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Ideas, suggestions and recommendations that can help you choose from a more limited palette of options that we know — both from professional and personal experience.

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

Are you being played?

I have lost count of the number of times that I've been told that the days of the travel agent are gone and that — sooner or later — everyone will be making all their travel arrangements via the Net. Whilst I agree that more people are using the Internet, my experience is that they tend to use it primarily for what i would describe as 'commoditised' travel product — e.g. low cost carriers, hotel

Home is where the heart is!

Blogs such as this generally deal with overseas destinations but that of course assumes that the only people reading this are Irish. Not true! The Travel Bug blog has a diverse and international audience so today I thought that I'd write a few words about where we're based — in the idyllic seaside village of Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, Ireland. As anyone who lives near the sea will tell you, every day is different —

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

Been to the movies lately?

If you have then you can't help but notice that Istanbul is turning up as a movie backdrop everywhere you look. Just last week, I went to see Taken 2 which unfortunately wasn't a patch on it's predecessor — Taken, starring Liam Neeson. The real star of the show though was Istanbul which looked magnificent. It also plays a major role in the latest release in the Bond franchise called Skyfall and by all accounts,

Driving on the left is not the minority sport that you think it is!

Irish holidaymakers are used to the fact that they have to negotiate the strange phenomenon of driving on the wrong side of the road when they usually go abroad since most of the near continent are right-hand drive, as is north and most of Central and South America. Like all things in life, it's an experience that you get used to in time with the result that one easily switches mode when the need arises and you need

Looking for a bit of sun and heat?

I think that we are universally agreed that this year's summer was one of the worst on record and with the long range weather forecast for the next eight years not particularly encouraging, perhaps it's time that we had a conversation about the 10 hottest places around the world that we should consider for that next holiday. By some measures, Bangkok is actually considered the hottest big city on earth. The average temperature for the

The World of Travel — where misconceptions abound!

There are many misconceptions that continue to prevail to this day among travellers about various types of travel activity. The famous phrase:  'Newly-wed, over-fed and nearly-dead' was the disparaging comment that was often made in relation to the cruise industry and although that was never the reality, it gained traction, particularly in the minds of people who had never actually cruised. The same phenomenon that causes certain people to condemn some controversial book, song or film even though they've

Are you a fan of Downton Abbey?

If you’re like me, then you’re a sucker for period dramas such as Downton Abbey — the costumes, the characters, the luxury, the opulence etc. Sadly, it’s just make-believe TV,  but such dramas take their cue from the way that the upper classes actually lived. Now while the days of the Downton Abbey’s of this world are long gone, it is still possible to get a sense of what it must have been like to

When paying more money can cost you less!

Regular readers of this blog will know that one of the recurring themes that we re-visit from time to time is that of trying to get people to realise that cheaper isn't always better — in fact it rarely is. Value for money needs to be your constant mantra if you are a consumer who wants to get more bang for their proverbial buck. Some perfect examples of this truism came across my desk earlier this week

So you think you know your amusement parks?

Ask anyone to name a few famous amusement parks and they'll likely come up with names like Disneyland Paris, Port Aventura, Alton Towers and Universal Studios. If they've been to St. louis or Southern California, they might even list slightly less well known attractions such as Six Flags or Knotts' Berry Farm. So, what are the chances that any one of you can guess which amusement park has won this year's Golden Ticket Award? Any of

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