Category Archives: Travel Tips

Nashville, Tennessee Travel Guide

The capital of Tennessee is the beating heart of country music and has plenty of sounds to get your blood flowing. But it also has a brainy side – great museums, grand old architecture, and the thriving university community compliment the bright lights and late nights of Nashville.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is a good place to start and a look into Nashville star-studded history. Artifacts like Elvis’s gold Cadillac and Hank Williams suits are enshrined like religious relics.

The nearby Ryman Auditorium is also hallowed ground and hosts a wide array of contemporary acts. The Grand Ole Opry variety show took place here for 31 years until it moved out to music Valley in the Opryland Complex in 1974. An Opry performance is still a Nashville highlight.

Cobblestone paved Printers Alley used to be home to the city’s thriving printing industry. Now it’s the heart of the district downtown where tourists hunt for tacky souvenirs, western wear, and mid-day beer. Stop in Gruhn guitars to pluck master crafted instruments worth more than automobiles.

Cross the buzzing Vanderbilt University campus to Centennial Park where you can gawk at a full-size plaster model of the Athenian Parthenon. Nearby, Manuel sells couture cowboy. Manuel has dressed just about everybody; you put Johnny Cash in black, Elvis in a gold lame suit and Ronald Reagan in lots of things.

The East End neighborhood is home to the Five Points. The art galleries, cafes, and night spots make this Nashville’s newest hip destination a favorite local hang. Take a short trip out of town to Hermitage the former home of the seventh President Andrew Jackson. The thousand-acre compound affords a look in the 19th-century plantation life.

Belle Meade plantation is where the Harding Jackson family began raising thoroughbreds in the early 1800s. Today’s Kentucky Derby horses all have a common ancestor in Belle Meade, Sir Bonnie Scotland who died in 1880. Head back downtown for a bite and you will find a wealth of local flavor like the classic meat and three, a heaping portion of greasy meat with your choice of three home-style sides. Arnold’s country kitchen is as good as it gets. Monell’s is a family-style sit down with a gut-busting array of down-home delicacy.

When night falls, Lower Broadway is the spot for beer and guitar-fueled nightlife. Crowds of tourists wear crisp new cowboy boots to the Honky Tonk. The floorboards vibrate every night of the week. A proper night out in Nashville should leave your ears ringing, your stomach stuffed, and your legs exhausted

How To Resolve Conflicts While Traveling

When it comes to traveling with a group of friends, it is pretty much safe to say that conflicts are inevitable. We all know that conflicts can occur pretty much anywhere, right? When you travel, work, or communicate with others, there is a slight chance that you may end up arguing, not wanting to talk to anybody, or simply becoming passively aggressive. Avoidance is one of the most common tactics that people use when they want to get away from potential conflicts, but trying to avoid a conflict will hardly do you any good. Due to the fact that traveling is a social activity, there is a slight chance that the group dynamics might cause some damage to your dream trip. Now, don’t get us wrong, but this is true even if you are traveling solo. And we can safely assume that you wouldn’t want to face any conflicts during your dream trip, would you? Of course you wouldn’t!

There are some people out there who think that the chance of them ending up in a conflict while traveling is simply non-existent. But the real truth is that something like that could only be true if they decided to embark on a round-the-world journey without ever seeing anybody, let alone communicating with people. And even then they wouldn’t be completely safe. When it comes to traveling the world, having good communication skills is very important. The reason for this is because we use communication do express our needs and desires, as well as our fears. With this in mind, it is very important to note that communication itself doesn’t cause conflicts – it usually triggers them. With that said, here are some things that you can do to resolve conflicts while traveling.

Figure Out People’s Intentions
Generally speaking, people have good intentions. But sometimes, people don’t know how to properly express their intentions, which usually leads to an argument. That being said, you need to figure out what people’s true intentions are, and then come up with a good, honest answer of your own.

Encourage In-Person Communication
One of the best ways to resolve an issue permanently is to have a face-to-face conversation. No social media platforms and no text messages. Just remember to be open, honest, and calm, okay?

Resist the Urge To Resolve the Issue Immediately
Don’t try to resolve the issue immediately. Making a rush decision could actually make the whole situation even worse. So, take some time, listen to the complaints, and then try to come up with a good solution.

How To Maintain a Healthy Fitness Program While Traveling

We all know that maintaining a healthy fitness program can seem like an impossible task when we are traveling the world, right? This is especially the case when you are on a business trip. The main reason for this is because all that time that you spend on the road and all those board meetings that you are required to attend don’t leave enough room in your schedule for exercise. But all it takes to stay in a good shape when traveling is a little bit of dedication, as well as a little bit of planning. You see, when you are traveling for work, you can still stick to your fitness routine – you just need to know how to do it. This is something that the owner of Performance Chiropractic + Sports Rehab confesses is easier said than done. But with a little commitment, can make your adventure so much more enjoyable!

Before you actually hit the road, do a thorough research on your destination, as well as the hotel that you will be staying at. Also, be sure to check if there are any fitness facilities or gyms available in the area. Don’t forget to pack a pair of athletic shoes, some exercise clothing, a jump-rope, some hand grips, a yoga mat, and a pair of headphones – just in case you need to fill yourself up with some extra motivation!

Keep Active As You Go
Whether you are traveling by train, plane or car, work travel can force you to sit in one spot for long periods of time, which is not really the healthiest thing in the world. With this in mind, it is very important for you to find a way to fit some physical activity into your work travel days. So, don’t forget to pack your running shoes before you hit the road, okay? Also, if you are traveling by plane and you encounter a delay or something like that, don’t just sit in one spot, but walk up and down the airport terminal instead. And if you are traveling by can and you are the sitting behind the wheel, take breaks to get out and do some stretching exercises.

Listen To Your Body
If jet lag leaves your body exhausted, feel free to make your workout sessions shorter than usual. After all, we all need to take it easy every now and then, don’t we? Anyway, keep in mind that regular exercise can help reduce stress, and that might be just what you need to get the job done. Just don’t forget to listen to your body, okay?

How To Avoid ATM Fees While Traveling

There is absolutely no doubt that traveling is not really the cheapest hobby in the world, right? While this is the case with pretty much every type of travel out there, it is especially the case when you are traveling to a foreign country. Also, this is especially true when you are using your credit card to deal with all the financial stuff that you stumble upon during your trip. One very important thing that you need to remember here is that banking overseas involves so much more stuff than just putting your credit card in the nearest ATM machine that you can find. That being said, if you are planning on visiting a foreign country in the near future, there is a couple of really important things that you need to know. Knowing how to get rid of foreign transaction rates can help you save a whole lot of money in the long run. Also, you should learn how to get good exchange rates in a foreign country, as well as how to avoid paying bank fees.

You would be surprised to see just how many people travel overseas and pay ATM fees only to get hit with high foreign transaction fees. But this situation actually doesn’t have to be that bad at all – you just need to know how to avoid stuff like this. After all, you didn’t spend all those weeks and months saving up money just to spend it on unnecessary foreign transaction fees later on, did you? We can safely assume that your original plan was (and still is) to keep all that hard-earned money for yourself, right? Also, we don’t know how good you are with math, but it is actually not that complicated here – every single foreign transaction fee that you manage to avoid means that you get to spend more money not just on food and drinks, but on fun activities as well!

Get Rid of ATM Fees
Did you know that ATM machines in foreign countries can actually take a significant amount of money from you every single time you use them? That is exactly why it is very important for you to know how to eliminate those nasty foreign transaction fees. With this in mind, if you don’t really like the idea of spending money on foreign ATM fees, you should try using your bank’s partner ATMs. If this is not an available option for you right now, try to get a low-fee credit card instead.

Using ATMs in Weird Locations Is a Bad Idea
Don’t use ATM’s in weird locations. With that said, if there is an ATM machine standing in the middle of your hotel, simply don’t use it. These ATMs usually charge pretty high transaction fees, which means that using them wouldn’t be your best solution.

Top 3 Sustainable Travel Tips That You Need To Know

Travel is a great thing that inspires us to meet new people and explore new places, as well as to learn about new cultures. It inspires us to fill our lives with all kinds of unforgettable adventures. Although travel is a great thing, there is also a dark side to it. For example, air travel can leave a negative impact on the environment, and mass tourism can have a negative impact on a certain area. Both of these things can make travel look less glamorous than it actually is. But there is this one thing that can make this whole situation better, and that thing is called sustainable travel.

It is pretty much safe to say that we all want to be as sustainable as possible when we travel, right? So, what is sustainable travel, and how does it work? Sustainable travel is an environmentally conscious form of travel that allows you to see and experience the world in a very clean way. This form of travel is all about keeping the environment as clean as possible during the trip, as well as choosing to lessen our impact on our planet wherever possible. Simply put, the main point of sustainable travel is to enjoy your trip without causing any damage to the environment. With that said, here are three sustainable travel tips that you need to know!

Don’t Overpack

This one is very easy to pull off. Make sure to never pack something that will not be of any use to you once you hit the road. Packing light is something that we can all do, and it is something that we can all get better at. All it takes is a little bit of practice.

Travel To Sustainable Countries

Check out which countries are the most sustainable to visit – don’t just pick a random destination. By visiting these countries, you encourage other people to do the same. Simply put, you are doing a good thing.

Fly As Much As Possible

If you can handle the pressure of a long flight, make sure to fly non-stop. Although it is not the cheapest way to travel, non-stop flights are good for the environment. Once again, only do this if you are confident that you can handle the pressure.