Ireland: Some West Coast Highlights

Written by Kate Power

If you’ve always imagined Ireland as a mythical place with rolling hills and rugged mountains, a new tour route called the Wild Atlantic Way will prove it. It’s a long distance drive that stretches right down the west coast of Ireland. Over 1500 miles from Malin Head in County Donegal in the North to Kinsale in County Cork in the South, taking in cliffs and beaches, ancient sites, modern sports, the heartiest food and the best pint of Guinness. Here are a couple of our picks along the coast for holidays in Ireland. 

Dungloe, County Donegal

Steeped in absolute natural beauty, Dungloe in County Donegal is pretty close to heaven on earth. The intensely rugged coastline is totally unspoilt. Walk the soft sands of Cloughglass Beach and soak up the view over the wild Atlantic Ocean. Visit Mount Errigal only 30 minutes’ drive from Dungloe and a great choice for hiking and walking fans.

County Donegal : Photo Credit: mjmkeating

Clifden, County Galway

Head down the coast via Sligo before you hit County Galway. It’s good for foodies, for nature lovers or aspiring musicians. There is something for everyone in Galway. Take in the Galway Food Festival or the Clarinbridge Oyster Fest. One of our favourite things to do is a visit to the beautiful Aran Islands, just off the coast. This isn’t the island hopping you might be used to. Grab a rental bike and soak up gorgeous views, amazing historic sites and lots of fun on the ‘Islands of Saints and Scholars.’ Head into Galway City where you will find the perfect pint of Guinness in a traditional pub like Tigh Neachtains. Galway City is home to some of the best live traditional music too and Tigh Coili or Monroe’s have lively trad nights most days of the week.

Join Me for a Taste of Punjabi Culture

Written by Angel de la Flor

A trip to India was one of the craziest experiences I have had in any country. I was one of the delegates from several countries to participate in the International Youth Peace Festival (IYPF). One of the organizers approached me to become a part of the cultural fashion show. I went with other five representatives from China, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and experienced the unique way of the Punjabi culture.

I was dressed in a traditional Indian wedding attire as a woman participant in my own mock wedding ceremony. I was so fascinated with the traditional Punjabi wedding dress, Lehenga, and all parts of being dressed up.  How can I forget the students who did the magic of making me look like a real Indian bride. To complete the preparation, one of them painted Mehndi on my palm, a ceremonial art decorated to a bride’s hands, arms and feet. These young women really did an awesome job.

Himanshu Nagpal of New Delhi INDIA

35. Featured Traveller 

Himanshu Nagpal

Senior Business Analyst : Traveller 

(New Delhi, INDIA)

                               

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” 

― Gustave Flaubert

We are, indeed, lucky to have the opportunity to feature Himanshu from New Delhi. He works in a corporate world and spend Monday to Friday at his desk working to earn enough to live his travel dreams. You won't believe it. It took months for us to finalize this interview and publish his story. Understandably, my invitation came in time for his trip to the United Kingdom.

Flag of India

Being a traveller, he is keen on keeping his travel budget intact. "Budget and planning are the most important part of any trip and plays a very important role", he says. "It is necessary and quite helpful to keep an eye on the travel fares months before so you can capture the best deal. Also, it is best to plan so that money is not wasted on places which you do not want to visit or are over-hyped", he adds. Himanshu still believes that most of the beautiful places are natural and free to visit, so much so that one can reduce travel expenses.

Himanshu has been travelling to cities and towns of his country. Outside of India, he has travelled to Thailand and very recently explored England. It is his first time away from family during the Diwali festival. He spends most of the holiday season, including Christmas in the United Kingdom wandering the beautiful places in England.

Beach Shack in Goa INDIA

Just like most travellers, he believes that the beauty and happiness in travelling is just around his backyard. There are many places in India that is waiting to be discovered. Himanshu invites his fellow travellers and readers of this blog to re-discover India. He can tell you many stories about India in his own travel blog, Being Traveler.

Continue reading his story.....

13 Tips to Help You Save on Airfare

Written by Stephanie Lynch

It's no secret that buying an airline ticket could set you back hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.  If you don't carefully plan your purchasing ahead of time, you could be spending close to 50 percent of your travel budget on airline tickets alone.

Since most of us don't mind saving a dollar or two, let's explore 13 ways you can save a lot of money on your next airline ticket.

13.  Fare Alerts

Many airfare websites and airlines have fare alerts that you can sign up for free.  With these alerts, you can simply insert your itinerary and you will be notified every time the fare prices drop. Fare alert websites include FareWaterPlus, Bing Travel and TripAdvisor.com/flights.

12.  Buy a Package

Since there's a good chance that you're going to get a hotel and maybe even a rental car, consider buying everything in one package.  In the travel industry, the more you purchase, the more you're likely to save.

11.  Watch the Extra Fees

While that $200 airline ticket could look appealing, the price in the end may be a lot more than that.  With airlines charging for checked in bags, assigned seating and other miscellaneous fees, make sure that you closely research the hidden fees before buying an airline ticket.  If possible, try to stick to low fare airlines like Southwest.

The Authentic Traveler: A Voyage on a Wine-Dark Sea

Written by Douglas Arvidson

“Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going.” ~ Paul Theroux

                                                                                                             

“Take the long way home.” ~ Supertramp, 1979

Paul Theroux, the novelist and travel writer, is sometimes a curmudgeon, sometimes a cranky realist, and is always impatient with so-called travelers who insist on getting where they are going the easy way. I’m one of those travelers who would rather take that easy way and so Theroux is a dubious hero of mine. I don’t really want to travel as fearlessly as he does: living, somehow, out of one small bag without bathing for days on end, and enduring, without complaint, any of the many varieties of sickness travelers can suffer from. But neither do I want to be a mere tourist; I, too, want to be an authentic traveler.

Final preparations for leaving Guam

So, I will travel Paul Theroux style if I must—if it is worth it. Last year a friend of mine—we had been long-time neighbors living on our sail boats on the island of Guam—invited me to help sail his boat from Guam to Cebu, an island set back deep in the vast Philippine archipelago. We would leave in the middle of April, after the trade winds had died down a bit. It would take maybe ten or eleven days. There would be six of us, so watches would be relatively short and there would long periods to relax—to read, fish, to sleep, to contemplate the sea.