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Where to go in 2018?

  It’s that time of year again when everyone starts reading all the travel articles in the various Sunday papers, hoping they’ll be inspired by some report of an idyllic island paradise that has just recently been discovered and which doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Chance would be a fine thing! The reality is that if you want somewhere idyllic that isn’t overrun by hordes of other tourists just like you, then unfortunately,

Snow, beautiful snow!

Given the challenge that we face in Ireland each year in trying to coax the sun to peek its head out from the impenetrable cloud cover that blankets this country from coast to coast, is it any wonder that given a choice, most inhabitants of this emerald isle of ours will invariably opt for sun over snow any day? It’s as if the art of sun-worshipping has been hard wired into our brains and we

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

Harry Potter and the Portuguese connection!

There’s no doubt about it. The Harry Potter Franchise has been a phenomenal success both in publishing and cinematic terms. Since the publication of the first novel in 1997 — Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone — J.K. Rowling has gone on to sell more than 500 million copies of all (as of 2013) making the Harry Potter series the most successful book series in publishing history. Of course, it is the film franchise where

Seattle, here we come!

The announcement by Aer Lingus earlier this week that they will start direct services to Seattle from Ireland next May is big news — at least in the Travel Centres household. Apart from being the home to both online and tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft and the fictional home of the greatest TV comedy series ever made — Frasier — Seattle is also gateway to the Pacific Northwest, one of the least familiar

Water Babies — Cities that live in, by or on the water!

When one thinks of cities that are dominated by water, the place that almost instantly comes to mind is that unique piece of history that is Venice — one of the most successful city states that ever existed and where, unexpectedly, the concept of assembly lines in manufacturing originated from. The Venetian Arsenal was Europe’s first and largest military-industrial complex prior to the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, when Venice was a major maritime power

And you thought it was all about the destination?

  For many travelers, travel decisions are largely determined by the destination itself. Prague or Budapest? Australia or New Zealand? The USA or Canada? We choose places based on a multiplicity of criteria such as proximity, accessibility, cost, uniqueness, safety and a whole host of other qualities. Increasingly though, travelers (and experienced travelers in particular) are choosing destinations based more on what they can do when they get there. The destinations themselves still must tick

Why does it take a hurricane for consumers to appreciate the value of service?

Or an erupting volcano? Or an air traffic control strike? Or a computer systems failure (remember the infamous BA glitch earlier this year?) We’re all familiar with the old phrase ‘You get what you pay for’ and never has that cliché been more relevant than over the course of the past few weeks when Ryanair began its ‘drip drip’ release of announcements regarding sweeping flight cancellations across its entire network. The headlines have declared that

Buy cheap, buy twice.

Clichés become clichés because there’s always a large dollop of truth in them. We’ve all heard this one before and we usually associate it with buying cheap clothes that disintegrate after the first or second wash or the piece of gear or tech that was made in China and stops working after relatively little use. But did you know that those words of wisdom can also apply to the purchase of nearly anything — including

Who should pay for whom — The long-running joke that is Irish travel legislation!

The current legislative landscape that regulates both travel agents and tour operators in Ireland was introduced into law in 1982 following the spectacular collapse of Bray Travel the previous year. Bray Travel had been the largest tour operator in the state at that time and the financial fallout from that event which was estimated to be in the region of €1.5M was largely the reason why the subsequent legislation was introduced. Under the new scheme,

Without a travel agent, you’re on your own!

The title of this week’s blog is a tag line that was introduced some years ago by ASTA, the American Society of Travel Agents, to reinforce the point that when travelers organize their own travel arrangements, there is no back-up when things go wrong, whereas when you make them through a traditional travel agent as opposed to an OTA (online travel agent — different beast altogether!) you enjoy all the service benefits of that eco-system.

So you think you know the Canaries?

The Canary islands and Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura in particular are amongst the most popular destinations for Irish travelers given their year-round climate. Located just 100 kilometres at their most easterly point off the west coast of Morocco, this autonomous region of Spain is the most southerly extent of Europe. What some people may not know though is that the archipelago compromises three further islands — La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera

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!).

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