| How to Travel Smart Posted: 06 Aug 2019 05:00 PM PDT Traveling to a new place can be an incredible or even life-changing experience, but preparing for your journey isn't always so fun. Thankfully, there are a number of tips and techniques you can use to save money, cut down on pre-trip stress, and ensure your travels go as smoothly as possible. [Edit]Planning for the Trip - Plan your trip during off seasons to save money. Once you know your travel destination, search online to find out when its primary tourist seasons are. Businesses increase their prices during these times, so try to schedule your trip during the remaining parts of the year. Off seasons will vary by location, but some common ones include:[1]
- Times of the year when there's a lot of rain.
- Seasons where there's a higher chance of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters.
- The weeks immediately after major travel holidays like Christmas.
- Create a travel budget to keep your costs down. To make the most of your trip, create a full travel budget that breaks down how much money you can spend on transportation, lodging, food, entertainment, and miscellaneous purchases. When you're finished, add at least 10% to your budget to account for unexpected fees and emergencies.[2]
- Get physical copies of any important documents you'll need for your trip. These documents may include your government ID, passport, travel visa, health insurance card, and travel tickets. If necessary, apply for new copies of any documents that you can't find or have already expired.[4]
- Some document applications take a long time to process, so apply for them as far in advance as possible.
- Inform your bank of your upcoming trip. A week or 2 before you take off, contact whichever bank you have a credit or debit card with and let them know about your trip. This keeps them from putting unnecessary holds on your account.
- If you're traveling abroad, see if your bank charges foreign transaction fees. If so, ask if they offer a special card for travelers that waives these charges.[5]
- Check online for international travel advisories if you're going abroad. Before heading to a new nation, check your country's state department website to see if there are any travel advisories listed for your trip destination. If there are, take any necessary precautions recommended by the website.
[Edit]Finding Transportation and Lodging - Buy your transit tickets early to get the best prices. If you're taking a plane, train, ocean liner, or other form of public transportation, try to buy your tickets as early as possible. Most transit tickets go up in price over time, so purchasing early helps you lock in a cheaper rate.[6]
- To save even more money, try booking your transportation during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or another flash sale.
- Make hotel reservations early to ensure you get a room. Unlike with transit tickets, hotel prices go down over time, meaning you'll often get the best rates if you reserve a room right before your trip. However, booking your room early ensures that you don't run into any availability issues that could throw your whole journey off course.
- Compare prices online to find the best deals. Before purchasing airline tickets or making hotel reservations, visit price comparison websites to see how much different companies charge for their services. In many cases, you'll find a better deal that will open up additional funds for the trip itself.[7]
- Popular comparison websites include Kayak, Fare Compare, and Mobissimo.
- Some airlines and hotels offer competitive discounts through their official website, so make sure to check there as well.
- Pay for cancellation insurance in case your plans change. When purchasing your tickets, consider paying a little bit extra to get cancellation insurance. This type of insurance lets you change your trip date without having to buy entirely new tickets.[8]
- Though it may seem unnecessary at the time, cancellation insurance can be a lifesaver if you run into unexpected personal, work, or school conflicts right before your trip.
- For hotel reservations that require a down payment, ask about the hotel's cancellation policy and whether or not there are any cancellation fees.
- Make use of travel points and other special promotions. If you have leftover frequent flier miles, credit card points, or other promotional rewards, consider cashing them in for your trip. Doing so can help you save a significant amount of money and, depending on the promotion, may introduce you to additional travel options you didn't know about.[9]
- Make as many trip purchases as you can using a rewards credit card. This will help you save up points to use down the road.
- Apply for security pre-check access if you're traveling by air. Depending on how busy the airport is, you can lose hours waiting in line to receive security clearance. To avoid this, go online before your trip and apply for TSA Pre-Check or your country's own equivalent program. Though not free, these programs will remove some of the stress involved with traveling.[10]
- These programs are especially worthwhile if you plan on flying multiple times throughout the year.
[Edit]Packing Your Luggage - Bring only the things you need. When deciding what to take on your trip, try to pack items that have at least an 80% chance of being used. This includes things like your major clothing items, personal hygiene products, and important electronics. If you don't think you'll use something, leave it at home to make your suitcases lighter and easier to handle.[11]
- This is especially important if you're traveling by air since airports have incredibly strict weight requirements.[12]
- Pack interchangeable clothing items. Instead of bringing lots of unique outfits, try packing a few interchangeable wardrobe pieces that you can mix and match to create different ensembles. For the best results, bring clothing items that all have similar colors, patterns, or themes.[13]
- Roll up your casual clothes to save space. When packing casual clothing items like t-shirts, jeans, and pajamas, do not simply throw them into your suitcase. Instead, fold them in half on their longest edge and roll them into tight fabric cylinders. This will prevent creases while opening up additional packing space.[14]
- Do not use this method with bulkier items like sweaters or fancy items like dresses and blazers.
- Pack chargers and accessories for your electronic devices. Before leaving, make sure to gather up the chargers, adapters, and batteries necessary to run any electronic devices you're taking. In addition, grab any memory cards, portable hard drives, and other accessories you expect to use during your travels.[15]
- Don't forget to charge your devices the night before you leave!
- Keep valuable items in your personal bags or pockets. When traveling, make sure to keep extremely valuable items like your phone, computer, wallet, and passport on or near your person at all times. If you let these things leave your sight, you risk the chance of them getting lost or stolen.
- Unless you absolutely have to bring them, leave irreplaceable items like expensive jewelry or family heirlooms at home.
- Pack snacks to save money during your trip. Depending on where you're going, affordable food may be a bit hard to come by. You can prepare for this possibility by putting some small, non-perishable snacks in your travel bags.[16]
- Travel snacks are especially useful when going on long flights and train rides that don't offer free refreshments.
- To make your planning and booking process easier, consider using an online travel agency like Expedia or Orbitz.
- Splurging on expensive hotels and other luxuries may seem frivolous, but these things often make up for the cost by giving you more for your money.
[Edit]References |
| How to Recognize ADHD in Girls Posted: 06 Aug 2019 09:00 AM PDT Experts have noted that ADHD can look different in girls.[1] This can make it difficult for a girl with ADHD to get diagnosed, and can result in her going without the support she needs. Recognizing how ADHD presents in girls is important for diagnosis and receiving support. This article is primarily aimed at recognizing ADHD in children or teen girls. If you're looking for identifying ADHD in adult women, check out How to Diagnose ADHD in Women or How to Identify Adult ADHD. [Edit]Noticing Signs - Look for signs of inattention. When compared to boys, girls with ADHD tend to be less hyperactive and impulsive, and more disorganized, scattered, forgetful, and introverted.[2] They are often easily distracted.[3]
- Consider whether she daydreams a lot, doesn't appear to listen when spoken to, or struggles to focus on one thing. These are common signs of inattentiveness.[4]
- She may have trouble concentrating if there's other stimulus around or be easily drawn away from activities (like getting up and following the dog when she's supposed to be doing homework).[5]
- A common trait of inattentiveness is making mistakes that can seem careless. She may not seem to pay much attention to detail and do things like misspell a word even though she knows how to spell it, or leave things in the wrong places.[6]
- They can often come across as being shy, withdrawn, and daydreamy.[7][8] She might be referred to as quirky, spacey, or as having an overactive imagination.
- Consider differences in hyperactivity. While inattention is more common in girls, girls with ADHD can also be hyperactive - it just looks different than with boys. Girls with ADHD are less likely to "bounce off the walls" or climb on things, and are more likely to fidget a lot and be extremely chatty.[9][10][11]
- Girls with ADHD can be hypertalkative, and talk so much that others can't get a word in. They may frequently interrupt or blurt things out, and have trouble sticking to one topic.
- Stimming and fidgeting is common for hyperactivity. She may squirm in her chair a lot, play with her hair, swing her legs back and forth, pick at things with her nails, chew or tap on things, tap her foot, or shake her leg. (Some girls with ADHD also engage in repetitive movement, like hand-flapping.)
- She may refocus her need for movement into helping out around the classroom, or joining multiple sports or extracurricular activities.[12]
- Trouble falling asleep and waking up in the morning is common for ADHD. She might be too restless to settle down, or have lots of thoughts running through her brain that keep her awake.[13]
- Some girls do fit the stereotype of running around during class and knocking over furniture at home, but it's less common.
- Note impulsivity. Like hyperactivity, impulsivity also tends to look different in girls. Physical impulsivity (like jumping off the playground tower) is less common, but she might be verbally impulsive and do or say things without thinking them through.[14] Impulsive behaviors include:[15][16]
- Saying what comes to mind, without filtering or considering if it's appropriate
- Reacting to situations without thinking it through
- Beginning something new right away (and sometimes dropping it just as quickly)
- Spending money on impulse
- Starting and ending relationships in the heat of the moment (more common in older girls)
- Getting scolded or punished frequently for her behavior ("what were you thinking?!")
- Identify hyperfocus. Regardless of whether a girl seems hyperactive, inattentive, or both, she may channel her focus onto something she likes - a state called hyperfocus. People with ADHD may become extremely focused on something that captures their interest, to the point that they no longer notice things happening around them and forget to do other things.[17]
- If someone with ADHD is hyperfocused, others may have difficulty getting her to "snap out of it". If they succeed, she'll likely be frustrated and need more time to transition to the next activity.
- Hyperfocus is often interest-driven rather than priority-driven.[18] That being said, if a girl with ADHD has a deadline approaching quickly, she may hyperfocus on getting the task done instead.
- Some girls may use hyperfocus to their advantage to try and compensate for their struggles. For example, she might work hard on a history project because she likes history, but struggle with her other classes.[19]
- Pay attention to difficulty staying organized. Girls with ADHD may seem to be "chronically disorganized", and need extra help to stay clean or not lose things. Organization problems may show up as:[20][21]
- Losing things often, even if they're important
- Forgetting things
- Having a messy room, desk, backpack, etc.
- Not cleaning up after herself, or only cleaning up halfway
- Struggling to prioritize
- Consider time management. Girls with ADHD may struggle with timeliness and moving from activity to activity. Problems with time management can look like:[22]
- Being late all the time
- Misjudging how long something will take
- Losing track of time
- Procrastinating, particularly if the task is monotonous or requires lots of focus
- Taking a long time to complete things (she might turn in schoolwork late)
- Having trouble transitioning between activities (and getting frustrated if she's not ready to move on)
- Note differences in emotional regulation. Boys with ADHD are more easily irritated, while girls tend to come across as overly emotional and sensitive.[23][24] A girl with ADHD may cry easily, slam doors when frustrated, and deal with overwhelming emotions.
- Mood swings are a common component of ADHD. She might feel a variety of moods in a single day, and these moods can change abruptly based on events around her. At times, it may seem like one incident can impact her mood for the rest of the day.[25]
- She may seem to throw tantrums more easily or have emotional blowups that are unusual (or even immature) for her age.[26] Aggression may become a problem in some girls, particularly as she reaches puberty.[27]
- Girls with ADHD may feel positive emotions very intensely, too - she may be prone to overexcitement and may get overwhelmed with joy at times, or laugh at something for longer than others. If she gets crushes, her crushes might be very intense.
- If she is unable to regulate her reactions, intense emotions can cause social problems. Her peers may be annoyed by or frightened of her reactions, or think she's overreacting or dramatic. Impulsive emotional reactions (like hitting a friend she's upset with) often hurt her relationships.
- Consider her social behavior. ADHD may affect how a girl behaves in social situations, which can be positive or negative. She might be a social butterfly, extremely shy, or somewhere in between.[28] A girl with ADHD might have behaviors like:[29][30]
- Being chatty or verbally impulsive
- Seeking positive attention, like by goofing around, telling jokes, or even showing off
- Needing constant excitement in her social circle
- Seeming shy and not joining social activities
- Struggling to make decisions about social activities[31]
- Look at struggles in social life. People with ADHD often struggle with making and keeping friends. This can be especially challenging for girls, since the social scene can be very complex for them.[32] A girl with ADHD may struggle with things like...[33]
- Spacing out during conversations
- Overlooking social cues
- Having trouble joining groups or social activities
- Interrupting other people and/or having trouble listening attentively
- Following through on texts or plans
- Being labeled as immature, sensitive, silly, or a "drama queen"[34]
- Being told she's annoying, rude, insensitive, or is oversharing
- Being rejected or made fun of by her peers
- Recognizing that she's not like her peers, but not knowing why
- Consider how often she asks for help. Compared to boys, girls with ADHD are more likely to try and compensate for their behavior, which includes asking for help more often. (The requests will usually be more subtle, rather than directly asking for help staying on task or organized.) Consider whether she frequently makes requests along the lines of...[35][36]
- "Can you help me with my homework?"
- "I'm having trouble cleaning my room. Can you help?"
- "Sorry, I didn't catch that. Can you repeat it?"
- "This assignment is taking me awhile. Could I stay up later to finish it?"
- "I can't find the paper you gave us. Do you have another one?"
- "Could I copy your notes/homework? I didn't finish mine."
- "Can we share your textbook? I left mine at home."
- Check for sensory or auditory issues. While it's not a guarantee, many people with ADHD also have problems with managing sensory or auditory input. Consider whether she...[37]
- Needs extra time to process speech
- Struggles to "tune out" other noises and focus on one thing
- Is extremely uncomfortable or distressed by certain textures (like clothing)
- Seems over- or under-sensitive to the way something tastes or smells
- Is easily overwhelmed by sensory-intensive situations (e.g. restaurants or loud parties)
- Notice signs that she is internalizing her issues. While boys with ADHD are more likely to act out in frustration, girls with ADHD may internalize when they're struggling. In addition, boys are more likely to blame outside sources for their problems while girls are more inclined to blame themselves.[38]
- While boys have behavioral issues more often, girls usually suffer from low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.[39] During teen years, they are at increased risk for self-injury and suicidal thoughts or intent.[40]
- Girls with ADHD often suffer from perfectionism.[41] They try to appear competent, but it's a constant struggle.[42]
- A girl with ADHD may say things like "I'm stupid", "I never do anything right", "Something is wrong with me", or "Why am I the only one who can't do this?".[43]
[Edit]Seeking Diagnosis - Consider the possibility of other disorders and conditions. It's possible that the person has something else instead of ADHD, or that she has something in addition to ADHD. Conditions that can resemble or come alongside ADHD include...[44]
- Consider whether past behavior lines up with ADHD. Think about whether her quirks, struggles, and overall behavior makes more sense when viewed as a result of ADHD. For example, maybe her messiness and habit of constantly shouting things out doesn't make sense for a neurotypical child, but makes more sense for a child with ADHD.
- Have a discussion with her teachers and caregivers. If you suspect your daughter might have ADHD, talking with other adults who are around her frequently can paint a clearer picture as to her behavior. Find time to talk with her teacher(s), coach(es), and/or other caregivers, such as babysitters, and ask about her behavior. They may have some information about how she behaves away from home.
- Ask teachers and coaches about whether she stays on task and completes things as expected, or if she needs to be refocused frequently and prompted to do what she's supposed to.
- In school, it's common for girls with ADHD to get comments like "She's a good student, but she needs to try harder", "She needs to slow down and pay more attention to her work", or "She needs to learn when it's appropriate to share her thoughts in class".
- Take particular note of comments about inattention, fidgetiness, impulsive behavior, and trouble with social skills.
- Talk to a specialist. Make an appointment with someone who specializes in ADHD and related conditions, or ask your doctor for a referral. While your general doctor may be able to do a basic screening, a psychologist or other specialist has more tools available and can get a more accurate assessment.
- Consider whether there is a family history of ADHD; ADHD is often passed down genetically, so if a girl has a relative with ADHD, she's more likely to have it, too.[45]
- Girls with ADHD may struggle a lot in school, especially once they start college and no longer have their parents to help them stay organized.[46] However, not every girl with ADHD will get bad grades.
[Edit]Warnings - ADHD is a very complex condition that can't be diagnosed after just reading a few pages about it. Talk to a specialist if you have concerns.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
| How to Hang a Hook from a Ceiling Posted: 06 Aug 2019 01:00 AM PDT Inserting a hook into your ceiling is necessary for hanging plant baskets, paper lanterns, plug-in pendant lamps, and other suspended décor. You can even hang items like bicycles from your garage ceiling to save storage space. However, hanging the hook incorrectly can lead to damage to your ceiling and the suspended item. Depending on the weight of the item, you will either need to hang the hook from a ceiling joist or use a toggle bolt to hang it from the drywall. [Edit]Installing a Hook in a Joist - Hang items heavier than from a ceiling joist. A joist is one of the beams that supports a ceiling. It's the securest place to fasten a hook for heavy items so that you don't risk damaging the ceiling or the item.[1]
- For items lighter than , you can use an adhesive hook as an easy alternative. Adhesive hooks come in various sizes and are easy to remove without damaging the paint on your ceiling. Note that adhesive hooks only stick to flat ceilings, not textured ceilings.
- If the item is especially heavy, such as a bike, you will want to balance out its weight using 2 screw hooks.
- Purchase a screw hook for small, light items. Hook screws are small fasteners consisting of a pointed, threaded end and a curved hook end. They are available at most hardware stores and will come in different sizes based on the amount of weight they can support.[2]
- There are various sizes and styles of screw hooks. If your item is small and can just be looped over or through a hook, then use cup hooks or eye hooks.
- For items and up, use heavy-duty ceiling hooks that are or bigger.
- Buy utility storage hooks to hang larger, heavier items. Utility hooks are bigger than regular screw hooks and strong enough to hold things like bicycles. They screw into a ceiling joist the same way as a screw hook.[3]
- You can get utility hooks that are specially designed to hold a bicycle, called bike hooks. They have a rubber coating and are shaped to fit the wheels of a bike, so you could hang it from the ceiling of your garage, for example.
- Find a ceiling joist where you want to hang your hook using a stud finder. Stand on something so you can reach the ceiling, hold the stud finder against the ceiling, and turn it on. Slide it around until it lights up to indicate that you have found a stud.[4] apart from each other. Once you've located a joist, if you know how far apart they are spaced and how they are laid out, you can quickly find the next one by using a tape measure and measuring out either .}}
- You can also knock on the ceiling with your knuckles to find a joist if you don't have a stud finder. The areas between joists will produce a hollow, resonant sound, while the joists will produce a shorter, firmer sound.
- If you have a crawl space or an attic above where you want to hang the hook with exposed joists, look to see which direction the joists are laid and also how far apart they are spaced.
- Use a pencil to mark the desired location of your screw hook in the joist. Make a small dot with the pencil on the ceiling joist where you want to put the hook. Pass the stud finder over it again to double-check that it is indeed on the joist.[5]
- If you plan on hanging 2 hooks for a larger item, install 1 first, then hold the item up to it and check the spacing that you need for the other hook before you install it.
- Use an electric drill to drill a pilot hole into the ceiling joist. Select a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the screw hook. Drill into the mark you made slightly deeper than the length of the screw hook's threaded shaft.
- The pilot hole will allow you to screw the hook into the ceiling by hand without it binding up or breaking.
- If the hole is too wide, the thread of the screw won't have anything to grab onto. If it is too shallow, you will have a hard time screwing the hook in all the way.
- Place the pointed tip of the hook into the hole and screw it all the way in. Gently and firmly twist it clockwise into the hole. You will have to apply firmer pressure the deeper it goes.[6]
- If you have trouble twisting it through the last few rotations, grasp the hook gently with pliers and use the pliers to gain added torque to twist it the rest of the way in.
- Stop twisting once the base of the hook is flush with the ceiling. If you twist past this point, you could break the hook.
- This applies to both regular screw hooks and utility hooks. They both screw into the joist the same way.
[Edit]Using a Toggle Bolt with a Hook - Use a toggle bolt to hang items less than in drywall. A toggle bolt with a hook consists of a bolt threaded through the center of two spring-loaded wings that distribute its weight in the drywall. A hook is attached to the end of the bolt instead of a standard bolt head.[7]
- Toggle bolts are available at most home hardware stores and the packaging will say how much weight they can support.
- You can also use toggle bolts to hang hooks from other types of ceiling materials, such as wood-paneled, plaster, or popcorn ceilings. The process is the same as for drywall.
- Screw the wing clip onto one end of the bolt. Assemble the toggle bolt as directed by the packaging. Make sure the wing clip is oriented so that they fold down towards the bolt when you pinch them.[8]
- Some toggle bolts come with a built-in hook, in which case you just need to screw the wing clip onto the opposite end of the hook.
- Screw the hook hanger onto the other end if the toggle bolt has a separate hook. Some toggle bolts come with a more decorative hook hanger that screws on. Twist it on clockwise to the end of the hook opposite the wing clip.[9]
- The types of hooks that screw onto a toggle bolt are also known as swag hooks. If you buy a toggle bolt that just has a wing clip and no built-in hook, then you can buy a swag hook that matches the thread size of the toggle bolt separately and screw it on to the end.
- Use a stud finder to find a hollow area in the drywall. Stand on something so that you can reach the ceiling and hold a stud finder flat against the ceiling. Turn it on and slide it around until there are no lights, which indicates that there is no ceiling joist there.[10]
- A toggle bolt cannot be screwed into a wooden joist, so make sure you find a hollow area to install it.
- If you're hanging a lamp, make sure the area where you install the hook is close to a power outlet that you easily can plug it into.
- Mark a spot to drill a hole in the drywall with a pencil. Draw a small circle with the pencil to indicate where you will drill through the ceiling. This is where you will install the toggle bolt.[11]
- You will be drilling a fairly big hole, so don't worry too much about the size of the mark. It will disappear after you drill.
- Drill a hole through the mark with an electric drill. Select a bit that is barely larger than the diameter of the toggle bolt when the wings are folded down. This will allow the bolt to pass through the hole when the wing clip is in the closed position.[12]
- The packaging of your toggle bolt will often indicate what size hole you need to drill. If the packaging doesn't indicate the size, measure the diameter of the toggle when the wings are pinched closed with a measuring tape or ruler to determine how big of a hole to drill.
- Pinch the wings together and insert them through the hole. Pinch the wings down against the bolt and hold them closed at the very ends between 2 fingers. Slide the top of the wings up through the hole. The wings will open when they reach the hollow space.[13]
- If the wings won't fit through the hole, then drill it slightly wider until they do.
- You'll feel and hear the clip pop open on the other side when the wings are all the way through.
- Tighten the bolt to make sure the wings are secure against the inside. Grab the hook and pull gently down. Turn the bolt clockwise to tighten it until the hook feels tight and is flush against the ceiling.[14]
- Pulling down on the hook will hold the wings in place while you tighten it from below.
- The hook will cover up the hole you drilled when it is tightened all the way.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Step ladder
- Screw hooks (for joists)
- Toggle bolt with hook (for drywall or other ceilings)
- Stud finder
- Pencil
- Electric drill
- Pliers
- Lay down plastic, a tarp, or a sheet underneath the area where you'll be drilling to keep your floor clean of debris.
- If you don't have a stud finder, you can knock and listen for hollow or solid sounds in the ceiling to locate joists or hollow spaces.
[Edit]Warnings - Wear safety goggles to avoid ceiling particles getting into your eyes.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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