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Your Florida Summer Beach Vacation – Tips on Selecting Your Beach Vacation Destination and Rental!

Summer is just around the corner, and for many families that means a trip to Fabulous Florida and one of the gorgeous beaches that cover more than 660 miles of the Sunshine State’s coastlines. No matter where you are in the vacation planning process, we’ll start at the beginning and work forward. If you have already covered some of the steps below, maybe these tips will come in handy next time!

PICKING A DESTINATION:

First things first, of course, and the most basic decision you have to make is where in those 600-plus miles of beaches do you want to spend your precious vacation time? There are many factors to consider — distance from your hometown and travel time involved, vacation rental price, features and availability; activities that are important to your family, such as boating, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, hiking, etc.; and for some, pet-friendly beaches and accommodations. Some beaches are bustling and busy, like Panama City, Clearwater, Siesta, Destin, Miami and others. Accommodations vary as well — some have lots of high-rise condominiums and therefore a lot more rental units as well as a lot more guests. Other vacation spots tend toward lower density and smaller number of units, like Cape San Blas, for example. There are about a dozen areas of the state that have a pet-friendly beach. Read the restrictions for the various destinations so you fully understand what limitations, if any, there are to bringing your dog. For example, at Cape San Blas, dogs are welcomed on leash on the beaches of Gulf County with the exception of within St. Joseph’s Peninsula State park, where they are not permitted. Some beaches have limited areas where dogs are permitted or certain hours.

The wonders of the Internet make narrowing your choice of location a lot easier than it once was! Using a Google search for phrases that describe what you are looking for can give you a list of locations to begin researching more carefully. Try searches like “Pet-friendly Family Florida Beach Rentals” or “Uncrowded Florida Beach Rentals” or other search strings that appeal to your family. Ask for recommendations from others who have had positive vacation experiences. Many counties or cities will have tourist forums, where you can log on and ask questions. If someplace is a serious consideration for you, visit their forum and see what people have to share.

Everybody has a “perfect” beach destination they love. Just like some folks prefer chocolate and some vanilla, I am not going to try to tell you what I think would be your best choices. I can tell you what beaches I like, but that’s about it. My current favorite is Cape San Blas, where we have our rental business and two homes. Why do we love the Cape? We like the low density, the gorgeous sunsets, the fabulous beaches, the fishing and scalloping (St. Joe Bay is considered a Pristine Florida Water, and the oysters, fish and scallops are amazing). We like hiking in the State Park and riding horses on the beach. We love that our dogs are allowed on the beach as well. But again, there are many wonderful beaches in Florida. Just find the best fit for your family and go for it!

PICKING A RENTAL UNIT

Okay, you’ve picked a destination. Good for you! Now you need to select a vacation rental unit. Just like there were lots of factors to consider when choosing a beach that fits your family’s needs, the same is true for picking the right property. Finding the right combination of bedrooms, amenities, views, features, and price can seem daunting at first. It’s best to decide your priorities before you start making inquiries on rental sites or calling vacation rental companies or hotels. Why? If your budget is $4000 for the week, stumbling over that $10,000 a week mansion with use of your own motorboat is just going to leave you feeling deprived. My tips for you when considering your rental options:

1. The closer to the gulf and the beach, the more expensive the unit will be. If budget is a big factor, accepting a walk of even 125 to 200 steps (about 2 minutes’ walk) can save you big on the bottom line for your home or condo or hotel room. But if it’s beachfront or nothing, baby, well, just know you will pay a little more. I always insisted on gulf-front for my family’s one week in paradise each year too, and it was worth every dime extra we paid to hear those ocean waves, feel that sea breeze and watch the sunset from the deck every day.

2. Amenities come at a price tag. If a private pool is a “must” for you, know you’ll pay more for that rental home than one with a community pool or no pool at all. An elevator may be great for the loading in and loading out, but if everybody in your party is able-bodied, you can save a few bucks bypassing the homes with the elevators — and get some cardio during the week taking the stairs, too. More basic amenities like free Internet don’t add much to the price these days, but they can be important to traveling business owners or students with papers to turn in during vacation.

3. Maximum occupancy and bedding configurations. I always counsel my guests if you can avoid using the sleeper sofa, do it. One of my personal vacation rentals offers a sleeper sofa in the loft, and it gives you more privacy and can be a good option for teenagers especially. But if you have no option but to use the sleeper in the main living room, so be it. Also look at the various bedding configurations. If you need 1 king bed and 2 queens, you’ll narrow down your search and eliminate rentals with twin beds and bunk beds.

4. What’s supplied? In our vacation community, there’s a vast difference from unit to unit on what’s included in your rental as standard options. Some provide linens and towels as part of the rent. Some provide them for an additional charge. Some don’t provide them at all, and you have to bring them from home. Same is true for things like beach chairs, beach cart for a unit that is a distance from the gulf, gas grills, games, puzzles, movie libraries, starters of kitchen and laundry supplies, pet towels and sheets in pet-friendly units and much more. When you compare Rental A to Rental B, be sure that they’re comparably appointed. If not, consider if there is a price savings to “tote your own” and whether it’s worth it to you to have the savings, if any, or the convenience.

Whew, that was hard work. Now it’s time to get ready to go, finally! More to come in my article, Your Florida Summer Beach Vacation – What to Bring & How to Pack for the Best Family Fun in the Sun!

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Helpful Aromatherapy Tips

Many people are into alternative medicine nowadays. One of the most popular is aromatherapy. This is an ancient way to treat certain ailments in the body. Whether it is internal or external, it can help alleviate the ailment once this method is used. The main technique of aromatherapy is to stimulate the olfactory nerves to release certain hormones that will help enhance or improve wellness of a person.

There are many ways on how to use aromatherapy. You can use gadgets to enhance the essential oils used in aromatherapy sessions. This kind of therapy can also be provided by the services of a professional aroma therapist. Certain aromatherapy tips in the internet can also be applied. To provide you added information, below are the aromatherapy tips that you can apply. Read on my friend.

Tip 1 – Be Selective

There are aromatherapy essential oils that can be purchased in the internet or in stores. However, you must be careful in choosing because some can be made from added chemicals. These chemicals can be synthetic or pure. The best thing to do in choosing essential oils is to check its components. Meaning, it should be naturally based and there are no added chemicals that will irritate your sense of smell.

Tip 2 – Properly Store Essential Oils

This is also very important. You must store any essential oils or aromatherapy gadgets to prevent spillage. Proper storage will also preserve it and can be used again later. Remember, aromatherapy oils and gadgets can be expensive.

Tip 3 – Compare

Another way is to compare first the difference between essential oils and perfume oils. Always remember that the most effective means on how to use aromatherapy is to implement it naturally. Essential oils can give you therapeutic benefits while perfume oils are used for sheer enjoyment only. Meaning, it is better to choose the one that will benefit you the most.

Tip 4 – Create Your Own Aromatherapy Recipes

It is also a great idea to improvise and create your own aromatherapy recipes. In case you have your own backyard with flowering and herbal plants, you can use these to make your own essences. In this way, you have saved money including the environment since you don’t have to purchase factory made essential oils. Remember, you can buy books or search in the internet for recipes in aromatherapy.

Tip 5 – Check the Safety Information

Aromatherapy can sometimes cause allergic reactions in other individuals. It is best to check or read safety information before using aromatic oils for you therapy session. It is also a good idea to consult your doctor to prevent you from having allergic reactions in using this kind of therapy.

Tip 6 – Enjoy and be relieved

Aromatherapy is basically a method to avoid stress and anxiety. This kind of therapy will surely calm your senses and provide you the outmost relaxing feeling. All you have to do is to enjoy and be relieved.

These are the aromatherapy tips you can implement. Remember, pamper yourself and be rejuvenated. Enjoy my friend!

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How to Write a Restaurant Business Plan – The Essentials

Restaurants have one of the highest failure rates. The nature of the business in dealing with perishables and the fickle tastes of people is difficult to grasp. Many lenders simply exclude them from their portfolios in general but everyone knows a great restaurant can create a lot of wealth for the owners.

Never forget this statement, lenders and investors are sophisticated in commerce and they know when someone is on their level in business knowledge. You must distinguish yourself, just like stock market investors, lenders invest in people. Do not fear your short comings but show how you HAVE experienced advisers available.

Most necessary information related to business is basic but they want to see you have a basic insight into overall economic influences as well. Read and watch financial television to learn and be comfortable with discussions in those areas. After a time you will begin to see the conversations are very similar. You now have insight into the content of your restaurant business plan, it is the same discussion.

Another suggestion to prepare for writing your plan is go online and search for annual reports for restaurants traded on the stock exchange; they are usually free of charge and useful even if they are old. Most of them are mind numbing at first, study until you see the same pattern you found watching the TV shows. Get some basic information about financial statements just to learn the layout and how the numbers relate and tell the health of the company. Buy a book about investing in stocks to absorb the mindset of an investor.

You should be able to demonstrate a clear and fundamental understanding of how the economy and other outside factors will affect your enterprise. Knowing facts about your competitors and even publicly traded restaurants will show a level of experience you may not even have but they will see you belong to the top 1/10% of your industry and every other person who brings a deal in front of them.

Unless you intend to raise a million dollars or more you should research and write your restaurant business plan yourself. The preparation to do so will ingrain the process into your mind and the command of the information will impress your lending prospect. Be sure to highlight every small difference related to why you believe in your venture. Keep in mind very small improvements in long established industries have made many people very successful.

Read a little about persuasive writing and use a formal style with no contractions, slang or industry jargon which is not explained.

Buying a template will help you organize your thoughts and provide a framework for all your expertise to be displayed. These are very helpful. Once you master the basics, admittedly a large body of information, begin to focus on your specialty, here are two examples:

• Maybe you are interested in starting a café and need a café business plan. Here you will begin to build your case about why you think you have found an opportunity. This could be how an area under served because it has experienced huge growth and residents drive a long distance.

• Regretfully, the bar business does well in a good location with a bad economy. Keep in mind people do not go to a bar to drink, they go to socialize. Bars should work well anytime but they can be recession proof. Your approach will be the social aspect of writing the bar business plan and why you have the edge to make one work.

Hopefully you are very talented and suited for the restaurant industry but remember, every talent, once discovered, must be developed. Know where you want to go, this is a clear goal. Identify every possible need to reach the goal, and then list what you have. This is the first step to writing a great restaurant business plan.