SIMPLE TRICKS

THINK OF APRIL AS A TIME TO THAW OUT AND WAKE UP AFTER THE BIG CHILL OF WINTER. IN MANY PLACES, IT’S QUITE LITERALLY A TIME OF REBIRTH AND RENEWAL AS BRIGHT GREEN LEAVES, AND WILDFLOWERS BLOOM

F ind a GIF of the infamous typing dots, and text it to different members of your family, who will be so curious about what you could be writing to them for such a long time.

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t the office, put tape under a coworker's computer mouse, and watch them try to figure out why it's not moving.

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ou'll hear plenty of screams after hiding rubber snakes in the dressers of your kids or spouse.

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ill a doughnut up with mayo and expect plenty of cringe-worthy reactions.

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tick a straw into a yellow mustard packet, put the packet in an unsuspecting pal's can of soda or sparkling water, and wait for hilarity to ensue.

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reeze a bowl of cereal and milk overnight, and your spouse will wonder why on earth he/she can't spoon it out for breakfast.

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lace a ‘Please honk and wave - April Fools' prank!’ sign on the back of your car to either confuse your spouse or roommate on the way to work or your children going to school!

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n a Windows computer, press the Ctrl, Alt, and downward arrow keys to flip the display screen upside down. You can turn it back by pushing Ctrl, Alt, and the upward arrow key together.

M ake a mashed potato and gravy sundae that looks just like ice cream and caramel sauce, but is definitely more dinner than dessert!

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ut the corner of a dollar bill outside of a book so that it's poking out, but attach that small sample to a larger note that says, ‘April Fools!’

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witch out the wrappers of small chocolate eggs and place them over grapes instead - a much healthier snack than anyone would expect.

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ake a statement on social media that's totally outrageous, yet kind of believable. Just be prepared to remind your followers about what day it is afterward!

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end unbelievable Wapp messages to your friends’ groups – that your leaving your job, moving out of town, getting married, etc – to shock them and induce them to call back or text you.

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ongratulate or greet people, saying it’s their birthday or anniversary. Let them get back to say you’re mistaken and have a good laugh.

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ie a bunch of balloons outside your neighbour’s front door or on the boot of their car and surprise them.

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on’t wait for more ideas… C’mon, create your own prank and execute it smoothly, there’s nothing like being original and customising it to suit your unsuspecting victim!

If you love to beat the upcoming summer by taking up travel, April is the right month to pack your bags and leave. First, decide what type of travel is your cup of tea, choosing the destination will then be an easier task.

Don’t visit places that have nothing to offer you that suits your curiosity or interests. Do you love historic sites, adventure sports, nature’s splendour, educative trips, cuisine and culture? According to your interest, head to the most promising destination and come back refreshed and satiated with what you encounter. Here are some suggestions:

PARIS For museum goers

Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics in July, and this spring marks the calm before the storm. The shoulder season may bring April showers, but that’s a perfect excuse to hang out in the city’s world-class museums. Joining classics like the Louvre and the Centre Pompidou (which closes later this year for a five-year refurbishment) are a slew of cultural newcomers: Maison Gainsbourg, the treasure-filled former home of singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg; Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, a modern art collection; and the revitalized Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris, which reopened in 2021 after a Us$70mn renovation.

Perhaps the biggest exhibit of the year is Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism at the Musée d’orsay (March 26 to July 14), which marks a major art history milestone: April 15 is the 150th anniversary of the first impressionist exhibition in Paris.

MILWAUKEE For Top Chef fanatics

This spring sees the premiere of the 21st season of Top Chef, which was filmed in Milwaukee and Madison. Recently, the city has become a culinary powerhouse—no longer just the land of cheese curds, Friday fish fry, and bratwursts (though those are all pretty stellar, too). Last year, French-italian standout Lupi and Iris received a James Beard nomination for best new restaurant in the country, while Gregory León at Iberian-influenced Amilinda and Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite of Esterev and Dandan, earned nods for best chef in the Midwest.

Befitting a city with a baseball team called the Brewers, the microbrewery scene is positively booming, thanks to newcomers like Pilot Project Brewing, a Chicago-born incubator and tasting room dedicated to up-and-coming brewers.

QUEENSLAND OUTBACK For wannabe cowboys

You don’t have to go all the way out to Australia’s remote red center to experience the Outback: Just a two-hour flight from Brisbane sits a collection of small cattle and mining towns - and in April, the weather is finally cool enough for you to enjoy them.

From Brisbane, fly Qantas (which was born in the Queensland Outback) to Longreach for a mini road trip through the region. Longreach itself feels like the Wild West, but with kangaroos, and you can visit the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Heritage Center and the Qantas Founders Museum. (Don't miss the new light and sound show that's projected on the side of a huge 747.) An hour away, Barcaldine played a major role in the Aussie labor movement, which you can learn about at the fascinating Tree of Knowledge monument.

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY For budding astronomers

Stretching westward from Austin and San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country sprawls for 31,000 square miles of historic small towns, killer barbecue joints, burgeoning wineries, and rolling landscapes. This month, it’s also a perfect spot to catch the total solar eclipse, which will cross 13 US states on April 8, bringing four-and-a-half minutes of total darkness to the towns closest to the path of the totality. It’ll be the last total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States until 2044.

A great home-base is the German-accented Fredericksburg, which will see four minutes and 24 seconds of totality; when you’re not taking in the eclipse through special safety glasses, you can climb in the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, drop into the National Museum of the Pacific War, or book a tasting at Grape Creek Vineyards.

ISTANBUL, TURKIYE For tulip heads

Long before they became associated with the Netherlands, tulips grew wild in Central Asia and Turkiye, and their name is thought to be derived from the Persian word for turban, due to their bulbous shape. The blooms became a symbol of the Ottoman Empire, with Sultan Mehmed II requiring a staff of 920 gardeners to tend to his 12 gardens. And in the 18th-century reign of Ahmed III, there was even a peaceful postwar period known as the ‘Tulip Period’, during which art and literature blossomed, and the flowers showed up on everything from textiles and carpets to tombstones and buildings.

In recent years, Türkiye’s biggest city has planted an astonishing 30 million tulips, including the world’s largest tulip carpet at Sultanahmet Square in front of the Blue Mosque. Other major gardens throughout the city can be found in Gulhane Park, Yildiz Park, and especially Emirgan Park, where millions of flowers are planted in patterns like the Turkish flag or a flowing river.

UTAH'S NATIONAL PARKS

For outdoor enthusiasts

National Park Week kicks off with free park admission on April 20 and includes programming for junior rangers and opportunities for volunteering. To get the most bang for your buck, it’s hard to beat the natural splendors of Southern Utah, which is home to a popular quintet of national parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion.

Because of the dramatic elevation shifts in this region, April is a transitional month, weather-wise. In Zion, for instance, you’ll see snow in the peaks, just as wildflowers like desert marigold and slickrock paintbrush begin to bloom in lower elevations (along trails like the Riverside Walk), and mule deer fawns and baby bighorn sheep make their adorable entrance; you’re likeliest to see the sheep and their lambs between the Zion–mt. Carmel Tunnel and the East Entrance.

SAN FRANCISCO For budding Beat poets

Celebrate National Poetry Month in a city that became defined by the Beat movement in the 1950s. Your hub for exploration will be the border between the North Beach and Chinatown neighbourhoods, where poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti opened his City Lights Booksellers in 1953. The literary emporium gained notoriety after Ferlinghetti published Alan Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems and defended the groundbreaking work in an obscenity trial. Out back, you’ll find Jack Kerouac Alley, which is lined with street art and commemorative plaques.