Dublin used to be Stag Night heaven that is until the Gardá (otherwise known as the Irish police) and many pub owners got properly fed up with the male orientated parties causing a lot of trouble. Their solution was to ban Stag groups from the most popular drinking area, Temple Bar. Ladies however, are still very welcome to come for Hen Nights as this tends to attract local lads who are then willing to part with their hard earned cash. Most people would associate Dublin and Ireland with drinking and whilst I admit the ‘pub’ is a large part of life, there’s still plenty to do for visitors.

Visitors only usually come to Dublin for a short time and pack in a lot in a few days. If you are visiting Dublin for a only a short while, these are my suggestions for things to do, places to eat and where to enjoy a few drinks along the way…

Early Morning Start

Irish breakfasts are very similar to English breakfasts (sausage, bacon, fried egg, etc.) the only difference is that include white pudding. Strangely this simple added ingredient adds a whole new dimension to your breakfast and I think it’s definitely worth trying. A great place have your large Irish breakfast is The Bad Ass Cafe which is located in the centre of Temple Bar.

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Once your breakfast has settled cross over the river and jump on the Luas (Dublin’s city tram), get off at the Suir Road stop (Heuston station direction) here you can visit Kilmainham Gaol. Guided tours around the 18th century gaol will cost you €6; it’s a very informative tour where you will learn all about the history and it’s occupants. As you can imagine it isn’t very pro-Britain so if you’re English be prepared for a bit of Brit bashing!

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By the end of the tour you’re likely to be ready for a pint, what better time to head to the Guinness Storehouse in South Dublin, you can walk but I would suggest jumping in a taxi. The Guinness Storehouse will take about two hours to walk around and unsurprisingly it’s Dublin’s most visited tourist attraction. If you decide to visit you’ll get a free pint at the end of the tour in the Gravity Bar which overlooks the city – an impressive view on a clear day. The entrance fee is a little steep, it costs €15.00 but you can get a 10% discount if you book online. It’s not just about getting a “free pint” you will learn about Guinness’s history, the ingredients used, visit the tasting laboratory and then go to my favourite part – the Guinness advertising where you can see all their adverts spanning several decades.

Late Lunch the Irish Way

Next stop is Temple Bar, I would highly recommend a trip to the Elephant and Castle, if you do go there you are going to have to order the chicken wings. If you ask any Dubliner about the Elephant and Castle, they’ll grin and say “chicken wings”. The burgers are also very good, as are the desserts and there’s a nice selection of wines. If you are after something lighter do as the Irish do and get a soup and a sandwich from one of the many pubs. If you are looking for a cheaper option then head across the Ha’penny Bridge to the Epicurean Food Hall where you can find food from all around the world – I would recommend La Corte Coffee Shop for an excellent salami calzone.

Afternoon shenanigans

After a busy morning my suggested itinerary will now let you wind down a bit. I would recommend taking a stroll around Trinity College, if you are interested in beautiful manuscripts then for a fee you can see the famous ‘Book of Kells.’ At the bottom of Grafton Street say hello to Molly Malone (aka the Tart with the Cart!) before taking a walk up Grafton Street. If it is a nice day also have a walk around the beautiful Iveagh Gardens which were originally designed back in 1865 by Ninian Niven.

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Once you’ve seen some sights, enjoyed the gardens and looked around some shops you cannot possibly consider leaving Dublin without trying a pint or two in one of the pubs. Every pub I’ve visited in Dublin (although admittedly I haven’t been to them all) serves a good pint of Guinness. To be honest I couldn’t see a pub lasting too long here if it served bad pints of the black stuff..

Dinner and a lively evening

Most will now want to eat dinner before the evening activities start. Parallel to Grafton Street is Dawson Street where you will find loads of great bars and some very good restaurants. Two places that I would recommend are Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse and Grill and Fire, if your pockets are quite deep and you fancy having the best steak in town then head to Shanahans on the Green.

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After dinner head to the bars Dawson Street where you will find many of the locals drinking. Alternatively you visit the main tourist hub Temple Bar. If you want one more activity before your night of drinking then why not go greyhound racing. The Irish love to gamble and I personally think dog racing is a great night out – you will even see children as young as ten going up to gamble! There are two race tracks, one is Shelbourne Park (open Saturdays) and the other is Harolds Cross (open Fridays). You can bet as much or a little as you want, enjoy a few drinks and hopefully have a good time. After the races, head back into town to spend your winnings, alternatively (if you’re like me) drown your sorrows.

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Dublin is definitely worth a visit – it’s a fun and lively city as well as being beautiful, atmospheric and romantic. As you can probably imagine there are plenty more things to do in Dublin, these are just a few suggestions. If possible I would suggest staying a bit longer than a weekend and travel a bit further afield to Ireland’s other great cities of Cork, Galway, Kerry and a personal favourite of mine-Kilkenny. Be sure to come and visit and and stay lucky…

by Scott Balaam – please also check out his great Football blog FootieFun

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It was supposed to be a short six day break in my favourite city but turned into a twelve day holiday. You probably would have heard about Iceland’s temperamental Eyjafjallajokull volcano deciding to spew ash into the flight space above Europe from April onwards this year-ruining many a traveller’s holiday and leaving thousands of others stranded and at the mercy of their credit cards. Well it happened to me and my wife the day we tried to leave Rome and return home. Being stranded isn’t a pleasant experience -you feel a certain vulnerability when you realise you have no options. Although having said that I can think of much worse places to be stuck!

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After we eventually got back home I caught one of the many ongoing Ash Cloud news reports and I realised we could have easily been camping out at the airport-we were definitely one of the lucky ones. Here’s how we coped and how we used the time uncovering some of Rome’s cultural hidden gems:

No room at the inn

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At first we were pretty excited about having an extended stay in this beautiful city but then the excitement turned to slight panic about the extra money we would be having to spend and hadn’t budgeted for. We’d been staying with a friend but decided imposing on them for an extra six days could really test our friendship! Roma Rentals website turned out to be life saver and in not much time at all found a lovely apartment on the outskirts of Trastevere which was perfect for the two of us. Although by now we getting more than a bit worried about the cost of our beloved dogs residing in some expensive kennels and the airport car park charges were also racking up at €7.50 each day. I could have kicked myself for not taking out any travel insurance…

Food and drink

We also had to look at our limited budget and factor in the extra costs of eating and drinking. Some restaurants in Rome are reasonably priced so we knew if we were a bit savvy about this we could just about manage. We begrudgingly had to give up the 30 euros bottles of wine we had been previously enjoying in the touristy but classy Campo di Fiori and swap to a 2 euro version in La Cantina di Bracco in Trastevere.

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This restaurant was a great place – here you can choose your wine and they put it into plastic bottles and charge you by the litre. We also made the most of the shops where they sell slices of fresh (and delicious) pizza and pasta by weight and a great cheap restaurant Antica Osteria da Giovanni (Via della Lungara, 41a) where they only charge 5 euros for a main course. Thankfully we didn’t have to starve…

Passing the time being culture vultures

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We had plenty of time on our hands waiting for the ash to clear and decided it would be foolish not to use this time wisely in this culturally and historically rich city. Having previously lived in Rome for some time we had already seen all the main sites quite a few time over so we decided to visit a few places not on the major tourist trail. First stop was Villa Farnesina, an incredible renaissance building on Via della Lungara which was completed in 1510, the Villa has wonderful frescos on display by artists including Raphael, Sebastiano del Piombo and Il Sodoma.

During the next few days we also managed to squeeze in visits to Galleria Corsini where there was a gallery with an impressive collection of 18th-century furniture, ancient and modern sculpture and art and the impressive and tranquil Botanical Gardens (Largo Cristina di Svezia, 24) which was a welcome relaxing escape from all the fumey mopeds flying around the city.

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The overall cultural highlight was a visit to two different galleries; the first was the Caravaggio Exhibition which celebrated the 400th anniversary of the artist’s death. We got there early but still had to queue for about two hours but as you’ll probably agree from the photo it was definitely worth the effort. A couple of days later we then headed to Palazzo delle Esposizioni where we saw “Nature According to De Chirico”. This was another excellent exhibition; there were more than a hundred paintings from public and private collections.

Slowly running out of money

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As funds grew low we were forced to find alternative ways to spend the extra days. This wasn’t difficult – Rome is the perfect city to sit outside in bars and cafes in Piazzas reading and watching the world go by. We found an excellent English bookshop that had a wide range of books in English and also friendly staff that were more than happy to provide recommendations of places to visit and what to do. Should you be in Rome and have a need for a book then visit Almost Corner Bookstore (Via del Moro 45, Trastevere).

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Okay so we did spend a lot more money than we had planned but overall it was a pretty exciting and memorable experience and I got to see much more of Rome than I normally get to see. Maybe volcanic ash isn’t so bad after all…

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The cosmopolitan city of Barcelona is one of Spain’s hottest tourist destinations. When visiting it’s hard to believe that Barcelona hasn’t always drawn the crowds, the city began it’s transformation in 1992 when it won the rights for the Olympics. Its make-over included an impressive man-made beach, palm tree lined avenues and a beautifully redeveloped port. Whether you are interested in art, culture, drinking, good food, music, shopping, sport or partying – this captivating city will not let you down!

Must-see highlights for culture vultures

For those impressed by culture architecture and art, it’s hard to know where to start. I think firstly I would have to recommend a trip to Picasso’s Museum even if you only have a slight interest in art. I would say it’s one of the best art galleries I have ever been to.

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Park Guell, an impressive garden complex with architecture on display is perfect for a relaxed afternoon stroll and also don’t miss the famous La Sagrada Familia the massive catholic church still under construction from 1882!

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The fabulous Batlló House (above) designed by Antoni Gaudi is an extraordinary sight, it seems like the designer wanted to avoid straight lines at all costs!

Must-see highlight for sporty types

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I would recommend a trip to the Camp Nou, Barcelona’s world famous stadium. There is an excellent tour where you get to visit the changing rooms, the area where press conferences take place and even go on the pitch (well the edge anyway!) as well as other areas of the stadium. The tour is not just for football fans, I’ve heard positive feedback from many others even those who dislike football!

Attractions for families

A lot of money was spent on Barcelona’s aquarium and I would definitely recommend a visit. Other family attractions include Tibidabo Amusement Park, the IMAX cinema and the charming Magic Fountain of Montjuic.

Must-do walks around the city

I would suggest starting at Plaça de Catalunya and walking down Las Ramblas to check out all the street performers but a good tip is to avoid grabbing a beer there (unless you are desperate) as it will cost you a small fortune. From Las Rambla head across to Gothic area, a wonderful part of the city where you can get a feel for what Barcelona used to be like pre-Olympics.

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At some stage be sure to jump on the yellow line (L4) and head to the old Olympic port (Ciutadella I Vila Olimpica) where you will find a mix of bars and restaurants as well as the very impressive casino and the beach.

Tips for eating and drinking

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There are lots of fantastic restaurants in Barcelona, one place that I would recommend as an excellent stop for lunch is Mesón Jesús (Carrer dels Cecs de la Boqueria 4) located just off Las Ramblas. When you look in from outside this place doesn’t look all that impressive, but it serves an excellent set lunch. What makes this place special is that even though you are in the middle of a tourist area you are unlikely to see any tourists in this restaurant. I would suggest avoiding eating on Las Ramblas itself but if you head off the main road you can stop in any bar and get Tapas for a decent price.

After dark

After all your sightseeing I am sure you will want to spend a night partying, a good place to start is L’Ovella Negra, a bar which is full of Spanish students, a great spot just off Las Ramblas serving cheap jugs of beer. Later on in the evening head to the bottom of Las Rambla and then over the bridge where you will find a new large building (Port Vell), in the day time it’s a shopping centre and then in the evening it becomes party central with various bars and nightclubs.

Another great spot at night is the Olympic Port, the bars that surround the area tend to get very busy at midnight onwards, there is a mix of music to suit everyone’s tastes. For something a little different I would recommend a trip to Jazzman , a very quaint jazz bar. You will need to get a taxi there and back but on a positive note you won’t bump into any other tourists and it will be a special night out.

Tips for the best places to stay

I would recommend trying to base yourself near Plaça de Catalunya or La Ramblas. From these locations it is easy to get everywhere.

The best time to go

Summer in Barcelona is very hot, so I would suggest visiting in May. This will allow you to go to the beach if you wish and still go sightseeing as it’s not yet too hot.

Tips for getting around

Barcelona is a large city, it’s most likely that you will need to use public transport, there is a very easy to use the metro system and it’s cheap. The best option is to buy a book of tickets – each journey costs €1. Be careful when you’re travelling on the Metro, you should watch out for pick pockets. If you need to get a taxi don’t worry about the cost, I’ve always found taxis in Barcelona to be priced fairly. The bus tours are also pretty good and cover most attractions.

If you do decide to try this great city be sure to try all types of Tapas and drink plenty of Sangria, enjoy!

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South Africa is a beautiful and exciting country; it boasts a wonderful mix of beaches, mountains and fantastic wildlife with in excess of 2500km of coastline. Come June 2010 football fans from all over the globe will flood the country for the World Cup.

Like any country of South Africa’s size, there are many things to do. South Africa is famous for its gold and diamonds. The locals love their sport, especially rugby, if you get the chance go and see the Springboks in action, it will give you a real understanding of passion. It’s also famous for it’s other outdoor pursuits, sand boarding was a personal favourite of mine!

After thinking about South Africa’s top travel destinations I selected my top ten:

1 Table Mountain

Photo: pet r

Table Mountain is a key tourist attraction for all visitors to South Africa; it’s a flat topped mountain overlooking Cape Town. There are a couple options for getting to the top; you can either take a cable car or alternatively the more adventurous of you can hike to the top. Once at the summit the views are spectacular. The most common animals found here is the rock hyrax which looks a like a mix between a squirrel and a mouse, (these feed off food tourists leave behind illegally) and porcupines, mongooses, snakes and tortoises as well as cheeky monkeys who are on the hunt for food.

2 Robben Island

Photo: ixtla

Robben Island is seven kilometres off the coast of South Africa, it’s 3.3km long and 1.9km wide. Robben Island holds the notorious prison where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for 18 years (1964-1982). Whilst the tour was fascinating it was very sad seeing how the prisoners lived, when you arrive at Nelson Mandela’s 7ft by 7ft cell you find a replica chair, mat, bowl and blanket plus outside you also see a list of the food served, there were different menus for Black South Africans, mixed race/Asians and White South Africans. Also check out the memorial laid by Nelson Mandela and all surviving South African political prisoners in 1995.

3 Garden Route

Photo: jknutzen

The Garden Route is a very scenic stretch on the south-eastern coast of South Africa. It starts at Mossel Bay and finishes at Storms River, there are various excellent stop offs including two off my top ten (Knysna and Oudtshoorn). The Garden route has ten different nature reserves which boast lots of dolphins and seals as well as being home to the endangered Southern Right Whale. As well as the marine life there are almost 300 species of beautiful multi-coloured birds.You can hire a car or travel on Africa’s last remaining passenger steam train the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe. Whilst the train doesn’t stretch the entire length of the Garden Route it’s still worth checking out. The Baz Bus is a good budget option.

4 Knysna

Photo: slack12

Knsyna is a charming town in the middle of the Garden Route which deserves a special mention because it’s a great place to have fun, relax and enjoy some great food. Whilst in Knysna be sure to enjoy their wonderful oysters, I was lucky enough to visit during the Oyster Festival. Kynsna is a big pull for artists due to the lovely views and relaxing atmosphere. An area that appeals to both artists and water sport fanatics is Knysna Heads where you can find a lagoon which is perfect wave jumping (a sport I would highly recommend) and it also provides incredible sunsets for the artists and tourists alike. I found Knysna as a perfect place to stop off and relax for a few days, whenever I meet South Africans I always tell them how much I liked Knysna and they all agree it’s one of the country’s gems.

5 Stellenbosh

Photo: Pietrolambert

Stellenbosh is South Africa’s second oldest town having been established in 1679 and it’s highlight is the incredible wine route which has 44 cellars. There is a vast range of wines produced in the area, whilst it is classed as ’Cabernet country’ my personal preference would be Pinotage (but each to their own!) As you travel from cellar to cellar you will find the area very visitor friendly, each cellar’s entrance is clearly signposted and many of the cellars offer tours as well as fantastic lunches in beautiful gardens or restaurants – naturally you will have the chance to enjoy one or two bottles of local wine!

6 Oudtshoorn

Photo: Astrid Walter

Oudtshoorn maybe an unusual choice and not one of South Africa’s most famous towns but it one that I would definitely recommend. If you’ve ever fancied riding an ostrich then Oudtshoorn is the place to visit! It’s known as the Ostrich Capital of South Africa and here you can actually ride one (which is an interesting experience to say the least!) Most hostels/hotels also serve Ostrich eggs for breakfast, the eggs are naturally rather large and very rich in flavour. Meat-eaters might fancy trying the Ostrich sausages and steaks which are readily available. Oudtshoorn isn’t just about the Ostriches, it also popular with cyclists and it’s a great spot to wind down after the madness of Cape Town.

7 Durban

Photo: Rouzeh

Durban is South Africa’s third or forth main city but it’s also the friendliest. Durban is famous for its “Golden Mile” which is a string of beaches filled with surfers plus it’s a shark free zone (which is always a bonus!). After a relaxing time at the beach head to Durban’s Promenade where you can find various hotels, pubs, restaurants, shops and the impressive Marine World Aquarium. Durban is also well known for having a large Indian population who’ve set up Victoria Indian Street Market which makes for an interesting trip. Here you can see mosques, temples, exotic shops and restaurants where you try some delicious Indian cuisine.

8 Kruger National Park

Photo: Arno & Louise

No trip to South Africa would be complete without visiting the Kruger National Park. The Park is Africa’s oldest having been founded in 1898. The Kruger is located five hours north of Johannesburg and has a huge variety of wildlife including the famous  “Big Five” which includes buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions and rhino. When visiting you can hire a 4×4 and drive round yourself, should you take this option there are plenty of places to stay including bungalows, caravans, chalets, cottages or campsites. Personally I opted to go on a tour; this allowed me to be taken around by professionals who knew every area of the park and wildlife living there (as opposed to me heading into the park on my own-where I could potentially be eaten by a lion!)

9 Soweto

Photo: ironmanixs

Whilst Soweto is not the best looking location it’s classed as one of the most important and educating sights in the country. Soweto is a huge township where more than 3.5 million people live and it covers 90 square miles. The area is broken into three different areas – the rich, middle class and the poor. There are vast areas covered by shanty huts, all of which would have been made by people who occupy them. A tour of Soweto is very humbling and should really be witnessed, plus it’s the safest way to visit a township. I was introduced to one of the residents in his own home and taken to a shebeen (once illegal drinking holes in South Africa) where I got to sit down and have a chat with locals. I was also taken to Nelson Mandela’s old house and to the Hector Pieterson Memorial.

10 The Drakensburg Mountains

Photo: Neonman

The Drakensburg Mountains stretches for approximately 600 miles along the entire length of KwaZulu-Natal’s western boundary. It’s an incredible location where you can hike, bird/game watch, horse ride or go on a safari. There is also the opportunity to follow 4×4 trails, go quad biking, rock climbing or white water rafting. Also try and visit the Royal Natal National Park which is rated as one of the most beautiful parts of the Drakensberg, It is the host of Mont-aux-Sources (one of the highest mountains in the Drakensberg) and the stunning Tugela Falls. The park is ideal for hikers, horse riders and rock climbers. Try the eco-tour Karkloof Canopy who offer a steel cable tour 30metres above the forest floor allowing you to witness the incredible scenery and bird-life.

South Africa is an incredible and diverse country that has a lot to offer visitors, hopefully my top ten will help you plan your trip. After I left I remembered how true the Big Five Safari website description of the South Africa expereince is. In it’s opening paragraph is states: “Be warned – once you have visited our country, you WILL spend the rest of your life longing to return!”.

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Australia is an incredible country; there is something for everyone. If you are a party animal you can head up the East Coast, if you prefer scenery then the West Coast is the way forward. Australia has some excellent cities; my favourites included Melbourne, Perth and Sydney whilst one place I would recommend avoiding is Canberra – a random city in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do or see. If possible try to buy a car, whilst it’s more expensive it allows you to see so much more and gives the flexibility a country like Australia needs.

I have listed my ten favourite places, they aren’t in any particular order just places that I would recommend visiting.

1 The Red Centre

Photo: nielsvk

The Red Centre is a made up of a trilogy of sites; Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Kings Canyon. When visiting the incredible Uluru you have are two options; you can walk around it or up it, many tourists tend to attempt to climb it but Aboriginals prefer people to avoid climbing it as it is one of their spiritual monuments. During the walk around you will have the opportunity to see aboriginal drawings dating back 10,000 years, it‘s a fantastic but tiring walk. Whilst Uluru is incredible, I felt its’ neighbour Kata Tjuta was more impressive. Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) is 25km from Uluru, it has 36 sandstone domes and covers almost 22km². You can go on an 8km walk across the boulders; there is a wonderful feeling of peace as you walk around, there is often a gentle breeze blowing which helps you take your time.

The final part of the trilogy is Kings Canyon which 300 metres high and overlooks Kings Creek. Like the other two it’s another incredible site; there are two walks to choose from. The first is a 2km which takes you along the bottom of the gorge but if you have travelled all the way to Kings Canyon you might as well do the full walk so you can appreciate the total experience.

2 Great Barrier Reef

Photo: Vandelizer

No trip to Australia would be complete without visiting the Great Barrier Reef. It is located in Queensland, and is the world’s largest coral reef which is spread over 2,600 km and has approximately 900 islands. The most famous area is the Whitsundays. If you know someone who has visited The East Coast it’s highly likely you have received a postcard with a picture of The Whitsundays. I would recommend going out on a boat tour, ideally for a few days so that you can take in the sights and go scuba diving as well as enjoying incredible cuisine that is often served on the boats. There are all types of deals on offer. The Great Barrier Reef has all kinds of incredible fish including clownfish (remember Nemo), manta rays, red bass, red-throat emperor, snapper, tiger sharks and yellow-faced angelfishes, then there’s also beautiful coloured coral, beware of the fire coral-it will hurt!

3 Fraser Island

Photo: name

Fraser Island is an incredible location; it’s actually believed to be the largest sand island in the world and spreads across 1840 km². Sadly some people find themselves having to choose between Fraser Island and a trip out to Whitsundays but if possible try to do both – You won‘t be disappointed. Most tours start at Hervey Bay on the mainland where you collect your four wheel drive vehicle, do your food and alcohol shopping before getting the ferry to Fraser Island. Once on the Island you will have two or three days driving around on the sand, trying to avoid crashing whilst checking out various interesting spots such as the famous Champagne Pool which is great to lie in or the Wreck of the Maheno which provides a perfect photo opportunity. A tip-beware of the Dingos! They sometimes come into the camp grounds at night looking for food but don’t approach people. It’s a fun experience, plus you get to chose to where to camp each night.

4 Purnululu National Park

Photo: Mgjefferies

Purnululu National Park is located in Western Australia. Unfortunately, due to its’ location this part of the country is often bypassed but on a positive it means that it remains quite untouched. Western Australia was my favourite part of the country, it’s very beautiful and you rarely see other travellers so you get a feeling there you‘re the only ones there. When you visit Purnululu National Park Bungle Bungle is the area to be seen. It was often used as an excuse for Helen Daniels (TV show ‘Neighbours’ character) when she needed a break from the show, she was always said to be heading to the Bungle Bungles to paint. The Bungle Bungles are tiger-striped sandstone rocks which are an incredible sight. At the Bungle Bungles you can go for various walks at ground level which gives you one view, alternatively go can go up in a helicopter and get a birdseye view. I chose to go up in a helicopter, whilst it wasn’t cheap it was well worth it, the view was incredible.

5 Barossa Valley

Photo: Michael Dawes

In Barossa Valley I fell in love with wine, in particular red wine. Barossa Valley is Australia’s most famous wine region with brands such as Penfolds, Orlando Wines, Wolf Blass and Yalumba. It well worth going on a tour around the Valley which will allow you to visit different wineries, it’s best to avoid driving so you can enjoy the wineries without worrying about driving home. I went with Prime Mini Tours and had the pleasure of five winery visits, The Barossa Distillery, Keg Factory and a three course dinner where I enjoyed barramundi, crocodile and kangaroo.

6 Kangaroo Island

Photo: Augustusoz

Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third biggest Island, it’s only smaller than Tasmania and Melville Island. To get to the Island you need to get a ferry from Adelaide. A lot of people hold off visiting Kangaroo Island and opt to visit Philip Island, each to their own but Kangaroo Island has some wonderful wildlife including an Albino Wallaby which I was lucky enough to witness, Sea Lions and lots of little blue penguins which come on land at sunset for feeding, plus the Island is less touristy. I would recommend using Daniel’s Tours, a tour run by one of the locals on the Island.

7 Broome

Photo: Yaruman5

Broome is unlikely to find its way onto many lists, like Purnululu National Park it is located in Western Australia and gets missed. Broome is the place to get your pearls, but realistically visitors go to Broome to relax and for Cable Beach – Broome’s famous beach is one of Australia‘s top ten beaches. Broome is possibly the most relaxing place I have ever been, time just seems to disappear. I had planned to stay for a couple of days and ended up staying a week, I recommended to my sister to go for a week and she stayed two and half months. It really is a special place which is perfect for relaxing, you should also visit the open air cinema which makes for a good night before hitting the pub. If you are going to stay in a hostel then The Kimberley Klub is the way forward, it is a very friendly hostel with its own bar and swimming pool should you not fancy heading to the beach.

8 Byron Bay

Photo: baddogwhiskas

Byron Bay is a beachside town in New South Wales. After spending time in Sydney and Brisbane, Byron Bay provides a perfect escape from city life. Byron Bay is a is very relaxing location, the local community is full of artists which gives it a creative feel. Byron Bay is perfect to have a break as well as picking up some lovely gifts for family and friends. Whilst you’re near the beach it is always nice having a swimming pool, the YHA hostel offers both cheap and clean accommodation as well as a good sized pool.

9 Kakadu National Park

Photo: Trevor Page

Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory, it makes for a special stop. The national park is very large, it covers an area of 4,894,000 acres. The park is nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres from east to west. You will find Alligator Rivers running through Kakadu. You can drive in yourself but it’s best to take a tour, often the tours will allow you to meet local Aborignals who have opted to stay in their ancestral homes rather than moving to cities. The tour guides can take you to the best parts plus they won‘t get lost, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at Twin Falls. At the time I was there you had a 200m swim to get there but I’ve heard that has all changed and there is now a walkway… Remember to avoid the wet season as large parts of the park are closed and the crocs come out to play!

10 Great Ocean Road

Photo: Rob Michalski

The Great Ocean Road stretches along the south-eastern coast of Australia between Torquay and Warrnambool and lasts for 243km. The journey is one to be savoured, there are various look-out points to stop at and look at the scenery. The views consist of different rocks jutting out of the ocean; the most renowned is the “Twelve Apostles”, which provide for fantastic photographs especially at sunset and sunrise. I would allow yourself a full day to take in the sights, again it’s highly recommended to drive yourself. There are various options for day trips but it’s better to stop where you want rather than have a guide dictate where you stop.

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Christmas always seems to be a big problem when you have a partner. Normally two months before Christmas the inevitable question is asked, “Where are we going for Christmas, yours or mine?” It’s always a hard call, my now wife and I often find ourselves in a tricky situation as I’m English and she’s Irish so we can’t please everyone. We have now decided to spend one year in Ireland, then England and for the third year we please ourselves. On this occasion we booked a trip to Paris…

Arrival a few days before Christmas

We chose a hotel located in Rue Mouffetard – a lively area with a wide range of bars, restaurants and my partner’s favourite, shops! On our first day we had a good walk around, we didn’t have any set plan we just pleased ourselves. We visited a mix of churches, museums, parks and more shops. As we’d both been to Paris before we didn’t feel the need to visit the main tourist sights although we did decide to spend half a day in the Louvre. This was a good choice, especially because my wife studied the history of art and is now an expert.

Christmas experience at the Mosque?

Photo credit

We went exploring the local area and stumbled across the Paris Mosque. The Mosque was beautiful and very welcoming, we both sat in the peaceful courtyard for an hour and enjoyed Arabian teas, sweets and a hookah. Lots of visiting pretty yellow and green finches befriended us and it wasn’t long before my animal loving wife was off buying food with the sole purpose of feeding the birds. It was an unusual but enjoyable experience to find ourselves sitting in the courtyard of a mosque at Christmas.

Food & evening entertainment

In the evenings we would head to Rue Mouffetard for dinner before going to one of the North African bars for tea and to smoke Hookahs (by now I was getting a real taste for them). The bars were very different to what I was used to, they are dark and the air filled with fruit flavoured smoke. The customer base was mostly made up of Moroccans, Tunisians, a few French people and us. Looking in through the window we were a little apprehensive, we weren’t sure if we would be welcome but once inside everyone was very friendly and chatty, so much so that we returned most evenings.

Christmas Eve

Photo credit

We spent the day walking around Paris, thankfully most restaurants were open and we chose to eat in the Restaurant Le Jardin D’Ivy an excellent restaurant where I enjoyed 12 snails bathed in garlic and a perfect ‘blue’ peppered steak. On our way back to the hotel at midnight the local church’s bells started ringing and we made a decision to join the congregation at midnight mass. We glad we did we did, it was very atmospheric and there was a real mixture of people.

Sushi on Christmas Day..?

On Christmas Day as we feared there wasn’t much open, although we did eventually manage to find a bakery open where we bought croissants for breakfast. The rest of the day was spent walking around parks, stopping off at cafes and doing a bit of window shopping.

Photo credit

It was easy enough to get lunch but as the day went on, more and more restaurants closed. We had popped to supermarket the previous day for supplies just in case we had to have a picnic in our hotel room! Just as we were thinking about cracking open the emergency supplies we spotted a Japanese restaurant called Edogawa. It had already been a very different Christmas so why not have Japanese as our Christmas dinner? We filled up on miso soup and huge amounts of sushi – it was Christmas so we ordered everything! The meal was perfect and only cost €24 for the two of us.

Spending our Christmas in Paris was an unique and pretty random experience but also very enjoyable!

Paris: the lowdown and visitor tips

Paris is a beautiful and romantic city and definitely worth visiting. Tourists flock here to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre among many other sites. To help you once there I would recommend a fantastic guide book – Cartoville, the one issue is that it isn’t published in English as it really does take you off the main tourist track.

Paris has an excellent metro system which makes everything very accessible and I recommend going without an itinerary and just enjoy discovering the city for yourself. Food and drink is fairly reasonably priced in Paris, as long as you avoid eating anywhere near the Champs-Élysées.

Getting there

We booked our outgoing flight from Dublin to Paris with Aer Lingus. We landed in Charles de Gaulle and jumped straight on a bus into the centre of Paris. Another good airline to try is Easyjet.

Where to stay

We nearly always stay near the Champs-Élysées, but this this time we booked into Les Grand Hotel Des Gobelins which was a small and friendly hotel in the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is a very authentic Parisian area with a mix of families and students and not many tourists.

Other popular and good value hotels in Paris:

• Grand Hotel Francais Paris
• Hotel Gramont Opera Paris
• Lenox Montparnasse Hotel
• Or search all hotels in Paris…

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It doesn’t take a genius to know that’s it’s a tough time to find a job at the moment. There are thousands of people seeking jobs, people who have just finished college or university, others who have been made redundant and then of course there is the long-term unemployed. If you are unable to find a job you might think it’s a good time to go travelling, although you might not have the funds and you might not be guaranteed of getting casual work once travelling. In places like Australia or New Zealand most unemployed local people are taking the roles backpackers once occupied. Having said that it’s not all doom and gloom and there are still options out there!

Ski Resorts

If you like snow and fancied a bit of a change this is an excellent time of year to look for opportunities of working in ski resorts. For example Highlife Ski & Snowboard are actively looking for Chefs and Resort Managers in the French Alps. You can also find adverts for more casual positions as well. Although these jobs might not be considered career moves you will have the opportunity to work in a different country and gain some excellent life experience. Another bonus is that you get to go skiing for free!

Bar Work

If ski resorts aren’t your thing why not opt for bar work? Bar staff positions are regularly advertised in Germany and Spain and not just in the summer but all year round. Okay the money won’t be great but the cost of living is a lot lower and you’re sure to have tonnes of fun. Dubai is also another location to consider, the rapid development and the large ex-pat community means that they are often seeking staff to work in bars, restaurants etc. Even in other areas of the Middle East employers are often looking for English speaking staff to work in and manage bars. Not having to pay tax on your income makes working in the Middle East an attractive option.

TEFL

I first heard of TEFL when I was in Australia, admittedly I didn’t know what it was. My friend explained it was Teaching English as a Foreign Language, it’s a perfect job for someone who loves to travel. Not only will you be able to visit lots of new countries and get paid whilst you are there, but it’s also a recession proof job! To compete in the increasingly tough job market people in many (non-English speaking) countries are trying gain a competetive edge by taking on extra English lessons, leading to a demand for more teachers.

To become a TEFL teacher is quite simple, you can complete a course which lasts a month (full-time) or three months (part-time). Once you have passed you can start applying for your teaching role. Positions are advertised on different job boards online as well as in printed press such as The Guardian on a Thursday.

If you successfully complete your TEFL course a completely different world will open up to you! You could literally go anywhere in the world. In Europe there are lots of jobs available, including many in Eastern Europe, Spain and Italy. You could teach English tax free in The Middle East (although you may need a degree for this) and there are always positions available in Central and South America.

The good thing about TEFL is that you can make a career out of it. You could become a teacher trainer or you could end up eventually running a school, alternatively you could just use the job to travel. Each year you can take a new contract and visit new cities.

So with all the doom and gloom out there why not try something different and work abroad?

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Rome is a wonderful place. It’s a truly beautiful and sometimes mysterious city. Rome was my home for over two years and these were some of the best years of my life so far. During my time there I learned a lot, although it’s an incredible place it also be a hard place to visit. I hope this guide will help you enjoy this famous and ancient city even more.

Getting around

My first recommendation is to avoid taxis! Personally I am not a big fan taxi drivers anyway but in Rome 90% of the time you feel you have been ripped off. Rome is a fairly small place and easy to navigate around. You can get around most of the city using the bus or my favourite option, walking. Avoid the bus tours everyone tries to sell you and buy either a one day travel pass (€4) or a three day pass (€11). This will entitle you to unlimited travel around the whole of Rome.

Where to stay

When you visit Rome like with so many cities, it’s important to chose the right location when you’re looking for somewhere to stay. I have a few suggestions, Piazza Venezia or Piazza Barberini would be a good choice because of their central location. St Peters and The Vatican is a nice area to stay but it can be a little harder to get to other places from. My personal preference would be to stay in Trastevere; this would give you a real Roman experience although there are only a handful of hotels located there.

Termini seems to be a popular tourist location because it has plenty of cheap hotels and is accessible to all the main sights in Rome. Personally I would avoid Termini, the restaurants are appalling and the crime rate here is above average.

Places to see

No matter how many days you plan to spend in Rome it will never be enough. When people come to Rome they often only stay for two or three days so here is a suggested itinerary for two days:

Recommended Itinerary – Day 1

1. Early Morning: Take a trip to St Peters. If possible try to visit before 9am as you will beat the crowds and get a completely different experience to one when it is full of hundreds of people all taking photos and driving you crazy.
2. When you have finished at St.Peters follow the surrounding wall around to the Vatican museum (on your way you will see a little ice cream shop on your right, my personal favourite in all of Rome). Again it is best to get to the museum as early as possible as the queues can get ridiculous. Ignore the people trying to sell you tours and head in on your own, you can always hire an audio guide once inside. Allow a couple of hours in the museum.
3. Once you have finished in the museum jump on the metro and head in the direction of Termini for three stops. Once at Flaminio jump off and head to Piazza del Popolo. I would imagine that you are now feeling a little hungry and in need of a beer. A great stop for excellent pizzas is Pizza Re (Pizza King) on Via di Ripetta.
4. Next head along Via del Corso and check out the shops. Some shops you might like and some you might wonder who the hell buys the stuff in them. Romans tend to have a unique sense of fashion (as you will see from those around you!).
5. Follow the signs or your map to the Trevi Fountain, once there beware of beggars and people trying to sell you useless rubbish.
6. Round the corner from the Trevi Fountain you will find the famous Spanish Steps. Walk and up feel free to count them (if you’re feeling masochistic!). Now with your back to the steps, head right and make your way to Barberini (along Via Sistina).
7. Once at Barberini you will see one of Bernini’s famous fountains, an impressive sight before the final part of the journey. Walk along Via Barberini until you come to Piazza della Repubblica. If you feel like you’ve earned a special treat, I would suggest sitting outside the Boscolo Hotel and enjoy an expensive but well deserved Mojito.
8. After a pretty hectic day you might fancy a quiet meal. I would recommend “Perdincibacco” next to St.Peters on Via delle Fornaci. The food here is good and you’ll get a very good litre of house red for just €6.

Recommended Itinerary – Day 2

1. The first stop is to visit the Colosseum, if possible I would suggest trying to get a ticket in advance, there is a good chance you can get it from your hotel or they will point you in the right direction. Again avoid the offers of tour guides or having your photo taken people dressed up as gladiators. It may look fun but they will charge you over €10 for the privilege!
2. After you’ve exhausted the Colosseum head to the Forum , here you can walk around ancient ruins for free.
3. You will end up in Piazza Venezia, from here it would be a good spot to stop for a coffee. In cafes you will rarely see Italians sitting down having a coffee, this is because they know the coffee prices are ridiculous in tourist spots (two or three times the normal price!)
4. After you’ve enjoyed your probably very expensive coffee, make your way down Via del Corso until you see signs on your left for the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a very busy spot, but a good mix of locals and tourists. Once past the crowds head inside and have a good look around, it’s an incredible monument and my personal favourite.
5. For lunch you can do as Romans do and stop off for Pizza al Taglio. You will probably have seen various places selling large slabs of pizza. A slice of pizza will be cut off for you depending how hungry you are! They will then weigh it and tell you how much you owe. The pizza in Rome is incredible and very different to what you have probably eaten in the rest of the world!
6. After the Pantheon and lunch make your way to Piazza Navona and Campo di Fiori (field of flowers, not that you will see any there!), both places are fantastic spots to stop for a coffee (this time it’s worth paying the extra and having a seat). Kick back, take a rest and do some quality people watching. Caffe della Pace behind Piazza Navona it isn’t a cheap stop at €5 for a freshly squeezed orange juice, but it’s well worth it.
7. Once the sun has gone down, I would highly recommend heading back to the Colosseum to get some photos, an incredible sight with the lights inside turned on.
8. Then head to Trastevere and take a stroll around the cobbled streets before choosing one of the many excellent local restaurants. I would recommend “Da Agusto” or a lovely trattoria “Da Lucia.” A good tip when choosing a restaurant is that if you see a group of Italians waiting outside it’s a pretty safe bet.
9. After dinner and maybe an ice cream (you can’t come to Rome and not try their ice cream!) you may fancy a bar or club. Most tourists would head to Campo di Fiori but some of the city’s best night clubs are in Testaccio. Rome’s nightclubs are a pretty unusual experience but definitely worth a visit.

Rome is a wonderful place with so much to offer. If you enjoy it half as much as I did you I’m sure you’ll have a great time!

Rome: the Lowdown

Rome is the capital of Italy and is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber river. Rome is a very historic city and is over two and a half thousand years old and was one of the founding and most powerful cities in Western Civilization. It is often cited as one of the best cities to visit in the world. Rome has hot dry summers, wet and cold winters and pleasant temperatures in spring and autumn. It is not uncommon to have fine beach weather from the start of May until the middle of October.

Good value popular hotels in Rome

• WRH Trastevere (One of only a few hotels in Trastevere)
• Apollo Hotel (near the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain)
• Hotel Artorius (quiet but very central location)
• Caesar House Residenze Romane (close to the Colosseum with views over the Roman Forum)
• Or search over 30 major travel sites at once to find the best price for all hotels in Rome.

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It’s always hard to decide where to go on holiday, you can spend hours flicking through brochures only to have a longer wish list than you started with. This year I took the easy option, I got my retired dad to check out the internet for possible options. All I told him that we wanted to go somewhere in either France or Spain for a relaxing week. He came back to me within two hours with La Rochelle.

Even though we didn’t really know what to expect, in the past my dad had never let me down so my girlfriend and I both agreed to give it a go. We then tried to find out as much information on La Rochelle as we could. After researching on the internet and speaking to a few people it sounded just the sort of thing we were looking for. We found an article that recommended boat rides, gondolas (which weren’t really gondolas but the French equivalent!), Ile de Ré (Island of the King) and one particular restaurant by the name of Andrès. After reading the article I wanted to do everything, I knew that this really wasn’t possible but still it’s always nice to plan ahead and to at least try and fit everything in!

We managed to find and book a very reasonable flight and an excellent hotel. We stayed at The Mercure – a very comfortable three star hotel with an amazing view of the port and luxury boats. During the short taxi journey from the airport to the hotel we were amazed at how lovely the place was. La Rochelle doesn’t have the highest volume of air traffic so we were limited to a 6.30am flight from Dublin. When we arrived we were pretty tired from the lack of sleep but we didn’t mind because we got to see the city whilst everyone was still sleeping.

Arrival breakfast and a good start

Having dropped our bags off at the hotel we headed out to explore, our first port of call was to get some breakfast, you really can’t beat fresh croissants… a perfect way to start any holiday. We made our way around the city’s port and were amazed at the number of restaurants and bars. It wasn’t long before they were filling up, the port was soon packed with people, most of whom were French. Generally when I have been to on holiday to tourist spots I have only ever heard English being spoken.

I was very impressed with La Rochelle, a place where I could even quite happily settle down. For a decent sized property just out of town you can pay around €250,000 or €300,000 for somewhere more central. It has definitely given us both something to think about for the future!

After quite a competitive game of crazy golf we made our way across the road to a lovely little bar where we ordered two “Plat Du Jours” (Plates of the day) which happened to be an impressive “Moule Mariner” (a classic and popular French dish of mussels) but to our disgust neither of us could finish the huge amount of fish on our plates.

Incredible seafood restaurants

In the evening we visited the highly recommended Restaurant Andrè and we found the recommendation wasn’t unjustified. We opted for one of their set menus and we were impressed. In the past, my experiences of UK/Irish set menus haven’t really been that positive, yet on the continent they often offer an excellent choice and it was no different at Andrès. Our main dish was Fruits de Mer (Fruits of the Sea). There was an incredible amount of fish all very tasty and all for €26. Another positive was that I finally got the hang of eating crabs and oysters! The meal was truly superb, normally when I see lots of restaurants in a tourist area I am usually sceptical, but this wasn’t the case for La Rochelle.

Andrès was wonderful but it’s neighbour Bistrot Des Pecheurs was even better. If you wanted to take a break from big fish dinners there are also excellent kiosks were you could purchase fresh baguettes, crepes, gallettes or fries with mayonnaise.

Markets, street performers and water pipes

We came across a few clubs but for those who enjoy a quieter break (like myself) there were also plenty of other options on offer; incredible restaurants, various market stalls and lively street performers. In the market we came across the quirky artist Mateo Vullo and his stall where he was selling pictures that were designed on his computer, they all had the same theme – what La Rochelle had to offer (including the restaurants, bars, beach, aquarium or just meeting a potential lover!)

Another stand out place was a bar called L’Eescale Orientale where we enjoyed a strawberry “narguile” (a water pipe) and an impressive range of Eastern teas, to us, the perfect way to finish a relaxing day.

Overall I would definitely recommend La Rochelle for a holiday. Aside from just relaxing, shopping and eating you can take a boat trip or hire bikes and ride to the Ile de Ré. You could also enjoy a quiet journey on the “bateliers” (the gondolier that isn’t a gondolier!) or visit the well-designed aquarium or one of the various city museums. Ideally we’d have liked to have seen a lot more but at least it means that we’ll have to go back one day!

La Rochelle – The Lowdown

La Rochelle is a city in South-West France on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is an unspoilt and historic seaside town and it is also a good base to use for visits to the Bordeaux wine country or to Cognac. La Rochelle’s weather is dominated by a Gulf Stream which moderates temperatures and keeps La Rochelle warm through the year. In the centre of La Rochelle is an old port, called the Vieux Port.

Getting there

The airport de La Rochelle serves Airlinair (air France), Ryanair, Flybe, and Easyjet. Buses running Monday through Saturday take you to La Rochelle centre.

Where to stay

Search over 30 major travel sites at once to find the cheapest price and best hotels in La Rochelle.

Other Popular hotels in La Rochelle

• Best Western Masqhotel
• Hotel Les Brises
• Les Gens de Mer
• Premiere Classe Aytre Hotel
• Ibis Centre Hotel La Rochelle

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