Variety is the spice of life!

Imagine if you happened to find yourself in conversation with an overseas visitor of any nationality who was a regular visitor to Ireland but who always came to the same place. What do you think your reaction would be? You'd most likely say that Dublin (or Cork or Kilkenny etc.) whilst beautiful and well worth the visit was nonetheless not completely representative of all that Ireland has to offer. You'd most likely recommend that they

The thrill that is History!

I'm Irish and very proud to be so. I think that for such a small country, we've made a disproportionate impact on the global stage. Both our history and our mythology are extremely rich — as is our almost unique culture — some of which we share with our Celtic cousins. There are times though when I travel, that I'm reminded of how all such things are relative and that by comparison with some other

All travel doesn’t have to be International!

I came into the travel business back in 1975 so I suppose that that makes me a 40-year veteran of the industry at this stage. Over the course of those 40 intervening years I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel all over the world and experience some of the most beautiful places on earth. But do you know what, I wouldn't trade any of them for the little piece of heaven that I

The undiscovered France!

Despite continuing to be the most visited country in the world, it is perhaps surprising that there are still huge swathes of France that your average tourist knows next to nothing about! In the same way that spending a few days in Dublin does not constitute getting to know the 'real' Ireland, so too is it with France and believe it or not, there is so much more to France than Paris, the Cote D'Azur

All aboard for all-inclusive!

People develop misconceptions about things for all sorts of reasons — both rational and irrational — and yours truly is no exception. For most of my travelling life, I have always opted for self-catering apartments whenever I was going on family holidays, reasoning that (1) I had the facility to make myself a cup of tea at any time of the day or night that I chose and believe me, I'm a BIG tea drinker,
safeness

Where should I go on my next holiday?

There are all sorts of reasons why people choose the destinations that they do. For some it’s simply price, for other’s weather is their primary concern. Some choose destinations based on their proximity whilst other travellers choose places based on their ‘safeness’. It is therefore interesting to note the results of the latest biannual report from the World Economic Forum which rates countries around the world based on a wide ranging set of metrics that
dunmore east

Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Ever notice how you look forward to travelling abroad but as you get nearer to your eventual return date home, you begin to look forward to that too? I certainly do but then again, I happen to live in what I believe to be the prettiest village in Ireland — Dunmore East, Co. Waterford! Don’t get me wrong; I love travelling and still get a thrill out of the feeling of expectation leading up to

Why familiarity sometimes breeds contempt!

If you look up any dictionary meaning of cliché, it reads something along the lines of '... a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought ...' I think that that is a rather harsh interpretation myself. Clichés become clichés simply because they're true and represent the most succinct and accurate way of describing a particular concept. The above title is a particular case in point. I recently had a

How travel decisions can sometimes be based on incomplete information

Trip Advisor is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The global review site started out life above a Pizza shop called Kosta's in Needham, Massachusetts in February, 2000. It is a great site without question and I must admit that I have started contributing to it in recent times as I realised, belatedly, that I had a lot to contribute given the amount of travelling I do (and have done). What prompted me to write

Orange is the new orange

It's that time of year again when intending travellers or betrothed couples start the time-consuming and frustrating process of deciding where to spend their next long haul holiday or hopefully — their one and only honeymoon! There are many contenders out there and all have their pluses! The USA, The Caribbean, Mexico, South Africa, The Seychelles and Mauritius usually appear high on most peoples wish lists but it is Thailand that often comes up trumps,

A great location in London

With the Euro now only buying you 75 pence sterling (as of 02/02/'15), London has become even more expensive than it normally is so all the more reason to choose your accommodation carefully — particularly if staying in town for a couple of days. As with all large cities, choosing your location carefully is extremely important if you don't wish to spend half your time getting from A to B and whilst the term 'central'

How good is your geographic knowledge?

I recently retuned from an enchanting city less than two hours flying time from Dublin which is served by direct flights three times a week by a major international carrier. The city is not large by international standards — being somewhat smaller than Belfast but almost twice that of the Province's capital when you take its greater metropolitan area into consideration. It is located approximately 15 miles inland on a river and yet will play

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!).