated with the spores of the fungus that are stored under special conditions of temperature and humidity. After a few weeks they have obtained the well-known oyster or pearl oyster mushroom that they sell as a fresh product to hotels, supermarkets and food stores.

The other line focuses on the online sale of a "growing kit" to produce mushrooms at home. The recycled and biodegradable plastic container contains about five kilos of coffee grounds, and its price is 15.45 euros. The idea has didactic purposes and its dissemination on social networks has made it easier for the company to give workshops in schools.

Noah Ecoliving now adds a new challenge: to give a second life to the old shipping containers (thousands of them being abandoned) to grow their mushrooms in them. "With this recycling proposal we want to present an alternative to the use of plastic greenhouses and convert hundreds of debris into something useful, positive and circular," adds Iglesias, who even plans to reuse these structures for his offices.

The business is a circular economy prototype focused on the creation of added value from the regeneration of waste, such as coffee, to reduce the unbridled extraction of natural resources. For every 1,000 kilos of waste that is not disposed of as garbage, there is an estimated saving of 138 kilos of CO2. "A consumption habit that will minimize the emission of greenhouse gases, one of the biggest challenges on the planet," explains Iglesias, who highlights the pillars of his business philosophy: "Commercial and informative spirit, creating value, because we don't just sell mushrooms , but sustainability”. His source of inspiration was a book, The Blue Economy, the work of Belgian entrepreneur Gunter Pauli. He then trained in Serbia with the microbiologist Ivanka Milenkovic[2], ending up in the Netherlands, where he learned the master formulas of the pioneers of the business.

This business model has already been awarded by the University of Barcelona, the Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy Foundation, the Tarragona Provincial Council and by the Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy[3]. The kit for growing at home will be presented at the next edition of the ExpoEbre de Tortosa multi-sector fair[4], to which Iglesias has been invited to tell about his business adventure.

Source

Elisa Lois, La empresa que convierte el poso del café en setas, in: El País, 4-5-2023,  https://elpais.com/economia/negocios/2023-05-04/la-empresa-que-convierte-el-poso-del-cafe-en-setas.html

[1] Noah Ecoliving is a proposal for a more sustainable life, it is an invitation to become aware and be as intelligent as nature, because there is no waste in it. In nature, what is waste for one person is treasure for another. An invitation to take action for sustainable transformation, the Eco-Change. https://noahecoliving.com/sobre-nosotros/

[2] Company EKOFUNGI owned by Ivanka Milenkovic is granted in March 2014, the annual prize for the best innovative technology in Serbia. Ivanka is honoured by Success flower recognition in 2014, for the innovative approach in her company EKOFUNGI. A permanent know-how transfer is arranged.

[3] CETT is the leading higher education school in Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy, an affiliated center of the University of Barcelona. https://www.cett.es/en/about-cett/about-cett/cett-ub

[4] Expoebre is the annual multi-sector fair of the city of Tortosa, which this 2023 celebrates its 77th edition from April 28 to May 1. A spring fair that offers four days to experience and discover the latest technological innovations, robotics, renewable energies, sustainability... and a meeting point for the different industrial sectors of Tortosa and the Terres de l'Ebre, such as the 'automotive, agriculture, livestock or services. https://www.firatortosa.cat/

[awesomeforever]

By The New York TimesSept. 9, 2022 After a haywire summer of flight cancellations and delays, travelers remain eager to roam, returning to familiar hot spots like New York, Europe and the Caribbean. Here’s what they can expect this season. Flying has been maddeningly unpredictable. Airline and hotel prices remain high. And inflation has forced many people to cut back on appliances and new clothes. Delayed vacations, conventions and weddings have led to booked resorts and hotels, creating a sort of seasonal drift that has forced travelers to pay summer prices for fall trips. Still, more than 60 percent of Americans said they plan to travel this fall, compared with 54 percent of respondents last year, according to TripAdvisor, the travel site, which surveyed 2,700 would-be travelers across six countries about their plans this season. And 66 percent of those respondents said that they planned to spend more money traveling this fall than they did last year, said Brian Hoyt, a spokesman for TripAdvisor. “Travel is not going to be one of those things that they pull back on,” Mr. Hoyt said. “They’re still going to travel even knowing that they’re going to spend more than the year before.” Some are willing to splurge on flights to Italy and Turks and Caicos and excursions like ATV tours of the Mojave Desert in Nevada. Others are paying to clean up beaches in Barcelona or help restore coral reefs in the Caribbean, vacations crafted as “nature positive tourism.” How much will you spend if you travel this fall? It depends. Cruise deals are still plentiful, but hotel prices are stubbornly expensive. Airline tickets, while cheaper than this summer, are still higher than they were before the pandemic. And don’t expect the cancellations and delays that infuriated travelers in recent months to stop anytime soon. “While things have improved since early summer, airline cancellations are still going to be a factor for fall travel,” said Eric Jones, co-founder of The Vacationer, an online travel guide. What else can you expect this fall? Cancellations. Lost luggage. Flight delays and endless waits for customer service. Even the official in charge of regulating civilian aviation in the United States hasn’t avoided the chaos. “Airlines need to step up their game,” said Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary, who faced multiple cancellations and delays this summer. Still, he’s optimistic that flying will improve this fall. “I do think that a better situation is within reach,” he said. Airline executives, labor unions and industry analysts agree: Fall travel should be better than summer travel. They do not agree on how much better. But most concur that the issues that must be addressed, include: not enough staff, too many cancellations and delays, problems with refunds and terrible customer service. On the question of whether airlines have enough staff, Airlines for America, a trade organization representing seven major U.S. carriers, says yes, they do. “This summer, carriers have proactively adjusted their staffing models to ensure they are adequately staffed for each flight,” a spokeswoman wrote in an email. Union leaders agree that staffing is adequate, but only on “blue sky days,” the term Gary Peterson, the international vice president of the Transport Workers Union of America, which represents more than 70,000 airline workers, uses for those 24-hour periods when nature works in airlines’ favor. “But when weather hits, they don’t have enough reserves,” he said. “I believe airlines have taken steps to make things better, but it’s fragile,” said Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-C. W. A., the largest flight attendants’ union. Even before the pandemic, staffing for roles ranging from pilot to wheelchair handler was stretched thin, she said. In order to minimize the ripple effect when something goes wrong, it’s critical to maintain

staffing above the Federal Aviation Administration minimum, she added, something that has not happened for years. A second concern: Have airlines stopped selling more flights than they can handle? Or will they continue with the pandemic trend of canceling flights that they should have never scheduled? Several analysts were optimistic that the airlines had learned from their mistakes. American Airlines, for example, recently slashed 16 percent of its November flights, according to Cirium, a travel analytics company. John Grant, a senior analyst for OAG, a travel data company, noted that cancellation rates were far lower in July and August than earlier in the year. Still, the delay rate has recently hovered around 23 percent, higher than prepandemic times or last summer, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking company. The third issue: Will the refund, flight change and hotel voucher process get easier? Mr. Buttigieg is pushing forward several initiatives. One involves updating a federal policy guiding flight refunds. Under the current policy, airlines are supposed to reimburse passengers for flights that have been canceled or “significantly changed.” But carriers have long exploited ambiguity around the term. The proposal, which he will revisit in November, codifies the conditions under which refunds must be paid. Last week, the Department of Transportation launched a dashboard that Mr. Buttigieg called “a tool for transparency,” outlining the services that each airline has committed to provide when flights are altered for reasons within their control. Some analysts said that these measures are weak, particularly in contrast with Europe, where airlines must pay travelers — on top of refunds — for certain types of cancellations. Recently, more than 30 state attorneys general blasted the Department of Transportation for failing to keep up with “escalating issues” and argued that they should take over enforcement of consumer protection laws affecting travelers. Some lawmakers have also suggested that airlines should be fined for treating passengers poorly, given the billions of dollars in government pandemic aid they’ve received. Finally, there is the matter of customer service: Will Thanksgiving week be filled with nightmarish stories of unanswered calls to alter a flight or locate a lost bag? On this front, labor representatives and industry analysts agree: It’s unlikely to get better soon. Airlines see customer service as an area to slash, not grow, costs. — Heather Murphy Excepting foliage destinations and convention cities, fall has historically been a value-seeker’s season. Across the industry, many prices this year will follow the same pattern. But inflation and other pandemic-related effects mean some deals are weaker. Consider airfare. The typical seasonal decline between summer and fall fares, according to the booking app Hopper, is 10 to 15 percent. This year it is 37 percent, falling to $238 for an average domestic round-trip ticket. But that doesn’t mean fares are cheaper, only that the difference between summer and fall fares is much greater. “Fall 2022 looks very different, and the main reason is how high airfare got this summer,” said Hayley Berg, the lead economist at Hopper, noting that summer airfares were more than double 2019 rates. Airlines are also maintaining capacity cuts this fall to control costs, according to Helane Becker, a research analyst with the investment banking firm Cowen. “The lowest fares I’ve seen for fall are $59 one way and there are only a few seats available at that rate, up from $39 or $49 in the past,” Ms. Becker said. On the hotel front, travelers should expect to pay close to prepandemic rates this fall. The steady rebound of business travel is bolstering big cities and may diminish fall deals in urban areas. In the latest figures available, average daily rates nationally have climbed year-to-date to roughly $147 in July, compared

with $132 in July 2019, or nearly equal to prepandemic prices when adjusted for inflation, according to the hotel benchmarking firm STR. The firm is forecasting a continued recovery for hotels, with occupancy up five points this year over last. Popular resort destinations may be more expensive, too. Most of October remains high season at the Camden Harbour Inn in coastal Camden, Maine. But its hefty rate hike this year of more than 20 percent to an average of $688 a night in part reflects higher wages, Covid absences, and increased expenses for everything from electricity to linens. Don’t expect any steals in vacation rentals either. AirDNA, which analyzes the short-term rental market, has average fall rates outpacing fall 2021. The average October rental domestically was recently about $258 a night compared with $243 in 2021 and $195 in 2019. Rental car rates, however, will be better, but still much higher than they were before the pandemic. This fall, average rentals are 18 percent cheaper than in summer, according to Autoslash, a free service that monitors car rental bookings and flags them for rebooking when rates drop. But prices are still 52 percent higher for the period over 2019, thanks to fleet downsizing. “We don’t expect rental rates to come back down to 2019 levels anytime soon, if ever,” said Jonathan Weinberg, the founder of Autoslash. Still, fall remains a good time to ride the value of a strong dollar, trading now at parity with the euro. Among new international low-cost carriers, Norse Atlantic Airways recently started service from New York’s Kennedy International Airport to Berlin starting at $132 one way. Generally speaking, if you don’t like rates now, don’t expect them to improve. Pandemic uncertainty — including concerns over new variants and trip cancellations — have abbreviated booking windows to often just a few weeks out, meaning rates could rise dramatically in the coming month. — Elaine Glusac The popularity of ecotourism has hardly waned since the term rose to prominence a generation ago. But a new framing has emerged that puts a bigger onus on the travel industry to examine its complicated relationship with the natural world. Say hello to “nature positive tourism.” The idea is “a long overdue reinvention of ecotourism,” said Justin Francis, who advises the British government on nature and business and serves as chief executive of Responsible Travel, a travel company based in Britain. “Ecotourism was about ‘take only photos, leave only footprints’ — it was basically ‘leave no trace,’” said Mr. Francis, adding that the concept applied only to nature-based tourism, not to things like city breaks or cruises. “But when we look at the problems that we as an industry create for nature, we realize that they come from all types of tourism,” he said. “It’s not just a question of a few ecolodges getting a bit more ambitious. If we’re to be nature positive, then every part of the tourism industry needs to step up.” Scientists warn that we are in the middle of a mass extinction event. Between 1970 and 2016, the planet lost nearly 70 percent of its populations of wild mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Today, roughly one million species are threatened with extinction. Tourism contributes to all the major drivers of species loss: Developers fill in marshlands to build resorts (land use change); tourists trample fragile coral reefs (overuse); cruise ships dump waste (pollution); visitors inadvertently carry the seeds of nonnative plants into nature reserves (invasive species); and flying emits greenhouse gasses (climate change). Mr. Francis said that travel companies must understand their negative impacts. But, he added, travel — perhaps more than other sectors of the economy — can do a huge amount to support nature. Jim Sano, vice president for travel, tourism and conservation at World Wildlife Fund, noted that tourism is the biggest market-based source of funding for protected areas around the world.

He described projects in Mexico, Nepal and Namibia in which WWF has worked with travel industry partners to craft tourist experiences that support wildlife protection while also generating income for residents. “It’s creating a situation where wildlife is more valuable alive than dead,” he said. So far, more than two dozen travel companies — including Exodus Travels, Journeys With Purpose and the Adventure People, as well as the airline Virgin Atlantic — have signed a “nature positive pledge” as part of the Get Nature Positive campaign, which Mr. Francis coleads as part of his work with the British government. Several companies offer experiences that allow guests to enjoy nature while also protecting it. Rewilding Europe Travel offers wolf-tracking tours in Italy, bison-trekking trips in Romania and other experiences that support the “rewilding” of European landscapes. Responsible Travel, Mr. Francis’s company, sells trips that allow guests to support sea turtle conservation in Greece or spearfish nonnative fish off the coast of Belize. Shorter experiences are also an option. Barcelona-based Authenticitys, which has signed the “nature positive pledge,” offers one- to three-hour “social impact experiences” in 40 cities in Europe and Latin America. They classify about two dozen of those activities as “nature positive.” Elena Rodríguez Blanco, the founder of the company, said they initially wondered if people would pay to pick up trash on the beach in Barcelona (as part of a stand-up paddle boarding lesson), or to clean up a canal in Amsterdam (while taking a boat tour). But many guests have enjoyed their experiences so much that they have recommended similar activities that the company could offer in their own hometowns. “That’s actually been a big part of our growth,” Ms. Rodríguez Blanco said. “It’s really rewarding.” — Paige McClanahan After a frustrating summer, travelers trying to use mileage rewards this fall may find that their points go a long way — literally. Kyle Potter, the editor at Thrifty Traveler, a travel news website, said that when cash prices go up, it’s harder to use points or miles, as they’re either more expensive or less available. The inverse, he said, is also true: When flight prices decrease, as the travel booking platform Hopper predicts will happen to domestic flights this fall, it’s easier to use points. “The summer was really tough, whether you were paying exorbitant cash prices or trying to put some points and miles to use and getting a whole lot of errors and empty dates,” Mr. Potter said. But snagging deals may be more difficult as demand increases. According to a recent survey from Forbes Advisor, more than a quarter of Americans said they expected to pay for at least one trip using credit card rewards this year. And there’s clearly pent-up demand to spend points earned — and saved — during the pandemic. A spring 2021 survey from the personal finance site NerdWallet found that travel rewards credit-card holders had an average of nearly 65,000 points and miles banked. Before booking a points redemption, you have to know when and where to look. Several airlines, like JetBlue Airways, typically offer flash sales in the fall, to entice travelers in a traditionally quieter season. While the cash deals are often tempting, the sales usually extend to reservations made with points, including on international flights. A one-way flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Guayaquil, Ecuador, for instance, was priced at $100 or 4,600 TrueBlue points during the sale. TrueBlue is a revenue-based program, meaning the cost of award tickets is determined by the cash price of a ticket. After the sale, the price for that same route was $448, or 40,800 points. Other carriers, such as Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines, regularly offer deals on short- and medium-haul flights. Delta’s SkyMiles are considered among the easiest to earn from its co-branded credit cards, ride-share apps, transfer partners and flights.

Travelers looking for cheap, last-minute deals can find flights from New York to New Orleans, for instance, for as low as 11,000 miles round-trip. But keep in mind that deals often come with restrictions like limited dates for your travel and what fare class you’ll be in (usually the lowest). For the New York to New Orleans flight, the low cost means you’ll get no miles for the trip or credit toward elite status, seats assigned after check-in and boarding last. A full-fare seat on the same flight costs 5,000 more miles. To quickly find the best deals, travelers should look to fly from and arrive at a destination predominantly served by their preferred airline. If United Airlines is your first choice, you may want to pick a United hub as your fall travel destination, such as Newark, Chicago, Washington-Dulles or San Francisco. Travelers can book award flights on partner airlines, too. In United’s case, travelers can book award tickets on Star Alliance carriers like Turkish Airlines or Lufthansa, which offers nonstop flights between the United States and Germany. Using Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is one of the easiest ways to book flights on United Airlines, thanks to the Canadian carrier’s distance-based award chart, meaning that the number of points required to book an award is based on the distance between the origin and destination airport. Using British Airways’ Avios mileage program is one of the cheapest ways to fly short-haul domestic flights on American Airlines across the United States. Mr. Potter recommends that travelers not tie their loyalty to an airline but to transferable points programs from credit card issuers. American Express Membership Rewards points can become, for instance, Marriott Bonvoy points, while Chase points can turn into Southwest points. Travelers thinking ahead to winter 2022 and spring 2023 trips should start planning now, he said. “Now is this time to start coming up with a plan for how you want to get there,” Mr. Potter said, referring to travel destinations, “what points and miles you need to make that a possibility and start looking for those flights because they’re going to go fast.” — Victoria Walker Cities remain a go-to. So do tropical places like the Caribbean and Cancun. In 2020, travelers avoided urban centers for beach towns and national parks, where it felt like a safer place to go, said Brian Hoyt of TripAdvisor. But by last fall, Las Vegas, New York City, and Orlando had supplanted places like Key Largo, Key West and Atlantic City, which were the top three destinations for travelers in fall 2020, according to TripAdvisor. The trend is continuing: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Orlando and New York are the five most booked destinations in the United States for fall, according to Hopper, a travel booking site. For international travelers, cities like San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cancun; Mexico City; Barcelona; and Rome are in the top 10, according to Hopper. “What’s old is new again,” Mr. Hoyt said. “High-density population centers are back in vogue.” But lower-key vacations are still a draw. Ocean City, N.J., a beach town of about 11 miles south of Atlantic City, was the top trending U.S. destination this fall based on the number of nights booked, according to Airbnb. That’s part of a growing trend to extend summer. There has been a surge of interest from visitors who flock to the eight miles of beach in September and October, when the summer crowds leave and the town hosts events like an antique car show and a huge block party and fireworks show, said Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. Travelers remain eager to go to Europe, where demand for flights and hotel bookings is “on par” with 2019, said Kareem George, a travel adviser and the owner of Culture Traveler, a firm specializing in luxury trips. “Italy is the standout,” Mr. George said, “which is not a surprise because Italy always is the standout.”

London, Paris, Munich, Copenhagen and Dublin were the top cities searched by people looking to travel between Sept. 6 and Nov. 15, according to Expedia. The Amalfi coast in southern Italy and Santorini, a whitewashed Greek island in the Aegean Sea, are so popular this fall that travelers are struggling to find accommodations, said Charles Neville, a spokesman for Jayway, a boutique travel agency that specializes in European travel. People are so eager to tour these destinations they are willing to spend $600 to $700 a night for accommodations that may not justify that amount, he said. Mr. Neville said he is encouraging clients to book later in the fall when the weather is still pleasant and the crowds have abated, or to consider Sicily, Croatia and lesser known islands in Greece like Paros and Naxos. “Maybe that’s a way to have your Greek island vacation dreams come true without spending stupid amounts of money,” he said. In the Americas, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Costa Rica are seeing more passengers book trips than they did in 2019, said Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights. The countries are easy to get to and airline tickets are generally cheap — round-trip fare from nearly anywhere in the United States to Colombia was selling for about $260 in August, he said. “For a lot of folks, the trip they want to take as their first one back is fun, overseas, but not too far away,” Mr. Keyes said. That sort of ease is what Silvia Sims, a retired sales manager who lives in suburban Detroit, said she and her three friends wanted when they began planning their fall trip last May. They settled on Jamaica, where Ms. Sims, 71, has traveled nearly a dozen times since the early 1980s but had not visited since April 2019. “I’m going back to a place where I really love to visit and I feel safe,” she said. — Maria Cramer Budget travelers and the crowd-averse have long embraced the fall shoulder season, when airfares and lodging rates tended to drop and visitors could enjoy quieter hiking trails and fewer tourists around the Eiffel Tower. But flexible work, climate change and high-season hassles have pushed more travelers into fall, effectively extending summer and narrowing the bargain window ahead of the winter holidays. “I am managing hotels for the past 20 years and never seen such a rush on rooms,” said Henrik Muehle, the general manager of Flemings Mayfair in London, noting that rates are, in most cases, double 2019 prices. “Guests don’t seem bothered,” he added. Lingering consequences of the pandemic have encouraged the shift. At Little Gem Resorts on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., the rise of fall bookings includes a surge of postponed weddings. Social events and business gatherings have picked up at the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, Md., where September rates remain comparable to summer, averaging $850 to $900 a night, and won’t fall substantially until November, when they start at $340. Thanks in part to flexible work policies, business has been so good at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, in Jackson, Wyo., that the resort will forego its traditional three-week fall closure this year, and offer cycling and wolf-watching trips in Yellowstone National Park. “Guests are aspiring to be here when the crowds aren’t,” said Cory Carlson, the regional director of marketing for the resort. Seasonal drift depends on location. Vrbo, the vacation home rental agency, said fall prices still drop as much as 25 percent compared with summer in some popular beach destinations. In these climate-changing times, planning a trip around perfect weather seems futile. At Remote Lands, which specializes in Asia, bookings in Thailand in the traditional shoulder season, August through October, are up 25 percent. “Prepandemic, the thought of a rain shower was something that clients would avoid and would shift their desired location or dates,” said Catherine Heald, the co-founder and chief executive of Remote Lands.

“Now, clients understand that with climate change there is a chance that they may have blue skies throughout the stay and are ready and willing to travel.” Other travelers continue to prioritize space and untrammeled access to nature, readily found in fall. In southern France, Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa will stay open this year from November to January, when temperatures are often more comfortable than summer, rather than closing as usual. Management plans to offer seasonal activities like truffle hunting. “A lot of people are trying to experience the same thing at a much lower volume and without as many people around them,” said David Arraya, the general manager of Six Senses Ibiza off the coast of Spain, where the 2021 summer peak lasted to November. Overtourism and climate-change impacts have disrupted tourism around Yosemite National Park in Northern California. Wildfires, the need for a reservation and fewer European visitors owing, in part, to a weak euro, have depressed summer numbers this year in Mariposa County, where the park is. “Shoulder seasons are disappearing and peak seasons are not peak any longer,” said Jonathan Farrington, the executive director of Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau. “April through November is one season and December through March is shoulder season.” He attributes the shift in part to younger people who visited the park during the pandemic and discovered its appeal in the calmer but still comfortable months, when tourism is more sustainable. “If you have the ability to choose when to go outside of June, July and August,” Mr. Farrington added, “it’s the responsible thing to do.” — Elaine Glusac In early October, Jess Field, her 9-year-old daughter and husband will spend four nights in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in a hotel with a balcony overlooking crashing waves. The luxury Hyatt hotel they booked goes for more than $1,000 a night, but it will not cost her anything; she will pay only the taxes on the family’s flights from Houston. This is because Ms. Field has a system for covering vacation costs with hotel and airline points, which she acquires by opening new credit cards with stellar welcome bonuses. She is just one of many parents who will turn to points this fall. Last year, concerns about Covid were the primary reason that parents opted not to travel, according to several travel advisers. Now, as six-month-old babies are getting vaccinated, coronavirus cases are falling, restrictions are fading and inflation is driving up prices, money has become the main obstacle to booking trips, according to a study of 16,000 adults by Morning Consult, a market research company. Ms. Field, who teaches a course on leveraging credit card offers, has found that families are eager to find creative ways to cover costs. A recent survey by Vacasa, a vacation rental site, reinforced this observation, finding that people with children were significantly more likely to have fall travel plans than people without. “People want to travel, but they don’t have the budget and this allows them to have the best of both worlds,” Ms. Field said. In a recent week, around 180 students signed up for her Travel Hacking Mom course. This is more than she or her co-founders could recall enrolling during such a short period throughout the course’s four-year history. Money concerns are not the only thing that has changed. Most children must now attend in-person school. This means less flexibility for travel. And yet, several travel agents said that they have noticed the pandemic has imbued parents with more of a you-only-live-once-and-it’s-OK-to-pull-my-kid-out-of-school-for-a-vacation way of thinking. “There’s been a shift in mind-set,” said Amie O’Shaughnessy, the founder of Ciao Bambino!, a travel agency based in Sun Valley, Idaho. As to the sorts of trips that families are planning this fall, Nadia Henry, the founder of Travel with Sparkle, an agency based in West Orange, N.

J., said that interest in Europe, reunions and all-inclusive resorts continues to be strong. Ms. Field has found that many families also crave a cruise. “Parents are tired and burned out and they want to go somewhere easy,” she said. She’s also picked up on excitement about Disney’s restarting certain fall events and allowing children to hug characters once again. Gregg Kaminsky, a co-founder of R Family Vacations, based in Southampton, N.Y., observed that despite the passage of what opponents call “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida, it’s still looking as if the state will be a popular fall destination for L.G.B.T.Q. families. One difference, he notes, is that some gay and trans parents seem to be more interested in group travel, something that reminds him of the 1990s when L.G.B.T.Q. people traveled in groups for safety. Another influencing factor: Some parents are still working remotely. Among “high net-worth families” with small children, this has translated into interest in hiring a nanny who can hit the road at a moment’s notice, according to the Nanny Authority, a child care provider placement agency based in New York City. As to where families stay, the pandemic seems to have pushed many parents and grandparents toward Airbnb and VRBO, said Seth Borko, a senior research analyst at Skift, a travel trade publication. Chekitan Dev, a marketing professor at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration, said that vacation-home competition has prompted some hotel brands, such as Hilton, to finally make it easier to book connected rooms. — Heather Murphy Major cruise lines like Carnival, Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line have dropped their vaccine requirements. As of Sept. 5, passengers leaving on Royal Caribbean International from the United States on certain cruises were allowed to provide their own Covid test results, instead of one from a health professional, according to the company, which has also dropped its vaccine requirements. Lindblad Expeditions, which takes passengers to far-flung destinations like the Galápagos Islands and Antarctica, said it is keeping vaccine requirements in place but is no longer requiring booster shots. MSC Cruises, which also dropped its vaccine requirement for residents of the United States, will no longer require tests for vaccinated passengers. The changes came soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped a voluntary program through which cruises reported the vaccination status of passengers and crew and regular updates about case counts. As a result of the looser restrictions, more passengers from Europe are flying into the United States to board cruises, said Rubén A. Rodríguez, president of MSC Cruises USA. “We’ve also seen more people from the U.S. branch out and book itineraries in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, now that international travel protocols are easier to manage,” he said in a statement. It has been a boon for the cruise industry, which experienced two years of enormous losses because of the pandemic and a slow restart in June 2021. Jeremy Clubb, founder of Rainforest Cruises, which specializes in exotic riverboat and small ship cruises, said he expects the company will surpass its 2019 sales total by at least 20 percent. The winter is looking especially promising, with the number of bookings for cruises up 60 percent compared with the same time last year, he said. “It is clear that many people are growing noticeably less fearful of Covid and are eager to get traveling again,” Mr. Clubb said in an email. Don Zingale, 76, said he and his wife are planning a 45-day cruise on Oceania Cruises from Barcelona to Rome to Miami in October. Mr. Zingale, a retired university executive based in Point Richmond, Calif., said he was “very unhappy” to see the company loosen restrictions around testing and vaccines. “Letting unvaccinated people on a ship filled with older people is not the smartest thing in the world,” he said.

Still, Mr. Zingale, who estimates that he spends 100 nights on cruises a year, said the new rules would not keep him from ships, where he often enjoys luxurious amenities for “bargain prices.”“The value outweighs the risks,” he said. “It is too fun.” Deals are likely to abound throughout the season, said Colleen McDaniel, the editor in chief of Cruise Critic, a leading cruise review site. “You can cruise the Caribbean for less than $60 a night, or the Mexican Riviera for less than $80 a night,” she said. Before the pandemic, bargains on trips like that would have been under $100 a night, she said. The aggressive discounts began in late spring and continued into the summer, as late bookings and a glut of cruise ships created a situation where ships were less than 100 percent full. Travelers should take advantage of deals to take cruises to areas they might not have considered before, like Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, or Halifax and St. John in Canada, Ms. McDaniel said. They are destinations with great dining, beautiful vistas and scenic mountain trails that nevertheless “sort of slip under the radar,” she said. The discounts may not last as restrictions ease and bookings increase, however, said Ms. McDaniel. “We’re seeing more and more people getting on board ships,” she said. “People are really, really excited to get back to sailing.” — Maria Cramer 52 Places for a Changed World The 2022 list highlights places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022. Development: Gabriel GianordoliPhoto editors: Elizabeth Bristow and Phaedra Brown An earlier version of this article misstated Elena Rodríguez Blanco's title at the Barcelona-based Authenticitys company. She is the founder of the company, not a co-founder. Airports in the United States and Europe are struggling to keep up with demand. Here’s what to do if your flight is delayed or canceled. To deal with disruptions and make the journey a little easier, turn your smartphone into a travel tool. This checklist is a good way to start. A flight attendant who has been on the job for 20 years answers your questions and offers tips for avoiding flight drama and jet lag. Many airports and airlines are understaffed. If your luggage gets lost, here are your next steps. Technology can help you make traveling less of a headache. Here are some apps and tips to try. In need of a new or updated passport? Brace yourself: Options for getting one have narrowed — and it’s likely going to cost you. Wondering how to chase an elusive refund from travel operators, what to do if the airline switches up your itinerary or how to get restitution for lost luggage? Our Tripped Up columnist can answer your questions. Advertisement source

[wintasian]

Teletext holidays lanzarote

Teletext holidays lanzarote full#

Teletext holidays lanzarote full#

Protection Promise: Refund guarantee - Free cancellations with a full refund if you change your mind up to 28 days before departure. Holidays subject to availability and Booking Conditions apply. Prices apply to a 7 nights stay departing between August 2022 and October 2022 from various UK departure airports with easyJet. September, October & November holidays - 7 nights from £259pp - From prices are based on thousands of selected holidays for 2 adults sharing. Offer may be changed/withdrawn without notice. Offer applies to bookings made from Tuesday 2/8/22, travel from applicable UK airports between August and October 2022 (inclusive). The savings are shown against each package and our prices include the saving where applicable. Feel free to pay for your holiday with your debit or credit card, which stops fraudsters in their tracks with industry leading tools created to protect shoppers from data theft and fraud.Thousands of discounted holidays – Many of our hotel partners are offering easyJet holidays customers discounts from the standard hotel contract rates and we have added to some of these discounts with additional savings. Please provide your booking reference number, receipts, photos and any documentation which supports your claim.Īll online transactions are secured by Sage Pay. They will investigate the matter and provide a response within 28 days. If you have had any difficulties while on holiday, do let Teletext know within 28 days and you will receive an acknowledgment of receipt in 48 hours. If you have only forwarded a deposit, you will receive your documents and vouchers once full payment has been effected. If you have paid in full, you will receive your travel documents and vouchers in a confirmation e-mail. This small delay takes place because they need to ensure that all your requirements can be fulfilled by the suppliers. Within 48 hours, you will receive another email confirming your booking. Once you make your booking, they will send you an e-mail informing you that your reservation is being processed. Teletext is open for customer support from 8am to 9pm, Monday to Sunday and bank holidays. Teletext Holidays cover worldwide destinations, including Popular Destinations (like Egypt, Spain or Italy), the Canary Islands (Lanzarote, Tenerife, Fuerteventura etc.), Cities (Barcelona, Las Vegas, New York, etc.), Popular Resorts (Marbella, Santorini, Florida), and Exotic Getaways (to Paradisiacal destinations like the Maldives, Cape Verde, Cuba, Mexico, Mauritius and Thailand). On the website, the different types of holiday that are covered include Exclusive Offers (indicating the deals of the weak) and Far & Away (escapes for less to destinations like Dubai, Cancun, Thailand, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Orlando, etc.). The Customer Service team is ready to help you out with any queries you may have, and to ensure your holiday is as personalised as you need. In addition to bringing you great holidays, they provide handy information in the form of destination guides, travel tips and more. This means that you will never lose money or be stranded if the ATOL provider cannot fulfil their obligations after booking. Clients can feel confident when booking their holiday with Teletext Holidays all the hotels and flight deals are ATOL-protected and your money secured by the Travel Trust Association. Once you have found your preferred deal, give the friendly customer service assistants a call they can tweak the package of your choice so that your holiday is more personalised. Just go online, use the easy search options and discover the range of available options. In addition to last minute specials and discount fares, they have regular voucher codes available, so it is always possible to take a break and recharge your batteries. Whether you are after a beach holiday, cruise, city break or UK getaway, they take the hard work off your hands, finding the best possible prices on the market. Teletext Holidays has been dedicated to livening up Brits' holidays for over 20 years, with a range of affordable package holidays to dream destinations across the globe.

[fific7]

Ticket to Ride - Part 3

Billy Russo x Reader

A/N: Inspired by The Beatles song of the same name. This takes place in my S1 Punisher AU with Arrogant!Billy in attendance, in which he gets a taste of his own medicine.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content, including unprotected and oral, between consenting adults* in some chapters. Drinking and swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My photo edit)

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𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕨𝕙𝕪 𝕤𝕙𝕖'𝕤 𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙

𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕥𝕨𝕚𝕔𝕖, 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕓𝕪 𝕞𝕖

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy slammed the door of his hotel room closed behind him. He was fuming.

Damn!!! Damn, fuck, damn, fuck, fuck, fuck! He stormed across the room and threw himself onto the bed, hands linking behind his head on the pillows, glaring up at the ceiling. Apart from anything else, his male pride was injured - he was an ex-Marine for fuck’s sake! And he’d been outsmarted by a... a.. civilian!!

Lying there for a while, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. Micro couldn’t track her phone this time, and fuck knows where she was headed. Or... had she gone somewhere else? Or just moved to another location in London?

His gut told him she’d gone somewhere else. Those apartments she’d been staying in were for longer-term lets, not just one or two-night stays. Maybe she was using that as a base of operations like he would’ve done in the military. Yeah, he liked the sound of that. He sat up suddenly, taking his phone out of his pocket and opening Google Maps. He searched for Wood Wharf and when it listed up, he moved the map around with a finger and within a couple of seconds spotted what he’d been looking for - City Airport.

Billy grinned. He was back on her trail, he just knew it.

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Frank jolted awake, and after a few seconds realised that his phone was ringing. He grabbed it, screwing up his bleary eyes as he tried to read the time and who was calling. Shit, it was 1 a.m.! And it was Micro. What the hell?

He accepted the call, hearing Micro’s muffled voice saying, “Frank?” “Yeah, yeah... what’s up, Micro? And you sound like you’re underwater.” There was a slight pause and a swallowing sound, “M’eatin’ a donut. Sorry. Look, Russo’s just texted me again - this time he wants me to search for her on flights outta London City Airport. I said ok... but....” his voice trailed off.

Frank sighed. He hated this, he was stuck slap bang in the middle of all this shit between Billy, Karen and Billy’s girl.

Billy - he could kick his dumb ass for ‘messin’ around’ with Madani. Karen - he really didn’t want to upset his girl. And Billy’s girl - he felt sorry for her that she’d had to put up with Billy’s recent bad behaviour but.... he’d been so relaxed and happy since the two of them got together. So... he’d give his idiot friend a break... but only a small one.

“Yeah OK, Micro, go ahead with what he asked ya to do. Let Russo know once you got an answer for him, then you tell me. And if Karen ever asks, you didn’t call me ‘bout this till a helluva lot later this mornin’. Got it!?”

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Stepping out of the lift onto the landing of the 20th floor, you were met by a view across the harbour and a symphony in red - carpets, walls, doors.

(My Photos - Dec 2014)

The W was even better than you’d imagined, and as you reached your room and opened the door, you loved the view you got all along the beach from the big picture windows.

After you’d unpacked, you dropped a quick text to Karen just letting her know where you were, then left your room to go and have a walk around the local area, called Barceloneta according to your online guide book.

There was a cooling sea breeze, the sun was shining and you turned your face up towards it.

The W Hotel was right at the far end of the beach, and you had a pleasant stroll along it until you reached a busy street called Passeig Joan de Borbó, which ran parallel to the marina known as Port Vell. You passed several restaurants and decided that you’d have an early lunch in one of them, rather than eating at the hotel. You could have dinner or even room service there later on.

Sitting at an outside table, looking at the yachts moored at the marina, watching all the people strolling by on the wide pavement, sipping at a glass of wine.... you gave a happy sigh and relaxed back in your seat.

Billy would never find you here.

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Touching down in Barcelona, Billy watched the airport buildings rushing past as the air brakes were applied and the plane began to slow down. He was impressed with how short a flight it was from London; it was only a few hours since Micro had messaged him with the search results and he was here already.

He made his way through Passport Control and headed for the taxi rank, joining the queue and eventually being waved towards one of the waiting cars by the attendant.

Half an hour later, he was checking into the W. He felt excited, pleased, a thrill of anticipation - he’d caught up with her this time. Now all he had to do was dump his stuff in his room and stake out the lobby until she inevitably showed up.

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You’d walked up the full length of Joan de Borbó until you’d reached a new area of town called El Born. There was a lovely park - it had been built over a citadel from long ago when Barcelona had been occupied by invaders - and it was full of narrow little streets and cute artisan boutiques. Stopping for a coffee next to an old market building - the Mercat del Born - which had been converted into a cultural centre, once again you just enjoyed the sunshine and watching the world go by.

You looked around at the beautiful buildings; how lovely it would be to live in an apartment in one of these like the locals did. Most of the buildings had ‘Juliet balconies’, not especially spacious but enough to be able to step out of your apartment, maybe sit and enjoy the fresh air if you had room for a little chair. Some of the balconies had lush green plants in big ceramic pots on them, and you thought that sitting out there in amongst them would be like having your own little cocoon from the outside world.

You had a leisurely stroll through the neighbourhood, taking an interest in the small stores, tapas bars and old buildings. At the far end of the Passeig del Born you admired the huge Santa Maria del Mar, a church which your guide book told you was a fine example of Catalan Gothic. This opinion you agreed with - it was a beautiful church and you ventured inside to quietly look at its impressive yet simple interior.

You came out and turned onto Carrer Montcada, where the famous Picasso Museum was located. Not that you were going to go and check it out - your guide book had given some ‘best times to queue’ and spending time in a line of tourists was not your idea of fun - but you wanted to see if El Xampanyet, a famous tapas bar, was still open so you could have a glass of cava. Unfortunately it wasn’t, it had closed a couple of hours earlier and wouldn’t reopen for another couple. Sighing, you decided to walk along Montcada which would take you to Carrer Princesa, you could walk down it and cut round past the Mercat del Born again, back to Barceloneta and the W.

You were feeling a little peckish and the thought of some chilled cava and something to eat was really appealing.

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Billy felt his eyes slowly closing. He shook himself awake behind his newspaper, he couldn’t risk falling asleep but what with his disturbed night’s sleep and then his dash to Barcelona was making even him - an ex-Marine who could function on little or no sleep - feel really fatigued.

Sitting in one of the comfy sofas in reception for the past hour or so was not helping, the quiet hum of voices and people entering and leaving by the revolving doors was soothing him into a drowsy state. The newspaper he’d been pretending to read was in Catalan, totally impenetrable to him so he’d had to resort to just looking at the pictures, not the best at keeping his mind active.

He heard the ‘swoosh’ of the revolving door again, looked up and then froze. It was her!! He peeked round the edge of his paper.

She was heading for the lifts, looking in her bag for her keycard as she walked, she needed to swipe it so she could go up to her floor.

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The lift doors opened and you stepped inside, running your keycard over the reader and hitting the button for floor 20. The doors began to close but then suddenly sprang apart again as someone hit the Call button, and you looked up with the usual polite but disengaged smile that people give each other in lifts.

Billy Russo was looking back at you, a small smile on his face as he hit the ‘Close Doors’ button.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

She’d shrank back from him as soon as she’d realised it was him. Billy was incredibly hurt by that. He wasn’t going to harm her!!! He reached a hand out towards her but she moved even further away from him, right into the corner of the lift.

He said her name, then, “Sweetheart.... please! Just hear me out. That’s all I want to do - talk to you.” She glared at him, “Talk!! You want to talk? Ha!! And why would I want to listen to you!?” Billy grabbed her, getting her in a bear hug, kissing her hard and hungrily. He could feel her struggling in his arms but then she began to relax the tiniest little bit, so he just kept on kissing her passionately.

There was a ‘ting’ as the express lift reached its requested floor, and the doors opened onto the landing. There were two elderly ladies standing there and as Billy’s lips broke away from hers, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at them as they stared. “Ladies,” he nodded, firmly taking his girl’s arm in his and pulling her along with him as he got out of the lift.

“That’s not talking!!” she hissed at Billy.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You were towed along behind Billy until he stopped outside your door. So.... he even knew your room number. Why hadn’t Karen given you the heads-up this time? You were feeling very uneasy. Billy was on a mission, that was clear.

He’d grabbed your keycard while he was kissing you in the lift. Why hadn’t you struggled harder? Because you’d missed him, of course. You didn’t like it, but you couldn’t deny it.

Now he swiped the keycard against the reader on the door, opened it and bundled you inside, closing the door firmly behind him. He let go of your arm and strode into the room past the centre-located bed which faced the huge window and made his way over to it, looking out at the view it gave of the beaches and the city.

(My Photo - Dec 2015)

He sat on the window seat and turned towards you, “Please... let me explain. Have a seat.” Reluctantly you sat at the opposite end of the long seat, but then stood back up again. You needed a drink. Picking up the bottle of gin from the small table by the window, you walked over to the mini fridge and opened it, taking out a small bottle of tonic water before retrieving a glass from the cupboard above it. You walked over to the large unit under the wall-mounted TV and put it all down, then prepared a G&T for yourself and took a large gulp.

“Nothing for me?” asked Billy, with his best puppy-dog eyes and pout. Heaving a sigh, you went back over to the fridge and took out a bottle of Estrella Damm beer for him, popping the top off it for him. Picking up your G&T on the way back to the window seat, you handed him the beer and sat down.

He took a large swig of the beer, and began, “Sweetheart, I....” but you cut him off. “If you dare to say ‘it’s not what you think’, I’ll chop your balls off, Billy.” He winced, and you shot at him, “What’s her name?” Billy shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but again you beat him to it, “And don’t give me any bullshit. I’m not stupid.”

Billy sighed, taking another drink of his beer, “I know you’re not, sweetheart. But I swear I didn’t cheat on you, it was just about getting information.” “What. Is. Her. Name!?” you ground out. His head went down and he said, “Dinah Madani. She works for Homeland,” but not meeting your eyes. “Okay, Russo. Now we’re getting somewhere. What exactly did you get up to with Mizzz Madani?” “Nothing! I swear!” You stood up abruptly, and Billy - who’d been leaning in towards you - rocked back a bit. “Oh, fuck off Billy!” you yelled, “I can smell the guilt off you!”

You were getting angrier and angrier, “You say you wanna talk and then all you do is lie! Get out! Go on - just get out of my room!”

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Billy opened his mouth to say something placatory but seeing just how furious she looked, he decided that a tactical withdrawal was probably the sensible option.

So instead he drained his beer, stood up and began walking to the door. He stopped and turned halfway across the room, gazing at her, “But I do need to properly explain all this to you, angel. Let’s talk later, okay? Please - just give me a chance.”

She nodded, “OK. Tomorrow morning.” He walked to the door, feeling defeated, and left her room. At least she was gonna give him another shot.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The door closed behind him, and you breathed a sigh of relief. Truly, you hadn’t been sure how he was going to react when you told him to leave - Billy had a temper on him. You really didn’t think he’d physically hurt you but he always had that air of danger about him. And you’d been so angry yourself, you’d kind of lost yourself in it.

He might be dangerous, but he was a cowardly little shit when it came to telling the truth. You thought back to what he’d said - ‘Nothing, I swear’ - yeah, a likely story! He must think you were so dumb!

Picking up the room service menu, you had a brief look through it then ordered a cheeseburger and a cup of coffee. While waiting for it, you got your laptop out of your bag and opened it up.

Sorry Barcelona, I haven’t seen even half of what I’d intended to and I’d been so looking forward to exploring.

But instead, I’ve got to love you and leave you.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy stepped out of the walk-in shower wearing one of the hotel’s fluffy white dressing robes, and headed to his mini-bar. He needed another beer. And some food. He flicked through all the stuff lying out on the unit, finally finding the room service menu and ordering a steak and a coffee.

He sat on the window seat while he waited, propped up against the wall with his long legs stretched out in front of him. He was feeling guilty, uneasy and really not pleased with himself. Telling her the truth was turning out to be more difficult than he’d thought. He wondered out loud, “Why is that?” but in fact he damn well knew why. The way he’d been carrying on with Madani was wrong. Even if he’d only been intent on getting information, it was just like Frank had said - cheating - and he knew it. Even if, in Billy’s book, there was Cheating Lite and Cheating For Real, and his overstepping had only been into Lite territory. Was it really that bad?

Who was he kidding? Unsurprisingly, his girl didn’t like to share.

So one thing he knew for sure was that when - if - he ever told her the complete truth, his angel was going to be very, very unhappy with him indeed.

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You’d ordered a very early room service breakfast and after you’d eaten it while enjoying the view, your belongings were quickly stowed away and you took the lift down to the lobby. After checking out - and assuring the receptionist there was nothing wrong, you just had to leave earlier than you’d anticipated - you were on your way to the revolving door when your phone vibrated.

Karen: Billy got Micro to track you down again, sorry hon! He knows you’re in Barcelona 😳 he’ll be heading out there.

You: Yeah, he’s already here! Caught up with me yesterday evening. Agreed we’d talk this morning. But I’m in a taxi on the way to the airport 😉

Karen: 😂😂😂

Once outside, one of the guest services guys waved up a taxi from the nearby rank for you, and wished you a pleasant journey. The taxi driver asked you which terminal you were headed to, and then you were on your way.

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Barcelona

(My Photos - Dec 2019)

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@blackbirddaredevil23 @galaxyjane @omgrachwrites @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @ourloveisforthelovely @swthxrry @odetostep @supernaturalcat7 @obscurilicious @strawb3rrydr3ss @bruxa0007 @aleksanderwh0r3

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[idyoma]

The Best Ways to Learn a New Language

Some of the Best Ways to Learn a New Language

My name is Tamara and I have always been interested in languages, how people communicate and how we can interact even more by learning new languages. I was able to take an international exchange program in 2019 and I started taking this interest to a new level by learning and interacting with friends and people that I was lucky to get to know.

I continue studying and trying to learn from home and this is what inspired me to write this article to help more people achieve their language goals and share some of my favourite ways to learn a new language.

People often recognize that being multilingual is associated with career benefits, but did you know that language learning can also enhance your cognitive health? Too often, people graduate from school and leave foreign languages behind in the classroom. Yet, there are some surprising advantages to tackling language learning later in life, too.

As you learn a new language, you build up your communication skills, supercharge your brain with heightened activity in its language centers, and possibly even open yourself up to new work and travel experiences.  

Fortunately, today’s language learners have a wide range of instruction options, like Idyoma, that don’t tether them to a traditional classroom. Finding time to learn a new language outside the home can be difficult for people with full-time jobs and busy households. By learning a new language at home, you can adopt an instruction schedule that suits your time frame — and you can fit in practice when it’s most convenient for you. As you decide whether to embrace ESL or learn Japanese, Spanish, or French, keep the following information in mind to help you create a learning dynamic at home that supports your learning style. 

Best Ways to Learn a New Language

Benefits of being mulitlingual

Setting up your learning space

Top 10 tips for learning fast

Tips for teaching kids a second language

Why You Should Learn a New Language: The Benefits of Being Multilingual 

Although there are many new pastimes one might embrace — knitting or gardening, web design or data science — to fill time, learning a new language is both enjoyable and professionally useful. Today, the career marketplace is highly global.

Bilingualism and multilingualism can catapult your resume to the top of an employer’s list, especially if the company is international and relies on its multilingual staff to communicate across borders. Learning Korean or German can open up an entire range of job opportunities that you may never have thought of before. 

Of course, there are other benefits of learning a new language, too. Language learning actually enhances your mental health. As we age, our cognitive function can diminish just as our physical health can. But, language learning can reduce that cognitive decline, slowing its process as you forge new neural pathways.

When you learn a new language you can boost your ability to focus, keeping our minds alert and agile. Many people who engage in language learning report that the time they engage in the study actually improves their mood. As you focus on the enjoyment and challenge of your lessons, you’ll focus less on the stress of all things left undone, giving your mind the opportunity to recharge and rejuvenate from your usual anxieties and inner chatter.

Finally, you might opt to learn a new language so that you’ll be prepared to get out into the world and explore. Being multilingual makes you a more skillful traveler, building confidence and helping you navigate new, far-flung places for a grand travel experience. And learning a new language improves your communication skills — a core interpersonal and professional talent that’ll get you far in relationships, in business, and beyond.

 How to Set up the Ultimate Learning Space

Of course, before you start pricing hotels in Barcelona or Paris, you’ll need to begin language instruction. But before you hire a language tutor or sign up for an online class, prepare your learning space at home so that you have everything you need to support your learning goals conveniently in one area. If you have a home office, you can enlist that space to learn, but you don’t have to dedicate an entire room to your new initiative. A special niche in your bedroom, kitchen, or family room will also suffice. 

As you set up your language study area, you’ll want to ensure that it’s both quiet and comfortable. Distractions will prevent you from learning effectively. Opt for a space with good acoustics, since you’ll be doing a lot of language listening. Good lighting is important since you’ll be doing a lot of reading and writing. A desk or small table and comfortable chair are essential furnishings for your study area — but why not take your language learning space to an even more exciting level?

Whether you’ve opted to learn Hungarian or Turkish, why not set up your space with some international flair for inspiration? Add some travel posters to your wall, and keep a globe handy. Incorporate the spirit of your Spanish independent study with a Mexican blanket slung on your chair, or enhance your study of Chinese with some picturesque paper lanterns hung near your window. By creating a fun language learning space, you’ll have a special space with a retreat-like atmosphere that may very easily become your favorite place in the house.

 Top 10 Hacks to Learn a New Language

Once your study space is ready and you know what language you want to learn, it’s time to get down to business. Consider all the various applications available for learning a language at home. The following hacks will help you transform yourself into a multilingual virtuoso — or close to it! Keep them in mind as you develop your language learning goals and make your plan. 

Enroll in an online course

Formal instruction is a good option for individuals who prefer to learn a new language with a more-or-less traditional dynamic. If you’re concerned that independent study isn’t conducive to your learning style, consider this tried-and-true learning route. A formal course features highly structured lesson plans, assignment deadlines, and interaction with a teacher and classmates, albeit virtually. 

Download the app

You’ve probably seen the advertisements online for any number of language learning apps. Less formal than an online course, these apps still offer learners a rich level of instruction designed to help them progress at a clip. Apps are ideal for independent learners who don’t have time to meet consistently for an online class. 

Update your library card

Your local library system will have a wealth of materials to enhance your language-learning experience. Plan to borrow language dictionaries and picture books, novels, and even films in the language you’re learning so you can read, watch, and practice your listening skills. Check out materials in person or reserve them online and pick them up at your convenience. 

Quality earbuds, headphones, or speakers

When you’re learning to speak a new language, you need to be able to hear your learning materials clearly. A speaker that crackles or earbuds that cut in and out will compromise your learning experience. Plan to invest in quality listening devices so that you can hear instructors or your language learning app with crystal clarity. 

Use flashcards

Flashcards work for kids, and they will still work for you, too. In fact, if you have kids, you might want to enlist their help — invite them to quiz you on your German verbs after you quiz them on their multiplication facts. You can also find flashcard apps for literally any language you want to learn. 

Hire a language tutor

There comes a point when you might hit a stumbling block or a series of obstacles while learning a new language. Don’t despair! Check with area colleges, and engage a language tutor. This can be especially helpful if you’ve never learned a foreign language before or you want to stay on track and pick up speed as you move from beginner-level learning to the more complex, intermediate stages. 

Find a learning partner

Convince your bestie, spouse, partner, or friend to consider learning a language with you. When you have a partner, you can keep each other motivated and take turns studying at one another’s homes. Of course, ideally, you’ll want to find someone who’s just as enthusiastic about learning Russian or Portuguese as you are, so choose your language learning pal wisely. 

Listen to native speakers

One of the complaints that many students of languages have is that classroom and app models are too formal and not the stuff of everyday language you’ll hear on the streets of Rio, or Naples. Use your devices to track down native language speakers — like watching and listening to videos on the internet. This is particularly helpful if you plan to travel to the country whose language you’re learning.

Be kind and patient with yourself

Too often, people abandon their language pursuits because life interrupts them, and they find it difficult to resume their studies. Keep in mind that it’s okay to learn at your own speed and tempo. It may be asking too much of yourself to learn Italian in six months. If you need to adjust your goals, do it! The key is to keep going — and don’t be afraid to revisit old lessons when you need a refresher. 

Immerse yourself in culture

Language learning may seem tedious at times, especially if you’re struggling with tenses or complex sentence structures.

Maintain your motivation to keep learning by immersing yourself in the culture of the language. Learning Greek? Invite your best friend to a luncheon at your favorite Greek restaurant. Learning Spanish? Set Saturday nights aside for a tapas feasting! You’ll find that cultural immersion boosts your learning — and enriches your life.

Tips to Teach Kids a Second Language

Speak It 

If you speak a second or third language and you want your children to learn it, the first step is to speak it with them. Children learn through repetition. Consistency is necessary to develop a habit, so the more your kids listen to you speaking in another language, the easier it will be for them to grasp it.

Music

Just like for an adult, listening to music in a different language is one of the best tips to follow when trying to learn a new language. For both children and adults, starting with kid’s songs with easy and basic words can work best. 

Audiobooks 

For bedtime or nap time, you could aid yourself by using audiobooks. Following a story with the help of native speakers can work wonders for children to learn different intonations, accents, and vocabulary while also entertaining them.

Have fun

Doing fun activities in the language you are trying to teach your kids is another great way to help them grasp the language. If you grew up in another country, do you remember what activities you enjoyed when you were a child? You can plan a fun afternoon with games from your home country to do with your children. If this is not the case and you are just trying to teach your child to learn a new language, games with new vocabulary are always the best bet.

Video

Another good idea is to let them watch tv or movies in another language. Not only tv shows where they interact with the audience work, standard format movies, cartoons, and shows can help you at home, they don’t need to spend hours in front of a screen. This is only to aid you in the repetition, consistency, and the develop a habit side of the process. Remember it is important that they have access to other intonations, accents, and vocabulary for them to acquire the language faster. 

Space to Learn 

You can set up a special space for them to study. If they are being homeschooled, they would probably already have a designated space for their study work but if not, you can choose a corner in the kitchen, your home office, or their playroom for this purpose. 

Things to add to their study space:

Get them a small table or desk their size with chairs. 

Set up a whiteboard on the wall with markers for them to write down vocabulary words or to draw. 

Corkboards are great to stick images and vocabulary words to.

Shelves for their storybooks and dictionaries.

Be sure to have good light. 

Add color. Remember children’s classrooms are always colorful, this makes them feel in a fun and exciting environment. Bright colors stimulate the brain and can help children retain information.

Add storage. If you want to avoid clutter, add boxes or drawers for them to keep things they work with.

When is the best time to learn a language?

When young, human beings acquire new languages, they don’t actually learn them, so you could say the best age to learn a second language is as a young child. 

But even if it’s easier to learn languages as a kid, don’t get discouraged. Remember that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. It’s scientifically proven that learning a language as an adult can also have its advantages. As adults, we can follow and understand grammar rules, so learning in a more technical way is easier for adults than for children.

Learning a new language enhances your life in numerous ways while providing you with a marketable skill. As you learn a new language, you’ll develop new communication skills, keep your brain agile, and even discover new writers and artists to read and enjoy as you encounter them in your studies.

Before you know it, you’ll be fluent in the language of your choosing, and who knows where you could go from there?

Written by Tamara Segal

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