If you have a travel bucket list, chances are you have 'road trip across America' scribbled down on there somewhere. With so many different routes, places to see and things to do it's one epic adventure which explains why it's something that so many of us want to do. Whether you've been toying with the idea for years or are finally at a stage where you're ready to make it happen, here are a few things to bear in mind when you're planning your trip.

 
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Getting married to someone is a huge deal. It's taking that big leap between 'I like you a lot', and 'I love you and I want the whole world to know we belong with each other forever!' Nobody should ever rush into getting married because they think that it's the answer, because it isn't. It isn't something to take lightly - it's a conscious choice towards the future. Now of course, nobody said marriage was going to be easy. There are plenty of ups and downs like any relationship, only marriage means that you have to stick around to face the problems when they arise because that's the promise you've made to one another, and you both want to do what you can to keep it. If you feel like you're beginning to go through a really rough patch recently, then it's important that you understand that there are always options out there to help and support the both of you.Here are some of your options.

Counselling

A lot of people turn their noses down to the idea of going to marriage counselling, because they don't like the idea of bringing a stranger from the outside into their relationship. But in fact, this is also the reason why it can be so good, because they aren't biased or taking sides. They're able to see the relationship as a whole, and spot where the issues lie. One very useful skill that you'll learn when doing this, is how to communicate with one another in a way that doesn't get heated or argumentive. It's all about listening to each other's feelings and needs, and then trying to work on them together.

Time apart

It may sound rather strange, but giving each other some time apart can help to clear the mind, and see how you really feel about one another. This can really go one of two ways. You'll either realise how much you miss one another and can't wait to get back to how things used to be. Or, you may see that being alone is just what you need right now, and although unfortunate, at least you are able to know what it is that you want. So if you're ready to figure out where you both stand, have a week apart and see where the cards end up falling.

Moving on

A cinema or media room sounds pretty luxurious, but you don't need to own a mansion to be able to get on board with this idea. A spare bedroom or an unused reception room could easily be put to use to create a space you really love. If you want to try and create your own private cinema room then there are a couple of things that you can do to make this happen.

Believe it or not, finding the right angle for your seat is all about maths. If you were to draw two lines from the position of the seat to the edge of the screen then this would be your viewing angle. Ideally, this angle should be around 35 degrees, but it can be up to 40 degrees. If you have it any more than this then this can make you feel as though you are far too close to the screen. This is the last thing that you need when you are trying to create the most optimum viewing experience. If you have an angle that is too small then this means that the rest of the room will be in your peripheral vision and this is the last thing that you need.

The housing plan that you have should provide you with more than enough room to have all of the equipment that you need. Basic equipment includes a projector or a screen, a DVD player, a gaming console and more. It’s a good idea for you to have all of your equipment installed in some kind of cupboard or even in a storage area. If you have a higher-end cinema then you may want to consider where you are going to have your projector. Of course, it’s important to know that some projectors will give off way more heat when compared to others and you may even need to have something to cool the room down as well. An air conditioning unit is a great way for you to do this, but if you can’t afford one then don’t worry, a fan is an affordable alternative.

Surround sound really is the key to success with any cinema room. You may even want to have a smart home cinema system installed as this can help you to connect all of your speakers and your wires flawlessly. A lot of cinema rooms have sound that is 5:1 but if you want to step things up then you may want to have 7:1. A subwoofer is also great if you want to really bring out that great sound. You can install these with ease and it is super easy for you to stay on top of the whole thing in terms of maintenance. When planning out your sound, take note of which speakers deliver which part of the sound and then place them accordingly. For example, you don’t want the voices coming from behind you, but sound effects may sound pretty good when they are coming from behind.

While you may think that there’s no need for a guide to decluttering, why don’t you go and tell that to the boxes in the spare room that you still haven’t unpacked or the couple of drawers in the kitchen that have nothing but string, drawing pins, old batteries and a leaky ballpoint pen in. Decluttering really is an art form in itself. We like to think of ourselves as organised life forms with the ability to throw junk away and keep our homes streamlined and efficient, but the reality can be very different. For numerous reasons, we can find it difficult to cut the ties with old items, even though we may have zero need for them anymore. Take a look at this essential guide for decluttering and see if you can implement any of the following steps.

Decluttering cannot happen overnight or even over the course of a weekend. Committing yourself to declutter is like taking on a whole new lifestyle. Firstly, you need to assess each room and make a list of those spaces that are the most cluttered. Don’t use a scattergun approach and instead tackle your home room by room. Work methodically through the items in each room and stick to two simple rules: if you haven’t used it or looked at it in twelve months, it can go and if you are keeping it, find a place for it to be out of sight. One of the major pitfalls of having lots of stuff is knowing where to put it all. Storage solutions like the bookcases available at Old Charm Furniture can add a touch of organisation to your menagerie of ‘stuff.’ Use the shelves for books, DVDs, ornaments and any collections you might have. Just because you are keeping something, doesn’t and shouldn’t mean it has to be on show all the time. There is a myth that decluttering means living frugally with minimal things around you. This is not true. Decluttering is merely the organisation of the things that are essential to maintaining your quality of life. Furniture can help you with that organisation.

You may be more motivated to declutter your interior as you begin to find pieces that you no longer wish to keep but that you might be able to sell. What is one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. List your unwanted stuff on eBay and watch the pennies roll in. Anything that you deem as unsellable can hot foot it to the charity shop allowing you to bask in the warm glow of doing something good for the world.

Can’t get your dream job because you haven’t got experience? Many first-time jobseekers find themselves in a vicious circle of not being able to get a job because they haven’t got experience, but not being able to get experience because they can’t get a job. Fortunately, there are many ways to still chase your dream career without experience.

An education can sometimes be enough if it’s specialised towards the role. Nowadays, there are much more options for seeking out the necessary qualifications. There are courses that you can take over the web such as online digital marketing courses. There are also accelerated courses and short courses that don’t require as much time to complete.

There may be hobbies and interests that can show a passion for the field and help convince employers to hire you. If you’re trying to get a job in journalism this could include starting a blog or writing for a school/university newspaper. Certain hobbies may be able to show proof of job-related skills – being a member of a sports team could show teamwork, whilst learning an instrument could show self-motivation. Even having a large social media following could be proof of marketing skills.

Many employers may not hire you on a paid basis, but many may be willing to offer you some voluntary work. A week’s voluntary experience could be enough to offer you an advantage against candidates with no experience whatsoever. Volunteering could even give you a chance to prove yourself to an employer who may even be willing to give you a paid role afterwards. You can find voluntary positions advertised online or you can simply try contacting employers directly.

Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know. By knowing people in the field, you may be able to convince them to put a good word in for you or you may be able to learn tricks of the trade to help you get a job. You could try attending networking events – if you’re trying to get a job in web programming, this could include attending hackathons and digital trade fairs or going to conferences and launch parties for new software companies. You can also use social media to branch out and make new connections.

One way of gaining the necessary experience could be to freelance your skills. This could include offering to do photography at someone’s wedding, writing a press release for a company or designing album artwork for a band. Sites like Fiverr and Gumtree are great platforms for advertising these skills. Alternatively, you may be able to use your network to find clients.

It seems that now, we need a lot more focus and attention to complete the monumental tasks we have in front of us. You could be running a business at home, or you've got a full time job, as well as children to look after, and so, we can all feel frazzled from time to time. But, is this because we are not fuelling ourselves adequately? Think about it, if you are constantly eating sweet treats, and takeaways, are you putting the right fuel into your body? Everybody knows that the answer is a resounding no. So, you need to consider, when going through your busy week, what should you put into your body to focus properly?

Caffeine is a difficult thing to get right. Consume too little, and you won't feel its effects, consume too much, and you have terrible jitters and a racing heart. Trying to find that veritable sweet spot with caffeine is difficult, but it's also about the quality of the coffee you buy. Generally speaking, it's better to get single source coffee or ensure that it's as pure as possible for your budget. Coffee snobs ensure they get the best freshly roasted coffee beans available, and it's for a very good reason, that they feel energized, but without any of that energy slump that comes with bad quality coffee. Consider this when you are looking at your diet.

Your brain is almost 60% fat, so if you need to maintain focus, you'd better be upping your fat intake. But fat has a bad reputation, as it encompasses so many unhealthy aspects, such as trans fats. But now, there's been a major resurgence in the use of butter as a healthy foodstuff, not to mention diets such as the ketogenic diet being touted as a way to lose weight and gain clarity. Upping your fat intake, and reducing your carb intake is a very simple way to provide your brain with the fuel it requires, but it's also great for your body. Fat is the preferred fuel, which is why, when people fast, and they get into fat burning mode, or ketosis, they feel like they have more energy than ever before.

As life is so busy, and we've got deadlines looming, it can be very easy to underestimate the impact water has on our overall brain power. Keeping yourself hydrated should be your number one priority, but a lot of us forget to drink water, especially when we are constantly on the go. It's always essential to have at least 2 litres of water a day, or more if you are undertaking a lot of physical activity. The best way to do it is to just have a glass of water on the go, and every time it's empty, refill it. It can take some time to get into the swing of things, but once you've got enough water in your body, you will feel the difference.

Simple, yet effective, these three things need to be part of your forward thinking dietary arsenal.