Monthly Archives: March 2023

Trip

A Trip To Ireland – The Land Of Saints and Scholars

Ireland is aptly christened the “land of saints and scholars” for its rich cultural heritage. As the third largest island in the European continent, it also abounds in natural beauty. For this reason thousands of tourists flock to Ireland each year.

Planning a trip to Ireland may become a daunting task. Not because of inadequate and poor-grade tourist facilities, but because there is so much to see and do that you will be confused where to start and how to go about arranging the tour.

Right here in this section you can get a glimpse of the best of Ireland.

Ireland is located in the North Western region of Europe. To the east is the island of Great Britain separated by the Irish Sea. Ireland is divided into two political bodies – Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland makes up 5/6th of the total land area while the Northern Island makes up the remaining 1/6th. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom.

Top 5 Destinations in Ireland

1. The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most magnificent coasts in Europe. Standing tall at 702 feet the undulating landscapes (limestone and shale rock covered with bright green moss) borders the Atlantic Ocean. The Cliffs extend over 5 miles on the west coast of Ireland. From the Cliffs of Moher, one can see the Aran Islands, the Galway Bay, the Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains and a lot more.

2. The Hill of Tara is another specimen of pristine natural beauty. The Hill of Tara is ancient, almost 5000 years old, and used to be the seat of power of the high kings of Ireland. The architectural structures, although in ruins, stand to symbolize the rich Irish mythology and heritage. There is an audiovisual presentation that you can make reservations for.

3. The Trinity College is a site for lovers of learning. The Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is not only the oldest university in Ireland but also boasts of students who went on to become great personalities – Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Jonathan Swift.

4. The Giant’s Causeway has attracted attention for its unique geological formations. Situated in Northern Ireland, the structure features around 40,000 polygonal columns of layered basalt rock. In 1986, the tourist spot was designated a World Heritage Site.

5. The National Museum of Ireland is an architectural beauty and historical treasure. The Victorian Palladian Style building was built around the 1880s and thrown open to the public in 1890. This national institution houses over 2 million valuable artifacts belonging to prehistoric and medieval times.

When is the best time to visit?

The Emerald Isle enjoys temperate maritime climate owing to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, one can visit Ireland at any time of the year. However, summer is the peak season. The sun is warm and bright, but not scorching hot. Spring may see a few showers and winters are bleak and severe.

How to get to Ireland?

There are two major modes of transport to get to Ireland – plane or ferry. Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports offer a great choice for those wishing to fly to Ireland. There are plenty of cheaper flights from budget airlines from the UK, France, Spain and other European countries.

Ferry services to Ireland are an economical choice, especially for those wishing to take a car, or those traveling in larger groups. There is a wide choice of ferry routes, especially from the United Kingdom, such as from Liverpool, Holyhead, Pembroke or Fishguard.

Travel

World Travel Statistics – Understanding the Numbers

World travel statistics can be extremely confusing when you don’t know exactly what you are looking for. Are you looking for the number of travelers who visit a particular country, city, or region? Do you want to know how much money people spend as they travel to different parts of the world? Maybe you are interested in finding out the number of people who use airlines to travel the world versus the number of people who use cars or other transportation for their travel and sightseeing.

The key is to know what you are looking for and then to go to the right source. Many of the major travel industry magazines and publications offer yearly statistics about countries, how much they cost to visit, the average length of stay, total number of visitors, and specifics about climate, activities, disposition of the locals, and much more.

When I am looking for world travel statistics, I usually start with the CIA world facts web pages. These offer you a nice overview of a country including the population, industries, major religions, and other cultural factors. In addition you can learn about the dangers travelers may face when visiting these places. The next place I visit is Lonely Planet, because they offer a more specific overview geared towards tourists and travelers of the world. The third stop is the Thorn Tree forums where I can find specific experiences about specific countries.

Finally, I like to go to sites like CouchSurfing and look at the city and country guides which are prepared by the members that live there. It is only after seeing these sources that I start to look at things like the world travel industry lists for fastest growing world travel destinations. At this point, since I have a context in which to think of a place, the numbers make a whole lot more sense.

Tips

Weight Loss Tips – Cultivating Habits For Losing Weight

Here are some tips to help you create healthy habits for weight loss.

Make healthy choices into habits. One of the best weight loss tips is to make small changes to your everyday routine. By making these positive small lifestyle changes into habits, you will continue to do them without even thinking about it after a while.

Do it everyday – whether you are planning to exercise or you want to add healthier food into your diet plan – start by doing it every day. Even if you can only exercise for 10 minutes, just make sure to do it. Don’t worry about a complete overhaul of your diet, just change one meal each day but be consistent every day. Choose to start your day off with a light and healthy breakfast. This will set the tone for your day and inspire awareness of your other weight loss tips as you enjoy a healthy start to your day. Being consistent is such an important part of developing habits. If you do something every day for seven days, you are far more likely to make it part of your routine on the 8th day.

Set up reminders for yourself. It’s tough to remember changes you are trying to make that you read or hear about if you don’t set reminders up for yourself. Post notes in your bathroom, put a reminder note in your wallet, in your lunch bag, on tempting items in your fridge so you can’t use forgetting the tips as an excuse for not losing weight. It’s easier to make a change into a habit if you are constantly thinking of it. Set up reminders to pop up in your computer each day with weight loss tips that you are trying to make into habits. Thinking about your goals will help you make them into habits.

Enlist a weight loss partner. You can find a friend, a spouse, or co-worker who shares a desire to lose weight. If you don’t know anyone who wants to lose weight or want to have some anonymity – consider finding an online weight loss partner in a forum to support you. In addition to the accountability this provides, it’s great to be able to challenge each other, give each other tips and support each other in a positive way during your body changing journey. Share daily changes that you trying to make into habits and encourage your weight dropping partner to do the same. Sharing, discussing, teaching and engaging are all good ways to make your healthy choices into habits.

Associate with people who have the habits you want to have. Choose to spend more time with friends or people you know who have the eating and exercise habits you want to have. Spend time with friends who hike, walk or run if you want to make hiking a habit. If you want to eat more healthy food, spend less time with your friends who eat tons of junk food and spend weekends at the buffet. Emulating the people making choices you want to make will help you to turn their good habits into yours.