Not sure what to visit next in your travel? Want to visit something new, entertaining and exciting? Take a look at these places which offer something for everyone. They are filled with various events, buildings, people, and exciting food. Check out!

Macau

Macau is a part of China that has a certain extent of autonomy. It became famous after many of the renowned casino operators around the world opened their casinos here. It’s different from online casinos with the no deposit sign in options, because these are real, land-based casinos! It is a place that has an abundance of casino venues, hotels, concert halls, and restaurants. In other words, it is a heaven for people who seek this type of entertainment.

Las Vegas

The same type of entertainment is present in Las Vegas. Join one of the local casinos, or go on a tour around the famous nightclubs. Unforgettable stories are made here – you only need to set your foot in this place that saw more weddings than any other city in the world.

Barcelona

If you are a type that enjoys excellent architecture and an interesting historical site, this Catalonian capital is the place you should visit next. However, if you are a sports fan, there is a gem in the middle of Barcelona that you have to attend for one of the unique experiences. The place we are talking about is Camp Nou. It is the stadium for the soccer club Barcelona where some of the biggest names in soccer play nowadays.

Manchester

Speaking of soccer, Manchester has two big clubs that also have great stadiums. Those clubs are Manchester United and Manchester City. The best atmosphere in the city is when the two clubs play against each other. The fans go crazy in the streets, there’s a lot of beer, singing and sports all around you. If you are brave enough – you should visit Manchester to see how supportive your team looks like compared to them.

New Zealand

New Zealand is a beautiful place for people who like hiking and exploring wildlife. There is nothing like going through the green meadows where Lord of the Rings was shot. If you have read the book or seen the movie, this place is a must to visit. It also features the original Hobbit homes which were in this Peter Jackson’s masterpiece.

Iceland

If you like the cold climate – Iceland is the place for you. This country is located on a remote island, and it is filled with various natural wonders which the tourists adore visiting. If you travel to Iceland, make sure to check every corner of it – it is not very big, and every inch is worth visiting.

Malta

Malta is a place for those who love Mediterranean climate and food. This gem is a mix of various cultures and peoples that blended in and grew into a unique country. It has all – inspiring architecture, interesting nightlife, and a lot of gaming venues such as casinos.

Conclusion

If you have time and money on your hand, make sure to check out one of these places and see how beautiful our planet Earth really is. Make sure to devote time to every site from the list that you visit, as all of them are filled with wonders that are worth checking out and exploring.

Adventure sports, also known as extreme sports, are defined as recreational activities that involve a high degree of risk. Speed, height and unusual conditions potentially dangerous to life are just some of the traits included in adventure sports.

We can separate them into a few categories such as mountain sports, water sports, air sports or winter sports, and they can be motorized or non-motorized. They do, however, share one common trait and that is that they require a considerable physical ability. Many of them require specialized gear to minimize the risk of injuries.

Kayaking

Not all adventure sports are that extreme and kayaking is the perfect example. Although relatively similar to canoeing, it is distinguished by the sitting position and the number of blades the paddle has. Kayak is low to the water and usually made of wood or PVP, however, inflatable kayaks are becoming a lot more popular as well. The paddler is sat in a kayak facing forward with legs in front. If you got your paddles and your kayak, all that is left to do is choose where would you like to go kayaking – calm waters of a river or a lake or mountain rapids.

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving requires a lot of equipment and it is an underwater sport where the diver uses a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, also known as scuba. Tanks filled with oxygen allow divers to stay underwater for long periods of time. It is usually attached to your back and completely independent of surface supply allowing the diver more freedom and a better experience. Sometimes, however, divers prefer having only a snorkel, especially if diving in shallow waters.

Another part of the equipment necessary for movement is the fins that are attached to the feet. It is one of the most beautiful adventure sports as it offers plenty of various locations for diving.

Mountain Biking

We can call mountain biking a relative of biking. Though, the only thing that they have in common is the name as even the bikes used are very different. They are specially designed to have extra durability and performance over rough terrains. Regular biking is done on paved roads, smooth concrete streets. While mountain biking is done on rocky mountain roads and, through forests and even deserts.

It requires good bike handling skills, core strength and most importantly perhaps, self-reliance. Reason for it is the location of the tracks. Far away from the civilization, many riders carry a backpack with food and water and even tools. Knowing how to repair your bike and avoid being stranded seems like a must. Even though you need to be self-reliant, group riders are not uncommon at all, especially on longer treks.

A winner is someone who knows the price of success and somehow always manages to come out on top. There are countless of champions in numerous sports, but some winners deserved to be mentioned as the greatest of all time, in their respected sports. If you’re a fan of racing sports such as bicycle racing or horse racing, their champions aren’t known to a lot of people but still excel at what they do! That is why horse racing offers from bookmakers are becoming more and more popular and people from all over the world like to bet on their favoring racing champions. Here are some of the greatest athletes in the world:

Michael Jordan

Still considered as the undisputed GOAT, Michael Jordan cemented his place on the Mount Rushmore of basketball. Six NBA Finals appearances with six titles and six MVPs is a record that usually ends the GOAT discussion. Statistically, perhaps there are better players; Bill Russell had 11 rings, Kareem finished his career with more points, LeBron James is maybe a better all-around player, but Jordan was a natural-born champion. His killer-instinct will is unparalleled by any athlete, and it will be extremely tough for anyone to surpass him as the GOAT, even for the great LeBron James.

Muhammad Ali

Even though Floyd Mayweather is the only unbeaten boxer ever, the majority of boxing experts agree that Ali is the greatest boxer to have ever lived. His combination of skill, technique, hand speed, dexterity and power made him one of the fiercest fighters and athletes ever. He won his first heavyweight title at the age of 22, beating heavy favorite Sonny Liston. In the legendary Rumble in the Jungle, he took down George Foreman, one of the strongest punchers of all time. His perfection is hard to top, even to this day.

Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento started his professional career at 15 and started playing for the Brazilian National team at 16. He scored a goal on both occasions. In 1958, he was the youngest player in World Cup History as he scored a hat trick in the semifinals against France and two more in the Final against Sweden. Brazil with Pele at their side will go and win two of the next three World Cups. He played 19 seasons for the Brazilian Santos, where he scored 619 goals in 638 matches. Pele was a true wizard of football, and it is unlikely that someone will surpass him ever.

Serena Williams

Serena is one of the most dominant female tennis players of all time. She has captured 4 Olympic gold medals along with 23 Grand Slams, and she has an Open era record of 80% win rate. Combination of pure talent with the most powerful groundstrokes in women’s tennis makes her one of the best athletes of any sports. No one has impacted tennis more than Serena as the game is being changed by her success and records.

Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps is a competitive swimmer and most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals, 23 of which were gold. He has won a total of 82 medals in major international tournaments, 65 of which were gold.  His fantastic swimming capabilities mostly come from his incredible physical attributes. His international titles and record-breaking performances have earned him a place on the list of best athletes of all time.

When you have powerful kicks, learning how to weaponize them seems like a logical next step, and some of the football players definitely agree. In other words, there are a few synergies between football and martial arts that are definitely worth exploring. For example, martial arts teach us how to fall properly to avoid serious injuries, which can definitely come in handy if you want to fake a foul. Also, if you love betting on sports and measuring odds you should use the advantage of Allwin City bonus code, and take into consideration which players are more intimidating because they are martial artists.

All jokes aside, being interested and practicing martial arts is awesome, and if football players inspire their fans to take up that sport as well, all the better. So, here we will go over a few of the famous football players who are also talented in the arts of self-defense and discipline.

Chris Smalling

Praised for playing defense in both England and Manchester United, Chris has won over the fans of football all over the world. However, before he became dedicated to football, Chris was fully committed to judo as a teenager. He was a national champion at one point, and recently he visited his old dojo where he received a warm welcome from previous trainers. Furthermore, he had a backup plan, just in case his football career did not work out, and that is studying business management.

Bolo Zenden

One of Bolo’s colleagues once said that Zenden used one of his karate moves on him. Of course, it was just a joke and he also said how he continuously taunted Bolo to show him one of his techniques. Bolo Zenden is not a master of karate, but he is very talented in Judo. In fact, Zenden earned a black belt at the age of 14 and won a champion title 3 times back in Limburg. So, there is no need to doubt what he is capable of, the titles speak for themselves.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

In the hometown of Malmo Zlatan became a black-belt Taekwon-Do fighter at the age of 17. Thanks to these martial arts skills Ibrahimovic shined on the pitch, awarding the spectators with some of the most sublime volleys and meticulous ball control. This legendary striker is also known for kicking his teammates, so it’s hard not to think that he and Chris Smalling did not have sparing sessions while they were both playing for Manchester United.

Bixente Lizarazu

Bixente always had multiple extra-curricular activities such as surfing, and ice racing. However, in 2008 he decided to pivot his sports efforts and focus on martial arts. With the help of Yannick Beven, who is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Bixente embarked on a journey of mastering BBJ.

It only took 18 months, and Bixente’s dedication started to bear fruit. The player from Bayern became a European Champion in the senior lightweight division in 2009. Of course, these were only blue belt fighters, but showing such promise at the age of 39 after year and a half of training is really amazing. It seems that he was not just ready to retire from competing in sports.

Even though FIFA World Cup won’t be played for another four years, and the Olympics is scheduled for 2020, there are some excellent sporting occasions to fill your calendar in 2019. Most certainly, there will be a great number of good promotions like the Bet9ja promotion code to grab before betting on these events.

Audi FIS Ski World Cup

What a better way to start a new year than watching 32 of the world’s best skiers, including both men and women, battling out to capture the trophy? The event will be held on January 1st at the slopes of Holmenkollen, in Norway.

Australian Open

A perfect beginning of the 2019 tennis calendar year, first Grand Slam of the season and it will be a showcase of world-class tennis played under the scorching Australian sun. The tournament is always well attended as the most elite tennis players will compete for the title, but Melbourne is an attraction by itself; rich culture, great architecture and good vibes. In 2018, Roger Federer won the title for the second time in a row, but in 2019 all the top players will be competing in Rod Laver Arena for the grand prize. We will see if Novak Djokovic can repeat one of the greatest achievements in tennis and capture a non-calendar Grand Slam. It will undoubtedly be an entertaining and intense tournament, and it will be played from January 14-27.

Super Bowl 2019

Super Bowl LIII, the 53rd Super bowl championship game will take place in one of the most exciting venues in the league – the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The city of Atlanta will host one of the most entertaining sports events of the year and undoubtedly the biggest NFL game. The ultimate fan experience will be held on February 3, 2019.

Monaco Grand Prix

One of the most iconic sports events and famous destinations, the Monaco Grand Prix a pure delight for Formula 1 fans. It’s a favorite for many drivers, and the fans adore this exotic and prestigious event. The narrow, winding streets make this competition one of the most challenging as there is no margin for errors. The city of Monaco is spectacular; it has casinos, some of the most luxurious hotels in the world, and a lively nightlife scene. The event is scheduled from May 23 to May 26, 2019.

UEFA Champions League final

Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano is hosting the 2019 champions’ league finals. Real Madrid has won the tournament for the three previous years, but it will be difficult for them to repeat it the fourth time in a row as Ronaldo has moved to Juventus, and the competition is much stronger this year. The football spectacle of the year is scheduled for June 1.

Wimbledon

Wimbledon is widely recognized as the most important Grand Slam tournaments of them all, especially among players. The prestigious tournament will be a showcase of history, tradition, and fast-paced tennis. It will be interesting to see if Roger Federer has some gas left in his tanks, and whether he will be able to stop Djokovic from catching him in the grand slam race.

Tour de France

One of the most popular sports event in the world, predominantly hosted in France, will be held in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. 2019 Tour de France will mark the 100th anniversary of the introduction of yellow jerseys. The greatest cycling event of the year is scheduled for July 6 – July 28.

Grandma and grandpa should definitely not try to break any records or challenge champions, especially if they have not fought before. However, there are numerous benefits when it comes to doing martial arts that are of particular use to seniors. Here is why this is an excellent hobby and lifestyle for the elderly.

Physical Health

Yes, many old people have brittle bones, irregular processes in their body, problems with their heart, vision, blood pressure, and others. This just means that any new hobby should be done carefully with many precautions.

As martial arts were designed to keep the body in peak physical condition, it is natural that the movements and exercises are great for one’s metabolism. One can expect that many dormant conditions of their body become reawakened. Not only will seniors pull their muscles less often, but they will also establish a certain rhythm in life and gain strength and endurance above average for their age group. Furthermore, regular exercising in this regard and the constant need to focus will train the brain and slow down many of the aging processes.

To put it plainly, those that do martial arts are stronger, more disciplined, more focused, and more limber than their peers. That is definitely a benefit worth considering when weighing out the pros and cons.

Mental Health

It is hard to stay motivated when working on yourself by yourself. Many would-be martial artists, book writers, programmers, and chess players, some of which may or may not include a few of our writers, have trouble staying focused and let their physical and mental capacities deteriorate if they are not doing their exercises in a group. Regular exercise with a friendly group of people alleviates the feelings of loneliness, abandonment, or even a generally negative outlook on life.

Community

If you know a few seniors, you know their most common topics and problems. The top of the list includes health, boredom, and politics. Doing martial arts, as well as just being in a martial arts club or school, opens a whole new world for the newcomer, the elderly included. It prevents people from becoming isolated shut-ins. It doesn’t matter whether you call them connections or relationships, this bond with other people is always beneficial to one’s well-being, provided, of course, they are not an introvert.

Self-Defense

The world can sometimes be a scary place for seniors. It is a good idea to work on your body and practice techniques to be able to defend yourself from potential attackers. Be careful and aware of your body’s limitations.

If you are interested in the self-defense portion of the martial arts, make sure you find classes with this as focus or let your instructor know that this is something you are interested in.

There are a great many techniques used in martial arts that don’t make it to combat sports because they are not in the spirit of sportsmanship, but they are great for disabling the opponent.

The lives that we lead are by no means healthy. We are constantly under stress, overworked, and subjected to too much information every day. Aside from it not being healthy for our bodies, it is also bad for our brain too. It can become cluttered, and not able to perform its usual functions very well. Unless we take a step back and reflect on our lifestyles, we may not be able to do some creative thinking when we need to. But if you are sometimes blocked and unable to think outside of the box, there may be some things that you can do in order to clear up your mind and be as creative as you can be. Here are some activities that you can do to boost creative thinking.

Start Journaling

As we mentioned, the mind can very quickly become cluttered, because of the sheer volume of the data that it processes on a daily basis. It is then forced to clear up space on its own, which means that often important things go unnoticed and become forgotten.

However, if you keep a journal, you can help relieve some of the stress from dealing with unnecessary information, and keep your mind clear, which is very important for creative thinking.

Also, choosing a vibrant and colorful notebook can act as a visual cue for your brain and help in the process.

Exercise

Although we know it is important, most people forget just how important exercising really is. However, challenging your body, although it may be tough, can lead to overcoming mental obstacles. After a stressful day at the office, vigorous training may alleviate some of the stress, and shift your focus from the less important things to the things that truly matter to you. Also, your body produces hormones that cause you to feel relaxed and satisfied after your exercise, which is exactly what you need in your creative process.

Meditation

One of the ways that we clog our brains with unnecessary information is by never ceasing to put new information in. Even when we are taking a break from work, we are browsing the Internet, reading the news, and loading more and more data into our heads.

Meditation can be a good way of stopping the influx of data and allowing the brain to process all the things we have seen or heard that day.

Sleeping

Sometimes, mental or physical fatigue is too much to bear, and your mind and body just need a full recharge. This is why, when you are having trouble with creative thinking, you should always try taking a small nap, allowing yourself to restore some energy, and try again after waking up. It sounds too simple to work, but it has often proved to be effective.

The most unfortunate thing when it comes to martial arts is that a great number of people only turn to them after they had a traumatic experience or felt that their life was in danger. Martial arts can serve as a skill to be used in self-defense, but they are also an incredible booster for our confidence and they teach us how to understand our bodies better.

When opting for a martial art it is important to understand yourself as well the martial art in question. Every martial art is unique in its own way, and different martial arts agree with different people. However, no matter which one you choose you can’t go wrong. You will soon see yourself performing acts that you once thought were meant only for the people in the movies. To help you make the best possible choice, we have compiled a list of most effective martial arts that will help you feel safe and prepared.

Krav Maga

Krav Maga, when translated from Hebrew, means contact fighting and it is one of the most popular forms of self-defense in the world.

The martial art, created by Imi Side-Or, is used by the Israeli Defense Forces as the official defense method.

Even though there are many variations around the world, in its basic form you can learn how to disarm someone with a gun or knife, but also grappling, striking, and kicking.

Aikido

Many will disagree with putting Aikido on this list. But, while some of us need to use martial arts for defending ourselves, there are people like prison guards, security detail, and police officers who have to use force all the time.

Aikido is good in that case because it cannot cause too much harm to the person you are defending against, but it can be good for restraining the opponent.

Of course, keep in mind that when it comes to Aikido, if you reach a professional level you can lock your opponent’s wrists and push them away easily, but only if your adversary is unskilled and has no other martial art in his/her sleeve.

Karate

It is only natural that Karate has found its place on this list.

Punching, kicking, blocking, and sometimes grappling are all parts of Karate, and can be very useful in self-defense.

Straight strikes, powerful punches and kicks are all benefits of this budget-friendly martial art.

Although there are those who claim this style to be very stiff in comparison to other martial arts who don’t use blocking as much, it can work wonders on your punches and kicks.

Keysi

Superhero and comic books fans will live this style since it was featured as one of Batman’s main moves in Batman Begins. This Spanish street fighting style is ideal for someone who is being attacked by several opponents.

Silat

Originally from South East Asia, this dance-like self-defense style is like no other. By using energy and manipulation of balance, this martial art is designed to confuse your opponents and potentially hurt their limbs.

In terms of recreation, the elderly and the people leading a sedentary lifestyle are often encouraged to do some sports. However, recreational activities and sports are not the same. There is a lot of overlap between the two, as many competitive sports can be used as recreational activities, albeit with a more relaxed pace.

What Is the Difference?

A sport is a physically demanding activity that requires an individual or a team to compete against others while pushing their body and their skills to the limit for the purposes of earning money or entertainment. Granted, we find that this definition is somewhat lacking, but you get the gist.

Recreation, on the other hand, refers to everything we do for pleasure. It is something that is not work but play, in a way. You can still play football, go mountain-climbing, or use parkour to get to your favorite coffee place, but if you are not doing it to entertain anyone or to make some money, but simply for the pleasure of it or because you can, that is recreation. It is an important part of personal development and mental and physical health.

Recreational Activities That Are Not Sports

This is a wide category, so we are going to have to break it down. For the sake of simplicity, we have opted to divide these recreational activities into two groups: physically demanding and relaxed.

Physically Demanding

This is a category to which all martial artists and amateur athletes belong.

Martial arts that are not combat sports but are legitimate skills where no scores are kept are used here either for self-defense or to keep your body in top physical condition. We’ve already talked about some of the benefits of martial arts for the elderly in another piece, which you can read here.

Hiking, jogging, riding a bike, playing Frisbee in the park, and walking your dog, for example, are all activities that do require some physical exertion. This is not the level of exertion you would find on an average sports field, but it is something that gives us pleasure and keeps us healthy.

Workout programs and different practices that are not about competitive results but rather your own well-being, like yoga, pilates, and tai-chi are also physically demanding recreational activities that have nothing to do with sports.

Relaxed

There are many recreational activities where you don’t have to move a finger, figuratively speaking.

Hobbies like reading, fishing, playing video games (despite the existence of eSports), chess, cards, and board games have more to do with taking care of your mind, rather than your body.

Meditation is a practice in many religions and personal philosophies where you tune out the world, which helps put things in perspective. Think of it as taking a deep breath when you are stressed, but doing it properly and not trying to fit an hour of relaxation into 20 seconds.

What Does This Mean

Sports are great for your health and can be used recreationally and not just competitively. However, doing sports is not the only form of recreation that is valid. Anything that gives you pleasure and is not self-destructive (this is important) can be used as recreation. Bonus points if you can make it benefit your body and/or mind. Don’t overdo it.

Learning as a child is much easier than when you are an adult. This is a general rule and usually goes with every skill or practice. But it is not impossible for a full-grown adult to learn something even if they are absolute beginners during a certain point in their lives.

Sports are specifically good for an adult to start. Mainly because they are healthy and they allow you to keep fit. It does not matter if it is easy or not. The point is to start doing something as it will greatly benefit you and may even prolong your life.

But which sport should one choose? Here are some prime examples.

Longboarding

Skateboarding is a very fun sport. It is even being added to the upcoming Olympics as a new sport. Therefore it is the best time to try it. But skateboarding can be a bit hard for certain people. Doing tricks is the idea behind skateboarding but those can be really difficult if you are not into it as much.

So longboarding is the next best thing. You can’t perform flips or kicks with a longboard, but you can ride on it anywhere you want. It builds up your core strength, allows you to add muscles to your legs, and is generally fun.

Basketball

Basketball is an international sport. To start with it you only need a ball and a good pair of shoes. There are basketball courts, inside and outside ones, almost everywhere so it has become much easier to start playing it than before.

Gather your friends and start hooping.

Full-court basketball may be a bit difficult at first as it requires more stamina. But street basketball is quite enough. You can play 3 vs 3 and get all the exercise you need. It is as competitive and great to both play and watch.

Swimming

If you don’t know how to swim, it might be high time to learn. Actually it is never too late.

But if you do it is time to get those muscles to use.

Swimming is considered as the healthiest sport that you can pick up. It allows the whole body to develop naturally. That is why swimmers are probably the most good looking athletes on the planet.

Swimming pools are available everywhere today so simply start making rounds and timing your laps and in no time you will build up the conditioning you need.

Rock Climbing

Spending a day in nature is a great activity that you can do. Spending it by climbing up a hill is even better. This is a really fun activity and there is absolutely no age limit for it. You do need strong arms though and the ability to overcome a fear of heights.