To own an island is one of the wildest dreams anyone can ever have; but of course, we know dreams do come true. However, it is essential to have a plan or structure for the realization of dreams. The same thing applies to buying a private island. You have to put in place those elements that can help you realize this wild dream.

It is vital to understand that buying an island isn’t always an expensive thing. If you doubt this statement, ask British billionaire Richard Branson who owns Necker Island. Once you realize that islands can actually be affordable, we can move forward to the major points of this article. The procedure for buying an island is similar to the same process you’d take when purchasing any piece of real estate. However, there are some additional components you need to consider such as the nature of the surrounding waters and whether there’s a natural harbor there too.

So here are some tips you could follow.

Have a Budget

Just like any product you want to buy in the market, you need to create a pre-determined budget in order not to over-spend on the item or purchase additional irrelevant products or incur unnecessary expenses. It is possible that you may not have enough money to afford the island you really desire. In this scenario, you can go with two options.

One, you wait until you have enough money to purchase the island. Two, you keep looking for the perfect island that meets your budget. Richard Branson did the second.

Decide what you want to use the island for

While you may be looking forward to buying an island, there are different uses you can put it to. First, you may be looking forward to living there permanently. Second, you may be looking to make it a vacation location for you and your family. Third, you may want to use it to make money by renting it out. The fourth scenario is a combination of the first and the third – living there and renting it out. Many island owners go with the first and the second. However, the shrewd ones go with the first and the third.

Legal Documents

There may be the need to obtain some legal documents from the governments. Hence, you will need to know the documents you need to fill and the process involved in such before outrightly buying the island.

Get a Lawyer

The fact remains that laws vary from place to place, and from environment to environment. In this kind of deal or transaction, you need to involved lawyers that are particularly skilled and knowledgeable about laws that relate to properties and island purchase. Some countries do not allow non-citizens to buy real estate outrightly, but they can have it on a long-term lease. Hence, do not experiment with your money.

So there you have them; the above tips have been written to guide you when looking to purchase an island. Islands are one of nature’s most relaxing locations; you have to take strategic steps when planning to own them.

Have you ever asked yourself if there are any means by which you can earn some money while traveling? The truth is not everyone embarks on a journey and hopes to be back soon; some people go away for as long as three-six months. This category of travelers would be looking for some means through which they can earn some money. Nonetheless, there is another group of people who just want to take every opportunity to earn money.

Irrespective of the category you are, the primary point is that you want to earn something while traveling. In this piece, the focus will be exerted on how you can earn money while traveling. Here, you will learn some of the ways by which visitors like you can add economic values to a foreign country.

Resort Jobs

While other jobs could have come on top of the list, we still find that certain establishments prefer using people from foreign countries for such resort positions as receptionist or entertainment department. The reason this is done is to attract foreigners’ attention which usually works.

Become a Freelancer

The term ‘freelance’ in this context, means trading your time for money on online freelance platforms which include Upwork, Fiverr, et cetera.

The advantage of this is that you are able to determine when to work. You can go have fun during the day, rest during the evening, and work at night. Also, it is a quick, hassle-free method of putting in some cash into your pocket while on the road.

Monetize Your Experiences

By monetizing your experiences, we mean you should use your presence in that location to make money. For example, if you are visiting the Eiffel Tower, you can monetize that experience by telling your friends or people in the online community that you will post their spouse’s name on the Tower. People would pay for this sort of service as you are doing something they have never dreamt of doing, and they might never do.

Travel Blogging

One of the perks that come with travel blogging is that you can keep a full-time job and still be a travel blogger all at the same time. All you need to do is figure out your holiday ahead of time.

Then, plan your holiday to be at a specific location or several locations. Take pictures and document your trip. You can start posting these pictures and edit notes on a regular basis that no one would know you took the trip all at once. You can do this full time or join it with a full-time job.

Teach a Language

Do you know any foreign language? You would earn a lot if you can teach a foreign language. You can exchange this service for money in schools or via internet platforms.

While it’s a known fact that most people will not get rich by gambling, seeing how the odds are always against you, there are some exceptions that prove the rule. There are few casino games in which players can actually gain an advantage over the house, such as blackjack where you can count cards, but some smart or lucky people managed to beat the odds and became millionaires. One word of notice – if you’re playing in an online casino, it can be much harder to beat the system. In that case, there are many promotions that can help you have more money to play, just like this bonus at MrPlay, which might help bring the luck needed.

We’ll start our list with the man who invented and perfected the card counting strategy – Edward E. Thorp. Thorp was a mathematics professor from 1959 to 1977 and wrote the blackjack card counting bible titled “Beat the Dealer”. He tested his theory in various casinos in Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Las Vegas, starting with $10,000 from professional gambler Manny Kimmel.

With his theory already proven, Thorp decided to use his acquired knowledge in the stock market and ended up making a fortune, as his net worth is estimated at no less than $800 million.

The man who won the most from gambling is Bill Benter, a mathematics genius from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who learnt how to count cards at blackjack and started his gambling career in 1977 in Las Vegas. Seven years later, he got banned from most Las Vegas casinos because he was constantly breaking the bank and decided to move to Hong Kong and focus on horse races. Together with Alan Woods, he developed the world’s first software for horse races betting. His net worth is estimated at $100 million annually.  

And since we’re talking about Alan Woods, it has to be mentioned that he was the pioneer of horse races betting, and although he also started his gambling career at poker machines, where he was mostly losing, and blackjack tables, he later paired with Bill Benter and Zeljko Ranogajec and shifted his focus to Hong Kong horse races.  He is considered one of the most influential gamblers of all time, having developed a betting software that took into consideration various factors in a race, like track condition, weather, and more. Woods died in 2008 and at the time his estimated net worth was AU$670 million.

Billy Walters is another well-known figure in gambling, being one of the people who got rich from roulette and sports betting. He runs his own bookmaking service in Vegas, but few know that he wasn’t always a lucky winner. In fact, he lost everything to his name over 15 times in his youth, and he began his winning streak in his late 30s. It seems that he now makes about $15 million a year, with a net worth of $200 million.

Besides professional gamblers, there are also people who became rich overnight from gambling, without even being avid players. A woman called Patricia Demauro, for instance, gambled only twice in her entire life and she struck luck at Borgata in Atlantic City when she made a whopping 154 consecutive wins at rolling dices. It’s not known how much she won, but she said she only spent $10.

Have you decided you want to save some money this year and are looking for a cheap holiday destination? We are here to land you a helping hand. We have compiled a list of the best cheap travel destinations around the globe for those who plan on having a budget holiday in 2018.

Albufeira, Portugal

Albufeira is an ideal spot for those looking for a cheap sun-soaked vacation. It’s located in the southern Portugal’s Algarve region and is endowed with marvelous beaches, affordable hotels and nice weather. Lively and energetic, The Strip and especially Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro is an area that mostly attracts young people. Meanwhile, the Old Town in the city center charms tourists with traditional Portuguese streets and plazas.

Foodies and party lovers should know that there are over 100 bars, restaurants and clubs in Albufeira with quite decent prices. Moreover, tourist have easy access to nearby places like Portimao, Sao Vicente Cape in Sagres, Loulé market, Vilamoura marina, and cities such as Vila Real and Lagos.

Bangkok, Thailand

One of the most affordable places to travel to this year is Thailand, a country which has many points in its favor. First of all, it’s the wide flight selection at very low fares, both to the capital city of Bangkok and to other cities. And if you plan ahead, you can find the best deals. Secondly, the hotels offer the best value for money in the world (an average of £103 for a five-star hotel, just to make an idea).

Bangkok appeals to very diverse types of tourists as it has something for everyone: dynamic city life, rich historical and cultural attractions, plethora of shopping venues, an energetic nightlife, and all of it at an affordable price.

Istanbul, Turkey

In Europe, Turkey is one of the most visited countries, and that’s because it offers excellent value for money in all aspects of tourism. Hotel prices in the country have dropped a little following the terrorist attacks in 2016, but tourism has started to recover now.

It’s also cheap to get there, as airfares are great value. For example, a return from London in April cost just £100.

Pamporovo, Bulgaria

Now let’s talk about a good place for winter and winter sports lovers. The best-value holiday in this respect will take you to Pamporovo in Bulgaria. With a ski area that boasts 36km of slopes and 13 lifts, the ski resort is one of the best-known in Southeastern Europe and is perfect for both novices and advanced skiers. Though it’s more crowded in winter, the family-friendly resort is popular in summer, too.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

As for cheap places to visit in the United States, one of the most affordable is Santa Fe in New Mexico. It’s a place surrounded by natural beauty and appeals to nature lovers and adventure seekers. Tourists will surely not get bored here, as they have a huge selection of restaurants, art galleries, shops and fairs to keep them entertained. Winter rates at a luxury hotel like La Posada de Santa Fe start at $99 per night, which is a real bargain.

If you’re an avid traveller and have a list of countries you need to visit in your lifetime, make sure to include Australia on that list, as this place is every traveller’s dream. Not to mention that lately it has become even more popular. Why is that?

Well, the appeal of Australia lies in the fact that, despite being one of the most highly urbanized countries in the world, the continent is known for its abundance of wide and wild open spaces, very diverse landscapes, a plethora of natural wonders, and fabulous beaches and deserts.

It’s a country with a unique character that mixes the comfort and modernism of cosmopolitan metropolises like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, with a unique wildlife.

For nature lovers, the rare natural wonders of Australia are the main attractions that make the country so appealing.  One of the most popular and most visited tourist attraction in the country is the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for almost 3000 kilometers and is located near the northern coast of Queensland. With a diverse and colorful ecosystem – 400 types of coral and 1,500 species of tropical fish – it’s a true treat for the eye and offers a great experience to divers.

The sacred site of Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) is equally popular among travellers. It’s basically a 348 meters high (1,142 feet) sandstone monolith, with a circumference of 9.4 kilometers (5.8 miles) that offers a spectacular view at sunrise and sunset due to the different hues that envelop it.

Other unique places that make Australia worth visiting are the rocky white sand dunes and cliffs of Shark Bay, the MacKenzie Falls, Fraser Island, the Blue Mountains, King’s Canyon and many other beautiful places included in the more than 500 National Parks found in the land down under.

What’s more, beach lovers have no less than 11,000 beaches to choose from. It would take one around 27 years to visit them all, one beach a day, imagining someone embarked on such an adventure.

The vibrant lifestyle, the relaxed atmosphere, along with a thriving art scene and cultural diversity, make Australia a place anyone would like to live in. The people are friendly, laid-back, open minded, and last but not least, very active and full of life. Besides, they don’t just enjoy incredible weather and landscapes – they also eat delicious food and drink quality wines, adding to the already great Australian experience and making a visit there a recipe for unforgettable travel memories.

Considering all this, we can safely say that Australia is a complete holiday destination, as it’s not just a travel heaven for adventure seekers, but also a paradise for art enthusiasts, food lovers and those travelling on a budget.