All posts filed under: Wandering

Flashpacker Weekend Edition: Brussels, Belgium

Published by

Brussels can get a bad rap from tourists; frequently labeled as ugly and often overlooked in favour of prettier Bruges or cooler Antwerp. But on a recent three day trip, I found the Belgian city full of cobbled streets, cute houses and beautiful squares. Sure there’s some unattractive administrative buildings mixed in there too but considered overall, Brussels is jam packed with great restaurants, bars and cafes and has enough shopping and sights for a great weekend away. Top tip: Still not convinced Brussels is your best bit? If you have three days you can easily combine a visit to the city with a day trip to Ghent or Bruges- or even both. If you want to avoid the tourist throngs, opt for Ghent. It’s just as nice as Bruges but more low key. Back in Brussels, head out early in the morning and walk the pretty cobbled streets. Visit the Royal Palace and wander down towards the Palais de Justice, enjoying the beautiful architecture you encounter along the way. Then,  go to the European …

5 Top Tips for Keeping Fit on the Road

Published by

  Travel: It’s good for the soul but not always for the waistline. If you’re travelling medium to long term, you need to figure out realistic ways of staying fit on the road. Here are my top tips! #1 Let it go (just a little) First things first: don’t stress about it too much. If you’re on an amazing travel adventure, that should be your primary focus! Travel is unpredictable and you need to accept this means you may not be at your absolute fittest. But the amazing experiences you’ll have along the way should more than compensate! You’re out of your normal routine, moving around constantly and you don’t always know where you’ll be so there’s no way you can plan to fit in five full workout sessions a week. You’re going to have to adjust and fit them in when you can, if you can.Try to relax about it and be content with keeping a base level of fitness, even if it’s not your personal best! #2 Location, Location, Location I found that when …

Moving to Muscat? Top 10 things you need to know

Published by

You’ve accepted a job in Muscat, the capital of Oman. You’ve looked it up on the map after realising you only had the vaguest notion of where it actually is. You can now confidently describe its geographical positioning  and are getting a little sick of people quoting Chandler from Friends at you ‘You’re going to Yemen?!’ Here’s some tips and hints about life in Muscat, a mix of the practical and ‘you really should know this if you live here’. #1 It’s not Dubai You know this of course- you looked it up, remember?- but I mean in more than just the literal sense. You won’t find skyscrapers and malls with ski slopes in Muscat; Oman is more traditional than its Emirati neighbours and has made a concentrated effort to preserve its own culture while modernising. Although sometimes you may curse the poor selection of restaurants and bars when compared to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, I always found that on balance, I much preferred living somewhere that has still retained its own culture. Muscat has …

14 weeks, 5 countries, 2 continents: My Flashpacking adventure

Published by

Flash-What? Flashpacking! It’s backpacking but fancier. A new travel term coined for millenials who mix high and low end experiences to create a more authentic way of travelling. The Numbers 14 weeks, 5 countries, 2 continents, 13 flights, 11 buses, 8 ferries, 7 cities, 3 beach towns, 2 islands, 1 yoga retreat The Route Dublin- Abu Dhabi – Hanoi – Halong Bay – Sapa – Hoi An – An Bang – Ho Chi Minh –  Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville – Siem Reap –  Bangkok – Krabi – Railey – Koh Lanta – Ao Nang – Phi Phi – Bangkok – Brisbane – Shannon The Highlights Brisbane, Australia I went to Australia solely to see my brother Rory, his beautiful girlfriend Rachael and meet their almost 2 year old son, my nephew Lachie. It’s not that I didn’t want to explore the country but budget/time wise, it wasn’t realistic so this was a ten day, Christmas/family visit to finish off my trip. After almost 13 straight weeks of solo travelling and all the planning, organising and …

The Books that Made a Modern Nomad

Published by

Before I could travel, I would read about travel. I always wanted to go places and do things. My favourite books weren’t necessarily traditional travel books which I usually found a little tedious; lots of I went here and I ate this and I did that. I preferred biographies and memoirs that talked about women’s lives in interesting places; books about pioneering female foreign correspondents like Martha Gelhorn or explorers and diplomats like Gertude Bell. Reading biographical books about women like this made me truly believe that I could do the same thing. That’s why the books that really made an impact on me and made me want to travel weren’t actually what you would label as travel books. There are many wonderful, inspirational books I’ve read down through the years but these are the ones that I’ve read again and again, the ones I continuously turn to for inspiration and reassurance. Memoirs, novels and collections of journalism, they are all about strong women, exotic places, difficult lives and carving your own path in the world. The Place at the …

Nomad/Wanderer/Emigrant? On being Irish Abroad

Published by

Why don’t you live in Ireland? It’s a straight forward question that isn’t easy to answer. Like most people, I have a somewhat complicated relationship with the place I’m from. Not quite love/hate, more can’t live there but would like to be there slightly more often. I enjoy telling people how great a place to visit Ireland is- weather aside of course. The culture, the landscape, the craic. There’s history, music, food, drink and fun. Beautiful countryside, great hiking, world class surfing. Drive the Wild Atlantic Way!  And it’s true, Irish people really are friendly.   But no, I don’t want to live there. When I travel, people sometimes nod knowingly and mention the recession. But I didn’t leave Ireland for economic reasons. I’m that curious thing, an emigrant by choice. Which is a privilege, I’m aware. Years of economic mismanagement, political corruption and bad governance led Ireland into a devastating recession in 2008. Political policies in the following years did nothing to protect young people and their employment prospects. Successive governments protected pay and …

Your Life Is Ridiculous: Thoughts On Being a Modern Nomad

Published by

Your life is ridiculous, a friend messaged me after I emailed him from Thailand, en route to Australia, to organise having lunch in London in a few weeks time before I leave for Colombia. I’ve lived in Ireland, London, Uganda, Oman and quite soon, Colombia. I’ve visited over 25 countries and (once I touch down on Colombian soil) every continent except Antarctica- though I plan on seeing that before I’m 30! #lifegoals. So it’s fair to say I like to move around. I always wanted to travel. I can’t pinpoint the orgin of my wanderlust exactly but when I try, I come up with a hazy mix of being raised in a rural Irish village and devouring books and newspapers about what was going on in other places. My sisters subscription to Time magazine surely helped, with it’s articles about West Africa and South America. My Dad’s daily newspaper buying habit too; I remember at 15 almost obsessively following the Israel-Lebanon war during the summer of 2006; We didn’t have Wifi or Sky TV so …

You live in Oman?!

Published by

  ‘Where?’ is usually the response to ‘I live in Oman,’ or ‘Ooh, how exciting, what’s Jordan like?’ ‘Not Amman. Oh-man.’ Of course, some people give up the good fight and just tell people they live in Dubai. Everyone knows Dubai. I couldn’t possibly. I used to describe Oman, quite specifically as being ‘South of Saudi, beside Yemen; at the Eastern tip of the Arabian peninsula.’ ‘Oh. So quite close to Dubai then?’ Which it is, of course. I didn’t know very much about Oman when I accepted a teaching job there. In fact, that was part of what attracted me to the position in the first place. Now, having left after spending two years in the capital Muscat, the Omani Tourism Board should pay me for the sheer raving I do about the place. ‘Of course it’s safe! It’s actually safer than Dubai really, Omani’s are very welcoming towards Westerners and pretty liberal. No I never had to cover! We have everything you have at home- Starbucks, Zara. Yes we have pubs. And beaches!’ …

Love Letter to Cambodia

Published by

  I loved Cambodia from the first rain soaked evening I arrived in its rambling French colonial-era capital Phnom Penh. Coming from the craziness of Vietnam, where crossing the street means taking your life in your hands, I appreciated its laid back, easy going charm. People are different and so are travel experiences. I’ve heard some negative reports about Cambodia, but I can honestly say it was one of the best countries I’ve ever visited and somewhere I’d love to return to. The month I spent there can be summed up as: temples, yoga, beach, food, coffee, wine. AKA heaven. A word on the food; Cambodian food is often lessened when compared to the cuisine of its neighbours, Thailand and Vietnam. But I though Khmer food to be delicious! Their way of making curries reminded me of Malaysian cooking, delicately layered spice that’s tastier than just firing in chillies! Also, the French influence means there are some fantastic French restaurants. Try Le Cyclo in Phnom Penh for Bouef Bourginon followed by chocolate mousse! This is …