Do you also know that confusion when you see the prices of Airport Transfer and Taxi services? Especially in some occasions when the airport is pretty far and it might take you up to 2 hours to reach it. Furthermore it’s not always convenient to get to the airport especially if it’s in the early morning and you’re travelling with a child. Other way around it might work the same way: You’ve been on the plane for hours and don’t want to spend another x-amount of time on public transport. So great news, I found a family friendly airport transfer service with comfortable vehicles and the lowest prices, Easy Transport! You’ll be surprised!
I was traveling from our home to Charleroi Airport near Brussels with my partner and our little baby boy in the early morning to travel to Sardinia. I decided to book an airport transfer with Easy Transport door to door. I booked it quickly online 2 weeks before our trip and it cost me only 90€! The standard prices with every taxi would be around 180€, so twice as more! Imagine if you are travelling with a group of people, let’s say 4-5 of you. It would be cheaper than taking a train to the airport.
I received a message on my phone one day before the pick up asking me to confirm the address and my booking. The driver was very punctual and helped us with the luggage. He was a great driver: Not making any sudden turns, not rushing but driving very smoothly and following all the traffic rules. Also the car was spacious, clean and it even smelled very good inside. A baby seat was also provided, which was perfect for our little one. We arrived happily at our destination on time and without any superfluous hassle.
How to book an Airport Transfer with Easy Transport
First of all it’s very easy to book the Airport Transfer to Charleroi Airport with Easy Transport online. Go to their website and click on the category “booking”. Afterwards choose to which airport you would like to be transferred to. After that you pick a date and what kind of transfer you would prefer. There will be few questions regarding the flight number and a time that you would like to be picked up. And last but not least the names of the passengers, address, phone number and payment method are doubtlessly also crucial. Prices are made clear and are finalised during the booking process, so no hidden costs. There is also a column where you can write special information that you would like to share. After that you will receive a confirmation email. Easy, right?
How to book airport transfer with easy transport
If you need to use Airport transfers services more often you can become a member of ET Discount Club. So you can save some money on all kind of journeys and enjoy VIP transfer for lower prices. It only costs 30€ for the whole year.
Important to mention that if you pay cash but for some reasons you decide to cancel your booking then it can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before the transfer’s departure. So all in one it’s a great way to get to your destination in a relaxed, reliable but also affordable way. I will definitely recommend Easy Transport to everyone!
Every blogger’s goal is to get more traffic and to see how their audience is growing. I’ve seen many bloggers getting frustrated that they can’t get where they want, trying all kind of Social Media tricks and writing great content. Don’t get me wrong, content is the king but without using proper SEO no one will be able to find and read this awesome information.
Beginner’s Guide to SEO
To be the best in ranking for the first page on Google you should get to know the techniques of SEO, Search Engine Optimisation. Here you will find out more about SEO strategy, to build your audience and finally get more traffic to your blog and rank on page 1 of Google. You probably know that 60% of all Google users click on the first 3 results. If you make it happen to be in the first three results your site will get more authority, visibility and finally more traffic.
If you are ready to improve your blog, finally save your time then it’s time to implement some important techniques. After you apply these simple principles you will see immediate results.
What is SEO
On-page SEO is an essential factor to get your posts at the top of the search result pages. Search Engine Optimisation means to apply specific techniques to be identified by search engines like Google, Yahoo etc. as the best answer or solution for the users.
The simple truth is: The better you optimise your blog or site for these search engines, the more traffic and page views you will receive. It means you won’t need to promote your blog on social media or various Facebook groups because it will naturally come to you through organic traffic.
What else does it mean to you? Being ranked in the first three results of Google will lead to more visibility for your site, which means the more money you can make, the greater the opportunities and deals you’ll be offered, additionally the higher will be your domain authority.
The Most Important SEO Strategies You Should Use
Create Great Content
As I already mentioned before content is the king. It’s important to write High quality and useful texts to be in the first results of Google page. But what does it mean to write great content? How many words should a proper article include?
Nowadays there are so many competitors, so many various bloggers who are writing about the same things but some get a high amount of cyber attention, others just get lost on the e-web.
There are 5 main aspects that should be considered to get higher traffic and to improve your content.
Step 1: Work on Your Title
The title is like a business card of your text. It’s important to write a catchy title that shows exactly what your post is about. To write better headlines I’m using this awesome free tool that I would recommend to everyone, Headline Analyzer.
Step 2: Solve the Reader’s Query
When we are searching for something on Google we want to see the high quality and quick result. That’s why your title and your content should be about a specific topic, so the user won’t be tempted to click on the other search results. Just try to immerse into the users shoes to understand what he or she is searching for to give the best answer to their question.
Step 3: Check your Competitors
Before you start writing your next article, you should always see what your competitors have written about it. I would suggest first to pick up the long tail keywords and then find other bloggers who are ranked on the first Google page.
The best way to do it is to open an incognito window and type in the keyword phrase that you would like to use. I always go through the results of the first Google page. Commercial websites like Tripadvisor shouldn’t be your concern.
After going through your competitors pages look at the length and the plot of the texts. Try to write a better post by adding more qualitative information, more insights, details, better meta description, pictures.
Step 4: Increase the Amount of Words
Toast.com has written that longer posts get higher chance of ranking well in Google. It has been proven that articles of around 2000 words get better results. That should be your goal to implement more information and more keywords into these amounts of words.
How to Choose the Right Keywords
Keywords are the base for every existing site in the internet. Every search engine is based on keywords, so if you are planning to get ranked on page 1 of Google then it’s time to learn how to research and use the right keywords.
Believe me, it’s much easier to research keywords than everyone thinks. You should find the useful long tail keywords before even planning to write your new article. Otherwise it’s a pure waste of your time. Imagine you’ve written a great text, you’ve spend hours to research it and to take or find awesome pictures. Afterwards you find out that no-one is searching for this kind of information and there are no useful keywords for this topic or it’s too hard to compete with the other articles? It’s a shame, right?
Your goal is:
Find great long tail keywords, it means the keyword should contain 2-3 words. Longer and more defined search phrases will help you to get more attention. It should also have a high search volume and low competition. I will explain it later.
Write high-quality texts, better than you competitors with the intention to give full answers for the readers
Add 10-20 other related keywords to your post.
Online Tools to Find Great Keywords
There are various free online tools that you can use to find keywords. I’m using Keywords Everywhere to get some inspiration. It shows the search volume and cost per click (CPC) for the phrases. Again I believe it’s good to find some ideas but it doesn’t give you very accurate information regarding ranking.
Another famous one is Moz. You can only search for 20 free keywords per month but it shows you keyword volume range and difficulty score. Every successful blogger would tell you though if you want to see quick results you need to invest into the keysearch tool. And there is a great one that doesn’t cost much but will provide you with all necessary information: Keysearch.
Keysearch is one of the most popular and reliable tools that will help to save time and will make blogging even more fun. If you want to know more about it read Review of Affordable Keyword Search Tool, Keysearch.
It’s easy to use Keysearch and they provide you with videos where they explain every step. To find your target keyword just type the chosen phrase into the keyword analysis search bar. You can filter your results depending on the score, volume or CPC. I prefer score.
Keyword Search Tool, Keysearch
The score shows how difficult it is to rank the keywords and how hard the competitiveness is. It depends on the colour of the score but as you can guess green means it’s a good keyword. Keysearch will show the top 10 competing sites and a list of related keywords. First check if there are sites with lower DA then yours and if you can write your article better than they did. There are many other useful features that you can definitely use for your blog.
Keyword Search Tool, Keysearch
If you want 20% off Keysearch use the code: KSDISC and sign up here.
Easy On-Page SEO Strategy
On-Page SEO means that you need to optimise your content and implement specific indicators to make your posts more visible for search engines. I would recommend after you’ve finished your article to go through it again and make sure that you’ve included your keywords in all important areas.
Your Title, H1, must contain your target keyword phrase.
The URL should also contain your target keyword. Use maximum five words for this one.
Use around 10-20 different keywords that are related to your topic in the text.
Remember to use internal linking to your own content but also external linking to trustworthy pages.
Write a good and catchy Meta Description with your target keywords.
Optimise your images. It means resize your image and include description, caption and also alt tag.
Use your second important target keyword in the subheading H2 and implement it close to the beginning of the post. Also put more keywords into other subheadings.
Improve Your Off-Page SEO
Off-Page SEO means that you need to improve your brand or blog outside of your site. There are different ways but in my opinion the main one is link building and social media. I didn’t know that but only after a few years I’ve read that backlinking is a crucial part of a good SEO strategy.
Technical Side of your Blog
This is actually the most boring part. Because most of us bloggers want to focus on the creative part but not on the technical side. And of course there are so many factors that are important for the technical SEO, I will tell you about 4 of them.
Create and submit sitemap to Google.
Check your page speed and improve if it’s necessary. For example you can compress and optimise images before upload them. For WordPress users I would recommend to download the free plugin WP Smush.
The problem that I’m struggling with: Move to HTTPS otherwise if you still have HTTP google will recognise it as an insecure site. Good hosts will help you to do it for free or for 10-15¢. Unfortunately I’m using GoDaddy at the moment and they are expecting their clients to pay over 100€ for this service. Rip off I would say.
Last but not least make sure that your site is mobile friendly.
Get Organic Search Traffic
SEO might seem complicated but once you start to implement all these strategies into your site you will see how organic search traffic will bring you results. It might take some time so be patient but continue to follow the listed techniques. I promise you will be able to start ranking higher on search engines like Google and your audience will grow.
If you are planning your vacation in Belgium then I would definitely recommend to visit Maasmechelen for a weekend. This is one of the hidden places in Belgium that not everyone knows about. Nevertheless it has a lot to offer for a romantic and lovely getaway for couples, friends and families. You can easily reach Maasmechelen village by public transport but it’s even more comfortable and faster by car. Less than an hour drive away from Brussels, Antwerp or Düsseldorf, Maasmechelen Village is located on the Meuse river in the Belgian province of Limburg. There are plenty of opportunities to park your car for example at Terhills Hotel in case you decide to spend the night there.
Where to Stay in Maasmechelen
Terhills Hotel
If you decide to stay in Maasmechelen then you should experience your stay at the historic building of Terhills Hotel. It’s a beautiful 4-star hotel with a modern interior which used to be a the main building of the Eisden mine. Already the arrival at this place will leave you speechless: An amazing green garden that reminds a little like Versailles and an imposing historic building at the end of it. This location is very popular for wedding photography.
Welcome Drink at Terhills Hotel
Terhills Hotel is not only unique but it’s also an architectural icon. Everywhere you can see hidden elements of the mining pre-history of the building well combined with a modern makeover: There is a half a meter difference in level between both sides of the building and the front stairs seem to look crooked. The building was built in 1932 but it had remained empty for around 25 years.The cooperation with Dôme Deco from Limburg turned the hotel into an impressive ambiance with elegant and stylish interior design.
Rooms at Terhills Hotel
I loved every moment of my stay at this hotel. From the very beginning you feel very comfortable: Welcome drinks and beautiful decorative elements, all these create the perfect atmosphere. After a fast and easy check-in the ultra-modern lift brought us to the second level with spacious corridors where our room could be found. Terhills Hotel offers 5 different types of rooms. We were staying in the Superior Room with Garden View.
Rooms at Terhills Hotel
Our room was outstanding: comfortable king-sized bed, flat-screen TV and an awesome big freestanding shower with bath robes and free toiletries. A sweet message from the hotel manager accompanied by Neuhaus pralines, tea, coffee and bottle of bubbles made us feel like home immediately. The beautiful view from the room and cozy vibes let you feel so good, you don’t want to leave this little oasis.
Breakfast at Terhills Hotel
Breakfast at Terhills Hotel, Maasmechelen
I am very critical regarding breakfast because I’ve noticed nowadays it’s really hard to find a place that offers a delicious variety of food at the beginning of the day. Most of the time it’s just simple boring eggs and croissants. But at Terhills Hotel I was positively surprised and definitely satisfied with the quality and diversity of the dishes. They serve everything that can please your breakfast wishes: From scrambled eggs, proper bacon, American pancakes to fresh yoghurt with fruits, granola, chia and nuts. Different juices and hot drinks like coffee and tea accompany the sumptuous breakfast.
What to do in Maasmechelen Village
Designer Outlet Shopping – Shopping in Belgium
Almost everyone who lives in Belgium has at least once visited the famous designer outlet shops at Maasmechelen Village to stroll through luxury fashion and homeware stores and enjoy great discounts of up to 60%. Many famous brands present their products at significant reduced prices that you rarely can find in the cities.
Designer Outlet Shopping – Shopping in Belgium
The Designer Outlet is located just behind Terhills Hotel and it looks very modern and clean. There are various interesting sculptures worth of taking a picture for Instagram and comfortable benches to relax on the way from one shop to another. Families with kids will be happy to discover a big playground where they can let their toddlers have fun so the grown-ups can be focused on spending money.
Shopping at Maasmechelen Village
You can easily combine smart shopping with nice dining. There are some lovely options to get food on the way or enjoy your meal in one of the three main restaurants. All in one Maasmechelen Village doubtlessly provides a relaxed and pleasant shopping experience. The best way to enjoy your shopping to maximum is to stay at Terhills Hotel and get an additional 10% discount on every purchase like I did. Sounds awesome, right?
Hiking in Belgium: Visit Connecterra
Limburg has a lot of stunning nature and picturesque views. One of them is the popular panoramic getaway in the National Park Hoge Kempen. It’s located just next to Terhills Hotel and is definitely a must visit. This place used to be used for coal mining until it was closed in 1987. You can still view the impressive shafts of the former Eisden mine which mainly have a decorative value nowadays.
Hiking in Belgium: Visit Connecterra
For 3€ you can explore the park on foot. There are three well marked out hiking trails that will lead you to the best spots of Connecterra. You can also decide if you would prefer to have a short 45-minute walk or more extended 2 or 3-hour hikes, which goes around a lake and through the woods. I would suggest to go for the longer hiking trail as we did. Either way you will be rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view over the Belgian forest and lake. Some spots can be a bit steep but all in one it’s a very easy hike that everyone from young until old can enjoy.
There is visitors lounge with a little café and a great playground at the main entrance of Connecterra. So by the end or beginning of your walk you can enjoy your drink surrounded by nature. Families can let their little rebels climb around and have some fun at the modern playground.
Every blogger knows that it doesn’t matter how great and interesting your article is if you don’t use specific keywords no-one will ever find your work. Nevertheless it’s not magic to find great keywords to help you rank on search engines for example like Google. It’s all about technique, strategy and great tools that will make it all easier. In my review I will introduce you to my favourite affordable keyword competition tool, Keysearch. It’s a guide to finding perfect competitor keywords. You should definitely go through my article about SEO andHow to Rank On Page 1 of Google to learn more about the strategies.
What is a Target Keyword?
In order to get more page views and visitors for your content, you should find great target keywords that have a high search volume and low competition. You should also write high-quality and useful posts based on the keywords. But did you know that good, ranked keyword is often a phrase and not just a single word? Because longer and more specific search phrases give you an opportunity to attract the right kind of reader who will also stay longer on your site.
Finding right Keywords with Keysearch
It’s very simple to use Keysearch, furthermore they provide you with videos where they explain every step. To find the right keywords type in the chosen phrase into the keyword analysis search bar. Choose your location or like I always do it jus leave “all locations”. Hit “Search” button.
Affordable Keyword Search Tool, Keysearch
You can filter your results the way you want to. I prefer to see the best score first. Some bloggers prefer to organise the results via volume. The higher the volume, the better. The score shows you how difficult it will be to rank the keywords, how hard the competitiveness is. Red means difficult, amber would be still tough and green is possible. The aim is to find a keyword that is low in difficulty and high in volume.
Keyword Search Tool, Keysearch
If you find a key phrase with the score under 20 then use it immediately! These words are very hard to find and they will bring a good traffic to your website.
Check the Competition
Keysearch, Keyword Tool
Keysearch will show you the top 10 competing URLs and a list of related keywords. First check if there are sites with lower DA then yours. Good chance to rank higher if they are not using the keywords in the URL, description and title. It means you have a chance of competing to rank on page 1 of Google.
Keysearch does cost a small amount but it will make your blogger life so much easier. It’s definitely the method I’ve chosen to use and I will recommend it.
If you want to spend one day in Maastricht here is the perfect list of the things to see in the beautiful town on the souther tip of the Netherlands. Maastricht is one of the oldest medieval cities in Holland that has about 590 listed monuments. It’s very compact so you can explore this little town within 1-2 days.
Streets of Maastricht, the Netherlands
Maastricht is also famous for being a university city with a large international student population. It’s also known as a birthplace of the well-known Euro. It has numerous things to offer like great dining, relaxed atmosphere, awesome cafes and delightful shopping. Moreover there are terrific museums and interesting Roman history.
Maastricht in the Netherlands
Things to See in Maastricht
Het Vrijthof
One of the famous monuments in Maastricht is Vrijthof. It’s a medieval main square. If you visit Maastricht during the Christmas period you will discover a beautiful Christmas market here. Museum aan het Vrijthof was founded in 1973 with the intention to exhibit a huge collection of artworks that used to be owned by a rich couple of The Hague. Nowadays it presents masterpieces of contemporary artists. During the summer Vrijthof is surrounded by trees, cozy cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy a drink on the terrace. Adjacent to het Vrijthof is the St. Servatius Basilica, a Romanesque cathedral worth visiting.
St. Peter’s Caves
St. Peter’s Caves is one of the highest spots in Holland. You can have a unique tour through miles of tunnels that were excavated by men through the centuries. The tunnel system is over 80km long. Interesting fact: The cave also served to keep Rembrandt’s famous “Night Watch” painting safe during WWII.
St. Peter’s Fortress
St. Peter’s Fortress was built in the 18th century with the purpose to defend the city from the French. You can access this magnificent 300 year old monument only on a guided tour that takes a bit over an hour. You will see the cannon gallery, underground tunnels and last but not least a breathtaking view from the top. The green surroundings of the fortress are a protected nature reserve.
Maastricht features various great museums that reflect it’s long history. Here are the best of them that you can’t miss. Museum Kelder Derlon displays archeological artefacts from the time when the Romans maintained garrison in Maastricht. Perfect for a family visit is Maastricht natural History Museum which offers a wide collection of scientific specimens, artefacts and the skull of a prehistoric aquatic lizard, Mosasaurus. It was hiding in the Meuse river for over 7o million years ago. Last but not least check out the Bonnefantenmuseum because of it’s vast collection of objets d’art and a great selection of paintings, statues and installations from the Medieval period to the present day.
The Meuse River Tour in Maastricht
Another great way to explore the little town Maastricht is by joining the Meuse River Tour by boat. Within an hour you can sail through the scenic waters of the Medieval town.
Shopping in Maastricht
Maastricht is a great destination for the shopaholics. It offers numerous amount of amazing boutiques, big brands and many unusual stores. Just walk through the labyrinth of cobble streets around the Wyck district and you will discover plenty of beautiful things.
Restaurant Tips in Maastricht
After a long day of walking and exploring the beautiful historic town you will definitely be hungry for delicious food and you would like to eat in Maastricht. There are numerous great places to have dinner in Maastricht, nevertheless my restaurant tip is to visit Harvey – Kitchen & Bar. This cozy eatery is open for lunch and dinner. It’s a bit out of town but definitely worth a visit. During the summer period you can enjoy drinks and snacks on the terrace.
New Zealand beer “Yeastie boys”
The young owner who has been travelling the world and decided to open his own bar. That’s why you will find an outstanding menu with the modern cuisine. Beer lovers will be spoiled: There is a great variety of Belgian beers and even awesome New Zealand beers. The staff is very friendly and helpful if you need any advice on what to order.
Burger in Harvey – Kitchen & Bar, Maastricht
We went for the BBQ Wild Chicken & New York Beef Burgers with fresh orange juice and a “Yeastie Boys” New Zealand Beer. My boyfriend was extremely happy because he didn’t expect to find New Zealand beer in Europe. Our portions were big and sumptuous with tasty fries on the side. Enjoyed every bite of it! So if you want to eat burgers in Maastricht don’t miss Harvey – Kitchen & Bar!
ONE DAY IN Maastricht
Where to stay in Maastricht
There are numerous of hotels in Maastricht but we were staying at EasyHotel Maastricht in the city centre. It’s an amazing to stay for 1 night. It offers free Wi-Fi, clean and tidy little rooms with very comfortable beds, a big flat screen TV and a private bathroom. Hotel also has 24-hour front desk with very friendly staff. It’s definitely an ideal place for budget travellers who want to stay in the heart of Maastricht.
