International Travel Essentials

You may have figured out that we like prehistory, so let’s define ancient Irish monuments.  Hopefully, you’ll find this more interesting than our nieces did….  They pretended to be asleep in the back seat when we were exploring some of these sites!

We’ve talked about some of the ancient Irish monuments we’ve seen…, the passage tombs of Bru na Boinne and sites like the Hill of Tara….  But what are all those other monument scattered around all of Ireland.

We’ll start with “Passage Tombs” like Newgrange and Knowth.  These are round tombs with an identifiable passage that leads from … read more

With all the booking services online these days, travel agents seem likely to be left out of the booking loop. So when should you think about using one?

It’s easy to find airline deals on the web, and there are tours enough to make your mind spin…. But that could be just the reason you might want to contact a professional to help plan your travels.

If you are trying to plan a complicated trip…. say an African safari or a swing through several Southeast Asian countries, an agent who specializes in those areas can help guide … read more

Where to go and what to see in Ireland?  This is truly a dilemma for tourists because there is just so much to see and do.

How you plan your trip pretty much depends on where you’re going to land, how much time you have, and what your interests are.  And do you want to see both parts of the country, or just the Republic, or just the North?

Are you interested in castles?  There are plenty of them….  Some are just ruins, some have been converted to luxury hotels like Dromoland Castle and Ashford Castle.  You could devise … read more

What is it about Bru na Boinne that makes it so special… so much so that it’s one of the “must sees” of Ireland?

The site contains passage graves, standing stones, henges and other features.  It’s a World Heritage site, and literature says it contains some of the world’s most historically important Neoltic passage graves, most notably Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth.

OK… but… what is it about the site that “takes your breath away”?  I guess it’s because it’s origins are lost in Ireland’s misty ancient history.  Newgrange is mentioned in several Celtic sagas.

A thousand years older than Stonehenge … read more

Why travel with a guidebook?

Isn’t that one more thing to carry around? Can’t you get all the information you need now on the internet? Yes, you probably can, but once you’re on the road, are you going to carry a laptop around with you? How much time to you want to spend surfing on your phone… and how much is THAT going … read more

You’ve heard of Stonehenge, but how about Carnac?    No?

It’s in Western France, in Brittany (Bretagne).  If you liked seeing Stonehenge, Avebury and other ancient monuments, you should plan a trip to Brittany.  Rent a car in Paris and drive…. it’s about a 6 hour drive southwest of Paris.

This whole area is an important site in France for ancient megaliths.
The stone circle at Stonehenge is more photographed and easily recognizable, but for the sheer number of stones and amazing geometry you can’t beat the grand alignments at Menec and Kermario.

What do we mean alignments?  You’re thinking… “Don’t … read more

If you want to dive into ancient history in England, Stonehenge is certainly a place to start.  I think it can be argued that it is Europe’s most famous prehistoric monument.

You’ve seen the pictures… of a “mysterious” circle of upright stones in Southern England on the Salisbury Plain… pictures of modern day Druids holding ceremonies as the sun come up during the Summer Solstice.

Maybe you’ve read accounts of Merlin moving the stones by magic.  Whether it’s fact or fiction you’ve been reading… doesn’t it make you want to go?

Most authorities say that it was built in stages … read more

Toilet stories…. now here’s a part of travel you might not like to think about.  If you’re traveling in rich, “first world” countries, you probably don’t need to worry too much about it.  But if you’re traveling internationally, you’re probably going to run into a surprise or two.  Talk to people who have been traveling internationally for a while, and they’re bound to have one or two amusing toilet stories.

In the U.S. almost all toilets will be “pedestal style”.  Some may be a bit run down, but they will mostly look the same.

In Europe, most of the time you will … read more

Arө tour groups foг you? Yoυ′re moving ahead with your trіp planning. You’ve decided where үou ωant to gο. Nοw yoυ need to coмe to grips ωith how you’re going to get your hotelѕ, get around, see the sights. Sο I guess the next deсision in your triр planning is… do үou ωant to join a toυr group oг bө an independent traveler.

Both optiοns have prοs and cons. If you chooѕe to take а gгoup tour, your hoteΙs wilΙ bө taken сare of, as will your transportation during the tour. … read more