Belgium chocolates and Belgium waffles have made this small European country famous around the world. But Belgium offers more than just sweets and breakfast items. In fact, Belgium is known for hosting more street and music festivals than any other country in Europe. After all, this is where the Saxophone was invented, by Adolph Sax, in 1846. Belgium’s historical sites, small towns, and peaceful countryside make it an excellent destination for inquisitive travelers.

Belgium is both multicultural and multilingual. Flanders, in the north, is a land surrounded by canals that hosts medieval art cities such as Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent. Wallonia, in the south, leads you to the hills of the Ardennes, countless castles, and the cities of Liege, Namur, and Tournai. Brussels, the capital, is one of the world’s great cosmopolitan cities, home to the European Union, NATO and the Atomium monument. All these cities and regions are connected through a train network that makes it easy and simple to hop on and hop off at your desired destination.

What to do?

Christmas in Belgium, with Christmas markets in Brussels, Bruges, Liege, Antwerp and in other cities, is really an experience you cannot miss. Every winter, Brussels features a magical decor, superb Christmas market, illuminated Big Wheel, roundabouts, street activities, music and the famous skating rink. Winter in Bruges is a month long celebration of the holidays with carillons concerts, Christmas markets and processions making it an original Christmas wonderland.

Looking for something to do during your vacations? Belgium has become the hot destination in Europe for the 20-30 something set. Students and young travelers are gathering at cities like Brussels, Antwerp, Leuven and Namur for stylish shopping, inexpensive hotels, great food, and a pulsating nightlife.

Looking for rest and relaxation? Belgium offers you the original Spa. Located in the middle of the Ardennes and surrounded by forests and rivers, the city of Spa is famous for the mineral springs that initiated the hydro-therapy industry centuries ago. In addition, Belgium offers 67 km of coastline along the North Sea in the Flanders region where you will find beautiful beaches such as De Panne, Ostend, De Haan and Knokke-Heist.

Where to eat?

Trendy cafes throughout Belgium are crowded with students and young professionals. In most places you will find Brussels legendary “frietkots” where they serve Belgian fries for those who want to hang out after the restaurants close. For those blessed with a sweet tooth, Belgium can be paradise offering exquisite chocolates, pralines, and waffles. For more information, here is a complete list of restaurants.

Visas & Documents

Visas for stays of no more than 3 months are required by all except EU/EEA nationals and citizens from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, United States, United Kingdom and other countries. A uniform type of visa, the Schengen visa, is issued for tourist, business and private visits. All visas cost either US$44 (short stay; up to 90 days) or US$64 (long stay). For more information, contact the Belgium embassy or consulate in your country.

One common problem around any work place environment is stress. Deadlines, product launches, sales forecasts and budget meetings can all cause feelings of anxiety and even panic in many employees. Unfortunately many people have stress management issues meaning they don’t effectively manage their stress levels or do so in ways that can be detrimental in the long term.

For years the solution to fatigue and stress in the workplace has been to crank the staff on coffee and soft drinks and hope the excess energy leads to greater productivity. Though caffeine and sugar do produce a temporary “rush”, the feeling is fleeting and is quickly followed by the “crash”, the symptoms that accompany caffeine and sugar withdrawal. An employee who maybe got 20 to 30 minutes of energy from the coffee is now languishing because the rush is gone and the stress remains.

It is hard to break learned behavior and the problem with cutting back on caffeinated and sugar-laced beverages is that you need to replace the energy perk with something more calming to steady a person’s stress levels so they can make better decisions and manage their anxiety better.

Work will never be easy and carefree. Most businesses operate in high-intensity environments where stress isn’t just possible, it is actually inevitable. But, how you deal with stress can make a big difference on whether or not you can continue to function at your job.

One option for better managing stress at work is to cut down on your caffeine and sugar intake. While these ingredients can cause a temporary increase in energy and alertness each one has a come-down period and recent studies indicate that if you lessen your dependence on such additives you can improve your mood, relax your body and still function at a high capacity.

Recently the beverage market has seen a sudden increase in drinks that are sugar-free, calorie-free and carbohydrate-free that are known as relaxation beverages or shots. Available in 2oz. containers relaxation shots use a proprietary blend of herbal extracts, vitamins and natural flavors to produce a great tasting drink that users report leads to a subtle calm and improvement in their mood. This is much better than simply fueling a dwindling fire.

When an employee is calm and relaxed their decision making improves tremendously. Workers who are simply amped up on caffeine and sugar tend to miss small details, rush through projects just to get them done and frequently overlook obvious errors. The worse part is telling someone who’s in the throes of caffeine and sugar withdrawal that all their hard work has to be redone because of the glaring mistakes that were made the first time.

Avoid having to put in more time and energy by choosing a relaxation beverage over a soft drink or cup of coffee. You’ll be surprises how much more you can actually get done when your mind and body are at ease.