Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Snap Kitchen is a meal delivery service that makes it easy to eat healthy, without ever touching your stove. 
• Its ready-made meals, sides, beverages, and desserts are the most versatile and flexible we've seen yet — not to mention delicious and under 500 calories. 
• You can shop the meals ($3.99-$11.99) a la carte or sign up for a meal plan subscription, which will save you a little money and provide a customizable, consistent flow of healthy, tasty meals. 

As much as I appreciate the missions of popular meal kit delivery services today — to make cooking a delicious meal quick and easy — sometimes I just don't have the time, patience, or energy to cook.

Despite the growing movement encouraging people to spend more time in the kitchen, you might remain a staunch non-believer (whether out of preference or necessity), but you still want to eat healthy and control what goes on your plate.

For busy, health-conscious eaters like you, ready-made meal delivery services are the better solution. In the past, we've reviewed the meals and meal plans from Veestro, which uses plant-based and organic ingredients, and Kettlebell Kitchen, which optimizes meals for active lifestyles. 

Read more: Kettlebell Kitchen is a healthy meal delivery service that could be the secret to keeping your fitness and nutrition resolutions in 2019

We've found, however, that a company founded in 2010 called Snap Kitchen provides the most versatile and flexible selection of healthy, delicious ready-made meals. They're sold at an average cost of $9.99 per meal, and can be purchased a la carte or as part of a meal plan. 

Here's how Snap Kitchen works 

A la carte meals: Start by browsing its large menu of meals, sides, beverages, snacks, and desserts. Snap makes its own meals and also carries health food brands such as Barnana, RX Bar, Vital Proteins, and Zupa Noma. 

Breakfast meals range in price from $3.99 to $7.99 and include options like egg and brisket tacos and sweet potato veggie Benedicts. Lunch and dinner are a little more expensive, and range in price from $6.99 to $11.99. You can choose from meals like hot chicken with fusili and cheese or sweet chili glazed salmon. All of these meals clock in at less than 500 calories, with most being around 300 to 400 calories. 

There are also sides (called 'components' on the site), small bites, soups and salads, desserts, and more. 

For all these food choices, you can filter by diet type (keto, vegan, Whole30, etc.) and allergens (egg free, peanut free, soy free, etc.), so you'll be able to shop the meals without wasting time inspecting ingredient lists. 

Meal plan subscription: If you're looking for a more long-term and consistent commitment, try Snap Kitchen's subscription option, which saves you 5% to 10% on meal costs, gives you curated and customizable meal plans, and offers flexible delivery schedules. 

If you know exactly what you want, you can go for the Build Your Own option. Otherwise, Snap Kitchen offers plans like Keto-Friendly, Paleo, Vegetarian, and Balance to make the process easier. You'll choose how many days' worth of meals you want (three, five, or seven), what meal types you want (breakfast, AM snack, drinks, etc.), and free delivery or pickup. There are currently Snap Kitchen stores in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and Philadelphia, where you can pick up your meals. 

After seeing your plan, which also breaks down the daily nutritional content and weekly subtotal, you can add more food items, or proceed to checkout. 

Snap Kitchen wants to ensure you have the freshest meal possible, so it doesn't deliver the meals all at once, unless you choose the three-day meal plan option. It will deliver twice a week for the five-day option and three times a week for the seven-day option. 

Here's what to expect when you receive your Snap Kitchen meals 

The company sent the Insider Picks team a selection of meals, drinks, and desserts to taste for ourselves. They arrived in cooler bags that kept them cold and fresh.

I loved how creative the recipes were and how they didn't fit my conception of what a typical "healthy" meal looked and tasted like. Some standouts included the bison quinoa hash, shrimp and cauliflower grits, and a surprisingly decadent brownie that satisfied my strong sweet tooth. The juices were also tasty and refreshing. 

The meals are free of preservatives, and you'll be able to recognize all the ingredients, many of which are also organic. You can heat them up in the microwave — perfect for rushed mornings and office lunches — or in the oven if you have a little more time. 

Packaging waste can be a big concern about meal delivery services, but Snap Kitchen's packaging is actually compostable. While it doesn't change the fact that you're still going through a lot of meal trays, you can reuse them for other uses, and it's comforting to know they're compostable. 

Read more: I tried PlateJoy, an online service that customizes healthy meal plans for $8 a month — and it can be adapted to suit any type of dietary needs

The bottom line

Speed and convenience often involves a sacrifice of some sort, whether that's taste or nutrition value, but Snap Kitchen manages to nail all these priorities in one easy-to-use service. To make planning out and ordering meals even easier, it also offers an iOS app so you can always be in control of your healthy eating goals. 

Order healthy meals and meal plans from Snap Kitchen here.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Tiger Woods' career once looked over, but he is back and playing well again.
• Only time will tell if Woods will win more majors, but his play on the course had already proven that he can.
• Because of Woods' play on the course, off the course, he has plenty of money to spend on yachts, private jets, megamansions, and video games.
• Read all of Business Insider's Masters coverage here.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Tiger Woods is back.

Woods sent a resounding message to the sports world with a dominating win at the Tour Championship to end the 2018 season — he's back, and the majors might be next.

After playing in just two tournaments in over two years, and after a tumultuous few months that included his fourth back surgery in four years and an arrest after being found asleep in his car on the side of the road, Woods is finally back.

In fact, he has looked so good in his return, people have already started whispering about Jack Nicklaus' record again.

On the course, Woods is one of the highest-paid athletes of all time. That means plenty of cash off the course to spend on yachts, private jets, megamansions, and video games.

Take a look at how he spends it all.

Tony Manfred and Mary Hanbury contributed reporting to a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: Injuries, infidelities, and poor choices: How Tiger Woods unraveled from the greatest golfer in the world

Tiger Woods has made more than $1.4 billion since turning pro in 1996.

Source: Golf Digest and Forbes

More than $122 million of that came from on-course winnings. He's No. 1 on the all-time money list, by far.

Read more: The 30 highest-paid golfers of all time

He won $4.6 million at the Tour Championship alone — $1.6 million for winning the tournament and $3.0 million for his second-place finish in the FedEx Cup — one of his biggest paydays ever in golf.

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Mott & Bow is a direct-to-consumer basics startup that makes affordable premium denim for men and women, starting at $96.
• The jeans feature a small amount of elastane for stretch, making them more comfortable and easy to move in than traditional raw denim options, but not so fitted that they're skin-tight.
• We asked four guys on the Insider Picks team to test different styles, and everyone was impressed by the extreme comfort that a little bit of stretch offered.
• Mott & Bow also offers a unique home try-on program that lets you choose a second pair of jeans in a different size to try for free. Send the pair you don't want back for free with a pre-paid label.

A good pair of jeans is one of, if not the most, quintessential wardrobe staple.

Whether worn for style or comfort, at least one pair can be found in almost anyone's closet. But as common as jeans are, not all denim is created equally. 

Founded in 2013 with the goal of making luxury-grade jeans at reasonable prices, Mott & Bow has been leading the way in the world of denim with its easy-to-wear, relatively affordable styles (nearly all under $125).

To get the most comfortable fit possible, Mott & Bow's denim is blended with a small amount of elastane for stretch. Adding a little bit of stretch to denim isn't revolutionary by any means, but Mott & Bow just managed to do it incredibly well with fits that don't look too tight. I asked four guys who are new to Mott & Bow's jeans to try a pair, we all found the elastane to make a huge difference. You can read our first-hand reviews below, but suffice it to say that if you're looking for comfortable denim, Mott & Bow's are worth the cost. 

And, rather than letting heavy machinery do all the work, Mott & Bow uses artisan techniques to make its denim, like hand-scraping the material for distressed looks. The company also sources denim from the best mills in the world and pays close attention to the often-overlooked details of the production process.No corners are cut when it comes to textiles or production, but it's the company's direct-to-consumer business model that allows them to maintain fair prices.

It goes without saying that buying jeans without trying them on can be a bit tricky. We've all gone through the trouble of having to return and re-order jeans or preemptively buy multiple pairs with the intention of returning some later. Luckily, Mott & Bow is helping you avoid that with its home try-on program.

The way it works is when you buy a pair of jeans, you can choose a second waist size for free. Mott & Bow will send you both pairs so that you can decide which one fits you best from the comfort of your home. Once you've made a decision, you can send the second pair back for free using the pre-paid label included in the box. This is a great service for first-time buyers or people who've changed in size since the last time they've bought jeans.

Mott & Bow sent us some jeans to try out — and they definitely stand up to the hype. Starting at $96, Mott & Bow does cost more than classics like Levi's or Gap, but we've found them to be an overall better buy, and not unreasonably priced for the quality. 

If you're looking for jeans that are comfortable, require no break-in time, and are fairly priced, we highly recommend giving Mott & Bow a try.

Read on to see our full thoughts below or click here to start shopping for jeans at Mott & Bow.

Mott & Bow Skinny Warren in Medium Blue

Skinny Warren in Medium Blue, $128

It's been about a year and a half since I first learned about Mott & Bow. Ever since I reviewed its dress shirts and T-shirts— two products outside of its main product offering — I've had the inclination that the jeans would be were great, too. After trying them out for myself, I completely understand why my colleagues have raved about its denim in the past. 

What I like best about them is that they're comfortable on the first wear. I love Selvedge denim, but they usually take a lot of wears to truly become comfortable. Mott & Bow, on the other hand, feels more like soft cotton than hard denim.

I ordered my normal denim size and the sizing was spot on. While I was happy with the fit of the Skinny Warren, it is worth noting that these aren't the skinniest skinny jeans I've worn. If you have a slim build like me and you're going for a skin-tight fit, Mott & Bow probably doesn't have much for you.

I used to never spend more than $50 or $60 on denim, probably because of my own frugal-ness, but I've come to appreciate better-made denim and understand the value you get when paying more. Mott & Bow, without a doubt, is one of those brands where your dollar goes a long way in terms of quality and comfort — you're not just paying for the logo of a legacy or designer denim brand. — Amir Ismael, Insider Picks reporter

Mott & Bow Slim Wooster in Dark Blue

Slim Wooster in Dark Blue, $118

Mott and Bow's Skinny Wooster jeans have a massively generous stretch and manage to retain their shape, making them my choice this summer for bike commuting. That said, there are a few things you should know before you buy. Mott & Bow's slim jeans fit more like straight, and the skinny fit is closer to slim.

I found that ordering an inch smaller than my normal waist size was best for me. When I tried my normal waist size, they were too loose. Granted, that may not be the case for you, but that's where the home try-on program is most useful.

To be frank, even after I found the right size and style, I wasn't crazy about the fit of these, but the phenomenal stretch makes up for that. On days when I'm riding my bike and need the additional range of motion and comfort, I'll likely choose these over anything else in my closet. — David Slotnick, Insider Picks senior reporter

Mott & Bow Slim Benson in Light Blue

Slim Benson in Light Blue, $118

Mott & Bow undoubtedly makes high-quality jeans, but the sizing can be a little tricky. I typically avoid skinny jeans, and stick to standard or straight cuts because I don’t like to feel constrained. I tried the middle-ground Slim Benson option in a light blue, and coming from someone who’s closet is stocked with jeans from the Gap and Costco, these were clearly a superior cut of denim.

However, if you are like me and avoid unnecessarily tight jeans, I’d recommend sizing up and sticking to the straight cut for peak comfortability. If you're willing to put in the time to try out a few different sizes and styles, Mott & Bow is an excellent option. — Danny Bakst, Insider Picks content producer

Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Credit cards frequently offer large sign-up bonuses to try and entice new customers.
• Opening a new credit card and earning these bonuses is the fastest way to build your stocks of credit card rewards, hotel loyalty points, and frequent-flyer miles.
• This April, 2019, there are a few fantastic limited-time bonuses available on co-branded credit cards, including from IHG and Marriott— these are ending in just a few weeks.
• There's also a limited-time bonus on the United Airlines credit card from Chase.
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred Cardraised its sign-up bonus for the first time since 2015 from 50,000 points to 60,000 — its highest-ever.

The fastest way to earn rewards points, cash back, and frequent-flyer miles is to open a new credit card and earn its sign-up or welcome bonus.

Credit card issuers like Chase and AmEx offer huge bonuses to attract customers, while designing card features with long-term, continuing value in an effort to keep them. This offers consumers a chance to take advantage of these bonuses, perks, and features.

You can read more about earning new card-member bonuses and how that will affect your credit score here, or scroll down to find some of the best offers available this month.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which can far outweigh the value of any rewards.

When you're working to earn credit card rewards, it's important to practice financial discipline, like paying your balances off in full each month, making payments on time, and not spending more than you can afford to pay back. Basically, treat your credit card like a debit card.

1. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

Welcome bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Offer ends April 24.

Last month, Marriott wrapped up a major rebranding of its loyalty program, combining it with the Starwood Preferred Guest program to create a single entity: Marriott Bonvoy.

The various terms and benefits of the program are virtually unchanged from what took effect in August, when the two separate programs were brought under a new single set of benefits.

The biggest changes under February's rebrand came to the Bonvoy's rewards credit cards, which are issued by American Express and Chase. To mark the occasion, both are offering a big, limited-time promotion on the personal cards they issue.

AmEx issues the premium version of Marriott's credit cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card, formerly called the SPG Luxury Card. Until April 24, new cardholders can earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when they spend $5,000 on the card in the first three months.

While the card has a high $450 annual fee, it's easy to get much more value from it than you pay for that fee — especially if you stay at Marriott hotels semi-frequently.

Right off the bat, the card offers up to $300 each year in statement credits for purchases at participating Marriott hotels, which can apply to room charges. That effectively brings the fee down to $150.

It also offers a free night award each year on your cardmember anniversary, which can be redeemed at any hotel that costs 50,000 points per night or under. The card also offers complimentary Gold elite status, and comes with a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership.

The card earns 6x points at Marriott hotels, 3x points at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with the airline, and 2x points on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

2. IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: Up to 120,000 points (80,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months; an additional 40,000 points after spending a total of $5,000 in the first six months). Offer ends May 2.

IHG is the parent company of a handful of hotel chains, including Holiday Inn. The company has more than 5,600 properties around the world, making it the second-largest hotel brand, behind Marriott. IHG has a wide range of properties from budget options like the Holiday Inn Express, to luxurious Regent and InterContinental hotels and resorts. 

IHG's Rewards Club program is often overlooked— I know I'm guilty of passing it over without a second look in favor of Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy (and back in the day, Starwood Preferred Guest).

However, the program is worth a second look, and a newly increased sign-up bonus on its primary credit card offers a perfect opportunity.

Right now, the IHG Rewards Club Premier card has a sign-up bonus of up to 120,000 points that is broken up into two parts. First, you'll earn 80,000 points if you spend $2,000 in the first three months. Then, you'll earn the remaining 40,000 points when you spend an additional $3,000 within the first six months (for a total of $5,000).

IHG recently shared that this bonus will only be around for a limited time, and the end date has been announced: May 2.

Rooms can cost as little at 10,000 points per night, depending on the property and its location within a city. The bonus is enough to cover almost two weeks' worth of nights at a Holiday Inn Express — even some in prime markets — or two to four nights at top InterContinental locations.

The card earns 10x points per dollar spent at IHG hotels, 2x points per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants, and 1x point on everything else.

It also comes with automatic Platinum elite status, which entitles you to a 50% bonus on points earned during a stay, complimentary room upgrades, late checkout when available, and guaranteed room availability with 72 hours' notice — helpful if you have a last-minute trip.

The Premier card offers an annual anniversary free night certificate that can be used at any category 1-7 hotel (hotels that cost 40,000 points per night or less). While that means that some of IHG's most premium locations are excluded, the certificate is still valid at a ton of locations all around the world.

For instance, I didn't have trouble finding properties in major cities like New York and Chicago during peak travel season — all charging well upward of $200 — that accept the free night certificate. That more than makes up for the card's $89 annual fee.

Click here to learn more about the IHG Rewards Club Premier from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

3. United Explorer Card

Sign-up bonus: Up to 60,000 United miles (40,000 after spending $2,000 in the first three months, and an additional 20,000 miles after spending a total of $8,000 in the first six months). Ends May 16.

Last year, United and Chase re-launched their co-branded credit card, slightly changing the name, but more importantly, tweaking the benefits and improving how the card earns points. Previously, the card earned 2x miles on every dollar spent with United Airlines and 1x dollar on everything else. Now, the card also earns 2x points at restaurants and hotels.

This sign-up bonus is one of the better public offers we've seen on this card, given the spending requirement, but it's only available until May 16.

The card offers a free checked bag when you use your card to purchase your tickets, priority boarding as long as you have the open card attached to your MileagePlus account, 25% off in-flight purchases, and a fee credit to cover your application to Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

The United Explorer also has two benefits that are unique among US airline credit cards in the same class.

First, you'll get two complimentary United Club lounge passes each year. In the lounges, you can enjoy comfortable seating, Wi-Fi, free food and drinks, and more before your flight. Normally, one-time entry to a United Club would cost $59 if you didn't have a membership.

Second, although this is an unpublished benefit, United cardholders also get access to more saver award space than other United members — that makes it easier to find good flights when it's time to use your miles.

The card has a $95 annual fee, which is waived the first year.

Click here to learn more about the United Explorer Card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

4. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first three months)

The Sapphire Preferred is one of the most popular all-around rewards credit cards, and it's easy to see why. This card earns 2x points per dollar spent on just about all travel and dining purchases, and 1x point on everything else. It also comes with a ton of travel and purchase protections, such as rental car insurance, trip delay coverage, and extended warranty.

The card's sign-up bonus was just raised for the first time since 2015— it's now 60,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. That's worth, at the very least, $600 as cash back or gift cards. However, if you book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and use points to pay, you'll get a 25% bonus, making points worth 1.25 cents each. That means that the sign-up bonus would be worth $750.

Even more lucrative — the Chase Sapphire Preferred lets you transfer your UR points to a few different frequent-flyer and hotel-loyalty programs. This comes in handy because in many cases it costs fewer points to book a trip if you go through one of those programs, as opposed to using the points as cash. You can read more about why transferring points to frequent-flyer programs gets you more value here.

This all comes for a fairly standard annual fee of $95, which is not waived the first year.

Click here to learn more about the Sapphire Preferred from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

5. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Only available for a limited time.

Between the yearly $300 of credits and the annual anniversary free night, the Bonvoy Brilliant card from AmEx tends to represent a better deal for cardholders.

However, the downside to that card is that you'll have to pay a $450 annual fee. Sure, you'll get the value back from the various benefits and rewards, but you'll still have to float that fee at the top of each calendar year.

For people who find that unappealing, Chase offers the mainstream version of the personal card: the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card.

The Bonvoy Boundless currently offers the same welcome bonus as the Bonvoy Brilliant — unlike with the Brilliant's, we don't know the Boundless offer's end date, but we do know it's only available for a limited time.

Learn more: The best credit card rewards, bonuses, and benefits of 2019

Like the Brilliant, the Boundless offers a free night award each year on your cardholder anniversary; the difference is that it's only good on rooms that would cost up to 35,000 points per night, rather than 50,000. Fortunately, that still includes plenty of properties.

The Boundless card comes with complimentary Silver elite status. Silver doesn't get you as much as Gold, but it's still something. You'll get a 10% bonus on points earned, priority for late checkout, access to a dedicated customer service line, free Wi-Fi, and more. While it's not a published benefit, you may also be given preferential rooms. You can get Gold status if you spend $35,000 or more in a calendar year. You'll also get 15 qualifying nights' worth of elite credit each calendar year, making it easier to earn Gold status or higher through hotel stays.

The card earns 6x points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, and 2x points per dollar on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

6. Platinum Card® from American Express

Welcome Offer: 60,000 points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months).

The American Express Platinum card has one of the highest annual fees of any consumer credit or charge card — $550 — but as AmEx's flagship product, this premium credit card offers a tremendous amount of value to offset that fee. For example, I got more than $2,000 worth of value in my first year with the card.

The card earns Membership Rewards points, the currency in AmEx's loyalty program, which can be exchanged for statement credits or cash back, used to book travel through AmEx's travel website, or, to get the most value, transferred to any of 17 airline and three hotel transfer partners (transferable points are among the best). Travel website The Points Guy lists a valuation of 2¢ per membership rewards point; based on that, the welcome offer is worth about $1,200.

The Platinum Card earns an incredible 5x points on airfare purchased directly from the airline, and offers an airline fee credit of up to $200 each calendar year, and up to $200 in Uber credits each card member year.

It also grants the cardholder access to more than 1,200 airport lounges around the world, including Delta Sky Clubs and AmEx's own Centurion Lounges.

Other benefits include automatic Gold elite status in the Marriott and Hilton loyalty programs, a statement credit up to $100 to cover enrollment in Global Entry/TSA PreCheck, concierge service, access to exclusive events, and much more.

If you're an active military servicemember, you can get the AmEx Platinum Card's fee waived.

You can read our complete review of the card here.

Click here to learn more about the American Express Platinum from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

7. Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card

Welcome offer: 30,000 Go Far points (after spending $3,000 in the first three months).

This card from Wells Fargo has one of the more attractive rewards offerings you'll find from a no-annual-fee card. The current Propel card is a relaunch of an old product — Wells Fargo stopped accepting applications for the old card a year ago, before announcing the new product and reopening applications this summer.

The card earns 3x points on all travel, dining, and select streaming services (and 1x point on everything else). If that sounds familiar, it's because it's almost the same as the popular Chase Sapphire Reserve.

There are key differences between the cards. The Propel lets you redeem points for 1¢ each toward cash back, merchandise, travel, or more, while the Sapphire Reserve offers a range of more valuable redemption options — it's easy to get at least 50% more value for Chase points. Plus, the Sapphire Reserve offers a number of premium perks that the Propel doesn't, like airport lounge access, a $300 annual travel credit travel delay insurance, and more.

Of course, the Sapphire Reserve also comes with a $450 annual fee, while the Wells Fargo Propel doesn't have a fee. Between the new member offer, and the solid earning rate on popular spend categories, the Propel makes a decent option for those who don't travel often, or who aren't comfortable floating a large annual fee.

We named the Propel the best no-fee card of 2018.

Click here to learn more about the Wells Fargo Propel card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

8. Chase Sapphire Reserve

Sign-up bonus: 50,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first three months).

The Sapphire Reserve is basically a beefier version of the Preferred. While the card comes with the same sign-up bonus, it earns points on everyday spending faster, nabbing a higher 3x points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1x on everything else. It also offers similar, though in many cases, enhanced travel and purchase protections.

Unlike the Preferred, the Sapphire Reserve comes with a Priority Pass Select membership, which gets you and any travel companions free access to more than 1,000 airport lounges around the world.

You can use points from the Reserve the same ways as with the Preferred, except that you'll get a 50% bonus when booking travel through Chase, making your points worth 1.5¢ each.

The card carries a higher annual fee than the Preferred: $450. However, it also comes with a $300 travel credit each card member year. Each year, you'll get statement credits for the first $300 in travel-related purchases you make, including things like subway fare, taxis, parking, and tolls, as well as airfare and hotels — naturally, you don't earn points on the purchases covered by that credit. When you subtract this credit from the annual fee, the card is effectively only $150 each year.

If you're not sure whether the Preferred or Reserve is the better card for you, take a look at this breakdown. Also keep in mind that you can typically only earn the sign-up bonus for one Sapphire-branded card every two years.

Click here to learn more about the Sapphire Reserve from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

SEE ALSO: The best credit card rewards, bonuses, and benefits of 2019

Join the conversation about this story »

• If your iPad is acting strangely or you're running out of storage space, you can clear Safari's cache or reclaim space used by app data.
• Clear the Safari cache in the Settings app's Safari section. After you do this, you'll have to log into web pages again.
• To clear app data from your iPad, you need to delete apps. You can see exactly how much space each takes and delete the ones that will make the most difference from the Settings app's iPad Storage section.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Like any computer, your iPad uses a reserved memory space – called a cache – to store information you've recently used.

Ideally, that speeds up your iPad by giving the device fast access to it if you need it again. But if you notice that your iPad has been sluggish recently, or is misbehaving in some way, one remedy may be to clear the cache. If that doesn't work, you might try some other troubleshooting tips found in our article "Can iPads get viruses?"

There are two caches you can try to clear: the one used by your web browser, Safari, and the cache for your apps. To delete an app's cache, though, you need to delete the app, but you can then reinstall the app.

Clear your Safari cache on an iPad

1. Open the Settings app and then tap "Safari."

2. Tap "Clear History and Website Data."

3. Confirm that you want to do this by tapping Clear in the Clear History and Data dialog box.

After a moment, your browser cache will clear. This will reclaim space used by the cache and delete web information that your iPad is temporarily storing. Note that it'll also sign you out of any web pages you are logged into, so it'll be like you are browsing on a new device.

Clear your app cache on an iPad

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap "General," and then tap "iPad Storage." The iPad Storage page will show you how much space is used on your iPad by different kinds of apps. (It might take a minute or two for this to appear, since the iPad has to calculate the free and used space.)

3. Your iPad might make recommendations to save space, such as deleting apps you rarely use or deleting videos or email attachments. If you want to save space, you can try one or more of these options.

4. Review the apps installed on your iPad – they are arranged from the largest at the top to the smallest at the bottom.

5. Tap an app that you want to clear. Note that the app's details page shows you how much space the app takes, as well as how much space its data is consuming.

At this point, you have several options:

• Tap "Delete App" to uninstall the app (and discard any data the app was caching). Then go to the App Store and re-install the app. You'll get a fresh version of the app with no stored data. You can do this even for a paid app without paying a second time. This is a good option if the app itself is relatively small but the data is taking up a lot of space.

• Tap "Offload App" to uninstall the app but keep the app's data on the iPad. This might be a good idea if the app itself is very large and you need to reclaim the space, but you might want to reinstall it at another time and keep using the existing data.
• One exception is the Photos app. iOS won't let you uninstall it, but you can tap "Enable" to let the app save smaller photos, potentially saving you a lot of space.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• Can iPads get viruses? Here's what you need to know

• How to clear the cache on your iPhone and make it run faster

• How to clear the cache on your Mac computer to make it run more efficiently

• How to restore your iPad from a backup after resetting it

SEE ALSO: The best tablets you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tried Louis Vuitton's wireless earbuds to find out if they're worth the $995

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

We rounded up the eight best sales and deals happening today to save you time, with savings at Casper Mattress, Ralph Lauren, and Best Buy. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out Business Insider Coupons.

1. Save 25% on Casper Sleep Essential mattresses on Amazon

Casper is one of our favorite mattress startups — and for good reason. Its mattresses provide comfort, support, and breathability for a cool night's sleep. While the brand has three mattresses for different budgets, its most inexpensive one, The Essential mattress, is even cheaper today. Right now, you can 25% on Casper Essential mattresses in sizes twin through California king by shopping on Amazon. Originally priced $600, you can buy a queen size for $450.

Shop Casper Sleep Essential Mattresses on Amazon now. 

2. Save an extra 30% on select styles at Ralph Lauren 

Ralph Lauren is arguably the most popular clothing brand for timeless apparel designs — and right now is a good time to save on pieces for the entire family. For a limited time, you can save an extra 30% on select styles by using the promo code "FAMILY" at checkout. Whether you're shopping for Easter outfits, business casual clothes for the office, or casual clothes for the weekend, you'll find some great designs on sale here. In addition to apparel and accessories, you'll also find deals on home goods and decor. For more deals and savings at Ralph Lauren, visit Business Insider Coupons here. 

Shop the Ralph Lauren sale now. 

3. Save $235 on an ECOVACS DEEBOT 901 Robotic Vacuum on Amazon

Building off the technologically-advanced DEEBOT 900, the newer 901 model features a three-stage cleaning system, anti-collision sensors, a smart navigation and mapping system, and compatibility with Alexa and Google Home. As of the smartest robot vacuums you can buy, the DEEBOT 901 will laser scan your floorplan to create optimized cleaning paths. You can control which areas of your space get cleaned by selecting rooms or by creating virtual boundaries. Originally priced at $500, you can save $235 on it as an Amazon Deal of the Day.

ECOVACS DEEBOT 901 Robotic Vacuum, $264.99 (Originally $499.98) [You save $234.99]

4. Save 20% or more or AmazonBasics computer and wireless accessories

There are certain accessories that every computer or smartphone owner absolutely needs. While stocking up on them can be very expensive, AmazonBasics is a great place to look for cost-friendly alternatives — and they're on sale today. Right now, you can save 20% or more on accessories like computer bags, mice, USB-C cables, Lightning cables, HDMI cables, USB hubs, and much more. 

Shop on-sale AmazonBasics accessories on Amazon now. 

5. Save up to 40% on clearance and open-box items at Best Buy

If you're set on staying away from used tech items, but you're still looking to save some money, Best Buy's open-box selection is a great option. Right now, you can save up to 40% on many items including computer, laptops, tablets, and more. The selection usually includes brand new items that were previously purchased, opened, and then returned. Items typically come with all the original packaging and a warranty. To potentially save more at Best Buy, visit Business Insider Coupons to find the most up-to-date coupons and promo codes.

Shop the Best Buy sale now. 

6. Save 50% on sale styles and 40% on everything else at J.Crew

J.Crew is a consistently dependable place to shop for eye-catching styles at hard-to-beat prices. If you're looking for any type of apparel, from casual spring styles to semi-formal business attire, now is a great time to buy. Today only, you can save 50% save on sale styles and 40% on everything else by using the promo code "SALEUPGRADE" at checkout.  Save even more while shopping at J.Crew by visiting Business Insider Coupons.

Shop the J.Crew sale now. 

7. Save 25% on all orders at MLB Shop

The MLB season is just getting started, so there's still time to stock up on gear from your favorite teams and players. Today only, you can save 25% on all orders by using the promo code "FASTBALL" at checkout. With everything from hats and jerseys to fleeces and hoodies, there are plenty of ways to show some team spirit.

Shop the MLB Shop now. 

8. Save up to $200 on Helix Sleep Mattresses

While most mattress companies try their best to make mattresses that are comfortable for most people, Helix gets rid of the guesswork by designing mattress specific to you. The brand uses a comfort and sleep quiz to accurately deliver on your preferences. Until April 15, you can save $75 on any mattress by using the promo code "TOPRATED75" and $200 on any Luxe mattress by using the promo code "TOPRATED200" at checkout. To learn more about the customization process, check out my review.

Shop the Helix Sleep sale now. 

Join the conversation about this story »

• The State Department this week announced a new risk indicator for its public travel advisories.
• The new indicator, signaling a risk of kidnapping, has been added to the notices for 35 countries.
• Mexico, Haiti, and the Philippines are on the list.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

The US State Department announced this week it was adding a "K" indicator to its public travel advisories to let American travelers know where they could be at risk of getting kidnapped or taken hostage.

"The new 'K' indicator is part of our ongoing commitment to provide clear and comprehensive travel safety information to US citizens so they can make informed travel decisions," the department said.

The agency has four levels of travel that it uses to let Americans know what to expect in each country:

1. Exercise normal precautions
2. Exercise increased caution
3. Reconsider travel
4. Do not travel

Currently, 14 countries are designated "do not travel", nearly all because of ongoing armed conflicts.

Read more: 3 big reasons it's so hard to tell just how violent the world's most violent cities are

The new "K" indicator comes days after the kidnapping of US tourist Kimberly Sue Endicott and her guide, Jean Paul, in Uganda by captors who demanded a $500,000 ransom. The pair was rescued by Ugandan security forces last weekend.

Endicott and Jean Paul were abducted near Uganda's border with Congo. Since then, the State Department has added the "K" indicator to the travel advisories for those two countries and 33 others, all of which we've rounded up here.

SEE ALSO: These were the 50 most violent cities in the world in 2018

Here's a map of the 35 countries on the list:

While some countries on this list are classified level one or two overall, many have areas within them where there is a higher chance of risks like kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and terrorism.

Afghanistan — Level 4: Do not travel

The State Department warns of crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.

Algeria — Level 2: Exercise increased caution

The State Department warns of terrorism and kidnapping in the Sahara Desert.

• Cancer is a result of DNA damage in the body, and it can be prompted by uncontrollable genetic factors.
• But there are some things we can do to reduce the risk of developing cancer.
• There is a lot of compelling evidence that drinking alcohol can cause cancer. The same goes for sugary drinks.
• Slurping piping-hot beverages is also a bad thing to do to your esophagus and could increase some people's cancer risk a bit. Cancer claims about coffee are more suspect. 

It's easy to feel like no matter what we do or where we go, cancer is all around us. In the US, nearly one in 20 people has had canceror has it now, according to the American Cancer Society. 

Some cancers are unavoidable and determined by genetics. But the truth is there are some behaviors we can control that influence our cancer risk. Breathing dirty air (whether from cigarette smoke or air pollution), eating (or not eating) certain foods, and being around certain products and chemicals every day can each contribute to how, when, and if people get cancer.  

Even your choices about what you drink every day can have some influence on your cancer risk.

Here are some of the drinks that science suggests are leading to more cancer cases, and even deaths. 

SEE ALSO: There's even more evidence that drinking lots of soda and sugar-filled coffee could lead to an early death

We have a lot of evidence that drinking alcohol contributes to more cancer cases.

Call it liquor, alcohol, or booze, but this substance's scientific name is ethyl alcohol. It's a chemical typically made from fermenting sugars (such as those from grapes) or starches (such as potatoes or rice) with yeast. 

Part of the reason alcohol is dangerous is that it irritates tissues, making it easier for carcinogens (cancer-causing compounds) to sneak in and cause DNA damage in the body.

Scientists have shown time and time again that drinking alcohol can contribute to several different kinds of cancer in humans. The dose is important, too — the more you drink, the greater your risk of developing different kinds of cancers, including head, neck, throat, liver, breast, and colon. 

A worldwide study of drinkers in 195 countries published in 2018 found that no matter where people live, heavier drinkers are more likely to develop cancer, and they're also more likely to die from cancer and many other causes.

Plenty of people live to a ripe old age while drinking alcohol regularly. But that doesn't mean the behavior is risk-free.

In England, 92-year-old Queen Elizabeth II reportedly enjoys wine with her lunch and sips champagne before bed on a regular basis. Across the Atlantic in Pennsylvania, 101-year-old Andrew Slavonic says downing a can of Coors Light every afternoon has been his golden ticket to living past 100. 

There is some evidence that a moderate amount of booze (say, one drink per day) can help protect against some health conditions, notably heart disease and diabetes. But there are underlying genetic differences that make some people more likely to develop deadly diseases.  

In France, where people drink an average of 2.7 glasses of alcohol a day, alcohol kills roughly 49,000 people every year. Health officials in the wine-loving country are now encouraging French people to drink less.

Alcohol is alcohol, and it's not great for our bodies in big doses, whether it's a big glass of Côtes du Rhône, a snifter filled with cognac, or a couple bottles of Corona.

Sugar-filled drinks can also be dangerous. Sugar is linked to more cancer cases, and there's even some evidence it can help tumors grow faster and more aggressively.

A recent 34-year study of more than 118,000 men and women across the USsuggested that people who drink more sugar-sweetened beverages are more likely to die from all sorts of things, including breast and colon cancers. 

• Amazon is delivering packages out of "carnival" tents in cities across the US as it races to catch up with UPS, FedEx, and USPS. 
• The tent stations started popping up last year after Amazon announced a massive campaign to grow its last-mile logistics network by recruiting more delivery service partners, or DSPs, to hire and manage teams of drivers. 
• The structures take only a couple of weeks to build, allowing Amazon to launch rapidly in areas where it wants to expand its delivery network.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Amazon is operating out of giant tents in cities across the US as it races to expand its delivery network to supplement and compete with UPS, FedEx, and USPS.

The tech company has pitched tents in at least eight states including Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Colorado, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Idaho.

The structures serve as delivery stations, which is Amazon's term for the facilities that house packages until the last leg of their journey to customers' homes and businesses.

Amazon employees sort packages inside the tents, before delivery drivers load them into their vehicles and transport them to their final destinations. 

Most of Amazon's more than 100 delivery stations in the US are housed in more traditional, permanent structures.

The tents, which Amazon calls modular delivery stations, started popping up last year after Amazon announced a massive campaign to grow its last-mile logistics network by recruiting more delivery service partners, or DSPs, to hire and manage teams of drivers. 

All of the tent stations are meant to be temporary solutions while Amazon secures or builds more permanent homes for its delivery operations, an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider.

A former senior Amazon employee said the sites, which are referred to internally as "carnivals," take only a matter of weeks to build and point to the dizzying pace at which Amazon expanding its reach. 

Tents help Amazon rapidly launch in new cities

The tent stations are huge, standing up to 35 feet tall and ranging between 9,000 square feet and 18,000 square feet, and employ up to 300 people.

They are made of fabric pulled over steel framework and they don't require water or sewer lines. Bathrooms can be housed in nearby trailers.

Similar structures have been used by other companies, as well. Tesla, for example, housed an assembly line for its Model 3 sedans under a giant tent outside its Fremont, California factory.

The tents' quick construction time enables Amazon to execute rapid launches in areas where it wants to expand its delivery network, but hasn't yet secured a permanent building to house operations.

The tents also have a number of other perks. They require little-to-no property taxes and little maintenance. They also help save on energy costs due to natural lighting that filters through the fabric, according to the website for ClearSpan Fabric Structures, the Connecticut company that has provided some of Amazon's delivery tents. 

Read more:Amazon drivers and managers describe harrowing deliveries inside trucks with 'bald tires,' broken mirrors, and faulty brakes

They aren't necessarily cheap to build, however.

The construction of one delivery tent in Memphis, Tennessee, was an estimated cost of $595,000, according to the Memphis Daily News.

While the tents provide Amazon a quick route for expansion, they can have some drawbacks. 

Inclement weather, for example, can pose some concerns. 

"If it's done in the right place with the right considerations, it can work," said the former senior Amazon employee, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity. "But imagine this: a carnival in South Carolina hurricane season. Imagine having a carnival in the Midwest during the winter."

Reach more:UBS is now sounding the alarm on Amazon taking on UPS and FedEx — and analysts say the logistics giants have 'limited' tools to fight back

Heating isn't very effective inside the structures, according to Jim Gilton, an Amazon Flex driver who works out of a tent facility in Colorado Springs. 

"There was very little heat over the winter," he said, noting that the station used space heaters to try and keep people warm.

An Amazon spokesperson said all Amazon buildings, including the tent stations, have safety protocols in place in the case of inclement weather conditions.

"We closely monitor temperature conditions in all buildings and are in continuous communication with associates to ensure they are comfortable in their work environment," the representative said. 

ClearSpan says on its website that its tents are "climate responsive." "They stay cool in the summer and warm in winter," the website says.

The company also notes that the metal framework is "exceptionally strong" and meets all wind and snow load regulations.

Amazon's shipping costs explode to nearly $28 billion

The tent stations appear to be effectively aiding Amazon in its quest to build a logistics network to both supplement and compete with shipping giants UPS, FedEx, and USPS. 

Amazon's shipping costs have exploded from $16.2 billion in 2016 to $27.7 billion in 2018.

To meet its delivery needs, Amazon relies on all three major carriers, as well as its own internal network of delivery service providers and Amazon Flex drivers. 

Amazon currently handles shipping for an estimated 26% of its online orders, according to Wolfe Research. And it's  looking to grow that share: amid an expansion of its air fleet and its push for more last-mile delivery partners, Amazon for the first time added "transportation and logistics providers" to its list of competitors in its most recent annual filing.

Other companies have used temporary structures during periods of rapid growth. Tesla, for example, housed an assembly line for its Model 3 sedans under a giant tent outside its Freemont, California factory. 

Read more:Amazon just quietly confirmed it is competing with UPS and FedEx

Marc Gorlin, the CEO of the crowdsourced delivery startup Roadie, said he's never heard of a company using tents to house packages.

But competition is fierce in the delivery industry, and just as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers like Home Depot and Walmart have started using their stores as distribution centers, Amazon is now looking for more physical outposts to get closer to customers.

"It's not surprising they are doing this," Gorlin said. "Demand is growing, and pitching a tent may be the quickest way to get a more efficient supply chain."

If you work for Amazon and have a story to share, email hpeterson@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: Amazon plants fake packages in delivery trucks as part of an undercover ploy to 'trap' drivers who are stealing

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Shaq is investing in 9 Papa John's locations — here's where 7 other celebrities have owned fast food chains

• You'll need to download movies and other videos onto your iPad to be able to play them if you're heading somewhere without an internet connection.  
• You can download TV shows and movies from the iTunes Store app. There is content that's both free and available for purchase there.
• If you subscribe to a streaming service like Netflix,Amazon Prime, or YouTube Premium, you can download video from there as well.
• Videos you store on cloud services like Dropbox or OneDrive can be downloaded to play offline, too.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

These days, streaming video from sites like Netflix,Hulu, and HBO— not to mention watching YouTube clips — has become the norm.

But you don't always have access to Wi-Fi, and there are times when you might need to download video to your iPad's internal storage for playback at another time.

Thankfully, there are several ways to get video onto your iPad.

How to download videos from the iTunes Store

1. Open the iTunes Store app.

2. Find the video (a movie or TV show) that you want to download. Note that there are tabs at the bottom of the screen to browse movies and TV shows, and you can use the search bar at the top right to look for something by name.

3. When you find the video you want to download, tap it and then tap the price. (If the item is free, instead of a price it will simply say "Get.") Also, note that for a TV series, you can buy the entire season or individual episodes.

4. iTunes may ask you to authorize the purchase by entering your password or using Face ID or Touch ID.  

5. After the purchase is complete, your iPad may display a dialog box asking if you want to download the video. If so, tap "Download."

6. If it doesn't automatically download, you can tap the cloud icon where the price used to be.

7. After the download is complete, tap "Purchased" at the bottom of the screen.

8. Find the video you downloaded (it might be helpful to show only Movies or TV Shows using the buttons at the top of the screen) and tap it to play.

How to download videos from a streaming service like Netflix

Some streaming services — including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video — let you download video in addition to streaming it. Unfortunately, not all services allow you to download video, so this might not work with services like Hulu and HBO. You can download YouTube videos to your iPad if you subscribe to YouTube Premium.

1. Open your streaming video app, like Netflix.

2. Find the video that you want to download and go to the Details page, where you can see a list of all the episodes in the season or additional information about the movie.

3. Tap the Download button, which is shaped like a downward-pointing arrow.

After downloading the video, you can play it by returning to the video's details page and tap to play it the same way as you ordinarily would.

How to download videos from a cloud service like Dropbox

If you're storing videos on a cloud service like Dropbox or OneDrive, you can download a copy to your iPad from there as well, which allows you to play the video without an internet connection.

1. Open a cloud storage app, like Dropbox.

2. Find the video that you want to download to your iPad and tap the three dots under its thumbnail.

3. Tap "Make Available Offline." (You can also find this command by tapping the three dots at the top right over the selected video.)

After the video downloads to your iPad, you can return here to play the video without needing an internet connection.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to factory reset your iPad

• How to backup your iPad to iCloud or a computer

• Can iPads get viruses? Here's what you need to know

• How to restart and force-restart any iPad model

SEE ALSO: The best tablets you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tried the Samsung Galaxy S10 to find out if it's worth the $1,000

• Over the last year, I have traveled the world for Business Insider, visiting more than 20 countries by way of more than 30 flights.
• In that time, I've flown economy with dozens of different airlines, including major US airlines like United, flag carriers like Egypt Air and Air Astana, and budget airlines like Vueling, RyanAir, and Scoot.
• After a year of flying, I've found that my least favorite airline has been WizzAir. Though I got a cheap $89 ticket, I ended up spending over $125 in fees. Check-in and customer service were both frustrating experiences.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

My least favorite of the bunch, without a doubt, was WizzAir. It's a low-cost budget airline in the vein of RyanAir or Spirit Airlines.

Traveling on a budget last summer, I booked an $89 ticket from Sofia, Bulgaria to Lisbon, Portugal. That was, by far, the cheapest airfare price for the timeframe I was looking to travel.

Read more: I've taken more than 30 flights over the past year as I've traveled the world, and one airline has the best entertainment system, the friendliest staff, and the best service

When it comes to airlines like WizzAir, I find that I — and, in all likelihood, many of my fellow passengers — tend to know what I'm getting myself into. On some level, I expect to be nickel-and-dimed.

But WizzAir takes it a step further. It has more than half a dozen hidden fees, some of which are impossible to avoid. There's the seat selection fee (up to $56, depending on the seat); its call center fee ($68 just to call customer service); its priority boarding fee ($5-$28 to board first and guarantee your carry-on luggage a spot); and its "Fare Lock" fee ($3.40 to "lock in" the airfare price you see online). Then there's a checked bag fee (unfortunately standard for many airlines these days) that cost me $63 for a 23-kilogram bag.

There's also no avoiding the "administration fee" of $18.50.

I made a rookie mistake flying WizzAir: attempting to check-in at the airport. WizzAir hit me with a $34 fee to print my boarding pass. 

In my mind, this was the most egregious of fees. I understand that many budget airlines do this to cut down on the number of employees they have to have at the airport to check in passengers. In some ways, it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is charging the fee to a passenger who has already paid for a checked bag and, thus, has to go to the check-in counter regardless.

On top of that, after waiting in a 30-minute line to get to the check-in counter, customer service reps had me pay the boarding pass fee at another counter, which required waiting on another line. Then I had to return to the check-in line. I nearly missed my flight.

Even if you do remember to check-in online, if the WizzAir app malfunctions, as happened to a luxury travel blogger at Jet-Settera, along with six other passengers on her flight, you will be forced to pay the fee.

When I was on the flight two hours later, I was unsurprised to find that snacks and meals cost extra — but WizzAir wouldn't even provide a cup of water for free. I bought a $3 bottle of water.

By the end of the flight, I had spent $126.50 on fees and extras for an $89 flight. It wasn't so cheap after all.

Having gone through that experience, I would rather have booked a flight on a mainstream airline for $250 or even $300 to avoid the aggravating experience of flying through WizzAir. 

As I wrote back in August when I took the flight, those extra fees that WizzAir racked up are the entire point of their business model.

"Ancillary revenue" — how budget airlines refer to all the charges on top of the base fare — made up 39% of WizzAir's revenue in 2016. For Ryanair and Jet2.com, it was 27% and 26% respectively, according to IdeaWorksCompany.

On the bright side, the flight was safe and I got there on time.

Business Insider reached out to WizzAir for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.

SEE ALSO: I've taken more than 30 flights over the past year as I've traveled the world, and one airline has the best entertainment system, the friendliest staff, and the best service

DON'T MISS: I flew 13 hours nonstop on the world's biggest passenger plane, the $446 million Airbus superjumbo jet, and it's about as good as economy can get

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A mathematician gave us the easiest explanation of pi and why it's so important

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider, Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• If you didn't feel like hopping on a train, plane, or car to a new, unexplored destination before now, you will after reading one of these 18 travel books. 
• Their eye-catching photographs, romantic descriptions, and useful travel tips will inspire you to pack your bags and book a ticket ASAP. 
• The books cover domestic and international adventures alike, advising you on the can't-miss things to do and eat. 

Surrounded by beautiful Instagram feeds, bite-sized travel clips, and deep-dive shows focusing on one country or even one city, we're reminded again and again that there's a world outside our immediate purview. 

Before the TV and internet, books were a prime way to learn about the unexplored places a walk, drive, or plane ride away from us. Even though their use and popularity has been usurped by that of online travel guides, we still think books are a useful, tactile, and romantic way to gather travel inspiration. 

More than a simple coffee table decoration to flip through carelessly, travel books offer both aesthetic and functional appeal. Alongside full-page photographic spreads, you'll learn more about the histories, stories, things to do, and dishes to eat in different destinations around the world. 

These 18 travel books are full of so many interesting, exciting, and unique ideas that you'll feel like you have no choice but to transform from armchair traveler to real-life traveler. If you need help or inspiration to figure out where to travel next, read one of the books below. 

Captions are provided by Amazon and edited for grammar and length.

For the outdoor explorer: '100 Parks, 5,000 Ideas: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do' by Joe Yogerst

Buy it here >>

National Geographic turns to the United States' and Canada's most pristine and adventure-filled national, state, and city parks with 5,000 ideas for the ultimate vacation. Showcasing the best experiences, both obvious and unexpected, each entry in this robust guide provides an overview of the park, detailed travel advice, fascinating facts, insider knowledge about wildlife, and expert tips for hiking, biking, camping, and exploring. 

For the international foodie: 'Lonely Planet's Ultimate Eats' by Lonely Planet Food

Buy it here >>

The world's top 500 food experiences — ranked. We asked the planet's top chefs, food writers and our food-obsessed authors to name their favorite, most authentic gastronomic encounters. The result is a journey to Mozambique for piri-piri chicken, Japan for bullet train bento boxes, San Sebastian pintxos bars, and a further 497 of the most exciting eateries anywhere on Earth.

"Ultimate Eats" is the follow-up to the best-selling "Ultimate Travel" and is a must-own bucket list for foodies and those who love to travel. You'll discover the planet’s most thrilling and famous culinary experiences, the culture behind each one, what makes them so special, and why the experience is so much more than what’s in the plate, bowl or glass in front of you.

For the young traveler thinking about going solo: 'The Solo Travel Handbook' by Lonely Planet

Buy it here >>

Don't let the idea of travelling alone stop you from living out your dreams. Packed with tips and advice for before and during your travels, "The Solo Travel Handbook" gives you the confidence and know-how to explore the world on your own, whether you're planning a once-in-a-lifetime adventure or short city break.

Developed with Lonely Planet's expert travel writers, it explains how and why individual travel is such a valuable and rewarding experience. It also ranks the best destinations for road-tripping, food, nightlife, culture, island escapes and more, as well as how to fund your travels while you're away.

• Millennials and baby boomers generally face different financial circumstances.
• INSIDER and Morning Consult recently teamed up to survey 4,400 Americans, and found that millennials are more affected by a higher cost of living and student loan debt.
• While millennials are trailing behind baby boomers financially, they're trying hard to catch up.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Millennials face different financial problems than their parents did — like a higher cost of living and heavier student loan debt. But they also have different preferences when it comes spending — like paying for experiences or "treating themselves."

INSIDER and Morning Consult recently teamed up to survey 4,400 Americans, and found evidence of all of the above. Of the respondents, 1,207 of them identified as millennials— defined by the survey as people ages 22 to 37 — and 1,472 identified as baby boomers — defined by the survey as people ages 54 to 77 (237 respondents did not select a generation).

As the results show, while the Great Recession affected all generations, it delayed millennials' ability to start building wealth. But they're trying hard to catch up, and they're overall more positive than baby boomers about where they are financially compared to where they expected to be 10 years ago.

Below, we've highlighted some of the most enlightening results from the survey that shed a bit of light on the financial behaviors of both generations. All findings from the survey are based on survey respondents who answered the question.

SEE ALSO: Nearly half of indebted millennials say college wasn't worth it, and the reason why is obvious

DON'T MISS: More than one-third of millennials earning at least $100,000 a year consider themselves middle class

Homeownership looks different for millennials — nearly one-third own a home, compared to nearly three-fourths of baby boomers. Nearly half of millennials are renting, compared to less than a quarter of boomers.

While baby boomers have had more time to build wealth and buy a home, this result is indicative of the fact that millennials are spending more time renting and waiting longer than ever to buy homes— a move that's killing the starter home.

Homes are 39% more expensive than they were nearly 40 years ago, according to Student Loan Hero. A report by SmartAsset found that in some cities, the median-priced home outweighed the median income by so much that it could take nearly a decade for someone with median income to save for a 20% down payment on a median-priced home.

How much would a home cost you? Find out with these offers from our partners:

Millennials pay more a month for housing — more millennials than boomers spend over $1,000 monthly. More than half of boomers spend less than $1,000, compared to a little less than half of millennials.

Since more millennials are renting and doing so for a longer time, they're faced with climbing rents. Rents increased by 46% from the 1960s to 2000 when adjusted for inflation, according to Student Loan Hero. The current median US rent, according to Zillow, is $1,650.

Slightly more than three-fourths of millennials own a car, whereas 88% of boomers do.

Cars aren't always necessary where millennials prefer to live.

"Unlike baby boomers and their parents, who migrated to the suburbs en masse, millennials find happiness in cities," wrote Stephanie Taylor for Business Insider, citing a Regional Studies report.

Millennials who do need a car may be deterred from buying thanks to higher prices. From November 2006 to November 2016, prices for new cars increased by 5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Once your iPhone battery is low, you're obviously in danger of losing access to all its features — including email, phone calls, texts, GPS, and even your ride home if you were using Lyft or Uber.
• Things that can drain your battery without you noticing include apps running in the background and your phone searching for a WiFi signal.
• Making a few fundamental changes in the way you use your iPhone can save battery daily, while quick fixes can add a few minutes to your battery’s lifespan.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

At best, a dead iPhone battery is an annoyance, leaving you without anything to watch or read during a train ride or ending a text conversation too abruptly. In the worst case scenario, a drained battery can leave you stranded, unable to call for a ride, or even in danger with no way to call for help.

A newer iPhone's battery should last as long as 24 hours with moderate usage during the day, but streaming video, making calls, listening to music, and other active use cause much faster battery drain. However it's often the background activity that you're not even aware that's to blame for that dead battery at day's end.

Your phone might be on the hunt for a WiFi signal, updating an app, or trawling for news stories, all of which and more can drain battery life without providing you any real benefit.

Here are five ways to save iPhone battery life.

Check which apps are using the most battery

You can periodically check which apps drain the most power by going to the Battery tab under Settings. The percent of power each app uses is displayed and can help you assess which are the main culprits. Consider closing out of apps that are draining the most battery rather than leaving them open, or use them less often.

Turn down your screen brightness

Unless you're using your phone outside on a sunny day, there's no reason for the screen to be at full brightness. Swipe up from the very bottom of the screen to bring up the Control Center, and from there lower screen brightness to the lowest point at which you can still see whatever activity you're doing on the phone.

Turn off WiFi or cell service as appropriate

If you're out and about, turn off your phone's WiFi service so it won't constantly search for a signal. And if you're at home, at work, or elsewhere where you can make calls via WiFi, turn off the cell service so it won't trawl for a connection. And if need be, go into Airplane Mode (from the Control Center or Settings) and shut down both to save even more power.

Turn off Location Services for apps

Go into your Settings, then scroll until you find the Privacy tab. Tap it, then hit Location Services. From there, you can customize which apps use location-based tracking; the more you limit (or set to “Never” entirely), the less power those apps will drain when in use.

Use Low Power Mode

Once your phone advises you to switch into Low Power Mode, you'd better do it, or you'll be at near 1% battery in less than half an hour. But if you're not actively using your phone, or else you're doing something rather passive, like reading or writing a long email, you can proactively switch into Low Power Mode (from the Battery tab in Settings) to save power by limiting background activity and mail fetching.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to check your data usage on an iPhone, and manage each app's data

• How to stop your iPhone from tracking your location, and manage each app's location-tracking

• 'Why won't my iPhone charge?': How to diagnose and fix common iPhone charging problems

• How you can easily delete all the photos on your iPhone at once

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling console of the current generation — here's why Nintendo is dominating video games

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Nowadays, there's a subscription box or service to help us do anything and everything more conveniently.
• Subscriptions offer practicality and convenience, and some are just straight up fun. This variety is what makes them such great gifts.
• We rounded up a list of 13 subscription services that make great gifts for recent grads, from services that'll help them hone in on their style, think up big ideas, and taste coffee beans from around the world. 

From meal kits that help you make delicious dinners with ease or services that let you watch your favorite shows wherever you are, subscription services are popping up everywhere. 

With so many subscription boxes and services out there, there's something to fit all tastes, budgets, and lifestyles. The personalization and immersive experience of subscriptions is what makes them such great gifts. If you're shopping for a gift for a recent grad, consider getting them a subscription service. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

Choose something they really need to help their transition to the real world, or treat them to a fun splurge they're unlikely to buy to for themselves. Whatever you chose, we're sure your recent grad will love any of the ideas below.

Keep reading for 13 subscription boxes and services that make great gifts for recent grads.

Blue Apron

Give them a Blue Apron gift card to put towards home-cooked meals, from $60

Best for: The dining-hall frequenter turned aspiring home cook.

They'll get: a gift card to put towards Blue Apron's meal kit deliveries. How many boxes they'll get depends on the amount of your gift card. After perusing the site, they can choose the meals they'd like to get delivered. The kits come full of fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes for all kinds of simple, but creative meals like Chicago-inspired Italian beef sandwiches and miso ramen with soft-boiled eggs. 

It costs: $47.95 a week (for two-person meal plan with two recipes).

Read our full review of Blue Apron here.

Daily Harvest

Give them access to quick, healthy meals with a Daily Harvest gift card, from $25

Best for: The busy grad who still wants to stay healthy.

They'll get: a box filled with pre-portioned cups of healthy meals like smoothies, soups, chia pudding, and oat bowls, delivered to their door each week or once a month. Daily Harvest cups are almost ready to go — all they have to do is heat, blend, or soak. Then, when their meal is ready, they can pour right back into the original cup for portable snacking. Daily Harvest's cups are filled with unique, nutritious ingredients they may not be likely to buy on their own, like dragon fruit, lychee, and Blue Majik, so they can eat healthily while expanding their palate. 

It costs: Weekly plans start at $69.75.

Read our full review of Daily Harvest here.

ButcherBox

Send them high-quality meats each month with a ButcherBox subscription, from $129 a month

Best for: The recent grad with carnivorous cravings. 

They'll get: a curated box filled with a month's worth of high-quality meats delivered right to their door. ButcherBox's cuts are humanely raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free, and boast an all-around quality they can taste. Choose one of ButcherBox's boxes that's curated with a new selection of meats each month, or opt to customize a box for them. Since it's a monthly service, you can choose to keep sending them boxes for as long, or short, as you'd like.

It costs: $129 a month for curated boxes, $149 a month for custom boxes.

Check out full review of ButcherBox here.

• Hudson Yards, NYC's new $25 billion neighborhood, was financed with at least $1 billion through EB-5, an investor visa program intended to combat urban poverty, according to a new report from CityLab.
• As of March 15, the public can now visit the Vessel, a 150-foot tall, climbable sculpture in the center of Hudson Yards that cost $200 million to build.
• The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards, a luxury shopping center with stores like Louis Vuitton and Dior, are now open as well.
• I got to spend the day at Hudson Yards for its grand opening. Here's what it looks like, from the $200 million climbable sculpture to the 7-story luxury shopping center.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Hudson Yards officially opened on March 15.

At $25 billion, it's the most expensive real-estate development in US history — but reporting from CityLab shows that it got more than $1.2 billion in financing from EB-5, an investor visa program intended to combat urban poverty.

"This program enables immigrants to secure visas in exchange for real estate investments," wrote Kriston Capps for CityLab.

"EB-5 is supposed to be a way to jumpstart investment in remote rural areas, or distressed urban ones," Capps continued. Because the Hudson Yards area does not qualify as a distressed urban area, he continued, The Related Companies — the developer behind Hudson Yards — managed to link the boundaries of Hudson Yards to Harlem, where the employment rate is, in parts, low enough to qualify as a distressed urban area.

"By utilizing the EB-5 program we were able to finance the critical infrastructure for the project, the platform, where traditional financing is all but non-existent in the post-recession, post Dodd-Frank marketplace," a spokesperson for Hudson Yards told Business Insider.

"This capital, which comes at no cost to the American taxpayers, was the catalyst for the Hudson Yards project and allowed us to immediately create thousands of jobs all over the city," the spokesperson continued.

The spokesperson claimed that Hudson Yards would provide "direct benefits to areas of high unemployment" despite being some 70 city blocks and nearly 5 miles from the southern end of Harlem, where the actual high unemployment exists.

The public can now visit the brand-new neighborhood on Manhattan's West Side, which includes luxurious residential towers, a luxury shopping center with stores like Louis Vuitton and Dior, and a $200 million, 150-foot tall climbable sculpture called the Vessel.

I went to the grand opening ceremony at Hudson Yards and spent the day there. Here's what it looks like.

SEE ALSO: The billionaire behind Hudson Yards, the most expensive real-estate development in US history, says it's 'not a neighborhood for the rich'

SEE ALSO: I got a tour of a $14 million penthouse in NYC's new $25 billion Hudson Yards neighborhood and found that it was perfectly designed to show off its best asset

Hudson Yards, New York City's $25 billion neighborhood, is officially open to the public. On March 15, I attended the grand opening ceremony in the central plaza.

To get there, you take the 7 train to the Hudson Yards stop, a new station that opened in 2015.

Source: Curbed

If you turn your back on the glossy new skyscrapers as you walk down the West Side Highway to Hudson Yards, you can see the remaining visible rail yards just across the street.

• Around 30 truck drivers staged a protest in Chicago on Friday, NBC Chicago reports. 
• The protest was documented on the Facebook page "Black Smoke Matters," which featured live videos streamed by participating drivers.
• Other posts on the page indicate that some drivers were protesting by declining to drive their trucks.
• Multiple posts on the page suggested turnout in some places was lower than expected.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Around 30 truck drivers staged a protest in Chicago on Friday, NBC Chicago reports. The truck drivers reportedly drove from Monee, Illinois, to Chicago and planned to end the protest at Chicago's Trump Tower.

The protest was documented on the Facebook page "Black Smoke Matters," which featured live videos streamed by participating truck drivers. Videos posted on the page appear to show drivers staging similar protests in New York and Texas. 

Other posts on the page indicate that some drivers were protesting by declining to drive their trucks.

The group's goal is for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to take truckers' side of things into account when considering new policies. At the top of the list is the electronic-logging-device (ELD) mandate, which came into effect in December 2017. The mandate requires truckers to keep an electronic log in their cabins to ensure they don't work for more than 14 hours a day or drive more than 11, in accordance with the hours-of-service law. Many truckers have told Business Insider that the federal mandate cut down on their wages, freedom, and safety.

Some experts were skeptical

Friday's protest raised skepticism from experts who said in January that it was unlikely to succeed. 

"I would be shocked if anything was successful," Michael Belzer, an associate professor of economics at Wayne State University who has studied trucking for decades, told Business Insider. "I'm afraid organizing on Facebook is a little unrealistic."

Read more:The federal government just confirmed what America's 1.8 million truck drivers have been saying for years: The truck-driver shortage doesn't really exist

A February protest in Indiana drew 78 truck drivers, well below the 400 to 500 the Indiana State Police expected to participate. Multiple posts on the Black Smoke Matters Facebook page suggested turnout on Friday was lower in some places than expected.

"I thought more drivers would participate," a driver from South Carolina said.

"Numbers are still low," the narrator of a video filmed in Chicago said. "We expected a lot more."

"Very few trucks were pulling out of the Petro this morning in San Antonio," a driver from Texas said in a video.

Additional protests appear to be planned over the next month.

Steve Viscelli, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said social-media-organized trucker strikes have been common since the late 2000s. They've largely failed, but that's not to say that the technology-based organizing tactic is doomed forever.

If Black Smoke Matters succeeds, it wouldn't be the first time naysayers were proved wrong. Between 1973 and 1974, independent truck drivers organized over CB radio to shut down trucking across the US for multiple days in protest of skyrocketing oil prices. Truckers won their demands after the shutdown, and the strike gave rise to the influential Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association.

"It takes time for new kinds of worker strategies to get traction," Viscelli told Business Insider. "And maybe there is potential for drivers to do the kinds of things unions used to do — like get them decent pay and working conditions and a say in what happens in terms of policy — through technology."

Some question the group's tactics

The name is "a play off" the Black Lives Matter social movement launched in response to police killings of black Americans, Black Smoke Matters president Mike Robbins previously told Business Insider.

Read more: Thousands of truck drivers are organizing a strike in a Facebook group called 'Black Smoke Matters' — here's the origin of the provocative name

Further, Belzer said their messaging addresses nitty-gritty details that the public might not understand about trucking — like the ELD mandate, hours-of-service laws, and rest-stop parking. The ELD mandate was one of the driving forces for organizing the strike, as many truckers said the electronic log forces them to speed against the clock.

"I'm hoping they will change laws around the ELDs," Franklin said. "I'm hoping they could do away with them."

One of the many consternations ELDs have brought to truckers such as Franklin is limiting parking at truck stops. Because most truckers are now working around the same time every day, they're also populating parking spots at the same time. So, many truckers aren't able to find a place to park their truck and sleep at night.

"Parking is one of my worst enemies," Franklin said. "I worry every day about where I'm going to park."

But ELDs might sound reasonable on paper to the general population because they ensure truck drivers don't drive more than 11 hours a day in a 14-hour block.

"The public won't support them on such a question," Belzer said. "To the extent that public is at all aware of the ELD, they're going to think, 'Why not have an ELD? It sounds great.'"

Viscelli said it's altogether unwise for Black Smoke Matters to focus on the problems stemming from ELDs and other government mandates.

"ELDs aren't the problem," Viscelli said. "They are a symptom of the bigger problems of driver mistreatment and lack of power."

Read more: Truck drivers wait an average of 2.5 hours at warehouses without getting paid — here are the 20 cities where truckers wait the longest

Another obstacle for internet-organized strikes is the size of the trucking community. There are nearly 2 million truck drivers in the US, and they are spread across the country, spending most of their days alone.

"This isn't Tahrir Square," Belzer said.

Above all, Belzer said Black Smoke Matters will likely fail because organized labor movements have been systemically and legally suppressed across the private sector.

"It's going to be very difficult [to strike] without recognition that workers have a right to organize," Belzer said.

But Robbins said Black Smoke Matters' tactics and response rate have been promising. With an executive board of 11 nationwide, they've put up Black Smoke Matters flyers at truck stops around the country. And the group has encouraged truckers to strike for as little as a day or as long as a week — meaning they might not necessarily lose wages. That could involve blocking the freeways or just spending time at home.

"We're known as a rough and rowdy group, but what the public doesn't realize is that behind the scenes Black Smoke Matters is very organized," Robbins said.

The value of unionizing

As the typical joke in trucking goes, you can't get two truck drivers to agree on the price of a free cup of coffee.

When examining trucker-resistance movements that have arisen over the past decade, a patchwork of groups, such as the United States Transportation Alliance (USTA) and Operation Black and Blue, appear.

Those "diffused" groups lack the power that a single, cohesive group can have, Belzer said.

Labor unions used to merge the interests of disparate interests, not just for truck drivers, but employees nationwide. Across private-sector industries nationwide, labor-union membership has fallen from one in three during the post-War World II era to one in 10 today, according to Jake Rosenfeld of Washington University in St. Louis.

A few decades ago, most truckers were unionized. In 1974, Belzer said there were 2,019,300 truckers in Teamsters. Now, there are 75,000. Owner-operators, who total 350,000 nationwide and average 26 years in the trucking industry, are outright banned from forming labor unions.

SEE ALSO: America's truck drivers have to ace this test before taking control of a 26,000-pound vehicle on the road — see if you can pass it

Join the conversation about this story »

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• The Roku Streaming Stick is a flash drive-sized and shaped device that plugs into your TV’s HDMI port and delivers streaming content via the internet.
• Through Roku, you can subscribe to any of thousands of streaming video channels, including ones that are free and subscription based.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

The Roku Streaming Stick is, like the name suggests, a streaming video device sold by Roku. Roku offers a number of streaming products, but the Streaming Stick is the smallest, most compact one that the company sells.

The Streaming Stick is notable due to its small size — it’s a device that’s about the size of a typical flash drive. But rather than connecting to a PC and containing some gigabytes of memory for portable storage, the Streaming Stick is a complete streaming device that plugs into the HDMI input of a television, effectively turning that TV into a Smart TV.

The Roku Streaming Stick adds thousands of streaming channels to your television — all of the usual mainstream channels like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO, YouTube, and others, but many less common channels as well. Many of these are channels you may be familiar with, like Crackle, Adult Swim, and Vevo. But with so many channels in the Roku library, there are hundreds you probably haven’t heard of which cater to very niche interests.

Note that while many channels are free, some — like Netflix and Hulu — require a subscription. Others, like streaming versions of certain TV channels, may require you to enter proof that you are a cable subscriber to get permission to watch that channel.

How to use a Roku Streaming Stick

The Roku Streaming Stick works almost exactly the same as other streaming devices in the Roku family, like the Roku Premiere and Roku Ultra; the main difference is that while those are boxes that sit somewhere in your home theater and connect to the TV via an HDMI cable, the Streaming Stick is entirely self-contained, and it plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port.

Like the other Roku models, though, it does come with a remote control and can be operated with that or via a Roku app for your Android or iPhone. The main difference between the Roku Streaming Stick and other models is the technology inside.

The Streaming Stick doesn’t include a headphone jack, for example, nor does it support 4K televisions, while most other Roku models do (the newer Roku Streaming Stick + has 4K TV support, but no headphone jack).

How to set up a Roku Streaming Stick

Setting up a Roku Streaming Stick is very straightforward. You need to insert the Roku Streaming Stick in an unused HDMI input on the back of your television. Then turn the TV on and set it to the correct HDMI input for the Streaming Stick.

You will need to insert batteries into the included remote control. Finally, using the remote, follow the on-screen instructions to connect your Streaming Stick to your Wi-Fi network, create a Roku account, and then add the channels you want to watch.

Once you have configured your Streaming Stick, you can watch TV by using the remote or the mobile app.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech: 

• The best Roku channels you can add to watch free movies

• How to watch local channels on your Roku device

• How to connect your Roku device to WiFi without a remote

• How to restart your Roku device when it's freezing or running slowly

SEE ALSO: The best streaming sticks and boxes you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch Apple debut its own no-fee credit card

• Your iPad shouldn't slow down in the same way an aging Windows PC slows down, but it might still suffer from sluggish behavior occasionally. There a handful of things you can test to get it running at full speed.
• The most likely culprit is a misbehaving app — you can close apps one at a time to see if that solves your problem.
• One thing you should not do is routinely close apps manually. This can actually be counterproductive, since the iPad's operating system is optimized to manage apps in the background for you.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

A common complaint among PC users is that their computer seems to slow down over time. And traditionally, there's a good explanation for that: Windows has a tendency to get bloated as new software continuously bogs down the Registry.

You might not expect an iPad to suffer the same sort of sluggishness, but in reality, a number of factors can slow down your iPad.

One thing not to do: Routinely close apps

There are people who believe that apps should routinely be closed; they regularly swipe to close every app running in the background throughout the day. To be perfectly clear: this will not speed up your iPad and may in fact slow it down. The iPad's operating system is designed to manage apps efficiently, putting unused apps in a low-power standby mode when not in use. If you close apps regularly, you are actually causing the iPad to take more time to switch apps and access data. Speeding up your iOS device via closing apps is a myth, and you should not do this.

Close a misbehaving app

That said, far and away, the most common cause of slow behavior on your iPad is a misbehaving app. If your iPad starts running slower than usual, try to sleuth out which app might be responsible.

Is there an app that you are using each time the iPad slows down? The app doesn't need to necessarily be the one you're using at the moment. Some apps continue to run in the background (particularly apps that stream content like Spotify and Pandora, and apps that need to track your location, like Google Maps).

To troubleshoot this issue, completely close any apps that might be slowing down your iPad. If that solves the problem, try running the app again. It might be an intermittent problem that closing the app solved. If so, great. If it immediately slows down again, see if there's an updated version of the app. If not, you might want to stop using it, or uninstall and reinstall the app. But to reiterate the previous point, only close apps if you suspect they are not working properly and slowing down your device. Don't make a habit of closing all apps.

Check your WiFi connection

With the deep interconnectedness of hardware, software, networks, and services, it can be hard to know exactly what's slowing down a computer, and in fact it might not be your iPad at all — your wireless network might be what's causing everything to feel like molasses.

You would be wise to suspect your internet connection. First, make sure that you have a solid WiFi signal (you should see three bars in the WiFi indicator at the top right of your screen). If it's weak, move closer to your WiFi router.

If it's still weak, reboot the router (turn it off, wait two minutes, and then turn it back on again). If that doesn't solve the problem, you might need to perform additional troubleshooting on the router. Check other devices like your laptop and iPhone to see if they also show a weak WiFi connection.

But if your WiFi signal is strong, try one other thing: Test the speed of your internet connection. On your iPad, google "Internet speed test" and use one of the resulting sites to see how your iPad performs. A popular speed test site is Speedtest.net. There's no single number you should be looking for, but consumer broadband speeds in the US usually offer at least 100 Mbps download speed and 10 Mbps upload — if you get a result that's significantly slower than that, check with your internet provider to see if that's expected or if you have an issue that needs to be addressed.

Clear your iPad's cache

If your iPad is slow primarily when you're using the web browser, you may need to clear your browser cache. The cache stores all sorts of temporary internet files, including bits of web pages (so they load faster the next time you visit the same site), login information, and cookies that track your behavior online. The intent of a browser cache is to speed up web browsing, but when the cache gets too bloated, it can have the opposite effect.

To speed up your web browsing or use of other apps, clear the cache from either – but be aware that you'll be automatically signed out of any websites you were using when you clear your browser cache, and you'll need to log in again.

Restart your iPad

If those options failed to resolve your problem, then you should restart your iPad. Restarting it — essentially, turning it off and then back on again — is usually not necessary, but if you have "gummed up" your iPad with misbehaving apps or some other unusual software glitch, rebooting the device can clear the memory and let you start fresh.

Free some space

If your iPad has only recently started slowing down, it might be because it's running out of storage space. You might have installed some apps or stored a lot of video recently that has tapped out your iPad's ability to run at full speed. You can check on your free space by opening the Settings app, tapping "General," and then "iPad Storage." The top of the screen shows how much free space you have available. If you are running low on space, you should consider deleting some data or large apps as described in the "Clear your app cache on an iPad" section in our article "How to clear the cache on your iPad and make it run faster."  

Restore your iPad to factory settings

If there's a software issue that you haven't been able to ferret out with the previous troubleshooting steps. If that's the case, you might want to try the "nuclear" option: restore your iPad to its factory settings. If you do this, it's a good idea not to restore the iPad from a backup, since it would simply restore the problem back to your iPad. Instead, rebuild your iPad by reinstalling the apps you need one at a time and configuring your settings manually.

If none of the above options work:

• You may have a problem with your iPad's hardware. The only real fix is to take it to an Apple Store for servicing, or to replace it. For example, if the iPad is old and the battery runs out quickly, the iPad's processor might be slowing down to help the battery last longer.
• Perhaps your iPad is not really running slower, and it just seems that way compared to the performance of a newer device you've been using. You might only be aware of how slow your iPad is because it's several years old and isn't as snappy as the newest model.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• Can iPads get viruses? Here's what you need to know

• How to clear the cache on your iPad and make it run faster

• How to clear the cache on your Mac computer to make it run more efficiently

• How to restore your iPad from a backup after resetting it

SEE ALSO: The best tablets you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling console of the current generation — here's why Nintendo is dominating video games

• Millennials love plants.
• While millennials have been said to be wiping out numerous industries, they're giving the plant industry life, reported Matthew Boyle for Bloomberg.
• The plant trend among millennials ties into their decision to delay parenthood and their affinity for wellness.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

If there's one thing millennials are keeping alive, it's plants.

"With many millennials delaying parenthood, plants have become the new pets, fulfilling a desire to connect to nature and the blossoming 'wellness' movement," wrote Matthew Boyle for Bloomberg. "For a group that embraces experiences and travel, moreover, plants give Gen-Yers something to care for that won't die — or soil the rug — when they're not around."

It's a trend that's popping up in the most millennial of ways — it's driven, Boyle notes, by social media (just check out the hashtag, #plantsofinstagram) and sold by start-ups. Consider The Sill, which is catering to plants' latest consumers by selling online and with slogans such as "Can't Kill It. Just Try.," according to Boyle. 

Houseplant sales in the US have nearly doubled over the past three years to $1.7 billion, Boyle reported, citing data from the National Gardening Association. 

Plants are certainly a lucrative industry. Millennials are paying as much as $200 for some varieties, like Variegated Monsteras, and Monstera deliciosa seeds cost twice what they used to, according to Boyle. But millennials aren't just dropping big on plants — they're cashing in on them, too, opening up their own small brick-and-mortar plant stores, he said.

Millennials' boosting of the plant industry stands in stark contrast to the many industries they've been wiping out, including food products — napkins, beer, cereal, and yogurt; services — banks and gyms; retail stores — casual dining chains, home-improvement stores, and department stores; and sports — football and golf, as reported by Business Insider's Kate Taylor.

And that's not to mention homeownership and the starter home, which millennials are also wiping out, largely because of a more expensive real-estate market

Plants are thriving among millennials because they also tie into another industry: wellness. Millennials have been dubbed the "wellness generation" by Sanford Health, thanks to their increased spending on all things health and wellness, ranging from gym memberships and weeklong retreats to spa treatments and organic foods.

But as Boyle pointed out, the booming plant business is also a product of millennials pushing off milestones until later in life.

A survey by The New York Times revealed that raising kids is more expensive than it's ever been before — finances are the main reason why people aren't having kids or are having fewer kids than they considered ideal, reported Business Insider's Shana Lebowitz. Plants, however costly, are still cheaper than kids.

SEE ALSO: Raising kids is so expensive in America that millennials are prioritizing their pets instead and dropping up to $400 on designer dog clothes

SEE ALSO: Millennials are pouring money into gym memberships and boutique fitness classes. A financial expert says spending on fitness is a good money decision for 2 key reasons.

Join the conversation about this story »

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