All posts tagged: wandering

Lagos, Portugal: The Best Activities

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Coming to the best spot in the Algarve and wondering how you’re going to spend your time? I’ve got you covered with the absolute best activities you can do in Lagos! Go Wild on the West Coast with TJ It’s the Algarve but not as you know it. Join TJ on his West Coast Adventure tour and you’ll explore the real Algarve – wilder and more rugged than the picture perfect beaches you’re used to! You need to be reasonably fit for this walk/hike/climb but it’s an amazing experience. TJ is such a knowledgable guide and the tour includes a sunset picnic (with wine, obvs) of delicious local produce. An absolute must do. Walk to Luz for Lunch There’s so many lovely walks you can do along by the coastline here but my favourite is walking from Porto De Mos beach to the pretty whitewashed village of Luz. Though slightly steep in places, this walk is suitable for pretty much all fitness levels- just make sure you bring plenty of water. The whole walk there …

How to Choose the Perfect Solo Adventure!

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Making the decision to travel solo- even if it’s slightly scary at the time- is often the easy part. The harder part is figuring out the best place to go! Of course, you can go wherever you want in this big wide world on your own! But there are some places especially suited to solo travel- places you’ll have amazing adventures, unforgettable experiences and meet incredible new people (remember, travel friends are often life friends!) So, if you’ve made the decision to hit the road by yourself but you’re not quite sure where to go, I’ve got you covered. I’ve rounded up the best spots for solo travelers around the world, what ever your interests or travel preferences may be!   You’re a Nervous First Timer If you’re feeling nervous about going solo, try somewhere with a well developed tourist industry like Portugal or Thailand. Both offer amazing cultural experiences, great food and beautiful scenery as well as decent infrastructure and lots of other tourists/travelers to connect with! You’re a Reasonably Confident First Timer It may …

Berlin for Cool Seekers

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Before visiting Berlin, I was expecting it to be hipster central; Dalston with a post Socialist edge. And more street art. But I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there’s hipsters aplenty but what Berlin’s buzziest area Mitte does well is easy going cool with a complete lack of pretentiousness (take note, East London). Affordable rents and a low cost of living mean young families mingle with the tech entrepreneurs and floating ‘creatives’, which all mixes together to produce a welcoming, relaxed area of co-working spaces, gin bars and local Italian restaurants.   Mitte is the most central Berlin district and is the historical heart of the city. Mitte was once the centre of East Berlin but in the reunified city, the boroughs were redrawn and it’s now a larger, sprawling neighbourhood. Most Berliners use Mitte only in reference to the original smaller locality and not the wider borough. If you’re looking for the must see tourist sights, visit Tripadvisor. But if you want to know where to go for the best flat white or hummus or …

My 5 Favourite things about Cambodia

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Cambodia is often overlooked in favour of its heavy hitting neighbours Thailand and Vietnam, but the Khmer Kingdom is an amazing holiday destination. I spent almost a month exploring the country and I can’t think of one thing I didn’t enjoy! With gorgeous beaches, delicious cuisine, a burgeoning economy and genuinely friendly people eager to welcome tourists, Cambodia should be your next Asian holiday destination! Awe Inspiring Temples The iconic, sprawling complex of Angkor temples was voted the world’s No. 1 site by Lonely Planet and it’s not hard to see why. Exploring the world’s largest religious site is an otherworldly experience but be prepared to battle the crowds; last year over 2 million tourists visited the 1,000 year old temples!  Don’t miss Ta Prohm, aka the Tomb Raider temple, or Bayum (below). Chilled out Siem Reap The nearest town to the Angkor Temples, Siem Reap is a laid back traveller’s hub. Skip tacky pub street and spend your time scouring the markets for souvenirs, exploring the meandering streets and sampling Cambodian cuisine. For an …

Bored of the usual European City Breaks? Try these 5 instead!

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So you’ve done London, Paris and Rome; Barcelona, Amsterdam and Dublin too. You’re looking for a cool European city break and wondering where to go next? Here are my top picks for some less obvious European city breaks, including some of my favourite cities in Europe and one city I can’t wait to get to! Marseille, France One for. . .seafood lovers, maritime buffs and urban cool seekers. Marseille has an urban, gritty cool that will appeal to lovers of port cities. I’m a big fan of its multicultural vibe and maritime history. Try down by the Marina for some classic south of France cool and amazing seafood, then venture further into the city for some culture, history and atmosphere. Marseilles had a long held reputation for being more than a little unseemly but being European City of Culture in 2013 inspired a big clean up and a huge architectural makeover; there’s no need to be more cautious here than you would in any other European city. There’s some great museums to visit, innovative new architecture …

My Favourite Things About Rwanda

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Perfect for tech buffs, digital nomads, wildlife lovers, caffeine fiends and outdoors-y types!   For me, Rwanda is perfect for every visitor to Africa, whether first-timers or seasoned travelers. My 2012 trip to the Central African country rates extremely high on my ‘Top Holidays’ list and from what I hear, things have only gotten better since! Here’s why you should visit this beautiful, innovative country! It’s Safe Rwanda is one of the safest and most economically prosperous countries in East and Central Africa. Forget about its history, the streets of Kigali are much, much safer than Nairobi or Kampala. I don’t want to get into the political reasons why (lets just say President Kagame runs a tight ship) or the implications of this, but for visitors, there’s no doubting Rwanda is ridiculously safe. Kigali is an efficient, well serviced city with a good road network. Even the motos (motorbike taxis) are incredibly regulated, registered with the proper authorities and always carrying helmets for passengers. It has a Vibrant Capital The capital Kigali is a beautiful …

High Tea @ Giraffe Manor, Nairobi Kenya

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One of my favourite ever travel memories is having high tea at Giraffe Manor in Nairobi with one of my best friends Catherine. And it happened by complete fluke. I’m usually an excellent travel planner. But when I went to Nairobi in July 2014, I was visiting my university friend Roisin who lives there. I skipped my usual meticulous travel planning, knowing that as a Nai resident, Roisin would tell me what to skip and what not to miss. And she did. On a day out in Karen, a legendary expat enclave suburb, to visit a giraffe sanctuary and the Out of Africa musuem, Roisin spotted the beautiful Giraffe Manor. ‘Ye should really try to do high tea there,’ she confided. ‘Everyone raves about it,’ We strolled over to the house (well, the front gate actually) but high tea must be booked in advance so we returned a few days later. So what’s the deal? $50 gets you afternoon tea at the Manor which entails a selection of sandwiches, cakes and pastries, tea or coffee and …

Flashpacker Weekend Edition: Brussels, Belgium

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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 …

The Books that Made a Modern Nomad

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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

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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 …