Luxury — Silver Muse by another name!

Like many words in the English language, there are many different definitions and interpretations of the word ‘luxury’. The website www.dictionary.com defines luxury as being ‘indulgence in and enjoyment of rich, comfortable, and sumptuous living. Something that is considered an indulgence rather than a necessity’. It also seems a fitting description of what I experienced last week when I had the pleasure of being invited to enjoy Silversea’s latest addition to their fleet — Silver

The beauty of Lourdes — How perceptions sometimes do us no favours.

As someone who has worked at the coalface of travel for more than 40 years, one phenomenon that I encountered on a regular basis was that of the over-expectation of clients concerning their resort, cruise or other holiday experience. On many occasions, such over-expectation was clearly the fault of the client themselves; building up an image in their mind’s eye as to what they could expect when they arrived and then being disappointed when the

One mans’ meat …

What is your ideal holiday? Is it lazing by a pool with a cold Pina Colada in your hand or is it walking along a deserted palm-fringed beach with warm azure waters lapping at your feet? Or is it trekking the Inca Trail or tracking some wild animal in the South African bush? The fact of the matter is that there is no universal size (or type) that fits all! And that’s one of the

Don’t miss the boat!

One of the things that we try to do both on our website and through the medium of this blog is to occasionally alert readers to emerging trends so that they can be ahead of the curve when it comes to sampling new travel products or discovering new destinations around the world. This week’s blog is somewhat surprising in that it covers a subject that people assume is extremely popular! You would think that cruising

It’s that time of year again!

The one thing that you can always be sure of at this time of year is that the media and airwaves will feature wall-to-wall editorial content on all things Christmas. From 'How to roast the perfect turkey' or the 'Best way to wrap presents', we, as consumers seem to have an insatiable appetite for all things christmasy (and yes, there is such a word as every one uses it!). So why try to fly in

Sometimes, perfection is nearer than you think!

There are many ironies in life and in my case it is the fact that despite having circumnavigated the earth on several occasions during my 41 years spent working in the travel industry, there are still parts of Ireland that I’ve yet to experience — The Aran Islands, The Giant’s Causeway and, until last Thursday — The Cliff Hotel in Ardmore, Co. Waterford. I reside in Dunmore East Co. Waterford and I have lost count

Planning a honeymoon abroad?

There are several signs that the Irish economy is up on its feet again. One is the increase in new car sales. The other is the dramatic increase in people getting married and planning weddings. How do I know this? It’s because every year, Travelbug hosts a conference and workshop for both our affiliated travel agents and suppliers so we are always looking for suitable venues and since last year, we’ve been finding it increasingly

Ready for something a little bit out of the ordinary?

One of the many highlights of visiting destinations around the world is getting the opportunity to visit the museums. Museums are amazing places and some of them offer free entrance so you can literally spend an entire day both entertaining and educating yourself about the world for free! We've all heard of world-famous museums such as the Smithsonian in Washington D.C, the Louvre in Paris, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Uffizi in Florence, the

Sheer beauty — and the statistics that sit behind it!

Earlier this year whilst en route to Australia, I decided to stopover in Abu Dhabi. I had visited its Emirati neighbour, Dubai, on a number of previous occasions over the years but as I had never been to Abu Dhabi, thought that this was the perfect opportunity to do so — not least because I was flying with Etihad Airlines. Whilst the purpose of the stopover was simply to break the long journey, I felt

What do you enjoy most about travelling?

It's different things for different people, isn't it? For some, it's the destinations themselves: the scenery, the city-scapes, the beaches. For others, it tends to be the culture and the history of each destination. The human interactions that we have with locals when we're abroad most likely features highly on most peoples' lists. For me, whilst all of the above are extremely important, I must confess that one of the highlights when I travel tends

It takes 15,000 casualties to train a major general

So pronounced Marshal Ferdinand Jean Marie Foch, a french general, military theorist and the Supreme Allied commander of World War One!  A hundred years ago,  the 'war to end all wars' devastated Europe and in particular much of Belgium and north west France. The numbers of casualties on both sides were staggering and the obscene loss of life is still impossible to get one's head around with most of the victims in their late teens

The art of getting a quote that is both competitive in price and relevant to your needs starts with gathering all the right information about what you want to do (or think you want to do!).