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 —

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

Choose your holiday based on value for money rather than price alone!

It's perfectly understandable that intending holidaymakers should compare prices between competing products, destinations or suppliers when researching whom they should book their next travel arrangements with. It's all too easy though to lose sight of the most important criteria of all — which one represents the best value for money? Everyone is familiar with the old saying 'You get what you pay for' and rarely is that more true than when making travel arrangements. Because the true cost of a holiday

Breaking out of your comfort zone — Part 2

Let's not mince words here — it's been a crap summer this year! It's rained so much over the course of the past few months that I'm now worried that I might  develop webbing between my fingers and toes. If you are one of the countless disappointed souls who waited and weaited and waited this summer to see if prices would drop or that you might benefit from some last minute deal that never happened then you

A bitter pill to swallow?

I think we all agree that the summer of 2012 is best forgotten as, by all accounts, it has been the worst in living memory as far as sunshine and good weather were concerned. Of course the consequence of all this is that many people who perhaps had previously decided that they would not be holidaying abroad this year subsequently changed their minds — further adding to the pressure on a limited capacity of both

How charter holiday pricing works — Part 2

Last week, we explained in more or less simple terms how charter pricing works. This week, we focus on scheduled airline fares and the fundamental manner in which they differ from charters. Scheduled airline fares apply only to scheduled air services. These are operated by airlines. A scheduled service must operate on the date, time and frequency specified — whether  the flight is full or empty. As a general rule of thumb, the further out

Familiarity breeds contempt — why clichés become clichés!

Certain figures of speech such as the above mentioned 'Familiarity breeds contempt' only become clichés over time because, in essence, what they are saying is true and is being said in a very catchy, easy-to-remember way. Now, lest I get carried away with myself here on the finer points of language and semantics, the reason why I've headlined this particular article with the above cliché/saying/truism/whatever-you-want-to-call-it is because I was struck recently by the tendency we have in

Don’t forget the humble ferry!

Have you noticed that most travel articles nowadays refer almost exclusively to air travel — at least it feels that way sometimes?  This is understandable given the revolution that has taken place in aviation over the course of the past 20 years due to the emergence of low cost carriers such as Ryanair and Easyjet. Prices have tumbled and air travel has most certainly been democratized in the process with more people now enjoying international

Disneyland —for the eternal youngster in all of us

My first exposure to the Disneyland 'experience' was almost 30 years ago when I visited the original of the species — Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Having also been born in 1955 — the year that Disneyland first opened to the public — I felt an immediate affinity to the place. Since then, I have been back a couple of times, not only to the Anaheim park but also Florida and Disneyland Paris. In fact

When is the best time to visit Spain or Portugal?

How about now! June is an ideal time of year to visit either country as you get to enjoy the best of all possible worlds. You don't have to endure the high temperatures of July or August; The beaches, bars or restaurants aren't as crowded as school is still not out in a number of countries — most notably our neighbours across the Irish Sea — and perhaps best of all, there are still great bargains to

Malta — proof that the best things sometimes come in small packages!

Reputedly the second-most densely populated area on Earth (after Hong Kong), Malta challenges the first time visitor as to what they think they know about this small 90-square mile rock that lies between Sicily to the north and Libya to the south. Boasting the world's oldest free-standing structures — yes, they're said to be older than Newgrange — Malta is an island of contradictions that will delight the eye, ear and palate of even the

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

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!).