Vacations for Movie Fans

I go to the movie theater twice a week and I watch three more movies on TV at home. I go on my own if my friends can’t come. I also like going on vacation. When I found out about an organization called Filmtrip, I was so excited. It’s not cheap, but the people you meet are the best. Some of them like movies more than I do!

Last year, we went to New Zealand and saw where they filmed Lord of the Rings. It was wonderful. The Fiordland National Park was a highlight. All the forests, hills, mountains, lakes and beaches were so beautiful. I just wish it was closer. To go that distance for ten days wasn’t the best idea. We set off on Saturday morning and got off the plane 24 hours later.

This year, we are going to Mumbai in India. That’s where they filmed Mission Impossible 4. I’ve never been there, so I want to find out which streets Tom Cruise ran through. It looked so busy. I want to know if that’s how it actually is or if it was just Hollywood making it busier. We’re spending a week in Mumbai and then we are going to go to Kerala for the second week where they filmed the Life of Pi. I wanted to go by plane because it’s quicker. But I heard the train ride is beautiful. It takes about 24 hours, so I will need a good book to read.

These are just two trips. There are many more on the website. The best thing to do is find out what was filmed there and choose the places you’re interested in. It also depends what kind of job you have. For example, I can’t get more than two weeks off but if you can there are more options. If you want to see the world and if you’re a fan of movies, this is your vacation.

Changes in the Way We Shop

We are seeing a big change in the way people shop. In the United States in 2017, buying on the internet made up 13 percent of all sales of food and clothing. This is why big stores in the city centers of many cities and towns in England are closing. They just can’t compete with shopping online. At the same time, the top 20 online stores are growing fast. Of course, shopping on your computer is very easy and you can buy something just by clicking your mouse. Also, many companies now have great service. There is usually free delivery, but if you are worried about buying jeans because they may not fit you, you can also return them for free and get the next size up.

The way we buy online is also changing. People in US buy more things using their cell phone and not just their computer. Because of this we can buy things from anywhere. Search engines like Google now prefer mobile websites. This shows us how popular they are.

So, what does this mean for sellers? Well, the main point is shopping has to be convenient. People must be able to buy your clothes or food online. You might have a store customers can walk into but a website is necessary as well. But there’s more. If it appears on page five of a Google search, there’s not much chance of people buying something from you. Ranking matters. And there has to be an easy-to-use mobile website because this is very popular right now.

The main point is that companies should look at how people choose to buy things. If they don’t, they will have to close in the future like so many stores have done already

How I Manage Stress

I suppose I started to think about how busy my life was and how to de-stress a few years ago. It was probably after the birth of my twins. If anything is going to give you a headache, it’s how to manage a job and children.

When I was in school, I went swimming a few times a week because I was part of a sports club. When I got my first job, I just didn’t think I had time to exercise. I was a high school teacher, so I was at school in the day and every evening I graded work. It was hard to find time to eat, even harder to exercise! And I was so tired. When the children were about two, I was ready to get organized properly. I might have a job and children, but I knew I needed to make time for myself.

My friend told me about how she had kids but still went away every year. She said playing sports and taking care of herself made her life less stressful, not more stressful. I decided to try it for myself. I left the kids with their dad for the week and headed for the mountains of Norway to ski. It was a great week and I was surprised to have all the energy I thought wasn’t there. That’s the strange thing about exercise. When you’re tired, you exercise and have more energy, not less.

These days, I do my job and look after the children, and I also started playing tennis last year. I’m still busy, but the two hours I exercise give me time to myself and help me manage the rest of my life in a better way.

A Memorable Trip

Twenty years ago, when I was 19, I got the chance to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. With no sailing experience and very little life experience, I decided this was a good idea. At the beginning of January, myself and 21 other trainees boarded a plane to St. Lucia in the Caribbean. When we landed on the tiny island and saw the boat, I realized this was the only way home. We spent six weeks learning how to sail, traveling from island to island in calm blue water. The palm trees, the white sand, the colorful markets – it was paradise. The next part was very different. We left the safety of the Caribbean and headed for open water. There were good days and bad days. When there was a storm, the waves were the size of houses, big houses! It was scary and exciting at the same time. One stop was Bermuda and the next was the Azores. It took six weeks to cross and there were weeks without seeing land or other ships. But the dolphins never left us. And the stars were incredible. When I got back to England three months later, I knew I could never forget this trip.