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Destinations

Austria – A Year-Round Travel Destination

Austria is a land-locked country located in Central Europe. It has nine provinces and is also home to the beautiful Alps. In addition, the country is blessed with many forests, valleys, lakes and rivers that are just waiting to be explored.

While Austria sees maximum tourists during winter who come here to ski and take part in other winter sports, it is also considered to be a year-round travel destination.

If you are planning a visit to the country, you should know what to expect in terms of weather and climate. The country has four distinct seasons, namely spring, summer, autumn and winter. The summers are warm but it can get cool at nights. It usually rains during this time but the showers last for a short while. The winters are sunny and nearly every year it snows covering the mountains and the cities in a white carpet. The winters are quite cold, but certain parts of the country have warm dry winds. Make sure you carry appropriate clothing for the season.

Austria is a haven for those who love old architecture and culture. It is home to Stephansdom, or Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, Schonbrunn Palace, Hofburg Palace, Goldene Dachl in Innsbruck, Melk Abbey and Loos Haus. It is also the country that gave the world composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss Jr., Johann Strauss Sr., and Johannes Brahms.

Because of the mountainous terrain, the most popular activities in the country are skiing in winter and hiking. There are many resorts that are located on the foothills of the Alps that cater to the visiting skiing community. There are ample opportunities for cross country skiing across the country. Austria has thousands of kilometers of hiking trails and you can use them to explore the Alps. You are bound to be taken up by the panoramic views as you hike.

Cultural

College Culture – The Way to Addiction

Most college kids, being away from home are sucked up in the pressures of belonging, gaining friends, as well as being popular and invited to the frequent parties that come with college life. College is usually the time where the youth learn about drugs and at the same time experiment on drug use. Being in college also means drinking parties from left to right with no parents watching over or family members reminding the youth about what is right from wrong. This may result to drug abuse or being under the spell of alcoholism.

There are a lot of addicts who started their dependence on drugs and alcohol due to the following situations that are normal in colleges:

*Fraternity pressure – because of the student’s need for being accepted, they join a fraternity and then succumb to the pressures of the organization. It is a reality that a lot of negative and sometimes deadly activities are being performed by fraternity members. One such activity is hazing which would range from being spanked hundreds of times by a paddle to being forced to drink gallons and gallons of water that at one time or another lead to the death of one or a couple of members. Most fraternities also encourage members to drink and do drugs and this commonly result to substance abuse. This is also the main factor for reported fraternity deaths.

*Binge drinking – this activity will never be absent from parties, especially fraternity parties. Some students are being forced to drink in order to be part of the cool crowd; this activity more often than not cause the youth to be inflicted with alcoholism and there were even some reported deaths caused by binge drinking. Most alcoholics under going treatment admit that their drinking habit started with a single or a couple of bottles of alcohol in school parties and that took them to where they are now: a rehabilitation center for alcoholics.

Using alcohol and drugs is viewed as normal activities and at the same time harmless during college. The fact that it is taken for granted leads the students to being addicts and before they know it, their lives are ruined. After all, nobody ever dreamed of becoming an alcoholic or an addict.

Education on alcoholism and substance abuse prevention should be reiterated by college campuses. Programs to fight off college addiction should also be part of the college activities. Remember that the youth headed on the path to college addiction will never admit it and would not want to seek help so it is up to the college to ensure that every student is aware of the signs and symptoms of alcoholism and drug abuse. Preventive Measures on becoming addicts also need to be reminded to the students.

Drinking habits and drug intake habits may also be developed during college, leading to their use even after graduation especially because of the feeling of being freer now that they have graduated and will soon be working. A college addiction is never harmless. It should be stopped as early as possible.

Camping

Expert Camping Advice

Camping is essentially for those of us who love the outdoors
and can do without all of the comforts of home for a short while. However, just loving the outdoors is not enough to guarantee that the experience will be a fun one. The essentials of having fun in the great outdoors are preparation and an open mind. Preparation is easy, if you follow some simple rules.

When you are getting ready to plan a trip, you must select a convenient time that will give you flexibility of one to two days. This will make the trip more about you, and less about your timetable. You may run into weather problems or you may just want to camp for an extra day. Next, choose a
location and make it specific. Don’t just choose a county where you saw a campground. Call the campground or the park office and get reservations or information about the time you have allotted. Many parks are happy give you
information and tips about what to expect. The most
complicated step in preparation is making a list of what to
bring. Making a list is essential and your list will change
dramatically the more you trips you take.

The first thing you need to put on your list of things to
take is the things that will get you there. If you are
hiking to a campsite, list the number of backpacks. If you
are simply driving to a site, list the number of cars. Then
you must plan your shelter and sleeping situation.

Remember, tents are a luxury and heavy to carry. Hikers
usually bring a plastic tarp that can shelter up to four
people. With a tarp, you can tie it between trees for cover
from the elements. Many time you won’t even need that but
you can always lay the tarp on the ground to designate a
clean sleeping area. After this has been set, you will go
over what food you will need. We stress need here. Stray
from fresh produce and meets because they spoil easy and
their scent attracts animals and insects. Stick to dried
food and canned items. Canned items will add weight, but
they are more calorie rich and very easy to cook in multiple
situations. Most of your food should be snacks, so that you
don’t have to cook very much. Trail mix and yogurt covered
raisins will fill you up more than you think, and they are a
cheap alternative to buying food from camping stores that
hike up the price on dried meals.

The last things you will put on your list are what will make you comfortable. Minimal clothing is best. One of each type
of outfit is best. One pair of shorts, pants, sweatshirt,
tee, and a couple pairs of undergarments including socks is
enough. One poncho will take up minimal space. Small LED
flash lights will get you around at night if you stray from
the fire. Then make sure you have some things to keep you
busy. Books, playing cards and a nerf football are all
light and can be very entertaining for hours on end. As
long as you don’t start dragging along things that aren’t
meant for the outdoors, you should be fine. Remember that
everything will be at home when you get back. Most
importantly make a not of the things you didn’t use and the
things you wished you brought. That will make each trip you
take more enjoyable and different than the last.