The vicissitudes of being single

One of the great frustrations of travelling alone is the phenomenon known as the single room supplement. Practically all costings that are made in respect of travel packages where accommodation is involved are based on the not-unreasonable assumption that two people will be travelling. The room type — double or twin — is irrelevant; the only consideration is that the room cost can be divided in two, thus making the resultant costing much cheaper, and

Up close and cuddly!

People travel for all sorts of reasons — a change of scenery, to rest and recuperate, to experience a new culture or to see new sights. Indeed, if you were to sit down and compile a list of all the reasons why people travel, you would probably end up with hundreds. One of the most enthralling reasons that people travel is to experience animals in their natural habitat. The most obvious example of such an

Are you a tourist or a traveller?

There are numerous references online as to what differentiates a tourist from a traveller and one of the best that I’ve come across is the one that states, ‘One blends in whereas the other sticks out!’ Does that describe you? Do you like to stick within your comfort zone or do you occasionally venture outside it? Do you try to immerse yourself in a local culture or are you happy to remain aloof from it

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

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

Where do you go next when you’ve been almost everywhere?

There was a time, not so long ago, when travelling to someplace like Australia was seen as a big deal or when a holiday in Mauritius was looked upon as something only the rich and famous could afford to indulge in. Not anymore! Nowadays, your average consumer is pretty well traveled and whilst not everyone will necessarily have visited Jamaica, The Maldives or Antigua, nor will they feel as if these destinations are so off

The same, but different — on Safari in Kenya

Anyone who has ever visited New York will recall the very first time that they walked through downtown Manhattan, taking in all the sights and sounds. It felt like walking through a movie set, didn't it? Not only that but it simultaneously felt very familiar because of all the movies and tv shows in which it has acted as backdrop yet also was very different but it was difficult to put your finger on what

I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list!

A brilliant saying if ever there was one and I will be eternally envious of Susan Sontag to whom the quote is attributed. I love it so much that we’ve used it at Travel Centres and Travel Bug, along with some other famous travel-related quotes, to epitomize the pleasure that is travelling. People assume when they hear that you work in the travel industry that you’ve been everywhere but that is rarely true and I’m

What is the ultimate travel experience?

Travel, as with all human experiences, is a very subjective thing. What appeals to one person may be anathema to another. Whereas one persons’ idea of heaven would be to swim with dolphins in some sub-tropical paradise; for another, it could be a gastronomical tour of Michelin restaurants in San Sebastian! (more…)

One mans’ meat …

What is your ideal holiday? Is it lazing by a pool with a cold Pina Colada in your hand or is it walking along a deserted palm-fringed beach with warm azure waters lapping at your feet? Or is it trekking the Inca Trail or tracking some wild animal in the South African bush? The fact of the matter is that there is no universal size (or type) that fits all! And that’s one of the

All roads lead north at this time of year!

With just seven short weeks left before Christmas is upon us, I thought that now might be a good time to extol the virtues of you and your kids going to visit Santa rather than him always having to visit you! As we all know, Santa lives in the North Pole but what some people don’t realise is that because the lines of longitude converge, the nearer they get to the pole, the greater the

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!).