8 Things to Do for a Perfect Vacation

Vacations are deceptively complex. By their very nature they're meant to be stress-free, so we assume we shouldn't put too much thought into them. But behavioral research actually tells us that certain strategies will almost always make certain types of trips better than others, both in cost and overall satisfaction. When I'm out and about I like to plan ahead, since I think it gives me the most, out of the precious time I gather to travel. Here's how to take the perfect vacation.

8 Things to Do for a Perfect Vacation

1. Plan as far ahead as you can to build anticipation

A trip is actually composed of three things: months of anticipation, the trip itself, and the pain of nostalgia you experience for years afterwards. To maximize your enjoyment, you should cater to all three stages. Airfare is cheapest approximately 2 months before a flight, so it's wise to hold off on finalizing until then. But you can still browse hotels or take the old google maps man on a spin around the map. Anticipation is a powerful thing. It's essentially the same reason you're happier on Friday than on Sunday.

2. Limit yourself to a few options to minimize regret

It's the "paradox of choice." When our brain has too many options it shuts down. Some choice is better than none, though, but it doesn't hold that more is always better than less. Before your trip, narrow down your choices to just two options. You'll feel better knowing you picked the best one.

3. Take a one-week vacation-you won't remember two

Basically we are made up of our experiencing self and our remembering self. The experiencing self lives in the moment. The remembering self lives in the past. Our remembering self has a hard time telling apart a one-week vacation from a two-week one because there are no new memories added. You have not changed the story. From the perspective of the remembering self, short and long vacations are effectively equal.

4. Give yourself time to mentally ease into vacation mode

I think it's nice to take a few days to unwind before the trip actually starts. You can use the time to pack up and get chores out of the way so that you're fully ready to settle into your trip. The less you rush, the easier it'll be to start the vacation on the right foot.

5. Spend money on experiences, not stuff, to maximize happiness

Vacations are already on the right track when it comes to maximizing happiness: Spending money on memorable experiences instead of the cool new car or gadget is probably going to make you happier. You can take that wisdom into the vacation itself. Minimize the budget you set for coffee mugs and hoodies, and spend as much time as possible building the memories that your remembering self will love.

6. Explore in the beginning, savor at the end

Probability can help us decide when to try new things and when to stick with the familiar. It's called the "explore/exploit" problem. One should generally be more exploratory at the start of a vacation...and more 'exploitative' at the end. This is because your chances of finding a place, meal, or experience that you like better than the ones you've already tried go down as time passes. Everything is new on Day 1, so embrace that. By Day 7, you pretty much know what you like, and even if you make a great discovery, you won't have time to come back. So savor your favorite things.

7. Plan your most exciting activities for the middle or end

And then we come to the "peak-end rule": people mostly remember the peak of, and end of, a given event. If I gave you a list of names, for instance, you'd probably remember the last names on the list and the most unique one. Vacations work the same way. If you can, schedule the amazing mountain track or the big winery tour toward the middle and the giant bonfire at the end.

8. Once you're home, talk about your trip to make your memories permanent

If a rafting trip got you super fired up, tell all your friends about it over coffee after you get back. Research on happiness suggests that people can preserve how they feel about an experience by talking about it. A study even found people reported greater happiness levels when they talked about their experiences rather than their material purchases. It's a surefire way to keep the joys of vacation alive, even in the months after you've returned to your cubicle.

What do you do to get the most out of your vacation?

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Early Fall Night in Mostar

Mostar is a bit lazy when it comes to the fall season. Summer likes to linger around much longer then in other parts of the country, so it's not uncommon that we have warm days and many tourists in the city. I made a stroll recently and took these shots from the Old Town of Mostar. I think there is still a lot of life in the city, which actually makes it more enjoyable now than during summer, when you can't escape the heat. The Old Town is still the main draw for any visitor that comes to Mostar, and even I as a local have to say that taking a stroll down the cobblestone streets is truly charming. That's why I hope you will enjoy these images of the early fall days in Mostar.

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Fall at Home [Through my Lens Nr. 113]

When the Fall Season starts to roll around things around the home start to change. There are the obvious outside changes but with the new season, internal changes start to happen as well. It's the time of year when baking becomes more prominent, the days are shorter so we are more at home, curled up on the couch watching a good movie. But things are not that stagnant for me. I love to travel in the fall as well. A new huge road trip is already in the making which I will soon talk about. But the fall season brings with it new fruits (like the pomegranates in our garden) as well as pumpkins and lots of baked goods. So let us all together enjoy the new season and the gifts it brings forward.

Thank you all for joining me in another week of "Through My Lens". I am looking forward to your submissions this week!


Now I want to see what you have been up to. Link down below and share with the rest of us!

What "Through my lens" is about

This meme is about sharing your favorite blog post with the rest of us. The themes are open, there is only one rule: the images have to be taken by you. I want to see your photography!

How this Photo meme Works

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Beni and the Pomegranate Tree

The early fall days have brought lot of rain with them. In a few rare moments the sun shines and you can see how much the garden has grown because of it. Beni likes to play outside and he loves inspecting and chewing the grass under the Pomegranate Tree. The Pomegranate Tree on the other hand has been overflowing with seeds and has bent towards the ground. A stick holds the tree in place. But that won't be for too long. The pomegranates are going to ripen soon and once we pluck them from the tree it will shoot back up. Right now it's a welcome shield for Beni, who is so little that he sometimes goes by unnoticed in the garden. The mint has been growing like crazy as well and the leaves have even gotten flower petals. Sometimes you really have to go low to see what's going on in the garden. I guess Beni has a unique perspective every time.

I hope you enjoyed these early fall images from our garden.

I wish you a great weekend ahead!

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Everyday Blueberry Muffins Recipe

I like muffins. You can make them quickly, they are easy to do, and give you the taste of cake without having to do all the work. These blueberry ones are especially good. I call them everyday muffins, because they are very basic, and you may already have all of the ingredients in your cupboard. They are simple enough to fix up, mid afternoon or after work (like in my case). It only takes about 5 minutes to mix these up, and as you can see from the ingredients list, it's a very basic muffin recipe. But it's a foolproof one. You can do many variations. Leave the blueberries out and you have basic sweet muffins. You can also add different fruits (like a apple and cinnamon combo for fall). Down below is the full recipe. Enjoy!

Everyday Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Ingredients
260 gr (2 cups) of flour
100gr (1/2 cup) sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
300ml (1 1/4 cup) milk
120ml (1/2 cup) oil
175gr (1 cup) blueberries (fresh or frozen, both work, but don't thaw the frozen ones, put them in frozen)


Method

• Preheat your oven to 220C (425F) and line or oil a muffin pan. 
• Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) in a big bowl together
• In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients (milk, oil, egg, vanilla extract).
• Combine wet ingredients with the dry. The batter will be lumpy, but that's good. A lumpy batter makes for fluffier muffins.
• Add the blueberries to the batter and mix to combine. (Tip: if you sprinkle some flour over the blueberries before you add them to the batter, they won't sink down to the bottom of the muffin pan)
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. 

Enjoy these blueberry muffins with some tea or coffee, or pack them up for a quick snack. I hope you will enjoy them.

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In the Fall Season [Through my Lens Nr. 112]

I have written about my love for the fall season many times on this blog, but now that another fall season is upon us, those warm feelings have resurfaced. I guess it has mostly to do with the fact that the summer in Mostar is long and hot, so the fresh air is literally a gift from the heavens. Of course it has started with rain in the city, which is not so nice, but soon we'll see the leaves turn completely and have more and more golden colors spread throughout the scenery. Fall is also the season for travel and a exciting new trip is planned for mid October, but I won't yet reveal where my friends and I are going to go. Last year we visited the USA, and made a New England road trip, which was the ultimate fall fest. In honor of the (almost) 1 year anniversary of that trip I will share some fall images from New England in this post. I hope you'll enjoy.

Thank you all for joining me in another week of "Through My Lens". I am looking forward to your submissions this week!

Now I want to see what you have been up to. Link down below and share with the rest of us!

What "Through my lens" is about

This meme is about sharing your favorite blog post with the rest of us. The themes are open, there is only one rule: the images have to be taken by you. I want to see your photography!

How this Photo meme Works

1. Share your favorite post under the linkup button below and follow the instructions there
2. Only share the url of your post, not the url of your main page
3. In your post link back to this post of "Through my lens" and visit others!

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How to hold your camera and get sharper shots

It may not seem that important, but how you hold your camera, how you position your body, and even how you stand can all have an effect on the sharpness of your images. I have seen this in the field many time. I think that a certain shot is steady but when I view the images later on they are blurry. There are some general rules for the best way to hold your camera, but everyone is slightly different, so use this as a guide. If it doesn�t feel comfortable, try slightly varying the position of your hands, arms or feet, until you find the most comfortable position. 

1. Hands

Assuming you're using a camera with a defined grip, the bottom three fingers of your right hand should be positioned around this. You need to have a reasonably solid grip, but don�t grip it too tightly as this can quickly become uncomfortable and also cause camera shake. You should also make sure that you can easily reach the main controls on the camera with your index finger and thumb, without having to shift your grip on the camera. Then position your left hand underneath the body of the camera and lens. This hand should take most of the weight of the camera, and also allow you to operate the zoom, assuming you are using a zoom lens, without having to move your hand.

2. Arms

The main thing to watch with your arms is to try to keep them reasonably close to your body, rather than out to the sides. This is quite easy with the camera in the horizontal orientation, but you should also try it with the camera in the upright position. This often takes a little more getting used to, so try practicing this.

3. Feet

Try to make sure that your feet are about a shoulders� width apart. You may find it more comfortable and steadier to have one foot slightly in front of the other, rather than completely parallel.

Other things to try

Use these shooting techniques to reduce camera shake

Don�t be tempted to take a deep breath before you fire the shutter, or hold your breath, because both of these can create tension in your muscles. Simply breathe normally, and for the best results try to fire the shutter just after you�ve exhaled. But most of all try to stay relaxed, and squeeze the shutter smoothly, rather than stabbing at it harshly.

What is camera shake?

How can you tell if an image is blurred due to shake, or due to other reasons? Camera shake occurs when the camera moves during the time that you�re taking a shot. It will make the image look blurred, and in severe cases you�ll notice a streaky appearance in the image. It can be difficult to spot the difference between camera shake and other causes of blur such as poor focusing or subject movement. But generally, if the whole image is blurred by a similar amount it will be due to camera shake, while the presence of some sharp areas in the image will point to focusing errors or subject movement.

Four methods you can use to avoid camera shake

• Kneeling As well as giving you a slightly lower viewpoint, kneeling down to take a shot can also help you to combat camera shake. When you�re in position, you can rest your left elbow on your knee to help stabilize the camera, which is particularly useful when using longer focal lengths.
• Lying down The extremely low angle created by lying on the floor won�t suit every type of image, but if it does, this position gives a really stable platform. It can allow you to shoot at much slower shutter speeds than normal, while still avoiding camera shake.
• Bracing the camera If you need to use a slow shutter speed without a tripod, and you can�t kneel or lie down, look for an object around you to brace the camera against. In an urban environment you�ll find lamp posts, walls or other street furniture, while in the country you can use trees, rocks or fences.
• Use a tripod Even though there are other ways to get sharp shots at slow shutter speeds, a tripod is still the best and most reliable way of ensuring sharp pictures.

Try these methods to improve the sharpness of your shots.

Let me know in the comments below if you have any tips and tricks for sharp images.

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Roses Designer Outlet in Zagreb [Through My Lens Nr. 111]

Upon returning from our recent Austria trip we stopped just outside of Zagreb to rest a little bit and have some lunch. I suggested the Roses Shopping Outlet which I had visited once previously. It's a relatively big outside mall which features many shops. We had lunch there and strolled the streets a little bit. It's convenient because it's located just next to the A1 highway so it's almost like a little reststop. I didn't have much time for shopping but I did enjoy the food. Hopefully you will enjoy the colorful facades of the shops.

Thank you all for joining me in another week of "Through My Lens". I am looking forward to your submissions this week!

Now I want to see what you have been up to. Link down below and share with the rest of us!

What "Through my lens" is about

This meme is about sharing your favorite blog post with the rest of us. The themes are open, there is only one rule: the images have to be taken by you. I want to see your photography!

How this Photo meme Works

1. Share your favorite post under the linkup button below and follow the instructions there
2. Only share the url of your post, not the url of your main page
3. In your post link back to this post of "Through my lens" and visit others!

An InLinkz Link-up

 
Please spread the word and help me grow the link-up.

Use the image below for sharing

Or simply copy/paste this code in the HTML of your post

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