Renting A Car Cheap When Visiting Alaska

When going on vacation to Alaska, a lot of people decide to rent a car so they can explore all the area has to offer. Nonetheless, individuals are often shocked by how costly this can be. As a consequence, they often end up spending way too much money or abandon the idea of hiring a car altogether! You shouldn’t have to do either. This post is designed to help you make sure you rent a car for cheap when going on your next trip to Alaska. Read on to discover some top tips that are not to be missed…

Book Online

First and foremost, it is highly advisable to use an online booking portal when you are renting a vehicle. There are several reasons why this is the case. Firstly, you will be presented with an extensive selection of vehicles from different companies. This allows you to compare cars and prices against one and other so you have the best chance of finding the right vehicle for your needs and your budget. Aside from this, if you actually book your vehicle when you are sorting out your holiday you may find that you make additional savings by going for a package deal. Therefore, this is something you should definitely take into account.

Choose A Hotel Wisely

The more conveniently your hotel is located, the less you will need to spend on gas. Look for a hotel near downtown Anchorage, Alaska if you want to be in one of the prime spots while taking a trip here.

Check The Policy

The next thing you need to do is make sure you check the policy regarding mileage, fuel policy and other extras. You may think you have found a vehicle to rent at a cheap price, however the bill can soon become expensive when you discover you have gone over the limits stated in regards to mileage or the fuel policy. People can often feel cheated when this happens. This is why you need to check the policy before you go ahead and agree to rent a car. There may also be a sub-charge if you are driving and are under the age of 25 years old.

Bring Your Own Sat Nav

One mistake a lot of people make is paying the car hire company for extras, such as booster seats and sat navs. The latter is an unnecessary cost a lot of people end up spending. You can often find that you end up paying more to hire a sat nav for a week than it would cost you to purchase one outright. Plus, once you buy a sat nav it is likely that it is something you will use again and again, and thus it is a purchase that is definitely worth making.

Choose Your Car Wisely

Finally, there may be instances whereby you cannot be flexible regarding the type of car you hire, for instance if you have children it may be necessary to hire an SUV. However, if you can afford to be flexible, go for one of the smaller models, and you will benefit from better rates. You should also consider the fuel economy of the vehicle to ensure you won’t spend a lot on gas. This is especially important if the company requires you to return the car with a full tank.

5 Common Excuses People Make For Not Visiting The Doctor

Do you keep putting off that trip to the doctors? Here are just five excuses that people make for not booking an appointment (and why it’s time to stop making these excuses and put your health first!).

‘I don’t have the time to visit the doctor’

Many of us lead busy lives, which can make it difficult to find time to visit the doctor. The truth is that most employers don’t mind you taking a couple hours off to visit the doctors – if you can provide a doctor’s note, there’s no legal reason why you should be sanctioned for it. You don’t even have to travel to a clinic – it’s always possible to use a concierge doctor who will come and visit you. There are also out of hours services that operate 24 hours a day, so you don’t have to book an appointment on a weekday between nine and five.

‘I can’t afford it’

The US may not have the luxury of free health care, but there are other schemes in place that can make health care affordable such as health insurance and various advocacy services. Even without the help of any of these schemes, a single check-up isn’t going to cost you a lot of money – if you need extra treatment afterwards, you can always look into funding then. 0% APR medical loans could help you to spread out the cost of expensive treatment so that it’s less of a big blow to your finances, plus you won’t have to pay interest.

‘It’s too embarrassing’

There are certain health problems that can be embarrassing to talk about. You may even be worried about having to show the doctor or being prodded in places you don’t want to be prodded. It’s important to remember that doctors have seen it all before – in fact, they’ve probably encountered worse. A bit of embarrassment is worth putting up with for the sake of your health.

‘I don’t trust doctors’

If you’ve had bad experiences with malpractice or you find your doctor hard to get on with, there’s always the option of visiting another clinic and seeing another doctor. Not all medical professionals are useless, otherwise no-one would ever get cured for anything. Don’t put your trust in the internet over doctors – the internet can’t run scans and tests that may be needed to confirm the symptoms.

‘It’s nothing serious. I will get over it’

Too many people tell themselves that it’s not serious, perhaps because they genuinely think so, but more often because they’re scared of the truth. By putting off a visit to the doctors, you could be making the symptoms worse and what may have began as something fairly small and harmless and could turn into something serious. Not only will you need more serious treatment, you’ll have to pay more and you’ll end up spending more time getting treatment and recovering. Worst case scenario – it could become incurable if you ignore it. Eliminate this risk by visiting the doctor early.

Keeping Level When You're The Care

No one ever grows up truly believing that they will be in a position to parent their parent. Sure, we all know we’re going to become elderly one day, and we all know that we’re going to see our parents get there before we do. The thing is, no one really thinks of their parents as anything less than strong, independent and happy people. So, to see them frail, scared and full of confusion in a body that no longer allows them to move in the way that they are used to, it can be very difficult. You expect to be the child your entire life, but then a day comes where your parents need to depend on you more than you ever thought possible.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; after all, these are the people who spoon fed you, taught you to walk, gave you a way to find your purpose in life with the occasional nudge every now and then. These are the people who raised you, so there’s a sense of ‘owing’ them that care and attention at the last hurdles of their life in the same way that they cared for you at the beginning of yours. It’s an emotionally complex thing, to be the person looking after their parent, and when you’re the carer the feelings that you will have can be diverse and span from sadness to euphoria and back again. For more info, you can review Care For Familys latest blog post that explains the care worker application and how important it is to be the perfect fit for the role.

It can also be incredibly frustrating, especially if you are caring for a loved one with dementia. You have to balance your career, your life and your own family with caring for a parent, and it’s not something that was in your plan. However, this is the hand you’ve been dealt and you need to consider how you keep your own emotional wellbeing a priority while still looking after your parent to the best of your ability. Here are some of the things that could be helpful when you are in a position of caring for a parent:

• Move toward acceptance that things have changed as soon as you are able. Your parent is now depending on you when for your whole life, you’ve depended on them. This has caused a massive shift where your old roles, methodologies and emotions may no longer apply. A whole new chapter to the story has been written and you have to play it out.

• Go as slowly as possible. You are taking care of someone, which is a marathon and not a sprint. It’s not something that you can rush and you are all in a space in life you didn't anticipate. How you handle it will come in time, but you have to allow it all to unfold the way that it’s going to and you can’t force things to move faster. Taking care of your parent is going to break your heart, especially in cases of dementia. You need to go at their pace - it’s scary for them, too.

• Emotionally checking out is going to happen for your parents. Not only are you going to hear things from them about their personal lives and their past, you’re going to be in a position that they may not know who you are. Either side is going to be hard to hear, but you have to be steady and patient, listening to the words they’re telling you. Some of it may come in words of love, telling you that they love you and want the world for you. The rest could come in words that are painful to hear, because they don’t remember you and they don’t recognise you. Always have zero expectations when it comes to their emotions; you’ll thank yourself later.

• Expect your parent to lash out. Dementia is a confusing thing for you to cope with, so imagine how hard it must be for them. When you step into the shoes of their carer, you’re going to be essentially taking the one thing that they crave away from them: independence. They also won’t have authority over you anymore, and that’s not an easy thing to lose, either. Lashing out at you just means that they are lashing out about their loss, and you have to absorb it. Remind yourself that this is a process.

• The one thing that you should always do when you’re in a position of a carer, is to give options and not orders. They need to feel as if they are in control and running their lives, even if they’re not technically in charge anymore. They need to make the decisions about their situation as much as possible, and you can guide those decisions without making them feel like they’re losing control.

• Ask your parent for advice if you want to show them the same level of respect and love you’ve always had. This confirms to them that their opinion is still valid and their reply is still going to be valuable for you.

• Love the care staff. When you are in a position of being a carer, you could choose to move your parent from their own house into a specialist home that can cope with their degeneration. It doesn't matter who looks after your parent and in which capacity, you need to show everyone your appreciation. You are all working closely together and these are the people that are going to be stepping into your shoes when you have to keep going with your own life or you need a break. It’s worth learning the names of everyone who cares for your parent, too. It’s polite.

Being a carer to your parent isn’t the norm; it’s not what you would ever have expected to deal with. However, this is where you are and all you can do is your very best. Remember, your parent is still a person who has had a life and has memories. You're also still a person who needs support, so take it where you can get it and roll with what’s to come. It’s the best way forward.

Looking After Your Hair During The Winter

Are you a big fan of the hair on your head? Maybe you love to style it in different ways, and really pull off all the looks you serve in the mirror? Maybe you love to take care of it with shampoo and conditioner at least twice a week, and always feel your best afterwards? Of course you do! But during the colder times of the year, you’re going to have to be extra vigilant about your hair care.

Wearing a hat is a good start!

Your hair can go through a lot during the winter. There’s all kinds of harsh elements present in the world that are going to affect both the structure and the look of your locks, but the winter cold and dry air is going to do the worst damage! So to make sure you’ve still got bouncing and buxom locks once the spring comes back to us, here’s a couple of tips to follow.

Don’t Overstyle This Season

Overstyling can very easily dry your hair out and make it just a bit more brittle than it needs to be, seeing as you’re likely to use a lot of hair spray and conditioner that needs washing out. And if you overwash, you get rid of all the oils that make sure your scalp is a nice place for your hair to grow! Seeing as the winter has drier air that’s going to help suck these oils away naturally, you won’t actually be helping yourself.

If you just can’t stop styling your hair, why not think about getting some extensions added, or maybe even using a wig from time to time? We all love to deck ourselves out for parties, and the Christmas season has quite a few of those in store -  head over to Strut Hair Solutions for a perfect fit, if you don’t fancy just picking up the dollar wigs from your local party store!

Use Anti Dandruff Shampoo

The winter is a cold time of year, so you’re going to be wrapping up warm everytime you go out. And that includes a hat and scarf to finish off the ensemble! Sure, you might want to leave the hat off, seeing as it can make your head very itchy, but it’s a good prevention step against letting your hair dry out this season.

But on the other hand, all that sweat that’s causing the itchiness is going to make your scalp flake up and become very irritated. And that’s what causes winter dandruff - next time you head out to the supermarket, be sure to pick up some anti dandruff shampoo to try and moisturise your scalp as you wash the dry and dead skin away.

Looking after your hair during the winter is going to require you to be extra vigilant about your care. Be sure to wrap up when you’re heading outside, and then giving yourself a bit of treatment once you get back in and need to wash all that weather out.

Taking Care of Your Healthcare

While healthcare isn’t the most interesting subject area, it’s one that you absolutely need to familiarise yourself with. Sure, you might not consider your health and wellbeing as long as you are in good health, but if you find yourself suffering from unpleasant symptoms, it’s generally best to already be prepared. Nobody wants to have to sit researching different healthcare policies and insurance policies when they have already been hit by headaches, sickness, or injury. You should be educated on the closest urgent care in philadelphia, or care wherever you are based, so you can get the help you need as soon as possible! So, here’s a little more information on the topic that should help you to take care of your healthcare as efficiently and easily as possible.

Find the Right Healthcare Plan

Choosing a main healthcare plan can be a relatively daunting process. There are so many different options out there that it can be difficult to decide which best suits your personal needs and requirements. There are a few different steps that you should follow in this process. They include:

• Finding your marketplace

• Comparing provider networks

• Comparing out-of-pocket costs

• Comparing benefits

• Completing a checklist

You can find out more in-depth information and a step by step guide through this entire process here.

Consider Supplements

Once you’ve sorted your main healthcare plan out, you may want to consider supplements. This is essentially a form of insurance policy that covers areas that your main policy will not cover. This could include copayments, deductibles, or coinsurance. These policies tend to be sold by private companies, so you will have to spend at least a little while researching the best offers and prices out there. When something is sold by a private company, chances are that there is a competitor out there who will offer you a better price in order to lure you away from their competition. You can find more details online here.

Invest in Travel Insurance

If you are heading away overseas, it’s extremely important that you remember that you aren’t necessarily covered in regards to medical care in foreign countries and whatever policy you may have back home isn’t likely to be valid elsewhere. This is why you need to take out a travel insurance policy whenever you head away from home, whether for work or pleasure. We tend to associate travel insurance with covering our belongings - if we break, lose, or have something stolen while we are away, we will be able to reclaim its financial value when we return home. Sure, most policies do include this. But the most valuable part of any insurance policy is that it should cover any medical treatment you have to have carried out in overseas hospitals.

As you can see, there’s a whole lot to take into account when choosing different healthcare plans and policies. But hopefully, the above information will help you to find policies that tick all of your boxes as easily as possible!