5 things to do in Dublin

Wherever you go, you need to get out and talk to the locals. You'll get the best tips of where to eat, drink, what transport to get, directions, discounts... And not just that but you get a feel for the 'normal', the culture, the languages or accents, and get the best picture of the place you're visiting...

So big thank you to the kind gentleman with the moustache I met by St Stephens green, the taxi driver who picked me up from the airport, and the lady at reception  who enabled me to recommend to you the top 5 things to do in Dublin.

1) Enjoy a pint of Guiness with panoramic views of Dublin on the Guiness Storehouse tour.

Now I'm not a big lover of stout, but this is something else. Throughout the tour you learn about the way in which Arthur Guiness, entrepreneur and philanthropist has helped shape the Dublin that is known today, then enjoy a cold pint of the velvety black stuff, which only tastes this good in Dublin, and a 360 degree view of the city. 

Book the tour online and you get a discount, as well as fast track through the queues, to understand the history, the marketing, and the sampling of the famous velvety stout. Be prepared though, it's a good hearty drink, so don't have a big lunch just before your visit  (or breakfast if you're anything like the dubliners... Breakfast and ale!)

2) 'Diddly Dee' music and drinks

The great thing about Dublin is it has kept all its old pubs, the oldest of these is the Brazen Head, built in 1198. It's a very quaint pub with open fires, and good old Irish music. You could quite easily lose time in here as you soak in the atmosphere and listen to the diddly dee of the Irish band. It also has Irish folklore storytelling. 

3) Take a tour round Temple Bar

Don't just walk down the main road in the middle, get in and out of the little side streets, there are loads of little vintage shops and randomly placed market stalls selling things from trinkets to maps. Then just as your legs are getting tired, hop into a bar for an Irish coffee to get out of the cold and warm your cockles.

4) Irish dancing at the Arlington Hotel

This is on every night of the week. You get a three course meal for €33.95 which is a little on the pricey side, but well worth it. You get a full three course meal and a thoroughly enjoyable show. It's amazing how they can put on a miniature river dance on a small stage, and get the audience participation. Definitely worth a visit.

5) Amble down Grafton Street

This is the more upmarket shopping area, and whilst my credit card was firmly in my purse (even though earning those air miles on purchases was tempting) it was still great to peruse the shops and stop to watch the street artists perform, to watch a couple dancing a jive to a guy uplifting the crowd with his upbeat guitar strumming.

Again, head down the side roads for some lovely bars and pubs, or visit the little gem that is the Dawson Lounge on Dawson street... little being the operative word as it's the smallest pub in Dublin, but fabulously formed.

And finally...

...when in Dublin... 

Escape the Friday Feeling

Friday evening and its wine o'clock.

I've been waiting for this time all week, same as last week, same as the weekend before. I left work to a glorious sky, full of reds, and oranges, and blues and purples. The building I work in is an old converted aircraft hangar with an old, retired plane in the grounds. I wonder what adventures that plane has taken people on?

After my fist pump Friday feeling, and cuddles with my baby (my gorgeous miniature schnauzer, jack) I started to get a bit excited about my next little adventure. In two weeks time I'll be taking in the sights along the river Liffey and having good old banter with the locals in Dublin.

Time to check out some blogs to plan my little break. I found a really good post by Nomadic Matt hi inter a good overview of all the things to do in Dublin, prices to expect, where to stay. I definitely want to visit the Guinness Storehouse Experience, and The Blonde Abroad has some good pics.

This time I'm taking my lovely mummy and my mad auntie so I need to make sure I plan in some things to do or I can see us turning Irish this trip.

This is making me realise more and more that I can't keep waiting for Friday. My life is going by as I count the Fridays, the weekends, the holidyas, the Christmases. I don't want to hit forty and never have lived. The time for living is now. You never know, you could get run over tomorrow.... Best make sure I wear matching underwear just in case 😉

Reading list

Time to read, Ive forgotten what that feels like, to actually have the time to immerse yourself waiting the pages of a great book.

My last few holidays have been pretty adventure packed, so at best I've had the flight to catch up on some reading (although my last flight was with 18 other girls on a hen party en route to Marbella, so the only reading I managed was the drinks menu)

Prior to my eventful weekend in Marbella was a small tour of Southern Italy in May, where I covered Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Ischia, and Rome in 7 days, so as you can imagine, not much time to get lost in a good book.

I can't say the land covered in the 6 months previous to Italy was conducive for delving into some good literature. There is too much to do in Singapore, Berlin and Ibiza... Oh and a boozy girls holiday to Tenerife. 

So now I have a 21 hour flight to look forward to and a lifetime to explore, I can get excited about my reading list. There's a few books I want to get stuck into:

- Lonely Planet Guide.... A must to pack my itinerary full of adventure and help me plan my travels.

- I am pilgrim, Terry Hayes.... I've been reading this for about a year now and really want to finish it. So far the best book I've read in a while.

- Down Under, Bill Bryson... Heading to Oz, it would be rude not to

- The Alchemist, Paul Coelho... An adventurer looking for treasure... That would be nice 

- How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie.... A bit of self improvement can't hurt.

- The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins... Psychological thriller. 

- Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill... Inspirational and motivational. 

- One of our Thursday's is Missing, Jasper Fforde... A detective looking into the kidnapping of characters from works of fiction. Bit of fantasy is the best way to lose yourself.

- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen... Again, because the first ten times of reading it just wasn't enough.

Looks like Amazon will be getting a visit in the next few weeks to load up my kindle. Leave a comment with any good recommendations to add to my list.

I'm not sure what my reading list says about me? 

Waiting to go.

If you're anything like me, working out your notice will prove to be a challenge (I have three months to get through). Whilst I've got one eye on contracts, I've got the other on that one way flight. I'm finding my head sentences going something along the lines of 'Each Party’s total aggregate liability to the other Party... I wonder what food they'll serve on the plane'... right re read that sentence... 'Each Party's, ooh party, I wonder who I'll meet and what I'll wear?'... no, read the sentence again and FOCUS!.... oh its never happening, its on the to do list for tomorrow!

I've not had the luxury of planning as I booked my flight to leave as soon as my notice period is complete. If you have the luxury of planning, then clothing is definitely something to plan in. Its one thing taking clothes for a holiday but another when you're considering your the start of forever. I'm still unsure what I need, but I'll be sure to let you know when I get there.

One thing I do know is that buying general summer clothes in the UK in November is near impossible, even finding something that isn't deep red, midnight blue, or black is a struggle.  Very have had a good end of summer sale, which they usually do so I've managed to get a bikini for £5... score!


Clothing wise its difficult planning for summer in Australia when you're faced with the run up to Christmas in Liverpool. My plan is to go with the bare essentials. I'll buy a few cheap staple items but the less I spend now, the more options I have when I get there.


My travel plans all seem quite conceptual right now, like some distant dream, and I guess it has always been a bit like that, the only difference is that I've booked it... the art of JFDI!


For now, I'm safe in the knowledge that tomorrow as I get up in the dark, and put on my black suit, and grey shirt and revisit that contract, things are going to happen, my life is going to change, I have the power to paint tomorrow and I'm painting it full of colour.

Looking for an Adventure?...JFDI

So you've been thinking about going. You've seen the pictures, you've followed your travelling friends Instagram, you've viewed a blog or two... but lets face it, its just not the right time...

• You need to save for at least a year, so you'll book it when you have the money?
• You've still got finance left on your car?
• Your friend has just got engaged, so their wedding will follow soon?
• Your job is just starting to get interesting?

If you're anything like me you will have a great idea, one that you find yourself really passionate about, but also find a thousand reasons not to do it. 

STOP!

You can find a thousand reasons to do something just as easily as you can find the reasons not to do it. 

Make a list

Yes, I mean the typical boring old pros and cons list... but with a twist. For every con, or every problem you find, write down a corresponding solution...

Problem

Solution 2

I need to save for at least a year, so I'll book it when I have the money

·           I can actually save £200 a month at the moment for 6 months ·         One night out costs me £100… If I go on one less night out a month I can save that. ·         If I went to my friend’s for tea instead of eating out once a month that would save £30 a month. ·         If I cancelled my gym membership and went for a run instead that would be £30 a month. ·         If I cut down the price I spend on birthday/Christmas presents by £10 a person I can save an extra £100 ·         I can make do with the clothes I have (let’s face it, I’m not going to need those winter jumpers in the sun), I don’t need to buy that new outfit/shirt… I can spend tha £50 a month to save ·         … and all those lovely winter clothes I have somebody should get the use out of… I can stick them on ebay and earn about £100 ·         If I cut down from 7 cigarettes a day to 5 I will save £150 over 6 months… or quit completely and that will save £510

All of a sudden you have £3130 and more than enough to book your flights within the next 30 days. 

Once your flights are booked everything else will fall into place because you've committed.

After that, visit websites such as skyscanner and kayak and track the price of that flight you've been looking at.

A few tips for getting the best prices on flights

• Set a price alert so you are informed of price drops on the flights you are looking for...

:

• Avoid booking the flight on a weekend, especially a bank holiday weekend. Travel companies put the prices up over this time.
• Try and also get a flight leaving on a weekday as these tend to be cheaper.
• Before buying your flight, clear the cookies from your computer and search for the flight again (through cookies, travel companies know you've been searching the same flights numerous times and can put prices up because they know you're interested)

But most importantly...

JFDI!!! There's no time like the present. 

Join the road to freedom

Traveling was never at the forefront of my mind. I didn't have a sense of unfilfilment, I didn't need to 'find myself', I was doing ok.

I had finished university and embarked on my corporate career in insurance. I can't say it was the job I'd always dreamed of when working hard at my law degree (aka developing my expert drinking skills and making new and equally wayward friends) though I had entered a brilliant FTSE 100 company and I was making it my mission to reach the top.

Fast forward six years, several boardroom pitches, numerous commercial contract negotiations, thousands of miles travelled, and a healthy salary, and I have found myself quite accomplished at quite a young age.... So what now?

Through coincidence, fate, or a carefully constructed coincidence, for the first time since I was 18 I am in a very unique position. I have no commitments. I am free.

...

It happened on a mountain top in Spain. In the picturesque, serene village of Cabrera, all those pieces fell into place. Ulysses had finished instructing his Pilates class, and I must admit I was a bit relieved as I'm not one for excercise, but I was stretched in all the right places and it was time for my evening juice. I was partaking in a retreat in which I was able to remove some of the noise from my brain and my life.

I had been going round and round the same questions.... Where is my focus? What do I want to do? There must be more? Do I work my balls off in my career? Travel? Buy a house? Start my own business? Get myself one of those dreaded boyfriend things and settle down? Buy a house? Look for a new job? Travel? Buy a house? Emigrate? Learn a language?

It was the inspirational Alison Holden who ran the retreat through the Nutritional Healing Foundation who set me on my path.... "You can ask what if? What if? What if? If you don't allow yourself to feel vulnerable and take a risk you will still be in the same position in 12 months time. Pick something and JFDI"

So that was it. I decided to travel, and my adventures started.