How to Make Your Staycation Accommodation in Dubai More Comfortable for Your Family

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



“Staycation” remains one of the most popular words in everyone’s travel dictionaries today. It’s the perfect solution for families who want a change of setting and scenery and to relax for a day or two without the hassles of going on a long trip.

However, going on a staycation in Dubai with your family sometimes comes with a few challenges, particularly if you have young children. Kids thrive in familiarity; bringing them to a place they haven’t been to before can affect their routine, making them cranky or less easy to manage.

When your children are irritable and more challenging than usual because they are in an unfamiliar place, everyone’s getaway will be affected. Therefore, you and your family won’t be able to enjoy your staycation as much as you want to.

Fortunately, there are various ways you can make the apartments in Dubai you rent for your staycation feel like home for your family.

And when everyone feels comfortable in your accommodation, you can make your getaway more fun, relaxing, and memorable.


Creating Homey Staycation Accommodations

Below are some tips you can follow to make your accommodation more comfortable for your staycation in Dubai:


Bring your kids’ creature comforts.

As mentioned, children thrive in familiarity and routine. Staying in a strange place for a few days could cause them to display unlikeable behaviours that can lead to stressful and unpleasant situations that will affect your staycation.

To minimise your little ones’ tantrums and unpleasant behaviours during your getaway, ensure you pack everything that will bring them a sense of familiarity and home.

Some of the important items you have to bring for your young children include:

Favourite toys, stuffed animals, and books
Baby blanket
Small pillow
Favourite pyjamas, slippers, shoes, and towel

Don’t forget to bring plenty of their favourite foods. These include packs of biscuits, cereals, pudding cups, dried fruits, and juice boxes.

If you’re still formula feeding your kids, make sure you bring their bottles and cans of their milk as well.


Introduce familiar scents.

The right fragrances can also make your staycation accommodation feel homier for your family.

If there are vases in the flat, put the same fresh flowers you often use to decorate your abode. The fragrance they release will remind everyone of home.

If you often use an air freshener spray at home, bring it and spritz it in each room to introduce this familiar fragrance to your accommodation.

You can also bring your humidifier and favourite essential oils if you use these at home. Aside from giving the accommodation a familiar scent, the device and oils can help clean the air and provide everyone with some health benefits, including reducing stress and uplifting everyone’s moods.

However, avoid bringing and using scented candles since they are fire hazards.


Add homey touches to the bedroom.

Holiday rentals have beddings made of great quality textiles to make the guests’ stay as comfortable as possible.

However, even though they are pretty to look at and soft to touch, most of the time, they don’t remind you of home.

Since you don’t have to travel far, consider bringing some of your beddings. It won’t be difficult to carry pillows, so bring your own, particularly the ones your little ones use to reduce their unfamiliarity and homesickness.

If bringing plenty of pillows is not possible, opt for pillow covers instead.

Additionally, remind everyone to bring their own slippers so that their feet will stay warm and comfy as they walk around the accommodation.

Make sure everyone packs their favourite pyjamas and bathrobes as well, which are also a must for feeling cosy in their bedrooms and after taking a bath. Lastly, encourage them to bring books if they often read before turning in.


Use the kitchen.

Food is another thing that can remind everyone of home even when they are in a different place. As such, use the kitchen a few times during your staycation.

Drop by the supermarket to buy the ingredients for your family’s favourite dishes so that you can cook them. Shop for some pantry essentials as well so that everyone can have something they can snack on anytime.

To ensure you’ll have everything you need to whip up some meals, find out beforehand what equipment and utensils are available in the kitchen. If there are some missing items, you’ll have to bring them.

The smell from the dishes you’ll cook won’t fail to make everyone feel at ease, even in an unfamiliar place. Moreover, your family will appreciate the home-cooked meal.

However, don’t cook every meal. Remember that you’re still on vacation, so don’t spend all your time in the kitchen.


Bring basic cleaning supplies.

Although your accommodation is clean and organised when you arrive and it will be tidied up once you leave, keeping it spotless during your stay will go a long way in helping everyone feel comfortable during your staycation.

As such, during your grocery run, buy the following:

Toilet paper
Kitchen roll
Microfibre cloths
Sponge
Dishwashing liquid
Disinfectant wipes
Bin bags
Laundry bags

Spot-clean whenever there are spills or dirt on the floor, tables, and counters. Also, avoid piling used pots and pans, dining ware, and utensils; wash them as soon as possible.

Make sure to put all rubbish in the bag-lined bins. Replace and put them in the disposal area once they are full.

Also, give each of your family members a laundry bag and instruct them to put their soiled clothes here instead of piling them on the bed, chairs, or closet.


Plan some entertainment.

Lastly, keeping your family entertained is an excellent way of making them feel more comfortable during your staycation.

Find out in advance if the accommodation has Wi-Fi so that you can plan on binge-watching some movies and TV shows. If there is an Internet connection, give everyone time to check their social media pages and play some games on their devices.

Don’t forget to bring an HDMI cable so you can connect your laptop to the television in case it is not a smart TV.

Also, pack some board games and playing cards so that you’ll have alternative sources of entertainment.

If your accommodation has a swimming pool, beach access, or a nearby park or garden, make sure you visit these places so that you don’t end up spending all your time indoors during your getaway.

With these simple tips and techniques, your staycation with your family in your choice of accommodation in Dubai will be more fun and memorable.

Creating Possibilities: PLDT and Smart enable Unity Digital’s Tower Monitoring Services with IoT

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the country’s largest fully integrated telecommunications provider PLDT, has enabled Unity Digital Infrastructure, a joint venture between Aboitiz InfraCapital and Partners Group, by powering the efficient management and monitoring of its common towers across the country through PLDT’s suite of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions called Internet of Possibilities, or IoP.

This capability will help Unity to save on resources and concentrate on providing better services to its present and future clients composed of telecom service providers, enabling them, in turn, to provide better telecommunications services to Filipinos. Unity builds and operates telecommunication towers and supporting infrastructure across the country to complement the efforts of Mobile Network Operators.

PLDT’s IoP enables Unity’s tools that support real-time updates on their common towers’ health, power usage, and status without having to deploy field agents to physically inspect sites all the time.

Powered by PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), IoP was designed to enable companies to be more efficient through its IoT Platform that monitors IoT SIM cards, which when inserted onto smart devices, can unlock the possibilities of automating workflows, such as easy monitoring of assets through location tracking and remote monitoring.

“This solution by PLDT and Smart enables a new world of possibilities for the tower operations of Unity. It would help us optimize the key aspects of our business processes which will ultimately enhance our services to our clientele,” said Lucky Martinez, Operations and Maintenance Manager of Unity Digital Infrastructure Inc.

“As the largest, fully integrated telco in the country, the PLDT Group is best positioned to help revolutionize our local industries through facilitating an IoT-enabled environment. Our goal is to enable companies to realize the benefits of incorporating the value of automation as part of their digital transformation,” said Nico Alcoseba, FVP and Head of Enterprise Product Management and Marketing, PLDT.

“When clients experience improved operations, they are empowered to visualize the possibilities they can further achieve through the use of technology. PLDT and Smart seek to enable enterprise technologies to help them maximize their productivity and efficiency with the help of our digital solutions such as PLDT-Smart IoP,” said Chet Alviz, VP and Head for Wireless Solutions at Enterprise Product Management and Marketing, PLDT.

“We are grateful for Unity’s trust in our capability to boost their operations by facilitating efficient and effective monitoring of their assets through the PLDT-Smart IoP solution, and we commit our best to fulfill our part in connecting a Smarter Philippines,” Alviz added.

Apart from tower monitoring, PLDT’s IoP also supports other industries such as logistics where one can now easily deploy a virtual fleet of connected vehicles via real-time tracking to ensure that deliveries are on time and in the correct location, and healthcare providers to remotely monitor their healthcare devices to provide better services to patients. Other industries that can benefit from the said platform include agriculture, manufacturing, education, and utilities, among others.

Cover Photo Credit: Unity Digital   

Save the Children Philippines, partners commemorate lifesaving work for and with children; drives agenda to address SDG goal 2 on zero hunger

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Save the Children Philippines held a partners’ day at Sheraton Manila Hotel, the official event venue partner, to recognize the valuable role of its corporate and institutional donors, gift-in-kind donors and media agencies for their commitment in uplifting the lives of Filipino children most impacted by inequality and discrimination – from raising awareness on issues faced by children to generously funding and supporting the programs of Save the Children.

One of the event’s highlights was when guests were served with a small portion of rice and kropek (fish crackling) – a typical meal of the children in Samar. This experience was a glimpse of reality to the 3.4 million Filipino families who experience hunger.

“Hunger is depriving a generation of Filipino children of their rights and heavily impacts their growth and development. The role of the private sector and corporate partners, as well as institutional donors, is ever expanding. Your support and active participation are crucial in accelerating progress for children and creating a lasting change in their lives,” said Atty. Albert Muyot, Save the Children Philippines CEO.

In 2021, Save the Children Philippines was able to reach 4.4 million individuals, including children, through its health and nutrition, education, protection, and humanitarian work in 15 regions in the Philippines.

“Save the Children cannot do it alone. The government, civil society groups and NGOs, communities, children and their families, and of course, the private sector including your respective companies, - need to work together to put an end to child hunger in the Philippines. We need a whole -of -nation approach,” Ms. Universe Charity Pauline Amelinckx.

Mars-Wrigley Foundation, Cargill, and Sony Corporation were awarded with the Grant Funding Merit for providing support that enabled Save the Children to conceptualize and implement longer term projects from start to completion.

Corporate Fundraisers, Marriott Worldwide Business Councils Philippines, Real Asset Management, and Atlassian were granted with the Corporate Fundraiser Merit for funding and supporting Save the Children Philippines’ health, education, protection, and humanitarian work.

The Campaign Merit Award was awarded to Micro Focus, Axa Asia & Africa, and Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., for providing creative resources to the organization to effectively raise awareness in campaigns such as #SavetheChildrenfromHunger.

QBE Foundation, Shein, and Prudence Foundation were granted the Emergency Response Merit award for assisting in Super Typhoon Odette Response in Bohol, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte.

Netsuite, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., and Robinsons Handyman Inc., provided essential and strategic resources for Save the Children Philippines’ programs allowing the organization to increase its support to affected children and their families.

GMA Network, Business Mirror, and ABS-CBN were awarded with Media Merit for their important work in raising public awareness on the issues, challenges, and situation of Filipino children and their families.

“Because of your unwavering support we have a new generation of children who are better prepared to meet present and future challenges,” said Mike Novell, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Save the Children Philippines.



The event showcased an interactive exhibit of products and services of Save the Children and its partners. Actor Adrian Lindayag graced the event with a special performance.