Scientific Based Reasons Why You Should Start Reading

While most people who read books these days do so on their iPads or tablets, that does not mean printed books have become outdated, or will anytime soon. Most people who read e-books still read printed books. One of the advantages of reading a printed book is that you will never run low battery and have to stop reading. Here are a couple of scientifically based reasons why you should start and continue reading books.

Increase Intelligence

Dr. Seuss once wrote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” According to a paper from the University of California, Berkley, reading a book opens up a whole world of knowledge. Children’s books expose children to 50 percent more words than what they learn through prime time TV or even a conversation between college graduates. Stronger reading skills helps achieve higher intelligence in life.

Boost Brain Power

Reading helps make you smarter and increases your brainpower. Just like jogging helps build up the cardiovascular system, reading helps improve your memory and gives your brain a workout. Research has found that those who spend time reading early in life show a slower decline in memory during old age.

Make You More Empathetic

Reading can make it easier for you to relate to others. According to research published in Science, reading fiction can help readers understand what others are thinking just by reading their emotions. According to Emanuele Castano and David Comer Kidd, “Understanding others’ mental states is a crucial skill the enables the complex social relationship that characterize human societies.”

Sylwia Majtczak is an experienced travel consultant who spends time reading.

Simple Cooking Tips for Beginners

Cooking for some people is one area they fear to venture into. They are overwhelmed by the concept of getting into the kitchen and cooking a meal. Cooking is not difficult, and can be learned by anyone. You might not aspire to become a Michelin star chef, but learning how to cook a couple of basic dishes is quite simple. Here are a couple of cooking tips for beginners.

Watch Cooking Shows

There are several cooking shows you can watch on TV. You do not need to sit with a pen and notepad and take down every recipe, but you can just watch how the chef combines flavors into a dish. Just by watching a couple of cooking shows will get your interest stirred and give you an idea about cooking. Cooking starts in your imagination, so what you see the chef cooking is going to help you cook and put it on a plate. 

Follow a Chef

It is interesting to watch a chef cook a delicious dish. As you watch a particular chef cook, you are bound to pick up tips and ideas. When you feel comfortable, head over to the supermarket with a friend or neighbor who knows how to cook, and pick out a couple of ingredients for your dish. You could use the help in knowing what ingredients to choose. 

Look for Recipes Online

The Internet is a great place to find recipes. You will find detailed recipes and videos showing you how to cook. Start with something simple and once you succeed, you can move on to other complex dishes. 

Taste as You Cook

Don’t worry how the dish will taste, start cooking and taste it as you go. If it lacks salt, add a pinch of salt and taste it again. The secret is in following the recipe and tasting it as you cook the dish. Do not be afraid to try something new. If it does not taste good, you can try again later. 

Sylwia Majtczak is a full-time working mother of one daughter. Sylwia enjoys cooking and regularly tries out new recipes.

Car Rental Tips For the Frequent Traveler

Business and leisure travelers to overseas destinations often spend a considerable amount of money renting a car to get around. One of the major problems going with popular car rental agencies is that you will pay much more for hiring a car with them than you would with other lesser-known agencies. There are several car rental agencies where you can get a good deal, so you might want to avoid going to the popular car rental the moment you arrive at your destination.

Discounts and Coupons
 
A good idea would be to go online and look for promotional codes and discounts before you leave. A simple online search will bring up results from car rental agencies that offer promotional codes. If you can call the rental agency, ask them about available discounts such as Triple-A, AARP, or for professionals that might be available. Some rental agencies will allow you to combine promotional codes and coupons. Check about weekend rates, as they tend to be cheaper than weed day rates.

Avoid Airport Car Rental Agencies

Most airport car rental agencies are more expensive than their branches in other parts of the city. You might want to take a cab from the airport to your hotel and then rent a car at one of the rental agencies nearby. When you are leaving, you can drive to the airport and leave the car at the rental agency’s airport office.

Compare Prices

When you are looking for bargain prices, you might want to look at multiple websites to check for the best price. Most online searches for car rental agencies will give you the option to check the price from multiple rental agencies.

Hidden Charges

Before you sign the contract paper for the rental car, you should check for any hidden charges. Insurance, airport charge, local and state tax, drop-off charges and other charges might apply, and you might end up paying more than what you initially thought.

Sylwia Majtczak is an experienced traveler having worked in the travel industry for over 18 years.

Growing Plants in Water is Great for Beginner Gardeners

Growing plants in water is great for the novice gardener, or if you don’t have sufficient space to plant in the soil. Here’s what you need to know about growing plants in water.

Growing plants in water is also called hydroponics and is a method of propagation that is popular with some people, especially those who don’t have sufficient place to plant. It is also a very flexible method of planting and any receptacle that holds water can be used to grow plants. Though it is a much slower process of growing plants, the plants grown in water remain lush for longer.

How to Grow Plants in Water

You can use almost any container to grow an indoor water garden; however, copper, lead, and brass receptacles will not work. Some people use metal receptacles, but they might corrode when you use fertilizers and damage your plants. Using a dark opaque receptacle will inhibit algae formation.

Choose a container you want to plant in, and fill it with three-fourths full with florist’s foam, gravel, sand, marbles, pearl chips, crumbled Styrofoam, beads or any other material. Add a piece of charcoal to keep the water clean and clear. The charcoal also helps prevent bad odor in the water. Mix the right concoction of diluted fertilizer and water and you are ready to plant.

Some of the plants that can be grown in water are as follows:

English ivy
Chinese evergreen
Philodendron
Dumbcane
Moses-in-a-cradle
Arrowhead
Pothos
Wandering Jew
Wax plant

Sylwia Majtczak is a full-time working mother and enjoys gardening with her daughter.

Smart Travel Tips for Businesspeople

Whether you are a frequent business traveler or one who travels just a couple of times a year, there are several tips you can use to make your business trip more effective. In the last several years, traveling has become increasingly important for businesses, and along with this there has been a surge in the number of products and services to help business travelers. Here are a couple of smart travel tips for businesspeople.

Wi-Fi Hotspots

Most airports and hotels provide Wi-Fi for travelers and guests. However, a problem arises when you step out of the hotel or airport. If you are traveling by car, train or bus, in most cases you will not have Internet access. However, if you need to use the Internet while you are traveling, you might want to try using a Wi-Fi hotspot. Most phones have a Wi-Fi hotspot option, you can use it to connect with the cell towers and use the Internet while you are on the move. However, you will need to have a data plan to use the service.

Messaging Apps
Using the basic text-messaging app on your phone to send messages while you are overseas can be quite expensive. Instead of using the regular messaging app on your phone, you might want to switch to using an app like WhatsApp Messenger. It is a cross-platform application that is ideal for sending and receiving text, audio and video messages without having to pay for each message. You will need to be subscribed to a data plan to use the service.

Prepaid Phones
You can pick up a prepaid phone at a kiosk at the airport and use it for as long as you are in that country. However, it is wise to read the contract carefully so that you don’t end up paying huge bills. Alternatively, you can get a local prepaid SIM and use it while you in that country.

Sylwia Majtczak is a corporate travel consultant with several years’ experience in the industry.