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Dover to Calais is one of the most popular ferry routes in Europe. It’s the shortest point between England and France, separated by a mere 33 kilometres, making it the quickest ferry journey from one country to the other. You can see Dover from Calais on a clear day. Both Dover and Calais offer a great short break and its location means you don’t even need to take time off for a weekend getaway.

Calais

Calais is a popular resort for cheap and short breaks from England, with it being easily accessible by both ferry and train. On a sunny day you can take a walk along the 8 kilometre cliff top and in the evening view a beautiful sunset over the sea. Calais offers nice weather, a beautiful location, historic buildings and a large shopping centre, making it an ideal place to visit for a weekend or week break.

The town centre is dominated by the lovely, distinctive Flemish-style town hall, a must-see for any tourist visiting Calais. In the gardens of the town hall stands “The Six Burghers” statue, serving as a monument to the Hundred Years’ War. Other landmarks to see in Calais include the Calais Theatre, Parc Richlieu Gardens, Notre Dame Church and the Watch Tower. There is plenty for tourists to visit when they come to this part of northern France.

On the outskirts of Calais (Coquelles) is the Cite Europe shopping centre, with its shops open Monday-Saturday and its restaurants and bars everyday you can find great fashion, gorgeous gifts, super sweets, the prettiest perfumes, exciting entertainment, sports, toys, divine restaurants and even a dry cleaner all under one roof!

Travelling from Dover

The Dover to Calais ferry journey is one of the quickest and cheapest you can make. With regular, daily, sailings you have the option of choosing a sailing time to suit you and not need to go out of your way to make it to the departure on time.

By: Barry Jones II

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While it may seem like a case of “Bah Humbug”, the Christmas season can be a great time to actually get away from the family rather than being, as most product advertisers and marketing companies would have it, a time for the family to come together.

The may be many reasons at work when couples feel the need to make a short getaway at Christmas: often people find it difficult to decide which side of the family to visit for the traditional Christmas Day lunch, without causing offence to the other family; many wish to save on long distance travel in order for everyone to meet up for a few hours. But probably the biggest cause of frustration (excluding internal family differences) is the time and effort of general Christmas preparation: all of the organization, cooking and cleaning that needs to be executed within an overcrowded house, if the meal is to be a success. Sometimes it can become an extremely time consuming chore to simply try to get everything ready for the right time, and instead of everyone relaxing at Christmas, the day can quickly become one of frustration and overworking.

One solution that appears to be becoming more popular is the idea of going on holiday over the Christmas break period. Many firms have begun to offer short breaks in the UK and abroad over the festival time, and the idea of a short Xmas cruise is, for many, rapidly becoming the holiday of choice. These sorts of holiday options remove most of the pressures that the festive period can bring, as there is no decorating, cooking or cleaning to be done and entertainment is usually included as part of the short break holiday Christmas package, which allows everyone to truly get into the spirit of the occasion and enjoy quality time spent together.

The key to ensuring a successful Christmas holiday away is to ensure the travel, hotel accommodation and any additional entertainment is properly planned in advance. For anyone who wants to plan their own Christmas break, the need to arrange everything months ahead cannot be stressed enough, if travel departure times, ideal hotel rooms, and the entertainment of choice is to be guaranteed. This can all take time, but can also prove to be rewarding if everything turns out successfully. For people who do not have the luxury of time to complete all of the required research, and make all the necessary arrangements for their Christmas break far in advance of the Christmas holiday period itself, then they may want to consider other options, such as taking advantage of one the special offer Christmas and New Year packages available through many travel agents and online travel sites.

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Michael Hanna

By: Michael Hanna

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Fermanagh is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located in the basin of the River Erne. It is surrounded by County Tyrone from the north-east, County Monaghan from the south-east, County Cavan from the south-west, County Leitrim from the west and County Donegal from the north-west. Agriculture and tourism are the most important industries over here.

There are numerous restaurants, cottages and motels in this country. Cottages are the best place to enjoy the holidays with family or friends. The cottages located here are suitable for short breaks or honeymoon.

For spending vacations in Fermanagh you can choose any of holiday cottages which are listed below:

1. Glebe Cottage

Glebe Cottage is a 2 bedroom self-catering cottage which can accommodate 5 people. The rate of this cottage is in between £220 to £330. It is suitable for children. Pets are allowed in this cottage. This cottage is located in the heart of Fermanagh Lakeland. Donegal beach is located nearest to this cottage. It offers great outdoor recreational activities to the travelers such as boating, fishing and golfing. Various pubs, restaurants and bar are located near to this place. There are many attractive sites located close to this cottage such as Enniskillen Castle, Castle Coole, Marble Arch Caves, Florence Court, Devenish Island and Ardhoween Theatre. Various amenities such as log fire, DVD player, central heating, TV, video player, CD player, safe, Wi-Fi, kettle, toaster, iron, hair dryer, clothes dryer, cooker, microwave, fridge, freezer, washing machine and parking are provided to all the guests.

2. Edgewater Cottage

Edgewater Cottage is a 3 bedroom cottage which can accommodate 6 people. The rate of this cottage is in between £325 to £525. Ballyshannon beach is located nearest to this cottage. It is suitable for children but pets are allowed in this cottage. This cottage is located in a calm and peaceful atmosphere, near to the Kesh village and Lusty Beg Island. The cottage has a modern fully fitted kitchen equipped with dishwasher, microwave, fridge and freezer. There is a separate utility room which is equipped with a washing machine, dryer and ironing facilities.

3. Misty Mooring lakeside cottage

Misty Mooring lakeside cottage is located 3 miles away from the Kesh village. It is a 3 bedroom self-catering cottage which can accommodate 6 people. The rate of this cottage is in between £350 to £575. Guests can indulge in activities such as skiing, golfing, tennis, fishing, trekking, flying, pottery, shopping, swimming and dinning out.

Theses are some of the fine cottages of Fermanagh.

By: Melanie Perez

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Most short break holidays or weekends have been single city breaks. Europe’s capital cities are favourite destinations, with London, Paris and Barcelona being the favourites. Aha say the pedants, but Barcelona is not a capital city? Oh yes it is. It’s the capital of Catalonia so that’s enough of that. I wanted to talk about multiple city breaks because that’s a more challenging form of short break holiday to organize and make arrangements for. For multiple city breaks Europe has the advantage over larger continents in that there are plenty of wonderful cities not too far apart from each other. So you could fly in and out to Rome, for example and still visit Florence, Milan and Pisa within a reasonable time frame – say less than one week for the complete city break. 

But there is yet another way to do it, and that is by buying one way tickets on different routes, instead of always getting a return journey – out and return. The way the newer budget airlines operate their pricing policies actually facilitates this kind of triangular journey because it used to be that a single  fare cost almost as much as a return but this is no longer the case. With computer booking the prices are flexible according to availability and demand for each date and time so that means the two journeys are not coupled together immutably. lets say you are starting from London Stansted airport – a popular terminal with the budget airlines, Easyjet, RyanAir etc. You could fly to Bordeaux or Biarritz in South West France, explore the French Pyrannees for a few days then follow the coast along the North of Spain to San Sebastian and fly back from Bilbao. Another possibility is to take advantage of the North European rail networks and take in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Copenhagen all in one trip.

The distance between cities in Europe is really not so great as often imagined due to the language and culture changes when passing from one to another. If you’ve never been to Scotland before and don’t expect to return anytime soon for more than a quick visit then you’d want to see both Edinburgh and Glasgow if possible, and it can be with multiple city breaks. Europe also has lots of little countries around the Balkans and central European area, such as Croatia, Serbia, Czech and Slovenia all of which have fascinating historical capitals, handy for multiple city breaks in Europe, all being not very far away from each other.

By: Andy Roberts

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Short Breaks

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a devastating disorder that is one of many disorders listed under the general term, “Repetitive Strain Injury” (RSI).

Of all the known repetitive strain injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most recognized and prevalent among the general populace. And due to this recognition, many people are concerned about being afflicted with carpal tunnel and its debilitating symptoms, a concern that should be on the minds of anyone that is involved in work or recreational activities that require extensive use of the hands, especially in static motions such as “gripping” and/or repetitive motions like typing, clicking a computer mouse, assembly, etc.

Below is a list of the symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome and a list of steps that can be taken to help prevent this terrible and devastating disorder that has reached pandemic proportions.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms:

· Tightness, discomfort, stiffness or pain on the front side of the hands/wrists.

· Tingling, numbness and/or paresthesia (Pins & needles) affecting the thumb, index, middle and one-half of the ring finger. The thumb and fingers do not have to be affected simultaneously as symptoms will often vary and move around. (Example: The thumb and index finger may be numb one day and the next day the numbness and tingling in the thumb and middle finger are more noticeable.) If you have symptoms in the rings or little finger, this is NOT Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!

· Loss of strength in the fingers/hands. (Grip Strength)

· Pain, aching, swelling, and diminished coordination and dexterity.

· A need to stretch and/or massage hands, wrists and arms.

· Assuming a defensive posture in order to protect sensitive hands/wrists.

Because carpal tunnel syndrome and its symptoms are something that everyone should be aware of in this day and age of computers, video games, personal assistant devices and other “technological advances”, it is important to take the necessary steps in order to prevent carpal tunnel from developing in the first place.

By implementing the following steps, you can greatly reduce your risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome as well as stave off many other repetitive strain injuries that are caused in the exact same manner as carpal tunnel, such as Guyon’s Syndrome, Trigger Finger and Tendonitis of the hands and wrists.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Prevention Protocol:

· Task Variation: It is wise to vary tasks throughout the day in order to keep the force and duration of the specific motion to a minimum. If a typical workday involves 5 types of activities; instead of doing task #1 for 1.5 hours and then moving on to task #2 for 1.5 hours, etc., it is best if task #1 can be performed for 30-minutes and then task #2 is performed for #30 minutes, and so on, repeating tasks #1-5 every 30 minutes until they are completed. If this is not possible for the type of work that is required, ask the employer health director to implement a task rotation schedule where workers perform a different type of task every 1-2 hours throughout the day, making sure that each task is different enough that it does not tax the same muscle group(s) in the same manner as the previous task or the next task. It is still important that in these 1-2 hour shifts, mini-breaks are taken for 2-3 minutes every 30 minutes. Implementing task variation is a very successful tool in keeping productivity high and repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome to a minimum.

· Task Requirement Limitation: The ‘task requirement limitation’ protocol sets a limit on the duration and force of a given job or task, making sure that workers are only required to perform a certain number of repetitive movements or a certain amount of force over a specified period of time before a break is required. Implementing a mini break for every 30 minutes of work activity is very important in order to prevent muscle hypertonicity and fatigue from setting in, the main causes of carpal tunnel syndrome.

· Ergonomic Systems: Ergonomic systems and tools are important in helping to reduce the amount of stress and strain that is inflicted upon the body, but ergonomic systems and tools by themselves cannot prevent or “cure” injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.

· Mini-Breaks: It is very important to implement short breaks every 30 minutes of work activity in order to reduce stress and strain to the fingers, hands, wrists and forearms. These breaks only have to last 2-3 minutes, but are key in allowing the muscles to relax, which helps to prevent a muscle imbalance from occurring and developing into carpal tunnel syndrome. Even more important in carpal tunnel syndrome prevention, is implementing the following activities into these mini-breaks.

- Stretch: Stretch the short, restrictive muscles in order to lengthen them, which, reduces pressure on the underlying muscles, blood vessels and nerves. (Example: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Stretch the muscles on the front of the forearm that flex the fingers, hand/wrist.)

- Exercise: Strengthen the weak, underdeveloped muscles in order to help shorten/tighten them. Performing strengthening exercises to the muscle groups opposite to those that are short and tight allows the muscles on both sides of the joint to return to a more natural, balanced position. The strong, short muscles are lengthened and the weak, long muscles are shortened, creating equality and stability around the entire joint. (Example: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Strengthen the muscles on the back of the forearm that extend the fingers, hand/wrist to keep the muscles balanced.)

NOTE: Of all the ideas listed, the ones that are most important in preventing and eliminating repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome are mini-breaks, stretches and exercises.

By simply being aware and implementing a few simple techniques at work, individuals can prevent repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome from occurring and experience many years of good health without ever being affected.

By: Jeff Anliker

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As the saying goes necessity is the mother of invention. Harley Pasternak, a personal trainer, was challenged to create a brief yet incredibly effective workout for actors while training them during the short breaks in between shots while on the movie sets. In addition he needed to create healthy meals in a matter of minutes using simple ingredients. The result? Harley’s clients were eating 5 times per day, exercising in short bursts and transforming their silhouette. An extrapolation of the same regime is available online as it has been shown that people lose weight more predictably when participating in online weight loss programs rather than doing it alone.

The 5-factor diet is very simple to follow. The number 5 is very crucial here!

5 weeks: The plan is designed for a total duration of 5 weeks. In fact the plan is so simple and effective that it can be transformed into a whole new lifestyle.

5 meals per day: It has been proven conclusively that people gain weight when they tend to snack between meals. The 5-factor diet takes care of exactly this problem. By eating 5 small meals per day one can say goodbye to the cravings and the resulting snacking. Each meal contains 300 calories and on top of that two snacks of 200 calories are allowed.

5 ingredient meals: Each of the meal is made up of only 5 ingredients and takes 5 minutes to prepare. The meals are low in fat and low in calories. Each person gets hundreds of simple recipes to plan his or her meals.

5 minute workouts: Exercising at a stretch can be a pain literally for many of us. The 5-factor diet plan hits the nail right on the head by breaking down the amount of time spent on exercises. The workouts are designed to last 5 minutes and are meant to be undertaken 5 times per day. Working out more often for shorter periods is far more effective than spending hours at the gym.

5 cheat days in 5 weeks: Imagine being imprisoned in a diet prison with loads of restrictions! More than 90% of the people attempting to lose weight will eventually give up if a strict diet plan is enforced upon them. The 5 factor diet allows for one cheat day per week where the person is allowed to eat his or her favorite foods. Controlled cheating can actually help many people reach their goals and helps people maintain the regime without getting disillusioned.

By: Rajgopal Venkataraman

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The rising cost of air travel has put UK city breaks firmly back in fashion, and with a multitude of crowd-pleasing attractions and affordable travel links to the rest of the country, there’s never been a better time to take a short break in the country’s capital.

Its spectacular West End productions, historic buildings, grand palaces, spellbinding museums and pioneering art galleries ensure London offers something to appeal to everyone.

And whether your budget is lavish or shoestring, you’ll be spoilt for choice with places to stay, from fashionable boutique hotels to ancient converted buildings and modern masterpieces.

Piccadilly makes a perfect base for theatre breaker’s and shopping fanatics alike. It’s ideally placed for bustling Oxford Street, home to Selfridges and a myriad of fabulous shops and department stores, while the hip hangouts of Soho and Covent Garden are also nearby.

In the evening, you’ll find the bright lights of London’s famous West End are just a short stroll away. Here you can catch a show, see a musical, visit the opera or laugh the night away with the country’s top comedians.

And if you’re in need of a little refreshment, head for Leicester Square to sample delicious international cuisine or innovative cocktails at one of the area’s many restaurants and bars.

If you’d rather explore London’s historic buildings, look for hotels around Westminster. From here you can visit Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament and nearby Buckingham Palace, then cross the bridge over the Thames to the London Eye and take in the city’s majestic landscape.

Some of London’s best museums are located in South Kensington, just south of Knightsbridge and Hyde Park. Here you’ll find the Science Museum, the Earth Galleries Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum and Brompton Oratory.

Art buffs should stay near Southwark on the banks of the River Thames – the iconic Tate Modern is just off the nearby Millennium Bridge. Visitors can take a short ferry ride between the Tate Modern and the Tate Britain galleries, while to the east of Southwark lies the Tower of London, one of the most compelling and historic buildings in the city.

If you’re after pure luxury, seek out hotels around the upmarket neighbourhoods bordering Hyde Park. Most have stunning scenic views and its proximity to nearby green areas like St James’s, Park, Green Park and Kensington Gardens make it a perfect base for relaxing strolls and picnics.

North of Hyde Park, the leafy Regents Park makes an excellent base for visiting the the must-see Madame Tussauds waxworks museum. Tussauds also offers some great time-saving packages combining the museum with other attractions like the London Eye and and the London Dungeon – not for those of a nervous disposition!

It’s a good idea to make a list of everything you plan to do before you book a hotel in London. Taxi’s around the capital can be very expensive, and choosing the right base for your short break will help you reach most of your destinations on foot and take in some spectacular sights on the way!

By: Graham Baylis Jr

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The log cabin holidays have only recently become one of the premier choices for holiday makers who are looking for self catering holidays and short breaks. The reason they have become so popular is due to the locations, accommodation and the facilities that are available to anyone that books into the sites. There are no hidden costs or fees to use the facilities and once you have paid the holiday and arrive on site all the facilities are available, there may be some exceptions such as health and beauty treatments and some leisure activities but the main facilities will be included. This is a big positive when you are looking to budget for your holiday and want to know your costs up front, especially if you are away with the family.

The modern day consumer is very discerning and will not put up with accommodation that is in poor condition, dated or unclean and this is why the Log Cabin Breaks are popular. The log cabins come in a range of styles and whether they are rustic on the outside or contemporary and modern you will always find they are perfectly kept and are in a very clean condition and welcoming for the start of your holiday. Packed full of all the necessary self catering items you require you can unpack and get on with enjoying your short break or holiday. Once on site there will be plenty to see and do, depending on which location you may have chosen will reflect on the amount of facilities but you may like to enjoy a dip in the indoor heated swimming pool, or maybe relax and unwind in your own private sauna, or work up a sweat on the tennis courts in the gym. Your holiday and your choice is the Moto for the Log Cabin Breaks and you can do as much or as little when you like. There are well over 200 different log cabin parks throughout the UK and each one of them gives you something extra for your holiday, so plan where you want to go and what is important to you for your break and then you can go about checking the accommodation and parks that best suite your needs.

By: Chris Courtis

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When was the last time you took a break from work? Nearly half of small business owners (46%) say they are hesitant to take a break from business in the summer because they fear missing an important client or business opportunity. For the solo entrepreneur they feel tied to their work, a day away from business is a day with opportunity cost tied to it.

The long term effect of not getting away from your work can affect your wellness and health not to mention your mental alertness. You have a need for rest and relaxation to recharge away from the place of work. Ignore the need to renew and refresh and you will pay the price with clouded thinking, weakened mental and physical health. Your body as well we your mind needs a rest when it has been consistently taxed and stretched over a period of time.

Here are some things to take into consideration when you plan for your breaks:

Take frequent shorter breaks -much like taking smaller meals throughout the day, more frequent shorter breaks give you is the change to detach, zoom out and get some perspective as you refresh yourself constantly. A few short breaks may do wonders to your mental sharpness.

Build in different kinds of breaks – rest and relaxation is as important as continual self development workshops and quiet reflections. If you cannot afford a trip around the world then some short trips or retreats may just do the trick. An outing to the nature or some adventures will keep that fighter in you conquering new heights in areas of your life other than your business. These affirmations strengthen your beliefs in yourself and reduced unnecessary anxiety and stress on your ability and capacity to succeed.

Remember to feed your mind with fresh input. Reading and master minding helps you to keep abreast of trends and new discoveries. It also generates ideas for you when you are not soaked in operations. Remember the circle of influence, choose to be in the right company.

Enjoy time with friends and family – it is easy to get wrapped up in your identity as a business owner and lose sight of the important people in your life. If you have no time to spend with your loved ones then we need to look at your work life balance.

Welcome weekends as special days: It’s tempting to work over the weekend when you run your own business. Try having a no email day, and really set aside time on weekends to do something quite different from what you do on the weekdays. I like to set aside half a day on the weekend to read and catch up on mails that have been sent to my “to check out” folders as well as to write my articles in one sitting when the juice is flowing. I then schedule them to be published to the different directories over the week.

Lifestyle maintenance days: I take time off to do my grocery shopping so I top up on fresh fruits and vegetables. And I like doing my own house cleaning on weekends. Many have advise that I outsource this. This is one area I like doing, it’s therapy for me as I clean out, un clutter and tidy the place. I feel good when I see the environment tidy and clean. It also offers me a form of exercising and stretching for me. Nothing beats sipping a nice cup of refreshing green tea after a nice shower, admiring the clean and tidy place I call home.

Make use of technology: If you do any kind of on line business, you would need regular broadcast or communication with your clients and prospects. You can plan and set up automated and scheduled messages to be sent to while you are away. Nobody will notice that you are having fun in the sun. Even your blog posts and advertisements can be written ahead of time in one sitting and scheduled to be published when you are taking a rest. Auto responders and voice machines can be set up to take care of incoming mails and phone calls. There is no need to forward every mail (voice or written). Make yourself dispensable to your business.

Let it go: Set rules and times for contacting you and provide emergency phone numbers in case something urgent happens. Communicate circumstances that warrant contacting you. While you are away on vacation, check your e-mail at specific times and never more than twice a day. Inform clients and prospect that you will be gone and provide information on when they can expect to hear back from you. If you have a replacement while you are away, make sure you give that contact out.

By: Louisa Chan

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