The most sparsely-populated country in Europe is becoming increasingly crowded!

Now there’s an oxymoron if ever I heard one but it’s true! Iceland, that large Island that sits directly northeast of us (Reykjavik is approximately 1,473 kilometres from Dublin) is almost 103,000 square kilometres in area, making it roughly 25% larger by area than the entire island of Ireland and yet it boasts a population of just 332,000 citizens — two thirds of whom chose to call Reykjavik, the capital, home. The reference to crowding

Moving out of your comfort zone

Last year, as part of a marketing campaign that we mounted in conjunction with our network of affiliated travel agents throughout the country, we had a series of posters designed that married iconic landscapes from around the world with some great inspirational quotes from people as diverse as the Dalai Lama, J.R.R Tolkien and Steve Jobs. One of my favourites was a quote from Susan Sontag which rather wittily said: ‘I haven’t been everyplace but

‘Life is a journey – not a destination’

So claimed Ralf Waldo Emerson, one of America's greatest essayists (b. 1803 —d. 1882). Whilst I have always subscribed to that philosophical thought, it was brought home to me in a very tangible way recently when I travelled from Dublin to Stockholm for a short break. I was travelling with SAS who are the national airline of Sweden, Norway and Denmark and they have recently introduced an innovation in their fare structure which I think

There’s more to life than getting a tan!

Us Irish are obsessed with getting a good colour. Like many of our fellow northern Europeans, we crave the heat of the sun on our backs, probably because for the most part, it tends to be such a relative novelty for us — this summer just past notwithstanding! It should therefore come as no surprise that the most popular holiday destinations out of Ireland all tend to be sun destinations in either the southern Mediterranean

Going for a walk?

Most people love walking. I know I do and I make a point of getting out for a brisk one every day — come hail or shine! Indeed, from what I can see, walking-based holidays are becoming increasingly popular particularly those routes that combine a bit of history and religion along the way such as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela or the Via Francigena. For years, countries like Austria and Switzerland proved extremely popular

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)

Having a whale of a time!

If you've ever read your 'Origin of Species' you'll know that our distant ancestors emerged from the primordial ooze gazillions of years ago and that is perhaps why so many of us have this strange affinity to the sea and some of the animals that inhabit it. Dolphins and whales are a prime example of this fascination with whales in particular exerting a strange attraction — whether it be for their sheer bulk or just

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!).