1. Witanhurst, London

Enveloped in an air of mystery, Witanhurst, London’s second-largest residence, underwent discreet renovations after being acquired by a Russian billionaire in 2008. Rivaling Buckingham Palace in size, this mansion, originally built by a soap fortune heir, is now valued at an estimated $450 million. Renovations include a massive 40,000-square-foot basement, a swimming pool, and a new guest house, enhancing its allure and worth. Once completed, this secretive destination is poised to be a monumental testament to luxury and extravagance in the heart of London.

Sustainable is a term that is used more and more often today, in many areas of our view and also concerns the travel sector. But what does it really mean to travel sustainably? Choosing to make more aware holidays with an approach that looks at the intrinsic nature of the places, enhancing their local cultures and traditions, respecting the landscapes and the life systems of small realities, placing themselves in harmony with the territories and host populations to limit minimal environmental impact.

For years the most popular tourist destinations, from the sea to the mountains up to the cities of art, have been suffocated by overtourism, influencing the daily life of the inhabitants but also the experience of tourists, “crushed” in the mass. Thus the possibility of being able to enjoy the travel experience to the fullest, sharing places and spaces that are not suitable for a large number of visitors, and making choices that do not respect the place, has disappeared.

Sustainable destinations

Many European cities stand out at the top of the ranking. The Old Continent, including our country, confirms great attention to green practices: from transport to hospitality, through nutrition and experiences. In fact, there is no shortage of travel solutions with low environmental impact, with cities to be reached by train and to be lived in a slow way, through low-impact choices, from itineraries on foot to those by bicycle up to the choice of public transport with an eye always aimed at accessibility for disabled people. The stay, then, is completely eco-sustainable: with fresh air, clean and drinkable water, eco-friendly structures, food and wine at kilometer 0, and many ecological activities to experience.

Rotterdam and Amsterdam

which are positioned as the greenest cities by far. The first is full of greenery and waterways that create very suggestive scenarios without neglecting an attractive and decidedly modern skyline. However, there is one very special thing that can only be done in Rotterdam and nowhere else in the world: walking on the roofs , the rooftops. The canopies are flat, a choice made with the reconstruction following the bombing of 1940. In Amsterdam, on the other hand, in addition to the very famous bike rides, with over 500 km of cycle paths, an absolutely must-try experience is navigating the canals with electric boats .

Austria also boasts

Graz and Vienna. In addition to the various cycle paths, the second city after the capital welcomes tourists with itineraries dedicated to respecting the territory: from accommodation in family-run accommodation facilities to mini-tours that lead to the discovery of the city through local markets made by farmers and restaurants that vary the menu based on the seasonality of the products and the specificity of the places. Vienna, on the other hand, considered among the greenest cities in the world and where people live better, welcomes tourists with many city parks: there are 990 scattered around the capital where you can do many ecological activities.

The green soul is not lacking even in Italy:

Merano is one of the most popular destinations for tourists who love to travel mindfully. In the heart of the Dolomites, the well-known spa town offers many ideas for a slow and respectful holiday. Worthy of attention are the Gardens of Castel Trauttmansdorff, the Promenade Along the Passirio which allows you to walk along the stream, and various cultural and architectural beauties which can be discovered in small steps by entering the city centre.

The formalities for traveling with a cat by plane

First of all, several formalities must be taken into account when traveling with your cat by plane:

Your cat must be up to date with all its mandatory vaccinations to be allowed on board.

He must be identified by means of an electronic chip and a European passport provided by the veterinarian.

Check with the embassy of the destination country to find out if country-specific formalities apply.

Check if there is no need for your cat to be quarantined according to the chosen destination.

Some cats such as the squashed-nosed cat, susceptible to respiratory disorders such as the Persian, may be prohibited from flying.

Finally, some companies may decline all responsibility for the costs incurred in the event of refusal to transport your cat or its acceptance on arrival in the event of non-compliance with the provisions.

Precautions to take before flying

#1 Choose the airline that accepts cats on the plane

Regulations for transporting your cat by plane may vary from one airline to another. Some accept cats in the cabin while others only want them in the hold.

For your cat to be accepted in the hold, it must weigh no more than 8 kg (bag included) , have all its vaccines up to date and must be at least 10 weeks old for flights in mainland France, 15 weeks for flights between mainland France and Guyana and 8 weeks for flights to Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion.

#2 Do a check-up with the veterinarian

Vaccines: these must be up to date and depending on the destination, some vaccines may be necessary. Such as the vaccine against distemper and leptospirosis for Norway or the vaccine against parvovirus, distemper, and Rubarth’s hepatitis in Australia.

If it is not already equipped with a chip, it is imperative to do so.

If he has all the necessary drugs in the event of recurrent treatment, for example. It would not be a case of running out of treatment during your trip. Also, remember to keep the prescription in case of control.

Be aware that vaccines can be financed according to animal health insurance formulas.

#3 Take your plane ticket

Places for transporting animals are limited and are payable . So don’t waste time and book a ticket in advance for your cat, at the same time as you take your tickets.

Take the opportunity to plan your arrival and choose accommodation that will accept your cat when you arrive.

#4 Provide a regulated transport crate

Transporting your cat by plane must be done according to the rules. It is possible to get them online or in store, but be aware that some airlines offer an online store with transport boxes with legal dimensions for travel. The transport rules are as follows:

You need a specific closed bag whose dimensions are no more than 46 x 28 x 24 cm.

The bag must be ventilated and spacious enough for the animal to stand up and turn around.

One pet per passenger, if you are traveling with multiple pets.

The transport bag of your cat on the plane is considered as an additional baggage and is therefore payable.

Finally, for safety reasons, it is not possible to use rigid transport boxes , whatever their dimensions.

What to prepare on the day of departure by plane

#5 Remind the airline

To be sure that everything is good and in order, do not hesitate to call the airline two or three days before the flight.

In fact, baggage check-in will take longer and specific documents may be requested. It is therefore always preferable to take the lead to be better organized and notify the airline in advance.

All the steps to get your trip sponsored

It takes, on average, 15,000 euros of budget if you plan to go around the world. Although it is possible to finance yourself, it is always better to have a little help. Sponsorship can therefore be a good option.

#1 Know your project well

Whether it is to go around the world or to go to a single country, it is essential to have a project. The latter must be solid, detailed and already have all the answers to potential questions from sponsors.

• What is the common thread of this trip? What is the theme?
• Who leaves? Or? When? How long? Why? How?
• What are the objectives of this trip?
• What are my skills and shortcomings for this trip?
• What are my technical and material needs?
• What values ​​do I want to communicate?
• How can I communicate about the sponsor’s products/services?
• Why might a sponsor need me?
• Or rather why would he be interested?

So many questions that need to be answered. You must not only show that you are ready, but also that your roadmap is already mapped out.

The ideal is to have an original project to present. That said, it’s hard to be original with so many people going around the world and their projects. Rack your brains to at least present a different angle from the others, which can stick to the news.

#2 Prepare a sponsorship file

Once you have answers to all these questions, you need to be able to build a solid sponsorship case. This one aims to link your project to the sponsor and the outside world . It’s a bit like the showcase for your project, it’s there to make people want to follow it and sponsor it. Here are the items to add to your file:

Presentation of the project and your objectives,

Presentation page of the team or yourself,

All the steps and actions you want to put in place with the sponsor,

The objectives and interests to be fulfilled, for the benefit of the sponsor,

What the sponsor must do in return (financial, material, communication, etc.),

The communication strategy you want to put in place (social networks, travel blog, conferences, newsletters, films, etc.),

Your travel plan, destination, route, and all the steps to get to the end point,

Your details to contact you easily.

#3 Find sponsors

All that remains is to find sponsors! The best way to finance your trip is to make the network work. Needless to say, word of mouth and recommendations have always been quite effective. You still need to have a well-developed network.

If this is not your case, do not panic. There are different ways to get sponsors.

• Spontaneous approach: you contact the sponsors that interest you,
• The travel grant: you turn to a travel grant that suits you.

This can be in the form of a donation of equipment, for example, or in the form of visibility.

It is interesting in my opinion to contact travelers who have set up a project with sponsors in order to learn more about their experiences and to obtain advice and their feedback. Enriching!

Which partners to choose to sponsor your trip?

When you begin your search for sponsors, you will quickly be surprised at the number of possibilities available to you. The most important thing is to stay around your values ​​and not stray from your initial project.

#4 Potential sponsor 

Ideas can be found everywhere, here are some examples of sponsors to think about:

Associations: the various associations related to your trip. Generally, the help is not financial, but rather material or human.

Local authorities: town halls, municipalities, regional or departmental directorates, and regional councils.

Local players: local businesses, convenience stores.

Media: local, regional, international press, travel media, etc.

Brands: brands related to your trip and having the same values ​​as you.

Apps: Travel or other apps may agree to sponsor your trip. This is especially the case if you already have a community following you.

Public establishments: museums, libraries, cultural centers, CROUS, etc.

Crowdfunding: the various crowdfunding sites.

#5 Travel scholarships 

Several organizations also offer travel grants. This is an amount dedicated solely to financing various trips. They must meet certain conditions, but depending on your profile, the travel grant may be a good solution.

Like sponsorship, it is necessary to build a solid case. Be aware that most travel grants are looking for humanitarian, solidarity, or environmental projects.

CCI grant: it supports bicycle travel projects.

Millet Expedition Project grant: it supports sports, original and environmental projects.

DestinAction: the focus here is primarily on sustainable tourism.

Zellidja grant: it accompanies young people on their solidarity journey.

Déclics Jeunes: they support solidarity and innovative projects.

Bourse Expé: mainly focused on sports and mountain travel.

Adventure grant: they finance exploration projects with a sporting dimension.

Roberto Cimetta Foundation: it promotes artistic projects in the Mediterranean and the Euro-Arab region.

Talent Grant: exclusively dedicated to photographers.

Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet scholarship for vocation: it helps young people to achieve their vocation.

5. They Don’t Like To Be Away From You

Are they always texting you or asking you what you’re doing or where you’re at?

In the early stages of the relationship it may seem kind of cute. But after a while it kind of becomes obsessive and weird..

Even when you’re with your friends, they always want you to ditch them for you…

4. They Are Overly Critical

Constructive criticism is nice, but when they become simply too critical, it’s not good.

They may not actually be aware that they are doing it, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are. Constant criticism is a way of making you feel small like no-one  else will want you, and so therefore, it’s a form of control – one of the worst kind.

3. They Are Constantly Spying On You

This one is an obvious one.

If your partner is constantly spying on you, there’s a high chance that he/she is very paranoid or insecure. Perhaps they just have a bad experience from past relationships that they were cheated on, but still that’s not healthy for a long lasting relationship.

2. They Make You Guilty Until Proven Innocent.

It’s usually “Innocent until proven guilty”, so if your partner makes you feel the opposite, that’s a sign of a control issue.

Some with control issues would make you feel like you’ve done something wrong when you really haven’t. And yet again, it’s their insecurities or past experiences that play into it, but then again that’s not normal and it is not worth your well being.

1. They Want To Make All The Decisions

Okay, you should figure out that you are an adult and you should make your own decisions, there is no greater tragedy than someone being in charge of every little or big thing you do, you don’t deserve that.

Being a slave is terrible. You can’t feel enslaved by someone who loves you. It’s selfish and you cannot allow them to continue to treat you like that.

1. Gratuity

Mentally strong people are always looking at the bright side of life, by always being optimistic and counting their blessing instead of their curses. This helps them always keep a positive attitude and behavior

2. Self empowered

Mentally tough people don’t let other people control their emotions, they refuse to let any negative energy have power over them. They don’t blame anyone for the why they are where they are.

3. Welcome Adversity

Mentally strong people view challenges as an opportunity to evolve into stronger and better versions of themselves. They welcome every obstacle as an opportunity, that if they succeed, they will become better and gain confidence

4. Focus and Productivity 

Focus and productivity is something that mentally strong people know how to allocate. They stay effective by focusing on the things that they can control, rather than worry over the things they can’t control. They don’t spend their energy worrying about whether or not the storm would come, but rather preparing for it

5. Margin

Mentally strong people create margin in their life by setting physical and emotional boundaries which gives them room to grow. They are always willing to disappoint people by saying no

6. Taking Calculated Risks

Taking calculated risks is one of the strongest habits of mentally strong people, they balance logic and emotions when it comes to taking risks. They are more than willing to make tough decisions and stick to them

7. Make Peace With The Past

They say we learn a lot about ourselves from our pasts, that’s what mentally strong people do. They don’t dwell from the past, but they rather learn from it. Refusing to hold grudges and live a life of resentment and regret

8. Learning From Mistakes

Mentally strong people don’t beat themselves up too much over their transgressions, they instead try to learn from their mistakes. They accept full responsibilities of their mistakes and take steps to move forward and become better

9. Have Success At Their Own Terms

Rather than covet or be jealous of their neighbors success and good fortunes, mentally tough people are more than willing to be happy for other. They do understand that other people’s success don’t out-do their own

10. Failure

The road to success is often paved by a thousand failures. Mentally strong people accept that failure is part of the journey and they use every failure as an opportunity to become wiser

11. Isolation

Being able to isolate, reflect, and recharge is a habit a lot of mentally strong people practice. Whether they travel, meditate, or just spend time alone, they know that a little time of being alone is essential to their mental growth

12. Take Full Control Of Their Lives

Mentally strong people understand that in order to get what you want in life, you don’t have to wait for opportunities, but rather create them. They don’t beg the word to give them what they think they deserve but rather take what they deserve.

13. Resilience

Mentally strong people know that the best things in life take time and are worth the weight. They exercise patience and resilience. They are willing to persevere and strive to reach their goals

14. Pivot From Unhealthy Beliefs

Wise people are able humble enough to admit they’ve been wrong and change their beliefs based on new information. Mentally strong people understand that their minds can be their own worst enemy and therefore refuse to let self-limiting beliefs to hold them from reaching their fullest potential

15. Manage Their Mental Energy

Mentally strong people aren’t much of moaners and complainers, they won’t spend too much energy of dwelling on things that happened in the past that they can’t change but rather put that energy into more productive tasks. They allocate their mental energy and time into things that are helpful

16. Realistic optimism

Mentally strong people are their own most trusted mentors and advisors. They don’t let themselves fall into much pessimistic projections but they also don’t let themselves be overly delusional

17. Find Comfort In Discomfort

Mentally strong people find the beauty in the struggle. They aren’t scared of enduring some pain and hardship to achieve longterm success. They tolerate pain whether and keep running when they’re burnt out or resist instant gratification, they practice self-discipline in areas of discomfort

18. Stay True To Themselves

Mentally tough people stay true to their values. They keep their priorities in line to their beliefs. They’re brave enough to live their lives according to their core beliefs, even when it may not be the popular choice

1. Huntsville, Alabama

The average salary is $52,960.00

Income spent on living expenses is 22.56%.

Average house rental – USD 767.00

High-tech workforce meaning the salaries and income are good.

Residents in Alabama spend only 22% of their income on housing, the lowest in the US. 

2. Fort Wayne, Indiana

The average salary is $42,250.00.  

Income spent on living expenses is 22.86%.

Average house rental – $734.00

Reputation of being a great place to work, live and play. Over 63% of the population own homes and the median income is high.

3. Des Moines, Iowa

The average salary is $49,420.00

Income spent on living expenses is 23.52%

Average house rental – $876.00

Prices are low and general living expenses take up just 23.52%  percentage of your monthly income.  

4. Grand Rapids, Michigan

The average salary is $43,610.00.

Income spent on living expenses is 24.6%.

Average house rental – $1,008.00

Money goes a long way in Grand Rapids.  Good salaries with just 24.6% going to general expenses. Residents earn well and are able to afford their mortgages. 

5. Omaha, Nebraska

The average salary is $46,490.00

Income spent on living expenses is 25.05%.

Average house rental – $881.00

Young city, a fun city and an inexpensive city.  There are loads of job opportunities, salaries are good and the cost of housing is still relatively low. Just over a quarter of resident’s salaries go to living expenses.

6. Buffalo, New York

The average salary is $46,390.00

Income spent on living expenses – 25.26%

Average house rental – $1,008.00

Average housing costs are low, schools are excellent and the road infrastructure is good. 

7. St. Paul, Minneapolis

The average salary is $55,010.00

Income spent on living expenses – 25.06%.

Average house rental – $1,191.00

Good salaries and a low cost of living. It’s a big city with all the attractions of big city life, but it’s inexpensive to live in.

8. Louisville, Kentucky

The average salary is $44,270.00. 

Income spent on living expenses – 22%.

Average house rental – $892.00

Reduced health care and food costs, resulting in double digit decreases from the U.S. average A low 22% of a salary goes to living expenses.  The city has a strong economy.

9. Fayetteville, Arkansas

The average salary is $44,980.00.

Income spent on living expenses – 25.05%.

Average house rental – $713.00

A growing population that has managed to keep its expenses low, Fayetteville is a good place to live and just a quarter of your salary goes to general living expenses.

10. Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky

The average salary is $43,620.00.

Income spent on living expenses – 24.38%.

Average house rental – $874.00

Deep connection to farming and agriculture here, with emphasis on horses.  Good economy, low prices.