SEE ALSO: 13 foods at Trader Joe's employees say they can't resist

DON'T MISS: Trader Joe's employees share 6 tips for getting the best deal at the store

SEE ALSO: 15 things all Trader Joe's employees know that most shoppers don't

Abusing the store's sampling policy

Trader Joe's wants customers to try its new products without having to commit to buying them outright. So workers are instructed to open items — aside from alcohol and products that require cooking — to allow shoppers to dig in to some samples.

On occasion, however, people take advantage of this sampling policy.

"I've only experienced two or three occasions where a customer tried to take advantage of this and wanted us to open literally ten plus products," one person who described working at Trader Joe's wrote in a 2017 Reddit thread. "Management had to step in and kindly inform them that one or two products is fine, but we have to draw the line somewhere."

Plus, even if you purchase a product you end up hating, you still have some recourse.

"We have the no-hassle return policy where you don't even need to bring a receipt, so they can buy the product with confidence and, if they don't like it, they are welcome to return it," the person wrote.

Another Reddit poster said handing out samples was "only annoying when I am the one running the sample station and a customer wants to try like three things — and I'm swamped with people wanting samples."

Acting impatient when it comes to finding products

One Reddit poster said customers sometimes irritated employees by asking multiple workers to check for the same product in the back of the store at the same time.

The poster also described being sick of customers "walking up to me — or sneaking up on me — and just saying the name of a product they have a question about, instead of saying, 'Hi, can you help me for a moment?'"

Leaving frozen items all over the store

If you decide a product isn't for you, Trader Joe's employees would appreciate it if you'd put it back where you found it.

One person who described being a Trader Joe's crew member wrote in a 2018 Reddit thread of feeling irked by "people who decide they don't want something refrigerated or frozen, who just leave it on a shelf somewhere."

"It inevitably gets to room temp and is ruined," the employee added. "It's just so wasteful. One time, I found a package of chicken breasts hidden behind the bottled water. Why?"

San Francisco has avocado food festivals and vending machines that spit out $50 down vests for techies venturing through the airport. So it's entirely in keeping with the city's character that San Francisco has a water bar — as in a bar that will pour you different flavors of water. 

Flavored water company Hint launched the concept at its recently-opened retail location in the city's Cow Hollow neighborhood, right next to the company's headquarters. For 13 years now, the company has been in the sugarless, zero-calorie fruit-infused water business. More recently, Hint has become a hit with some of Silicon Valley's biggest tech companies like Google and PayPal.

With this new water bar, Hint CEO Kara Goldin told Business Insider that it's meant to "give customers a little more experience" with the brand.

I paid a visit to the bar recently, which also includes Hint-branded merchandise and a rustic swing for Instagram-worthy photoshoots. 

Here's what it's like.

SEE ALSO: I tried a $189, 10-course meal at the eclectic San Francisco restaurant that makes ice cream from milk mixed with hot coals and morphs trout into 'everything bagels'

Hint's new retail store sits next to its San Francisco headquarters, in the city's Cow Hollow neighborhood.

The bar serves up samples of Hint's fruit-infused water, on a rotating basis When I paid a visit, guests could get free samples of the lime and cherry drinks.

Here's what you'll see when you walk in.

Both of the British princes, William and Harry, have officially tied the knot with their respective wives, but that doesn’t mean the end of royal wedding excitement. There are many eligible princes and princesses all over the globe for the public to fawn over. Meet 16 of them.

Princess Beatrice of York has long been a British royal fixture.

Although her sister, Eugenie, is engaged, Princess Beatrice of York is still eligible. The daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, is a patron of the arts, according to MSN.

Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark works in finance in New York.

An alum of Georgetown University, Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark is currently a hedge fund manager in New York City, according to Vogue.

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan has become Instagram-famous.

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan is heir to the throne and has quite a loyal following on Instagram, according to Vogue.

• Mykonos is a Greek island, world-famous as a party capital and a popular vacation hotspot for millionaires and billionaires.
• I recently visited to see what the island would be like on both a frugal cheap vacation budget and on a more mid- to high-end vacation budget.
• Visiting during the peak summer months of July and August turned out to be an expensive, exhausting, and crowded experience, with every beach packed, lines out the door of most clubs and bars, and resorts that were hard to book and cost a fortune.
• While the resorts and beaches are gorgeous and the bars and clubs fun and lively, Mykonos feels like poor bang-for-your-buck unless you are a hard-partying clubber or drowning in money.
• There are a lot of less crowded, equally beautiful, and far cheaper Greek islands to visit nearby.

Mykonos is not for the faint of heart.

The island is famous as a glamorous destination for the world's most wealthy and famous. Come the booming summer months of July and August, the island swells with the A-listers, B-listers, C-listers, and D-listers, along with hundreds of thousands of vacationers, hard-partying dance-music junkies, and cruise-shippers.

While just 33 square miles in size, the sunny and cool island is stuffed with hip boutique hotels, thumping beach clubs, haute couture shops, white sandy beaches, whitewashed alleyways, and swanky restaurants.

If this all sounds a little like Ibiza, I'll stop you right there: the cool rich kids have moved on. They're in Mykonos now. If there were any doubts, a look off any bay on Mykonos' coast reveals waters swamped with freshly scrubbed yachts, superyachts, and mega-yachts.

Over the last several years, the number of international arrivals to Mykonos has nearly doubled.

But where does that leave the rest of the teeming masses that jostle for a spot at Mykonos' glittering carnival?

For us, visiting Mykonos is a far different experience. The doors that simply open for the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Richard Branson, Bella Hadid, and billionaire Stavros Niarchos III stay closed for mere mortals. A day at a beach club can empty out a savings account, and that's if you can even score a cabana at all. In the hottest of hot spots, the staff only have time to cater to millionaires and billionaires.

Those were my assumptions before I stepped off the airplane to see what Mykonos is like for regular folks — many of which I found were right by the time I left the island a few days later. Other expectations, I found, were pleasantly incorrect.

Here's what it was like to visit the world's hottest party island in the peak of the season:

SEE ALSO: A local in Greece gave me a tip to visiting the country, and it's the opposite of everything you've been told

DON'T MISS: One of the 7 wonders of the world is a 10,000-year-old city hidden in the desert — and in real life, it's more incredible than you can imagine

Gorgeous, glamorous, and luxurious, Mykonos is Greece’s answer to Ibiza.

In the 1950s, the island was barely a blip on the map. But in 1961, first lady Jackie Kennedy  visited, setting off the first wave of tourism from the world's monied and famous.

Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, and Rita Hayworth were just a few of the celebrities to vacation on the island in those days.

In the following decades, the island became known as a legendary underground party spot and a popular vacationing spot for the global LGBT community.

In recent years, tourism to the island has exploded as global partiers and a new generation of celebrities and the ultra-rich discovered the Grecian paradise after moving on from now-passé hot spots like Ibiza and San Tropez.

I arrived on the island one evening in late July, the peak of the peak season.

I was picked up by Michael, the driver for the guest house I would be staying at and a 50-ish "financial refugee" from Athens.

"The thing you have to understand about Mykonos," Michael said, in a riff that quickly turned Shakespearean, "is that Mykonos is absolutely nothing. There is nothing special about the island. It is a theater stage and you are the stars."

• Payroll processor ADP reported on Wednesday that businesses added 219,000 jobs in July in the US — meaning the country has been seeing gains in the job market for three straight months.
• Economists expect the Labor Department to report 190,000 payroll gains in the public and private sectors at the end of the week.
• Even so, certain cities have more lucrative options — here are the top 15 cities paying more than $100,000 a year.

The summer may be coming to an end but the job market is still going strong. Payroll processor ADP reported on Wednesday that businesses added 219,000 jobs in July in the US meaning the country has been seeing gains in the job market for three straight months. In fact, economists expect the Labor Department to report 190,000 payroll gains in the public and private sectors at the end of the week.

However, certain cities may have more lucrative opportunities than others which is why Ladders put together a list of the 15 cities hiring the most $100K+ jobs in August using data from its continuously updated database of high-paying jobs.

Check them out — and click through to see which cities and their job openings that might be right for you.

SEE ALSO: When this ice tea company stuck the word 'blockchain' in its name, its stock skyrocketed by nearly 500%. Now, it's being investigated by the government.

SEE ALSO: Two early Uber employees are funding transportation-focused startups led by other former Uber employees

SEE ALSO: New York just escalated its legal battle with Trump

1. San Francisco, California

Jobs available: 30,053

You definitely need one of these $100K+ plus positions as certain counties in the Bay area label salaries of $100,000 as low income. Check out these jobs in and around San Francisco.

Sample $100K+ jobs: Regional Sales Director, AEM Developer

2. New York, New York

Jobs available: 25,041

It’s the culture capital of the world! Who wouldn’t want to work there or near there? Check out these jobs in and around New York.

Sample $100K+ New York jobs: Senior Software Engineer, E-Commerce Systems Analyst

3. Washington, DC

Jobs available: 18,547

There are lots of federal and state government jobs in and around DC and this city offers a lot of opportunities for women in the tech industry. Check out these jobs in and around Washington.

Sample $100K+ Washington jobs: Operations Director, Computer Forensics Analyst

College football is nearly back and, as usual, a ton of teams will have changes to their uniforms.

The changes range from minor tweaks to full uniform makeovers as teams seek new excitement on the field. The big winner appears to be Adidas who added a bunch of FBS schools to their program.

Here is a rundown of the changes we have seen so far, with a lot of assistance from the invaluable Uni-Watch.

ARIZONA STATE — The Sun Devils have a new head coach in Herm Edwards, and it appears they are going with a cleaner jersey. The sleeve stripes are gone, as well as the wordmark on the chest.

ARKANSAS — Some minor changes for the Razorbacks, and it appears they no longer have a matte helmet.

BALL STATE — The Cardinals have a new white jersey for 2018. The numbers have gone from red to black and the TV numbers on the shoulders have been replaced by stripes.

Nepal is full of contrasts.

Sandwiched between China and India, the country's 30 million residents are scattered across a stark geography, from the snowy Himalayan plateau to sweltering jungle and arid plains.

A common refrain among Nepali people is that if you were to spread the country flat, it would be one of the largest in the world. Perhaps as a consequence of the country's topography, Nepal's people represent a panoply of ethnic groups, speaking over 100 languages, with varying styles of dress, cuisine, and architecture.

In Nepal's relatively cosmopolitan urban centers, you're just as likely to hear K-Pop blaring from taxi speakers as you are the latest Bollywood hit or the omnipresent Om Mani Padme Om, an ancient Sanskrit chant.

Tourism — along with remittance money sent back from citizens working abroad — is one of the largest drivers of Nepal's economy.

Most visitors and backpackers take a few well-trodden paths through the country, mostly in places where Western food and a toilet (with toilet paper) are almost always available.

Tangting, a village I had the pleasure of visiting for the second time in July, is not one of those places.

My girlfriend's family originally hails from the village. Having that connection is one of the few ways an outsider can spend time there and get to know the place. 

Situated in what Nepalis refer to as "hill" country, Tangting is a village of around 400 people in a deep valley under the shadow of Annapurna, one of the world's deadliest peaks. A dense subtropical jungle and rice paddies carved into the valley color the area a deep green. The sounds of yaks with bells jingling around their necks can be heard, alongside women singing while they work the fields. 

It's a place where, just over a decade ago, a group of Maoist rebels made their last stand in the civil war that pulled the country apart. It's only now getting sewn back together. 

These days, a rush of development is occurring. Power lines now run to the village, as does a new dirt road that leads from Pokhara, Nepal's second-largest city, to Tangting. 

The road is passable only in the dry season, however. So when we — myself, my girlfriend, and her family — traveled to Tangting during monsoon season, multiple landslides blocked our path, forcing us to walk most of the way. 

Here's what the journey and the village were like.

SEE ALSO: This record-breaking Everest climber has reached the summit nine times. She makes $11.50 per hour washing dishes at Whole Foods.

Reaching Tangting from Pokhara, the nearest major city, is an all-day affair.

The village is located deep within the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal's largest protected landscape.

The first step to get to the village is a three-hour Jeep ride over rough mountain roads. This road was built three years ago, during a wave of development spurred by the construction of a dam in the nearby Gandaki River.

Chinese and Indian conglomerates built the hydropower station on the Gandaki River, but the power isn't for the locals — it's for export.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Finding a Broadway show to see can feel like an overwhelming proposition with so many fantastic options to choose from.

I’ve worked in theater for the past five years, and I’ve seen plenty of plays both on and off Broadway. Some shows I’ve liked, some shows I’d rather forget, and some shows have changed my life. They’ve stayed with me forever, instilling within me a love of theater that has led me to choose to make my living amongst it.

Maybe none of these recommendations will cause you to fall head over heels in love with theater, but I hope I can at least steer you towards a memorable evening. See you at the show!

If you want your faith in humanity restored, check out “Come From Away”

Find tickets for "Come From Away" from $69

On September 11, 2001, 38 planes containing 7,000 passengers were ordered to land in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland. “Come From Away” tells the true story of strangers coming together to make sense of tragedy. It’s a story of hope, compassion, generosity, and the strength of the human spirit in a time of confusion, desperation, and loss.

If it sounds like heavy subject matter, in a way, it is, but “Come From Away” will leave you feeling the most hopeful and joyous you’ve felt in a long time. It’s a cliche to say “I laughed, I cried!” but this remarkable ensemble cast of 18 performers — most of whom have been with the show since its debut at La Jolla Playhouse in 2015 — will take you through the emotional gamut in 100 riveting minutes.

If you’re a nostalgic millennial, check out “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Find tickets for "SpongeBob SquarePants" from $49

"Are ya ready kids?" If you instinctively answered, "Aye aye, captain!" then this show is for you. Every '90s kid’s favorite cartoon has been adapted for the stage where all your Bikini Bottom pals must save the city from being swallowed up by a volcanic eruption.

With music by the likes of David Bowie, Panic! At the Disco, and rapper T.I., to name only a few off the star-studded list of composers, there’s plenty of artistic credibility to keep "SpongeBob" afloat. Plus, you won’t want to miss Squidward’s four-legged, show-stopping tap number. Just don’t be too disappointed that a certain character’s titular pants aren’t exactly right-angled.

If you want to see the most decorated show of the 2018 Tony Awards, check out “The Band’s Visit”

Find tickets for "The Band's Visit" from $59

"The Band’s Visit" celebrated a phenomenal night at this year’s Tony Awards, winning 10 out of the 11 awards it was nominated for including the top honor of Best Musical.

It tells the story of an Egyptian police band traveling to Israel for a gig. When they mistakenly arrive in the wrong town, they are taken in by cafe owner Dina, portrayed stunningly by Katrina Lenk, and their presence begins to awaken the sleepy desert town. A sleeper hit based on a 2007 Israeli film of the same name, "The Band’s Visit" has taken Broadway by storm and become a must-see overnight.

For decades, many Americans have chosen to live in suburbs and commute to urban centers for work. That's largely because cities — accounting for 85% of US GDP and jobs — help drive the nation's economy.

Neighborhoods like Midtown in Manhattan, the Loop in Chicago, and Central/East Boston have long been considered economic hubs due to their large concentrations of employment opportunities.

But there are many other places around the US that are rapidly emerging as new economic powerhouses.

A recent report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) defines these neighborhoods as well-located but having underutilized land. They tend to offer more opportunities for residential, office, retail, and public space development than established urban locations. In addition, ULI classifies emerging economic centers as places that have seen significant growth in population, employment, household incomes, and home values since 2000.

Take a look at a few examples below:

Located six miles south of Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, SouthPark is transforming from a suburban town to a growing urban center.

Since the 1970s, SouthPark Mall has anchored the neighborhood and continues to serve as a big driver of economic activity for the region.

But SouthPark is now becoming increasingly urban and walkable as well. The area is in the midst of several construction and redevelopment projects — which may affect the surrounding areas. As The Charlotte Observer notes, the influx of thousands of apartments to SouthPark is causing some residents to worry about an uptick in congestion.

Population growth (2010-2015): 8%

Median household income: $90,851

Median home value in Greater Charlotte: $212,000

Average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Greater Charlotte: $1,543

In 2017, Synco Properties Inc and Schlosser Development Corp announced that they would redevelop The Colony, a site that originally had about 300 aging apartments in SouthPark.

When complete, The Colony will include 990 residential units, 250,000 square feet of office space, 225 hotel rooms, and 300,000 square feet of retail, according to The Charlotte Business Journal.

The 27-acre project broke ground in July 2018.

Just south of Capitol Hill in Washington DC, the Capitol Riverfront has attracted more than 7,000 residents as well as millions of visitors in the past decade.

Modern buildings have replaced many former industrial buildings and parking lots in Capitol Riverfront, according to ULI. Today, 3,400 residential units and 500,000 square feet of office are under construction in this business district, which is expected to quadruple its residential population by the time everything builds out.

In 2017, Bisnow called Capitol Riverfront (also known as the Navy Yard) DC's fastest growing neighborhood.

Population growth (2010-2015): 37%

Median household income: $112,143

Median home value in Washington, DC: $568,000

Average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in DC: $2,337

• If you've been working towards getting a promotion at work, you're probably wondering what are the signs your boss wants to promote you?
• Sudden invitations to meetings and lunches you were previously excluded from could be indications you're about to be promoted.
•  Keep an eye out for a combination of these and other signs to know if you're being groomed for promotion.

Maybe there's a sense of euphoria in the air that you can't quite pinpoint.

Or perhaps you have a new sense of confidence at work.

It might be because you're finally getting that promotion at work, but it's hard to tell for sure until it actually happens.

Thankfully, "there are some telltale signs that you may at long last be getting that coveted promotion — you just need to look for them," Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job," told Business Insider.

"But remember, false reads on promotions happen every day, so even if you think you see the signs, you'll want to remain as neutral as possible and stay focused on doing your best work."

Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "The Humor Advantage," told Business Insider that the signs aren't always obvious, but people can usually tell if they are being considered for a new role.

"Being self-aware is a critical skill for anyone to develop and so you should, ideally, always have a reasonably good sense as to how you are perceived by your colleagues and senior leaders," Kerr said. "And talking about your career goals and potential career paths should be a conversation you have on a fairly regular basis with your boss."

Whether you're having those discussions or not, you'll still want to keep an eye out for the signs a promotion might be in your future. Here are 15 of them:

SEE ALSO: A counterintelligence expert says most of us think about getting hired and promoted all wrong

You're suddenly invited to meetings that you were previously excluded from

"This is a great sign, especially if your advice is sought during these meetings and you're asked to lead future ones," Taylor told Business Insider.

And if you're in meetings with senior management, managers from other departments, or key clients, Kerr said that "reflects a great deal of trust in your abilities."

You've been asked to take on a special assignment or project with added responsibilities

Yes, it's extra work — but it's also a sign that you're trusted to take on more duties. 

"It shows that you've earned the trust of at least your immediate leader and it's a great opportunity to grow and demonstrate new skills," Kerr said.

Your boss is being promoted

If you have an excellent working relationship with your boss and work closely with them, it's good news for you when they move up. 

It's possible that you'll join them on the higher rung of the ladder, Taylor said. 

• Wegmans store employees know all about the popular regional grocery chain.
• The company operates stores in six states, and employs 48,000 people.
• Here are some insider facts, tips, and hacks that Wegmans employees have shared online and with Business Insider.

Wegmans stores have acquired a bit of a cult-like following.

It's easy to see why. The company, which is headquartered in Rochester, New York, has been labeled the "best grocery chain" in the US. America's favorite grocery chain is also frequently lauded as a top employer.

But you can't find a Wegmans just anywhere. The chain's 97 stores are spread out between New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. According to the company's website, the brand employs 48,000 people.

Business Insider spoke with a few current and former Wegmans employees to get a sense of how the company operates. We also found a number of insights from employees on the web.

Here are a few things all Wegmans employees know, but customers may not:

SEE ALSO: Trader Joe's is one of the best places to work in the US — employees share the 7 best parts of the job

DON'T MISS: Panera Bread employees share their 11 favorite menu items — and a few secret hacks you have to try for yourself

SEE ALSO: McDonald's employees share their 8 best tips for customers

Check out the chain's digital coupons...

Don't leave money on the table when you shop.

"Take an extra two minutes out of your day to sign up for or check the digital coupons the store offers," an employee from New Jersey told Business Insider. "They're always on commonly-used products."

... and look out for items with yellow tags

"Yes, your Wegmans card does help you get discounts, though, at times, it seems like it's hit or miss," a person who said they were a Wegmans employee wrote in a 2014 AMA. "Just look for the items with the yellow tags. They're the ones on sale."

Wegmans employees appreciate it when you weigh your produce...

Want to make a good impression at Wegmans?

One Wegmans cashier had some tips for impressing employees in a 2014 Reddit AMA. They said that employees always appreciate it when customers take the time to weigh their produce.

"It's a huge help and a time saver," the cashier wrote.

• The Mountain, a 157-acre property at the highest peak in Beverly Hills, is for sale for $1 billion.
• The property is big enough to fit the Disneylandand Disney California Adventure theme parks, with 1.5 million square feet of lots ready to be built upon.
• The buyer is likely to be a billionaire who wants to build their own compound — but there are only about 100 people in the world who would fit the bill, the listing agent says. 

Up for sale: a 157-acre mountain at the highest peak in Beverly Hills towering over Los Angeles. And it's all yours for $1 billion.

Expensive real estate may come as no surprise in the famous 90210 ZIP code, but there's no denying the jaw-dropping value of a 10-figure price tag. It sets the record for Los Angeles' most expensive listing ever, the Los Angeles Times reports, and no one in the world is publicly known to have paid that much for personal property, according to The New York Times.

But the land itself is impressive. Located off Benedict Canyon, "The Mountain," as it's called, is big enough to fit the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks. Sold as one plot, it comprises 17 parcels of land, with 1.5 million square feet of lots zoned and ready to be built upon.

A news release from the public-relations firm The Society Group says estates and lots of this size are a rarity in Los Angeles.

But, as is common in Los Angeles, the property has an intriguing history, having passed through many famous and wealthy hands. According to the Los Angeles Times, it was once owned by an Iranian princess, the talk-show host and TV producer Merv Griffin, and a nutrition mogul, all of whom held the land but never built anything on it.

Who will soon be added to the list?

"Our likely buyer for this property is an individual who wants to build his or her own compound," Aaron Kirman of Pacific Union, the listing agent, said in the news release.

While Kirman has already shown the property to a few billionaires — one who conceptualized it as a "Huntington Garden-style oasis," he told the Los Angeles Times — he intends to use his estimated marketing budget of $400,000 to $1 million or more to fly around the world in search of more prospective buyers.

"There are 2,800 billionaires in the world," Kirman told the Los Angeles Times. "We realized there are 100 of those that could and would want to buy the property."

SEE ALSO: A real-life Westworld in California sold for over $1 million to a group of Los Angeles investors who plan to use it for festivals and photoshoots

DON'T MISS: How much you need to earn to live in the most expensive zip code in every state

At 157 acres, the plot is "the size of a small city" that can fit all of Disneyland and still have 72 acres left. It's the largest property and the highest point in all of Los Angeles, Ronald Richards of Secured Capital Partners, the current owner, said in the news release.

The buyer will be able to build up to 1.5 million square feet of buildings across 17 parcels of land, with the nearest neighbor half a mile away. That's enough room for a "soccer field, amphitheater, helipad, and polo field side by side," the news release says.

They'll also be able to build up to 53 feet high, which is 12 feet higher than usual in Los Angeles. That's all the more height to soak in the endless views of Los Angeles, Orange County, Catalina Island, and Santa Monica (when it's not trapped in smog). The plot is so elevated that no neighboring trees obstruct the preserved view.

• Nimmo Bay, a luxury resort in British Columbia, can take up to two years to get into during peak season.
• A former fishing lodge nestled in the wilderness, this resort has become a destination among elite travelers for wellness, adventure, and luxury.
• Trevor Morrow, who travels the world, documenting his experiences in his blog, Trevor Morrow Travel, got the chance to visit.

Located on a remote inlet along the northwest shore of British Columbia and nestled among the dense, green pine trees of the Great Bear Rainforest, Nimmo Bay is one of the world's most luxurious and exclusive wilderness resorts. It's accessible to guests only via float plane or helicopter, and it can take an advanced reservation of up to two years to get in.

This family-owned and operated former fishing lodge has evolved since opening 30 years ago to offer a well-rounded slate of wild adventures, from tame pursuits like foraging for wild berries to over-the-top adventures like taking a helicopter to otherwise inaccessible alpine lakes for stand-up paddleboarding.

Nimmo Bay has the distinction of being one of National Geographic's Unique Lodges of the World, a small collection of properties selected for, among other qualifiers, the rare experiences they offer and their commitment to local communities and the environment. 

The luxury resort has also been named one of the best luxury lodges in British Columbia by CNN, and boasts a five-star TripAdvisor rating.

Nimmo Bay offered to host me to experience the far-flung resort and its growing spa program firsthand. Other than my stay, I was not given any monetary compensation for the trip. Here's what it's like to visit Nimmo Bay:

SEE ALSO: Forget the Four Seasons and The Ritz-Carlton: The most luxurious hotel brands in the world are ones you've likely never heard of

DON'T MISS: What a $1 million vacation looks like in Mykonos, Greece, where you'll fly in on a private jet, sleep in an ocean-view villa, and cruise the seas in a yacht

Getting to Nimmo Bay is part of the adventure and required three planes: one from my home city of Los Angeles to Vancouver, a propeller plane from Vancouver to Port Hardy, and a floatplane from there to Nimmo Bay.

The flight to Nimmo Bay offers stunning views of the Broughton Archipelago and surrounding mountains. Some guests fly via private jet directly into Port Hardy, where one or more of the resort's A-star helicopters await to immediately whisk them away to Nimmo Bay.

Landing on the water was exhilarating, as was getting my first peek at Nimmo Bay as the float plane putted up to the resort's dock.

• A staycation is a perfect getaway from your daily life — and it costs much less money and time than a regular vacation.
• Whether you decide to stay local or explore a nearby area you've never visited, you'll get to see your home in a different light.
• Here are 10 easy ways to plan the perfect staycation this summer.

For many people, summertime is vacation time. However, limited time off or cash in the vacation fund can make taking a dream trip difficult.

A great alternative is a staycation, where you have a vacation-like experience without venturing too far from home. Whether you stay in your own city or visit a nearby one, the goal of a staycation is the same as a vacation: To take a break from your day-to-day life.

I'm a digital nomad currently living in Lisbon, Portugal. However, I recently needed to get away for a few days — and on a budget. For about $2, I took a train 45 minutes to the fairy-tale city of Sintra, home to several castles and breathtaking views. I found a guest house on Booking.com for about $30 a night, and my staycation began.

If you're looking for ideas on how to plan the perfect staycation of your own, here are 10 ways to do it:

SEE ALSO: How one woman planned a 10-day trip to 3 continents with a limited budget and little time off work

1. Figure out what you want to do

Dannie Fountain, a marketing strategist and digital nomad who has visited nearly 100 countries in the past three years, believes that the key to a great staycation is first figuring out what you want to do, whether it's a spa getaway or a hiking adventure.

"Then, choose the 'where' based on the place near you that offers the best of the 'what,'" she told Business Insider.

2. Create a staycation budget

Kevin Gallegos, vice president at Freedom Financial Network, said that it's important to have a staycation budget in place.

"Just as you would (should) create a vacation budget, decide how much you can spend on your staycation," he told Business Insider via email. "Do not go into debt to take a vacation, at home or away."

However, Byron Ellis, a certified financial planner with United Capital and founder of "Doing Money Right," said that you should still splurge a little on your staycation.

"You have saved a great deal by not purchasing airline tickets, not sliding the credit card at the gas pump, and/or not paying for a room every night, so why not splurge a bit," he said. "In the end, though, you want to spend much less than if you had gone out of town, but you don’t have to make it feel like you are on a budget."

3. Use online resources

"Staycations are a great way to fall in love with your home city, and many websites offer discounted tickets to tours and events that are worth buying," Cory Sarrett, a consultant forLa Galerie Hotel in New Orleans, La., told Business Insider.

If you need some staycation inspiration, there are plenty of apps that can help. For instance, Jetsetter not only has hotel deals, they also have trip tips and destination guides.

Depending on where you live, you can also get great ideas from TimeOut, Viator, and TripAdvisor. Then there are other sites, where you can get discounts on fun experiences and food, such as LivingSocial, Groupon, and Restaurant.com.

• Morning routines for successful people often set them up for a productive day, no matter how unusual they may seem to the average person.
• Playing a creative game with his son is a part of Twitter co-founder Biz Stone's morning routine, while Arianna Huffington takes a moment to breathe and express gratitude.
• Here are 12 unsual morning routines that successful authors, CEOs, and execs swear by. 

The idea that how our morning unfolds impacts the quality of the rest of the day is a common one. Oversleeping, for example, will leave many feeling stressed, having had to rush through the morning's activities to get to work or school on time.

But what is the best way to spend our mornings if we want to set ourselves up for a successful day? We dug into the book "My Morning Routine" hoping to find the ultimate strategy for how to start the day, and came out with more ideas than we thought possible. What we learned is that there's no one secret recipe to mornings, but many, and it all starts with what works for you.

Now for some this is great news, and for others, not so much. The idea of there being one ultimate diet, workout, partner, or routine that will fix everything is an appealing one. But, don't worry, we've got your back! To give you some inspiration for finding your ultimate morning routine, we've collected an eclectic mix of 12 successful people's routines from "My Morning Routine." Enjoy!

SEE ALSO: I'm a neurosurgeon, and the best morning routine I've found only consists of 3 simple steps

1. Tyler Cowen — Professor of Economics at George Mason University, author of 'Average is Over'

"I wake up around 6:30 or 7:00 a.m., drink some mineral water, munch on a green pepper, along with cheese and smoked trout." 

2. Jillian Michaels — Personal trainer, television personality

"My alarm clock is my five-year-old. He jolts me from slumber at about 6:10 every morning for cuddles. Then we get up and feed the animals (rabbit, pig, dogs, bird, chickens, ducks, fish, etc.). Yes, I am serious."

3. Ed Catmull — President of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios

"I wake up, go downstairs, and start making a cup of coffee. I use three shots of espresso, mix in three tablespoons of cocoa powder (not Dutch process), and two sweeteners. I’ve heard this helps you think better; I have no idea if this is true, but it tastes good."

• In the last five years, more than 10% of countries in the world have experienced corruption-driven leadership change. 
• Public anger and legal action in response to allegations that a politician is corrupt has become a remarkably powerful tool driving political change.
• Foreign Policy outlines 21 countries that have had leaders resign, be ousted by a no-confidence vote, or that have been impeached or removed from office since 2013. 

There is a striking trend in global politics: A growing number of presidents and prime ministers are being toppled before the end of their term by public anger and legal action relating to corruption. In just the last six months, corruption dominoes have fallen in countries as diverse as Armenia, Malaysia, Peru, Slovakia, South Africa, and Spain. Stepping back a bit, a startling fact deserves attention: In the past five years, more than 10 percent of countries in the world have experienced corruption-driven leadership change.

In these 21 countries, embattled leaders have either resigned, been ousted by a no-confidence vote, or been impeached or removed from office. Their alleged wrongdoings range from the relatively mild — an Icelandic prime minister seemingly trying to conceal the existence of overseas assets — to extensive influence-peddling and abuse of power for private gain. Most cases are unrelated to each other, but the 2016 release of the Panama Papers and the investigation into the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht have triggered political scandals in multiple countries.

Not only is corruption driving out many leaders before their time, but it is also contributing significantly to the electoral defeats of numerous incumbents. Consider the surprising defeat of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in the May elections that ousted the party that had governed Malaysia continuously for more than 60 years. In the run-up to the contest, Najib's reputation was fatally weakened by accusations that he siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad into his personal account. In the past several years, Argentina, Benin, Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Sri Lanka have all seen incumbent candidates or parties defeated as a partial or significant result of corruption scandals.

Even where corrupt leaders are surviving the storm, protests fueled primarily or partially by corruption often shake up politics, as they have in the Czech Republic, Honduras, Iran, Malta, and elsewhere.

Corruption has become a remarkably powerful — arguably the most powerful — issue driving political change in the world today. This reality is a crucial counterpoint to the troubling idea that has emerged in the last year or two that with media manipulation, populist appeals, and restrictions on civic space, corrupt politicians are simply able do whatever they want and not pay any price for it. Citizens all over are demonstrating a growing unwillingness to put up with corrupt behavior and other forms of bad governance. By doing so, they are changing global politics for the better.

SEE ALSO: Brazil's presidential frontrunner is the latest to fall in a massive corruption investigation — and it's not clear what comes next

June 2018

Spain

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was ousted in a no-confidence vote following allegations of slush fund-related corruption.

April 2018

Armenia

The appointment of then-President Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister, allowing him to evade constitutional term limits and remain in power, led to large-scale protests against the regime’s corruption and autocratic tendencies. The demonstrations forced his resignation and the end of the Republican Party’s decades-long rule

March 2018

Mauritius

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigned as Mauritius’s (largely ceremonial) president over allegations she misused NGO funds provided by an Angolan businessman with investments in the country.

Peru

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned in the face of Odebrecht-related allegations of influence-peddling and conflicts of interest, as well as allegedly seeking to bribe lawmakers to prevent his impeachment.

Slovakia

Prime Minister Robert Fico resigned after the murder of a reporter investigating tax fraud and corruption sparked public outrage.

• I spent a month trying different hobbies in an effort to become a more interesting person.
• Those hobbies included baking, meditating, coloring, and letter-writing.
• Many super-successful people, like Warren Buffett and Marissa Mayer, speak publicly about their hobbies, and experts I spoke to say hobbies can make you happier — but too few people have them.
• In the end, I realized the only person I was trying to impress was myself — and I did.

My friend is showing me a photo on his phone.

We're at a dimly lit restaurant and I have to squint to see the screen. There it is: a picture of a picture. The second picture being a poster, to which my friend has taken colored marker and scrawled words of encouragement for two other friends of his who are participating in a dance performance.

It suddenly occurs to me how meta all this is.

I'm writing a story about hobbies — specifically, my efforts to develop some and become a more interesting (or less boring) individual. Meryl Streep knits; Warren Buffett plays the ukulele; Marissa Mayer bakes. Those guys definitely have busier lives than I do, meaning I've got no excuse for being hobby-less.

The other night, my friend and I had spent an hour talking about my story — all the hobbies I could try and whether or not they "counted."

Apparently, my friend had been so inspired that, after we'd parted ways, he'd gone straight to the crafts store so he could design a sign for the friends who were dancing — which is itself a very countable hobby.

"Wow!" I tell him, pointing to the picture of the picture. "I love it!"

Already I feel more interesting, even if all I've done is serve as a hobbies muse. Tomorrow, the real work begins.

SEE ALSO: I tried eating, exercising, sleeping, and spending 'perfectly' for a week — and realized I've been approaching my goals all wrong

'Nobody wants to hear how busy you are'

In the process of writing this story, I spoke with life coach and author Susie Moore, who told me about a "tragic" experience she has all too often. She'll ask clients what brings them pleasure, or joy, and they won't know how to answer. All they do aside from work is work out, sleep, and go to the bar, Moore said.

Admittedly, though I could easily relate to Moore's clients, joy was not my primary motivation in experimenting with four different hobbies over the course of a month. Instead, I wanted to be less boring. When people ask what I've been up to lately, I wanted to not have to rack my brain, only to turn up a week-long vacation I took last summer.

Jaime Kurtz, an associate professor of psychology at James Madison University, agreed: "Nobody wants to hear how busy you are," she told me. "I find that's so tedious. We're all busy." Instead, Kurtz said, if you're passionate and excited about something you're working on, that will inevitably draw people to you.

Hobby 1: Coloring

My foray into hobbies began with crayons. One evening after work, I trotted over to the Barnes and Noble in my neighborhood and asked a salesperson, not without a bit of sheepishness, to please direct me to the adult coloring books section.

I'd heard about this trend a few years ago — apparently, coloring could be the perfect antidote to the kind of stress and anxiety most grown-ups experience every day.

But at the bookstore, it took me only a few minutes of leafing through the options to realize that grown-up-style artwork — full of hypnotic patterns and geometric shapes — is decidedly not for me.

Instead, I chose a fairy-tale-themed coloring book, designed by Eriy. It's gorgeous; the artist used the tip of a toothpick (a toothpick!) to create the designs, and the front flap of the book reveals a map of the entire kingdom.

Back home, I plopped down on the couch and brought life to Sareine Alley. After an hour, it looked like a low-budget version of Candy Land. I was delighted.

Later that week, I'd speak to Laura Vanderkam, an author and time-management expert, and she'd tell me that one of the benefits of having hobbies as a modern professional is that you make visible progress on something, which is inherently gratifying. Indeed, as soon as I'd tired of coloring, I'd snapped my own photo and stopped just short of proudly texting it to my mother.

Hobby 2: Letter-writing

A few nights later, I was at Paper Source, picking out stationery for letter-writing purposes. By this time, I'd learned that half the fun of hobbies is preparing to do them. A butterfly-themed set spoke to me (also, it was about half the price of the next cheapest set).

The last time I'd sent a snail-mail letter was at sleep-away camp, where I wrote on the top bunk by flashlight, encircled by moths, and described my latest turn on the "Blob." This time around, I was stumped. I'd already told a college friend that I was planning to write letters and promised to send the first one to him — but what to say? "Hi, work is fun, NYC is hot, today I had peanut butter?"

Eventually, I decided to write about my feelings. There's something about putting non-metaphorical pen to paper that makes it easier to emote than typing onto a digital screen. I wrote another letter, to another college friend. More feelings.

A few weeks later, I received a text from the first friend I'd written to, with an invitation to hang out. "I think your letter made me nostalgic," he told me over Chinese food, "and I realized how much I missed you."

This was a curious of turn of events. Every expert I'd spoken to about the benefits of hobbies had mentioned expanding and strengthening your social network as one of the biggest. I wouldn't have identified letter-writing as the most social of all hobbies out there, but apparently, it did the trick.

President Donald Trump's condemnation of the media and Donald Trump Jr.'s role in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation set the stage for several high-profile political appearances on cable news stations.

The Sunday shows are a chance for political heavyweights to debate the week's most pressing stories and policies. They include: ABC's "This Week," CBS's "Face the Nation," CNN's "State of the Union," Fox's "Fox News Sunday," and NBC's "Meet the Press."

Here are this week's highlights:

Trump's attorney downplayed the campaign's 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer

President Donald Trump's attorney, Jay Sekulow, questioned the importance of the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who Trump tweeted about on Sunday morning.

In the tweet, Trump referenced "Fake News," a term he uses to describe critical and unfavorable media coverage, and appeared to be responding to stories published the day before by CNN and the Washington Post.

According to CNN and The Post's anonymous sources, the president said his concerns over Trump Jr. have pushed him to issue critical public statements against US intelligence and the media.

"The question is how would it be illegal," Sekulow said, referring to Trump Jr.'s meeting. "You have to look at what laws, rules, regulations, statutes are purportedly violated here."

"Well, they've actually pointed to several, including conspiracy to defraud the United States,"ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos replied. "That would be one of the possible charges, aiding and abetting conspiracy."

Read more: Business Insider

Fox News' Chris Wallace to John Bolton: "What wars have we caused?"

"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace pressed national security adviser John Bolton about President Trump's tweet, which took aim at journalists and asserted they can "cause war."

Wallace read the tweet to Bolton and asked: "What wars have we started?"

Bolton didn't discuss the content of Trump's tweet. Wallace continued by saying that although measured media criticism is valuable, Trump's ramped-up attacks are "taking it to a completely different level."

"That's the president's view, based on the attacks the media has made," Bolton said. "I think this kind of adversarial relationship is typical."

Watch the Fox News clip here:

Kellyanne Conway says she doesn't believe journalists are the "enemy of the people."

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said she doesn't believe the press is the "enemy of the people," as President Donald Trump noted last week.

CBS's "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan asked Conway about Trump's Sunday morning tweet, in which he blamed the media for sowing "division and distrust" and claimed they had the ability to "cause War."

Conway said Trump's comments can't be read with a "broad brush," and although she didn't agree with casting the media as the "enemy," she offered a measured defense of journalists.

"I don't believe journalists are the enemy of the people," Conway said. "I think some journalists are the enemy of the relevant, and enemy of the news you can use. And I think that most of the sins are sins of omission, not commission."

Read more: Business Insider

For most Americans, picking up a prescription involves a stop by the local pharmacy every month or so. 

And while shoppers can go online for everything from clothing to groceries, that isn't the case yet for prescription drugs. 

That's starting to change. In June, Amazon announced its plans to acquire PillPack, a small startup that mails prescriptions to people who take multiple medications for a reported $1 billion. The news sent a whole host of pharmaceutical and drug-wholesaler stocks tumbling at the time. 

So we decided to take a firsthand look at PillPack's prescription service to get a sense of how it works, and to better understand how it could fit into Amazon's future healthcare ambitions. 

SEE ALSO: Amazon's playbook for upending healthcare just got a lot clearer — here's why it should terrify the pharmaceutical industry

DON'T MISS: Amazon and Walmart are readying for war over a growing chunk of the US population

My journey started through PillPack's website, where I input some information about myself and set up an account.

Then, it was time to plug in my pills. I don't have any prescriptions, so I skipped ahead to vitamins, picking a multivitamin and an omega-3 supplement and an iron supplement I later removed.

Then it was time to pick out my dispenser. For an extra $29, I could get a premium dispenser in different colors, but because I was only testing PillPack out for a month, I went for the disposable version.

Peak TV equals too much TV. But we're here to make it easier to pick a new show to watch. 

We know what it's like to spend too much time choosing what to binge-watch on Netflix, so every week we put together a list of three great shows for you.

We pick shows you can finish in a day, and some you can get started on. We mix shows that have recently come onto the service with some old favorites you might have missed.

From "Dear White People" to "Amazing Interiors," here are three great TV shows you can binge-watch on Netflix this week:

SEE ALSO: Netflix released the trailer for 'Maniac' starring Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, and it looks wild

"Dear White People"

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 20

"Dear White People" is funny, emotional, and educational, as it explores race relations on a college campus in the United States. And it gets richer and better in its brilliant second season as it gets deeper into darker topics. It's an important, necessary show that everyone should be watching and discussing. 

"Amazing Interiors"

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12

Netflix knows how addictive HGTV is, and its new original "Amazing Interiors" satisfies that thirst. The interiors really are amazing: some resemble the Batcave while some are tacky or downright creepy. But it's a great show to have on while you're doing things around the house, and a nice escape after a long day at work. 

"The Vampire Diaries"

Seasons: 7

Episodes: 171

The season and episode count for this CW teen drama looks overwhelming, but there's good news: you really only need to see up to season three or four. The first season of "The Vampire Diaries" starts off a bit cliche, but it builds into something great, especially in its excellent second season. The show uses horror elements that will actually make you jump, and because its characters are so grounded and well-written, you'll get invested in all the lame love triangles.