On The Road Again

Each and every year, more than one million people visit the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. Which is pretty impressive, when you realize that the population of this small, Atlantic island nation is only about 4.5 million. I guess it's a testament to these spectacular cliffs, which rise up more than 700 feet out of the sea on Ireland's west coast. I'd seen these cliffs before — in movies (like Harry Potter and the Princess Bride) and in plenty of photos. But actually seeing them in person? I was far more impressed than I thought I would be. The October morning of my journey to the Cliffs of Moher dawned chilly, but beautifully clear — a rarity for an autumn day in Ireland. I made my way to one of Paddywagon's pick-up spots in downtown Dublin, and happily climbed aboard a tour bus with a couple dozen others, all of us wiping the sleep out of our eyes. I vowed to stay awake, however — there was too much Irish countryside to enjoy. We set off from Dublin by 8 a.m., hit...

I cannot believe it took me this long to wake up to how wonderful Northern Ireland is. It’s only a couple of hours up the road from Dublin, but I’d barely explored it at all. Luckily, this year I was given several opportunities to see it from different angles and I keep falling more and more in love with it. As you may have noticed from some of my previous posts, I am a Game of Thrones fan. I have now visited several of the filming locations in Northern Ireland and even a few SECRET ones . So when I was asked to try out a new Game of Thrones Doors and Food tour with Glenara Elite, I was pretty excited. Nerdiness, food, drink AND beautiful Northern Ireland ?! Sign me up!  Game of Thrones Doors and Food Tour About Glenara Elite Glenara Elite Travel is a Northern Irish luxury tour and transport company run by Frances Galbraith. Her 16-seat mini van is plush, comfortable and intimate. I have done a couple of tours with Frances this year and have brought my mot...

In order to fund my expensive habit of going to as many places as humanely possible, I have had to develop some tactics to visit expensive cities on a budget. When I told people I’d booked an impulsive trip to the capital of Ireland after finding flights for £50 on skyscanner, everyone’s response was pretty similar… I hope you have a lot of money.  Apparently, Ireland’s expensive and the capital’s the dearest of all. People advised me that if I was venturing into more rural Ireland, the prices do go down a little. But in Dublin? I’d be bankrupt approximately 30 minutes after stepping off the plane. Ever the optimist, I replied that as I was only going for two days and am used to London prices, so it couldn’t be that bad… Could it? Is Dublin on a budget possible? I put it to the test and ventured to Dublin for a weekend with the aim to spent as little as possible. And here are my tips for saving money in Dublin! Cheap Transport in Dublin From the airport, you ca...