As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Guest Post
As the temperatures rise and the days become longer, we all have a calling in which we need to indulge. We must eat and drink outside.
Luckily, if you’re local to the D.C. area, or planning a visit during the warmer months, you can expect to have all your al fresco dining and drinking needs satisfied through one of the many rooftop and patio experiences in the area.
Each one has something unique to offer its guests – with everything from dog-friendly patios to picture-perfect views. Whether you’re an avid beer drinker, a lover of wine, or just in search of some tasty treat, you’re bound to find something in the list below that keeps you in the open air soaking in that sweet vitamin d.
Fig & Olive
Praised for its atmosphere, Fig & Olive offers a patio dining experience that feels luxurious at a reasonable price point. Fig & Olive is located in CityCenterDC where plenty of shops are just a few steps away, perfect for killing time while you wait for your table to be ready or for a post-meal stroll. The menu includes everything from small plates to seafood as well as pasta and more.
Colada Shop
Colada Shop is a renowned Instagrammer’s dream. The bright décor will draw you in and the delicious Cuban eats will keep you coming back. Complete with empanadas, sandwiches, coffee, and cocktails – this spot is perfect for any time of day. And best of all, the rooftop garden has happy-hour extending all night on Thursdays to provide you with the perfect, inexpensive way to kick off your weekend celebrations.
Fiola Mare
The outdoor seating section of Fiola Mare, otherwise known as The Kennedy Lounge, provides guests with a view of the Georgetown waterfront. Open for lunch, brunch, and dinner, this spot is defined as an Italian seafood eatery that is a must for the Georgetown area.
Iron Gate
Iron Gate’s green-covered patio comes complete with lights and exposed brick to make it feel like a fairy’s dining spot of choice in Dupont Circle. In the colder months, enjoy the warmth of their outdoor fireplace while you enjoy your deliciously prepared Mediterranean cuisine in a relaxed and whimsical environment.
Wet Dog Tavern
Wet Dog Tavern brings beer lovers and dog lovers together to drink and pass the time outdoors. Complete with lawn games and a long list of beers to choose from – everyone can find something they enjoy at this low-key hangout spot.
City Winery
Whether you’re going out on a gorgeous sunny day or a cozy rainy day – City Winery’s covered rooftop wine garden will allow you to enjoy wine of all types in all types of weather. Life music frequents this venue, but on the off days, you can enjoy wine and light appetizers while you relax in the open air.
Sauf Haus Bier Hall
If you’re one for the German drinking experience, then Sauf Haus Bier Hall is a must. Think your average beer garden, but on a roof with live entertainment. Don’t worry – there are plenty of giant pretzels to go around.
DNV Rooftop
For a variety of snacks and summery beverage choices (including adult slushies), head over to DNV Rooftop. This experience is all-inclusive, complete with a rooftop pool and a breathtaking view of the city. And if you drink too much or feel tired after a long day, you can stay in one of their luxurious rooms just a few floors down.
Perry’s
Who doesn’t love a good drag brunch? At Perry’s, you can enjoy that drag brunch atop their rooftop bar and seasonal terrace. Twinkling lights drape overtop of the patio so you can enjoy an excellent atmosphere while eating your sushi.
Embarking on the outdoor restaurant scene trail early will help identify the best spots to pass the longer days this summer. There’s something for everyone in the booming, diverse and distinct restaurant scene. Grab your mom, grab your brunch squad, and head out for a day of food and sunshine.
GUEST BLOGGER
Lexi Carr
Freelance Writer
Lexi is a freelance blogger and a passionate renter. She loves change and relishes her freedom to move all over the world without the constraints of homeownership. When she’s not writing localized content, you can find her singing to her brindle Queensland blue heeler, Bruno.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. Rental providers will not refuse to rent a rental unit to a person because the person will provide the rental payment, in whole or in part, through a voucher for rental housing assistance provided by the District or federal government.
Article Name
Best Patio and Rooftop Restaurants in DC
Description
Now that the weather is warming up, it’s time to take advantage by moving cocktail hour outdoors. These are our favorite restaurants in DC with amazing patios or rooftops.
Whether you run an e-commerce business or a traditional brick-and-mortar store, investing in digital marketing can be essential in promoting your brand and remaining competitive in the marketplace. Digital marketing typically involves online marketing methods, but it can also include local marketing options.
1. Optimize your website for mobile
With more consumers browsing and making purchases using their smartphones and tablets, using a responsive design for your website will allow it to display correctly on mobile devices, as well as desktops. This is especially important for e-commerce businesses looking to drive sales.
Website builders such as Squarespace and Wix, as well as dedicated e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce, typically offer mobile-friendly templates and features. As you design your website, check to see how it looks and functions on a mobile device and make any necessary adjustments.
2. Create business profiles
A free advertising strategy and an easy way to improve search rank for your business is to claim and update your business profiles on Google, Bing, Yahoo and other popular search platforms. Your business profile is a useful way to provide current and potential customers with essential information about your business, such as address, phone number and store hours. Also, adding images, photos and logos can be helpful when engaging potential customers.
The Better Business Bureau, Yelp for Business and Nextdoor are other platforms where details about your business can gain the attention of local customers.
3. Understand your target audience
Knowing your target audience, the consumers who are likely to buy your products and services, allows you to customize your digital marketing strategy for different segments of your customer base. For example, if you own a coffee shop and want to sell bags of your specialty blends to customers outside your local area, your digital marketing strategy would typically be different than the one you use for walk-in customers.
Identifying different groups in your target audience allows you to customize the digital marketing strategies you use to engage them — whether it’s through social platforms, local listings, email or another method.
4. Invest in local marketing
If your business operates in a local market, you’ll want to take advantage of the digital marketing strategies that specifically appeal and relate to that audience. Some local marketing strategies to consider include:
Local TV and radio ads.
Digital billboards, signs and displays in high-traffic locations.
Direct mail campaigns in your local area.
Hosting or participating in community events.
With these strategies, you can easily include your business’s website and social media handles on any materials or information you distribute in your local community.
5. Start a blog as part of your content marketing strategy
Blog articles, one of the simplest ways to get involved in content marketing, can have a significant impact on your ability to attract customers and drive sales. Articles as well as newsletters, videos, infographics, e-books and other materials can be shared on your website and through email and social media posts.
Writing about topics related to your business, showing your expertise and providing helpful information can drive more traffic to your website and help improve search rankings for your business.
6. Engage on social media platforms that suit your business
Just like content marketing, social media marketing is another type of digital marketing. Many consumers rely on social media marketing to guide purchasing decisions. However, instead of trying to excel on all social media platforms, determine which platforms are best for your business and focus your energy there.
For example, if you’re starting an online boutique, you might find that platforms with an emphasis on images, such as Pinterest and Instagram, match your digital marketing strategies better than others.
Zeroing in on a few platforms can make it easier to stay active and respond quickly to customer interactions.
7. Build your contact list to maximize email marketing
Using customer relationship management with email marketing is an effective digital marketing tactic that’s often used to build loyalty and engage new customers. CRM software can help you collect and store information about your contacts — your existing customers and potential customers who have interacted with your business in some way.
Your contact list can be used to share newsletters, special offers, announcements, discounts and other information about your business and products. Also, information such as a contact’s first name and location can autopopulate to personalize outgoing emails.
8. Encourage customers to leave online reviews
Customer reviews can be personally rewarding and strengthen the reputation of your business. Reviews can also be helpful in building rapport with existing customers and influencing others to visit your website. You can place signs at your location, in addition to including links on your website and in emails, to encourage customers to write reviews of your business.
You’ll want to monitor your reviews for any negative feedback as well, so you can quickly work to resolve the issue. Meeting bad reviews head-on can help you improve your products and processes and can give you the opportunity to strengthen your relationship with customers.
9. Use digital ads to reach your target audience
If it’s within your marketing budget, placing digital ads on Google and social media platforms can help get your business in front of your target audience. Digital ads generally give you the ability to choose keywords, target your specific audience and engage prospective customers who are likely to want your product or service. Digital advertising can be used to target customers in your local area, in a specific age range and in a niche market.
Retargeting tools are also offered by many of these platforms and allow you to show your ads specifically to customers who have already interacted with your business website and shown an interest in your products.
10. Explore influencer marketing opportunities
You may want to consider adding influencer marketing to your social media marketing efforts. Influencers have a sizable number of followers on social media, and their reviews and promotion of products can affect the buying decisions of their audience.
A nano-influencer may be an especially good choice for small businesses. Because they have less than 10,000 followers, they often have strong engagement with their community and can be less expensive than influencers with higher follower counts. When selecting an influencer, it’s important that their audience be similar to your target audience and that you thoroughly review them and their platforms.
11. Use SMS marketing to build customer loyalty
Short Message Service (SMS) marketing is a fairly cost-effective way to promote your business through text messages. You can use SMS to regularly engage existing customers with information about special offers, discounts, store events and other promotions. Like email marketing, you’ll want to get permission before sending texts to your contact list.
SMS marketing software can automate the process of sending text messages to existing and potential customers. Also, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages can be used when you want to share photos, images, videos, audio files and other content with your contact list.
12. Respond to online feedback
Customer service can be a determining factor in attracting and retaining customers. You can extend your in-person customer service practices to your business website. A good place to start is to create a contact page on your website with information on how customers can contact you and then respond promptly to requests, questions and comments you receive.
You might also consider investing in a chatbot service for extended 24/7 customer support hours. Chatbots can provide answers to frequently asked questions and can be a particularly useful tool for e-commerce businesses.
13. Monitor your campaigns and adjust your strategy
Monitor your digital marketing strategies to determine what’s working well and what can be changed. It’s important to remember that not all of your strategies will be successful. A large part of your digital marketing efforts will involve testing and trying new things to determine the best methods for your business.
For example, if a Facebook ads campaign for a new product doesn’t meet your expectations, you can adjust your strategy by changing the ads in the campaign, picking another social media platform or using a different digital marketing method.
14. Spend within your marketing budget
Although marketing is necessary for attracting customers, it can be difficult to devote a large budget to these efforts. That’s why creating a marketing budget is essential. As you consider how to allocate funds, you may want to lock in the “basics” to establish your digital presence — launching and optimizing your business website, setting up your social media profiles and building an email list. Then, you can branch out and investigate other tactics that might require more of your budget, such as digital ads and local marketing tactics.
Rieva Lesonsky, a freelance writer, contributed to this article.
A version of this article originally appeared on Fundera, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to advance a proposal that could retroactively end the student loan payment pause, kill the president’s debt cancellation plan and potentially force hundreds of thousands of public servants to return forgiven debt to the government.
But borrowers shouldn’t panic yet, because the proposal, pushed forward by Republican lawmakers under the Congressional Review Act, is unlikely to succeed.
Next, the Senate will vote on the proposal. A majority of lawmakers in the Democrat-held chamber would need to vote in favor in order for it to move to the president’s desk. If that happens, President Joe Biden vows to veto it. Both the House and Senate would need a two-thirds majority to overturn that veto.
Bottom line: Student loan borrowers shouldn’t worry that the CRA will force them to repay their debt immediately. Instead, put your energy into preparing for forbearance to end. Federal student loan payments are scheduled to resume in early fall.
What would the Congressional Review Act do to student loans?
The Congressional Review Act is a tool that allows lawmakers to overturn final rules issued by federal agencies — the Department of Education, in this case.
The GOP proposes using the CRA to reverse about nine months of interest-free forbearance, immediately restart monthly bills, block Biden’s student debt cancellation plan of up to $20,000 of relief per borrower and prevent the Education Department from enacting similar actions in the future.
“Tens of millions of people will be immediately hit with bills for past-due interest charges courtesy of congressional Republicans,” said Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, in a press briefing on Tuesday.
The House voted 218-203 for the proposal; two Democrats, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state, joined the Republican majority.
The consequences would be dire for some. Each month federal loans spent under forbearance has counted toward loan forgiveness eligibility under income-driven repayment plans and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF, program. Because the CRA would invalidate nine months of forbearance, it would reinstate the debt of more than 260,000 borrowers who have earned loan forgiveness under PSLF since September 2022 — averaging about $72,000 per person, according to a recent analysis by the American Federation of Teachers and the SBPC. It would also erase nine months of progress toward forgiveness under the PSLF program for 2 million additional borrowers, the report found.
“This will be a draconian mess,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in the Tuesday press briefing.
How did we get here?
Student loans entered the political crosshairs during the pandemic. Forbearance began in March 2020 under the Trump administration. Although this spelled relief for 43.5 million federal student loan borrowers, it has come at a controversial cost: roughly $5 billion in revenue per month, according to a November 2022 estimate by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a think tank that supports lowering the deficit.
The CRA isn’t the only recent legal threat to the payment pause. In March, private student loan lender SoFi sued to end it, saying the latest forbearance extension has cost the bank millions in profits due to borrowers not refinancing. Conservative think tank The Mackinac Center for Public Policy filed a lawsuit calling the pause an “enormous expense to taxpayers” and asked a judge to immediately reinstate payments.
Prepare for payments to resume by early fall
Though this CRA proposal is unlikely to succeed, borrowers are still set to return to student loan payments soon. Expect bills and interest to resume by early fall. We don’t yet know the fate of Biden’s cancellation plan in the Supreme Court, so prepare to pay on your full loan balance.
Here’s how to get ready:
Locate your student loan servicer. The company that manages your student loans may have changed since forbearance began. Find your servicer by logging into StudentAid.gov.
Contact your servicer. Log in to your servicer’s website or give them a call. Update your contact information. Ask how much you might owe when payments resume, how much your monthly bills could be, and what payment plans are available to you. If you had automatic payments before forbearance, set those up again. Servicers expect a customer service bottleneck when payments resume, says Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, so get ahead of traffic now.
Consider an income-driven repayment plan. Your servicer can help you sign up for an IDR plan. These plans lower your monthly bills to a set portion of your disposable income. Your payment could be as low as $0 per month. You can do the paperwork now so you’re set in an IDR plan when forbearance ends, Buchanan says.
Put money aside. If you can, consider putting aside your estimated student loan payment each month in a high-yield savings account. This can help you cover the first few months of student loan payments when they restart.
For college seniors, the spring season means looking forward to graduation – and life beyond the college campus.
To help college graduates as they look both for work and a new place to live, Apartment Guide consulted with Indeed, the number one job site worldwide, to bring together information to match the perfect apartment with the right job.
[find-an-apartment]
Together, Indeed and Apartment Guide have researched the top cities with the most entry-level job openings, along with average rents for one and two bedroom apartments in these cities.
Here’s the list.
Top Ten Cities for Most Entry-Level Job Openings*
1. Washington, D.C.:
2-bedroom average rent: $1,755, average sq. ft: 985
1-bedroom average rent: $1,402, average sq. ft: 705
2. New York, NY:
2-bedroomaverage rent: $2,067, average sq. ft.: 1,014
1-bedroom average rent: $1,611, average sq. ft.: 722
3. Houston, TX:
2-bedroom average rent: $1,121, average sq. ft.: 1,024
1-bedroom average rent: $854, average sq. ft.: 660
4. Chicago, IL:
2-bedroom average rent: $1,318, average sq. ft.: 990
1-bedroom average rent: $1,013, average sq. ft.: 700
5. San Francisco, CA:
2-bedroom average rent: $2,337, average sq. ft.: 946
1-bedroom average rent: $1,864, average sq. ft.: 663
6. Dallas, TX:
2-bedroom average rent: $1,100, average sq. ft.: 1,024
1-bedroom average rent: $822, average sq. ft.: 673
7. Austin, TX:
2-bedroom average rent: $1,191, average sq. ft.: 1,006
1-bedroom average rent: $947, average sq. ft.: 655
8. Los Angeles, CA:
2-bedroom average rent: $2,011, average sq. ft.: 1,013
1-bedroom average rent: $1,566, average sq. ft.: 693
9. Atlanta, GA:
2-bedroom average rent: $962, average sq. ft.: 1,103
1-bedroom average rent: $795, average sq. ft.: 746
10. Phoenix, AZ:
2-bedroom average rent: $831, average sq. ft.: 967
1-bedroom average rent: $703, average sq. ft.: 705
A renting conundrum for the new graduate So these are the great cities where the most jobs are available, but can a recent graduate – and new employee – realistically afford to live in them?
Here’s the rub for the entry-level employee: overall, these metros are on the expensive side. All but two of these major cities cost over a grand to rent a two bedroom apartment, on average – and in two, the cost is over two thousand a month.
There are trade-offs, of course, between having a little more space and how much more you’ll pay in rent for that space. Note the difference in rents and square footage between one and two bedroom apartments in these cities.
An often-quoted rule of thumb is to try to keep the rent within 30 percent of overall income. For recent grads starting out in new careers, these rents and the overall cost of living in these places might present a real challenge to this goal, at least in the short term. That said, these are also amazing cities to live in. They offer a great quality of life, IF you can afford it!
There’s also the roommate solution. When you can split the rent, you and a roommate can experience a more expensive city together without breaking the bank. You might even choose to focus your search on cities where the rent is more affordable. In Atlanta, splitting a rent of just under one thousand a month makes this great Southern capital a reasonable place to pay for an apartment. For another cheaper, warm weather option, consider Phoenix.
A little support at home As you’re starting a new life around a new job in, perhaps, a new city, you deserve some support. After all, just moving to a new place is stressful enough. Apartment communities that offer helpful amenities can make settling in a little easier.
Many apartment communities offer services key to new professionals. A full-time Business Center can be an invaluable backup to a home office. A friendly space with shared wi-fi on-site can make connecting feel like more of a shared experience. Communities which offer electronic rent payment make that monthly responsibility a little easier to take care of.
All of these amenities and more can be searched via ApartmentGuide.com to help you find the right apartment for your needs, straight out of college.
*Methodology: Indeed.com looked at their job posting dataand determined these cities based on the number of postings per city associated with an Indeed.com search for “entry level” in March 2014. Apartment Guide looked at their internal listing data to determine the average rent and square feet for both a one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartment in these locations.
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict
,
this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here’s an explanation for
.
This content is powered by
HomeInsurance.com
(NPN: 8781838). For more information, please see our
.
Bankrate logo
The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices.
We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making
process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy,
so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by
highly qualified professionals and edited by
subject matter experts,
who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy.
Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money.
Bankrate logo
Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
Bankrate logo
How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict
editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Bankrate logo
Insurance Disclosure
This content is powered by HomeInsurance.com, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 8781838) and a corporate affiliate of Bankrate.com. HomeInsurance.com LLC services are only available in states where it is licensed and insurance coverage through HomeInsurance.com may not be available in all states. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
At a glance
Not rated
Rating: 0 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score
Caret Down
Auto
Rating: 0 stars out of 5
0.0
Home
Rating: 0 stars out of 5
0.0
About Bankrate Score
Bottom Line
MetLife could be a good choice for various life, health or other medical insurance policies. However, its options are only sold as employer-provided group insurance plans. Additionally, MetLife no longer sells auto or home insurance policies; those products are now provided by Farmers Insurance.
Extra benefits, including financial planning and grief counseling, are available
Numerous other types of medical coverage available
General customer service: 1-800-638-5433
Individual life insurance (existing customers only): 1-800-638-5000
Group universal life insurance: 1-800-523-2894
Group variable life insurance: 1-800-756-0124
Group term life insurance: 1-866-492-6983
Additional contact details by product line are available on MetLife’s website
Info
What’s new with MetLife?
In April 2021, Farmers Insurance finalized the acquisition of MetLife’s home and auto insurance divisions. Going forward, MetLife Insurance will focus on life, health and pet insurance, as well as financial products like Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and employer-sponsored retirement plans.
MetLife life insurance
MetLife life insurance could be a good choice if the company provides your employer’s group life or health offerings. MetLife got its start in 1863 and has grown tremendously in the time since. Although Farmers Insurance purchased MetLife’s auto and home business, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company continues to operate independently. The company provides life insurance through employer-sponsored plans and groups.
However, the life insurance coverage types are relatively limited. Additionally, MetLife uses numerous underwriting companies, so your coverage may not actually come directly from MetLife. Our MetLife life insurance review breaks down the company’s offerings, to help you choose the right type of life insurance for your needs:
Term: MetLife offers basic, supplemental and dependent term life coverage. Some types of coverage are employer-paid, while others are paid by the employee. Term life insurance may be especially popular with young families or for those who only need coverage for a short period of time, usually 10, 20 or 30 years.
Permanent: MetLife offers two types of permanent life insurance coverage: group universal and group variable universal life. There is no whole life insurance. Permanent policies may be a better choice for older adults who need the coverage to last the rest of their lifetimes.
Group universal: Universal life insurance offers flexible options, allowing you to adjust your death benefit and premium as your needs change. MetLife’s universal life insurance offering is only available as a group plan.
Group variable universal: Variable universal life is similar to a standard universal life policy, but it includes an investment component that makes it a more complex financial product. To learn more about MetLife’s group variable universal life policy, contact the company directly.
MetLife life insurance endorsements
If you’re searching for the best life insurance, you may want to consider adding endorsements to your policy to more closely align your coverage with your needs. Unfortunately, MetLife does not list any information about riders on its website. This may be because MetLife focuses on employer-sponsored plans; different endorsement options might be available based on the agreement with each employer. To learn about life insurance riders from MetLife, contact the company directly or discuss your options with your employer (if MetLife provides your group life insurance options).
Keep in mind that riders will likely increase the cost of your life insurance, so you may not get the cheapest life insurance policy if you add them. However, the added protection may be well worth the extra cost, depending on your situation.
MetLife life tools and benefits
In addition to life insurance, MetLife also offers additional services to its members. Beneficiaries may be able to take advantage of the company’s grief counseling and checklists to help foster a sense of stability when a loved one passes. The company also offers funeral discounts, funeral planning services, will preparation services and transition planning.
MetLife customer satisfaction
If you’re shopping around and comparing life insurance quotes, customer satisfaction is an important area to consider. Life insurance rates may not vary between companies as much as home or auto insurance rates do — rates mostly depend on your age, health, the policy type you choose and how much life insurance you need — so looking at other aspects of each company can help you find the right option.
J.D. Power is a consumer data analytics company that puts out several service-oriented studies each year. MetLife has an above-average score in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study. Remember that MetLife no longer sells individual life insurance policies, so this score reflects its service to the customers who already own individual policies. However, it could still be a helpful metric, knowing that individual life customers seem to be generally satisfied with the service experience.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioner (NAIC) does give MetLife a complaint index for group life policies, which may be more helpful. A complaint index of 1.00 represents a normal or average number of complaints. MetLife’s group life insurance product has a score of 0.61. This means that the NAIC received fewer complaints about MetLife than average, which indicates a high level of service.
Finally, a company’s financial strength can be a useful tool, as it showcases a company’s historical ability to pay claims. MetLife has several different AM Best financial strength ratings, based on the underwriting companies it uses. Two of its companies, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and Metropolitan Tower Life Insurance Company, have A+ (Superior) AM Best financial strength ratings. American Life Insurance Company and MetLife Insurance K.K. (which operates in Japan) are not rated by AM Best.
How to file a claim with MetLife
Filing a life insurance claim is an emotional endeavor, but MetLife seeks to make it as seamless as possible. If you are the beneficiary of a MetLife life insurance policy and need to file a claim, you can:
If you call for help, you’ll likely still have to fill out a claim form, but you may be guided by a licensed agent to ensure you choose the correct one. You may also need to provide additional documentation, such as a death certificate.
MetLife availability
MetLife is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Product offerings may vary by state and MetLife’s agreement with your employer.
Other MetLife perks worth considering
MetLife’s product offerings are more limited as it no longer sells personal lines insurance coverage, but you may be interested in a few of its additional offerings:
Dental insurance: MetLife offers a number of dental insurance plans, including PPO plans, HMO/managed care plans and plans for veterans.
Vision insurance: MetLife’s various vision insurance options may help you save on exams, glasses and contacts. Some plans even offer discounts on LASIK eye surgery.
Pet insurance: Pet insurance is like healthcare coverage for your animal. This is one of the few plans that MetLife sells both individually and through employers.
Retirement solutions: In addition to insurance products, you might be able to use MetLife for your retirement plan too, if your employer offers this perk.
Keep in mind that MetLife doesn’t sell individual policies any longer. If your employer offers group life insurance through MetLife, you’ll need to work with your employer to gain access to these products.
MetLife corporate sustainability
MetLife could be a great option for consumers who are looking for companies with strong social responsibility programs. Since 1976, the MetLife Foundation has donated nearly $1 billion to help strengthen communities. The company is also focused on sustainability and has won numerous awards for its sustainability program. Finally, MetLife is focused heavily on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), outlining priorities to help foster a more diverse environment.
Not sure if MetLife is right for you?
Finding the right life insurance company for your needs involves doing some research to see which carriers closely align with your situation. One of the first steps is figuring out how much coverage you need, which you can do with the help of a licensed agent or even a life insurance calculator. Next, take a look at your needs and decide what policy type is best for you. Then you can start to look at carriers to see if they offer what you need. If you’re not sure if MetLife is right for you, these companies could be good options:
MetLife vs. Nationwide
If you’re looking for universal life coverage, Nationwide could be a good fit. The carrier offers high coverage limits and highly customizable policies that could fit a wide range of needs. Nationwide also offers auto and home insurance, along with numerous other insurance and financial products, and its life insurance products are available to individuals.
Learn more: Nationwide Insurance review
MetLife vs. MassMutual
If you need whole life insurance, which MetLife does not offer, MassMutual could be worth a look. The company has the highest AM Best financial strength rating possible and a long list of whole life insurance riders for personalization. MassMutual also offers universal and variable universal life, if you’re looking for those options without having to be part of a group plan like you would with MetLife.
Learn more: MassMutual Life Insurance review
MetLife vs. State Farm
The insurance behemoth could be a great choice for those seeking the best term life insurance. Additionally, the availability of local offices may be appealing to those who like to handle their insurance needs in person. State Farm offers numerous other insurance products and banking products, too, so it could be a good choice if you want to keep all your financial products in one place.
Learn more: State Farm Insurance review
Is MetLife a good insurance company?
MetLife might be a good life insurance company if your employer offers coverage for you. The company has generally high customer satisfaction reviews and offers helpful tools to beneficiaries, like funeral planning services and grief counseling. However, MetLife no longer sells individual policies like many of the other life insurance carriers we’ve reviewed, so it won’t be an option unless you can purchase coverage through your employer.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
Remember extreme couponing? Avid couponers would pour over weekly ads and find ways to maximize their savings by stacking coupons on top of other offers.
Merchant offers are a more convenient version of couponing. These programs are entirely online and allow you to save money on the things you’re buying anyway, with no scissors required.
Every issuer’s merchant offer follows the same basic structure: Log into your card account online or through your banking app, review the offers available to you, add the ones you want and make a qualifying purchase using the card the offer is registered to.
Offers are typically targeted, but someone with multiple cards will have access to dozens of offers from various retailers at any given time. Though every little bit helps, some programs are more valuable than others. Here’s how the programs stack up.
Amex Offers
Nearly everyone with an Amex card is familiar with Amex Offers, where you’ll often find 100 or more potential discounts for each card you have. Not all of them will be relevant to your purchasing needs, but the law of large numbers says a few will probably make sense.
From a traveler’s perspective, Amex Offers are frequently a good fit. Hotel offers are relatively common and often span multiple brands. For instance, here’s one that can save you $80 on an MGM Resort stay:
Sometimes you’ll find other good travel deals, too, like this one for $20 back on an airport parking service:
In addition to the sheer quantity of offers available, Amex also tends to field some of the highest cash-back deals. Rebates of $100 or more are relatively common, and you can sometimes stack Amex Offers with other discounts and promotions as long as your final purchase price is high enough to trigger the deal.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Another great advantage to these offers is that Membership Rewards-earning cards sometimes proffer bonus points on eligible purchases rather than cash back. For example, you may find an offer for 10,000 bonus points instead of $100, or 5 extra bonus points per dollar instead of 5% cash back, on certain types of purchases or from specific retailers.
Since TPG values Membership Rewards at 2 cents each, earning your rebate in points can make it an even sweeter deal.
One major downside is that Amex usually structures deals to require a minimum spending amount (as you might imagine, the higher rebates require higher spending to qualify), and taxes and fees are generally not included in that amount. So if you spend even just one penny short of the amount stated in your Amex Offer, you could miss out on the deal entirely.
Further, note that some Amex Offers have restrictions around what purchases are eligible, so read through the terms and conditions before you make a purchase. Also note that you can only add a particular Amex Offer to one Amex card, so try adding it to the card that earns the most points on your purchase.
Interested in using Amex Offers? Consider applying for one of these Amex cards:
American Express® Green Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points and get 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first six months of cardmembership (up to $200 back) after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first six months of cardmembership. Earn 3 points per dollar on dining at restaurants, travel and transit (including flights, hotels, cruises, taxis, tours and more) purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases ($150 annual fee; see rates and fees).
American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership. Earn 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants, 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 3 points per dollar on airfare purchased directly from airlines or American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases ($250 annual fee; see rates and fees).
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Earn 5 points per dollar on airfare purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and 1 point per dollar on other purchases ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees).
Related: These Amex Offers will help you save money and make life easier right now
Chase Offers
Since so many of our favorite travel cards are issued by Chase, there’s a good chance you have access to Chase Offers in your wallet.
Chase Offers are targeted and may vary by card. You’ll need to check each card in your account to see which ones you can access. Sometimes, you’ll find the best deals on cards you rarely use, which might give you an incentive to pull them out of the sock drawer.
Chase Offers are nearly always a percentage back instead of a flat rate dollar amount, with a few exceptions for subscription-based products. That makes these offers easier to use since you can spend normally without worrying about hitting a minimum threshold in your shopping cart. Everyday brands (rather than stores you’ve never heard of) are often featured, with recent offers from places like Starbucks, McDonald’s and Best Buy.
On the flip side, Chase Offers are generally not as valuable as Amex Offers. Instead of getting triple-digit rebates, you’ll find quite a few that are far less exciting. For example, this Office Depot offer has a maximum savings of $11:
Here are some of our favorite Chase cards:
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Its earning rates include 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on dining and 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel purchases.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Its earning rates include 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and dining purchases.
Related: Your ultimate guide to Chase Offers
BankAmeriDeals
Bank of America also has a cash-back program with a great extra twist: Bank of America debit cards can also activate offers on their account (though we at TPG think credit cards are usually the smarter choice for most). Either way, it can take up to 30 days to see offers on your account after enrolling, so you’ll need to be patient before you can start saving.
The offers on your Bank of America cards may overlap with your Chase Offers since the same backend system seemingly powers both programs. Bank of America does have an extra way to save through their BankAmeriDeals.
Note that these bonuses post to your account later than the initial earnings – but they can be a nice bonus if you regularly use your Bank of America credit card.
Related: How to maximize your earning with the Bank of America Premium Rewards card
Citi Merchant Offers
Like Amex, the Citi Merchant Offers program includes offers from a huge volume of merchants. Offers are conveniently sorted by category, making it easy to scroll through and add anything that catches your eye.
With Citi offers, the devil is in the details. The fine print of each offer is often very specific, so make sure your purchase is in line with the terms and conditions. For example, chain restaurants may only be valid at specific locations rather than nationwide and sometimes travel discounts only apply to prepaid bookings. Still, if you see a deal like $250 off a $1,000 Carnival cruise purchase, the savings are significant enough to be worth your time.
If you’re looking for a new Citi card, consider applying for the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees). It’s currently offering 60,000 ThankYou points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, which you can use for many great redemptions.
Related: 4 reasons the Citi Premier Card should be on your short list
U.S. Bank cash-back deals
U.S. Bank’s version of a rewards program was introduced without fanfare in 2021 and uses the same backend system as you see on Chase and BankAmeriDeals.
Though that means you might not see something new or noteworthy, it does mean you have another opportunity to load an offer to your account, especially since so many discounts are capped at low dollar amounts.
Unlike Chase, U.S. Bank doesn’t require you to load an offer to a specific U.S. Bank-issued card. Once you activate an offer, it’s valid for any of the cards on your account, but you can only use it once.
Related: How to choose the right credit card for you
Stack with a shopping portal
Barring some specific Amex Offers, the bulk of these merchant-specific offers trigger when you make an eligible purchase with your credit card. You do not always need to click through a special link to use your offers, meaning you can stack with a popular airline, hotel or cash-back shopping portal to earn even more points.
Shopping portals reward you with bonus points when you click through the portal before making a purchase with a specific merchant. For example, the United shopping portal currently offers 1 mile per dollar at Home Depot. So if you have a Home Depot Amex Offer, you can click through the United portal first, pay with your Amex and earn bonus United miles and Membership Rewards points on your purchase.
Most of the major airlines, many major hotels and even some transferable points currencies have their own shopping portals. One of our favorites is Rakuten — it’s technically a cash-back portal, but you can opt to earn Amex Membership Rewards points instead. The portal sometimes offers new members up to $40 (or 4,000 Membership Rewards points) bonus after spending a certain amount within 90 days of opening your account.
Consider using a shopping portal aggregator to earn the most rewards on your purchases. These will show you earning rates for all the major portals side-by-side, so you always get the highest possible return on your purchases.
Related: Don’t want to miss out on earning bonus points? There’s an extension for that
Bottom line
You might have access to a plethora of different discounts or bonuses to enjoy across your credit card portfolio. Amex tends to have the most headline-worthy rebates, but realistically, the best offers will be those at retailers you shop with anyway.
Try and make it a habit to look through all your available offers and add the ones you might use. There’s no harm in not using a linked offer; you might as well save money where possible. Just make sure to use the card with the linked offer when you pay for your purchase.
For rates and fees of the Amex Green, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
As with other recent bonuses, Chase is matching the increased 75,000 points signup bonus on the personal Southwest credit cards. If you applied applied recently under a different offer, you should be able to get matched by requesting it via secure message or over the phone.
YMMV, but the data points are good so far. It’s unknown how far back they’ll to and match the bonus; we have a data point of them matching from more than 30 days ago. I’d guess they’ll match up to 90 days, though with the INK card a lot of people are getting matched even beyond 90 days so it’s always worth asking.
Hopefully the 75k offer will come soon to referrals. If not, you can apply via referral and then hopefully the match will come through properly.
In the age of social media, influencers hold a lot of power and responsibility; and they also have a lot of pressure to remain popular and relevant. In light of that, some influencers have faked medical conditions to gain more attention and followers. In this article, we’re discussing 10 influencers who lied about their medical struggles to gain popularity and attention.
1. Emerald Rose
Emily from the Tics and Roses Tiktok channel was making videos under the guise of raising awareness for Tourette’s, while she was promoting her yarn dyeing business. Emily claimed that she had Tourette Syndrome since she was 6-7 years old. In her videos, her tics seemed fake and intentional and some members of her community called her out on this. But it wasn’t until someone conducted an investigation and found her old channel that they realized she never had Tourette’s. Emily was using her fake Tourette’s in order to garner attention for her yarn dyeing business.
2. Belle Gibson
Belle Gibson is an Australian influencer who gained a significant following by claiming to have cured her brain cancer through natural remedies and healthy eating. She published a cookbook and launched a wellness app, both of which claimed to help people with cancer and other serious illnesses. But in 2015, it was revealed that Gibson had never been diagnosed with cancer in the first place. The revelations led to widespread criticism and caused Gibson’s brand to crumble. The Australian government pursued legal action against her for deceptive conduct and false claims. In 2017, a court found that Gibson had misled her followers and ordered her to pay a fine of $410,000.
3. Brittany Dawn
Brittany Dawn Davis is a fitness influencer who gained a significant following on Instagram and YouTube by promoting her personalized meal plans and workout programs. However, in 2018, she faced a backlash from her customers, who accused her of failing to deliver on her promises and providing generic, unhelpful advice. Many of her clients claimed that they had paid for personalized plans but received the same meal and workout plans as others, despite her promises of a tailored program. Others alleged that she had ignored their emails or requests for refunds. In response to the criticism, Davis apologized and offered refunds to affected clients. Davis also faced criticism for allegedly faking health issues to avoid criticism or refund requests. She claimed to have suffered from a variety of medical conditions, including thyroid issues and depression, but some clients alleged that these claims were untrue or exaggerated. The situation led to widespread discussion about the ethics of the fitness influencer industry and the importance of transparency and honesty in marketing and promotion. Davis has since apologized for her actions and has attempted to rebuild her brand, but she continues to face criticism from some customers and industry observers.
4. Ashley Smith
Ashley Smith is a social media influencer who gained a considerable following by sharing her cancer journey on Instagram. Her posts about her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery garnered sympathy and support from her followers. However, in 2019, it was revealed that Smith’s cancer story was fabricated. A former friend of hers alleged that Smith had never been diagnosed with cancer and that all her social media posts were lies. The friend also claimed that Smith had a history of making up stories to gain attention and sympathy. As a result, there was widespread condemnation and outrage from Smith’s followers and the public. Many accused her of exploiting a severe illness for personal gain and trivializing the experiences of those who have genuinely been affected by cancer. Following the backlash, Smith deleted her social media accounts and issued a public apology. However, she has continued to face criticism and struggled to rebuild her reputation as an influencer.
5. Anna and Lucy DeCinque
Anna and Lucy DeCinque are Australian identical twins who have gained a significant following on social media for their extreme dedication to being identical. They have undergone numerous cosmetic surgeries and procedures, including lip fillers, breast implants, and tattooed eyebrows, to ensure that they look exactly alike. The twins have often spoken about their desire to be identical, stating that they share everything from their clothes and makeup to their boyfriends. They have also faced criticism and skepticism from some quarters about the authenticity of their claims, with some suggesting that their appearance and behavior are the results of a publicity stunt or mental illness. The DeCinque twins have leveraged their following on social media to launch a career as influencers and reality TV personalities. They have appeared on several Australian television programs, including “Hughesy, We Have a Problem” and “Botched”, and have also promoted numerous products and brands on their social media accounts. Their extreme lifestyle and appearance have led to both fascination and criticism from the public and the media, with some questioning the ethics of their influence and the impact of their message on young people. Despite the controversy, the twins have continued to maintain their dedication to being identical and have amassed a large and devoted following on social media.
6. Brooks Ayers
Brooks Ayers gained notoriety as a former cast member of the reality TV show “The Real Housewives of Orange County” after being caught in a scandal in 2015. He claimed that he was being treated for stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but his story was met with skepticism from his co-stars and the public due to inconsistencies. During the show’s reunion episode, Ayers presented a medical document that was later discovered to be a fake. His co-stars accused him of exploiting a serious illness for personal gain, leading to a backlash against him and the show. Despite little evidence to support his claims, Ayers continued to insist that he had cancer. He eventually issued an apology statement, acknowledging that he had “made mistakes” and “exaggerated” his illness.
7. Sketchek
Sketchek, also known as Shayne Smith, gained popularity in the online gaming community as a skilled player of “Team Fortress 2.” However, in 2015, news of his supposed death from leukemia began to circulate online, causing shock and sadness among his fans. As time passed, inconsistencies in the reports of Sketchek’s death began to surface, leading to speculation that the news may have been fabricated. Eventually, it was revealed that Sketchek had indeed faked his own death, in an attempt to garner sympathy and support from his followers. The revelation of Sketchek’s deception caused a backlash within the online gaming community, with many fans feeling betrayed and angry that they had been manipulated in such a way. Some argued that his actions had damaged the credibility of the community as a whole. In response to the backlash, Sketchek issued a public apology in which he admitted to his mistakes and expressed remorse for his actions.
8. Leah Messer
Leah Messer rose to fame as a reality TV star on “Teen Mom 2.” In 2014, Messer made a public announcement that she had suffered a miscarriage, which stirred sympathy and support from her fans. However, it later surfaced that Messer had fabricated the story to hide the fact that she had an abortion. The revelation of Messer’s deceit created controversy and disappointment among her followers, who felt that she had exploited a sensitive issue for her own personal motives. The incident was seen as trivializing the struggles of women who had truly experienced miscarriages, and it damaged the reputation of both Messer and the show’s cast members. In response to the backlash, Messer publicly apologized and admitted to her deception, expressing remorse for her actions.
9. Dan Mallory
Dan Mallory, also known as A.J. Finn, gained fame with his debut novel “The Woman in the Window.” However, in 2019 he was accused of fabricating a story about his battle with brain cancer, which he had claimed inspired the plot of his book. Mallory’s deception sparked outrage and criticism, with many feeling he had exploited a serious illness for personal gain. Mallory admitted to his mistakes and apologized, revealing that he struggled with bipolar disorder. It is not known if he was actually struggling with bipolar disorder, but it is clear that he can’t be 100% trusted anymore.
10. Sarah McDaniel
Sarah McDaniel is a model and social media influencer who was accused of faking both Tourette’s and bipolar disorders for personal gain. McDaniel’s alleged deception sparked controversy and backlash on social media, and many people criticizing her for trivializing serious mental health conditions. Some also argued that McDaniel’s actions were a reflection of the pressure that social media influencers face to create a persona that is both interesting and relatable to their followers.
The influencers who faked medical conditions have caused significant harm to themselves and their followers. Their actions have eroded trust and underscored the need for increased scrutiny and fact-checking of influencers and their claims. As consumers, we have a responsibility to do our research, fact-check claims, and hold influencers accountable for their actions.
These are 10 Things That Completely Destroyed The Love in a Relationship
There’s no question that relationships can be confusing, but here are some of the top things to avoid if you want to keep your relationship healthy!
10 Actors and Actresses People Refuse to Watch Ever Again
We all have a favorite actor or actress, but most of us have a least-favorite as well. Check out this list of actors and actresses people never want to see performing again!
Top 10 Worst Human Inventions of All Time
Some inventions are world-changing, and some of them, well, they change the world in the wrong ways. Here are some of the worst inventions Redditors could think of.
10 Famous Celebrities Who Look Like They Smell Terrible
We’ve all had moments of hygiene faux pas—but these celebrities just look like they don’t take care of themselves at all.
10 Terrible Fads People Are Glad Died Out
Every fad has its time in the limelight, but some of them come and go faster than others; and some just need to die out right away. Check out this list of fads of which people were happy to see the last.
Earn a $400 bonus when you open and use a new PNC Cash Rewards Visa Signature Business credit card and spend $3,000 during the first three billing cycles following account opening.
Card Details
No Annual Fee
Earn 1.5% Cash Back on all purchases with no limit.
Redeem cash back anytime as a statement credit, or deposit cash back into an eligible PNC Business checking or savings account.
Visa Signature benefits
Our Verdict
Nice cash signup bonus for business owners in eligible states. I don’t know how hard PNC is with approving business credit cards. PNC does not report business cards to the personal bureaus, though you will get a hard pull on your personal report.
They also have a PNC BusinessOptions credit card with a $750 bonus when you spend $25,000, though most people will prefer this $400 offer due to the reasonable spend requirement.
Have you stumbled upon a scary, strange, or weird experience when visiting a foreign country? Well, you’re not alone! We asked our friends on Reddit to tell us their most alarming stories of traveling internationally. These 12 scary and unsettling stories will make you think twice about visiting the country. Do you also have something crazy to share? Let us know in the comments!
1. Witnessing a Beheading
One user commented, “A beheading in the public market square in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.”
A second person replied, “I honestly don’t understand why anyone would want to visit countries like that.”
Another commenter added, “Um, I was going to say aggressive behavior from locals, but this is a whole different level.”
2. Lost and Unable to Communicate
“I got lost in an underground city in Tukey as a child. I stepped away from my parents and group to look at something, and when I turned around, they were all gone. I couldn’t find anyone who spoke English for a while until finally a man who spoke a little English helped me find my way back to the surface to wait for my parents to come back out.
“Thankfully, one of the women from our group was already there because she had gotten claustrophobic. Being ‘lost’ was scary enough, but not being able to communicate terrified me. Then, when my parents came up, they didn’t even realize I had been lost. So that became the scariest thing, realizing I wasn’t exactly ‘safe’ with my parents’ inattentiveness,” one user shared.
Another user replied, “For anyone who finds themselves in this situation, just stay where you are and wait for the other people to come back and find you. They will start their search at the last place they saw you, not at the entrance. It’s hard to remember in the moment, but this is the best advice in most cases.”
3. Almost Kidnapped by Locals
One person shared, “When I was in Turkey, my friend and I (F23 and F28) were walking through a small market just browsing. We stopped next to one shop to take a look on something. Owner immediately jumped in trying to persuade us to buy (which is normal) or for my friend (and only her) to go with him upstairs to see more goods. When we refused and turned to walk away he grabbed my friend by upper arm and hauled her to the stairs. We both were screaming and hitting him but he only let go when I twisted his thumb making him loosen his hold. My friend had huge bruise on her arm for the rest of vacation.”
“That’s terrifying. Well done fighting back,” someone replied.
“I’m Australian. I was seeing a Turkish man, and he was leaving to go back home. My parents asked if I was going back with him. I simply said I’ll prolly be stoned on the first day and left it at that. In all fairness he even admitted I’d most likely be shunned by his family and the women would most likely beat me. So there’s that, make of it as you will,” the third added.
4. Being Detained Without a Passport
One person stated, “Detained on the border of Romania and Hungary by Romanian police, put into jail for a few hours and my passport confiscated. When they led me through the darkness to lock me up in some dingy back room jail cell I genuinely thought I was going to be hostel’ed.”
“I took an overnight train from Hungary to Romania once in my early-20s. I had been assured that lots of tourists took this train, but it was virtually empty and I was a young woman traveling alone. It was around 3am when we crossed into Romania, and while my passport had been processed onboard on the Hungarian side, the officials in Romania took it off the train but left me (and the other passengers) onboard.
“I was fully convinced something like this was about to happen to me and I would be totally helpless to do anything without my ID or anyway to contact anyone. Another woman on the train noticed me freaking out and assured me this was normal and everything would be fine, and without her I think I would have completely spiraled in that moment. I can’t imagine how scared I would have been if they’d actually detained me,” shared another.
5. Strangers Breaking into your Room
One user shared, “Taking an overnight ferry during a People to People program in the summer with a bunch of high schooler’s. Overnight from Italy to Sicily. Bunch of younger to middle aged dudes not in the group were constantly hitting on the girls and were trying to proposition them back to their cabins on the ship. A few of us saw some trying to follow us back to our own rooms and a male teacher had to intervene.
“Later that night, when in the room with the three other girls, we heard our door being tested to see if locked. I was fully prepared to claw the eyes out of [anybody] who successfully got in but it was a [very] scary sleepless night.”
“When I was at uni, I must have been around 19/20, me and some friends went surfing down south. We stayed in a hostel. One night we’d all crashed out and a bunch of guys used their key card and broke into our room. I woke up long enough to tell them to get lost, watch the door close and went back to sleep. Another night another group of guys tried to break in. I was out cold and my friends were terrified. The girls and the guys split into two rooms, but we should have just stayed in one big one,” the second person replied.
6. Girl went Missing from a Tour Group
“Girl went missing from our tour group in Scotland. We were pub hopping with a few of us and most of us wanted to go back but she wanted to continue and wouldn’t take no for an answer so she took off on her own. She wasn’t in her room in the morning and forgot her phone and passport in her room. We were tweaking out most the day and almost got the embassy involved when she finally contacted someone.
“Apparently, she got lost going back and ‘stayed’ with a random guy. He was nice enough to pay her way to catch up with the tour group. She apologized to the tour group, so they decided against shipping her back but they did blacklist her from using their agency again,” shared one person.
7. Hearing Howler Monkeys Scream
One user commented, “I was in Costa Rica a few months ago for a volunteer project to clean up plastics from the local area around Jaco Beach. I stayed in the Punta Leona resort as a worker (since they have a contract with the volunteer program), and on the first night when we all went to our dorms to sleep. Roughly 30 minutes into our sleep, there was an ear-splitting shriek outside of the dorm that was so loud it made the whole house rumble.
“I have sensitive hearing so I was up instantly and so were the other girls but they were more annoyed than scared. ‘What was that?!’ I looked to the girl that I had been talking to the most earlier and she waved her hand ‘Howler monkeys do that sometimes. Just ignore it.’ That scream will forever stay in my mind. It was the only time I heard it while I was there but easily the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced in a foreign country.”
“I think the closest thing to that you’ll hear in the states is a mountain lion in heat. No joke—in certain parts of the US, if you hear what sounds like a woman being murdered in the woods, DO NOT go and help her. Because that is not a person,” another person shared.
Finally, the third added, “Foxes will also do that. They often freak out newcomers to areas with populations by either screaming like a woman being murdered or laughing like a small child. Also, mountain lions will also shriek like humans, but they like to hunt and eat them. Please be aware of your local wildlife.”
8. Finding Things in your Apartment
Someone recalled their weird and scary experience, “I used to teach English in Japan. I didn’t get off most nights until 9 pm, so it was close to 10 by the time I made it to the train stop near my apartment.
“One night I’m walking home and the street is dead, except for this elementary school boy walking towards me and whistling. In Japan, whistling at night is said to attract demons so I was a bit unsettled by his behavior. The kid just kept whistling. I hurried home, demon free.
“I also used to find long, thick black hair in my apartment in places I’d recently cleaned. I don’t have thick black hair, my hair is fine and red, so that was weird. I also didn’t have guests with hair like that so, who knows!”
9. Street Scammer in Egypt
“In Egypt, as I was leaving, an official guy in uniform came over and asked to see my passport and put it straight into his pocket and said I was being detained. Walked me over to a side office and told me to wait inside.
I didn’t go in and told him (maybe stupidly) that I was about to miss my flight and he said, he could ‘make the process faster’ if I paid the ‘administrative fee’. Fine—a bribe whatever. Wasn’t the first time on this trip. I take out the literal last of my cash and hand it to him, he puts it straight into his pocket and says ‘not enough.’
“I’m explaining that it’s literally all of the money I have and this woman, not in any kind of uniform, walks over to the guy, says something to him quite quietly (like speaking into his ear) and he looks petrified. Just absolutely terrified. Immediately gives me back my passport and not just the cash I gave him but some more that I guess he got from someone else before me and starts apologising to me profusely and even offered to escort me to my gate. She just smiled at me and told me to have a nice flight,” one person stated.
Someone replied, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from reading travel stories and my own experiences—stay out of Egypt if you want to have a good time.”
10. Locals Insist on Taking Pictures
One person commented, “When I was in my senior year of high school, we went on a field trip to India we were gonna write our senior projects at an orphanage where our teacher knew the owner, I went to a certified U.N school, whatever that means. Anyway, we were on our way to this giant temple and we stopped at a smaller one for a break and snacks. There were people everywhere and since all of us are white, except one dude, we got a lot of weird looks from the locals and a lot of giggles.
“I was talking to four other girls when the security guard asked if he could take a picture with us, that’s when all hell broke loose, everyone wanted to take pictures with us. So when I started walking back to the car, this dad followed me and kept hounding me for a picture and said that I [was very rude] for not taking pictures with his children… We left shortly after.”
Another one shared, “I have heard that there’s a similar phenomenon in rural Japan. Since it’s 99% Japanese, the people in rural Japan may not have ever seen a non-Japanese person before. So if they see a foreigner, sometimes they just do an open-mouthed stare. I heard one person describe the look on their faces as if they just saw a unicorn walk into the room.
“Same person described an incident where she was riding a bike on a narrow path next to a rice paddy, and saw two Japanese girls on bikes approaching her. Normally in this situation the people going in different directions go in single file so that they can easily pass each other without falling into the rice paddy. Well, these girls were so in shock about seeing a white person, they didn’t move into a single file line, knocked her right into the rice paddy, and on top of that one of their bikes sliced into her hand…”
11. Driving Around Costa Rica
One person stated, “Not creepy but different—Driving in Costa Rica. Amazing place full of super nice people. Some of the roads were paved or hard packed dirt. Most were ancient and in really bad shape. Biggest pot holes that I have ever seen in my life. I am not kidding when I say there were plenty of pot holes two feet deep. I was advised to get an SUV with full insurance, which I did and was thankful for.
Other interesting things—very religious country. Shrines all over the place with lights on them—in stores, on corners in the middle of nowhere. First time I saw an entire family ride on a Vespa type scooter. Really impressive, especially on those roads. They also sold some form of moon shine on the side of the road in reused plastic bottles. 10/10 would go back.”
“Another person shared, “Wife is from Costa Rica. The stop signs are more like yield signs. Taxi drivers are insane. Ghetto is… depressing. The people are lovely in general and very open and idealistic. Family is everything to them. You really do marry the family, not just the spouse. I wish they could be more monetarily wealthy in addition to their pura vida. Weird combination of catholicism and [being sensual]. Very open to discussing [physical] topics but very judgmental of certain things. Like my wife and her sister openly discussed my [body parts] in front of me, but the topic of [being gay] wasn’t to be discussed. I haven’t heard of the moonshine and have not yet visited their forests, unfortunately.”
Original Reddit thread here.
10 Terrible Fads People Are Glad Died Out
Some trends have outlived their own usefulness and need to go. Read our top selections here!
Top 10 Worst Human Inventions of All Time
Some inventions are lifesavers, inventions which have changed the way society operates. Others… just need to go away already. Read our selection of worst inventions!
10 Trends That Will Disappear With the Boomers
Each generation has its own idiosyncrasies and trends. And these ones, Millennials and Gen Z have decided not to bring forward into the future.
10 Movies People Said Were Awful That Are Actually Great
Have you ever been told to just not watch a movie because it’s terrible… and then you ended up loving it? Turns out you’re not alone!
10 Actors Perfectly Cast for Their Character Roles
You know the perfect synergy that happens when a character is the perfect fit for the role they play in a movie or show? We put together a whole post to obsess over these perfect moments!