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deaconusdelirium · 3 years

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Hello my friend! 👋🤗 Could you please do a fluffy request of Ultimis Richtofen snuggling and comforting you on a rainy day? Maybe on the couch, with some blankets and some sweet tea?☕☔🌧️🤗💜 Thank you and have a lovely day or evening😊🤗

Hello there friend!

I certainly can, I hope you enjoy^^

———

You silently walked down the hall, blanket dragging across the floor, along the way you stopped to look at the pouring rain outside, then working your way to the couch again. It was pretty silent, the occasional clap of thunder from outside every now and then, making you stop until the sounds were no more. The blanket thrown over your shoulders in a cape motion as you looked down into the kitchen and seen Richtofen wasn’t there. He always was doing something near the sink, but not tonight I guess. You continued your walk, you stood behind the couch as you fell over it and onto the soft cushions. Snuggling up into the pillows, something wasn’t right.

It felt.. off. You sat up, huffing out a sigh afterwards and set on your way to the kitchen, maybe it was perhaps you wanted something warm? A drink? Yeah, yeah a drink sounded nice. You grabbed a pot quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace, filling it until it was almost full and setting it on the stove. Then grabbed one wrapped up tea, giving it a quick look. The string was on it tightly and the flowers were still intact. Perfect.

Throwing the flower bunch in, you set the heat on high and waited. Watching the clear liquid turn brown in a matter of minutes, the flower bunch floated around as the bubbles risen from the bottom. Turning it off then grabbing cups, two, one for Richtofen and the other for you. Pouring the tea carefully and setting the pot back on the stove as the rest of the unused tea started to grow cold. Ice cubes were an option, but not on a cold night like this. So it was just a packet of sugar and some honey. “liebe?” “Eddie, where were you?” “Trying to look for you, thought you were in the room” he awkwardly stood there, rubbing his forearm as he watched you with a warm smile. You had already put a cup aside for him. “You didn’t have too” he spoke up, walking towards you and picking the mug up in his hands. Bringing it up to his lips and taking a small sip.

Before he could take another sip, the sound of thunder struck again, making him lower the tea and grab your hand. He pulled you along towards the living room, “wait” you said as you turned off the lights in the kitchen, then coming back to him. You followed, his hand squeezed your in response to seeing your little blanket on the couch already, he suppressed a laugh, shaking his head. He guided you around the couch, sitting down first and let you sit between his legs, leaning back against his chest then throwing the blanket over you. “You do remember we have the heater” he spoke as he took another sip from his cup, looking down at you as you looked up. His black yet slightly sliver hair dangled in front of him.

“Yeah, but there’s no better feeling than being cold while still being warm” honestly, that was and probably is the greatest feeling ever. It’s like sleeping with a big comforter with three fans and an AC on. “I suppose you’re correct. Still, I’m just letting you know love” you smiled at him as he wrapped one arm around you. Snuggling into him as a hand went down to his wrist and caressed the 935 tattoo there. Feeling the bumps of the lines here and there. You looked up as a flash of lighting lit up the dark sky and appeared throughout the room an another rumble of thunder followed after. You held a breath in, “1... 2...3..” “what are you doing?” “I’m counting how far the thunder is” now losing what number you were at. He apologized quietly, listening to you, another clap of thunder hit, “it has to be around twenty five to thirty miles away” waiting for the sound of it to go away as it lasted quite awhile. Richtofen seemed to notice you still counted, as he pulled you in closer in attempt to let you relax. “I never knew that” “it’s just an old trick”

“Well..You know I’ve always got you” he whispered as he came down to kiss your temple, “yeah, I was just listening” you finally let out, looking around. It was getting pretty dark, which meant tonight would probably lead up to you two sleeping right here. You took yet another sip, feeling the warmth fall down your throat and into your chest, making you breath out and back in. The taste of honey still coated your tongue and the sweet smell of it filled your nose. You looked back to see Richtofen already finishing his, dipping his head back as he drank the last sip of the tea, his jawline moved as he looked back down. “Hmm?” He asked curiously, “what?” You laughed at him, confused as to what he just did, “you’re looking at me, do I still have tea-” he wiped his mouth with his thumb and pointer finger then cleaned it off on his pants.

“No, no I was just surprised at how fast you finished it” you answered, his dark brown eyes looking black as he put the cup on the coffee table beside him, “that was good. What was that?” “Tea?” “No, I mean how did you make it” he laughed, “oh, it’s just wild tea, and honey” it wasn’t too hard to make, just simple things. He hummed out, nodding his head as you finished yours. He took it from your hands and put it beside his cup, then pulling you up towards him as he snuggled into your smaller form. Squeezing you a bit and loosening his grip, “I take it you’re warm now?” He questioned, holding you as he closed his eyes. Liking the feeling of you close to him. “Mhm” was all he got in response as sleep finally tugged at your eyes. “Goodnight Eddie” you looked over at him, he seemed to notice and came down to give you a small kiss.

He tasted of honey, maybe it was because you just finished yours, or maybe because he always used honey in his teas, which made his lips taste sweet. “Goodnight, ich Liebe dich” “I love you too Ed” you relaxed into his larger frame, his breathing slowed, signaling he was on the verge of sleep, the sound of thunder and sight of lighting was far now. Only the sound of rain hitting against the house while the higher sounding ones hit the windows. You turned on your side, looking up at Richtofen as he slept, his chest rising then falling, your head rested against his chest as you listened to the steady beating of his heart. You curled closer as he tightened his grip on your hip. He looked down, seeing you were still awake, “go to sleep” he whispered to you, bring the other hand to rub before your hairline and behind your temple.

You nodded, taking a deep breath in and letting it out, closing your eyes as he continued the action until you fell asleep. The rain didn’t stop, creating a comforting lullaby for the both of you, as you both held each other

———

This is what I’ve been missing my dudes. My sweet Eddie is bby🥺

#Edward Richtofen #ultimis Richtofen #call of duty #zombies #xreader #black ops 1 2 4 #oneshot

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t-o-m-hollands · 4 years

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California Dreaming Harry Styles x y/n

Summary: Harry is having a bad morning, and you try to cheer him up.

Themes: Super fluffy, dreamy one shot.

Warnings: None, except maybe mentions of alcohol?

Word count: 1,7 k

A/N: First of, this is based on this post . It’s also inspired by a dream I had and somewhat similar to my story Happy Place. Also, the house is slightly inspired by Dakota Johnson's house. I listened to honeymoon by lana del rey and fine line by harry styles while writing this. Please leave feedback if you can. Not proof read as of yet

In a hotel room somewhere far away from home Harry wakes up that morning to a wave of inexplicable and unavoidable sadness. Blinking slowly, he lays unmoving, and stares out the window. The view is one of a dark sky, and seemingly never ceasing rain. It’s like the whole world has been painted grey.

He wakes that morning and there is a heaviness in his chest, slowly spreading its way through his body. He doesn’t want to move out of bed. Doesn’t want to face the day. Nor does he particularly want to stay in bed, but it seems like the better option.

The only glimmer of light, the speck of colour on an otherwise grey canvas, is the woman lying next to him, still asleep. He draws her closer to him, finding comfort in her warm body, the familiar scent of her and he listens to her soft breathing; trying to make order of his own thoughts.

When you wake you smile up at him, and gently you press a kiss to the tip of his nose, and he can’t help but smile. Eventually you get up, but he stays in bed, and the places your body touched burn when you leave. So, he turns to the window and he observes the rain again. If anything, it’s increased. You don’t mind the rain, you never have. In fact, the sound of raindrops against the window has a soothing effect on you.

He stays in bed while you order room service and only when it arrives does he sits up. He leaves for the bathroom and when he comes back he crashed down on the bed again, seemingly drained of energy. You get him to eat his breakfast as the news show on the TV in the background. After having eaten he gets you both to lay down on the bed again, and god, he feels exhausted already.

“You know” you say, touching the frown between his eyes with a gentle finger, as if you’re trying to erase it. “One day we’ll buy a house somewhere in California, up by the mountains. And I’ll plant a garden.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, right outside the French doors leading to the kitchen I'll plant a lemon three and each year we’ll watch it grow taller. And I’ll plant some herbs too. Basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. And lavender of course. I’ll plant tomatoes too, and peppers and squash and spinach and radishes as well. All the good stuff”.

A smile tugs the corner of his mouth and something close to hope shines in his eyes.

“And have you seen our living room? It’s got big windows to let in the never-ending Californian sunshine. And in an antique cabinet, that by the way; we’ll find some Wednesday afternoon as we’re strolling through a Fleamarket. We’ll see it and we’ll share a glance and we’ll both know that we have to have it. We’ll store our records there, but even though I'll constantly collect new ones, only the good ones get to stay in the antique cabinet. We’ll listen to a new one every night as we cook dinner. I can see it in front of me right now, clear as day; you chopping vegetables and me drinking wine, some obscure band from the 70’s playing in the background that I'll dance along to, even though I claim to help you with the food.”

He smiles for real then, beginning small before it spreads all across his face, eyes twinkling with love.

“Only the good ones will end up in the antique cabinet. Therefor we’ll call it heaven.” You’re smiling too now and he caresses your arm, gently touching you as you speak. You’re lying next to each other in bed, almost nose to nose.

“Sometimes when we cook dinner together, I'll tell you about my day as I pour us some wine and you’ll tell me about yours while you chop the garlic. Some nights we’ll slow dance in the kitchen, just because we want to and because it feels good to be close to you and I've missed you.”

He leans in even closer and presses a soft kiss against your forehead. You’re so warm and the warmth spreads through him.

You continue.

“On cold evening we’ll light the fire in the living room, and I'll play you some music and we’ll read or talk, but never about the weather. Or maybe we’ll argue over a game of scrabble but we always make peace before we go to bed. And on some nights, we’ll have friends and family over and we’ll drink tequila and talk and play music and someone’ll end up dancing on the table and we will all laugh until our stomach's hurts. And you’ll feel loved. On other nights we’ll sit on the porch, just the two of us, sharing a jug of sangria and we’ll watch the sun set over the horizon, while I read through my scripts and you play on your guitar.”

He can see it so clearly in front of him and he wants it all so badly it hurts.

“Oh, and you know what?” you laugh and he shakes his head, still looking at you with stars in his eyes, still slowly touching your skin; as if he’s unable not to. “Our neighbour will be an old retired priest, but he’s now dedicated beekeeper. And I’ll pick some sunflowers and lemons from our garden and I’ll exchange them for little pots of honey and I'll bake us a honey and lavender cake. We’ll eat it sprawled out on blankets on the grass under the beaming sun”.

“You’re amazing” he breaths out. He didn’t mean to say it, doesn’t want to interrupt your storytelling, but you’ve replaced the heaviness in his stomach with the same warm feeling whiskey or chamomile tea leaves behind and he needs you to know how miraculous you are.

You laugh in response and kiss the tip of his nose again before you continue.

“There won’t be a single white wall inside our home. We’ll paint our hallway a sunshine yellow, I can see it now, how we’ll argue and laugh, and sing and dance and bicker as we stand there, both of us with a paint roller in each hand, colouring the white walls yellow; over time filling the space with coats and hats and odd shoes. Art hanging on the walls. In fact, all around the house art work we’ve collected over the years will hang. And in my office a gigantic bookshelf will be overflowing with books. Inherited books, borrowed books, bought books and odd books found in flea markets were the previous owner has already covered the work in dog ears and scribbles. And sometimes I'll buy books in languages I don’t understand. I'll sit with you out on the veranda, soaking up sunshine, and I’ll try to guess the meaning behind each word. And I'll guess what the book is about based on odd words here and there that I'll understand and we’ll laugh about it and you’ll call me silly but really, you want to kiss me”.

He leans in and kisses you and for a while every thought escapes you both and it’s like the sun has finally come out, even to the steady beat of the rain still drum on in the background. In the end he pulls away and asks you to continue your story.

“We’ll have a blue tiled kitchen and copper pots and wicker baskets everywhere. And all the plates will be in different vibrant colours, bought on different occasions at different places. When family or friends come over for dinner they’ll all have a favourite plate and they’ll shout ‘I want the yellow one!’ or ‘the red one is mine!’ My personal favourite will be sunflower yellow, yours will be sea blue. And somewhere in the house we’ll have a pink bathroom or powder room. At first, you’ll say no to this idea but in the end, you’ll give way because you’ll know it’ll make me happy. Just like I’ll make way because I know that it makes you happy that the dog sleeps in our bed in the morning”.

He cups your face, stroking your cheek with his thumb and Christ, how did he ever get so lucky?

“There will be no plywood in our home. The walls will be of stone or wood, build endure. Built to last” you say with a serious tone. “And on the days where you feel especially burdened or sad, I'll play all your favourite songs on our old piano. I’ll sing them until you’ll beg me to stop. But you can’t help but smile too, especially when I’ll play you Here Comes the Sun, or California Dreamin’. And on those rare rainy California days we’ll stay inside and watch movies, even though we never agree on what to watch. In the end we’ll settle for something badly made and ridiculous and I'll lay on the sofa, my legs in your lap and a blanket draped over us, and we’ll laugh at all the bad jokes. Because we feel loved and laughter comes easy with you.”

He can’t quite describe the feeling in his chest then except it feels like his heart is imploding. This is what love is.

“And I'll collect ceramic works, little pots and pieces made by friends and artists alike, and I'll place them all over the house and I'll pick flowers from the garden and I’ll put them in. Sunflowers and jasmines to be exact. And when the jasmine dies, I'll press the flowers in my books and I’ll use them as book marks. And when you’ll borrow one of my books and you travel far away, you’ll find that when you open up the first page the scent of jasmine will hit you and it’ll remind you of me, of the fact that you’re never alone. It’ll remind you of home”.

So when i first wrote this late at night and i felt rather proud of it but clearly that was just tiredness. Not proud of this one now but i’ve been promising a harry styles one shot for some time now so here it is.

Please leave feedback

#harry styles #harry styles x ofc #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x y/n #harry styles imagine #harry styles headcannon

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goodforthemind · 5 years

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*untitled*

Mini-Series! Not sure how many parts there will be, nor do I have a name for it yet, but here’s part one! I’m new at writing so I would love some feedback! enjoy! :))

Salem Harper leaves her home in the US to study abroad in London when she meets Jude Porter.

UNTITLED -- Part I -- 4.1k

The guy in the seat next to me is snoring. I had gotten assigned a middle seat on the plane, which is really making me despise this airline at the moment. I popped in my headphones in an attempt to drown him out, but no such luck. It was so loud. Why couldn’t I be rich enough to fly first class? Or really anywhere where there wasn’t only a mere 4 inches of space between me and other people. Especially ones that snore.

We were 6 hours into an 8 hour flight to London. I decided to study abroad there for the semester; I need to sort my life out. My mom supported my decision, as always, but she was confused as to why I needed to leave home to do it. It’s not that I couldn’t do it at home, but I needed the opportunity to get out of the country and get a little perspective. I heard that studying abroad can be quite good for that, and at this point, I was willing to take anything I could get.

I reached into my bookbag and pulled out my journal. I had taken up journaling about a year ago and it’s been quite helpful. Something about writing down my problems makes me feel lighter, happier. I opened up my journal to the next blank page and began writing:

Turns out that the airport isn’t as bad as I had imagined. Sure, there were too many people for my liking, but I got through by remembering that I was starting a new chapter in my life: Me in London: Being Independent. Figuring Life Out. Deciding what I want out of life. I’m hoping these next 5 months will help to give me some insight, but we’ll see if I get to that point. I can’t imagine that me in the UK could be much different from me in the US, but there is no harm in trying. Or maybe there will be and I just haven’t encountered it yet. But, I’m determined to remain optimistic. It’s going to be good. It has to be.

My pen broke contact with the page. My brain rerouted, thinking about my mental to-do list I had made when I got to the airport. Last week, I received an email from my program director who was helping me figure out exactly what I needed to do when I get to London. The program from my university in America that is sending me abroad turned out to be pretty fancy; they hooked me up with a pretty cool (from what I can tell from the pictures I was sent) apartment in Manchester to share with a roommate. If I’m being completely honest, I was a little nervous about the whole roommate thing, seeing as I’ve never met her before. She’s a student at the university I’m with while in London, and is supposed to act as my travel guide of sorts. I was informed that this acted as a “job” for her; she gets paid to live with me. Basically she would be there to help show me around and answer any questions I had. I was hopeful that we could become friends instead of just roommates.

I had the option of taking classes at the university or doing an internship while I’m in Manchester. I opted to take classes, thinking that it would be easier to meet people my age if I actually went to classes with them. I had to leave in the middle of summer, since this university starts extremely early. August 3rd is my first day, so here I am flying out on July 31st. I’m only taking 3 classes, but being in an unfamiliar country would be challenging enough without the classes.

I looked back down at my journal and kept writing:

I’m doing a pretty good job at that during this whole transition. Between packing for the move and saying goodbye to my family, I’d say I’ve been pretty calm, cool and collected during the whole thing. Mom, on the other hand, was a mess. Of course she knew that I’d be okay, like I always am, but I think she was just sad that I was leaving. I try not to think about the fact that I won’t see Mom or Nora or Grae for the next 5 months, because if I did I would start crying. I haven’t cried yet, and I plan to keep it that way, because once I do I won’t be able to stop. It will be like a constant stream of tears. Not pretty.

My hand was starting to cramp uncomfortably, so I closed my journal and placed it back in my bag. I made a mental note to finish the entry once I had made it to my apartment later. I had managed to kill about 15 minutes just pondering my new life season, so I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window next to my seat. I was grateful to have the window seat in my row, it made me feel like I had more space to myself than I actually did. I watched as the world passed by, allowing it to send me to sleep with dreams of London.

“Attention all passengers: We will be landing at Heathrow Airport in 10 minutes. Please standby for more information.”

The blaring sound of the intercom throughout the cabin woke me from my sleep, which now had me feeling groggy and in need of at least 4 more hours of sleep. I pulled out my headphones (which were starting to hurt my ears since they had been in use for so long), and packed them into my bag. While waiting for the next announcement over the intercom, I glanced around the plane, observing the other passengers. Most all, including Snoring Man, were awake after the sleep-interrupting announcement. I turned my head in the opposite direction then, looking out the window. The plane had begun its descent from the sky, making the towns below come into focus. I could make out cars passing on the street, people walking on the sidewalks, people lounging in the nearby park. Weather must be nice, I thought to myself, taking in the seemingly large amount of people on the grass. I had the stereotype stuck in my head that the weather in the UK was always cold and rainy, but the current sunshine proved that wrong.

I was landing in London, but I’m going to be living in Manchester, meaning that there was still a bit of travelling before I reached my destination. I googled the drive time at the airport before boarding, remembering that it was 45 minutes. Not ideal, but could be worse.

Then, the intercom came on yet again: “Attention all passengers: We will be landing at Heathrow Airport in 5 minutes. Please begin to gather all belongings and wait for landing.”

Finally, I thought, feels like I’ve been on this damn plane for 3 days. I picked up my bookbag and set it on my lap, doing just what Intercom Lady had instructed.

A taxi was waiting for me at the airport after I retrieve my luggage. I came with one much-too-big suitcase, one regular sized suitcase and my bookbag. I tried to pack light, but I was also going to be living here for the next 4 months, so I had to pack accordingly. The taxi driver helped me to load my luggage into the trunk of the car and then opened the rear passenger door for me. I made sure not to go to the wrong side of the car, then he would definitely see me as a dumb American. I already felt a little out of place as is, just standing on the sidewalk outside of the airport, so I didn’t need his judgement as well. Giving Taxi Man the address to the apartment I’ve been given, we started on our way. He informed me the drive would be about 45 minutes (as I found out earlier) so I should make myself comfortable.

I took the opportunity to check my phone for the first time since getting off the plane. I had one text message from my mom and one from my best friend, Cove.

Mom

Hi honey! Just checking to see that you’ve landed and everything went well. Love you! :)

I smiled at her message, I miss her already. I typed out a reply, feeling my throat growing tighter as my fingers moved across the screen.

Salem hi mom, just landed and got into my taxi. flight was good, just long. heading to apartment now! i’ll call you once i get settled. love you more :))

After hitting send, I looked out the window to try and compose myself a bit. The tears haven’t gathered, but I could feel them coming. Taking a few deep breaths, I looked back at my phone and tapped on the unread message I had from Cove.

Cove

bestie girl!! i’m starting to get worried that your plane went down!!! text me!!! i miss you already :(

I shook my head with a grin creeping onto my mouth. She can be so dramatic sometimes.

Salem

i told you it was an 8 hour flight!! i just got in my taxi, i’ll call you in a little. hope you’re having fun on your vacay, miss you :)

After sending my messages, I put in one headphone, making sure that I could hear Taxi Man if he needed to speak to me. I watched out the window, taking in the new scenery around me. It was midday, about 1 o’clock in the afternoon, and there were many people on the streets. I was surprised at how many people were walking along the sidewalks. Back home, I hardly ever saw people walking, everyone there had a car or took the bus (probably why there was so much traffic… more people should take up walking if you ask me).

About 45 minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of a slightly old-looking brick building. It was tall, standing about 6 stories high. A small park bench sat to the side the front door with a flower pot housing white daisies on either side. It was cute and I was in love with it already.

Taxi Man kindly got out to help me unload my bags from the trunk, wished me well as I tipped him and drove off. I wheeled my bags over to the front door of the building, where there was a small box attached to the wall to the left of the door. There were 2 buttons on the left side of the box labeled “OFFICE” and “TALK” with a speaker located next to it. I turned my head to look over to the door where a small black box with a red light sat just above the handle. I pulled my bookbag from my shoulder to retrieve the piece of paper I’d printed from an email to look at the instructions for when I got to my apartment building.

Once you reach your building, press the “OFFICE” button on the call box. This will connect you to the inside office attendant who will be able to help you find your apartment.

Following the instructions, I reached up to hit the “OFFICE” button. It made a loud buzzing sound as I pressed it, startling me. I waited a couple seconds, but there was no answer. I buzzed again, and this time a woman answered.

“Hello! So sorry, I spilled my coffee all over my blouse and went to fetch some napkins! How can I help, love?” The woman said.

“Um, hi, I’m Salem Harper. I’m supposed to meet with someone about my apartment?” I replied.

There was no response for a few seconds. “Hello? You have to press the ‘TALK’ button when you speak, dear.”

Duh, you idiot. I pressed the “TALK” button and repeated the same information, feeling embarrassed. I added, “Sorry, should have thought to press the button first,” at the end of my line.

“No worries, dear. I’ll buzz you in,” The woman told me. A second later I heard a small click come from the lock on the door along with the red light now turned green. I struggled to get all of my bags through the front door, which was noticed by the woman in the office space. She hurried over to hold the door open for me in order to push all my bags through the door.

Once we were both standing inside the lobby of the building, she greeted me warmly. “Welcome! I’m Liz, it’s a pleasure. It’s Salem, right? We’ve been expecting you, the student from the States!” She asked.

“Yes, Salem. It’s nice to meet you. Thank you, for helping with my bags.” I told her, smiling and trying to make a good first impression. She put her hand in the air to wave off the thank you, as if to say it was no big deal. She was about my height, blonde and on the slim side. Her bright blue eyes stared warmly. She couldn’t have been much older than me, maybe twenty-five or so. Physically, we couldn’t have been more opposite.

“Well, let’s get you up to your flat, shall we? I’ll just run and grab your keys and some other paperwork for you to sign.” Liz scurried back into the office, and I took a second to look around. The floors were a dark stained hardwood while the walls were a light eggshell color. It looked very clean, posh almost. The office had glass for a door and walls, making the room seem much bigger. Directly across from the front door was a double door elevator, with buttons signaling up and down. Must be the parking deck.

“Alright, it seems your room is on the 5rd floor, Flat 5C. Your flatmate is already moved in, but I do believe that I saw her leave just a bit ago. I’ll show you up,” Liz said as she walked out from the office to the elevator, signaling for me to follow her. She had 2 small silver keys in her hand, along with a black key fob and a small stack of papers. Liz pressed the “UP” button on the wall and the elevator doors opened immediately. We stepped inside, and I noticed that the floor was carpeted. I don’t see many elevators with carpeted floors, but I liked it. Elevators always made me a little apprehensive, but somehow the carpet makes it less scary.

Liz pressed the button for Floor 5, causing the doors to slide shut. The elevator hummed lightly as it ascended to the 5th floor and stopped almost seamlessly. Smooth ride.

We exited right from the elevator into a small hallway space with 5 doors. 2 on each side and one directly ahead where the hall stops. Liz walked over to the door at the end of the hall that had a square plaque with “5C” engraved on the middle. She inserted one of the silver keys into the lock on the handle, pausing for a second to speak. “You actually got fairly lucky with your flat, the ones on the end of the hall are always the biggest. And, since you live on the top floor, you get a second floor! The lofts for the 5th floor flats take up what would be the 6th floor,” She smiled brightly, clearly trying to get me excited about the “flat”, as they apparently called apartments here.

Liz turned the key in the lock opening the door, stepping inside to hold it open for me as I wheeled my bags inside. As I looked around the space, I was very surprised. I had seen pictures, but they certainly did not do it justice. The doorway opened into a fairly large open concept apartment, with a living space off to the left with a good-sized kitchen connected to it on the back side. Across from the front door was a small hallway, which Liz informed me held a bathroom and the laundry room. In the middle of the room next to the hallway was a set of stairs that I assumed led up to the second floor. Both bedrooms must be up there, I don’t see any other doors in the main area, I pondered. The left wall of the living room was composed of brick and 3 floor-to-ceiling windows, which I quite liked. They allowed much sunlight in the room, brightening it up. The place came furnished already, and to my relief it was pretty stylish. Whoever picked the furniture in here deserved a handshake.

Liz walked over to the kitchen area and set her stack of papers and keys down onto the small island counter. She pulled out one of the barstools and sat down, motioning for me to join her. I sat, folding my hands on the counter. “Now, I’ll leave you to get settled in just a minute, but first I need to go over some things with you and have you sign some forms,” Liz informed me, sliding her stack of papers in my direction so that I could see them while she spoke. It was mainly basic information; stuff about the building, escape routes, pet policies, etcetera. She explained to me that the second key she held was for my room, and that I was to use the black key fob to enter the building, and if I was to have guests over I would need to buzz them in. They key fob had a tiny button on the front side of it, which is what I could use to allow people into the building. I had never seen that feature on a key fob before, so I was pretty impressed.

“What if I accidentally press it while I’m not here?” I questioned, suddenly nervous that I could possibly let a stranger into the building.

Liz laughed at my nervousness. “Not to worry about that, love. The button doesn’t work unless you are in the building. It’s one of the safety features. Pretty cool, right?” I nodded in response, feeling much less nervous now that I knew I couldn’t mess it up.

She pointed to a couple places on the various pieces of paper where I needed to sign my name. Once everything had been gone through, Liz gathered the forms and left. I stood and locked the door behind her and decided to go explore the place a little more. I grabbed my room key off the counter and headed for the stairs. I secretly hoped that the rooms weren’t too small, seeing that the apartment was already bigger than I expected. How much room could there be here? You hardly ever see apartments with second floors in the States, so I figured that I couldn’t complain that much.

I climbed the stairs and was met with a small open space with 3 doors, all on the adjacent wall from each other. The one on the far wall was cracked open, and stepping forward to push it farther open, it revealed that it was a bathroom. A small bathroom, but plenty big enough. Both doors on the opposite walls were closed, leaving me to guess which was mine. I tried the door on the left first, inserting the key into the lock and attempting to twist it. No dice. I turned and tried the last door, the lock making a satisfying click as the deadbolt on the door slid back. I turned the handle and pushed the door open.

The room was decently sized, with a bare full-size bed pushed onto the back wall across from the door. To the right was a small desk placed in front of the windows. Located to the right of the desk was a closet, just big enough for all my clothes and some other storage bins. The entire wall to the left of the door was empty, already making my imagination run wild with all the things I could possibly decorate it with. I sighed contently, excited to begin making this room my own. I turned out the door and headed back down the stairs to retrieve my bags to start unpacking.

As I was descending the stairs, I heard a key enter the lock on the front door. Suddenly hyper aware of the danger I may be in, I grabbed the nearest thing to me that could potentially be a weapon: the vase on the kitchen island. Arm raised in attack position, I cautiously watched the front door, ready to launch the vase at the intruder. The door opened, my nerves spiked, and in walked a girl about my age. Your roommate, idiot. The girl looked up at me, and seeing the glass vase in my raised arm, alarm crossed over her face.

“Woah, woah! No need for that!” She said, putting her hands up in front of her chest. “Are you okay?” The girl asked me, and I immediately lowered the vase.

“Sorry, you just scared me, wasn’t sure who it was coming in the door.” Some first impression, Salem. She probably thinks you’re crazy.

The girl eyed the vase that was still in my hand. “Was that your weapon of choice? I mean, if you’re going to knock someone out, might as well use something you won’t have to clean up afterward,” She smiled and giggled. The girl then stuck her hand out to me. “I’m Poppy, I’m your flatmate for this semester.”

I took her hand and shook it, still holding the vase in my other hand. “I’m Salem, it’s nice to meet you,” I replied, setting the vase on the island promptly afterward. I’d been holding it for long enough for no reason at this point. “Sorry... about the vase. I promise I’m not usually like that... you know, paranoid.”

Poppy shook her head and told me not to worry about it. She’s nice, and also very pretty. She’s about my height, with short blonde hair that fell just below her shoulders. She’s on the curvy side which is very flattering for her. She wore a bright yellow blouse with a black skirt, tights and black Chuck Taylors. Something about her screamed fun, which was a good thing because everything about me just screamed boring.

Poppy and I made small talk; she asked me how my trip over was and what I thought about Manchester so far. “It’s nice, not that I’ve seen much of it yet. I’m hoping to go exploring a little bit after I get settled in. I probably also need a few things from the store, I’d imagine,” I should probably make a list while I’m thinking about it.

“Well, I happen to know the area very well, so I’d be happy to show you around. I can take you by all my favorite places! Oh! There’s this lovely little bakery a few blocks away from here that a friend of mine works at, you just have to try it…” She trailed off as a buzzing sound came from her pocket. She reached back to grab her phone, reading whatever notification had come up. “Speaking of, I’m actually running a little late to meet him. I do have to run now, but I’ll be back in an hour or so and we can go to the shops from there. Will you be alright here?” Poppy questioned, turning to head for the front door. I nodded, said goodbye and she left. I picked up where I left off, going to grab my bags and haul them up the stairs. They were filled to the absolute brim, making them pretty heavy. It was a bit of a struggle to get them up the stairs by myself. I was a little winded after the ordeal, but no one needed to know that.

I wheeled my bags into my room, setting them down at the foot of my bed. I pondered where I should start, opting to begin putting my clothes away first. I didn’t bring a lot of stuff with me, not wanting to check too many bags. I really only brought clothes, personally necessities and some decorations from home. I already began a mental list of what I needed from the store, most importantly: food. I’m starving. I’m sure Poppy had at least something down in the kitchen, but I wasn’t about to eat her food.

Knowing I had a long journey ahead of me with getting my room in order, I unzipped my first suitcase and began unpacking.

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aowanders-blog · 5 years

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Buying Your First Traveler Trailer

You just bought your first travel trailer and our wondering what RV accessories you need to buy now. Or even what to pack in your brand new camper to enjoy all the wonderful adventures that lie ahead. If you’re a first time camper owner asking yourself, “What camping supplies and travel trailer accessories do you need now,” you’ve come to the right place. Figuring out what RV essentials you need for your first camper can be challenging as well as exciting. Who doesn’t like to pamper themselves with new camping supplies?

But if you’ve never stocked a camper before you may be wondering what should I pack in my new camping trailer? What are the essentials for RV camping? What supplies do I need to live in my new travel trailer? Is there specific RV cookware? How does my camping trailer kitchen work? Do I need special RV toilet paper? Does my travel trailer have an onboard generator? What is the best generator for travel trailer camping? These are all great questions, and if you just bought your first camper you probably have a million more questions. So if you’re thinking to yourself, “I just bought a travel trailer and am a new camper owner what do I need?”

Don’t worry I got you covered. Below you will find a complete camper packing list along with an essential RV accessory guide, and all the camping trailer accessories you will need to fully enjoy your new camper.

There are plenty of wonderful and fun RV accessories you can purchase, but when stocking your RV for the first time you should focus on the bare essentials. Whether you have a small motorcycle camping trailer or a large 5th wheel camper let’s help you figure out what camping accessories you need to buy and pack in your new travel trailer camper. Before diving into the essential RV accessory guide & travel trailer packing list lets debunk a few RV must have myths!

RV Camper Must Haves

What does every RV, camper or travel trailer must have?

There are only 3 essential things that every camper must have. No matter the size, age or condition every RV/camper/travel trailer must have a destination, power source & water source. Any other camper accessory is a comfort focused and convenient based desire.

What is the best camper power source?

The best power source for your new camper is generator power. Generators are lightweight, portable, reliable and affordable. The best generator for your new travel trailer is the Champion 3400-Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Inverter Generator with Electric Start. The Champion generator is ultra-quiet, powerful and can run on 3 different fuel types! Click here to find out how I turned this into an onboard generator for less than $200.

What about solar power?

Solar power is the closest you will come to free power, but solar powered camper setups provide their own challenges. Solar power camper installations can be complex, costly and limited. You would need to spend a lot of money creating a solar powered system that would be capable of running your camper’s microwave, air conditioner and refrigerator. This would add a ton of weight, and electrical logistics that would require occasional maintenance.

Boondocking must have’s?

Whether you are urban boondocking or backcountry boondocking there are only 3 essential boondocking must haves. Destination, power source & water source. Any other boondocking must have is a want and not necessarily a need.

Is there specific RV cookware?

You can find camping cookware at Cabelas, REI and Amazon, but camping cookware is not RV cookware. There is actually no such thing as “RV Cookware.” They make cast iron pots, pans, skillets and various other cooking surfaces for campers, but these are not what I would consider RV cookware. I consider RV cookware to be any cookware that makes my life easier. So I highly recommend a top of the line nonstick pan. You can use the same cookware you have at home to cook in your camper, but the best RV cookware is any cookware that is extremely easy to clean & versatile. One pot meals are the norm in RV life for a reason.

Camper Trailer Accessories

But you clicked on this link to answer the question, “What should I pack in my new camping trailer?” And the answer is whatever will make your RV life more enjoyable. We live in an era where almost everything has been created, manufactured or invented. Providing an enormous amount of camper trailer accessories that will enhance your RV Life. All that’s left is for you to choose the camper trailer accessories that will be compatible with your camping lifestyle.

I do a lot of winter camping because I’m a passionate ski bum. So while an electric blanket makes sense for me it might just take up unnecessary space in your new camper. I hate washing dishes in my RV because of all the requirements needed for a 2 minute task that turns into an hour long task. Water source, power source for the water pump, drying space, available grey water tank space and I have to wash them in a tiny RV sink that can barely hold standard sized pint glass.

I would rather use paper plates, plastic cups & disposable silverware because it doesn’t create a chore for me to do later. Plus they work for great campfire starters. Maybe you get uncomfortable backing up your travel trailer so a backup camera might be the perfect camper accessory for you. Or maybe you like to watch your favorite sports team while camping in the middle of nowhere so a self-tracking satellite setup would be an ideal camper accessory for you. Camper trailer accessories can range from electric jacks to motion sensor door bells, but let’s dive into the essential camper trailer accessories you need to pack in your new camping trailer.

To properly enjoy your new travel trailer you need to pack your new camper with essential RV accessories, and purchase additional camping supplies that aren’t generally included in most camper sales. New camper owner supplies should include a reliable generator. New sheets, pillows and blankets. Proper RV kitchen supplies. RV tools along with camper cleaning supplies and RV bathroom supplies. You’ll also need to purchase a variety of miscellaneous camping supplies from camper extension cords to camping chairs and even marshmallow sticks. With your new travel trailer you’re going to need an electric brake controller, tire monitoring system and various plugin adapters to hookup to all the different shore power options available. And on rainy days you’ll be glad you stocked your new camper with board games, movies, books, dice and a deck of cards. Whether you’re a first time camper owner or full time RVer or just bought a travel trailer and asking yourself what do I need. Below you will find the essentials of what every RV needs and what to pack in your new camper. After buying your new travel trailer you need to buy thousands of dollars’ worth of RV accessories to truly enjoy your new camper!

10 Item Travel Trailer Essential Camper Accessories List

1) Generator (gas can, plugin adapters, camper extension cord, storage & security of your generator)

2) Camper Bedroom Supplies (Sheets, Pillows, Blankets & possibly a new mattress)

3) RV Kitchen Supplies (Camping Cookware, Cutlery, High End NON-Stick Camping cooking Pan, RV Dish Drying Rack, Camping Pot/Pan Rack, Oven Mit, RV Spatula, RV Pasta Strainer, Ziploc Bags, Paper Plates, Plastic Silveware, Paper Towel Holder, RV Paper Plate Holder, Spice Rack & Camping Tupperware)

4) RV Bathroom Supplies (Towels, Camping Shower Caddy, RV Toilet Treatment Drop-ins, Toilet brush, & RV Toilet Paper)

5) Camper Cleaning Supplies (Windex, 409 All-purpose cleaner, Bleach, dish soap, scour pads, vacuum, broom/dustpan, Swiffer, RV toilet tablets)

6) RV Tools (socket set, hammer, drill, hand tools)

7) Misc Camping supplies (Camper extension cord, camping chairs, hatchet/chainsaw, gas can, flashlight, HDMI & AUX cord, fan, hotdog/marshmallow stick, air pump, head lamp, electric blanket, propane sunflower heater, USB wall outlet) amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Camper Trailer Acccessories"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B076PKVPHQ,B0036DEC48,B01CKRKZ8M,B01MTV2CWB";

8) RV/Camper Accessories (backup camera, tire jack, lugnut wrench, spare tire, propane tanks, camper battery, trailer hitch lock & locking pin, travel trailer electric brake controller, travel trailer tire monitoring system & plugin adapters for regular outlets/30amp/50amp) amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Camper Trailer Acccessories"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07DGS11CM,B07H852D49,B009BF9S4E,B01LA90R6Q";

9) Living Room Essentials (Cup holders, coffee table, swinging couch laptop tray) amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Camper Acccessories"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B01FSGZ6FE,B07FQBZYJ6,B07NRQRHXK,B0026IBSUA"; 10) RV/Camper Entertainment accessories (movies, books, camper board games, deck of cards, dice, notebook, camper bluetooth speaker, camper walkie-talkies, inflatable water toys, bocce ball, bean bags, croquet set, jenga, Yahtzee, or any backyard lawn game will be ideal for your new travel trailer)

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Travel Trailers Comprehensive In depth Camper Packing Details

Travel trailers offer more living space, comfort and a buffet of features at half the price of a drivable RV. These pull behind campers are more versatile, adaptable & modifiable than their camping counterparts. Which is probably why they are the most popular camper on the market today, but no travel trailer comes with a checklist of how to pack your new camper. So let’s find out what supplies every travel trailer needs in more in depth than a 10 item camper packing list.

Bedroom Supplies For Your New Travel Trailer

Unlike moving into a new apartment or a house RVs, campers & travel trailers come with a bed and a history you know nothing about. RV mattresses have a notorious reputation for shotty cheap material, rampant with design flaws and about as comfortable as petrified wood covered in broken glass. The first thing you will want to do is replace your RV mattress. Some campers have standard size RV mattresses while others were designed by a blind drunk who used a broken tape measure.

Fortunately, no matter what size your RV mattress is you can get a custom size camper mattress shipped directly to you relatively easy from Amazon. Click here to shop for RV Mattresses. Plan on spending around $200, but you will want to keep a couple of things in mind.

Saggy sheets tend to make for an uncomfortable nights rest, and memory foam freezes hard as a rock in cold temperatures. Flannel sheets will have you roasting in the summer. While silk sheets will keep you cool in the summer but will leave you desiring something more in the winter. If you do plan on doing a lot of winter camping I suggest purchasing an electric blanket. It will keep you warm and doesn’t produce condensation on the windows or walls, but requires electricity. Good with the bad, right? When shopping for a new RV mattress try to purchase a conventional size mattress so you can find sheets and blankets easier.

**Camper Accessory PRO TIP ** Most RV mattresses sizes are called a short queen

Livingroom Supplies For Your New Travel Trailer

Whether you have a conventional RV jackknife couch, captain’s chair, booth dinette or full surround sound RV entertainment center I bet syou’re missing a few key items you won’t discover until after your first camping trip. One culprit that often gets overlooked is RV cup holders. My first decade of RVing I simply set my cup on the floor, but my beagle is a raging alcoholic. So he soon discovered if he tips it over daddy will let me lick it up. Since they don’t let dogs into AA groups he’s cool with being a sloppy drunk, and I’ve discovered hard liquor isn’t his red solo cup of tea!???! amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "RV Cupholders"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B073Y8Q1CN,B0097YH972,B07FY3M7S7,B00Z7MOL60";

You can buy cupholders for a couple dollars at any autoparts store, Walmart, amazon, thrift store or even goodwill. A couple dollars now will save you confused frustration later. If your new camper has a slideout one of the first things you will want to purchase is a 4 foot power strip because it is very rare to find any outlets on a slideout wall. If your new travel trailer is like mine this means you will have no outlets on one side of your entire camper. Obnoxious is a word that comes to mind, but for a couple of dollars its an easy fix. Another thing you might want to think about is laptops, eating arraignments or a work station.

They do NOT make a specific RV coffee table. Its left up to you and your creative juices to figure out how to make a conventional coffee table work. My suggestion is to look for one with folding legs or add wheels with a braking mechanism to the legs of a coffee table you do like. Walmart, Etsy & amazon also have swivel tray stands for less than $50 that are perfect for RVs, campers and travel trailers.

**Camper Accessory PRO TIP ** You can find wonderful one of a kind RV coffee tables off of Etsy, or do a google search for transformer furniture.

Camper Kitchen Supplies For Your New Travel Trailer

Stocking your RV kitchen for the first time can be a lot of fun. But the kitchen is where most new RVers trigger the question,”I just bought a travel trailer what do I need?” Before you go out and buy and bunch of cool RV kitchen supplies. Take a serious look at your kitchen. How many drawers & cupboards do you have? Is there any counter space in your new camper? After taking a good look at your new travel trailer kitchen where will your RV cleaning supplies go? Cooking utensils? Seasonings? amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "RV kitchen accessory"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B014E30YX6,B07B3GBR2G,B078K24RBY,B077VY2WJK";

A really easy way to give yourself some more space and camper storage is head off to your local Walmart, Target, Peir1 or other big box stores with cheap containers. I personally like Target because they have a few more “wood” options in their storage container aisle. Majority of the aisle will be filled with plastic containers made by Sterilite, but take a good look at all of them. Can you hang any of these containers underneath your existing camper cupboards to give you more drawers and storage space?

Sterilite makes a little 6inch by 6inch container with 3 drawers that I love to use. I take out all the drawers and screw the top of that container to the bottom of my camper cupboards giving me a quick easy 3 drawer silverware drawer for less than $5. Look at their wooden box section. Some of these are intended for jewelry, bread or files. But what could you turn them into. I turned a laptop table into an under the cabinet drawer for important papers. I turned a bread box into an entryway drop point for keys, gloves, remotes, headlamps, spare change & spare keys.

While you are at the store look for a paper towel & paper plate holders, magnet knife holder, seasoning holders that stick to the wall. Keep an eye out for a small garbage can & battery operated magnetic lights & chip clips. These are all personal touches, but the one thing you’re going to really want to focus on in your new campers kitchen is your RV cookware.

**Camper Accessories PRO TIP ** Adding a cutting board to your kitchen increases your campers counter space and gives you added functionality, or install a Cantilever Angled Bar bracket Support for Solid Tops to extend your counter top. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "RV kitchen accessory"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B002O0TKPU,B00DGRYI48,B00YCWIIEW,9178881986";

RV cookware Supplies For Your New Travel Trailer

Most people new to RV camping make their RV mistakes in the kitchen. I recently witnessed this first hand on a road trip with my family. Who knew they were going on a 10 day road trip in a travel trailer that has been used full time for the last 3 years. They still packed cups, plates, bowls and even a counter top oil free deep fryer! No, I’m not kidding! A giant red egg shaped looking thing sat on the counter of my travel trailer for 10 days. Never getting used.

At the grocery store they purchased items that required multiple steps from mixing to preheating and even multiple cooking steps. It was like watching someone new to RV camping going on their first RV trip. Not knowing there wouldn’t be mixers, blenders, measuring bowls & ample counter space to chop vegetables while prepping entrée’s.

Stocking your camper trailer for the first time can be as easy or as hard as you would like to make it. I like an easy, simple and efficient lifestyle so I pack a lot of disposable kitchen aids. The more glassware, home cookware & regular utensils you stock the more work you will make for yourself later. First, all of this stuff needs to be washed after it is used. Washing dishes in a camper is not easy. In fact it actually sucks. I specifically have a camper that has over 10 feet of counter space. Which is about as rare as a turtle mating with a bear, and its still not enough counter space to do dishes. Now take a look at your RV sink and home cookware. Can any of that fit in your camper’s sink? Probably not.

Before you start unloading your new cookware take a look at your glassware and other kitchen supplies. Are they all actually made of glass? Glass breaks! Travel trailers move. Cupboards accidentally open. Did I mention glass breaks! Keep in mind you have to wash all of that regular cookware after using it. Which also means you need water. Which means you need electricity to run the water pump. So you need access to an outlet or you need to start your generator. These are things that you don’t have to worry about when stocking your kitchen at home, but when packing a camper you have to be aware that you’re packing a tiny house that moves. That you will use when you’re out dirt biking, hunting, fishing, skiing, climbing, kiteboarding and yes CAMPING!

When stocking your new camper’s kitchen for the first time you want to stock it with camping cookware. Camping cookware is durable, reliable and fits your tiny RV sink.

When I say camping cookware I don’t want you to go buy the lightweight folding handle pots and pans that all stack inside of themselves that fit nicely in a backpack. So that you can roam around Southeast Asia. You can and it will be cheaper, but one of the biggest RV mistakes new camper owners make is RV cookware. I know you’re excited about your shiny new camper with its shiny new oven & gas burners. But when it comes to kitchen camper packing plan to cook one pot meals for the rest of your RV Life. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "RV kitchen accessory"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B0017VH2MK,B01CR7P9RC,B004W7TKKI,B071NNRB3S"; You don’t need a set of pots and pans. You need one top notch nonstick lifetime guaranteed pan that is super easy to clean. One that you can cook burgers and steaks in one night and fish and vegetables the next. As well as eggs, bacon, hash browns and pancakes in the morning. A pan that doesn’t take any more effort than wiping it down with a paper towel to clean. Yes, you will need a pot to boil water for noodles and rice dishes, but trust me when I say this: “When it comes to camping cookware in your RV less is more.” Remember to reheat items for 30 seconds in the microwave requires you to run an extension cord, pay for RV Hookups or start the generator.

When it comes to RV cookware & RV kitchen supplies…less is more. Simple is better. Camping cookware comes down to how reliable, multi-functional, durable, adaptive & reusable your camping cookware is. Does it make your “camping life” easier or more challenging?

Rather than buying a complete kitchen cookware set that includes multiple pots & pans. Just buy one pan that can cook everything. One pot that will do the job. It’s not like you can leave dishes piled up in the sink while traveling from one destination to the next. You’ll open up your camper door to an unwelcomed disaster. One pot & one pan is all you need. You can’t even use more than one full size pan on your camper’s mini stove anyways. A regular size pizza pan won’t even fit in your oven. One pot & One pan is all you need for your RV cookware.

New Camper Bathroom Supplies

What camping bathroom supplies do you need to pack in your new travel trailer? Another area where many new RV owners make RV mistakes is in the bathroom. Remember while your new travel trailer has all the bells and whistles of a regular bathroom. Your travel trailer camper bathroom moves.

So no countertop jewelry displays, ladies! No magazine stands next to the plastic throne guys! Really all you need to purchase for your new camper bathroom is an RV shower caddy to hold all your soaps, shampoos and various other shower supplies. I recommend one that secures to the wall of your shower, but I use one that simply hangs off the shower head. Which has me cleaning up all my shower supplies every time I reach my new destination.

**Camper Accessory PRO TIP ** The best camper shower caddy is the one that has a pole reaching from floor to ceiling amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "RV Bathroom accessories"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B004UC9PV4,B00PR0V2BE,B00C6A594Y,B004EPXKKE";

Is RV toilet paper necessary?

No! You don’t need to buy any fancy RV toilet paper, but you can if you want. I’ve owned a number of RVs in the last 20 years, and I have never bought special RV toilet paper! Mainly because the internet wasn’t invented when I started RVing, and my local grocery store didn’t carry RV specific toilet paper. I have never had a problem that warranted me to start buying RV toilet paper off the internet. So you can buy whatever toilet paper you like. I promise!

8 brands of toilet paper that are best for an RV?

Thetford Aqua-Soft Toilet Tissue

Scott Rapid Dissolving Toilet Tissue

Freedom Living Septic Tank Safe Toilet Tissue

Valterra Q23630 Softness Toilet Tissue

Thetford 20804 RV Tissue Paper

Firebelly Outfitters Toilet Paper

Caboo Tree Free Bamboo Toilet Paper

Camco 40275 RV Bathroom Toilet Tissue

Is Charmin safe for RV?

The simple answer, Yes. All toilet paper is safe to use an RV. Do some toilet paper brands dissolve faster and better than others? Yes, of course. Until this travel trailer packing article I have never put this much thought into RV toilet paper. I simply go to the toilet paper aisle and buy whatever is the cheapest that day, and in 20 years I have never had a problem with any of the 2 dozen RVs I have owned. Not my truck camper. Travel trailer. Or any of my Class C RVs. Not the Class B motorhome or my Class A motorhome. So if you came to this website because you’ve been asking yourself,”

Do you really need special RV toilet paper?“

The answer is, NO! The only reason there is something called “RV toilet paper” is the same reason you can get a diet soda with your fast food meal. People like plausible theories. Like the one that says a diet soda makes a 1300 calorie greasy burger healthy.

Camper Cleaning Supplies

Manufactures boggle my mind. They know you are going to be using your new camper out in the wild. Away from running water, electricity and hopefully stores, but yet they design the insides of campers with carpet, floor ducted heat vents and raised ledges that make it impossible to sweep. In all my years of RVing I have really only needed for items for my camping cleaning supplies. Broom or Swiffer, Vacuum, Windex & 409 all-purpose cleaner. For thorough deep cleans bleach, pledge & oven cleaner round out my camper cleaning supply arsenal. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "RV Cleaning Supplies"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B001D8TGJE,B002EVWE8O,B000NJ6EZ8,B013YO50GC"; My favorite vacuum was given to me by mom for my Toyota truck camper, and is by the far the best RV vacuum I have ever come across. If I had to choose between the entire travel trailer and my rocket vacuum. Well I’d have a vacuum. The rocket vacuum cleaner is the best RV vacuum on the market. It’s a powerful and compact bag less RV vacuum. That’s tough enough to clean up dog hair as well as everyday camping dirt and grime. Breaks apart nicely into small little sections so I can tuck it in a cubby underneath the dinette seating.

**Camper Accessory PRO TIP ** Don’t buy one of those handheld vacuums that are only a foot long unless you feel like crawling around your camper every time it needs cleaning. A bag less vacuum that you can use standing up and a Swiffer is all you will need for your camping cleaning supplies.

RV Tools

Every camper needs tools. You may come across the perfect trinket at a gift store that needs hanging. A cupboard door may fall off its hinges and need to be screwed back on. I can tell you from personal experience it’s no fun changing a flat tire without a wrench! Things brake in a moving house, and it’s nice to have a tool to fix broken things.

Every one of my RVs has a cupboard I nickname the tool shed. Where you’ll find a set of sockets, hand tools, skill saw, drill, hatchet & a caulk gun. In my travel trailer’s tool shed you can also find an extension cord, power adapters for the generator and various screws, nuts & bolts. Along with back up piano hinges, peel-and-stick accessories and even bike locks which I use to lock up the generator in the back of my truck.

You may even find camper accessories such as super glue, scraps of Velcro, a two-way air pump, a surplus of batteries and all kinds of cable/internet cords. You’d be surprised at where you can find cable boxes in the middle of nowhere. I have a 300 foot cat 5 cable cord because while boondocking for over a month in Utah I found a cable box that had a live Comcast feed. Giving me high speed internet for free! No I won’t tell you were it’s at. Keeping that secret all to myself.

**Camper Accessory PRO TIP **A cordless drill with the right socket makes putting down your camper jacks a breeze.

Travel Trailer Camper Accessories

You can go buy an RV hot tub if you’d like and be the king or queen of any campground you call home. But travel trailer accessories that are a little more practical would include a trailer hitch lock and locking pin so it’s not as easy to steal your new camper. A spare tire for when you get a flat doing 80 down the freeway, or even a backup camera so it’s easier for you to get setup at the campground. An electric brake controller is pretty essential too. Ever try to stop a 40 foot box at 80 mph without any brakes?

Do you need a brake controller for your new travel trailer?

Yes, you need a brake controller for the electric brakes on your travel trailer to actually function. If you bought a travel trailer than you most likely have a tiny home with electric brakes. Without a brake controller your electric brakes won’t actuate. I bought an electric brake controller off of Amazon for less than $100, and took less than 2 minutes to install. It was a simple plug and play install. The hardest thing about my electric brake controller installation was figuring out where to mount it on my dashboard. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cheaprvhookups-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "RV Travel Trailer Accessories"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "da23d40805b9c903014c63a443573227"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B00C5THYIK,B002YIACG8,B07HNPQ4X3,B009BF9S4E";

Another Camper Accessory ~ Travel Trailer tire Monitoring System

I wouldn’t consider a tire monitoring system a fun RV accessory, but it is an essential travel trailer accessory. A tire monitoring system will monitor your tires air pressure and relay that information to your smartphone, dash mounted LCD screen or even your radio screen. This camper accessory can be hard wired, Bluetooth enabled or operate off of your vehicles Wi-Fi signal. Tire monitoring systems come in all shapes and sizes. From cigarette lighter powered displays to solar powered displays, and range all over the map in price. A tire monitoring system also known as TPMS keeps you up to date on your tires conditions along your travels without having to make unnecessary pit stops. Making it easy to avoid blowouts, and determining when its time to replace your RV tires.

**Camper Accessory PRO TIP ** TPMS systems can cost as little as $40 and as much as $400. Plan on spending $100-$200 for a quality tire pressure monitoring system for your new travel trailer. A couple hundred dollars upfront will save you from sitting on the side of the road later with camper tire blowout.

Must Have Camper Accessories

As you can see camper accessories can range from self-tracking satellites to paper plate holders and everything in between. Below you will find a photo, price and product description of all the must have camper accessories I would purchase for my new camper. Got any questions? Leave them in the comments below. Did I forget an essential must have camper accessory? Let me know in the comments below? What’s your favorite camper accessory? I love opening emails from all of you so if you’d prefer you can always email me [email protected]. Shoot some questions, comments or tips. I would love to hear from you by email or in the comments below. Share with the rest of us how much you’re enjoying your new camper. Happy Travels Y’all. Not sure why I’ve been using Y’all lately but I kinda like it.

My Personal List of Camper Accessories

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Just Bought A Travel Trailer What Do I Need? Complete Camper Must Haves & Essential RV Accessories Guide! Buying Your First Traveler Trailer You just bought your first travel trailer and our wondering what RV accessories you need to buy now.

#adventure ideas #Adventure travel #camper accessories #camper packing #camping #cheap rv living #first time rv owner #free camping #new camper owner #rv #RV accessories #rv adventure #rv costs #rv hookups #rv life #rv living #rv travel #RVer #travel trailer

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mreugenehalsey · 6 years

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Disease & Deforestation: The Cost of Coffee in Madagascar

In Madagascar, coffee is the fuel that powers everyone through their day – but it comes at a cost.

This island, which lies off the Mozambique coast, is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite being rich in biodiversity. The majority of people here live in poverty and their lifestyle is interwoven with the country’s coffee culture. So, too, is their health.

Among the lush greenery and exotic animals, I discovered a disturbing backstory to Madagascar’s coffee industry. Read on to discover the true cost of this nation’s love of coffee.

You may also like The Daily Life of Madagascar’s Coffee Vendors

For young and old, rich and poor, coffee is a national pastime. Credit: Nicole Motteux

The Dangerous Life of a Coffee Vendor

Coffee is a major agricultural crop and source of income for thousands of people in Madagascar. From bean to bag, the coffee industry is an important employer each step of the way. This is because coffee is an ever-present part of life in Madagascar. About 80% of the total production of coffee is consumed within the country. Robusta accounts for the vast bulk of current output.

Every stage of coffee production and sale in Madagascar is arduous and poorly paid. But it is the small-scale coffee vendors who face the most difficulties and dangers.

During my travels, I met numerous coffee vendors who spend their days crouching over small fires to roast and prepare coffee. The constant exposure to smoke leads to the deep penetration of small particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and other harmful carcinogens into their lungs.

In their homes and workplaces down narrow alleys, and in improvised street cafés, I learned about traditional Malagasy coffee.

Mrs Moratsara roasts beans in a cloud of smoke. Credit: Nicole Motteux

Coffee roasters like Mrs Nirina Moratsara spend most of their day beside a wood fire or charcoal stove. “From sunrise to sunset, I roast coffee, heat coffee, and I cook,” she says.

Her eyes are red and teary as she roasts a pot of green beans over an open wood fire. As one of thousands of street coffee vendors in a competitive marketplace, she knows that getting the perfect roast is vital to making enough money to survive.

“The fire’s heat affects the flavour,” Nirina explains. She prevents the outside of the bean roasting more quickly than the inside by carefully stirring and lifting the pan from the coals. She blinks and waves aside the thick smoke.

Beside Nirina is her six-year-old daughter, Nora, who rubs her eyes constantly. Only two of Nirina’s six children are in school. The others help with the coffee business.

Learn more in Zimbabwean Coffee: Rising from the Ashes

Many young Malagasy girls are withdrawn from school to work in family businesses. Credit: Nicole Motteux

One of The Poorest Countries in The World

Madagascar has long struggled with poor governance, most recently resulting from a violent uprising in 2009. Since then, successive failed governments have contributed to economic decline and destruction of natural resources.

The United Nations’ Human Development Index rated Madagascar an extremely low 161 out of 189 countries in 2017. This puts the nation among the poorest countries in the world. Almost 80% of the population lives on less than US $1.90 per day, including hundreds of thousands of street coffee vendors.

Half of Madagascar’s children under five suffer from stunted growth from poor nutrition. Like Nirina’s children, many are unschooled.

There’s no shortage of hot coffee in Madagascar. Credit: Nicole Motteux

It is this poverty that forces people to live off the land. According to the World Bank, the majority of Madagascar’s 24.8 million people gather wood from forests for their cooking and heating fuel. Most of the rest use charcoal or buy wood.

Only 2% of the population has access to clean fuel and stoves and ovens for cooking. Only 16% of households have access to electricity. This dependence on wood and charcoal seriously impacts quality of life and degrades the environment.

You may also like This Is How Much It Costs to Produce Coffee Across Latin America

Collecting and preparing firewood is an everyday task. Credit: Nicole Motteux

The impact of 99% of households using charcoal and wood is huge. More than 60% of rural households in Madagascar cook indoors. This means that the majority of kitchens have unhealthy concentrations of air pollution.

Small particulate matter in the smoke penetrates deep into the body, triggering chronic diseases such as asthma, heart attacks, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems. Household air pollution is considered the third-biggest cause of ill health in Madagascar, behind malnutrition and poor sanitation.

Coffee roasters like Nirina spend most of their day beside a wood fire or charcoal stove. Credit: Nicole Motteux

A Coffee Vendor’s Daily Risks

Each time Nirina makes coffee, she tends to a fire for an hour to boil the water. On Sundays and public holidays, she does this three times, making up to 8 litres of coffee.

She is fortunate to be able to roast her green coffee beans on a fire outside of her home. Other vendors use poorly ventilated kitchens thick with smoke. Some hunt for spots behind buildings or in narrow corridors – anywhere out of the wind.

Coffee vending provides a small income but it comes at a real cost. Nirina tells me of her headaches and chest pain. She wishes she could make enough money to send all her children to school.

Women spend hours each day cooking over open flames, exposing them to a higher risk of life-threatening health concerns. Credit: Nicole Motteux

Every afternoon, Nirina and her children collect firewood. They are lucky to have a reliable supply nearby. Others have to walk very long distances to access free firewood and the task is often dangerous. Harassment is common, and rape is not unheard of.

Women tend to be disproportionately affected by health concerns here. Cooking is usually the responsibility of women or children, and vendors are more likely to be women. As a result, they are exposed to more chronic and life-threatening diseases.

Before dawn the next day, Nirina packs up her supplies and travels to her usual roadside corner in the business district. She uses a charcoal stove to brew her coffee. “I like charcoal more than wood. The smoke is less. I can carry it, don’t have to chop charcoal, and it’s dry,” she tells me.

“My charcoal cooker broke. I now use my neighbour’s one. It is very heavy and fragile. Every day I have to collect the cooker and give it back. I cannot afford to buy a new one. It is 16,000 Ariary [about US $5]. I make 20,000 Ariary gross income each day and from that I have to buy green bean coffee and ingredients for sale tomorrow as well as food for my family.”

Charcoal stoves don’t generally emit as many particles as wood-fuelled stoves, but they still produce a lot of carbon monoxide.

Brewed coffee is safer than water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes. Credit: Nicole Motteux

A Life-Saving Service

Malagasies start their day with a cup of coffee and a fried rice cake. It’s a daily tradition that’s affordable even for the most disadvantaged people. For some, it may be the only meal of the day.

Basic comforts are a challenge in Madagascar, thanks to limited electricity and running water. It is the fourth worst country in Africa for access to safe drinking water. For many, buying a coffee from a street vendor is the safest option.

Coffee and street food warm and fill the body and saves on fuel for cooking breakfast at home. Credit: Nicole Motteux

Other Environmental Hazards

Poverty has caused other environmental hazards in Madagascar. Traffic jams of old and poorly maintained vehicles create further air pollution. Standing at their roadside stalls, thousands of coffee vendors are exposed to toxic fumes each day.

Madagascar’s old cars are a serious contributor to poor air quality, especially in the city. Credit: Nicole Motteux

Huge amounts of the country’s original forest have been lost in recent years. Global Forest Watch reports that from 2001 to 2017, Madagascar lost 3.27 Mha of tree cover, equivalent to a 19% decrease since 2000.

Deforestation is due, in part, to replacing forests with coffee fields. The country has lost about 80% of its original forests and the primary forest now covers only about 12% of the country. The consequent erosion and soil degradation have further impacted the ecosystem.

Lavaka of Ankarokaroka’s moon-like landscape is the result of massive erosion. Credit: Nicole Motteux

In the central highlands, the evidence of soil erosion and run-off is devastating. When grassland is burned for agriculture and trees are cut for fuel, the sandy earth collapses. The result is dramatic canyons. Sediment is then washed downhill during the rainy season. The red sand carried by water blocks drinking water and irrigation canals.

Madagascar’s rivers run red due to deforestation, desertification, habitat loss, and soil erosion. Credit: Nicole Motteux

The once densely forested mountains are now bare, thanks to firewood, slash-and-burn agriculture, and overgrazing by zebu cattle. The humped cattle are central to rural life, but short-sighted farming techniques have destroyed the landscape.

Overgrazing by Zebu cattle is just one cause of serious land degradation in Madagascar. Credit: Nicole Motteux

A Cleaner, Healthier Future?

Madagascar needs clean and sustainable sources of energy to reduce the country’s long-term health and environmental concerns. Energy-efficient cookstoves are one small innovation that can make a big difference.

A woman cooks on an energy efficient cookstove. Credit: Association pour le Développement de l’Energie Solaire Suisse – Madagascar (ADES)

ADES is a Swiss energy development organisation that has been working in Madagascar for 18 years. It builds market-based partnerships with local companies to produce energy-efficient cookstoves.

The organisation works closely with governments and businesses to educate the Malagasy people about energy-efficient cooking methods, ventilation, and sustainable livelihoods. It has an ambitious goal of 60% less energy use in Madagascar by 2050. ADES has sold over 170,000 cookstoves and has a sustainable, local production line in place.

Other organisations and initiatives are encouraging energy efficiency. The government has launched a rural electrification plan that includes implementation of solar panels. It aims to double the rate of Madagascar’s rural electrification by 2020.

Clean energy is slowly arriving in rural Madagascar. Credit: Nicole Motteux

The future health of Madagascar’s small-scale coffee industry and its wider population is uncertain. Indoor and outdoor pollution inhibit economic growth and exacerbate poverty. Yet, I left Madagascar feeling some hope for a cleaner coffee future. I left Nirina with a clean cookstove of her own, knowing that this small gesture would have a huge benefit to her financial and physical health.

Enjoyed this? Check out Could Zimbabwean Coffee Once Again Be On Specialty Menus?

Written by Nicole Motteux with input by Lilani Goonesena and image editing by Angie Lázaro. With thanks to interpreter and guide Mr Harry Rakotosalam. Feature image: Nicole Motteux

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cook-the-beans · 6 years

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Green is by far my favorite color, and have it around makes me feel happier, comfortable, and relaxed. At home, I have plants in all compartments, and even though I have a garden I have artificial plants inside.

I use them for many different reasons, one is because I travel a lot, and they will survive during my absence 🙂 also not to support commercial growers which use lots of chemicals. Neither international farm companies that have their workers working for long hours, little pay, under bad conditions and exposed to dangerous chemicals, what make it essential to buy fair-trade products, as from bee friendly farms. So when buying plants chose the ones that protect both the natural environment and the workers’ rights.

As a vegan before buying, I do my research to know I what they are made from and how they are made. You will be happy to know that PermaLeaf silk flowers and artificial greens are completely animal-product free 🙂 that means no silk and no gelatine to stiffen the materials.

What Makes Faux Plants for Office Outdoor Landscapes So Majestic?

Faux plants and trees are being recognized as one of the durable, appealing and cost-effective solutions to commercial landscaping due to their ease of installation and requirement of fewer maintenance efforts. Moreover, these help you form lifelike garden for your space and nobody can even realize that those are fake. All this makes artificial trees and plants a preferable solution to the landscaping needs. With limitless open options with best artificial plants and trees, you can choose the most elegant and personalized landscape as per your outdoor architectural requirements. As commercials and businesses have numerous problems for upkeep and maintenance of real landscape and hence these artificial plants and make their way to landscaping quite easier and hassle-free.

Add A Sense of Wellbeing to Their Aura

The lifelike environment created by artificial landscaping products enhance energy, elegance and a feeling of wellbeing all around. This is proven in studies that a greener environment created by plants and trees soothes eyes of everyone and thus relieves stress from mind thus improving metal health to a greater extent. For commercial environments, it is crucial to offer an environment to employees that can support their wellbeing thus increasing productivity and performance. Moreover, a greener environment also lets people to get close to nature and feel comfortable and interested in the surrounding. All this offered by faux plants and trees is a big plus to businesses and commercial establishments.

Create A Mesmerizing and Inviting Environment

There are countless varieties in artificial plants ranging from small potted plants to large sized trees, verities of flowers and artificial ferns hanging baskets. You can find replication of most of the living verities of plants and trees in artificial form that you can incorporate into your outdoor space without bothering about their maintenance requirements and all. These enormous kinds of fake landscaping solutions can complement any of your outdoor architectural features.

Silk Flowers to Give A Touch of Creative Color

Artificial technology not only gives you green leafy plant options for building outdoor landscape rather you can also add flower verities as well to your lawn just like you do in real landscaping. Even in real landscaping, you have to limit landscaping up to certain type of flower plants due to the varying weather requirements of flowers, but in artificial landscaping, you can have all the flower verities for your landscape. Ranging from, beautiful dahlias and lilies to rose, sunflower, floral vines, orchids and numerous other silk flowers for outdoors, every kind of flower is possible in your landscape. These flowers can create a lovely, colorful and appealing landscape for your outdoor settings.

No Maintenance Landscape

Another major problem with living plants is the efforts required to maintain the plants and trees. The proper care need to be given to the plants keeping in mind all kinds of weather conditions. Regular cutting, pruning, fertilizing and watering requirements need to be met to keep them blooming in your commercial space. To meet the costs required to manage all this may require to a lot a special budget. Whereas in case of artificial trees and plants, you don’t need to give them special attention, no watering, no pruning and fertilizing at all, you only need to do occasional dusting to eliminate the dirt from the plants. Even without demanding any care, they can last for years keeping your space lush green and colorful. Whether you choose greener leafed plants or colorful artificial garden plants flowers, all varieties exhibit the same feature of low maintenance requirements.

Backed up with Fire Retardant Properties

This kind of special and useful technology has been incorporated keeping in mind the various risks of commercial and business environments. This makes artificial plants and trees a totally secure product for any place. Whether you use them inside or outside, you can stay stress-free all the time.

UV and Water Resistance

Whether it’s a sharp sunny day or a heavy rainy season, these plants will keep making your commercial outdoor look fabulous and lush green.

No matter what type of plant you are using, whether these are outdoor artificial topiary plants, faux flowers of any verities or artificial boxwood shrubs, their UV and water resistance power will prevent them from getting damaged or fade away. These plants can even be placed on the areas that are harder to reach as you don’t need to water, prune or fertilize them.

This post has been sponsored by PermaLeaf ®

Have you heard about PermaLeaf®? Green is by far my favorite color, and have it around makes me feel happier, comfortable, and relaxed.

#artificial greens #permaLeaf #plants #silk flowers #vegan #Wellbeing

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multipleforks · 6 years

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Pujol put Mexico City on the foodie road map when it made Pellegrino’s list of the top 50 restaurants in the world as #20 and as #4 in Latin America’s top 50 restaurants. Attention of the restaurant grew even further when it was featured on the Emmy award winning series, Chef’s Table on Netflix. Everywhere you turn now it seems Mexico City is making its mark on the worldwide food scene. From delicious chocolate mole sauces at restaurants like La Capital in Polanco to the local taco street vendors, it’s easy to find delicious, mind blowing food at reasonable prices. Fortunately for me, a foodie friend of mine from the NYC metro area moved to Mexico City about 10 months ago and dove head first into the restaurant scene the day he arrived, and still hasn’t come up for air. As I drove him insane sending over new restaurant openings via Eater.com, he finally said, Shannon, seriously…why don’t you just come visit? So I did. (Don’t threaten me with a good time!) Here are some places I highly recommend checking out on your next visit to the beautiful capital city of Mexico. (Before we move forward, I suggest you plan on staying in Polanco, the “Beverly Hills” of la cuidad de Mexico. This area is known for its great shopping, upscale malls, high end hotels and amazing restaurants-over 80 total).

La Gruta at Teotihuacan: if you have access to a vehicle, it’s worth taking the hour drive to the pyramids of Teotihuacan for multiple reasons. For many, it’s seeing and climbing thousand-year-old pyramids. For me, it was the promise of eating local, authentic, Mexican cuisine in a ornate, dimly lit, underground cave. (How often do you get to do something like that?!) Anyway, we arrived on a sunny, and pleasantly warm Friday afternoon, parked the car and stood at the top of a ‘cliff’ that showcased the massive cave restaurant. We were then led down the narrow staircase, and seated towards the back of the cave next to a stone carved staircase lit with tea light candles. The whole scene felt very prehistoric and authentically Aztec Mexican. Each wooden table was covered in white linen tablecloth, complete with multicolored wood and straw covered chairs pushed into each table and beautifully decorated clay colored ceramic plates were setup in front of each potential diner. After we sat at our table, the waiter was quick to bring over an assortment of spicy salsas and chips. To start, we ordered the tortilla soup which was unlike anything I have ever eaten before. The pictures give you a general idea, but definitely does not do it justice! The bowl contained tortilla strips, chunks of local cheese, pieces of avocados and dried pig skin. Then the waiter poured a delicious hot, salty, broth on top of it. Muy delicioso! For lunch I had pollo de pipian (pumpkin seed sauce). The pieces of chicken came with lots of sauce in these beautiful ceramic pots with small bowls of black beans and rice on the side. (Very cultural and ethnic). Then we climbed the pyramids hoping to work and ‘sweat off some of the calories’. Wishful thinking my friends. We climbed up once and called it a day!

La Capital: incredible gastronomic food, excellent food presentations, great service, and not terribly expensive; this was one of my favorite restaurants in MC. When we arrived, we ordered a round of drinks to start, then decided to split two appetizers and one entrée. The lychee martini was easily the best lychee martini I ever had. The drink itself had a well-balanced flavor of lychee juice and vodka and was topped off with a nice layer of foam on top. I could have easily had 5. (I stuck with 1, I promise). For dinner we ordered tuna tartare which was wrapped in thinly sliced avocado pieces atop a significant amount of spicy mayo (apparently Mexicans love their sauces!) Then we split the shrimp tacos which came 4 small pieces to a plate, decorated with dollops of spicy aioli and black bean puree. For our entrée, we went with the duck enchiladas swimming in chocolate mole sauce which I highly recommend. Seriously, the four small enchiladas needed a lifesaving best to survive the plate of creamy and hearty mole sauce. Nonetheless, the dish was incredible. It was hard not to lick the plate clean.

Four Seasons hotel: if it’s a Four Seasons, you know it must be spectacular, and the Mexico City location is no exception. First off, the cocktail menu is a solid 25-page book complete with lots of pictures of unique and amazing alcoholic concoctions. (Every bar needs to have this!) Secondly, the outdoor courtyard area is stunning, and since the weather in Mexico City is almost always perfect, it’s well worth sitting outside on their very comfortable, posh, cushioned seats. If that however, does not tickle your fancy (or you hit rainy season and sitting outside is just not an option), consider grabbing a cocktail indoors on their luxurious couches or at the indoor prohibition style bar. They do a fabulous brunch for $55 from 12-5pm on Sundays which includes a sushi cart, meat cart, salad cart, sandwich station, and one mimosa (or you can pay more for unlimited cocktails). While we were there, we opted to sit out on the patio, drink a few cocktails and just people watch for an hour. The drinks were fantastic and the people were gorgeous!

Cerveceria Polanquito: apparently, they are a many Cerveceria’s in Mexico City, but the Polanquito location is unique because while dining here you feel like you’re in the middle of the Amazon jungle. The ceiling is covered in fake tree branches and leaves and there are plants and trees situated all around you. What’s also cool about this place is the number of TVs they have hanging up high amongst the tree branches. In addition to the ambiance, the menu is quite extensive with lots of authentic Mexican options to choose from. We ordered the fish and shrimp tacos as a pre-dinner starter, knowing we had dinner reservations two hours later (the definition of gluttonous right here). Anyway, the shrimp tacos really hit the spot. As stated earlier, Mexicans really love their sauces and the second you order food, they generally bring you a selection of sauces/salsas to add to your dishes. This place gave us three sauces and a ton of limes on the side. (It’s such a shame my pathetic self can’t handle spicy foods! Sad!) The shrimp tacos also came with an avocado mousse which was spectacular! It was light and fluffy and paired well with the crispy shrimp and purple cabbage.

Rosa Negra: two things stand out when it comes to Rosa Negra: one, they greet you with delicious, crispy, warm, cheese stuffed pastry breads sprinkled with parmesan cheese and three dipping sauces; and two, they play upbeat electronic dance music on the weekends along with a live drummer. Between the cheesy bread, the bumping beats, and my glass of Albariño, I was all set. We did however agree, we should probably order something aside from the free ‘pan’. So for dinner we agreed to split the salmon ceviche in a coconut curry sauce and the huarache pulpo (squid). The ceviche came in a bowl made from half of a coconut and had a strong red pepper flavor. The pulpo was the largest and thickest piece of squid I have ever seen! The dish also came with oven roasted potatoes and black olives.

While you’re in Mexico City if you have the time, check out el museo del tequila y el Mezcal (tequila museum). It costs about $3 USD and comes with two small shots of tequila you can redeem at the rooftop bar. It only takes about 15 minutes to walk through, but then you can head up to the rooftop to enjoy your tequila. When we arrived on beautiful, warm and sunny Friday afternoon they had a very talented and gorgeous Columbian woman singing serenading music at the festive and colorful bar, it was blissful.

One place I was a bit disappointed in was Jose Andres. The restaurant is inside the W hotel so it has that “W hotel” trendy, upscale, funky feel to it. This location was nothing like Bazaar Mar (his restaurant in Brickell, Miami, FL). Anyway, we sat outside on large, colorful, semi-circular couches overlooking the street below. The menu itself was a bit disappointing. It felt more like a W hotel bar than a Jose Andres restaurant. We went to order paella, but that took 45 minutes, and we didn’t have that much time to spare, so we went with the fish croquettes, chicken and shrimp atop of squid ink pasta. Honestly, the breaded fish croquettes tasted frozen as did the chicken and we were a little peeved the shrimp over squid ink dish came with three shrimps for two people. What the heck is that?! I was still a little hungry after this so we ordered the fennel salad which was nothing spectacular. I must admit, that was a terrible idea, as once we put in an order for that their April-October late day tropical rainstorm hit with a vengeance, with winds gusting, thunder and lightning and wicked rains, so we were forced to go inside. The inside is small, and uneventful, except for the unique ceiling which looks like trees in a fairytale. Having been to Bazaar Mar in Miami twice, I apparently had high expectations. His Mexico City location just didn’t do it.

Have you ever been to Mexico City? Where did you eat? What restaurants and bars do you suggest? I was only here for four days, so I’m sure there’s so much I missed!

A food lover’s guide to Mexico City: five great restaurants and one awesome tequila museum Pujol put Mexico City on the foodie road map when it made Pellegrino’s list of the top 50 restaurants in the world as #20 and as #4 in Latin America’s top 50 restaurants.

#mexicocity #restaurants foodieinmexicocity lacuidaddemexico gastronomy #travels travelsinMexicoCity Mexicanfood #Foodie

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cook-the-beans · 6 years

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Green is by far my favourite colour, and have it around makes me feel happier, comfortable, and relaxed. At home I have plants in all compartments, and even though I have a garden I have artificial plants inside.

I use them for many different reasons, one is because I travel a lot, and they will survive on my absence 🙂 also not to support commercial growers which use lots of chemicals. nether international farm companies that have their workers working for long hours, little pay, under bad conditions and exposed to dagerous chemicals, what make it essencial to buy fair-trade products, as from bee friendly farms.

So when buying plants chose the ones that protects both the natural environment and workers’ rights.

As a vegan before buying I do my research to know I what they are made from and how they are made. You will be happy to know that PermaLeaf silk flowers and artificial greens are completely animal-product free 🙂 that means no silk and no gelatine to stiffen the materials.

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Add A Sense of Wellbeing to Their Aura

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Silk Flowers to Give A Touch of Creative Color

Artificial technology not only gives you green leafy plant options for building outdoor landscape rather you can also add flower verities as well to your lawn just like you do in real landscaping. Even in real landscaping you have to limit landscaping up to certain type of flower plants due to the varying weather requirements of flowers, but in artificial landscaping you can have all the flower verities for your landscape. Ranging from, beautiful dahlias and lilies to rose, sunflower, floral vines, orchids and numerous other silk flowers for outdoors, every kind of flower is possible in your landscape. These flowers can create a lovely, colorful and appealing landscape for your outdoor settings.

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Most of the live plants encourage pests and insects with them. This is because of the leaves and soils as they offer food to these insects. Mealybugs, spider mites, scale insects and fungus are some of the common insect verities formation of which may be caused by living plants. But you can prevent all these problems by adding am artificial landscape to your area. Artificial plants are pest free and this is considered amongst their top benefits. For commercial areas, it becomes quite difficult to manage a condition where pest are roaming all around as commercial landscapes are mostly established in large scale. With faux solutions, you can stay free from pests and insects yet keeping your area mesmerizing and eye-catchy in all the seasons.

No Maintenance Landscape

Backed up with Fire Retardant Properties

Nowadays, most of the artificial landscaping solutions come with fire retardant properties which make them safe and secure especially for commercial environments. The artificial trunks and leaves of plants are infused with fire retardant chemicals that eliminate the fear of worsening the fire hazard conditions. This kind of special and useful technology has been incorporated keeping in mind the various risks of commercial and business environments. This makes artificial plants and trees a totally secure product for any place. Whether you use them inside or outside, you can stay stress free all the time.

UV and Water Resistance

Along with fire retardant properties artificial plants especially outdoor artificial plants come packed with water and UV resistant properties. This means your faux plants and trees can withstand all kinds of weather conditions and can stay undamaged throughout the year. Weather it’s a sharp sunny day or a heavy rainy season, these plants will keep making your commercial outdoor look fabulous and lush green. No matter what type of plant you are using, whether these are outdoor artificial topiary plants, faux flowers of any verities or artificial boxwood shrubs, their UV and water resistance power will prevent them from getting damaged or fade away. These plants can even be placed on the areas that are harder to reach as you don’t need to water, prune or fertilize them.

This post has been sponsored by PermaLeaf®

Protected: Have you heard about PermaLeaf®?

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