Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Jun 18

Teach Yourself: Holiday & Business Basics - Introductory Course

Format: 1 PaperBack Book & CD

Style: Learning phrases common in introductory conversations, with verbal accompaniment.  Unit tests and quizzes throughout to test learning with answers in the back of the book.

Language: Latin/Roman Script - (My Language: Same)
Have I Tried This Language Before? - Yes, but still a beginner.

General Comments:
You start the course with the most common conversation details - introducing yourself to others and finding out about destinations and jobs.  You read the full conversation in English, then read the full conversation in your chosen language.  You can instantly see familiar and common words and new words are explained over the page in the remainder of the unit.

The accompanying CD helps you with the pronunciation, but you can use the book on it’s own throughout if you are confident with your own pronunciation.  There are also nice and easy quizzes on your new vocabulary to build up your confidence - and finally a very thorough Unit Test (with answers at the back!).

There are no grammar lessons in the course or boring repetitive sentences - just simple phrases that you will use most often; like ‘I like to go to A’, and ‘We need a table for 4′.  Not ‘I want, You want, He wants, She wants, blah blah blah!’  Just the basics, from start to finish.

There are even some nice little cut-out-and-keep flash cards at the back if you don’t mind destroying the book!  And because it’s a tiny book, you can always find things again easy to learn again or to check up on without getting stuck in the middle.

However, due to it’s lovely format, I found that I ended up learning the conversations in full, as though they were words in a play.  So I was remembering how they were used in the conversations rather than what the individual words were.  This is fine for those routine question and answers like ordering food and describing your family, but useless for spontaneous interactions - but then, this is only the very basic level, so it’s just a taster course really.

I completed it easily and felt like I had learnt something new, but I wasn’t 100% certain I could actually have a proper conversation abroad using it.  I may well have got through in a bit of a mess, but I would definately got a room for the night and ordered some dinner!

Ease Of Use: 4/5

Result: Finished And OK

Reason: Still Not Sure Of Key Verbs but Perfect Layout For Me

posted by Catherine on Jun 13

That just means taking part in a butterfly counting survey to assess the surrounding environment!

A few months ago there was a nighttime lepidoptera survey taking account of local moths - but now the daytime equivalent is approaching - and a lot more people can join in!

All you have to do is go sit in your garden, a local park, national park or nearby woodland and watch the butterflies passing by!  You can even do this on a walk in the countryside or along a riverbank and count the butterflies that you pass by!  Sir David Attenborough will be taking part too - as will Alan Titchmarsh!

It takes place in the height of summer (24th July - 1st August) as most of the native butterflies are in their adult form at that time - and the bright sunshine is what makes them active!  This gives you plenty of time to learn to id British butterflies before the survey…..

Step 1:
So to get prepared - go to their website and download yourself a butterfly identification sheet to show the most common butterflies that you will encounter on the count.

By learning these few, it will help you to better participate in the count as many butterflies look very similar to others unless they land closeby to you and hold their wings open until you have a good look!

By looking out for these species in advance of the count you will have learnt to identify some of the more common types in advance, so you can focus on learning many more species.  If you just turn up on the day with the id sheet, you won’t be able to give as good results as if you had put in a bit of advance research!

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Step 2:
Read the Butterfly Conservation website for great advice about butterflies, moths and our environment.  They believe that these creatures react very quickly to environmental changes and so can be seen as a great indicator or environmental change - hence the survey.

Butterflies are plant specific in that the adults feed (mainly) on one plant species, and their young will feed (mainly) on another single species - and this is where they lay their eggs.  Therefore if certain plants are becoming rarer or more abundant in response to changing habitats, industrial pollution or the effects of changing climate - these species will have to move from one region to another.

By mapping these movements and general trends over time, they will be able to monitor such national changes and try to see if there are any changes we could make to reverse or encourage such trends.

Step 3:
The count itself takes place between the given dates and you can do as many counts you want in that time and in as many different locations as well. 

This means that you can not only help out with the research by submitting more than 1 set of results, but that you can take your new found identification skills out to new habitats to see - and identify - as many different butterfly species as possible.

For example; sitting in my mum’s garden I mainly see speckled woods, in my sisters garden it is large whites and on the South Downs it is peacocks and small tortoiseshells!  It all depends on the proximity of their food and egg plants in the main - and by finding an established sallow plantation (and a lot of luck I am told) I saw my first purple emperor!

Anyway - record your sightings during just a 15 minute period at any time throughout the survey week following the guidelines on the website, and then you have up until the end of August 2010 to submit your results on the website form online.

Step 4:
Now you know how to identify some common butterfly species - why not take part in other surveys in your area for the Butterfly Conservation Trust or other local or national groups?

Any by finding their associated plants you could then learn more about their habitats and start to become involved at a local nature reserve surveying plants as well.  It take time to get to learn identification skills - so you need to get lots of practice.

And once you have the skills - why not put them to good use?

posted by Catherine on Jun 7

Now is the perfect time of year to grow some summer fruit and vegetables in your greenhouse!

You don’t need a great big 12ft greenhouse to have some success in the vegetable department - you can make do with a small greenhouse in a sunny part of your garden.

Whether it’s for growing strawberries, small vegetables or even some fruit plants, you can get some seeds and small plants on the go inside your mini greenhouse.

How Do Plants Grow Inside?
Why do you need a greenhouse you may be asking - plants grow outside all the time?  Well, many tasty fruits and vegetables grow (successfully) in warmer climates - so we need to mimic these conditions if we want to grow these plants without too many natural fertilisers!

I mean: where do bananas grow? In what countries are they growing blueberries?  It isn’t the UK that’s for sure!  So this is where a small greenhouse can help out.

By increasing the natural warmth of the sun, and trapping it inside a closed greenhouse - your plants can experience the conditions that they are naturally grown in - and will be very successful too!

You need to keep an eye on many potted plants, fruit and vegetables in a greenhouse though, as they can dry out quite quickly unless they are desert plants or plants used to drier conditions.

Huge Number Of Seedlings In A Small Greenhouse

Planning Your Greenhouses:
Why stop at 1 small greenhouse if you have a garden.  Just because you can’t fit - or don’t want to fit a great big greenhouse in your garden - you might still easily be able to cater for 2 smaller ones at various places in your back yard.

You could have a shallow but tall little greenhouse against a sunny wall growing strawberries and blueberries - and a wider and lower greenhouse in a more sheltered location for growing herbs and tomatoes.

Perhaps the herbs are growing close your outdoor furniture so that you can smell them while you sit in the sunshine reading a good book - and maybe your salad plants could be growing near the kitchen so you could nip out while preparing lunch and grad a few leaves!

What’s The Adventure?
The adventure is in 4 parts really! The first is planning what you are going to grow, the second is planting everything up leading to the third: when the first shoots or fruits come out!

The fourth adventure of course is deciding how to eat your yummy new food! Will it be in a cool summer dish on the side of the plate? Will it be roasted as part of a warmer meal or steamed into a stew or soup?

And because small greenhouse are so compact and neat, you don’t even need your own garden - you could ask to put one on a balcony or in a neighbours garden if they allow.  Everything it contained within these neat little structures so you don’t need to worry about getting mud everywhere and loads of wiggly worms!

I know you will enjoy it - I do!

posted by Catherine on May 27

Well, some big names in conservation are getting together to promote it - so why is it so good?

It has always been assumed that catching fish ‘for fun’ was not in the Top 10 most animal friendly hobbies - infact some would say it is a ‘cruel sport’ and can lead to habitat damage.

But then, most of the best animal trackers and conservationists around the world today were once hunters - so maybe there is something in it.

What’s The Key?
Well, it would seem that although many people are aware of the ‘great outdoors’ and that it needs our help to be maintained and improved (or saved) - but it is really only those people actively dependant on that environment for their pleasure - ie hunters and anglers that actually make a difference.  The same could be true for active nature lovers, photographers scientists.

These are the type of people that will do all they can to protect and improve an environment.  A regular visitor to a certain river or woodland will, over time, be able to spot changes that others might not see straight away - and our waterways are seriously under threat.

So what better way than to encourage those young people who love fishing to stand (or sit) for hours beside rivers and streams and see what is happening to them.  Not many footpaths follow streams and major rivers - and even then most people just walk on by.

An angler on the other hand will get there at the crack of dawn, set up shop, and stay there most of the day.  The wildlife they see will be amazing and the peace an quiet will be worth getting up early for.

And, if the fish stop coming or there is obviously something wrong with the water - they will want to get to the bottom of it!  After all, they can’t be fishermen if there are no fish! 

There’s More:
Of course, you don’t have to waste the fish you catch either - you can either return them to the water (after a photo if you have to) or you can eat them - well, that really would be local food!

Obviously there could be issues with regards to endangered species along the way, but by monitoring and identifying the fish you catch, you can help conservation charities and organisations to monitor river health and other local wildlife.

Signs of otters and minks would be most gratefully received by the RSPB, PTeS or WWT, rare wetland birds could be reported to BTO, and pollution or fish deaths to the local council.

And obviously, if could be a great day out for just 1 or 2 people, like father and daughter, 2 friends, or grandad and grandson.

Peaceful day, great scenery, great conversations - and if you are lucky - a fish or two for supper!

posted by Catherine on May 22

We all know that 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity - so what’s special about today?

International Year of Biodiversity is a time where huge projects can be started, or completed. Many projects across the world take years and years of planning and can take up to 15 years to start to become effective - and according to climate change experts: we don’t have much time left.

So the idea of this ‘year’ is to highlight the need for research into biodiversity and the beginnings of a change in the way that we deal with climate change, extinctions and the environment as a whole.

So Why The ‘Day’?
Well, the day of Biodiversity is a time where ordinary people like you and you family can become involved in something much bigger without having to devote months of your life to field research, and without cracking out the cheque book!

Events across the world have been organised for today that involve the very simplest of events such as pond dipping - to show you what actually lives there; through woodland creation - to help what is already there; right up to scientific meeting and lectures discussing everything on the world agenda.

So today you could be introducing your friends and family to the whole diverse world out there - and hopefully making a difference to their future.

And What About Tomorrow?
Well, the future isn’t looking like it’s going to be as good as it has been in terms of many weather related things, such as farming and soil fertility.

I mean many people think of ‘bio-diversity’ as being about all the amazing wild animals and plants that we love to see in parks and zoos - but diversity also means in terms of ‘boring’ plants and animals too.

Take for example the ability of wheat to grow in certain weather conditions, and we all know that rice needs water to grow - but the weather could change all that and make these crops very difficult to grow in the huge amount that we currently do. So we need a diverse range of crop plants to take their place when we start to get short. If it’s to dry to grow rice - we need to find something that we can grow instead!

Then think about all the thousands of different bugs and creepy crawlies that live in the earth and under rocks and even feeding on other dead animals - we need thousands of them to get the job done! If not then the soil loses it’s fertility and we will be surrounded by dead animals and plants, festering in the sun!

The more species that become extinct, the less chance we and the planet has of finding a solution to our problems - whenever the arise. For example, imagine you have a serious disagreement with one mobile phone company - you can currently just go and use another one; there are plenty to choose from today.

But what if there was only that one phone company? What if you had to put up with their charges or go without a phone?

This is the scenario that many of our animals face today - and more will so in the future. If they can’t find the food type or the habitat or the nesting site that the need to survive - they will have only 1 choice: Move on and hope to find it elsewhere - or die.

Your Actions:
However you can stop this - in both the example and in real life.

If you make sure that there is always a vast array of choices for both your family and the wildlife in the world - then there will always be a second, third, fourth or fifth choice. So when species are faced with the effects of climate change or the results of human encroachment, they can evolve a different way to deal with it - like eating berry B instead of the usual berry A.

And we all know that when something is the only thing left - it will be in demand (it’s scarcity value) - and then it becomes very expensive and very difficult to get your hands on.

So by keeping the world rich in choices and full of variety - there will always be a fair spread for everyone involved. This is what sustainability is all about - and it can make a huge difference to humans and the environment.

So think about that today: Biodiversity Day

posted by Catherine on May 18

Pimsleur Language Program: Quick And Simple Course - Introductory Level.

Format: 5 Language CD’s - plus 1 CD for Course Introduction.

Style: 100% listening and repetition of words and phrases.

Language: Latin/Roman Script - (My Language: Same)
Have I Tried This Language Before? - Yes, but still a beginner.

General Comments:
This course was perfect for the beginner as it was so simply laid out.

There was a recorded conversation at the beginning of each module/unit and then you were asked to repeat certain words and phrases to become part of that conversation.

At the end of each unit you could then converse similarly to the original conversation as well as using many new words along the way.

You were offered gaps in the narration and conversations to speak aloud and would then hear the correct words or phrases afterwards to check your progress.

It did get rather too repetitive at certain points and I was just repeating the same words over and over again. And to be honest, once you know the word ‘peso’ you know the word ‘peso’!

The whole course didn’t really get anywhere fast in terms of language - I mean I wouldn’t be able to do much more than partake in 2 or 3 conversations in the language, but this was more than compensated for by being able to complete the course with ease.

Many courses just get too involved and you end up giving up part way in - but this course you just had to finish - it was silly not to.

There was no written text either, so it was great that you couldn’t see what was coming up next and start to get worried. The number of times I have flicked through a language course text book and thought the last few modules/units were too complicated - and it almost makes you not want to get there, and you give up.

Similarly, as you didn’t know what was coming up, you didn’t worry about repeating yourself. Learning a new language isn’t always straight forward, and you may stop and start several times. This means that when you see a language text book, you find the same old things over and over, like directions and ‘what is your name’. It almost forms a barrier to learning.

But this course was easy to follow, easy to complete and nice and short. This is actually the first language course that I have actually 100% finished!

Ease Of Use: 5/5

Result: Finished And Confident

Reason: Perfect Layout For Me

posted by Catherine on May 8

Did you know that 27 European Union countries are now using the same emergency services number?

Now, you know that you can call an emergency expert wherever you are on the continent - from France to Finland, Sweden to Spain - it’s all the same number: 112.

Of course, some countries still have other numbers working alongside this, like the UK still uses 999 - but generally, all 112 numbers are directly sent to the emergency services of that country, or are diverted to a place where they can be effectively dealt with!

Why Know This?
Well, when you are backpacking across countries, or travelling by train - you never know quite where you are going to end up that night.  Sometimes you may only be in a certain country for a few hours as you pass through, and others you might turn up in and stay for months!

So, it’s not likely that you will learn and remember all the different numbers - but what if you see an emergency situation like a house on fire, or are involved in an incident?

But, how can you help if you don’t know who to call?
Two things can really help in this type of situation and they are as follows:

1) Your Cell Phone:
All GSM phones are pre-programmed to recognise their local emergency numbers - for example 999 in the UK.  This means that you can get through to an emergency service immediately if you dial this number - even if their is no SIM card in your phone!

It will also let you dial this number when your keypad lock is on or when you dial the emergency number instead of your pin - it is designed to do this to get your call answered as soon as possible and therefore your emergency service to deal with the situation without delay - I mean every second really does count when there are lives involved.

And, because it is registered as an emergency number, it also gets priority over other numbers in the pecking order of networks.  This means that if you witness an accident and call 112 your call will get put straight through, while other callers might be made to wait for a ‘line’.

So, it is worth checking that you phone does this for the countries you are planning to visit for any length of time - so that your calls are taken seriously.

2) The Number 112:
Yes, there are other emergency numbers for a variety of specific services - like coastguard and drugs hot lines in many countries - but you will get straight through to an expert if you dial 112.

So rather than either panic and try to find someone to help or guess at a number to call, you can at least try 112 first.  And if it’s not the first choice number of the country you happen to be in - at least it will be a trained emergency service person that you speak to. 

For example in Norway, 112 will get you straight to the Police, whereas you need to dial 113 for an Ambulance - however at least you know that the Police will be more help to you than a farmer you happened to find down the road!

Other Tips?
Make sure that you take out travel insurance before you travel.  I know the emergency services will come to your aid, but medical treatment, helicopters and other rescue services could well charge you thousands!  And make sure you read the policy details before you go too - as not calling them before getting treatment could void some policies completely!

Also try to take a Basic First Aid course before heading off on longer journeys or at least get a medical tips book to cover all the basics.  I mean knowing the simple cures and treatments for common holiday woes could save you a lot of wasted time - and make sure that you buy remedies locally rather than taking a whole pharmacological first aid kit with you from home!

And finally - if you accidentally dial this or any other emergency number - DO NOT HANG UP.  The person on the other end of the phone may think that you are incapacitated or unable to continue with the call due to some type of emergency!  And we don’t want them to waste time finding out…….

So, stay on the line and explain why you no longer need them - otherwise they could be wasting money and resources trying to locate you again to help you out - when in fact you are just now carrying on along your journey without a care in the world!

Take Care!

posted by Catherine on May 4

If you live in California, or a planning a trip there in the next week - then look this place up.

Basically, it is a huge celebration of the landscapes, natural heritage, wildlife and rich native culture, across a huge area of the state; including walks, sea kayaking, very early birding tours and heritage trails from coast to mountain top!

There are areas of land here that can almost take you back in time to a place where humanity hasn’t interfered. A place where native Americans still practice their way of life, whether it’s salmon fishing or kayaking through their land and hunting.

The rivers run free here - and virtually untouched by dams and pollution. There are also large patches of land that are home to some very endangered species - both large and small - as well as hummingbirds, frogs and condors! Out at sea there is ample chance to see whales and dolphins as well!

The Festival 2010:
There are 69 events in total over the Friday thru Monday morning festival days, and there are plenty of experts on hand to to run workshops, run tours and offer hands-on advice.

The areas covered in this festival are wide reaching and include Redwood National & State Park, Smith River National Recreation Ground and Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge amongst many others.

And in fact it was the Castle Rock refuge that is the predescesser of this event as this refuge is home to hundreds of migrating Aleutian Geese - which formed The Aleutian Goose Festival.

What’s There?
Firstly the event will be host to it’s keynote speaker: Micheal Fay (from National Geographic) on the Friday evening, as well as offering up a whole host of active biologists, geologists, ornithologists and foresters to help you explore all the available habitats.

Whether you are studying earthquakes and owls, ecology and salamanders or condors and giant redwoods - there will be plenty of time available for you to explore and learn to work with and love these precious habitats and their vital biodiversity.

And all this in your own back yard!

Getting There:
All events are based at or start from the Crescent City Cultural Center in northern California, although some leave before 5am!

You need to register for the event and pay a 1-off fee, but this includes the keynote speech and Friday night reception - as well as all the free events and the meet-and-greet.

There is of course no way that you could attend all 69 events anyway - so make sure you take a look at the schedule of events and get your moneys worth - and really get ‘inside’ this amazing habitat in the US.

Anything Else?
As if this wasn’t enough, the festival coincides with the International Migratory Bird Day (May 8th), and is a celebration of all migratory bird species for North, Central & South America - certainly a huge event to be incorporated into this annual wildlife festival.

posted by Catherine on Apr 30

There is so much ‘greenwash’ about these days - how can you be sure you are choosing the right one?

Just searching for ‘eco friendly beach resorts’ or eco friendly family vacations’ on the internet can bring you up websites and resorts that are clearly not eco holidays at all!  They have just made sure that they use the ‘right’ words to get to the top of the search engines.

And even some websites that talk about eco lodges and responsible tourism might not actually have any proof of the ‘green ethics’ of the location.  It may be as simple as that they have recycling bins, wash your sheets less and heat their water using solar power - which is no real struggle if they are based in the tropics anyway!

So, How Can You Tell?
Well, just as with other products available today including electrical appliances, safety gear and organic food - there are certification programs to prove a company’s eco credentials - and to check the properly based on non-flexible criteria.

Rather than somebody reading Eco Friendly Hotel A’s website and then saying - ‘Oh, it’s lovely.  They take all your recycling away, cook only local food and have planted only native plants’, these certification bodies will actually go there and analyse those actions.

For example, they may say they separate all the recycling - but where do they send it and how?  What if they send it all down to their local tip (which may be a ruined piece of forest) or they just burn it on a distant patch of wasteland?

Then the local food could be a problem.  Are they growing crops that are ‘water demanding’ in a dry climate just to please the guests?  Are they catching rare wildlife for the plate, or fishing unsustainably in a polluted or degraded river or lake?  What species are they hunting and are they safe to eat?

By checking for these certifications you will make sure you get the real story.

Why Check For Certification?
Just as with membership to any exclusive club or society, association or certification with a well known responsible tourism or ecotourism body will allow your business to stand out from the crowd.

So, if a company, business, hotel or manufacturer can prove beyond a doubt that their products are certifiably eco friendly (having been tested by experts) then they know that they are among the best eco holidays out there - and have the backing of certification.

This obviously helps you as a consumer to choose the best holiday company or hotel based on your beliefs or desires.  Rather than having to research every hotels website looking for eco friendly attributes - you could just look for the logo that represents what you are hoping to find from your holiday.

For example, 1 logo might mean that the hotel is ‘minimizing their impact on the local environment and protecting wildlife’ (Natures Best), whereas others might be looking at whether a hotel is trying to ’reduce waste, energy consumption, water and facilitate use of public transport (Green Tourism).

Some countries have their own eco labels, whereas other certifications are internationally recognised.

How Does Certification Help?
Well, apart from reducing your holiday search from ‘all the hotels in Argentina that use the word ‘eco holidays’ in their search engine ranking’ to ‘Eco Logo A registered eco hotels in Argentina’, it also means that you will not feel disappointed with your choice of trip upon arrival in terms of responsible or eco traits - but also that you know that you are spending your money on something that really is making a difference to the location and the people that you wish to visit on your trip.

And, if more and more people start to ask for, or search for, those resorts and eco lodges that have these certifications - then more companies will want to become certified to improve their own business.

And, if a company are claiming that they are eco friendly or are ‘one of the best eco lodges in so-and-so’, then why wouldn’t they want to prove that by getting certified?  If they are doing all these things anyway - why not prove it?

Don’t be embarrassed to ask what their eco credentials are before booking.  I mean if you were a vegan and saw a tasty cake for sale - wouldn’t you want to check that it was free from animal products before you ate it?

posted by Catherine on Apr 24

Should we visit somewhere degraded but in desperate need of tourist dollars - or leave it to recover?

I was talking with a friend about the need to show (financial) support for locations that are in danger of being destroyed by construction or farming, etc - and that the best way to show that an area is worth money as it is, would be to take a vacation there and spend money on local services.

But then I thought, if the location is very fragile or in an area that is highly volitile - would it be better to stay away and let it recover before demanding tours and accomodation to be found (or built)?

Add to this as well, the fact that if you choose not to visit one of your favourite destinations or to see an endangered animal - it might have been your last chance before it is lost forever.

What I Want:

I myself am torn between visiting certain locations around the world as I am worried that my trip there and intrusion in the area could actually be supporting the very things that are destroying it.  But if I don’t go, I will have missed my chance to see something truly wonderful. 

Whether it is to experience the march of thousands of penguins in the frozen landscapes of Antartica, to marvel at the giant tortoises and marine iguanas in the Galapagos or the chance to see thousands of bats at dusk flying from a cave in Borneo - the very act of my ‘eco’ trip could put stresses on the wildlife or habitat itself by changing their behaviour. 

It could also help sustain or even create a market for hoards of others to follow afterwards or even affect the culture of the people who have lived there for centuries.

However, my needs I suppose are only for my own pleasure, unlike the people and the wildlife involved.  Just because ‘I want’ to do something, should I do it - even if the trip is ‘eco friendly’ and ‘responsible’?

The Alternatives?

If I decide not to go myself - how else could I help?  Well, finding a charity or NGO which was working in the area would be a great start, then donating money or time to them will be of endless help.

Don’t forget you don’t need to offer them directly for that specific location or creature, as all their time and funds are intricately linked.  So offering your spare time to them in your local town will ultimately help them spend money to work in the area you are rooting for abroad!  I mean if they are able to spend less money in 1 country, they can spend more in another.

And by creating other demands at home you can affect change.  Examples include the more obvious ones like choosing not to buy certain products, or products made in certain countries, or by subscribing to eco magazines.  Investing in certain energy suppliers or financial companies is another powerful way of showing businesses where you want to spend money and where you don’t.

Even creating a demand for cuddly toys might change future plans for charities and larger companies.  How?  Well, if more and more people start buying toys and products linked to rainforests for example, then it will be picked up as a national trend and things will eventually happen.

Take for example, the current demand for eco friendly cars.  They wouldn’t be making them if nobody was buying them would they?  If people were not so interested in the environment these days - the cars just wouldn’t sell - and as result, they wouldn’t make any more. 

Imagine if in the 60’s before we knew what ‘climate change’ was, they started making hybrid cars that cost more than ‘normal’ cars - would you buy one?  Do you think there would have been a successful business in the 40’s selling carbon credits?  What if someone today set up a charity to help save seagulls or raccoons - would you donate money to them?

Everything you do today, has a huge effect for tomorrow - so don’t rush into anything to quickly.