Irish Independent Travel

15/11/2024

The plan aims to crack down on mass tourism and protect ‘a living and unique city’

Florence is to ban the key boxes that have become a hated symbol of the burgeoning short-term rental market in its historic centre, firing the latest salvo in the battle against mass tourism in Europe.

15/11/2024

“People will say, is climate change real? Ask a gardener, or a farmer, and they’ll tell you,” Slazenger says. “It is. It definitely is.”

“Can I show you my favourite tree?” asks Alex Slazenger, seeming to bound off the path and back into his childhood before our eyes.

15/11/2024

Powerscourt is an iconic Irish estate, and has been evolving since the Slazenger family restored it in the 1990s. Walking a new boardwalk, which feels immersed in the trees, speaks with about plans for balancing its formal gardens (“The grass is my biggest headache,” he says) with new sustainability and biodiversity pushes.

“People will say, is climate change real? Ask a gardener, or a farmer, and they’ll tell you,” Slazenger says. “It is. It definitely is.”

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14/11/2024

There's a new luxury sleeper train coming to England and Wales...

The company behind the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is set to launch a new luxury train in Britain.

14/11/2024

Aer Lingus now has direct flights from Airport to Las Vegas

“Our Irish guests love Elvis,” the wedding chapel owner says, as if we would ever doubt it.

12/11/2024

Did you know there is a wine run in Lanzarote?

Shortly after crossing the start line of my 12km race with a cheery crowd of fellow runners, I’m met with eerie blackened lava fields, pitted with craters.

12/11/2024

Is extreme daytripping a smart use of holiday time, or damaging to the environment?

As the saying goes, the world is your oyster. But with so many places to visit, a lifetime simply isn't enough to do it all.

08/11/2024

Next year, Dublin will be getting its very own Hoxton - in the old Central Hotel building on George’s Street. So what can we expect?

It’s been almost 20 years since the first Hoxton hotel opened in London, and the chain’s signature style has been emulated in properties all over the world, from its compact rooms to the handy breakfast bags hanging on the room doors.

08/11/2024

“When they get to the front it’s sometimes easier just to let them through rather than turn them away.”

Air passengers tend to fall into two categories once they reach the departure gate: those sat down with an “it won’t leave without us” mentality, and those who hover by the desk with their hand luggage in a bid to board first.

06/11/2024

Albania for the holidays, anyone?

Driving along in the middle of nowhere, admiring the stunning scenery, up pop two crazy horses determined to cross the road whether there’s a car in front or not.

05/11/2024

Ireland's Blue Book has announced two new members for 2025...

A five-star castle hotel in Co Clare and a family-run, 19-bed hotel set in a former railway station in Co Meath are new to Ireland’s Blue Book for 2025.

26/10/2024

There's a new wave of woodland suites and forest dens in Ireland... here's what it's like to stay, and how much they cost.

“They’re just like Cork roads!”

25/10/2024

Cork was named one of the 25 best places to visit in the world in 2025... by none other than National Geographic!

Corkonians have long known it, but the Republic's second city was officially named one of the 25 best places in the world to travel this week.

25/10/2024

This Irish-owned hotel wants to be your 'epic basecamp' in London...

What does Maldron mean to you?

21/10/2024

Wrexham: Tourists from around the world are coming to find out more about the long-overlooked Welsh city

Clutching a pint of Guinness in one hand and flicking through photos on his cell phone in the other, Nestor Aguedelo laughed and joked with his wife and sister-in-law in a corner of The Turf, a pub in north Wales that has rapidly become one of Britain’s most unlikely tourist hot spots.

21/10/2024

Aer Lingus has a new US route from Dublin Airport!

Aer Lingus has announced a new direct flight from Dublin Airport to Indianapolis, Indiana, set for take off from May 3 of next year.

21/10/2024

Grab your skis, get ready for snowball fights, and prepare to explore some of Europe’s best ski slopes

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19/10/2024

After struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, Antrim woman Lauren Burnison’s journey led her to create , a sober travel company that offer thrills without substances.

‘I knew I wanted to work in a field that I was genuinely passionate about, preferably in a self-employed capacity. It wasn’t until a friend suggested that I create travel experiences for sober people that the penny dropped,’ she says.

‘At that time, the online sober movement was very much in its infancy, and for many people, the idea of sober travel conjured up images of a pitiful bunch of alcoholics sitting around sharing their woes. I wanted my trips to reflect my own experiences, which were expansive, invigorating and life-affirming.’

‘The decision to quit drinking is a rebellious statement in a society that glorifies alcohol,’ Lauren says. ‘It can be an isolating experience. By coming on sober trips, however, travellers are in the company of others who truly get them from the outset. There are no questions about why they don’t drink, or the classic “go on, just have one…” It is incredibly liberating, and truth be told, I hadn’t expected such a positive outcome...’

Read her story here: https://bit.ly/4fdv5dJ