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Florida Manatees: Where to Spot the Gentle Giants

With March fast approaching, time is running out to see the manatees this year. These gentle giants are most certainly worth a visit. So if you can, head on down to Florida’s west coast for the best viewing possibilities… CONTINUE READING >> 

Florida Manatee swimming

November to March is the time to head to Florida for spectacular manatee sightings. These gentle giants head for warmer climates in the winter, much like their human snowbird counterparts. Here are our tips to having a manatee-filled getaway.

First, Learn to Spot Them

Ft. Pierce on Florida‘s east coast is chock-full- o’- manatees! We had heard from the locals that in the evening the manatees move from inland to the ocean, so we decided watch for them from a bridge. Our first excited sighting came when we discovered bubbles rising to the surface… See more about the area where we spotted these guys

Snorkel with Manatees at Homosassa River

The Florida Aquifer feeds the Homosassa River on the west coast and manatees are known to swim several miles up the stream to congregate near the source. We chose this area for our snorkel tour because it is usually less crowded than other places, the water is often clearer, and the added bonus of getting to see some monkeys. Yup, monkeys. More on swimming with manatees

Visit Blue Springs State Park

Blue Springs State Park in Florida - fun of manatees!

Blue Spring is a first magnitude spring, pouring forth over one hundred million gallons of water a day, and like the springs around Crystal River, the water stays a constant seventy-two degrees year round. So manatees love it, and many will swim miles up the St. Johns River to get to it. The park has extensive viewing areas… More on Blue Springs State Park

Visit the Mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs

In the crystal clear waters of Weeki Wachee Springs there reside mermaids, seriously. We wouldn’t make up something like this. As a matter of FACT, the Florida State Park Service is a leader in the preservation of these exotic rare creatures. We were lucky enough to have the chance to observe their graceful antics in a natural habitat and manatees joined in the show! More on the Mermaids and Weeki Wachee Springs

Hit the Manatee Festival

Save the Manatees!

For almost thirty years, the Orange City / Blue Springs Manatee Festival has been raising funds to preserve the manatee population. The festival is a really fun fair, with food, music, booths and comfy busses are provided to shuttle folks to manatee viewing experiences. More on the Manatee Festival

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Click here for all of our manatee-filled escapades!

See all of our Florida antics!

YOUR TURN: Have you a hankerin’ to see a manatee now?

Home Cooking on the Run

There are certain challenges to living on the run, not the least of which is cooking. This means we are always on the lookout for easy, portable, time saving ways to have fresh, hot food while we gallivant across the globe…
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After our youngest went off to college we sold our home, bought a beat up old RV, and took off on what we called our Victory Lap. The idea was that we would take a year or so off to travel around North America to see the sights and old friends and family.

We figured the old motorhome would die before too long and that would be our signal to go back to our previous lives. But that didn’t happen. That old RV ran and ran for nearly four years and one hundred thousand miles!

By the time it died we were hooked, so we bought another, and then another, and ended up living in them for almost ten years. There must have been something that appealed to us about living in small spaces, because now we live on a boat.

Yes, I am telling you all of this to get to a point, which is, there are certain challenges to living on the run like this, not the least of which is cooking. This means we are always on the lookout for easy, portable, time saving ways to have fresh, hot food while we gallivant across the globe. We are not talking burgers and hot dogs either; we want a variety of interesting and tasty home cooking while on the go.

So we were thrilled when we discovered myasiancooking.com and these fun Asian cooking kitchen gadgets.

Asian cuisine has long been one of our favorites, but neither one of us has managed to master cooking rice. We even took a cooking class while cruising in China and still can’t seem to get it right every time.

Good thing that one of these gadgets is a rice cooker. Better yet, it works off of the power socket (you know, that round thing us old folks still call a cigarette lighter) inside a car, RV, or boat.

Now we can have perfect rice in about half an hour, anytime and anyplace. It makes up to one liter, which is just right for the two of us.

Of course safety is a concern when cooking on the go, so we were glad to learn about the technology used in this ingenious little cooker. It uses special self-regulating ceramic heating discs known as positive temperature coefficient which provide safe, powerful, and energy-efficient heat in a very small space.

Better yet, it will not over heat and turns itself off if you forget to. The cooking surface is nonstick and it even comes with a measuring cup and spoon.

While the rice cooker is our favorite, there are several other clever products listed in the story too. Stuff like a combination Lunch Box / Portable Travel Food Warmer so a hot lunch is readily available even on the run, or a travel kettle for steaming hot coffee or tea anytime anywhere.

You mean we can have coffee without ever leaving our hotel room? Yes, please!

But we love these kinds of gadgets, not only for their convenience but also for their money saving capabilities. That’s right, think of all the travel savings you can pocket by not going out for quick meals, snacks, and drinks all of the time.

Even if you don’t live on the run like we do, that is something everybody likes.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

We are happy to present this collaborative post to offer valuable information to our readers.

To Make Your Travel More Safer Opt For Contactless Check-in – Know More

To embrace new safety measures in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic, hotels made sure that guests feel secure and comfortable and have put up strict protocols for the past couple of months. Hence with the requirement of social distancing and limited contact, the need for contactless check-in has arrived. This will not only protect guests but also the staff members who spend their day and night serving clients.

Plenty of hotels these days are stopping traditional check-ins and moving forward with mobile check-in options that don’t need any human contact. It will be better for hotels to set up this experience earlier and make it flawless so that they can welcome back guests sooner.

What Is Contactless Check-In?

Just once, think about the old and traditional process of check-in. Where guests used to arrive and a concierge carried their language in for them and to the reception desk stroll it up. Then comes the possibility that many guests are also checking in and you need to wait in the queue. Next, you need to fill a form and give your IDs for scanning before getting the key for your room.

The complete process included various touchpoints with surfaces, staff, and communal areas. These activities are supposed to be very limited in today’s condition.

Now comes the contactless check-in where they eliminate the requirement of this process. And take the help from the technology, currently, you just need to click a link to fill the form or use an app to complete the details and scan your IDs. Once this is completed, you get access to your room and get a key through a smartphone or pick it up from the allotted point in the hotel.

Today technology has created a contactless check-in and this is just the beginning of a new-era guest experience. Let’s jump straight to the advantages of it:

It not only benefits recent health and safety measures but also assists staff and guests with other information:

Saves time and efforts

Not just the safety measures keeping in mind the pandemic but saves efforts and time of guests and staff. To avoid the queue at the reception area, the check-in link can be sent ahead of time to the guests. Documents, agreements, and digital signatures can be taken online before a guest’s stay. This way guests can straightly go to their allotted room without any hassle.

More secure than a traditional check-in

It’s more secure and safe to use technology to check ID photos and the best part is the forms that are filled by the guests stay stored for years. There is no misplacing situation occurs with online check-ins

Enhance guest experience

It incorporates all other systems and offers a better guest experience. With contactless check in for hotels the guests don’t need to wait for the process to be done after they reach the hotel, they can fill all the formalities head, as it lets the guests check-in from anywhere.

Marketing Tool

It can be used as a marketing tool to allow the guests to know more about the hotel. From upsell amenities, exclusive offers, and building a branded experience. It’s very beneficial for the guest, the hotel, and the staff members.

Final Words

Contactless check-in is not only saving the staff and guests from the spread of COVID-19 but also helping in enhancing the services of the hotel. By choosing the option, Hotels can save time, energy and effortlessly let the guest know more about the hotel. When technology is making your life better and improvising your performance, then definitely go for it now.

What are Composite Numbers? How to Identify Prime and Composite Numbers

If one is good at the crunching of numbers, then mathematics is no longer a riddle. A basic understanding of this subject can be established by getting acquainted with the types of numbers, especially prime and composite numbers, as students often tend to get confused with them.

Mathematics is a subject that lets us identify trends around patterns and how to use these trends in making new theorems. In offering insight or forecasts about existence in nature too, mathematics serves a vital role with its reasoning and logic.

Mathematics is generated by counting, estimation, measuring, with numbers forming the basis of all the logic; hence numbers play a crucial role in mathematics. Numbers assist us in calculating and weighing quantities; hence they form an essential part of learning the foundation of math. These numbers are categorized as natural, real, integer, rational, irrational, complex etc. Prime and composite numbers, if properly explained, the kids pick them up very well.

For additional help apart from their regular curriculum, they can visit the Cuemath website to find some helpful number worksheets for practice. 2nd-grade math worksheets are also available for younger kids in a fun and interactive manner to understand the concepts of prime and composite numbers.

These worksheets are easy to download and provide enough practice questions to cover the number topic well. Expert maths teachers at cuemath are also available, which can tutor the child online at their homes’ comfort. One can easily book a free trial class to see the teaching methodology that they follow.

The prime numbers are those natural numbers that are only divisible by themselves and by number one. In other words, their factors will be one and the number itself, making it a total of two factors. While if a number can be formed by multiplying two or more numbers, then that is a composite number.

So, there are more than two factors in composite numbers, or we can say a minimum of three factors. One point to remember is that the number 1 is neither prime nor composite. And an easy thing to remember is that the numbers which are not composite numbers can be classified as prime numbers. Let us see how to identify prime and composite numbers.

We use a method called factorization. If we see number 6 and consider its factors, they will be 2 and 3. On multiplying 2 and 3, we will get 6; hence 6 is a composite number and not a prime number. On the other hand, let us consider the number 5; what numbers, when multiplied, gives 5? We can only think of 1 and 5.

Remember, 1 is neither prime nor composite. Thus, 5 is a prime number since it can be divided only by itself. When the only two factors of any number are 1 and the number itself, it is a prime number. In order to find out if a number is a prime or a composite, a divisibility test using the numbers 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13 should be carried out.

If a number is divisible by one of these, that means it’s composite, and no need for further tests. When the factorization process is mastered, the older kids who are allowed to use calculators for complex calculations can find prime or composite by typing in the number and start dividing by 2, then 3 and so on. If the quotient is a whole number, then that means the number is composite and not prime.

Thus, 5 is a prime number since it can be divided only by itself. When the only two factors of any number are 1 and the number itself, it is a prime number. In order to find out if a number is a prime or a composite, a divisibility test using the numbers 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13 should be carried out. If a number is divisible by one of these, that means it’s composite, and no need for further tests. When the factorization process is mastered, the older kids who are allowed to use calculators for complex calculations can find prime or composite by typing in the number and start dividing by 2, then 3 and so on. If the quotient is a whole number, then that means the number is composite and not prime. 

Travel YouTube Combats Xenophobia

Xenophobia is a type of ethnocentrism or nationalism whereby people show a dislike towards people from other cultures or countries. It is not a new problem that the world is facing, but a major issue that needs to be discussed. Travel videos on YouTube are a way that both content creators and users can explore cultures foreign to them, and are an excellent method to combat xenophobia.

What is a Travel Vlogger?

YouTube content creators that travel the world shooting videos for YouTube. Anyone can become a travel vlogger, and growing a YouTube channel can be boosted by Jaynike. The only requirement for a travel vlogger is an open mind. Given the sheer number of YouTube videos that are on the topic of travel and the gigantic user base on the platform; it isn’t surprising that most cultures are portrayed in some way or another on YouTube. Hence, a travel vlogger will need to explore many cultures, and as such needs to be accepting of those cultures that may be shockingly different from what may have been expected.

Reaching Towards The Unknown

As any YouTuber will definitely strive for, travel vloggers’ main goal is to entertain their audience with new content on a regular basis in order to grow their channel (and earn more money). If the viewer finds that they already know the places shown, or are already familiar with the culture, they might quickly lose interest. After all, there are only so many ways to re-invent the wheel! Therefore, it is not surprising that many travel vloggers are making more videos of their travels to unknown parts of societies and cultures around the world. It is inherently more interesting to watch these types of videos because they are more likely to be something entirely new to the viewer. This trend of travelling to the outskirts of civilization is not new at all. Human society has always been interested in travelling far – such curiosity is what drove the age of discovery, along with material motivations.

A subtype of travel videos is food travel videos. These show vloggers who are also continuously sampling tastes from far away lands and exploring options that may seem ludicrous to them. Food vlogs are especially important, as most cultures are intertwined with their foods. Food is also a very personal and subjective matter that can easily be dismissed as ‘subject to taste’. As more travel vloggers explore the foods of other cultures, more viewers will discover these new foods.

How Travel Videos Combat Xenophobia

Youtube is the second largest search engine on the internet, and people regularly use it for education, entertainment, research, among other things. Observing the most popular YouTube Channels, one can make assumptions about the current culture and mindset of the population of users online. Travel YouTube is extremely popular among viewers on the platform and can be an influencer of the attitudes and behaviour of the population in general. Marketing professionals regularly use social media to manipulate the behavior of a large population at once, proving that YouTubers are indeed influential to mainstream society. As these YouTubers explore different cultures and show them in favorable light, they are slowly influencing a multitude of users into accepting cultures that are foreign to them. As mainstream society is already growing increasingly unforgiving towards prejudiced opinions, the algorithm that YouTube uses to recommend travel videos to interested users will favor those travel vloggers that are unprejudiced and welcoming to foreign cultures. In simple terms, travel vloggers that are xenophobic are not likely to already be popular, and thus won’t be shown easily to xenophobic viewers. Thus, slowly but surely, xenophobia can be eradicated from mainstream society until hopefully one day, it may be considered a phenomenon of the past.

This effect can be observed regardless of the travel vloggers’ language or culture, or the viewers’. Thus the impact can be said to have influenced the world all over. As more people watch travel videos on YouTube, more will be inspired to travel as well. Hopefully, this will result in a final extinction of xenophobic behaviors and make people more accepting of those cultures that are foreign to them.

Egypt, Why It’s a Popular Travel Destination for Vloggers

These days it seems every other video online is from a travel vlogger. Although many of them have similarities, successful travel vloggers have their own unique twist. A popular destination among regular tourists and content creators alike is Egypt – an ancient country with modern upgrades and vibrant street life. This is an analysis of its popularity.

Inexpensive, Yet Luxurious

Tickets to visit ‘Mother of the World’ are usually cheap, and tourists quickly find that high-class facilities in Egypt are also inexpensive. As many travel vloggers are starting their careers in the industry, and still relying on market leaders such as SubscriberZ to help grow their channels, a low-cost travel option is very attractive. The country is budget-friendly simply due to economics, and the price tag does not reflect the quality of services provided in any way. On the contrary, tourists find that Egypt has some of the highest standards in the service industry, with hosts and hostesses always going the extra mile to please their guests.

Ancient History

For travelers with a love for all things historical, ancient Egyptian sites are mesmerizing. After all, they are the oldest civilization in the whole world. They built massive pyramids of architectural splendor, with opulence and beauty that cannot be matched. They invented a writing system so complex and beautiful. Their ancient Egyptian civilization is still being discovered and studied seven millennia later. If vloggers focused their entire trip on visiting the ancient historical sites of Egypt, they would have ample material to work from as new archaeological finds with decades of research ahead are still being discovered.

A Friendly People

Ask any foreigner in Egypt on their impression of Egyptian people, and they will all report that they are always smiling, laughing; despite all the hardships many of them face. Egyptians have always been a welcoming society, and have accommodated visitors as much as they are able. In remote villages, many people have learned several languages to communicate with tourists and other visitors that pass by – and they will undoubtedly invite people over for a cup of tea or a meal.

Cairo: Ancient City with a Modern Streak

Although Cairo is a very old city (clearly seen just by looking at the amazing architecture); modern facilities are readily available all over the city. It is one of the most densely populated cities on Earth, and a walk through old Cairo is an experience in itself. The city has both old-style bustling street bazaars and modern air-conditioned shopping malls. However, despite the luxury of the modern malls, tourists might quickly find that they have fallen in love with the charm of old Cairo. Many might name New York as the city that never sleeps, but that is also true for Cairo. A visit to this ancient city is especially exquisite during the holy month of Ramadan (a 30 day period in which Muslims all over the world observe a fast during sunlit hours).

Beaches in Egypt

For the tourist that wants to swim in the sea and sunbathe on the beach, they can leave the riverbed of the longest river in the world (The Nile), and visit one of several beach cities in the north of Egypt, onlooking the Mediterranean. Alexandria is an ancient city and a popular option among those looking for a uniquely Egyptian experience. Travel vloggers will find there are plenty of activities to do and places to visit in Alexandria. It was an important city in all the eras of Egyptian history. Tourists can find beaches, astounding architecture, and high-class services here.
On the other end of Egypt, onlooking an entirely separate sea (The Red Sea), are several modern resort towns such as Hurghada and Sham El Sheikh which are well-known for their exquisite service and luxurious hotels. These opulent resorts are usually closed off from the rest of Egypt and are less densely populated than older cities.

Visitors, as simple tourists or travel vloggers, will find that Egypt is a safe, inexpensive destination with many things to do. A friendly people, rich history, modern luxuries, gorgeous architecture, and breath-taking landscapes are only a few reasons that make Egypt a popular travel destination that will keep tourists revisiting year after year.

Food Travel Videos on Social Media

Inspired by TV shows from channels such as TravelChannel and Food Network, social media users all over the world have been traveling (locally and globally) and eating, reviewing, and cooking food on video-sharing platforms. As there is a high demand for these ‘food travel’ videos, there is an ever-increasing number of content creators making videos to cater to this audience. Anyone with a smartphone can upload on social media. With little creativity combined with sites such as SocialWick to scale up their audience size, users are able to reach celebrity levels of fame and make money in the process.

Different Types of Food Related Travel Videos

    • Street Food ReviewIn these videos the host usually tries different food items from street vendors in cities all over the world. This is the easiest type of food travel video, which only requires the expenses related to travel, and can even be made using a smartphone with no editing whatsoever. It is also the most popular amongst creators (and viewers).
    • CookingAlthough many users are cooking from within their homes, some channels show users traveling to far-off places and shooting videos of the local populations making food.
    • Comparison VideosA rare type of food travel video, in which the host tastes and compares foods from different locations. The most well-known is BuzzFeed’s “Worth-It” series.
YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook?

Each platform has an enormous number of users and plenty of content related to both travel and food. YouTube offers the opportunity for longer videos, which may be better suited for food travel. It is also the oldest video-sharing platform of the three and thus has users that have been posting for years. However, with TikTok’s unique ability to create trends, and the ease with which videos can be created and edited – travel foodies may move towards the newer app. Also, as TikTok is more popular among the younger generations, it still has a lot more room to grow. Facebook and Instagram have many users posting food travel videos. However, they are a less popular source of these videos for viewers.

How Do I Make A Food Travel Video?

Some popular food travel YouTubers earn up to a million US dollars yearly, a number which can go higher or lower depending on popularity. After reading that number you might be tempted to try it for yourself – here’s how.

    • Where?
      Research the locations you are willing or able to visit to create videos. You may be restricted by your citizenship, budget, passport, or other factors. To make your content more engaging, research the country (or state, town, etc.) you are visiting. A little bit of history can give you a lot of context to add to your video. Also, by reading up on your destination you can experience it fully, and convey that to your audience.
    • Which Foods?
      The food must be something you are interested in trying. Viewers can easily tell if you are not excited to try the food. Be honest in your review though, because fake reviews will cost you followers easily. Before you begin shooting a video, think of the visual aspects of the food. Try to anticipate the best shots and take lots of them, you can edit them later.
    • Which Platform?
      There are various factors that will affect the platform you choose to share your content on. Monetization and video length are two major issues you must think of. Also, keep in mind that your target audience might prefer one platform over the other. For example, if you are targeting the Boomer generation – they use Facebook more often.
    • Editing Your Content
      You may choose to upload the raw unedited videos. However, some editing is preferable. Keep in mind your target audience when editing the videos. Some platforms offer analytics for your videos showing which parts they liked more, or where they stopped watching. Use this information in your future content to curate it according to your audience’s taste. Before you have a following, you might want to research other channels/pages, for both inspiration and insight on consumer preferences.

Videos online of travels and food are plentiful – and highly popular. You can create your own videos easily, and eat your way to success while you wander the world.