GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

It is our lifelong emotional dream to have a home for us. It is where we make the most memories with our families and cherish them for the rest of our lives. So, have you already decided to build your house? Congratulations to you on your decision!

But you can't imagine a piece of land as your home as it requires a lot of planning and proper construction. It is advisable to hire professionals as you will spend your life savings on this one project. In this article, we have put together some suggestions to help you design and construct your house.

1. Decide your budget:
The crucial aspect of constructing your own house is the budget. Your budget should be precise and inclusive of the expenses involved, from laying the bricks to finally stepping into your newly constructed home after completion. Remember, after building your house, you should have enough money to support a comfortable living for your family.

2. List the space requirements:
Have an idea of how many bedrooms you wish to have. What should be the appropriate size of your living room and kitchen? Will you need a separate kid's play area or a pooja room? Listing all the requirements will make the design work hassle-free, and the blueprint of your house can be accordingly finalized.

3. Hire an architect:
Find a good architect by looking at some of the portfolios online to better understand their expertise and intent. Then, make sure that the architect offers you the best suggestions for your house. An architect will,

• Make a few designs for you to select from.

• Supervise construction periodically.

• Check and certify the contractor's bills.

• Prepare structural design, Bill of Quantities (BOQ), cost estimates, drawings for approval to the authority, a tender document with T and Cs.

Always sign a formal contract with the architect specifying responsibilities and payment of the architect and associates.

4. Concept Phase:
Finalize the architectural design and appoint an interior designer if necessary. Based on the designer and finishing, you can get a better idea of the final budget.

5. Detailed design:
The structural engineers and electrical consultants will develop the designs and details based on architectural drawings. So it becomes convenient for these people to arrange for the materials and manage the required manpower. A detailed design also helps decisions regarding the flooring materials, ceramic fixtures, CP, fittings, requirements of light points, internet, ceiling fans, etc.

6. Approval from the authorities:
It is essential to obtain prior approval and sanctions for the drawings prepared by the architect. Make sufficient copies of the drawings as these will be required to get power, water, and sewage connections.

7. Tender phase:
The architect prepares a tender document to get the best prices and shares it with a few contractors. Then, you can meet the contractors to negotiate further and discuss essential points like the date of commencement and completion, terms of payment, any additional requirements, etc.

Once the construction phase gets over, the finishing stage commences. Now, collect all the documents related to the project, such as architectural, structural, and services drawings, warranties, final bills, and other necessary documents.

It feels incredible when you see the steel bars, layers of bricks glued with cement taking the shape of your house. You will feel accomplished by observing your progress because just thinking of building a house is itself a bold decision, and successfully making it is even bolder!

There is much discussion on how to construct your house, but what once it is ready? How will you ensure its security? For this, you can go on the web and search for a 'general insurance online quote' and buy the most suitable home insurance to secure your priceless possession financially.

Planning to buy a new home? Click HERE to check out a home insurance plan suitable for you.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

When you start driving, you don't become an expert overnight. For any perfect driver, it takes a good amount of practice every day. Also, for error-free driving, it is necessary to identify and rectify the common driving mistakes. The statistic shows that nearly 98% of the road accidents result from human errors and sheer unawareness. Here are some of the common driving errors that you might be doing ignorantly.

1. Distracted driving:
Most road accidents happen because of our distracted driving. So what are the most common reasons for distraction? Usage of mobile phones while driving tops the list. We feel an urgency to read the message or answer the call immediately that we can't resist it even while driving. But in reality, it's not always the case. We forget the fine line between urgency and emergency and end up committing this small error that can land us in massive trouble while driving.

2. Sitting position and driving posture:
Sometimes your driving pattern harms your body. Getting comfortable in your car with the correct sitting position is necessary. It might affect your back and spine. In addition, your posture can compromise your control over your vehicle, such as pushing the brakes and clutch, which can cause you some trouble.

3. Disobeying/ignoring signal lights:
Now, without getting caught by traffic police, the advancement of CCTV over the roads will burn your pockets when you break the signal. But, we still end up making those silly mistakes like ignoring the yellow/amber signal light. Yellow/amber signal lights are an indicator to "slow down", and when it turns red, you are supposed to "stop". But we prefer to "speed up" so that we don't need to stop and wait at a red light. And that's where most of the car crashing occurs.

4. Unused mirrors/indicators of your vehicle:
The rear-view and side mirrors of your car have some purpose. These mirrors are used to look for the vehicles behind you and on either side of your car.

5. Light indicators while driving:
Lights installed on your vehicle play a vital role in safety. Unfortunately, many of us don't use indicators. It can be unfortunate for you and the vehicles following your car on curvy roads or turnings. It is a good practice to use indicators so that vehicles behind you can be alert and slow down without hitting your car.
Driving with a high beam at night is prone to disaster; it is useful when driving on streets or roads without streetlights. However, it can distract and even blind the other drivers on a two-way road especially.

6. Switching lanes at turns:
Driving and switching lanes is equally dangerous. Start early, if you anticipate some traffic, so that you don't have to indulge in rash driving and over-speeding. Know that life is much more important than the destination you want to reach.

On a conclusive note, we must hold ourselves responsible for ensuring safety on roads. Therefore, practice safe driving and purchase car insurance for more safety of your car and yourself. And timely car insurance renewal is equally necessary for extended protection of your valuable possession.

Are you looking for a renewal of car insurance? Click HERE.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

The concept of "no time" gradually becomes an excuse for most urban populations not to exercise at all. The long working hours and corporate lifestyle has made life more stressful than before. The hectic schedules leave little or no time for us to go to the gym for workouts.

Remove the idea that hitting the gym is the only way to have a good physique and a healthy life. Instead, take out just 25 minutes from your daily schedule to do some easy workout exercises to fit.

Here is an exercise plan for you that you can practice without the need for any extra weight other than your body weight.

Warm-Up Exercises

Warm-up is crucial before starting any exercise or physical activity to avoid the possibility of serious injuries. You may include the following exercise in your warm-up routine;

• On spot jog

• On spot jumps

• Knee to chest stretch

• Heel to butt stretch

• Side bends (both sides)

• Forward bend

• Arm and wrist circling

After a good warm-up, it's time to go all-in.

1. Chin-ups (Trains your back and arm strength) –
Directions: You can either purchase a chin-up bar or simply use a structure or a solid beam in your home for doing chin-ups. Place your arms at shoulder width on the bar to get a proper grip for performing the exercise. Hold yourselves at the upward position for 30 seconds, and then gently lower yourself. You've just finished one rep; buckle up for the next!

2. Squats (Trains your Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Glutes):
Directions: Keep your feet hip-width apart, and all of your hips, knees, and toes should be pointing forward. Bend your knees and stretch your buttocks outward as if you were preparing to sit on a chair. Make sure your knees are not crossing your toes, and your weight is on your heels. Rise and repeat the process by maintaining the proper posture and focusing on your breathing.

3. Push-ups (Trains your Triceps, Pectoral muscles, Shoulders):
Directions: Push-ups are the most effective exercise in a workout segment. To do a push-up, get down on your arms and legs, position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Then, straighten your arms and legs and go down till the point where your chest touches the floor.

You should feel that tightness in your triceps, chest, and shoulders. But, it is important to manage your breathing pattern during a push-up. When going down, take a deep breath, and release it when coming back up.

Complete as many repetitions as possible in 45 seconds for each exercise. Once time is up, take a 1-2 minutes break before starting round 2. Then, complete a couple of rounds of the whole set, and don't forget to stretch nicely after a good workout session.

To sum it up, practice these home exercises and encourage your family members to do them for at least 25 minutes a day. The results will be slow, but they’ll be evident. Also, we suggest you have a health insurance plan that serves as additional protection and a safety net for you and your family.

Click HERE to know about the best health insurance plans.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

YouTube is a great platform to interact with millions of people and show your creativity through videos. According to the current industry facts, YouTube is the second most visited website after its parent website Google.

Where there is potential, opportunities dive in. The enthusiastic Millennials and Gen Zs go crazy for video blogging culture and wish to seize the big opportunities to start a YouTube channel. They want to create and post video content of their own to inspire others.

If you are passionate about riding motorcycles, you have an incredible chance to integrate your passion with inspiring video content through moto vlogging. If you are looking for a roadmap on how to turn your ambition of starting a YouTube moto vlogging channel into reality, you are at the right place!

Let’s start from the basics. A moto vlog is a video filled with cinematic shots highlighting a rider’s bike journey to a destination in a few minutes. Riding trips are known for exploring, and when someone captures his experiences in a video, it looks incredible!

1. Where to begin?
Start by planning your video. Your video must convey a story; otherwise, it is just a random clip. Avoid throwing in random facts anywhere; instead, prepare a script to narrate the video in an enticing story. Whenever you are putting your content online, like uploading your moto vlog on YouTube, you must analyze your content from the audience’s perspective. Therefore, your vlog should have ‘WOW’ elements that will steal the attention of your audience every single second. On your channel, you can also make informative videos about bike reviews, the latest models and trends in mobility, awareness content like the importance of Bike Insurance to avoid content saturation. In addition, you can refer to other moto vlogging videos.

2. Planning a route:
For the first video, select a well-versed route that you have frequently visited so that you won’t face any difficulties while expressing your experiences. Next, film your journey with spectacular and diverse views to make it visually appealing for the viewers. Also, consider routes that are challenging for bikers as those always excite the people to watch them.

3. Equipment:
Quality equipment and accessories are an essential part while creating content as they help you make your vlog with ease and ensure top-quality video content. The three main things you require are –

Camera: Cameras are the essential elements of vlogging video because the overall quality of your vlog depends upon your camera and its results. Therefore, investing in a high-quality camera is an intelligent choice. Buy the best action cameras which can capture even a single second of recording of any perfect shot

Microphone: You can’t seriously rely on your camera’s microphone to record your voice. Instead, you will need an external microphone to filter the background noise and record your speech.

Mount: Your video will keep people engaged if you have shots from multiple angles. To get the best angles, you will need a mount to attach your camera to your helmet, different parts of your bike like the steering handlebar, side mirrors, etc.

4. Focus on Editing:
Brush up your editing skills and try to be creative with video editing. You can always hire an editor or use some online video editing tools for the best results. Just recording videos is not it; editing is one of the significant checkpoints to make the vlog ready to be posted on your channel.

Though moto vlogging is becoming increasingly competitive with each passing day, it is still exciting to see new vloggers share their latest stories through cinematic videos. So kick-start it if you have a deep passion for motorcycle riding and share it with everyone out there.

Looking for a bike insurance plan? Click HERE to get the best insurance for your bike.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.