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Monthly Archives: March 2017
- in Adventures , Trekking Poles
Three Trekking Spots in Coorg, India
If you’re planning a trip to India, don’t leave out Coorg.
Located in the southwestern part of India in the state of Karnataka, Coorg, which is also known as Kodagu, is known for its natural beauty.
Amongst other activities, trekking in Coorg is extremely popular with visitors.
Here’s a closer look at three places to go hiking and trekking, with your trekking pole, in Coorg, India.
1. Irupu Falls
At the top of your list for trekking in Coorg should be Irupu falls.
The waterfalls are not only a tourist destination, they are also a sacred site for many Hindus.
During the festival of Shivrati, many pilgrims flock to the area to honor Lord Shiva due to the legend associated with the falls.
During monsoon season, Irupu Falls are at their peak.
Once you reach the falls, you may wish to take the forest trail from the falls to Brahmagiri Peak in the southern part of Coorg.
2. Abbi Falls
Abbi Falls is another famous waterfall in Coorg that makes for an excellent and exciting trek.
Abbi Falls is located in the Western Ghats mountain range, a range which has the honor of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its biodiversity.
In fact, the Western Ghats mountain range ranks near the top of biodiversity hotspots in the world.
The path to Abbi Falls is a lovely one that winds through coffee and cardamom plantations.
Like Irupu Falls, the best time to visit Abbi Falls is during the monsoon season, when all the extra water makes the falls a very impressive sight.
3. Nagarhole National Park
When you’re ready to catch a glimpse of wild elephants, bisons and maybe even a tiger, go trekking in Nagarhole National Park.
Although the park isn’t a UNESCO World Heritage Site yet, it is currently under consideration thanks to its location in the foothills of the Western Ghats mountains.
Visiting Nagarhole is easy thanks to the organized safaris that happen twice each day.
Although the park is closed during animal mating season and during heavy monsoons, the rest of the year remains open to visitors.
These are just three of the best spots for trekking in Coorg, but they are certainly not the only places for a good hike.
To know if you need a trekking pole for your hiking journey in Coorg don’t miss this hiking pole how-to.
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The 3-Step Used Shipping Container Quality Assessment Checklist
Being avid travelers, we think it’s only appropriate to want to use a shipping container as building material.
It’s essence gives off the adventure, distant lands, trade, and foreign places vibes–vibes we like to carry with us through life. So, what better way than to repurpose a shipping container for, well–the options are numerous.
From living quarters, to restaurants, to sheds, to emergency shelter, with the sturdy construction of a shipping container built to specs to survive the rigors of the high seas–you can take advantage of this and build a dream something or other.
Whether you’re in the market for a second-hand shipping container for storage purposes, construction material, or anything in between, you want to make sure you’re not getting ripped off.
To ensure you’re purchasing a high-quality used container, take this easy 3-step checklist with you when you talk to the seller.
1. Where has it been?
When you talk to your chosen seller about their shipping container, you’ll want to ask them where it’s been.
Depending on the temperature it’s exposed to, metal will expand and contract. If your container has been back and forth from Australia to a cold region like northern Europe, the constant swelling and shrinking of the metal may have caused warping and weakness in the steel.
Find out what journeys the container has taken to ensure you don’t get this kind of damage. The less extreme temperatures it’s been exposed to, the better.
2. How many times has it been used?
The location of your shipping container’s journeys isn’t the only important thing to consider.
You’ll also want to know how many journeys it’s been on.
Aside from damage caused by repeated exposure to extreme temperatures, the constant loading and unloading that a well-used container has to withstand can also cause problems.
You can take a look at the state of the walls inside the container to verify what the seller tells you.
For example, if he or she informs you that the container has been used once, but you can see scratches and dents of various ages, your seller may be lying about the product. Don’t be afraid to ask for extra clarification on any damage you see.
3. What has it carried?
If your shipping container has taken few journeys to places with moderate temperatures then you may be in luck, but don’t forget that the contents of the previous cargo matter.
For example, if the container was used to ship hazardous chemicals or other dangerous items, it’s possible that some of these could have leaked into the container and permeated the walls.
It’s especially important to avoid this if the container will be used to construct a structure like a house or pool, where the users’ health could be threatened by such substances escaping into the atmosphere.
Remember:
Buying used only works out to be a good deal if the item is in good condition and fit for purpose.
If not, you could find yourself spending so much on repairs and replacements that a new container would have been a cheaper purchase.
When your chosen seller cannot answer these questions, find someone who can or purchase at your own risk.
- in Adventures
Travel + Work: Synching Across Multiple Time Zones (When on the Road)
Managing a project team is tricky, particularly if your people work across multiple time zones.
With deadlines to meet, projects quickly run into trouble if you don’t account for different working hours.
Make your life easier and meet project targets by implementing these simple global resource management tips.
Use technology to save time
(The Clock is and awesome world clock that makes keeping time zones up to date a breeze for those on iOS)
It’s confusing trying to work out what time it is in other places.
Avoid mistakes by downloading a time zone app to your computer or smartphone. This handy widget instantly displays the current time in major cities around the world.
With a quick glance, you can check what time it is in Hong Kong or Sydney without having to try to work it out in your head.
When your team works across multiple time zones, this is a great way to save time when booking meetings and planning project activities.
Clearly communicate team member locations and time zones
You can’t assume that all your people know that there is a time zone difference in the team.
Compile a project organization chart, which shows your team members’ locations and which time zone they work in.
Make sure that everyone has a copy of this document, and update it regularly to cope with summer and wintertime changes.
Work package delays often occur because people don’t even know that their colleagues are working several hours ahead or behind.
Make the most of the ideal times of day
Work out if there are certain times of day when everybody in the team is in working hours.
Use these times to concentrate on activities where people need to work together, or where you need a one-to-one conversation with somebody.
It’s much easier to get things done if you can discuss a problem together, rather than try to find the solution via email.
Keep the best time slots free, and spend the rest of the time working on activities that you can complete individually.
Look for opportunities for flexible hours
Never assume that your project team members all want to work between nine and five.
Some people are happy to work different hours to suit the needs of the project, and this can help speed up delivery.
Ask people to come in earlier or work later in some countries, to create longer periods of time for collaboration.
Make sure you talk to your colleagues in HR about any legal implications first, because local laws may mean that you have to pay a premium for working outside core office hours.
Can your project budget cope with this?
Communicate more often
If the project delivery is moving very quickly, it’s difficult to make sure that everybody knows what’s happening.
Send regular updates via email even if it’s just to report that everything is on track.
Lead by example and show your project team how important it is to tell one another what is happening.
A daily call is not always necessary if everyone is in one place, but frequent contact is vital if people are working at different times of day.
Never assume that people know the latest developments. Give them the information they need to complete their tasks effectively.
It’s difficult to manage project teams across different time zones.
Global projects bring unique challenges, but if you plan your time carefully, you can easily meet project goals.
Your Heroic Adventure Begins Now
- in Adventures
7 Great Business Retreat Activities
Your leadership team will soon be leaving town, heading towards a few days of team building and business-minded brainstorming. You’ve been charged with planning your executives’ business retreat activities.
So, where do you start?
Here are seven luxury business retreat activities that will keep your leadership team happy while creating a successful company outing:
1. Golf
Any good group outing with executives is likely to include a round or two of golf.
Look for golf courses in the area where your execs will be staying, and reach out to the courses for assistance with your planning needs.
Gold course employees are usually well-versed in the art of planning executive getaways.
2. City-Wide Scavenger Hunt
Take team-building across town with a scavenger hunt that resembles The Amazing Race.
There are plenty of online resources to help you make this dream a reality.
The concierge at your leaders’ hotel may be able to offer some tips.
3. Cook-Off
Cook-offs are favored luxury business retreat activities that pit leaders against each other in a little friendly food competition.
Choose a theme, separate the attendees into two teams, and let the kitchen contest begin! Maximize teamwork by including the task of shopping for groceries in the battle.
4. Bowling
Leaders tend to have a hard time letting their hair down and just hanging out.
A few gutter balls usually help to bring out some humility, allowing the participants to just enjoy themselves without worrying about always trying to win.
5. Show Your Strengths
StrengthsFinder 2.0 is renowned for making a huge impact in the workplace.
Have each participant take the test, read about his or her strengths, and discuss them with the group.
Each person can then choose one person for further discussion.
With their StrengthsFinder partner, each person can explore the ways they can enhance communication now that they’ve been given the tools necessary to bridge the gaps.
6. Create A New Company
Throughout the week, task your leaders with creating a new company.
They’ll need a name, product or service, slogan, logo, vendors, and everything else that makes a business run. This exercise will help each functional department understand the viewpoints of other areas.
If you break your participants into teams, make sure various departments are represented in each group.
Each team should analyze the other’s company, asking questions and identifying holes.
7. Rope Courses
A rope course may seem cliche at first, but these team-building businesses have been around for a long time for a very good reason: they’re impactful.
Rope courses and zipline adventures are intended to take people out of their comfort zones and find trust with each other.
When you’ve been tasked with planning team-building events for your company’s corporate retreat, fret not!
These ideas will have your executives well on their way to a successful and enjoyable getaway.
Where’s Your Next Heroic Adventure?
- in Adventures
A Traveller’s Guide to Finding the Cheapest Airport Parking
When planning a trip beyond the great blue horizon, people often make many considerations for the time they will be in the air heading from point A to point B.
Many travellers fail, however, to make proper considerations for the logistics of arriving and departing from the airport and, therefore, have to make last minute and often costly arrangements for the parking of their vehicles.
Fortunately, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and finding the cheapest airport parking solutions before you go is easier than ever.
Below is an outline of what you should expect and should be looking for when picking the cheapest airport parking.
Tons of Competition
Many people simply drive onto the premises of the airport and pay for the most affordable option of parking that is available.
This is akin to walking into a major theme park without bringing any refreshments and immediately having to pay £5 for a bottle of water.
The reality is that most major airports have several – if not dozens – of private and off-site airport parking solutions that were built with price competition in mind.
The main reason for parking off-site as opposed to at the airport is the savings in cost. Without this benefit, off-site airport parking would not be a viable business model in most cases.
Disadvantages to Consider
By selecting the cheapest airport parking available – whether at the airport or off-site – there are going to be obvious disadvantages.
This may include being a very inconvenient distance away from the terminal if on-site or having to wait for a shuttle to take you to and fro if you are using an off-site parking service.
While on-site airport parking in many cases is expensive, it’s understood that access to your vehicle from the airport and vice-versa is typically easier than it would be with the cheapest airport parking solutions, especially those that are off-site.
Ultimately, it all comes down to nothing more than the balance of cost versus convenience.
Online Services
There are several online comparison hubs that you can use to find the best deals on airport parking.
One example in North America is BestParking, which compares on-site and off-site parking solutions that are centred around 79 airports throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Comparison tools like this one allow you to know before you go, make prior reservations, and get a scope of what each airport parking solution has to offer.
You can map out and determine how far each parking hub is from the airport, how much it will cost, and how long your “commute” will be.
Using online airport parking comparison tools is the best way to find the cheapest airport parking, regardless of where you are located currently.
If you are willing to walk a little bit more or otherwise spend more time on a shuttle getting to your destination, then you will appreciate the flexibility and savings that off-site parking solutions can offer.
For many, though, parking on-site is a must. No matter what, though, there are generally many pricing options available for this service, too. So the only way you can save the most money and be prepared is by doing your homework beforehand.