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

Travel Back in Time

In case you haven't already noticed, we celebrate the centenary of the First World War this year — referred to in its time as 'The war to end all wars'. Sadly, that turned out not to be true so all the more reason that this generation should never forget the lesson that all war is ultimately futile and not — as Clausewitz once stated — 'War Is Merely the Continuation of Policy by Other Means'. If

All legacy carriers are created equal — right? Wrong!

What is a legacy carrier anyway, I hear you ask? The term 'legacy' is used to differentiate the old style (usually national) airline carriers from those that espouse the low cost model. Legacy carriers traditionally charge more but also offer more for those consumers who are willing to pay for a better service or for things considered as 'extras' with carriers such as Ryanair. Some airlines (Aer Lingus for example) sit somewhere between the two

Looking for the hottest place in town? Check out your nearest friendly volcano!

Volcanoes. They are Nature at her most dramatic and terrifying and they occupy a special place in our collective psyche. The jury is still out in some quarters as to whether the demise of the dinosaurs was due to an asteroid impact or a cataclysmic eruption of a giant volcano that brought about the prehistoric equivalent of a nuclear winter some 50 million odd years ago. In any event, volcanoes are things of beauty and

Something for the Bucket List!

Christmas tends to be that time of year when everyone has that conversation about what their ideal present would be. Such talk as often as not segues' into bucket lists and what would populate people's lists of the top 10 things to do in their lives. If you've ever had that conversation then chances are that one of the 'experiences' that you've included in your list (assuming of course that you haven't already done it)

Are you a Christmassy person?

I don't even know if that question is grammatically correct, but you know what I mean! Whatever your religious persuasion, there's no denying that this time  of year generates its own kind of atmosphere which you either love or hate. My wife is one of those people that loves this time of year. She loves everything about it — the mince pies, traditional turkey and ham dinners with brussels sprouts and cranberry sauce;  decorating Christmas trees;  all the bric-a-brac and

Summer has arrived!

I'm not talking literally of course — just figuratively — and wearing my travel agent hat! Easter has always traditionally represented the start of the summer season as this is when tour operator summer charter programmes begin and winter charter series end. It is also then an appropriate time to remind people of the kinds of things that they need to think of/prepare for, before setting out on their overseas travels. What follows is a

40 is a nice round number

Everyone has heard of the 80:20 rule but have you heard about the 40:20 one ?  OK, I'm teasing a bit but I just thought that it would be a nice way to introduce a bit of good news for all you 'Mickey Mouse' fans out there! Disneyland Paris is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012 and as part of those celebrations (which, incidentally, are going to last for about 12 months) they are offering

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!).