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.

The Power of Propaganda

If you Google the meaning of the word ‘Propaganda’, you’ll get the following definition ‘information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view’. We normally associate propaganda with totalitarian or rogue states but it is a political tool and strategy that is used on all sides and even the ‘good guys’ are not averse to the use of ‘misinformation’ if it achieves the necessary results. (more…)

Mass Tourism — is it a good or a bad thing?

I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful town of Kotor in Montenegro a few weeks ago. I had first visited the stunning medieval town nine years ago and was captivated by its stunning location at the end of a deep inlet and the well-preserved condition of much of its buildings. Indeed, it was so perfect that it almost looked fake — like a recently constructed film set. On both occasions, I visited the town

Washington, DC — Brain City USA!

Washington, DC is synonymous with many things, but higher learning is probably not one of them. Being the centre of government and federal administration for the most powerful country on the face of the planet, you would expect it to be populated with a lot of smart people — whether they be politicians, lobbyists or senior civil servants but the statistic that took me aback, I have to say is the revelation that Washington, DC,

The world is beating a path to Bangkok

You’ve probably heard of the phrase, ‘Lies, damned lies, and statistics’. No one is quite sure who the originator of those words was, but it is often attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, who was British Prime Minister between 1874 and 1880. The famous phrase which is often used to discredit the persuasive power of numbers to add disproportionate credibility to otherwise weak arguments is sometimes also attributed to Samuel Langhorne Clemens — more popularly known to

Are you buying or shopping?

Is there a difference you ask? Apparently, there is, according to the latest retail research. You would assume, because of the tremendous success of companies such as Amazon and Ryanair that all your typical consumer is interested in is priced and whilst that may to true to a certain degree, the reality is a lot more nuanced than that. (more…)

Traveling is good for your health!

It’s now official — travelling is good for your health and lowers your risk of experiencing cardiovascular problems! OK, now that I’ve gotten your attention, let’s back up a little! The actual chore of travelling itself — i.e. the flying, the queuing up at airport security etc. — is probably not, as we know that to be stressful and God knows, I’ve taken enough flights and stood in enough queues to have gained that insight.

Jamaica — Ireland’s Caribbean next-of-kin

It is just over 30 years since I first visited Jamaica and fell in love with the island, its people and its music. I’ve only been back there once since then and am due to visit the Caribbean nation for a third time next year and I’m already looking forward to it. The thing that struck me most forcibly about Jamaica and Jamaicans on that first visit was how much they were like us in

Welcome to Veggie Heaven!

People travel around the world to specific destinations for all sorts of reasons. It may be to experience the natural wonders of a country; its history, architecture, culture or even its people. Some people travel specifically to enjoy the food — whether it be Indian, Mexican, Chinese, French or any one of dozens of other national cuisines. (more…)
travel-makes-you-richer

‘Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer’

Travel is one of those activities that has never been short of an inspirational quote or two and the title of this week’s blog is probably one of the better ones and certainly one of my favourites. Like a lot of people who work in the travel industry, I have been blessed over the course of the past 44 years to have traveled to a lot of exotic destinations around the world — some of

There’s a hotel for everyone!

  From a travel agents’ perspective, one of the most interesting phenomena to reveal itself over the course of the past ten years is that, given the choice, consumers like to spend more, rather than less money on their hotel accommodation. Let me explain: As low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet went from strength to strength and made international travel available to everyone, people started travelling more regularly and whilst they were prepared to

What is a VPN and why do I need one when I travel to certain countries around the world?

  The letters in the acronym VPN stand for Virtual Private Network and is an incredible tool that can help you access blocked websites, hide your location, encrypt your data, and much more. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a server that you connect with to reroute your internet activities. The server can completely mask your IP or make it appear as if you are in a different location. Using VPN software on your laptop or

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!).