Author: JenniferRound

I mentioned last week that this is a month of celebrations in our family. My parents just celebrated their 57th anniversary on Mother’s Day. My husband and I celebrate our 23rd in just a few days. There are several other friends and family members celebrating anniversaries this month as well.

In trying to come up with anniversary gift ideas I was taken back to this article from a few years ago regarding traditional anniversary gifts. There are certainly some traditional gifts on the guide that are just begging to be interpreted as a vacation! I’m sharing the most obvious with you this week.

Year 3 – The traditional gift is leather. When I think of leather I’m immediately transported to the leather markets of Florence. Can you picture yourself strolling through the magical streets of Florence hand in hand with your spouse?

Year 7 – The traditional gift is listed as “copper and wool” this is just screaming for a trip to Scotland! What could be more appropriate than tracing your family tartan and visiting some of the iconic whisky distilleries as you explore this popular destination?

Year 11 – The traditional gift is steel. I’m picturing a long weekend in Napa visiting world class wineries and tasting straight from their stainless steel tanks.

Year 15 – The traditional gift is crystal. A visit to the iconic Waterford factory in Southern Ireland would certainly fit the bill for this. While you’re there you can also spend time getting to know the Irish people who are known far and wide for their friendliness towards visitors.

Year 20 – The traditional gift is China, which started off this whole concept of using a destination as a gift. I think you’ve figured out by now that China would be a great destination to visit for your 20th Anniversary.

Year 25 – The traditional gift is silver. There are many countries that are known for their silver products. One of the most popular is Peru. Maybe this is a good opportunity to visit the iconic Machu Picchu while you’re taking in the sites.

Year 30 – The traditional gift is pearl. Tahiti is known for its stunning black pearls. Your 30th anniversary is the perfect opportunity to escape to the south pacific and indulge in an overwater bungalow.

Year 35 – The traditional gift is coral. It’s time to dive into Australia’s Great Barrier Reef! To quote the author Dave Barry, “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you’ve been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.”

Year 40 – The traditional gift is ruby. Rubies have been traditionally mined in Thailand. Perhaps this wasn’t even a destination you had considered before, but from the breathtaking beaches to the ornate shrines of Bangkok there is a something for every traveler to enjoy.

Year 45 – The traditional gift is sapphire. Picture yourself and your spouse enjoying a romantic dinner for two on your private terrace as you gaze over the famous blue roofs on the island of Santorini in Greece. Between the roofs and the beautiful sea there are many different shades, I’m sure one qualifies as sapphire, but you’ll need to be the judge and let me know after your visit.

Year 50 – The traditional gift is gold. Enter the golden gates of the Palace of Versailles and you’ll find yourself surrounded by even gilded statues and over the top opulence. Versailles is an easy day trip from Paris. I can’t think of a better place to celebrate your 50 years together than a trip to Paris, a city so closely associated with romance.

Year 55 – The traditional gift is emerald. What better way to celebrate than a trip to Ireland! The Emerald Isle is the perfect place to slow down and enjoy the sites. Even if you did visit for your 15th Anniversary, think about the fun you’ll have swapping stories with the locals over a pint while you reminisce about the changes over the past 40 years.

Year 60 – The traditional gift is diamonds. I’m envisioning a river cruise through Belgium and the Netherlands to indulge in tulips (if the time is right) chocolates, Belgian waffles, beers and of course a visit to Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world for nearly 500 years.

Are there destinations you’ve visited while you celebrated an anniversary? Perhaps this has given you some ideas to celebrate your next anniversary, click here and we can get the planning started today!

May is a busy month in our family between birthdays, Mother’s Day, and anniversaries, throw in wedding season and graduations and it seems more like “gift season” than Spring!

This week I wanted to share some of my ideas to help you with those gifts.

Have you considered the gift of travel?

Mother’s Day – I don’t know many Mom’s out there that wouldn’t love the opportunity to get away from their routine for a few days, or more. When families vacation together during a well planned family vacation the experience can be effortless. I’m not talking about a weekend at the beach where Mom spends her time running back and forth between the grocery store and the kitchen. I’m talking about a vacation where Mom is free from her every day duties as well. Not sure where to start? The professionals here at Slaydon’s Travel are here to help you, and we can even put together a gift basket for you to present to Mom this Sunday with either a gift certificate or a complete vacation itinerary.

What about the graduates in your life? Are you still searching for gift ideas?

Travel can be life changing at any age. It’s one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. It helps shape the way they see the world and gives them a greater appreciation of their own situations.

Maybe you’re not ready to give an around the world airline ticket to the kid down the street, I’m not suggesting that you do.

Here are some suggestions that may be more inline with gifts appropriate for those loved ones and help them create memories that will last longer than a check or a gift card. Most are also appropriate for the weddings you’re attending, although I always suggest you check with the bride and groom to see if they have a honeymoon registry (we offer them to all of our honeymoon clients).

Passport – you can literally give them the World! Having a valid passport opens all sorts of opportunities to see the world, and they are good for up to 10 years. It’s literally the gift that keeps on giving. For those graduates that already have a passport consider the gift of Global Entry to ease their travels.

Luggage – The right piece of luggage can make or break a vacation. I recommend the hard sided cases with four wheels for most vacations – stick with the 20″ – 22″ pieces if you don’t want to fuss with checking a bag. Of course if your graduate is off to hike the Inca Trail or spend a month sailing around the South Pacific perhaps a backpack is more practical.

Personalized Map of the World – Have you seen these? There are some very nice versions available with push pins to mark the destinations you’ve visited. Others are scratch off and allow you to expose a destination after you’ve visited. This is a great gift for those who are taking a gap year or plan to study abroad. They are also great wedding gifts so the bride and groom can map out their travels together.

Perhaps the graduate in your life already has a trip planned to celebrate their achievements, here are some additional suggestions

Electrical Converter – my favorite option offers several outlets as well as USB and individual plugs that fit into the back that allow you to use it with several electrical systems throughout the world. You can easily pick up items like this on Amazon for under $25.

Camera – sure, the camera on a smart phone does a darn good job these days, but nothing beats the quality of a “real” camera. Something like an entry level DSLR kit from Canon or Nikon is often priced under $400.

Journal – there’s no better way to capture memories during a trip than to keep a journal as you go along. I often look back at journals for past trips.

Hopefully these suggestions have given you a few ideas. Maybe you’re inspired enough to start planning your next vacation, if so, give me a call so we can get started. Still have kids at home? Remember you’ve only got 18 summers and they can fly by in a flash, let’s get started on your plans before another summer slips away.

Every day is some sort of holiday, right? Monday much of Europe celebrated May Day, and yesterday was Global Travel Advisor Day! Often as travel advisors we get “mayday” calls from clients, or even potential clients to help them out when things go awry. This week I wanted to share with you just some of the benefits you’ll experience when using a professional travel advisor.

#1 – It’s our job to make sure you not only get the best value but also the vacation that best fits your travel needs. If price is your only driver we are not a good fit. One of my favorite quotes from a travel colleague is “How cheap does a bad vacation have to be for it to be okay?” A professional travel advisor is in your corner to add value, not to be an order taker. We know that the least expensive price is not normally your best value, there can be restrictions or fees associated with that price that you may not realize. We also have connections that have been build within the industry over the past 40+ years, those connections benefit our clients in ways they could never imagine or obtain on their own.

#2 – You aren’t just number with a professional travel advisor. We take the time to get to know each and every one of our clients. They know that should something go wrong they can pick up the phone and reach us directly, not going through a menu of “press 1 for English, press 2 if you are…” etc.

#3 – A professional travel advisor can guide you in making the best decisions for your vacation, just because your neighbors, friends, family members had a wonderful time when they went to a certain resort or destination does not mean that it’s the right fit for your vacation investment.

#4 – A professional travel advisor isn’t a click and buy database! We’re passionate about what we do and how we can customize a vacation that exceeds your expectations

#5 – The average family takes a “big vacation” every other year that requires hours of research and planning, if we narrow that down to just the years that your kids are in school from K-12, that’s 6 or 7 vacations. We plan those “big vacations” every day! While you could spend hours researching, talking to friends, neighbors, family members or even scouring what may or may not be legitimate reviews online a quick consultation with a professional travel advisor and you’ll be on your way to planning your dream vacation. You most likely don’t cut and color your own hair, you don’t do your own manicures and pedicures, you don’t do your own taxes or try to navigate your own financial planning or estate planning, you leave those things up to professionals. Why take a chance with trying to DIY your vacation plans and the memories that will last a lifetime that go along with that vacation?

When you think about incorporating aspects of sustainable travel into your next vacation you may picture the plains of Africa or the rainforest of Costa Rica, not necessary someplace as metropolitan as London.

This week I wanted to share how my family was able to visit London more sustainably and reduce our carbon footprint during our Spring Break visit.

“The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has set a target for London to be net zero carbon by 2030.” (Source: www.London.gov.UK). This makes it a great destination to incorporate more responsible travel practices.

#1 – While visiting, we heavily utilized public transportation using the London Underground daily. The nearest station was a 5 minute walk from our hotel and we were even able to ride the tube with zero waste from tickets. Using the contactless payment technology in our credit cards. We tapped the entry and exit gates with the card each time we entered or exited the tube and fares were calculated immediately without worrying whether we would have enough funds on our Oyster Card or bought the correct type of ticket. Not only was this a huge convenience and time saver, it reduced waste and eliminated stress.

#2 – Not only did we choose a hotel in a location that would afford us the opportunity to either take the tube or walk nearly everywhere we went, we also were able to stay with a small chain of properties that is committed to sustainability, Red Carnation Hotels. We stayed at The Rubens at the Palace, known throughout London for its iconic living wall, pictured above. It’s one of the largest in London housing over 10,000 plants and providing a fantastic habitat for the bees housed on the roof of the hotel. Of course there were other sustainable touches throughout the hotel such as the refillable toiletries rather than those wasteful little bottles of shampoo. You may read more about Red Carnation Hotels sustainability program here.

#3 – When we did travel by car, we utilized Electric Vehicles at no additional cost. We were met at London’s Heathrow airport by a car service to take us to the hotel, that same service picked us up at the hotel to return to the airport. We also rode in two of London’s iconic Black Taxis, both of which were Electric. Those two rides were while visiting other properties in the Red Carnation hotel chain with a hotel representative. Each of these 4 rides were completed with zero emissions.

#4 – We took several walking tours rather than hop on a double decker bus. For us, seeing the sites at a slower pace is our preference. I think we all agree that the Ted Lasso walking tour of Richmond was our favorite from the week.

#5 – We tried to stick to local restaurants for most of our meals. We love to visit the local markets and find them a great way to support people who live in the communities we visit. We at lunch one afternoon at Camden Market where my husband had a really fantastic dish of Afghan street food, I enjoyed Greek food and our daughter ordered steamed dumplings. There were a myriad of choices and we were each able to get what we wanted, along with some local cider and beer for the adults!

As I mentioned last week, you do not have to sacrifice luxury to travel responsibly. If any of these vacation for good elements are something you think you would like to consider for your vacation and let’s get started!

Saturday is Earth Day. This seemed like a good opportunity to revisit the Vacation For Good program that is central to all that we do at Slaydon’s Travel and helping our clients travel responsibly.

We are passionate about providing the opportunity for our clients to be able to take advantage, as they wish, of the many options available with regards to responsible travel.

While we realize that certainly not everyone will wish to take advantage of these offerings we feel strongly about making sure you are aware of the opportunities and the impact you can make. Next week I will share with you the specific ways we were able to Vacation for Good while visiting London for Spring Break.

What we want clients to realize is that they don’t have to sacrifice luxury to travel responsibly. The tips will not only leave the smallest footprint, but also the greatest impact as you travel. This World we live in is truly an amazing place if you take the time to not only see it, but to slow down enough to appreciate it. By adding just one of the Vacation for Good elements you will not only be traveling responsibly, but also ensuring that future generations will be able to enjoy some of the same life-changing travel experiences for themselves.

#1 – Eat and Shop Locally – avoid the chain stores and restaurants. One of the best ways to dive into the culture of a new country and meet the people is to shop where they shop and eat where they eat. Local markets are a great way to meet and support the people who live in the communities, but also pick up some great local crafts and foods. Don’t forget to bring along your reusable shopping bags!

#2 – Use some of the space in your luggage to pack items to donate in your destination. Pack For A Purpose is one of my favorite organizations for this purpose. The founder of the organization uses a great analogy, especially for those of us raised in the South. She says that most of us wouldn’t dream of visiting someone without taking along a hostess gift. These 5 pounds of supplies are your hostess gift!

#3 – Take a walking tour when you visit a city for the first time. This will help reduce the number of buses and cars on the road, and it also gives you an opportunity to slow down and see the destination more closely. Bike sharing is another great way to see a new locale, and especially popular in many large European cities.

#4 – Choosing the right tour operator – There are many choices when it comes to planning the perfect itinerary. It is easy to get overwhelmed, that’s where the expertise of a travel professional comes in. Did you know that several companies already have programs in place that benefit the destinations you will visit? There are even luxury hotel chains leading the way for sustainable travel. I will highlight Red Carnation Hotels next week in my sustainable London overview.

#5 – Something as simple as avoiding travel during the peak season is a great way to vacation for good. You can get a great value and most often enjoy some fabulous weather by traveling during the shoulder or off-peak seasons. However, the benefits don’t stop there, you can reduce the impact on emissions, pollution and waste disposal, as well as extend the tourism related employment season. These factors make it a win-win situation for both the traveler, who doesn’t have to fight the high-season crowds and for the local who can make a more consistent living from the tourism market.

If any of these vacation for good elements are something you think you would like to consider for your vacation click here and let’s get started!

This is a story I share each year around this time. Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. You may ask why I would share such a dark memory. My memories of that day are anything but dark, my memories of that day are centered around a community coming together. I think that’s a reminder we can use every year.

April 15th is now known as One Boston Day, where random acts of kindness are celebrated and encouraged. This year’s marathon will be run Monday, April 17th.

Some of the acts suggested from year to year include the following:

~If you are healthy and feeling well, sign up with the Red Cross to donate blood.

~Give to your favorite charity

~Support the LGBTQ+ community by volunteering for or donating to a local organization uplifting equity work.

~Thank a Veteran for their service

~Support small businesses and local restaurants

~Come up with your own idea to spread kindness

Should you choose to participate use #OneBostonDay to share your acts of kindness on social media. I’d love it if you would use our #VacationForGood so I’ll see your acts of kindness as well.

Here is the article I wrote back in April of 2013, days after the event, as well as an update for the 2014 Boston Marathon.

I am not a runner, but I was in Boston on April 15, 2013. I, along with my family, made the trip to cheer on my brother, who is a phenomenal runner, in my very biased opinion, as he ran the Boston Marathon. The long weekend was full of fun, laughter and taking in all that Boston had to offer. We ate fabulous Italian food in the North End, sampled beer at the Sam Adams Brewery, visited the iconic Fenway Park, and watched street performers at Quincy Market.

Then, on the morning of April 15th, while my brother was preparing to run the marathon, we lined the streets of Boston to cheer on the runners. We stood shoulder to shoulder and clapped, whistled, and cheered for thousands of men and women we did not know, and one that we did. The enthusiasm was infectious. Together, the crowd worked to buoy the spirits of these runners, so full of endurance and determination. While not personally connected we all fed off each other. We cheered for the troops that walked the course in fatigues and boots, carrying full backpacks, we cheered for the wheelchair and hand bicycle participants. We cheered as the elite runners sped past, and we will cheer again.

The beautiful day, and hard work of over 27,000 runners and over 500,000 spectators, was soon interrupted when bombs were set off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Luckily, my brother is a fast runner, finishing the marathon in just under 3 hours. By 2:50pm, when the first bomb went off, our family was accounted for. We had taken an extremely crowded train to the equally as crowded family meeting area and were all within about 3 blocks of the bomb site. It was quite a while before we discovered the severity of the situation, however, it became immediately clear, by the number of emergency vehicles, sirens and helicopter hovering overhead that something larger than an industrial accident or car crash had occurred.

As word of the disaster filtered through the crowd we turned to our smart-phones for more information. We were unable to make calls, but the internet connection was still available, it wasn’t until a few hours later that we learned that cell phone service had been shut down, as a precautionary measure throughout Boston. It was through social media that we were able to quickly get a message out to friends and family that we were safe. We then set off on foot across town to the Omni Parker House hotel, where my brother was staying for the weekend. When we arrived at the Omni we were met in the lobby by the wonderful staff of the hotel. A hospitality room, stocked with tables, chairs, water, bagels and a large screen TV was set up for marathoners and their families. The Omni did a superb job of relaying the little bit of information they received. A few hours later we decided to set off again on foot in search of dinner. The streets were eerily quiet, except for the very strong police presence. By late evening we were able to take the train back to the hotel we were staying in just outside the city.

A long day had come to an end.

I’ve been asked many times in the few short days since about my thoughts on the safety of travel in light of the bombings. I learned a lot that cool spring day, much of it from the runners themselves who throughout their training and 26.2 grueling miles exhibited such determination and endurance. I know this doesn’t come as a shock to many of you that of course I will continue to travel. In fact, just this evening my family was discussing a return trip to Boston. I realize that the world we live in is increasingly becoming a hotbed for destruction and violence. However, I also deeply believe that we cannot let these acts of terror allow us to bury our heads in the sand, that is what “they” (whomever, they are) would like the most. I read recently that travel changes people, and people change the world. I know that the world needs change, it needs compassion instead of complacency, it needs much more than taking a vacation can provide. But, if in some small way I can expose my daughter to a world where people work together and cheer people along that they don’t even know, if I can show her our similarities and kindness there is hope, and that is why we will not only continue to travel, but return to Boston as well.

 

***Update – My family did return to Boston the following year for the Marathon. Brian even raised $2,650 for the victims from the 2013 bombing. Unfortunately 9 days before the race he was running a 5k charity run to raise money for foster children in Washington DC. He won that race and was playing with the kids at the finish. He stepped off a curb and fractured his ankle. He was in a cast for a few days but was able to find an orthopedic doctor that told him he wouldn’t do additional damage if he ran the marathon, but “it’s going to hurt like hell.” He did run on his broken ankle, he had to stop a few times and walk a good bit, but he finished. His time of 3 hours and 24 minutes was not quick enough for him to qualify for the 2015 Boston Marathon. 

Before you pack your bags and head to the airport for vacation, there are a few things you need to take care of at home.

~Make a plan for your mail service to be placed on hold, or ask a neighbor to pick it up in your absence.

~Suspend subscription services or other deliveries until you return home.

~Clean out your refrigerator, no one wants to come home to a crisper tray full of rotting produce.

~Empty all of the trash cans inside your home.

~Arrange for a friend or neighbor to take your trash to the curb for trash day, and return the empty cans to the house, if necessary.

~Set timers for lights, if necessary.

~For those that live in snowy climates, make sure your drive and walk are going to be cleared in the event of a snow storm. Nothing makes a house look more empty than fresh snow while the rest of the neighborhood has been shoveled out.

~Touch base with your bank and credit card companies to let them know your travel dates and itinerary. This will help avoid your account being flagged for fraud when foreign transactions arise.

~Clean out your wallet and leave the loyalty cards, library card, membership cards, etc at home.

When you are ready to start planning, click here and together we can take the stress out of your next vacation.

We are in the thick of the Spring break travel season. That means the airports are crowded, lines can be long and tempers can be short.

Here are a few tips that may help you navigate the TSA security screening process a bit easier.

It sounds like a no brainer, but it’s important to know exactly what is in your carry on as you prepare to clear the security check point with TSA. Don’t wait until it’s time to put your bag on the conveyor belt to start pulling items out that need additional screening. Prepare them in advance so they are easy to access. If the volume of people traveling this Spring is any indication, you will have plenty of time to prepare as you wait in the security line.

If you are wearing a jacket take it off while you’re waiting in line and put it in your carry on.

Empty your pockets and take off any jewelry or a belt that would delay your screening process. If you have a special pocket in your carry on to put each of these items it’s nice to keep them all in one spot in your bag, rather than using the small screening bowl only to wonder if you collected everything afterwards. If you do not have a spot in your bag for these items, I recommend that you carry an empty ziplock bag that you can put these items in as one easy to grab item from the screening bowl.

Everyone loathes taking their shoes off for security, but unless you are 12 or under, 75 or over, or have TSA pre-check, you’ll need to remove your shoes for security screenings here in the States.

All electronics larger than a cell phone need to be pulled from your bag and put in individual screening bins as laptops have been for several years.

Pull the quart sized zip lock back that contains your liquids, pastes and gels, each not exceeding 3oz and put the bag in the screening bin.

Any food or powders that you have packed in your carry on will also most likely need to be screened separately as well.

It’s not unusual for TSA personnel to require that books, magazines and large stacks of paper also be removed for screening.

You may be asking, what’s left in the carry on? There may not be much, and you’ve most likely got a train sized row of screening bins! That’s why it’s so important that you know exactly what you’ve got when you start the screening process so items aren’t left behind when you clear security.

Lastly, I also recommend that you tape a business card to any larger electronics such as laptops, tablets or other devices. Should you happen to leave one behind at security, agents can use the information on the card to have you paged or call you regarding the lost item.

What tips do you use to make the security process less stressful? For me, it’s TSA pre-check! With TSA pre-check you are able to keep your shoes on, keep your laptop in your bag and head to the front of the line, it’s a beautiful thing in a crowded airport! Of course, there can always be exceptions to the TSA pre-check process, but more often than not you will save valuable time.

If you’re ready to start planning your next vacation adventure click here and we can get started today!

Travel is back, with many destinations exceeding pre-pandemic levels, however, there is a great deal of “sticker shock” when clients reach out to begin the planning process. We are consistently seeing pricing 40% higher than before the pandemic, in many cases 40% is on the low end. That said, this week I wanted to talk about price vs. value when it comes to investing your vacation budget.

“Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” ~ Warren Buffett

When looking at two trips, that on the surface look similar, it’s extremely important to dig a little deeper and really make sure that you’re comparing apples to apples.

For instance, while considering an Italian vacation that includes a few nights in Rome and a visit to the Vatican museum, two seemingly similar itineraries can actually be quite different.

Option #1 may have a lower price tag, but when you dig deeper into the itinerary you’re actually staying about an hour outside of Rome and during your two night stay you only get one full day in Rome. With the hotel location and travel time involved to get in and out of the city that doesn’t leave you much time. Oh, that trip to the Vatican museum? It’s optional, which means the cost isn’t included in the price, and it doesn’t offer “skip the line” privileges, so most of your day is lost standing in lines. Another apparent cost saver comes at the exclusion of lunch and dinner. You’re on your own for those, which does give you the option to explore on your own to perhaps discover your new favorite Italian bistro, but more often than not has you settling for the nearest or quickest option after you’ve looked at menu after menu and run out of time trying to decide on a restaurant.

Option #2 may have caught you a bit off guard with a higher price point than you expected. So let’s drill down a little bit to see why it appears so much more expensive. Oh look, the hotel is in the center of town, you’ll be able to walk to the major attractions! This tour also includes a trip to the Vatican museum, so you won’t have to stand in line to pay for a ticket. Wait a second! Does this say that you’ll be visiting the museum when it’s normally closed to the public? You will have a much more intimate experience without those crowds the museum is famous for. Did you notice that a full breakfast is included daily? Lunches and dinners, while not offered every day, are included several days during your visit. Gratuities are also included so you won’t find a tour guide or luggage attendant with their hand out every time you turn around.

Aside from price and value, the other considerations that a travel professional can assist with are the pace of the itineraries you are comparing. A vacation that spends several nights in a location before moving onto the next is going to offer a far more immersive and enriching experience than one that moves to a new city or even a new country each night.

A travel professional can match your travel style to the vacation that will not only maximize your travel budget, but exceed your expectations, all while taking overwhelm out of the equation. Let us know if we can help you get started.

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day! A day when everyone you meet seems to be Irish! Will you celebrate with a pint of Guinness? Perhaps it’s time you learn to pour your own perfect pint?

What comes to mind when you think of Ireland? Is it the emerald green rolling hills? The iconic scenery of The Quiet Man or Game of Thrones?

Ireland is one of my favorite European destinations. When I think back on my time spent on the Emerald Isle I’m drawn to my visits to the local pubs and the towns so small that they were barely dots on the map.

It was in these tiny towns that we were able to really interact with the locals. Where my sister-in-law was approached by an elderly Irish man who gleefully asked her “Are ye gettin’ enough Craic*, lassie?”

It’s where we met Mary, the B&B owner who also ran the local pub.

It’s where we played Snooker with the locals. There wasn’t a charge to play, only to power the light above the table.

Sure, the larger towns like Dublin, Shannon, Cork and Galway are iconic and in some respects not to be missed, but it’s the small towns where you become a traveler instead of a tourist. The same is true across the globe. 

Maybe you feel like you’ll blend in easier in a big city, or that you will find it easier to get someone to speak your language, but will you really get to experience the culture? Ultimately, isn’t that why we travel?

Do you want to really experience the next destination you visit, rather than simply checking the boxes of sites that were recommended by friends and websites?

When you are ready to be a traveler instead of a tourist, Click here and let’s get started.