Live for Family

Mom, Parenting and Family Holiday Blog

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Should I start a home-based travel agency?

nhq1This overall need to travel that’s shared by average citizens and corporate denizens alike means that this is an excellent time to launch a travel services business. The travel industry is huge. Research by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) indicates that the travel and tourism industry generates $1.3 trillion in economic activity in the U.S. every year. That’s equivalent to $3.4 billion a day, $148 million an hour, $2.4 million a minute and $40,000 a second. No wonder the opportunities for aspiring travel services business owners abound.

What do travel agents do?

Travel agents can be described as a concierge service for vacationers.  Your clients will expect a variety of services to be performed by you on their behalf.  The basics, clients will need you to research and book hotels, flights and car rental for an upcoming trip.  You should also be familiar with the local modes of transportation… railroads, bus lines and car services available. (more…)

Refinishing Your Hardwood Floors can improve home value

bhyu88Whether you are refinishing and sanding your hardwood floors , waxing and polishing, bleaching and staining or even restoring and repairing , renovation you make to your wood floors are good option , as it can improve your home values . Maybe you are going to flip your home, maybe you are prepping to put up for sale or maybe you simply want a fast upgrade to make your house the charmer it should be. If you are a lucky homeowner who has wood floors even though it is outdated. You have got valuable piece in your home. Get the most from it. visit site for potential home buyers.

Remodeling a home seems like an exciting and great idea until you get the satisfied result of the project. In actual fact it is quite difficult, costly and also bit of a tedious job. You don’t have any experiences to do it yourself, but you want professional results . (more…)

KALE WALNUT PESTO PASTA

huytt90This pesto would make a wonderful snack with some raw veggies or gluten free crackers, spread on a pizza crust for a base, or with your choice of pasta, as long as it’s not refined! ;).  Pasta is typically a comfort food for a lot of people but can also contribute to a big belly if you are eating the wrong kind.  Hopefully by now you have experimented with different types of pasta and will never turn back to the nutrient stripped white pasta that eventually breaks down into sugar.  Years ago we made the switch to whole wheat pasta but have now learned that gluten isn’t very easy to digest and that there are much healthier options.  We love eating quinoa pasta and rice pasta.  Kamut and spelt, although not gluten free are also a nice alternative as they are easier to digest than wheat, if that is a concern for you.

On to the recipe…

Kale Walnut Pesto: (more…)

Book review: The Horse Boy, Rupert Isaacson

mk88Travel writer and activist Rupert Isaacson has written for an assortment of publications in diverse parts of the English-speaking world. Married to an academic psychologist and based in Texas, travel was his livelihood as well as his pleasure. But when his son was diagnosed with autism in 2004, the whole family’s world threatened to implode. Five-year-old Rowan had epic tantrums during which he would scream and wail inconsolably for hours, was physically incontinent and  completely unable to connect with others. The child had 9 of 10 symptoms of autism, but because he could make good eye contact the clinicians thought he couldn’t be autistic.

Life for Isaacson and his wife became a never-ending series of crises. Hypersensitivity could make Rowan flip out if the texture of his clothing wasn’t quite right, or when he had to go from one place to another. And of course, he was still in diapers.

Nothing seemed to help until, in 2004, Rowan started making friends with his neighbour’s horse, Betsy. The first time they met, she dipped her head to him in the sign of obeisance which horses rarely give to other horses, let alone humans. Rowan liked Betsy just as much. On her back his tantrums calmed, he began to speak lucidly and even told the horse he loved it – the first time he had expressed love for anything or anyone. (more…)

Dealing with Airbnb listings without hassles

nju9Dealing with an Airbnb listing might be bit of a tedious, time consuming, and difficult. Organizing booking inquiries , maintaining communications with potential guests , check-ins, cleaning and laundry can be done by yourself , but how about those times if you are unable or don’t want to be . And you still want that your rental could still generate income without effort from your side especially while you are busy with your other business.  This is the reason why property management plays an important role in such situations.

An industry of property management services for short term rentals, along with maintenance service and cleaning has increased these days. Host service like Doormat provide you with various options for property owners who don’t want to focus on greeting and also caring for guests , from key pickup locations to a full management service.

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Doormat unifies all options needed for you to make your Airbnb and holiday rental business financially rewarding. Your guests will enjoy staying at a squeaky clean space while many hosts think that it is not necessarily to leave the job to the property managers and do the cleaning by themselves. As Airbnb hosting service, Doormat put emphasis on cleanliness and has gained a lot of great rating for it.kjy65

They always make sure a nice sensation for your guests staying at your vacation rentals and minimize scheduling hassles for you. They will organize guest check-in and replying to any inquiries they have before or even during their stay.

They build each listing from beginning to end and they replies fast to any inquiry.  DoorMat is really careful with its AirBNB listings, which delivers exclusive and personalized care to both the host and also guests who will stay at your vacation rentals.

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Here are some excellent services that you can get from Doormat:

  • Airbnb Profile and Listing Creation
  • Airbnb Listing Optimization
  • Guest Communication
  • Cleaning and Laundry
  • Check-Out Inspection
  • Consumables Replenishment
  • Revenue and Occupancy Management
  • Check-in and Key Management
  • Guest Concierge andEmergency Contact
  • Repairs and Maintenance
  • Host Phone and Email Support
  • Accounting

For more price details you can click here.

Now it’s time to stop taking busy days around your Airbnb guest arrivals and departures. Leave the job to Doormat as they are really experienced in maximizing your rental bookings at Airbnb.

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Matt McClure
www.DoorMat.co
Matt@DoorMat.co

 

The Millhouse

In the seventeen hundreds the building on this site was quite old. It was a flour mill until the beginning of the twentieth century; you will find no signs of cereal grown in this area now. The weir that was created to divert water to the mill is part of the property and private, though canoeists have the right to pass over it, but not to stop!!

mkbb60In the 1940s the building was an Hotel and Restaurant, there cannot have been many rooms available. In the 1950s it was a private residence again and at that time General de Gaulle stayed here during an electoral tour of the region, the Owner was a wartime friend of his.
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