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Multifocals 2.0: See Clearly at Any Distance

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Multifocals 2.0: See Clearly at Any Distance

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Sounds familiar? That whole needing-glasses-to-read-the-paper thing hits differently after 40, right? Are you struggling to see both your phone and the world around you? Yeah, that gets old fast—bifocals, those glasses with the line in the middle, used to be the only option. But there's more excellent stuff out there now! For high-quality multifocal lenses in Australia, multifocal is like an upgrade. They can give you a more natural way to see things at all distances without constantly switching glasses.

What are multifocals?

Think of traditional bifocals or trifocals offering distinct zones for near, far, and in-between distances. Multifocals take a different approach. Instead of those abrupt jumps, they incorporate a smoother transition of corrective power throughout the lens, allowing your eyes to adjust more naturally between focusing on objects close up and those further away.

This magic is achieved through personalised technology. Here's how it works:

Multifocals are getting an upgrade, instead of just one kind for everyone, new ones can be customised for your eyes, what you need to see clearly (near, far, or in-between), and even how you live your life. This means eye doctors can make lenses that work just for you.

Newer lens materials are lighter, thinner, and less likely to scratch than older ones. This means your glasses will be more comfortable and durable overall. Plus, some lenses can block blue light from screens, which can help reduce eye strain.

Benefits of multifocal

So, what can you expect from Multifocals? Here are some of the key advantages:

See everywhere: Are you tired of constantly switching glasses? Multifocals can be a great solution. They give you a more comprehensive range of clear vision, so you can ditch the blurry zones and focus on whatever you need, near or far, without the hassle.

Enhanced comfort: Unlike old bifocals, multifocals have smooth transitions and a custom fit. This means less squinting and headaches, especially if you spend all day reading or staring at screens.

More comprehensive view, less tunnel vision: Traditional multifocal can feel restricting. Multifocals often provide a wider field of view, mimicking natural vision more closely. This makes daily activities like driving or navigating stairs feel more comfortable.

Not a one-size-fits-all solution: Multifocals can be tweaked to your eyes. Eye doctors can adjust the strength or add coatings, like customising sunglasses.

Who can benefit from multifocal?

Are you struggling to read up close? That's presbyopia, a common age-related vision condition that makes it difficult to see objects up close. It occurs around 40. Multifocals might be the answer.

They're not just for beginners: Even if you already have bifocals or multifocals that bug you, 2.0s might be comfier and give you a more comprehensive view.

Like having new eyes: No more blurry zones or switching glasses all the time. Multifocals let you see near, far, and everything in between smoothly.

Customised just for you: These aren't one-size-fits-all. Eye doctors can tweak them to your needs, like making them stronger or adding coatings. Like cool tech? Multifocals are advanced in lens design. But even if you're not a gadget, they can make your life easier by giving you clear vision at all distances.

Considering multifocal? Here's what to do

Chat with your eye doctor: First, schedule an appointment with an eye doctor or optometrist. They'll chat about your vision woes, daily life, and overall eye health.

Spill the beans: Be open and honest with your doctor! Tell them about your daily activities, how you use your eyes, and any vision struggles. This info will help them decide if Multifocals are a good fit.

Eye exam time: A thorough eye exam is vital for getting the right lenses. Based on the exam and your chat, your doctor will see if Multifocals are the best option. They can then explain the customisation options and help you pick lenses that work for you.

Multifocals: a personalised path to clearer vision

Bifocals did the trick for a while, but Multifocals are the next level. They use cutting-edge technology like personalised designs and new materials to give you a more comprehensive range of clear vision, and they're more comfortable, too.

Notice your vision changing as you get older. Or do you want the latest tech for your eyes? Multifocals might be worth checking out. But remember, seeing an eye doctor is critical. They can answer your questions and help you find the perfect solution to see the world clearly and comfortably, no matter your needs. Are you ready toexperience making glasses ordering easyand seeing the world clearly and comfortably? Talk to your eye doctor about finding the perfect vision solution for you.

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Multifocals 2.0 See Clearly at Any Distance

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The iPhone 14 is a masterpiece of design and functionality. It boasts a stunning display, powerful performance, and an impressive camera system. In this review, we delve deep into its features, pros, and cons.

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Apple iPhone 14 review: Everything you need to know

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The iPhone 14 is the best iPhone value, though it’s not much of a leap from the iPhone 13.

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Looking for a new laptop? Check out our curated list of the top 5 laptops of 2023. We've evaluated them based on performance, design, battery life, and more to help you make an informed decision.

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Welcome to our guide to the best laptops of 2020. We live in a world where smartphones are ubiquitous, tablets are commonplace, and even smartwatches are a thing that people talk about on the regular. But throughout all of these advances, the humble laptop has persevered - and for good reason. When it comes time to work, whether that's editing photos, writing a lot of emails, composing documents, or staying in touch with colleagues and family, we're here to help you find the best laptop for the job.

It's getting harder to buy a bad laptop, but what separates the best laptops from good laptops is how they balance power, efficiency, portability, and comfort. The best laptop should have a fantastic keyboard and trackpad - after all, those are the two biggest reasons you'd choose a laptop over a smartphone or tablet. Its display should be easy on the eyes, bright, and sharp enough that you aren't distracted by jagged edges and visible pixels. It should be powerful enough for most anything short of intensive video editing and advanced gaming. It should be easy to carry around from place to place, and it should be able to last all day without needing to be plugged in.

That's why our pick for the best laptop of 2020 is the Dell XPS 13. It's a device that does just about everything right. While it's certainly not a perfect device, there are no major flaws. It's a great pick for productivity, browsing, and even light gaming.

In our view, the best laptop for Mac users is the MacBook Air (2020). Apple fixed the Air's biggest problem - the keyboard - and upgraded to more modern processors.

Our other picks for the best laptops of 2020 include the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, the MacBook Pro 16, and the HP Elite Dragonfly. Check out the full list of best laptops below.

The best laptop you can buy

If you're looking for a laptop that does just about everything right, we recommend Dell's latest XPS 13. It features a sturdy build, 10th Gen Intel processors with powerful integrated graphics, and a nearly bezel-free 16:10 panel.

The display is what you'll likely notice first. It has a 91.5 percent screen-to-body ratio with a bottom bezel of just 4.6mm. You can configure the XPS with a 1920 x 1200 pixel or 4K display, but the lower-resolution model should be adequate for anyone who's not doing creative work. It delivers up to 500 nits of brightness (plenty for working in a bright room or even outdoors) and accurate, vivid colors. It'll also give you significantly better battery life, in addition to the lower cost.

You can customize a number of other specs; the current base model has a Core i5-1035G1, 8GB RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 1920 x 1200 non-touch display. (There's allegedly a model with a Core i3 and 4GB RAM floating around, but it's not currently listed on Dell's website. You should avoid it if you see it.) We recommend this base model to anyone who just wants to browse; if you plan on gaming or creative work, it's worth upgrading for more storage and RAM.

The latest XPS 13 excels at productivity and even has enough power for light gaming

The Ice Lake processor features Intel's new Iris Plus integrated graphics, which delivered exceptional performance for an integrated GPU. You'll still want a discrete graphics card for serious gaming, but you'll have no problem running lighter fare like Overwatch and Rocket League. On those games, it delivers comparable performance to some lower-tier graphics cards, such as Nvidia's MX150 that came in older versions of the Razer Blade Stealth.

When it comes to the other basics, the XPS beats its competition in just about every way. We got an acceptable seven hours of battery life and even three hours of light gaming. ( League of Legends was playable for about 85 percent of that time.) The keyboard and touchpad are among the best in their categories as well. And at just 2.8 pounds and 0.58 inches thick, it's quite portable.

The biggest knock against the XPS 13 is its limited port selection. With just two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a headphone jack, and a microSD slot, it's getting into MacBook territory (though it does ship with a USB-C to USB-A dongle). The 720p webcam is also pretty terrible, though, in Dell's defense, it had to squeeze the thing into a 2.25mm top bezel.

These are legitimate concerns that may drive some users to look elsewhere. But for most users, they won't be as important as the fundamentals: build quality, keyboard, touchpad, display, and performance. The XPS excels in all of those areas, earning it our top recommendation.

The best laptop for Mac users

The 2020 MacBook Air is the best option for most people who prefer the Apple ecosystem. The Air comes with 10th Gen Intel processors (though in a lower power variation than the XPS 13), a sharp Retina display, and a new scissor-switch keyboard. The base configuration (including a Core i3, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage) comes in under $1,000, but we recommend that you go for, at minimum, the upgraded model with a Core i5 processor.

MacBook keyboards have been almost universally maligned for the past few years. But the 2020 Air inherited the new-and-improved keyboard from the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro, which brings back the "inverted T" arrow layout and keys with 1mm of travel. There's no Touch Bar, but that's a controversial feature already, and most users should be fine with the standard top row and function keys. It does retain the Touch ID fingerprint scanner for easy logins and payment authentication.

The MacBook Air is the default Apple laptop for most people

You can configure the Air with three different Y-series chips, maxing out at a 1.2GHz quad-core Core i7. We had no problem with the 1.1GHz Core i5, though; it handled Chrome, Slack, Zoom, and Lightroom just fine, and had single-threaded Geekbench scores in line with those of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Where you might run into trouble is with heavy workloads that need to run for long periods of time, such as rendering graphics or exporting video. We witnessed some thermal throttling in these cases, and clock speeds were capped at less than half of the processor's boost. That means if you're doing heavy creative work or other tasks that really push the CPU, you're likely to experience slowdown and a very loud fan.

The MacBook Air does have a few other significant weaknesses. The primary one is battery life. We got about five hours using a workflow of Chrome, Slack, Zoom, and Lightroom with the screen on maximum brightness. You'll probably get more juice if you dim the screen and stick with Apple's apps, but we expect most people will want to keep the brightness high (it only gets up to 400 nits), and third-party programs are necessities for many.

Despite those downsides, though, the MacBook Air will serve as a competent and reliable device for most users. It has the excellent design, display, performance, and (finally) keyboard that we expect from Apple. Power users who need the Pro probably know who they are; everyone else should be just fine with the Air.

OTHER BEST LAPTOPS

Needs for laptops can vary widely. Some people need to do intense video editing and should pony up for a pro machine. Others just need a reliable keyboard and a few windows, so something less powerful will do. Some might want a super light laptop that can sometimes double as a tablet. Some will want a portable gaming machine capable of running all of the latest titles. Others want a tall aspect-ratio screen, which is much more comfortable to use than a cramped 16:9 display if you primarily do your work in Office documents or a web browser. Below, we've got recommendations for all of those use cases and more.

There are plenty of great options in the Windows PC world, complete with the latest processors and designs, and Apple's MacBook lineup has been recently refreshed entirely with new keyboards and upgraded performance.

An excellent gaming laptop

The Zephyrus G14 is an astonishingly powerful gaming laptop for a low price (relative to other notebooks with comparable hardware). It pairs AMD's new Ryzen 9 4900HS with an Nvidia RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU and a 120HZ display, and it can run demanding games at their highest settings without a problem. It's also quite light for such a powerful laptop, weighing just over 3.5 pounds. Its battery life is also impressive for a gaming rig; we got almost nine hours of multitasking.

But you don't need to be a gamer to appreciate the Zephyrus G14. It's also a great notebook for business and everyday multitasking with a unique retro design. Plus, the keyboard and touchpad are exceptional and quiet enough not to bother officemates. On the flip side, if you need to use your laptop for videoconferences, the G14 would not be a great choice, as it lacks a webcam.

A great choice for Mac power users

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the best Apple laptop for power users. Apple dealt with the biggest complaints that people have historically had about MacBook Pros, and if you can stomach the price, there's not a lot else to complain about.

Most importantly, the keyboard is good again. The keys have a full millimeter of travel, and while the typing experience isn't exceptional, it's a world away from the maligned butterfly keyboard of MacBooks past. It's fairly quiet, too.

This MacBook also features the best sound you'll find on a laptop. Apple has crammed three speakers into each side, including two woofers. The result is balanced audio with audible bass and great stereo separation. For those who need a laptop that can crank through editing video, working with multiple audio tracks, or processing large batches of photos, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the king of the hill.

The best mid-range ultrabook

You don't need to spend $1,000 to get a laptop that looks and feels premium. The HP Envy x360 2020 is one of the best midrange laptops you can buy, thanks to its sturdy and compact build, chic convertible design, and excellent performance.

Part of what makes the Envy so great is that HP has ported over a number of elements from its excellent 2019 flagship, the Spectre x360, including the thin and light chassis, and nearly bezel-free display with an 88 percent screen-to-body ratio. The touchscreen (which supports HP's MPP2.0 pen) is bright and looks great. (You can choose a 300-nit, 400-nit, or 1,000-nit panel). And HP has added a row of convenient hotkeys to the keyboard, including kill switches for the microphone and webcam.

But the most exciting feature is inside: The new Envy x360 is powered by AMD's Ryzen 4000 series. The Ryzen 5-4500U in my model did an outstanding job with a fairly heavy load of multitasking. And AMD's integrated Raedon graphics delivered good gaming performance comparable to what you'd expect from a lower-powered discrete GPU.

A business laptop with solid security

If you're a business professional and money is no object for you or your company, you can't do better than the HP Elite Dragonfly. The 2020 model is the first Dragonfly that features HP's super-secure SureView Reflect technology, which tints the screen so that snoops can't see what you're doing while you're working in public. When it's not tinted, the display gets quite bright (over 700 nits) and has great viewing angles.

The new Dragonfly is also the first laptop to include a built-in Tile tracker. That means if you lose the device, you can use the Tile smartphone app to set off an alarm (if it's in Bluetooth range) or locate it anywhere in the world using Tile's crowd-finding network. The tracker can work for a limited time even when the laptop is off.

Almost everything else about the Dragonfly is good; it has some of the best battery life of any laptop on the market (we got over 11 hours), a sleek and stunning 2-in-1 design, and an exceptional keyboard. Plus, it incorporates sustainable material, including ocean-bound plastics and recycled DVDs.

The Dragonfly is pricey, and there are cheaper business laptops that will suit the needs of most professionals just fine. But if you're looking for the best of the best, it's the unambiguous winner.

A great budget laptop for kids

Lenovo's Chromebook Duet is a great convertible laptop for kids, or anyone who wants a reliable secondary driver for browsing and games. It's a nice-looking, well-made 10-inch device that comes with a detachable keyboard and kickstand.

The Duet is tailor-made to be used around the house and on the go, weighing just 2.03 pounds and delivering over 11 hours of battery life. Its MediaTek processor isn't designed to shoulder heavy loads, but it's just fine for browsing in a couple tabs, watching Netflix, or playing Android games - it even handles photo editing pretty well. The Duet also features a new "tablet mode" for Chrome OS, which supports an Android-inspired gesture navigation system and a unique Chrome layout optimized for tablet use.

The Chromebook Duet is an absolute steal for its low price, and is the Chromebook to buy if you're on a tight budget.

Our favorite 2-in-1 laptop

The Spectre x360 is a premium-level 2-in-1 Windows laptop with the latest processor options from Intel, a vibrant touchscreen, and more port options than are found on other laptops in this segment.

The x360 weighs less than three pounds and is about two-thirds of an inch thick when closed, which makes it very easy to travel with. The latest model has a smaller footprint than before, thanks to shrunken bezels above and below the screen, but it still maintains a full-size keyboard and spacious trackpad. In addition, it provides both facial and fingerprint biometric authentication, so you can choose which way you prefer to log in.

HP updated the trackpad drivers it uses in the latest model to Microsoft's Precision set and the experience is improved over the older versions to the point where it's no longer an issue. The x360's trackpad is now right up there with the best Windows trackpad options (which are still a tick behind what you get on a MacBook) in terms of scrolling, multifinger gestures, and palm rejection.

The biggest argument against the x360 is that it has a 16:9 display, as opposed to the 16:10 or 3:2 screens you'll find on Dell or Microsoft's computers. Those taller aspect ratios are much better for productivity work, whether that's working in two documents side by side or researching on the web without having to scroll as much. But unless you are very particular about your screen's aspect ratio, most people won't find this to be a deal-breaker.

The best MacBook Pro for everyday users

If you're looking for a MacBook that's more powerful than the Air, but isn't as pricey as the 16-inch Pro, the MacBook Pro 13 hits the sweet spot in the middle. It has a bright 500-nit screen, excellent speakers and - finally - a keyboard that's actually reliable.

There are two models you can consider depending on your needs: the "base" model has 8th-Gen Intel processors and two Thunderbolt 3 processors, while the pricier version has 10th-Gen processors and four Thunderbolt 3 ports (as well as 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD). If you can afford it, we recommend stepping up to the pricier version, as the performance difference between the two generations is noticeable.

A great laptop for creative work

The Gigabyte Aero 15 is a colorful, powerful laptop for creative professionals. This 15.6-inch workstation pairs a bright OLED screen with an eight-core i7-10875H processor and Nvidia's cutting-edge GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q GPU. It also comes with a laundry list of ports, including a full SD-card slot, so you'll be able to plug in all kinds of projectors, monitors, and other equipment without a problem. We also found that it was able to run demanding games on their highest settings at acceptable frame rates, and export 4K video as fast as any other laptop we've tested.

This is an expensive machine, and if you just want to play games, it's probably not worth spending so much money on an OLED screen. But if you need the combination of the high resolution and the high-powered specs, the Aero 15 is for you.

A great laptop for video editing

You can configure the XPS 15 with up to an eight-core Core i7 processor, Nvidia's GTX 1650 Ti graphics, and a 3840 x 2400 touchscreen. Those specs are overkill for most people, but they're ideal for anyone who needs to edit video or do other heavy creative work with Adobe Premiere. We recommend that anyone who's just browsing and streaming go for the 1920 x 1200 screen and a Core i5, which will save you significant money. (We also experienced some heat management issues and disappointing battery life with the i7 unit.)

The XPS 15 isn't a serious gaming rig, but the GTX 1650 Ti can help out with creative tasks. Our model was able to export a five-minute, 33-second video in Adobe Premiere Pro in just four and a half minutes - which is faster than we got with the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

If you're looking for a large, attractive Windows laptop that packs decent power, this is the one for you.

The best affordable gaming laptop

AMD rewrote the rules of gaming laptops with its debut in the Zephyrus G14, but it's made a splash in the budget gaming range as well with the G5 15 SE. This laptop ran every popular title we threw at it at very playable frame rates - and the games looked great on our model's 144Hz FreeSync screen. (You can choose a 60Hz panel as well). The Radeon RX 5600M GPU gets a boost from AMD's SmartShift feature, which pushes power between the CPU and GPU depending on where it's needed.

For times when you're not gaming, the G5 also makes a good daily driver. It does a great job with graphically intensive work as well as general multitasking, and the fans stayed quiet throughout our testing. And there's a better port selection than we'd generally expect to see at this price point, including an SD card reader, an audio jack, two USB 2.0 Type-A, a Mini DisplayPort, HDMi 2.0, a USB 3.2 Gen 1, an Ethernet, and a USB-C with DisplayPort. Ultimately, the G15 delivers outstanding performance for its price, and is the budget gaming rig to beat.

The 17-inch laptop to buy

The XPS 17 is a workstation for professionals who need a huge screen and huge power. Its 17-inch 3840 x 2400 display allows you room to comfortably work in multiple tabs and apps, and it's also bright enough to use for outdoor work without much obtrusive glare.

It contains H-series Intel processors, and can be configured with discrete RTX GPUs - our model had an RTX 2060 Max Q. That system flew through gaming benchmarks and complex video work - and didn't burn itself up in the process, thanks to a new cooling system from Dell that includes a chassis-wide vapor chamber. Best of all, those specs and screen manage to function without decimating the XPS's battery life; our unit (with a 97Wh brick) was able to last a full work day.

A great laptop with a large screen

The LG Gram 17 is one of the best 17-inch laptops you can buy. Its main calling card is its weight: at just 2.98 pounds, it weighs less than even some 13-inch laptops.

The Gram has a surprisingly robust port selection for such a thin device, including one HDMI, three USB 3.1 Type-A, one USB 3.1 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3), an audio jack, a power port, and a microSD slot.

There are some drawbacks to a 17-inch screen. For one, you might have trouble fitting it into smaller backpacks and bags, and it may be ungainly to use on crowded trains and flights. It's also on the pricey side, and if you don't need all 17 inches, you can get similar performance and portability with a smaller screen for significantly less.

But if you're set on a large display and a lightweight build, you can't do better than the Gram 17 for its price. And you'll be able to see a heck of a lot in split-screen view.

A reliable, no-nonsense laptop

Microsoft's Surface Line includes a number of innovative, quirky products at a variety of prices. The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3 is its most "traditional" option, and it's the best one for most people.

It features an outstanding keyboard and touchpad as well as a sturdy and attractive chassis that's fairly portable at just 2.89 pounds. And it packs great everyday performance, with enough horsepower to handle Lightroom and Photoshop, and even graphic-intensive tasks in Premiere Pro. The biggest issue it has is the ports that are available: there's just one USB-C and one USB-A port and no support for Thunderbolt 3.

While the Surface Laptop 3 isn't a budget product, it's an all-around excellent device that still won't break the bank for most shoppers - especially if you can find it on sale.

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Welcome to our guide to the best laptops of 2020. We live in a world where smartphones are ubiquitous, tablets are commonplace, and even smartwatches are a thing that people talk about on the regular. But throughout all of these advances, the humble laptop has persevered - and for good reason.

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Sony continues to lead in the headphone market with the WH-1000XM5. These headphones offer excellent noise cancellation, crisp sound, and a comfortable fit. Read on for a detailed review.

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Sony shows why it's the leader of the ANC pack.

The predecessors to the Sony WH-1000XM5 were king of the hill, and this new headphone takes that crown. With new drivers, features, and design, the Sony WH-1000XM5 is an intriguing set of headphones among the flagship active noise cancelling (ANC) devices on the market. It excels in travel or at the office, in particular.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The predecessors to the Sony WH-1000XM5 were king of the hill, and this new headphone takes that crown. With new drivers, features, and design, the Sony WH-1000XM5 is an intriguing set of headphones among the flagship active noise cancelling (ANC) devices on the market. It excels in travel or at the office, in particular.

App features, including custom EQ

Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC, AAC, LDAC, and wired connectivity options

Durability / Build Quality

In the world of headphones, only a few companies' new releases are actually worth paying attention to, and chief among those is Sony. Today we're looking at the most recent update to the company's flagship active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones: the Sony WH-1000XM5. With a complete redesign, this is one of the best ANC headphones on the market-even at an eye-watering $400 USD. We spent a week getting to know the Sony WH-1000XM5 in rainy Vancouver, and we're happy to share our notes with you.

Editor's note: this Sony WH-1000XM5 review was updated on November 14, 2022, to include a video review.

Who is the Sony WH-1000XM5 for?

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is for anyone who finds themselves listening to music in varied conditions during the day, such as commuters, office workers, city-dwellers, and students. This product is especially good for those who spend a lot of time on calls, and those wanting higher-bitrate Bluetooth audio.

What is the Sony WH-1000XM5 like to use?

The WH-1000XM5 comes with lot of bells and whistles, and Sony still gets most of the fundamentals right. There are a few foibles, but the WH-1000XM5 is an ambitious set of headphones. For example, these cans take aim at a few features that have proven popular on other headsets, like Find My Device support via Android and Fast Pair.

Clad in a soft coating and vegan leatherette, the contact area with your head provides ample friction but is soft enough to not be a bother. Where the pads on the previous WH-1000X headsets have been a little odd for those with larger ears, the padding of the Sony WH-1000XM5 is deep and wide enough to accommodate larger ears, and consequently: it's comfortable.

After you've been using your headphones for a while, you may start noticing they handle a lot of things you don't think about. The ear sensor is quite good at pausing music once you've removed the headphones from your head. Creature comforts like the option to enable ambient noise passthrough by cupping your hand over the right ear cup also make a return. It's nice being able to keep the cans on while someone dumps something off on your desk, rather than taking them off and putting them back on a hundred times as they stop and start a disjointed conversation.

For those looking for gym buddies or those who live in rainy climes: these may not be the headphones for you.

How do you control the Sony WH-1000XM5?

The main controls for the Sony WH-1000XM5 are very much like they were on the last three iterations of the series, using a capacitive touch panel on the right ear cup. All the old gestures make their return, as outlined below:

On the WH-1000XM5's left ear cup there are two buttons: a power button and an ANC mode button. Holding down the power button will turn the headphones on, and after three seconds will start pairing mode. From there, you can pair the usual way with your phone, or follow the pairing process for your computer.

Pressing the NC/AMB button will toggle the ANC mode. You can select either ANC, ANC off, or Ambient sound modes-the latter of which allows you to hear everything going on around you by piping in outside noise recorded by the microphone array.

How do you connect the Sony WH-1000XM5?

Like many other Bluetooth headphones, you can connect the WH-1000XM5 to your source device via wireless connection or TRS cable. If you are listening with a wired connection, you can turn the headphones on to enable ANC, or you can leave them off to forgo that feature (although they will sound quite a bit different in passive mode).

On the bottom of the right ear is a USB-C port, which allows you to charge the headphones. Annoyingly, you still cannot use this connection for wired digital music playback.

Does an amp help sound quality?

No. The listed sensitivity of 100dB/mW and impedance of 16Ω when the headphones are turned off means that no source should have any trouble providing the requisite power needed to work well. If you have the headphones on, those numbers change to 102dB/mW and 48Ω respectively, and you'll be running through the internal amplifiers anyway.

What codecs does the Sony WH-1000XM5 use?

According to Sony.com, the Sony WH-1000XM5 can connect to your Bluetooth-enabled devices via the LDAC, AAC, and SBC Bluetooth codecs. Sony did not return aptX support here-for that, you'll need to pick up the older Sony WH-1000XM3 or any one of the best aptX headphones.

Should you get the Sony Headphones Connect app?

If you want to get the most out of your headphones, you should definitely get the Sony Headphones Connect App (iOS/Android) for your phone. I say that because not only is it required for features like ANC optimization, 360 Reality Audio, and a custom equalizer that saves the settings directly to the headset, but it's also the main vehicle for Sony to get you updates to your headphones.

Remember, you must accept the end user license agreement to access the Headphones Connect app.

While there are a lot of goodies in the Sony Headphones Connect app, there are also a few pitfalls. Namely, it asks for a lot of personal information that it may or may not do other things with. Unfortunately, features like Google's Fast Pair absolutely require a level of data sharing that can feel creepy. Sharing location data for headphones? It may seem a little intrusive, but how else are you going to use a find my headphones feature? It's a bit tricky. Similarly, asking for photos of your ears can be a little off-putting, but that data is put to good use in adjusting the signal to your headphones to implement 360 Reality Audio.

How good is the battery life of the Sony WH-1000XM5?

Our standard battery test yielded a result of 31 hours, 53 minutes with ANC on, slightly better than Sony's advertised battery life of 30 hours for the WH-1000XM5. Interestingly, disabling ANC and re-running the test improved the result significantly (by more than 20 hours!), yielding a total battery life of 53 hours and 6 minutes under the same test conditions.

In either case, this is well beyond a normal week's worth of commuting, or a long-haul flight. If you're in a bind, just three minutes of charging will supply 180 minutes of playback. Of course, if you find yourself without a USB-C cable, you can always use the handy 3.5mm cable for direct analog playback.

How well does the Sony WH-1000XM5 cancel noise?

Why is the ANC bad on my Sony WH-1000XM5?

Sometimes there's a little discrepancy between what users actually experience and what gets measured on a test fixture, mainly caused by how the headphones fit. A helpful user on Reddit explored this further and identified fit is indeed the culprit for many experiencing underwhelming results.

If you wear glasses, the arms of your specs can sometimes create a gap between the ear pad and your head, also making the ANC suffer. This is typical of any headphones, but something to be aware of.

If you find that your Sony WH-1000XM5 isn't doing so hot where noise cancellation is concerned, it is almost assured that you have a bad fit. Before returning them, try moving the ear cups forward a little bit while you wear them, or try to get them to fit as well as you can with the band straight up and down on your head.

How does the Sony WH-1000XM5 sound?

Like most consumer ANC headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5 boosts bass probably a little too much, and definitely to the detriment of the midrange. We're used to seeing this by now, but compared to more "high-end" headphones, you'll notice the very strong bass emphasis right away. The comparatively subdued midrange (from 300Hz to around 1050Hz) might sound a bit off as it gets drowned out by the much louder highs and lows. Without any equalization, you may find that stringed instruments, horns, woodwinds, and even higher vocals can get dulled in your favorite tunes.

Over time your ear will attune itself to the bass emphasis, and switching to a saner, more subdued equalization will sound off at first. We encourage you to play around with the options in the Headphones Connect app if you can, because there's a fair bit of adjustment that can be done in that regard. I highly suggest nudging the "clear bass" setting down two notches at least.

On the other end of the frequency range is the highs-and those too are a little over-emphasized compared to our target curve. While it doesn't look so bad on the chart, the under-emphasis in the mids means the swing in volume will make things like cymbal shimmer, hi-hats, and the attack on snares stand out in a mix. One area where there is a pronounced difference from its immediate predecessor is the steep rolloff after 10kHz, though. This will be most pronounced on tracks that rely heavily on uncrowded mixes, and lots of instrumentation like in An Evening with Silk Sonic, by Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars.

Without any equalization, you may find that stringed instruments, horns, woodwinds, and even higher vocals get dulled in your favorite tunes.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 supports the company's proprietary high-bitrate codec called LDAC, which boasts very good sound quality with few tradeoffs. However, you will need to dive into your developer options on Android if you want to make the most of the codec. By default, the headphones will connect using the "Best effort" mode which almost always defaults to lower bitrates. We suggest going with 660kbps if you're adventurous enough to do the deep settings dive. That option seems to provide the best mix of sound quality and signal stability across the entire range of WH-1000X devices, with the WH-1000XM5 being no exception. The high-quality 909kbps option seems to work fine in regards to skipping, but you may notice a few jumps in audio playback if you leave your phone in your pocket with this setting.

How does the Sony WH-1000XM5 sound wired?

Wired, the Sony WH-1000XM5 sounds near identical to its performance in wireless mode, but only when the headset is active (powered on). If you choose passive listening, the performance is less than stellar. It works fine, it just doesn't sound like a $400 headphone in that state. To be completely fair, this is very common and expected with headphones that have both active and passive wired connection options.

What's the best way to equalize the Sony WH-1000XM5?

While the boost to the bass and low mids are what some may deem a little extreme, equalizing it out will be a little bit of a pain. Not to worry though, we can offer some suggested settings for you to try out with either the Sony Headphones Connect App or a third-party option like Wavelet (if you like how this works, please consider buying the pro version of the app).

In the Sony Headphones Connect app, dropping the "Clear Bass" setting two notches will go a long way to improving your music, but you can also attempt to mirror this curve with the frequency sliders. Don't go more than 6dB in any direction, though, as you could potentially add clipping or artifacts from the app attempting to alter the signal too aggressively.

Alternatively, you could use the Android app Wavelet to see how you like the sound. Pay attention to the chart (or screen-shot it) so you know roughly how to adjust the sliders in the Sony app, if you decide that we've missed the mark for you personally. Once you've done this, you can experiment on your own using our target as a starting point!

How does the Sony WH-1000XM5's microphone sound?

The microphone array particularly excels at rejecting outside noise, which you can hear in our samples below. If you think we've mislabeled any of these, I assure you we didn't: the test is automated, and each file is named properly.

Sony WH-1000XM5 mic demo (Ideal conditions):

Sony WH-1000XM5 mic demo (Office conditions):

Sony WH-1000XM5 mic demo (Street conditions):

Sony WH-1000XM5 mic demo (Windy conditions):

If you want to see what other people are saying about these headphones, by all means vote in the poll below. After you vote, the results will display, and we can update our score after a certain number of votes are accumulated.

How does the microphone sound to you?

How does the microphone compare to the Sony WH-1000XM4?

The Sony WH-1000XM4 microphone is very good but it can't compare to that of the WH-1000XM5. Listen below.

Sony WH-1000XM4 mic demo (Ideal):

Sony WH-1000XM4 mic demo (Office):

Sony WH-1000XM4 mic demo (Street):

Sony WH-1000XM4 mic demo (Wind):

Should you get the Sony WH-1000XM5?

If you're looking for headphones that can go with you to the office, on your next trip, or handle working from home: the Sony WH-1000XM5 is an excellent buy. Of course, your needs will dictate what's worth the money to you, but $400 USD is a lot of money to gamble on-this is as close to a sure thing as you can get in the headphone world.

Excellent ANC performance, decent sound quality, and a host of modern features like Find My Device support in Android make for a very capable set of cans. While it's disappointing that NFC and an IP rating aren't present on the Sony WH-1000XM5 spec sheet, it's a tradeoff I think most will be perfectly fine with making. The positives clearly outweigh the negatives in the lab and in real life.

How does the Sony WH-1000XM5 compare to the Sony WH-1000XM4?

While the Sony WH-1000XM4 will remain on the market for a while, there's little reason to get this over the newer WH-1000XM5 unless you can get it on a steep discount. The sound quality is slightly worse, it's a little lighter on features, and some of the controls don't quite work as well as they do on the WH-1000XM5. However, if you were to find the WH-1000XM4 at $280 to $320 USD, it wouldn't be a bad idea to grab it off the shelf at that price. You won't get exact feature parity, but you'll be able to enjoy most of the things we like about the WH-1000XM5 like the 360 Reality Audio, ear detection, multipoint, and app features.

Our main concern with the Sony WH-1000XM4 is the fact that it's a lot harder to EQ well, even though its sound quality is similar in many ways to that of the WH-1000XM5. That high-end over-emphasis is really easy to hear in your music, and can be a bit grating if you don't tone it down with a preset or adjustment.

How does the Bose QuietComfort 45 compare to the Sony WH-1000XM5?

This one's no contest, the Sony WH-1000XM5 drubs the Bose QuietComfort 45 both in overall noise attenuation and wireless audio performance. Sure, the frequency response of the Bose is best when you use the treble reducer preset, but out of the box, it sounds pretty grating. The Sony on the other hand is bassy, but a bit more consumer-friendly-all while offering a much higher bitrate for better-quality listening.

Of course, firmware updates could improve either set of headphones, so this one's a little less cut and dry. However, dollar for dollar the Sony WH-1000XM5 is a clear winner at the time of publication.

How does the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 compare to the Sony WH-1000XM5?

When comparing the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 to the Sony WH-1000XM5, it's clear that both headsets are at the top of their games but Sony's noise cancelling and passive isolation overtakes Bose's here too. The ANC chart below shows that Bose still does a good job attenuating frequencies below 1kHz but the XM5 headphones are ultimately the better buy.

As far as sound quality is concerned, the Bose NCH 700 sounds better directly out of the box because the WH-1000XM5 boosts bass and treble quite a bit more than our house curve recommends. This means that you may have a hard time hearing vocal detail from Sony's headphones while simultaneously feeling like the treble is too "piercing." You can equalize the sound with either headset and, to Sony's credit, the Headphone Connect app EQ is more advanced than the Bose Music app EQ.

What should you get instead of the Sony WH-1000XM5

The AirPods Max technically has better ANC than the WH-1000XM5. When you click either chart to expand it, you can see how much more sub-bass the AirPods Max attenuates compared to the XM5 headphones.

Sound quality is also better with the AirPods Max out of the box, and you get Adaptive EQ no matter which device you use it with. That said, other things like automatic ear detection and Apple Spatial Audio only work with Apple devices, whereas you get equivalent features with Sony's headphones on any device. Ultimately, the WH-1000XM5 is more suited for those who use both Apple and non-Apple devices, whereas the AirPods is really only out to serve one consumer: Apple's.

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless is another great option over the WH-1000XM5. Sound quality is better with the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless right out of the box, but you can EQ the sound of either headset through its respective app. When it comes to ANC, Sony is the clear winner but Sennheiser still performs very well.

Not everyone values ANC alone, though, and the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless still has a lot going for it like battery life. Sennheiser's headphones last 56 hours, 21 minutes compared to Sony's XM5 headphones which last 31 hours, 53 minutes. You can't go wrong with either headset, but we implore you to read our full MOMENTUM 4 Wireless vs WH-1000XM5 article to learn even more.

Wireless earbuds to get instead of the Sony WH-1000XM5

Let's say you want something pocketable instead of Sony's flagship over-ear headphones. With so many wireless earbuds to choose from, we'll highlight just a few, most obviously, the Sony WF-1000XM4. This is Sony's highly portable ANC solution that fits comfortably and blocks out a ton of noise. With an IPX4 rating, you can rest assured that the WF-1000XM4 will handle all of your sweat.

The iPhone Settings app and Control Center is where you go to customize the listening experience.

The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) is another obvious pair of wireless noise cancelling earbuds to pick up, especially if you use an iPhone. These wireless earbuds share the same IPX4 rating as Sony's buds. We like the new AirPods Pro for its sound quality and noise cancelling capabilities. Just bear in mind: you can only take advantage of most software features when paired to an Apple device.

Frequently asked questions about the Sony WH-1000XM5

What are the benefits of noise cancelling headphones?

Noise cancelling headphones can quiet your commute and make it easier to concentrate once you arrive at the office. We like ANC tech because it can also reduce your risk of noise-induced hearing loss. The best ANC headphones attenuate frequencies across the spectrum and with the isolation and ANC offered by a headset like the WH-1000XM5, you're unlikely to increase the volume to dangerous levels in order to combat external sounds that make it hard to hear your music.

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Links on SoundGuys may earn us a commission. Learn more. Sony shows why it's the leader of the ANC pack. The predecessors to the Sony WH-1000XM5 were king of the hill, and this new headphone takes that crown.

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The Philippines is a treasure trove of natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. From pristine beaches to bustling cities, here's your ultimate guide to exploring this Southeast Asian gem.

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The Philippines - home to beautiful beaches, chilled island vibes, an interesting history and some of the most wonderfully kind people. It's one of the very best places I've been to. In fact, I love the Philippines so much that I can't wait for a return visit. However, having been to the Philippines twice now, I thought I'd share all of the useful information and vital tips I've gathered on my trips in this Philippines travel guide.

Philippines Travel Guide: Essential Things to Know

In this post, I've tried to detail everything you could need to know before visiting the Philippines, with the advice ranging from handling poor weather, unexpected hassles to tips to save money and to help you stay safe. I wish I had known some of these useful tips before my travels through the Philippines- as many of these tips and tricks are completely specific to the country!

Take a read below and let me know if you have any questions or thoughts. I hope you find these useful whilst planning your Philippines itinerary!

Check for ATMs on the islands in the Philippines'

As you fix up your travel plans around the islands of the Philippines, don't assume there'll be an ATM where you're staying.

Either research ahead of time or ask your hostel/hotel. Places like Manila, Cebu and Boracay have plentiful ATMs but many of the smaller Philippines islands do not have ATMs.

El Nido in 2014 didn't have an ATM, but by January 2017 there was one ATM. However, it often ran out of cash. To be on the safe side, always try and keep a reasonable amount of the local currency (Philippine Pesos - PHP) on you. You really don't want to be stuck anywhere without cash - many hostels etc will not take card payments either.

On the same note, not all ATMs in the Philippines take international cards so always think ahead about your money needs. You may need to stock up on Philippine Pesos a little way ahead.

To be honest, this may well be the most useful of my Philippines travel tips as you can't get that far without some money!

Keep Pesos at hand for the airport departure fees

Many of the airports around the Philippines have domestic or international terminal fees. These can change ahead of time but are normally around 200PHP. You pay these after check-in but cannot continue to the rest of the airport until you have this receipt of this fee stapled to your ticket.

Do not drink the water in the Philippines

Just don't. El Nido is particularly known for poor sanitation and water quality. On my first trip there, both my friend and I got really sick from the water.

I would even go as far as say to clean your teeth with bottled water. On some occasions, I have even sanitised my cutlery as this is likely to have been washed in tap water.

Bottles of water around the Philippines are mostly cheap and plentiful - in fact, many hotels will offer complimentary bottles each day.

Take mosquito repellent

And use it regularly. Whilst malaria is now uncommon on most islands in the Philippines, Zika is still prevalent in some places. Many hostels will offer mosquito nets and when they do - use them. Direct the fan over yourself to keep yourself as cool as possible.

The Philippines consists of more than 7,000 islands, so it's likely you'll be island hopping. Too many bags will just irritate you. There can be a lot of journey segments too - perhaps a tricycle, a bus, a boat, a tricycle - and that might be just to get you to the airport.

Leaping in and out of these, it's easiest with as few luggage pieces as possible and then there's less chance of forgetting items too!

Make sure to check out my guide to the best travel luggage options here.

Leave plenty of time for travelling between islands in the Philippines

This is really important advice for travelling around the Philippines.

In the planning stages, it can be wise to dedicate an entire day to travelling between islands in the Philippines. All the segments can add up, or sometimes the only option is to fly back to Manila to catch another fight to the next island.

Generally, you should leave as much time as possible whilst moving around on travelling days. Weather, cancellations, traffic - all these things can have a big impact on travel in the Philippines.

A cyclone meant that a huge backlog of passengers were trying to get a ferry from Tagbilaran (Bohol) to Cebu, and this meant (despite arriving hours ahead of time) that the first ferry we could get departed after our scheduled flight time out of Cebu.

We were booked on the only direct flight out of Cebu to Puerto Princesa but we missed it. Therefore, we had to wait many hours before flying back to Manila to connect and fly back down. It took us 30 hours in the end (to travel about 400km).

Get proof of any delays/cancellations at the time

I wouldn't have known to do this had we not found ourselves in the above situation.

In order for Cebu Pacific to allow us to get on a later connecting flight without a penalty, we had to go back to the port and get the coastguard to write and sign a letter confirming the delay/cancellations.

The return taxi at 10pm was an extra cost, and the worrying that the coastguard had closed for the night was not pleasant.

So my top travel tip for the Philippines would be to always ask for some signed proof from an official to avoid frustrating implications and expensive penalties!

Always try and get a window seat

Always! Seeing the Philippines' many islands from the sky is quite something. Volcanic islands, dense jungle or stretches of twinkly turquoise seas and amazing sand bars - you won't want to miss the photo opportunity.

The same goes for buses, you'll be winding through villages, mountains and rice paddies and the scenery is stunning.

Take a jumper, leggings and socks

Filipinos like air-con. A lot!

On planes, ferries, buses and unforgettably in Manila airport. I found it absolutely, unbearably cold.

One time, I found myself at the airport when all my belongings waiting for a 12 hour delay(!) I had been checked in so my luggage was nowhere near. The zircon was freezing so I tried to bury myself under a few pairs of shorts and some tops. It was impossible to sleep! Even better, keep a silk sleeping bag at hand!

Befriend the Filipino locals

Everyone in the Philippines speaks English!

Some more basic than others, depending on which island you're on, but generally you can converse with some ease with anyone. The Filipino culture is extremely friendly and people really want you to enjoy your time. Filipinos are not suspicious or greedy, but are kind and nearly always happy to help. They love to smile too and it's likely you'll find it infectious!

The only time you may experience any feelings of frustration is perhaps whilst travelling around the islands in the Philippines. We found (only sometimes) that the tricycle drivers could be a little deceiving in order to get our custom. For example, one night on Cebu, as the night crept on and no local buses passed for over 2 hours, the tricycle and scooter drivers would tell us that the last buses had been and gone. Yet, we knew having spoken to other locals that they were still running. For hours they persisted and even laughed at us - but a bus did eventually come.

As with many countries and unregulated taxi-style services, in some areas in the Philippines they really may try to charge exorbitant prices, but stay firm and smile. They normally give in once you hold your ground for long enough. Otherwise generally speaking, no other people will try and take advantage as may be the case in countries like Thailand.

Take all the medication you might need

There are pharmacies in the larger cities and islands around the Philippines, but as with travelling to many countries in the world, you can't expect them to have exactly what you need and when you need it. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Buy a sim or a portable wifi hotspot

If you need to go online in the Philippines, do not expect there to be decent wifi everywhere. Places like Boracay and Manila have readily available fast wifi, but many of the islands might be very hit and miss.

As a top travel tip, the internet in El Nido is poor throughout the town. It's not about which café or hotel you visit, the actual internet provided to the town is very poor. It works best at about 4am. I couldn't even get on Instagram!

On the other hand, we found the wifi at every airport in the Philippines to be very good (and free). At Manila's airport, we found it to be exceptionally fast!

If you're low on budget or time, book everything ahead

It pains me to say it, as nothing is better than travelling with absolute freedom and flexibility, but it can save a lot of money and time in the Philippines.

As it's likely you'll be travelling between some of the Philippines' many islands, you'll need planes and ferries at some point.

Plane tickets (AirAsia, Cebu Pacific etc) far ahead of time can be really cheap - I've got flights for as low as £12 one way. But a day or two ahead, they can be well over £100/£150.

On many routes, they sell-out too. So you cannot be afforded the same level of complete freedom that other countries can offer where you can rock up to the station on the day to get a bus to the other end of the country.

I didn't think to book ferries ahead in the Philippines, but they can also fill up completely or only have seats in the much more expensive Business Class. This is particularly so on popular routes and the ferries that ply these.

On the other hand, always ask locals about less official boats going between islands. From Oslob, we took a local wooden boat direct to Alona Beach. It cost a lot more (1000PHP), but for the speed and complete convenience of avoiding tricycles, buses and any hassle, it was worth every penny. We sat on the wooden bow of the boat for whole journey, enjoying the sea spray and sunbathing opportunity! Much better than a huge commercial ferry!

Take flip flops and expect to ruin them

The Philippines is a very tropical country and torrential downpours can happen at any time. Whilst flip flops can make walking in heavy rain and very slippery, any other shoes will be even more impractical. But the mud has permanently stained my white flip flops forever so don't take your favourite shoes.

Use an umbrella not a raincoat

It's not a bad idea to keep an umbrella at hand to whip out in the occasion of a torrential downpour in the Philippines.

Raincoats are far too hot and sticky, and a waste of your precious luggage space. Stick to umbrellas - oh and waterproof backpack covers can be useful too. When it rains, it really does rain!

However, if you're visiting areas in the Philippines that are at high altitude such as Banuaue, the temperature can be considerably lower and you may want a light jacket here.

Invest in a waterproof diving bag

I wish I had one of these for my trip for both the beach days and the boat trips in the Philippines. Especially while out on snorkelling trips or island hopping, my day sack was a constant source of worry and I had to keep re-positioning to stop its contents getting soaked. A waterproof diving bag keeps all your valuables safe and dry so you can relax even when it's on the wooden decking of the boats where the floor always gets soaked.

Bring comfortable water shoes

Considered a bit of fashion crime in the UK, I seriously wished I had a pair whilst exploring.

Many of the islands in the Philippines are surrounded by shallow water and you can often find you can out from the shore really far and still only have water come to your hips.

You'll be warned of pesky sea urchins even at the dreamiest of white sand beaches. A prick from one of these leaves you in serious pain and in need of urgent medical help.

I'm fairly certain they'd been removed from Boracay's main beaches, but I needed water shoes for Bulabog Beach where we spent our days kitesurfing. In fact, even in El Nido in the famous lagoons!

Philippines Travel Guide

Have you been to the Philippines? Are there any other key tips or tricks I've missed in this travel Guide? Let me know!

Otherwise, I hope that this guide to the Philippines and all of my top travel tips prove useful for planning your own trip. You might also find some of my other posts useful, including my 3 week itinerary for the Philippines, as well as my guides to Boracay, Bohol, Kawasan Falls, El Nido and Manila. Make sure to also check this guide on 15 must-eat dishes in the Philippines too, featuring lechon - my favourite Filipino dish!

If you've enjoyed this post, feel free to share using the below links!

Wanna see more? Check my Instagram here, my Facebook here or my Twitter here!
Disclaimer: This visit to the Philippines was entirely paid for by myself and there was no involvement from the tourism board or a hotel. This is an independent guide. Enjoyed my Philippines Travel Guide? Pin it!

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Complete Philippines Travel Guide: Useful Information & Travel Tips - Stoked To Travel

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(2023) My Philippines Travel Guide has my best tips & advice, covering everything from weather & money, to safety & transport in the Philippines.

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Europe is a continent full of history, art, and magnificence. Discover the top 10 destinations you must visit, including tips and must-see attractions for each location.

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The 25 Best Places to Visit in Europe for 2023-2024.

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Dreaming of Greece's charming old towns or Italy's world-famous coastline? Check out or ranking for the Best Places to Visit in Europe before you book that once-in-a-lifetime trip.

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Traveling on a budget doesn't mean you have to compromise on experiences. Here are our top budget travel tips to help you save money while making the most out of your adventures.

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Exploring exotic places doesn't have to cost a fortune and you certainly don't need to win the lottery to travel the world - not if you know how to watch your pennies. We've complied some tried and tested tips to help you plan a holiday on a budget.

1. Come up with a plan

Travelling spontaneously is great, if you have the luxury of time and money to spare. But if you're travelling on a budget, the first thing to do is come up with a plan. You don't have need a tight, hour-by-hour itinerary, but you should at least have an idea of how long you'll be spending in each city or country, and know the route that your epic adventure will take. Leaving less to chance means less unexpected spends; last-minute flights and accommodation are often far more expensive.

2. Travel out of season

Avoid trips during the school holidays, this is when the travel industry hikes up prices to take advantage of families who can only travel during these weeks. Research the best time to visit your intended destination, and then travel just before or after these dates. This is called the 'shoulder season', where you'll still have a great trip but maybe the sun won't shine quite as brightly (and, on the plus side, it won't be quite as hot.) Hotels and airlines lower their prices to attract customers during this time.

3. Be accommodation-savvy

Trade expensive hotel suites for dorm rooms in hostels. Sharing a room naturally divides the costs and communal bunk rooms offer the opportunity to meet people who might be keen to explore with you. Other great alternatives are websites like AirBnB and Couchsurfing, where you simply book a spare room in a local person's house or apartment. It'll halve the price and allow you an authentic snapshot of real life in the city. Consider your host your very own, personal tour guide, filled with insider-tips for the best eateries and tourist spots in that neighbourhood.

You could even stay with family or friends. Reach out to people you know or plan a trip to somewhere that a long-lost cousin or school friend now lives - this could take you to visit places you'd never have thought of before.

4. Pack properly

Make sure you bring everything you need so that you don't have to shop while you're away (apart from a few souvenirs). No matter where you're heading, take at least one pair of long jeans, warm hoodie and waterproof jacket for unpredictable weather incidents. For some in-depth advice, check out our 'Travel like a pro' guide to packing for every kind of trip.

5. Book flights in advance...

Especially return flights; running out of money abroad without a guaranteed ticket home is never ideal. Airlines 'release' their flight seats up to a year in advance and the closer you get to your departure date, the more the prices increase, especially in the last month.

6. ...and be smart about how you fly

Opt to travel on a Tuesday. Midweek travel prices are lower as a premium is added to weekend flights and you'll breeze through shorter queues at airport check-in desks and security. Fly economy too - there's no need to upgrade, no matter how nice Business Class looks. The money you save on cheap seats can be spent on food or accommodation when you arrive. Low-cost, budget airlines are fine for short flights and regularly have cheap deals. If you're planning a weekend trip try to pack light and use only hand luggage, saving yourself a bit of money on hold luggage.

7. Embrace public transport

Buses and trains are cheaper than planes. It's that simple! A journey on an overnight train also mean you have one less night in a hostel to pay for...

8. Don't eat away your cash

Cheap lunches can be bought in a supermarket or even a local fresh food market, rather than in an overpriced cafe or restaurant. Aim to wander around before choosing a place to eat dinner too; if you just pick the first restaurant you see you won't know if you're overspending. Drinking beer with every dinner soon adds up - both your wallet and your waistline will thank you if you opt for water instead sometimes. Alternatively, hostels and spare rooms often let you have access to a kitchen if you want to save a little money by cooking for yourself.

9. Earn while you travel

Working holidays are a brilliant way to afford to spend several months of the year (or more) living the travel dream: Teach skiing on a winter season, take care of holidaymakers travelling to the Mediterranean in the summer, or earn by teaching a language in Thailand; you could even freelance while traveling if you're able to work "on the go". The opportunities are literally endless.

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How to travel on a budget: Our 9 best tips ‹ EF GO Blog | EF Global Site (English)

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Expanding your horizons and exploring exotic places doesn't have to cost a fortune. Here's how to travel on a budget without skimping on the fun.

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Yoga is more than just a workout; it's a way to achieve mental clarity and physical fitness. Learn about the numerous health benefits of practicing yoga regularly.

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If you've done your "downward dog" yoga pose today, you're probably feeling more relaxed. Regardless of your level of yoga expertise, if you're practicing regularly, you can feel better from head to toe.

Yoga offers physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages. And, if you're going through an illness, recovering from surgery or living with a chronic condition, yoga can become an integral part of your treatment and potentially hasten healing.

A yoga therapist can work with patients and put together individualized plans that work together with their medical and surgical therapies. That way, yoga can support the healing process and help the person experience symptoms with more centeredness and less distress.

1. Yoga improves strength, balance and flexibility.

Slow movements and deep breathing increase blood flow and warm up muscles, while holding a pose can build strength.

Try it: Tree Pose
Balance on one foot, while holding the other foot to your calf or above the knee (but never on the knee) at a right angle. Try to focus on one spot in front of you, while you balance for one minute.

2. Yoga helps with back pain relief.

Yoga is as good as basic stretching for easing pain and improving mobility in people with lower back pain. The American College of Physicians recommends yoga as a first-line treatment for chronic low back pain.

Try it: Cat-Cow Pose
Get on all fours, placing your palms underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. First, inhale, as you let your stomach drop down toward the floor. Then, exhale, as you draw your navel toward your spine, arching your spine like a cat stretching.

3. Yoga can ease arthritis symptoms.

Gentle yoga has been shown to ease some of the discomfort of tender, swollen joints for people with arthritis, according to a Johns Hopkins review of 11 recent studies.

4. Yoga benefits heart health.

Regular yoga practice may reduce levels of stress and body-wide inflammation, contributing to healthier hearts. Several of the factors contributing to heart disease, including high blood pressure and excess weight, can also be addressed through yoga.

Try it: Downward Dog Pose
Get on all fours, then tuck your toes under and bring your sitting bones up, so that you make a triangle shape. Keep a slight bend in your knees, while lengthening your spine and tailbone.

5. Yoga relaxes you, to help you sleep better.

Research shows that a consistent bedtime yoga routine can help you get in the right mindset and prepare your body to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Try It: Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
Sit with your left side against a wall, then gently turn right and lift your legs up to rest against the wall, keeping your back on the floor and your sitting bones close to the wall. You can remain in this position for 5 to 15 minutes.

6. Yoga can mean more energy and brighter moods.

You may feel increased mental and physical energy, a boost in alertness and enthusiasm, and fewer negative feelings after getting into a routine of practicing yoga.

7. Yoga helps you manage stress.

According to the National Institutes of Health, scientific evidence shows that yoga supports stress management, mental health, mindfulness, healthy eating, weight loss and quality sleep.

Try It: Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Lie down with your limbs gently stretched out, away from the body, with your palms facing up. Try to clear your mind while breathing deeply. You can hold this pose for 5 to 15 minutes.

8. Yoga connects you with a supportive community.

Participating in yoga classes can ease loneliness and provide an environment for group healing and support. Even during one-on-one sessions loneliness is reduced as one is acknowledged as a unique individual, being listened to and participating in the creation of a personalized yoga plan.

9. Yoga promotes better self-care.

Scientific Research on Yoga Benefits

The U.S. military, the National Institutes of Health and other large organizations are listening to - and incorporating - scientific validation of yoga's value in health care.

Numerous studies show yoga's benefits in arthritis, osteopenia, balance issues, oncology, women's health, chronic pain and other specialties.

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