Europe is the most visited continent, attracting over 58% of global tourists according to travelagentcentral.com.

This is not surprising considering the fact its’ diversity of destinations in terms of history, culture, and beauty.

Europe boasts more historical, geological and architectural attractions than any other place on earth. With 51 independent states and over 60 indigenous languages, Europe is definitely a destination for the bucket list.

However, when you are planning to visit Europe, you need to get everything right. Here are some tips to help you enjoy your European travel.

Check Your Visa Requirements

Most countries offer visas on arrival at the airport. This gives you the freedom to visit several countries during your European travel.

Use the Train

Smell the roses – don’t rush!

European cities have so much to offer considering their far-reaching history. When you chose to stay somewhere, take at least three days to explore the city and its environs. 

And don’t just restrict yourself to the big cities with all the well known places, try to immerse yourself in the local culture by visiting villages  and small towns. You will be amazed at the discoveries out there.

Cash can still be King

There are many shopping destinations that do not accept credit cards even today. Make sure you have some of the local currency with so that you can be able to pay in cash if need be.

Note. Euros are the currency in many mainland Europe countries but not everywhere so do that advance planning to make sure that you are not caught out!

Consider Less Popular Destinations

While UK, Germany, Spain, France Italy and many othern Western countries may seem more attractive, there are a lot of things to be experienced in the Eastern Countries. Furthermore, visiting East Europe can be cheaper.

In 2017, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Serbia, and Hungary were considered the cheapest countries to visit in Europe.

Avoid Restaurants In Tourist Areas

Make Early Reservations

It will also hamper spontaneity so perhaps build in a day or two when no restaurants are booked and try to find the gem of a place that you will talk about for the whole of your trip.

Bottom Line

Mayfair, we care.

Self-care is not high on our list of priorities until something bad happens. We need to avoid this and to become more aware of the messages that our mind and body are sending to us all the time.

Here are three essential issues that you should watch out for:

You have trouble falling asleep

You’re exhausted but you can’t get to sleep. These problems often occur when your nervous system is not behaving itself and is a sign that all is not well. You will need to devote some time to try and rebalance your system

Concentration levels drop.

Deadlines are looming and you’re running out of time, but you simply can’t focus. You find yourself attending to unimportant issues and leaving more pressing tasks half done. The important ones don’t even get started! Why can’t you focus?

The truth might be that you need a break and complete rest from what you are doing.

Small things irritate you.

The slightest problem sets you off. The doorbell rings and your mobile phone goes at the same time and you just feel that you can’t cope.

This is a sign that you are not yourself and that your mind is overloaded.

What to do about it

Decide to take better care of yourself – now.

Choose one thing that you will do every day to assist the feelgood factor.

This could be getting regular exercise or going to bed early, meditation or socialising but whatever you choose, do it consistently.

Don’t be over ambitious

It is pointless to set yourself an exercise target that is unachievable.

Set achievable targets for yourself and the satisfaction when you accomplish these targets will be immense. The targets can be revised as necessary.

Take a break.

Taking a break makes you feel stronger, refreshed and re-energises you.

Start exercising in a way that you would enjoy. A jog or walk in the sunshine, a swim, your favourite sport – all of these things and many more will improve your mood.

In summary, there is only you that knows how you feel therefore it is your responsibility to take good care of yourself and hopefully these simple hints and tips will help.

Mayfair, we care.

Many of us struggle with both getting to sleep and staying asleep and we have probably tried every trick in the book including avoiding electronic screens before bedtime, avoiding caffeine before bedtime, and the deep breathing techniques / meditation.

Some work, some don’t so we offer some fairly surprising tips about getting to sleep that may be worth trying if you have issues in this area of your life which is having impact on other things.

 Try to stay awake!

Yes. As silly as it sounds, this reverse psychology stems from a Scottish study who told one group of insomniacs to lie in bed and stay awake with their eyes open, and told another group to try to fall asleep as they normally would.

After two weeks they found that the group which had been told to try and stay awake fell asleep more quickly and easily than the other group.

 Get up.

Yes, get up and out of bed, sit in a different environment and read a book or something equally calming.

This is particularly useful when you wake up during the middle of the night. Beds should be associated with sleep and not with lying awake, so by changing the environment you will break the association and when you’re feeling sleepy after a couple of chapters, go back to bed to sleep.

Change your body temperature.

The ideal body temperature for sleep is one that is cooling. Your body will naturally get sleepy as the temperature cools down in the evening.

To accelerate this, have a warm bath or shower before bed and try to keep your room around 18° C if you can.

Plunge your face into cold water!

This one is a real surprise and it sounds like totally the worst thing you could possibly do!

However, according to the Mammalian Dive Reflex plunging your face into cold water can help reset the nervous system and aid the sleep process. It may not sound logical but by doing this you will slow the heart rate and become more relaxed.

The Brain Dump

We have referred to this elsewhere and it is logical that if you go to bed with the events of the day and thoughts of tomorrow on your mind then you will find sleeping a challenge.

The brain dump involves a notebook and pen by your bedside and for you to write down all the issues that may be on your mind. When that done – light out and go to sleep safe in the knowledge that you will not forget important issues in the morning because they are recorded.

Good luck and if you have any tips that work for you, please let us know!

Mayfair, we care.

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768097/

Moving Overseas for Business – things to consider  

It is estimated that 250,000 Brits work abroad taking advantage of the benefits to career progression that this has always provided. Working abroad can be both daunting and exciting and when the day of the posting arrives you are bound to have some mixed emotions. Moving overseas is a massive change to your way of living and your decision will have needed careful thought.

Planning is key and if you and your employer have taken account of all the issues that you may face then you will leave confident that you are fully prepared. Some aspects to consider are: 

Family.

How will the move affect you and your family

Is your partner fully supportive?

Will your family be going with you or will you be on your own?

How frequently will you be able to return home to see your family?

Financial

Is the higher salary and improved status going to be worth the time away from your family in the long run? 

Research your tax position – how long will you be away? Will you be paying tax abroad? How much?

What are the effects to your pension?

Health

What is the healthcare situation in your destination?

Is there a state system?

Do you have healthcare insurance?

No matter how confident you are in your own ability to adapt to a change as drastic as moving overseas, it is important you do not underestimate how stressful a move to another country can be. This is especially true for young and teen-aged children who will also be leaving friends and family behind. 

If the company you work for has your living arrangements and transportation taken care of in advance, that's great. However, what if they do not?  

Do you know the area following visits and can arrange a rental property?

Does the new role include a car? 

Driving 

You may also need to obtain a driver permit specifically for the country in which you are moving. 

Culture

• If you are going completely alone, do you speak the local language? 
• How you will spend your time when you aren't working?
• Where will you find like minded people with whom you can connect? 

Moving to a different country at any age, especially if you've never been there before, can be both just a little bit terrifying and totally exhilarating.

Take the time to think your decision through before you set anything in stone. Perhaps talk to a few people who have moved overseas at some point in time. Pick their brains a little about what it was like and what exactly you should have in place before you go.  

A thorough checklist will go a long way and give you piece of mind.

Finally, don't forget to set some time aside to explore and enjoy the new country you've just arrived in.

Depending on the position you have moved overseas for, the adventure of your new territory may just be the best part of the experience after all. 

Mayfair, we care.

We have all been there.

You have a deadline to meet and you’ve missed lunch; you knew it wasn’t a great idea at the time but  you had no alternative because a client was insisting on having a proposal by 3pm and there was so much work involved.

You hit your deadline and it’s now mid-afternoon. You are irritable. You snap at your workmates over something trivial which is most out of character for you.

Is the reason that you are feeling ‘hangry’?

This is a word that has crept into the English language in recent times and is a blend of the words hungry and angry. But what a good description for the way that you feel when your blood glucose levels drop during that afternoon period when you have heard thing to eat.

Hangry remedy

The most effective way of putting this right is to have a carbohydrate hit!

Bread, dried fruit or a smoothie would do the job.

However, wouldn’t it be better not to get hungry in the first place? And wouldn’t it be better not to totally miss food at lunchtime?

We all use up energy when we are working and like our cars, we need fuel to keep us going.

The best advice would be to not only have a proper breakfast (say porridge) in the morning to set you up for the day, but to also keep some nutritious snacks available if you find yourself in a position whereby you have to miss a midday meal.

If you don’t look after yourself, no-one else will. The client doesn’t know that you missed lunch to hit his deadline so be prepared for each eventuality and avoid ‘hanger’.

Mayfair, we care