Live Happy Travels

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Are you thinking of a small vacation? Ever thought Houston? One of the upcoming city in the United States, well-known for its oil and gas industry, it’s one of the most versatile city in the United States. Houston, is not only known for its strong economic placement, but it’s also known for young professional seeking new opportunity and adventure.

Houston Places to Visit

Houston has a variety of places to visit, from Houston Zoo, Memorial Park, Discovery Green, and Montrose. They offer a variety of site for tourist to visit. All the locations above are located near the Museum District, surrounded by tasty food and bars. When choosing a desire location to visit, you may first want to view your options in getting around the city.

Houston offers great locations to visit around the city, however public transportation doesn’t connect cities to the airport. When arriving to the city you will need to plan your transportation to the city. Downtown Houston offers a great location to stay and take metro rail within certain parts of the city. Houston area offer Metro bus which can move you along the city, make sure you familiarize yourself with the bus stop.

Places to Stay in Houston

Finding in the city shouldn’t be an issue, I suggest a weekend get away at best. Houston has a well-known theater district, that is surrounded by well-known restaurants. Nearly all the hotel in downtown Houston, offer free shuttle service near downtown. They will be able to drop you off near, the theater district and also Buffalo Bayou Park. You will be surrounded by art color. Fortunately, Houston has vibrant music and food. You will be able to ride across the city in the Metro rail which can connect you to the Houston Zoo and Downtown, while stopping at a couple locations.

First time experience in Houston was great for me. The Houstonians were amazing at answering questions on which part of Houston I should visit. Nonetheless, not having transportation to the city; made me worried on how much I would be spending on transportation throughout my trip. Regardless, the distance from IAH airport made me see different side of the city, uber assisted with traveling cost.

Houston Best Shopping Locations

In choosing options to shop, Houston offers a variety of places to go. The Gallaria Mall offers so many options to go shopping. The overwhelming size of the mall totally made me feel small. The amount of stores and shop locations around the mall made it simple to walk around. Another location to visit would be Rice Village, located near the Museum District. It offers small stores, that you would be able to walk around and visit. Overall I didn’t spend too much time in shopping but I did enjoy the option available. Montrose and Midtown also offers small stores to visit. It’s a perfect location to walk and visit different coffee shops.

Houston Food Recommendation: Brennan’s! We loved it!

Houston City Pass

The ultimate pass in meeting all the popular attraction in Houston. City pass offers 5 attraction for the price of one, they currently include, NASA, Downtown Aquarium, Houston Museum or Natural Science, Houston Zoo or Fine Art Museum, Kemah Boardwalk. These are great places to visit in Houston, NASA would be a little ways out from the downtown area; however if you’ve the time to visit highly recommend it. Nonetheless, there are many things to do but for a weekend getaway in Houston, you can maximize your trip by planning ahead. On a none busy weekend in downtown Houston, you’re able to purchase a hotel that’s well below price.

Houston Weekend Getaway

If you’re planning a small getaway, I highly recommend visiting Houston. Food and attractions are priced at a reasonable price and you will be available to visit different attractions. Depending on the date you plan to visit, hotels are reasonably price.

What are your suggestion traveling to Houston? Leave a comment

down below, and let us know what you think of Houston.

 

 

 

 

There is lot of beautiful places to visit in Finland, so we decided to write about a few of our favorite places in the south. These places are all quite close to the capital city, Helsinki and can be reached even with public transportation. Here is some places we have enjoyed while exploring the south of Finland.

Visit Turku

Turku is Finland oldest city and used to be the capital of Finland before, Russia took over the country in 1809. Unfortunately, a large area of the city was destroyed in a massive fire in 1827. Still, the part of the city that was not destroyed has been preserved to this day and can be visited. It is quite astonishing to see how small the houses were back then.

You can also visit the sale shall in the city center where you can enjoy a coffee, grab lunch or shop for fresh produce.

When you’re planning to visit the city you will need to try the legendary restaurant called Dennis, here you can eat pasta and pizza all made by hand, this is the oldest restaurant chain in Finland founded in 1975. For many years you could only visit this restaurant in Turku but not it is also located in other cities, however there is something special about visiting the original restaurant in Turku.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Porvoo Finland Tourism

You can find the small city of Porvoo about 30 minutes east of Helsinki, this city has the cutest old town with small shops, cafés and restaurants. Porvoo is histrically very important in Finland, it’s the half-way mark between St Petersburg and Turku, many important meetings were held here. Porvoo was also the most important trading town in the olden days. On the hill of the old town you can also fin the beautiful Porvoo Church. They began building Porvoo Church in the 1200th century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finland Loviisa

Loviisa is a town located about 90km east of Helsinki, if you are visiting Finland in the summer; I highly recommend taking a look what events are happening in this small town. Especially in the summer, this town has fun local events by the Finnish channel.

Want to experience the Archipelago? it can be done from here, there’s even some cabins to rent through airbnb in the summer. It is beautiful to enjoy the light summer nights close to nature.

Outside the coast of Loviisa there is also a sea fortress, just like Suomenlinna that I wrote about in the ”travel Helsinki” article. The sea fortress is smaller but still worth seeing. They also have a restaurant and café out on the island where you can enjoy a meal, in order to get out to the fortress you can catch a ferry in town.

Right by Loviisa in a place called Pernaja you can visit one of Finlands the oldest churches, the church is detailed from floor to roof in paintings and details, it is truly a work of art. They also have mass here every Sunday.

If you would like to experience a little bit of swedish-finn culture you can also time your stay so that you can attend the Lurens summer play, this is a fun amateur theater who puts on a show every summer, even if you wouldn’t understand the language it is a lot of fun to listen to the music and see them enjoy themselves.

Repovesi National Park

Repovesi national park is located almost 3 hours from the capital, here you can hike and see breath taking views. The park is fit for people all ages, there is about 40km of trail running through the park, some are easy that everyone can enjoy and some are a little more difficult. Even on the easier trails you can see lots of amazing views. You can tent out in the park overnight, the parks also have rest areas with bonfire pits where you can make food.

You can check out the Repovesi website http://www.nationalparks.fi/repovesinp for more information!

Sightseeing The South

The south of Finland has strong and rich history, this is where the biggest cities have been since the start of Finland under the Swedish empire. If you are a fan of very old Nordic history these places are a must visit. Finland also has many beautiful lakes and hiking trails that offer scenic view of natural beauty. We are definite planning on taking a trip up north to explore Lapland and the beauty of Northern Finland.

Please leave a comment if you have visited any of these places and let us know what you liked the most. Have you visited Lapland? We would love to hear your suggestions on what to see in the Northern part of Finland.

 

Location: Finland, Northern Europe

Official languages: Finnish & Swedish

Population: 5,5 million

Currency: Euro (€)

Brief History

Helsinki is the capital city of Finland and is located at the south coast.

Helsinki didn’t become the capital city until 1812 after Russia took over Finland from Sweden, before this Helsinki was just a small town. The year Russia took over Helsinki, it became the capital due to the fact it was closer to St. Petersburg; and from there Helsinki started to be built.

Today Helsinki is the largest city in Finland with about 650 000 residents. The summer Olympics of 1952 were held in Helsinki and it is also know the home of Ice Hockey.

Helsinki Tourist Attractions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Helsinki Cathedral

The Helsinki Cathedral is located in the heart of Helsinki at the senate square, this majestic building was finished in 1852 and is a Lutheran church. The cathedral and the senate square was designed by German, Carl Ludvig Engel. The cathedral is still in frequent use and is open for tourists year round. About 350 000 people visit the cathedral every year.

 

2. Uspenski Cathedral
The Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Eastern Orthodox church in Western Europe. It was designed by the russian Aleksey Gornostayev. Uspenski Cathedral is very similar in style to the churches in St. Petersburg, Russia. The church was finished in 1868, and is still in frequently use. The church is open to the public all year round, but in the winter times it’s closed on Mondays.

 

 

3. Suomenlinna/ Sveaborg

Suomenlinna is a sea fortress located in the archipelago just outside of Helsinki city. Suomenlinna has been designated as a world heritage site since 1991. The construction of the fortress stated in 1748 by Augustin Erensvärd, the fortress was used against Russian attacks on Finland. The sea fortress today is open to the public year round. If you visit Suomenlinna in the summer time make sure to pack a lunch and enjoy it on the island. The fortress is also bigger than you would think, (it is built on 6 islands) so I would reserve a day to explore this beautiful fortress.

(You can get to the island by ferry, the HSL card I talk about further down in the text can take you out to this fortress.)

4. Temppeliaukio Church

It is also called ”The Rock Church” since it was built into the ground. The church was designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and was opened to the public in 1969. It is frequently used as a concert hall, this is because the rock walls create beautiful acoustics.

Popular Finland Foods

Helsinki has lots of small cafés and restaurants where you can sit and enjoy a meal or coffee. Finland is the number one consumer of coffee, so it only makes sense that you can find a number of cozy coffee shops.

1. Manala

This restaurant is located at a walking distance from downtown Helsinki. Still, it has a cozy and relaxed atmosphere where you can enjoy a nice sit down dinner. This restaurant offers some of Finlands signature dishes such as sautéed reindeer and fried vendace.

2. Fafa’s

If you are looking for something quick but delicious, go to one of the super famous food places called Fafa’s. Fafa’s is a growing company that was started in Helsinki. Here you can get filled pita breads, salads and side dishes, for cheap prices!

3. Fazers café

If there is something Finland is famous for it is their Fazer brand, most people know Fazer because of their outstanding chocolate but they also offer so much more. If you are looking for the best breakfast or coffee break in town, go to the Fazer Café. They serve breakfast, brunch and lunch, but beware these places are very popular so many times it can be quite crowded. Still, worth the wait.

Helsinki Hotels Finland

There are lots of hotels in the city center that is located at a walking distance from everything you would want to see. Depending on how you chose to live during you stay in Helsinki, you can find affordable places all over the city. Some popular hotels in downtown of Helsinki is Hotel Kämp, Radisson blue and Scandic hotel. Hotel Kämp, is probably the fanciest hotel in the city where all the celebrities stay when they visit. Scandic and Radisson both have good prices and all that you could need for a stay there.

Also Airbnb has lots of great options here, and since the city of Helsinki has such great public transport network it should be no problem to use this option as well.

City Tours Helsinki

Helsinki is actually quite a small city and the main attractions are located quite close to each other. If you are staying close to the city center you will be at a walking distance from most attractions.

However, Helsinki has lots of public transport which makes it really easy to travel around, if you are staying within the Helsinki region you are able to purchase public transport tickets from Kiosks for the day or even longer times. The HSL card can take you around on almost any public transport in the city, trams, metros, busses and trains.

HSL ticket prices HELSINKI 2018:

1 day – 9,00€

2 days – 13,50€

3 days – 18,00€

4 days – 22,50€

5 vrk – 27,00€

6 days – 31,50€

7 days – 36,00€

To find you way from one place to another they have a website called www.reittiopas.fi that you can use to get public transport schedules from one place to another.

Visiting Helsinki

Personally, I think that the best time to visit

the southern parts of Finland is in the summer.

The city of Helsinki comes alive in the summer

time with outside terraces for food and drinks,

farmers market and beautiful parks.

If you do visit Helsinki in the winter time be

sure to bring some warm clothes, Helsinki can

get quite cold. Helsinki is surrounded by water’

not to mention that in the winter time the

temperature can drop to an average -15 degrees

Celsius or more.

 

Have you visited Helsinki? What was you favorite part about the city?

 

 

 

Most women have essentials and holy grail products that we use on a daily bases, but today we also tend to have a lot more makeup than we need, but what are the essential products that we should bring on our trips?

Most of the time we over think what makeup and clothes we should bring, and in the end we end up bringing lots of unnecessary things. Consider, If you are going to a hot and or humid location, chances are that you won’t even wear much makeup if the weather is really hot. Most of the products can be used in any weather or location, it really just depends on what the plans are for the trip.

I will offer you some tips how to pack a minimal amount of makeup. Remember makeup is supposed to be fun, be creative and keep in mind that many products can be used for may different things, which means, you can save space in the bag.

Most products in this post will be by MAC Cosmetics but feel free to use products from the favorite brand/brands.

For the base

When going to a hot or humid place it is important to wear something light with a good primer and high SPF. Lots of brands now offer waterproof foundations and high SPF creams.

The products that will warry depending on weather is mostly skincare and foundation, but remember, skincare and prepping the skin is the most important thing when it comes to makeup application.

Primer

A primer will make the makeup last longer, this is especially important if you are in a humid environment. To prime the skin I would apply the MAC Cosmetics Sun Protect Lotion which has an SPF of 50.

If you are spending the trip in the cold or even just a normal 20C/75F I would opt for a primer that is more moisturizing ex. Strobe cream is a moisturizer with iridescent pigments in it which gives you a natural glow, if you don’t want something with a shine you can opt for the natural radiance primer that will balance the skin and fits all skin types.

If you are someone that wants to go really simple you can also chose MAC fix+ spray which is hydrating for the skin but also helps your makeup last longer. Keep in mind though that this product has no SPF in it. The Fix+ spray is also good if you travel a lot on a plane, since the spray is hydrating it is a great way to keep your skin fresh in the dry airplane air. This product is also offered in travel size so it wont take much space.

Foundation

Again if you are going on a beach vacation i would bring either a really sheer or waterproof foundation ex. MAC Cosmetics Face and body foundation has sheer coverage, and can also be used on arms and legs, If you are more into full coverage, MAC Prolong wear waterproof is full coverage but stays like a dream even in the water.

One foundation that won’t let you down is MAC studio fix fluid, this is a full coverage matte foundation but for example mixed with the strobe cream i mentioned earlier you can get natural glowy skin with this foundation too.

Powder

Now I am not a huge fan of powder I like a natural glow but if you want to use a powder get something lightweight, such as MAC mineralize skin finish powder or MAC perfecting powder. These will give you some coverage but feel light on the skin.

Eyes & Brows

Eyes are quite straight forward, depending on how much makeup you use on a daily bases I would bring with me a small eye shadow palette with some basic colors. I would also opt for a palette where you have a cool gray/brown shade which you can use for the eyebrows. This will save you space in the bag since you do’t have to bring 3 extra products for brows.

Brands these days offer you the option to build the own eye shadow palettes so if you are someone that travel a lot for business or just pleasure I would build my own and chose one color to use for the brows.

Lip stick travel

I always encourage to keep the rest of the makeup simple and go for some nice lipstick. This is an easy way to add a pop of color or pull together the look. When I travel I usually bring about 3 or 4 lipsticks.

– Classic Red

– Perfect Nude

– A Darker brown/Red

– A fun color ex. pink, purple, orange

These colors will bring you lots of variety with the outfits. Remember to bring the favorite lip liners to use with the lipsticks. This will make the lipsticks last longer.

Remember that lipsticks can also be used as cream blushes!

Makeup Removers & skincare

When thinking about what to use for removing the makeup at the end of the day I suggest going simple. MAC Cosmetics has an amazing makeup remover called Cleanse off oil which removes waterproof, non-waterproof and anything else you use. They also offer it in travel size which will make the packing a lot easier.

Do not forget to bring the moisturizer. Now you already have the skin protect lotion for the day so bring something a little heavier for nighttime, for example the studio moisture fix creme from MAC is fantastic to use during the night as well.

Bring you favorite lip conditioner and an eye cream and you are good to go.

Travel makeup tips

It is quite easy to get carried away when it comes to your makeup bag, especially if it is something you enjoy. Still if you are someone that travel a lot or want to have a makeup bag on the go i would opt for products you can use that have multiple purposes, such as the eye shadows for both eyes and brows, and why not even a highlight?

What are your travel essentials? I woudl love to know, leave a comment down below and let me know if there is something you have to have when going on a trip!

 

 

 

 

Sometimes  we women tend to over pack when going on holidays, we always think ”what if I need this”, and end up packing something that is completely irrelevant to where we’re planning to go. Below, I have added easy tips to assist you in packing.

When you plan what to pack keep in mind where you are going, is it going to be hot, cold, sun or perhaps snow? This is going to help you pack accordingly, it will also make your life a lot easier; if you plan your outfits in advance the last thing you want to do is show up with a suitcase packed with clothes you never used.

Women Travel Day Wear

It’s always beneficial to think in advance what kind of outfits you would like to wear during your trip. You can lay them out on your bed, or floor to help you see how your outfit would look like. Usually, it’s easier to bring a pair of black pants or jeans, which allows you to wear any style or colored top, however if the weather is hot; I would suggest packing dresses and shorts.

Evening wear

It is always a good idea to bring clothes on your trip that can serve in multiple purposes., but it is understandable that you would also bring a cocktail- or a little black dress for nights out. In most vacations, you don’t really know what the life night brings, however why not dress up for the occasion.

Best Travel Shoes Women 

Footwear depends a lot on what kind of travel you are doing and what you like to do. Try to think what you’re planning to do in your trip, it will assist you in packing accordingly. Here is a few tips on shoes you could bring to three different types of trips.

1. City trip

For a weekend city trip it is important that you have shoes that you can sight see, and walk around in, an example of a good sightseeing shoe would be the Nike Air Max shoes for a more sporty look, and Vans or Converse as a more trendy but comfortable shoe.

When visiting cities it is also very likely you will end up going to dinner, or for a few drinks its important to also bring a shoe that are classy and go well with your dress outfits, you can never go wrong with a nice pair of heels. Bring a heel that goes with most of your outfits, depending on your style, and choice of color also you could choose to bring a heel in a bright color or a classic black pump, either or your heels will be able to spice up any outfit you brought for your trip.

2. Beach trip

If you are headed to a vacation on the beach your best option is going to be either flip-flops, or some sort of sandal that is easy to put on and take off. You will be walking from your hotel to the pool and to the beach, sandals will work in all those occasions.

Even if you most likely will spend most of your time on the beach, its smart to bring a pair of heels and tennis shoes for shopping and dinners.

3. Backpacking or hiking trips

If you’re headed for a hiking or a backpacking trip I would only bring one or two pairs of shoes, hiking shoes and a pair of trail shoes. It is good to have another pair in case your shoes get wet, you have an additional pair; also if your feet get tired from one pair of shoes you have another set to change to.

Women Travel Accessories

When choosing your accessories for the trip it is important to remember that simple is the way to go, the last thing you want to do is bring a bag of jewelry; and realize that they have all been tangled on each other. Simply just bring the ones you’re planning to wear.

Accessories that are also great to remember are scarves, hats and gloves. Scarves can easily spice up a shirt or an outfit, and is also an easy way to add a pop up color to your outfit.

Key accessories that can make an outfit a lot nicer would be:

1. Watch

2. Scarf

3. Hat

4. Rings

Overall Women Travels 

I hope these tips will help you to make your life easier when packing! Just remember if you have to ask yourself ”do I really need this” you most likely do not need it.

I would love to hear what your favorite items are to bring on vacation, please leave a comment below!

 

 

 

 

 

Many times we arrive at our travel destination and we have no clue where to go, where to eat or what to see. Of course, there are many ways of figuring this out without a smartphone or a tablet, but in reality today most people own a smartphone so why not use it. Below we have listed some of our favorite travel apps, and what is the best part? They are FREE.

Online Booking Flights

We all want to find the best flights possible flight that best suites are needs. Every shopper has their personal needs in finding a flight, some don’t mind paying a higher cost of for a ticket, and in return having a one way flight. While, others would rather pay less and wouldn’t mind having a lay away. Regardless, these apps below would help you find the most affordable and reasonable flights.

Skyscanner

Great tool that assist travelers in finding the best available flights. Skyscanner is used world wide, and provides a variety of information regarding specific dates and times. Not only is it used in flights, but also car rentals, and also hotels. Most travelers download skyscanner app when seeking a trip abroad.

Kayak

Kayak is similar to skyscanner, it compares a variety of search engines that offer pricing on products to chose from. Flight, hotel, car rental, and also cruises. It’s a great tool in comparing prices in specific dates and also times, you’re able to create an alert when the best available price is available.

 

 

Discount Booking Hotels

As I already mentioned previously both skyscanner and kayak offer hotel bookings as well, but I find that there are apps that are even better for booking accommodation.

1. Airbnb

Airbnb have become a fantastic app for finding places to stay when traveling. You can rent a whole apartment/ house or just a room. Usually the prices are also very reasonable and this will also save you money. An example would be renting a home that offers a kitchen and laundry machine, while in the long term saving money in food and convenience of washing. We have used Airbnb many times while traveling it is very effective and can save you good money.

2. Booking.com

Booking.com is a wonderful app to find hotels in good locations. One feature we enjoy about this app is that you are able to look at a map where the hotel is located in the city and what sort of transportation and monuments are located close by. The last thing you want is to book a hotel that is miles away from the city center.

3. Agoda

Agoda is another great app for finding hotels and places to stay, and for very good prices. Just like booking.com you can see where the hotels are located and book them stress free on the go.

Free Food Apps

We all love to try the local food when traveling, we always want to find the coziest cafes and best restaurants to try some delicious food.

1. Yelp

On Yelp, you can find lots of reviews on places to eat. The app also gives you the options to choose, if you are looking for a restaurant, café or a bar. You are also able to chose to make reservations, takeout or delivery. This app can make your life a lot easier on the go.

2. Foursquare

Foursquare is also a great app to find food, the app finds restaurants close to your locations, rates them and tells you the price range for that particular restaurant. This app also lets you chose what kind of meal you are looking for, is it dinner, lunch, breakfast or a good bar. The nice thing with this app is that it also offer to tell you where the best nightclubs are but also things to do in the area.

Travel Mapping App

We all want to use are time wisely while on vacation, many times we are not sure where to go or what to do, especially if you end up taking a last minute weekend trip to an unknown location. We have some helpful apps, that will help you from reaching your destination.

1. Google Trips

Google Trips is a fantastic app to use if you are looking for the most popular attractions at your destination. You can find things to do in advance or on the spot and save them to your list of places to visit.

In this app you are able to add your travel dates, and the app will let you download the city, meaning that you are able to access the app even in offline mode at the destination!

2. Google maps

Now this might seem like an obvious app to have, but it is actually very helpful when traveling; and if you do your research in advance for example while on WiFi at the hotel, you are able to use the map without WiFi or internet since the app has already loaded that the area you researched.

 

We hope that you enjoyed these useful tips on how to make your travel easier, if you have any apps that you love and would like to share on our page, please feel free to leave a comment below! We would love to hear your travel tips as well!

 

 

 

[metaslider id=92][metaslider id=92][metaslider id=92]It’s hard to imagine

what your significant other really goes through when they travel. When finding the right gift to suit their travel needs, you might question which gift meets their needs. It can be easy to think they have all the essential at hand, but in reality it may be the opposite. There are a variety of bundle gifts for men who travel, and they all can suit their every needs.

Gifts For Men Who Love to Travel

It could be many reasons why they travel, maybe for work, or simply a vacation. You might wonder what essential they may need. Do they have enough accessories? are their clothes worn out? Regardless, if you’re taking a trip by car or by plane, you can never be quite sure if you have all your travel accessories. When leaving the state or country, most times you realize, there’s a higher purchase price abroad. Instead of enjoying your trip, you spend valuable time looking for an item that may never be found. Below I listed a couple great gift ideas that are perfect when building a gift basket. All the product below are within $15.

 

Best Men Moisturizing Body wash

Simplicity could be the best gift given, view it from an end user. They don’t need to spend additional money in buying a gift, or don’t have to take time away planning to go shopping.

1. Body wash: You can purchase different amount of items at Bath and Body works. Items that consist of shave and shower products all in one. They’re a perfect gift when paired with another small item.
2. Men Hair Product: Hair product are always a must for most men. They can consist of a variety of must need, such as hair gel, hair spray, and wax. Easily packed and can be added with an additional small gift.
3. Men cologne: Men cologne can be a great gift for a guy! Who doesn’t need cologne? When traveling its great to put on when you plan to go out.

 

Simple Face Products

Men are as caring to their face, as they’re to th

eir hair. When deciding in a gift, your given a broad range of options. They will all consist of gifts, that can be use at home and on the road. All gifts, can assist with the travel, and be used on a daily bases.

1. Men Anti wrinkle: Great gift when considering the amount travel time they spend.
2. Moisturizer: Another small item that is recommended daily and easily combo with another option.
3. AM/PM Eye Cream: With all the traveling and the amount of sleep lost, eye cream seems an ideal gift. Personally, it comes in handy, when you haven’t had enough sleep.

 

Real Simple Gifts Men

When traveling it takes time to pack and also any item listed about would be a great choice to be add on. The list above can easily be made into a gift basket, not only would they receive more than one gift; but you can also save a significant amount of money. When choosing a gift large items and also exceeding budget doesn’t necessarily need to be your main goal.

If you have suggestion on any gifts below $20, please comment below.