Rediscovering The Pleasure of Travelling

Posted on January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 by rosie

How often do you travel?
It’s the kind of question that you’re most likely to see appearing on an air miles questionnaire, which means that most people don’t question their travel habits. As a result, it’s not uncommon to fall into a routine that can take off the joy and excitement of travelling. You end up going to the same places, year after year, simply because it is convenient.

Ultimately, it’s fair to say that there is no right or wrong way to travel. However, if you find yourself feeling a little bored at the idea of driving or flying away, it’s time to challenge yourself to something new. Here are some ideas to make new travel plans in 2020.

Finding Your Home Away From Home

Do you have a favourite place in the world you find yourself coming back to year after year? But somehow the tourist population at the hotel makes your trip a little less special. Have you considered buying a holiday home? It can be a smart investment, as you can rent it out when you’re not using it. Typically, in popular destinations such as an exotic island on the other side of the planet, holiday homes can even pay for themselves. You may want to have a look at the best Mauritius property for sale beachfront or a modern sunny Malta villa with an integrated pool. Destinations that attract tourists are a brilliant side hustle for holiday rentals, which means that you can make the most of your second home away from home, even when you’re not there.

Change Your Lifestyle For A Bit

Admittedly, our time as free travellers in the EU might be coming to an end with Brexit – although, there’s no way to know what deal we’ll get –,, but you can make the most of the transition period to explain the neighbouring countries. You’d be surprised by how easy it is to become a temporary resident in Spain, Italy, or even Portugal – if you love warm summers. If you prefer winter sports, Sweden is a member of the EU, and you’ll find plenty of long-term rentals for you to discover the beauty of the local culture. It’s a brand new way of travelling, but when work isn’t a worry anymore, nothing is stopping you from spending a few months under a new sky.

Join A Group If You Are Worried About Solo Travel

A lot of seniors tend to get worried when they can’t travel with their partners anymore. The truth is that if you’ve never travelled alone before, now’s the best time to give it a go. You can get in touch with professionally operated tours so that you can join a group. Group trips are a great compromise for people who want to explore new countries but are worried about safety or accommodation arrangements. You still get some time on your own, but you can follow the group for organised visits and trips. It’s a favourite to make new friends too!

Get A Group Of Your Favourite Friends Together

Your trip doesn’t always have to last for a week or 10 days, you will benefit just as much from spending a weekend exploring and having a new adventure with close friends or family somewhere like Ireland where you could also enjoy some excellent food by booking a private group dining room for you, and your friends through Square Meal IE

Square Meal IE is a one-stop website where visitors can find the best restaurants in Ireland, along with the opportunity to book online – anything from a Gastropub to an award-winning fine dining restaurant. Each venue listing shows the number of people it can accommodate, the type of cuisine it offers, as well as the price range you can expect to pay.

Travelling is a journey that takes your senses to the discovery of new tastes, sounds, and cultures. When the journey stops being enjoyable, you need to think of how you can change your travel habits. From finding a place you can call home to moving in for a few months in a new country, there are plenty of exciting opportunities for you to enhance your travels!

Does Getting Older Influence Your Choice Of Car?

Posted on December 13, 2022December 15, 2022 by rosie

An old adage says that a man’s choice of car purchase is an extension of himself, and that may well be the case when you are a young man out to impress.

But as we travel (pardon the pun) through life, our tick list of vehicle ‘must haves’ changes dramatically, and never more so than when we are heading towards retirement.

So what factors influence you when choosing a car to take you into the later years of your life? Will it be a snazzy little convertible, a sensible estate, or maybe a people carrier to well, carry lots of little people and their associated mountain of pushchairs and toys?

Will you buy secondhand, or maybe it’s time to treat yourself to a brand-spanking new set of wheels? If that is the case, then you need to do your homework first. Spend time visiting local showrooms, and ask questions not only about the running costs, and interior extras, but also about where the car was manufactured, the background of the company, and what other models they produce at the plant.

Ask if manufacturers have industrial vision systems in place, designed to give precision quality control, which helps to ensure your vehicle will have had all its components fully tested before it reaches the car dealer.

Many of us are completely unaware of the way car manufacturers implement artificial intelligence which now makes owning a brand-new car a totally user-friendly experience. Not only from the initial construction of the car but right down to giving the owner a more focused drive, by lessening the distractions within the car and ultimately understanding the driver’s habits.

If it’s been some time since you took the plunge and bought a brand-new car, with all the new technology that is now available, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Time To Enjoy The Wind In Your Hair

We all remember the nostalgic films of bygone days, when impossibly handsome actors in straw hats and aviator sunglasses drove shiny convertible cars around hairpin bends, to some romantic soundtrack. Usually accompanied by an equally impossibly glamorous female wearing a chiffon scarf that was blowing gently in the breeze. These scenes of course were usually shot in exotic places such as the South of France or the Italian Riviera.

When retirement is on the horizon, you might plan some adventures; maybe a drive across Europe in a nifty little sports car, and you imagine long stretches of open roads, under clear blue skies, with the soft top down and the wind in your hair. How fabulous that would be.

And so off you go on a mission to find THE perfect sports car to take you on your magical road trip. The downside of that idea is, that your knees aren’t what they were, and being so low on the ground, you might just as well be driving a skateboard. You might want to reassess, and choose comfort over the convertible!

Hobbies That Require A Workhorse

Retirement gives you lots of time to enjoy hobbies you used to slot in around your working life. Previously, you may have driven a small, economical car, to and from the station or workplace. But now, you can indulge yourself with the right vehicle for your change of lifestyle. One that can accommodate things like golf clubs, a mountain bike or two, easels, and canvasses, or maybe just a couple of BIG dogs to take on long walks in the countryside.

But of course, a bigger car means it’s not going to be as economical as your little run-around and for everyday uses, when you are just popping to the shops or running errands, there’s a lot of ’empty’ car space behind you. Before deciding on an estate car, it might be wise to weigh up just how beneficial a bigger car will actually be to you.

How Many People Do You Really Want to Carry?

Memories can be short as we get older. And what we do often forget is our own parenting days, when every family outing had to be planned like a military campaign. Loading children, assorted ‘just in case’ extra clothing, buggies, bikes, toys, cool bags, potties, and changing mats into a family saloon. We thought it would never end. Back in the day, a BIG car was a necessity for the sheer volume of ‘stuff’ required to go on any significant journey.

Your retirement dream of spending more time with the Grandchildren might just come back to bite you on the bum if you do invest in a people carrier. Small people still need the same amount of paraphernalia, and ‘impulsive’ trips usually take hours to organise before everyone is safely strapped in. Think carefully, will you become the designated driver for your whole family, simply because Nanny and Grandad have the biggest car!

Later life car purchases need careful thought. Do your research, have fun doing some test drives, but most of all make sure your purchase is right for you and will tick all your retirement travel boxes!

Handwritten Letters – So Much More Than Just Words

Posted on October 10, 2022October 13, 2022 by rosie

Looking back, I remember how I’d huff and puff when my Mum asked me to send handwritten thank you letters to any relative who had been kind enough to send me a birthday card, containing money, or a book token.

Indeed any gift at all required a huge degree of graciousness, wrapped in a laboriously handwritten, missive. To make the task less painful I was sometimes allowed to choose the notelet as if I actually cared!

Fast forward a few years, and obviously before the invention of email and texting, but after the invention of the package holiday to sunny climes, I made new holiday friends, and we exchanged addresses because the only way to keep in touch was to become pen pals with them. I remember how exciting it was to get a letter, read it over and over again, then reply with indecent haste. Especially if it was from a gawky teenage boy!

But now I’m MUCH older and arguably wiser, and I think it’s sad that the sending and receiving of handwritten letters and notes have all but vanished.

In fact, it seems we now need help to write a business letter, and the internet is full of ‘how to’ information to show us… well, the right way to write various communications such as handwritten real estate letters

There’s so much more to getting a handwritten letter than just reading it. Initially, there’s the surprise factor of it dropping through the letter box in the first place. Then, unless you recognise the writing, the ‘wondering’, who it’s from. The slicing open of the envelope and the gentle retrieval of the paper.

Do you look at the last page first to see who it’s from, or the address if there is one? Then you might scan up and down to see how many pages there are before making a comforting drink to enjoy, whilst you settle down to read your letter.

A handwritten letter requires thought, planning, time, and effort. The writer is letting you into a little part of their world, telling you important news or perhaps inviting you to a celebration, or simply just including you in what’s happening in their life.

Yes of course, sometimes handwritten letters do contain bad news, but I think it softens the blow a bit by reaching you more personally, than an electronic email or text.

Let’s face it, the world would be a poorer place if the Bronte sisters hadn’t received and written so many missives in the Parsonage at Haworth. Their books revolved around waiting for ‘news’ of one dashing suitor or another, via a handwritten note. Invitations to take tea with their neighbours, or to join a soiree, all delivered in flowery handwriting and received with such excitement!

For sure, emails and texts are a huge step forward in communication, and today’s young generation doesn’t know of any other way to get in touch with each other. But whilst it favours the young, it precludes the elderly and those who don’t own or want to own a mobile phone or computer.

Do they still receive those thank you letters and notes for birthday money and gifts they have sent to their families, which I was encouraged to write all those years ago, or are they still a thing of the past too?

Autumn Giveaway – Win A Free M & S Hamper

Posted on September 28, 2022 by rosie

Autumn is well and truly upon us, and it’s time for our September free giveaway. To be in with a chance to win a free M & S Mayfair hamper, simply follow the instructions.

There are plenty of ways to enter, simply scroll down to the Rafflecopter widget below to see the options. You will also see the terms and conditions below as well as all of the blogs taking part – please do take a moment to visit them to show your support to them.

Bloggers Taking Part

Here is a list of all of the bloggers taking part in this giveaway – please show your support by visiting them.

The Prize

This prize is a M&S Tea in Mayfair Hamper

Terms and conditions

1. There is one top prize of a M&S Tea in Mayfair Hamper
2. There are no runner up prizes.
3. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway
4. Closing date for entries is midnight on 23.09.2022
5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the blogs involved, but you only need to enter on one blog
6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget, and complete one or more of the tasks – each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw
7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw.
8. 1 winner will be chosen at random.
9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their delivery address, or a replacement winner will be chosen.
10. The winners’ names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this).
11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their details.
12. The promoter is Drew Media LTD t/a www.MakeMoneyWithoutAJob.com
13. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions

Enter now

Simply complete any or all of the Rafflecopter entry widget options below to be entered. You can also tweet about the giveaway daily to earn bonus entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

How Your Children Can Learn From Online Games

Posted on August 25, 2022 by rosie

As Grandparents, we are in the enviable position of being able to spend time with our Grandchildren doing nice, enjoyable things like playing games. We can leave the ‘parenting’ stuff to their parents!

My Grandsons were at their most interesting when they were sucking up knowledge like a sponge. Asking question after question, who, why, what, when, and although it drove me bonkers, I enjoyed combining fun times, with a touch of education too.

As soon as they were old enough, car journeys were always spent spotting specific colours and animals, then counting cars and singing songs, and of course, good old I-Spy, always a winner, and always good for lots of laughs when the youngest ones couldn’t spell and chose completely the wrong initial for the thing they had ‘spied’.

For the older ones it was always very competitive and usually accompanied by lots of groans when the object was, shall we say, a little bit debatable.

When my Grandsons got older and were able to grasp the concept of board games, I spent time teaching them the good old-fashioned favourites that have stood the test of time, such as Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, and Guess Who.

Naturally, back in the day, we played them on a cardboard ‘board’ that folded in half and came out of a box, along with all the necessary bits and bobs, like dice and brightly coloured counters.

But now you can play these games online with your children or Grandchildren, or, they can play by themselves. Obviously, children always prefer to have company and to play their games with someone, rather than alone. But the option is there.

I think we automatically assume that anything that children are viewing on their handheld devices such as iPhones, or iPads is not going to be very educational, and indeed, many people feel that it’s lazy parenting to simply let their children get so absorbed in their technology.

But that isn’t always the case; online games for children can be entertaining AND educational at the same time.

Online Math Calculators

As well as classic board games, and classics like chess and draughts, there are now a lot of educational online games available that can really help children with their maths, algebra, and geometry.

There are also a host of word games to help with spelling and reading, the difficulty levels range from pre-school to harder levels such as crosswords, and even multilingual word search!

If a child is struggling a bit with their lessons, it’s so much easier to persuade them to play a few educational online games, than it is to sit and study books for hours on end around the kitchen table.

Whilst this shouldn’t be used as the only form of a teaching tool, it certainly can be seen as a valuable form of support, and shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand.

I’m really pleased that such progress has been made that enables children to enjoy their screen time, but also to learn at the same time as playing.

And at least with online Snakes and Ladders, there’s no risk of losing the dice, and that must be a good thing!

How To Find Financial Freedom In Your Golden Years

Posted on August 18, 2022April 22, 2023 by rosie

The journey of achieving financial independence will help you to find your passion in life and what you want to do with your life.

The first step towards achieving financial independence is to figure out what kind of lifestyle you want to live. Once you have figured this out, then it’s time to start saving money for the future. This will require working hard on reducing expenses, saving more money in a bank account, and investing the saved amount wisely.

What is Financial Freedom and How to Achieve it?

Financial freedom is the ability to be financially independent and free from financial constraints. It is the freedom to do what you want with your life and money. Financial freedom can be achieved in different ways, but it usually involves saving a significant amount of money for retirement, early childhood education, or buying a house. If you want to retire at a certain age, you need to start saving money now.

How to Reduce Your Expenses Now so You Can Retire Early

To retire early, it’s important to make sure that you’re thinking about it and taking action today. The first step to reducing your expenses is to take a look at what you’re spending. You might be surprised by how much you’re spending when it comes to things like food, entertainment, and other lifestyle expenses. You should also consider making a budget for yourself and sticking to it religiously. This will help you avoid the temptation of splurging on something unnecessary or going over budget in the future.

How to Build a Side Income By Investing in Real Estate or Starting a Business

It’s also a great idea to have an additional income or replace your career with a business. This could be something like Franchise Direct or even building up a property portfolio. Investing in real estate or starting a business is not the only way to build an income for yourself. You can also invest in stocks and other investments that can provide you with passive income.

The key to building your portfolio for future income is to diversify it. This means that you should have funds in different types of investments like real estate property investments, stocks, and bonds.

If you are unsure about which investment to put your money into, start small and experiment with different strategies until you find one that works for you.

The Retirement Planning Tools You Need

Planning for retirement is a big decision and it can be overwhelming. There are so many tools to choose from and it can be difficult to find the one that will suit you best. Here are two to help you.

Retirement calculators: They offer a variety of different features, such as the ability to calculate your monthly spending, what you need to save up for, as well as how much time you have left before reaching certain milestones.

Retirement planning software: It helps people manage their investments and see how much they have saved over time.

July Giveaway- WIN a £50 Amazon Voucher To Spend on the Grandchildren.

Posted on July 12, 2022 by rosie

There can never be enough garden toys when the summer holidays arrive. Especially for visiting, and often bored, grandchildren. Here’s a free competition to enter, with chance to win a £50 Amazon voucher which you could spend on paddling pools to keep your little visitors happy!

Bloggers Taking Part

Here is a list of all of the bloggers taking part in this giveaway – please show your support by visiting them.

The Prize

This prize is a £50 Amazon GiftCard

Terms and conditions

1. There is one top prize of a £50 Amazon GiftCard
2. There are no runner up prizes.
3. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway
4. Closing date for entries is midnight on 23.07.2022
5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the blogs involved, but you only need to enter on one blog
6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget, and complete one or more of the tasks – each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw
7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw.
8. 1 winner will be chosen at random.
9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their delivery address, or a replacement winner will be chosen.
10. The winners’ names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this).
11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their details.
12. The promoter is Drew Media LTD t/a www.MakeMoneyWithoutAJob.com
13. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions

Enter now

Simply complete any or all of the Rafflecopter entry widget options below to be entered. You can also tweet about the giveaway daily to earn bonus entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Things That Men Do Not Need To Hear

Posted on June 23, 2022 by rosie

One of TV’s most cringy moments was, in my view when lightweight Kendra Wilkinson offered up far too much information on live television during I’m A Celebrity Get me Out of Here. After a dismal performance, she blamed her lack of stars on the fact that ‘she was on her period’.

I recall Ant, poor lad, turning away in embarrassment, whilst cheeky chappie Dec, bravely glossed over the statement and battled on regardless.

Of course ‘boys’ these days, are taught about these mysterious ‘girl’ things at around 11 years old, and as my own Grandson reliably informed me, even during THE lesson many of them were hiding behind their hands, sniggering in the back of the classroom, and have probably been going ‘yuk’ ever since.

Personally, I’d far rather ‘Miss’ had banged on to the boys a bit more about treating girls with kindness and respect, which will stand them in more good stead than knowing how a tampon expands in a glass of water!

So even though mature men know all about the inner workings of the female body, I think most of them just want to leave it there, no further informative updates are required, thanks very much.

And I agree with them. I think girls today share far too many intimate details about their bodies with their partners, and indeed in Kendra’s case, millions of strangers.

I mean seriously, of all the inappropriate things to say, in the jungle in front of Ant and Dec on live television, ‘I’m on my period’, must get TV’s embarrassing moment of the year award!

She was almost loud and proud; BUT in reality, ‘I really look forward to my period’, said NO woman EVER!

Let’s be honest, it’s a messy and sometimes painful old business, and unless you are some tree-hugging, Mother Earth, nut job, who loves to embrace her inner woman, it just interferes with our lives and we hate it.

Men generally want their women to be a vision of loveliness at all times. Yes of course they ‘know’ that periods happen, but don’t really want it spelled out to them that it is actually happening, like today, right here, right now!

I’d love to see girls going back to being a little more mysterious and discreet, ‘I’m not feeling too good today’ can be far more effective than a full-on period alert, and who is really interested anyway.

Yes, when it comes to men and the monthlies, NOT sharing, IS more caring!

How do you feel about it? In this day and age, should girls ‘share’ or do you think some things should remain personal.

How Debt Consolidation Can Help You In Later Life

Posted on March 23, 2022March 23, 2022 by rosie

No matter which way you look at it, the word debt seems to strike fear in the hearts of many people, and none more so than children of the 60’s.

For some reason, the older generation sees being in debt as a tad shameful and something to be avoided at all costs. As if to give themselves some moral high ground, I’ve often heard mature people proclaim ‘I don’t owe anybody anything’.

But is that something to be proud of, or, could it indicate that you’ve denied yourself some luxuries, or not enjoyed your life as much as you might have otherwise if you’d taken out a loan, however large or small to live more comfortably or to help your family perhaps.

But despite your best intentions, what happens if, in later life, you do find yourself with a few different loans which are all incurring interest, and are in fact causing you some worries.

Most Important – Don’t Worry!

If you are living life to the full it’s likely you may have invested in a motorhome, or a new car to enjoy during your retirement. You may have kindly helped your children with a deposit for a house or supported a Grandchild or two through University. You may have enjoyed some long-haul holidays courtesy of your credit card, or revamped your home or garden. All these things cost money and are things over and above the cost of day-to-day living.

Sometimes all of a sudden you decide to take a look at your finances and realise that you have 3 or 4 outstanding loans which are all incurring interest at an alarming rate.

To alleviate some of your concerns, it could be time to consider if debt consolidation might help you.

How does Debt Consolidation work

Quite simply, you replace all of your outstanding loans, such as credit cards, car finance, house improvements, with just one loan, and one interest rate. Very often this can be at a lower interest rate than the ones you are already paying. It tidies up your outgoings and is more manageable than having your money going out to so many different organisations.

Secured or Unsecured Terms

There are two types of consolidation loans, secured and unsecured. If you choose secured, the loan will be offset against your home and will take into account the amount of equity you have in it. The interest rate for this type of loan can be lower as the lender knows it is exactly that – secured. But don’t forget any loan secured against your property immediately puts your home at risk, you must be sure you can meet the monthly payments for the length of the loan term.

An unsecured loan is riskier for the finance company as the security is merely backed by your promise to repay it, thus the interest rate could be higher. Things to consider here are that if you fail to pay back the loan or miss a monthly payment, your credit score will be affected. Before taking out an unsecured loan make sure it works for you.

When Debt Consolidation is NOT the right choice

If you are already having difficulty meeting the monthly payments of your outstanding loans, having them all under one roof, so to speak, really won’t make much difference unless you manage to fix a considerably lower interest rate. You will still owe the money, and you will still have to pay it back, but just to one lender, instead of maybe 3 or 4, and let’s face it, in later life the opportunities to earn extra money diminish by the year!

No matter how old you are, if you are already struggling, then you need to seek a different kind of solution and talk to a debt counsellor, or your local Citizens Advice office.

Spring Competition Time

Posted on March 9, 2022 by rosie

Spring is in the air, and it’s always a great time for new beginnings and possibilities, so here is our latest free competition giveaway. This M&S Hampton Gift Box is packed with goodies, to lift your spirits after these past few months of grey skies.

Bloggers Taking Part

Here is a list of all of the bloggers taking part in this giveaway – please show your support by visiting them.

The Prize

This prize is an M&S Hampton Gift Box.

Gift Contents

Luxury Gold Tea Tin (250g/80 bags)
Sparkling Normandy Apple and Pear Juice (75cl)
Collection Apple and Fig Chutney (100g)
Collection Italian Chocolate Assortment (300g)
Collection Black Truffle and Olive Oil Hand Cooked Crisps (150g)
Collection All Butter Cornish Cruncher Biscuits (80g)
Roasted and Salted Large Peanuts (200g)
Collection Belgian Milk Chocolate Florentines (170g)
Collection Rye Sourdough Crackers (130g)
Hat Box

Terms and conditions

1. There is one top prize of an M&S Hampton Gift Box
2. There is no runner up prize
3. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway
4. Closing date for entries is midnight on 23.03.2022
5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the blogs involved, but you only need to enter on one blog
6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget, and complete one or more of the tasks – each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw
7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw.
8. 1 winner will be chosen at random.
9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their delivery address, or a replacement winner will be chosen.
10. The winners’ names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this).
11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their details.
12. The promoter is Drew Media LTD t/a www.MakeMoneyWithoutAJob.com
13. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions

Enter now

Simply complete any or all of the Rafflecopter entry widget options below to be entered. You can also tweet about the giveaway daily to earn bonus entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway