Planning a Move Abroad : Moving Your Family Overseas

Moving your family overseas takes much more planning and careful consideration than if you were traveling alone. Preparing to move your family to a new country can be both an exciting and stressful time. You will also need to think of the members of your family who will not be coming on your adventure with you and the ways in which you can ensure that you maintain your relationships before, during and after the move.

Moving Your Family

As soon as you are considering moving your family overseas you should set a significant amount of time aside to sit down with your children and discuss your decision to move abroad in detail. Older children may be very reluctant to leave their family and friends and will undoubtedly have a lot of questions that you will need to answer. Children should be consulted and involved throughout the whole moving process; from choosing where to live and what type of car you will buy in the new country through to deciding which schools they will attend. Through involving your children first hand in such decisions you can help them to feel an integral part of the process and give them some ownership of the direction that their lives are to take.

Once you have communicated the news and started basic planning, you should take steps to begin to familiarize your family with the language and culture of the country to which you intend moving. This can help to give your children a little more confidence in their place within the new country and can also help them to fit in faster when they do arrive.

The children, family and friends you leave behind

It is not always possible, or practical, to move your whole family overseas and you may decide to leave older children or other family members behind. If this is to be the case, you should take time to properly explain your decision to move overseas to your family and any adult children who will not be accompanying you at the earliest opportunity. Involve them as much as possible in the moving process so that they feel that you do still value their input and presence in your life.

Before leaving you should agree the methods by which you will continue to communicate with your family once you have left. This will provide those left behind with some security that you are not permanently disappearing from their lives and that you will still be in contact with them on a regular basis. Many expats set aside a timeslot each week whereby they spend time speaking with their family. With the emergence of the Internet, keeping in contact has never been so easy. There are web cams, affordable voice over internet calling options, social networking sites and instant messaging. You are only ever one click away from anyone you want to get in touch with. With your loved ones' support, it will be much easier to settle into a new life. See our free section on keeping in touch for more information.

It can also be useful to start to arrange trips for your family to visit you in your new home or for you to return to visit them. This provides all parties with something to look forward to and communicates your intention to remain a part of their lives.

Published: Expat Info Desk

The Rise and Decline of the Maya Civilization. Why did this great civilization fall?

From what we now understand of the Maya Civilization, the Maya were at their peak during the Classic Period (ca. 250 to 900 C.E.). The civilization had a fully-developed written language, advanced mathematical knowledge, stunning works of art, and monumental architecture. They also had developed an intricate cosmology with detailed religious beliefs and rituals, and supported a dense population with a broad cultural interaction with surrounding peoples, goods and ideas.

The Maya lands once covered southern Mexico and Guatemala, western Honduras, and El Salvador. Today their living remnants are small in number. How did this great civilization get its start and what caused its great decline?

The Rise of the Maya

The Maya people seemed to have been in the vicinity of the lowlands of southern Mexico and Guatemala from 3000 years ago. The Maya may have been forced into this area due to overcrowding elsewhere, as it was not the ideal place to relocate. The Maya first arrived in what is today their homeland around 1000 B.C.E., a tropical rainforest and harsh jungle with colorful wildlife – splendid birds, wild cats, serpents, crocodiles and monkeys.

The Maya were able to produce harvests of maize, beans and squash to feed their ever-increasing populations utilizing slash and burn agriculture and the mud from the swamps to enrich the soil. They lived near lakes and rivers which provided water and fishing. They were able to eke out of this harsh and inhospitable land enough sustenance to provide for their ever-advancing magnificent artistic and religious works.
They began to create city-states, and beautifully decorated buildings enhanced with writings of their history, increasing a complex culture that included astronomy and a foundation of advanced mathematics. They remained politically-fragmented, however, until the late 4th century C.E.

The Conqueror, Fire-Is-Born

In 378 C.E., a man named Fire-Is-Born arrived in Waka (today’s El Peru) in Guatemala. Fire-Is-Born came from Teotihuacan in the highlands near present-day Mexico City, a place of great influence in Mesoamerica. He appears to have been a military envoy from Teotihuacan commissioned by Spear-Thrower- Owl.

One alternate theory of the impetus for the conquering expeditions of Fire-Is-Born, is that a group had been expelled from Tikal and fled west to Teotihuacan. After a while they wanted to return to Tikal and overtake the city of their origin.

Fire-Is-Born first wanted to conquer Tikal, the most important city in the area, which was 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the east of Waka. About a week after his arrival in Waka, Fire-Is-Born overcame Tikal and Tikal’s king, Great-Jaguar-Paw, died on that day. The forces of Fire-Is-Born destroyed most of Tikal’s existing monuments covering the preceding 14 rulers. With Fire-Is-Born came military triumph, but also the seeds of eventual destruction and the self-annihilation of the Maya civilization.

After the take-over of Tikal, it became a superpower. Tikal then went on the offensive to subdue other city-states. But they were not alone. Another rival group, the Snake Lords of Calakmul to the north began to compete and great wars raged on.

By the 8th century, not only had the culture flourished, but the nobility had swelled beyond its capacity and the population had exceeded its limits, numbering, by some estimates, 10 million people in the Guatemala lowlands that today house about 360, 000 people.

The Beginning of the End of the Maya

From the late 8th to the early 9th century, city by city became obliterated, the nobility killed, their faces eradicated from many monuments. A great rivalry, not motivated by wealth but rather by hatred, tore the land apart. No longer was the history recorded in murals and monuments. Through warfare and draught, disease and famine, the cities withered away as their populations diminished and resources became scarce.

Palaces were abandoned, and the common people may have fled the killing and sought food and water elsewhere. The Mayans were never able to grow and store excess foods for future times of need, their land never yielded the type of crops needed for future planning, and these times of war were devastating.

The great Tikal outlasted most other Maya cities, but by 869, the last dated monument was created there. With increasing wars, fewer leaders were able to reestablish stability and growth and sustain their populations. The leaders lost the credibility they once had for their citizenry, and the great cities that had been carefully planned and built to feature great pageantry and godlike terrible strength disappeared.

In the end, the jungle was the eventual victor, reclaiming all that had been the Classic Maya Civilization.

Published at Suite101
Copyright Paula I. Nielson.

Travelers perceive value as combination of money, time and convenience

Smart Destinations today announced the results of its consumer survey, which explored the depth and breadth of travelers' research processes and purchase preferences and habits.

The survey, which includes responses from more than 500 U.S. travelers, shows that consumers take their vacations seriously, seeking advice, conducting online research and actively looking for deals. Today's travelers engage in an extensive research process, which often takes place over several months and includes numerous and varied information sources. While travelers consult several sources, when asked to select their most trusted sources, they selected the following:

Recommendations from friends (92 percent)
Online searches (70 percent)
Online reviews from other travelers (53 percent)
Travel books (50 percent)

The survey also revealed that travelers are proactively looking for value, and they are willing to conduct the necessary research to accomplish that. Additionally, travelers' definition of value is expanding. This value-mindset now goes beyond hotels and airfare and includes attractions, as well as savings in time and added convenience.

75 percent of respondents actively try to get discounted admission in advance if there is a specific activity they want to do on their trip
95 percent of respondents would buy admission in advance if they could "skip the line" at popular attractions
46 percent of respondents would pay more than the retail price to eliminate waiting in line
Travelers also indicated that promotions and sales, specifically those offering a 25 percent discount or greater, are key purchase triggers.
90 percent of travelers would pre-purchase attraction tickets for a 25 percent discount
92 percent of travelers would buy bundled admission of 3-5 attractions at once for a 25 percent discount

"The key takeaway from the study is that travelers today want value in all their travel purchases – including attractions and activities – and they are actively seeking out products and companies that can help them achieve that," said Cecilia Dahl, President and Founder of Smart Destinations. "We have seen this first hand in the sales of our Go City products which in 2010 saved consumers a record $5 million on the cost of attraction visits."
Published by Eturbonews

Six Ways You Can Help Earthquake and Tsunami Victims in Japan

The first thing on most peoples' minds after they hear the news of a horrific disaster (like the earthquake in Japan) is, what can I do to help?

Even if you're hundreds of thousands of miles away, there are various ways that you can offer your support to the earthquake and tsunami relief effort. Here are just a few of them:

The Red Cross: The Japanese Red Cross has already deployed 11 national disaster response teams to respond to the crisis but you can support their efforts by donating money. Similar to their efforts to help Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, Red Cross is accepting donations either online or via text message. Simply text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone (you'll be prompted to confirm with a second text reading YES).

Shelterbox: The UK-based organization has 18 international affiliates and it has launched an online fundraiser for the earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. Shelterbox provides assistance to afflicted countries by delivering large utility boxes that contain a shelter and other emergency relief tools. To donate online, simply go to your country's site and click DONATE.

International Medical Corps: To donate to this global non-profit's Emergency Response Efforts fund, simply go to their site and select the amount you wish to donate (be sure to note if you want your donation to be a "recurring gift" for future relief efforts) and fill in your information.

GlobalGiving.org: Working with other organizations such as the International Medical Corps, D.C.-based organization GlobalGiving has launched the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, which will give aid to on the ground organizations providing emergency services. They are accepting donations online  with a funding goal of $90, 000.

Convoy of Hope: This non-profit focuses on disaster relief efforts and you can donate either online at their site or via text message by texting TSUNAMI to 50555 (you'll also be prompted to confirm with a follow up text of YES).

UPDATE: We've been hearing of more organizations that are leading the way in helping victims of the earthquake and tsunami so we'll be updating this list as they come in. If you know of more organizations that are doing great work and need help with donations, aid or volunteers please let us know.

Salvation Army: The Japan branch of the Salvation Army has been working in Tokyo to offer shelter to stranded commuters and they are reportedly organizing a team to send to Sendai Friday night. They also have their Hawaii branch standing by, ready to help. You can help their relief efforts by texting JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to make a $10 donation.

Written By: Megan Gibson
Published at TIMENewsFeed