The Travel Lounge – Details, episodes & analysis

We are so delighted to welcome Kathy Kiera Clarke, or Aunt Sarah from Derry Girls to the The Travel Lounge.   One of the main stars in the smash hit comedy series, Kathy recently embarked on her own giant adventure to explore some of the places and experiences that you can embrace in Northern Ireland.  Mister Northern Ireland himself,  Ed Finn thoroughly enjoyed this "not so wee" chat with Kathy.   “I’m born and bred in Belfast and it’s always lovely to come home. Every time I come back it seems like there is something new to see, there is a real vibrancy about the place"  To plan your next giant adventure in Northern Ireland this autumn and winter or to find Kathy’s itinerary, visit discovernorthernireland.com and check out - Kathy's Giant Adventure Home

"Sure where else would YOU get it?" Aye.....

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

Paul McVeigh, born in Belfast,  began his career as a playwright before moving to London where he wrote comedy shows, which were performed at the Edinburgh Festival and in London’s West End.  He briefly returned to theatre in 2022,  with ‘Big Man’ at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, which won an Irish Times Theatre Award.   Paul's short stories have been published in literary journals and anthologies, read on BBC Radio 5 and commissioned by BBC Radio 4. The Good Son (2015) is his first novel and was shortlisted for The Guardian’s ‘Not The Booker’ Prize. He received The McCrea Literary Award in 2015. Paul’s blog for writers gets over 40,000 hits a month and has had over 1 million visitors. His short story series "The Circus" aired recently on BBC Radio 4 and is available on BBC Sounds.

Paul has taught creative writing and read his work, in Australia, Austria, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland and Turkey. In the UK he’s taught at the Barbican Centre, British Library, Hampsted Theatre, Tricycle Theatre, Waterstones Piccadilly and at universities in Brighton, London, Swansea and Wolverhampton. He judges international literary prizes including the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, the Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Prize, the International Dylan Thomas Prize and the Royal Society of Literature’s V. S. Pritchard Award. He reviews for the TLS and The Irish Times. He has interviewed authors in print and on stage including five Booker Prize-winners.  Paul co-founded the London Short Story Festival, of which, he was Director and Curator for 2014 & ’15. He is associate director at Word Factory, ‘the UK’s national organisation for excellence in the short story’ The Guardian. Paul’s blog for writers which posts on submission opportunities for journals and competitions has had over a 2 1/2 million visitors. He founded the Paul McVeigh Residency at The Harrison in 2023.

Melanie Harrison describes herself as delightfully bonkers which is probably an essential quality to possess when you run a beautiful, bohemian, burlesque property of distinction on Belfast's rather salubrious Malone Rd.    Visitors to the Chambers of Distinction get a very interesting and fun Irish experience — not only are the rooms dedicated to literary and historical figures of all hues who have a connection to Belfast,  but the interiors are also eclectic,  rich, vivid, wild colours abound, as do wild-animal prints and theatrical collages such as Fifi, hanging proudly in the drawing room bar.  A standard hotel it is not.    Melanie and her unique offering now proudly boast numerous awards and accolades and the repeat business is huge.   People from Dublin and the south really discovered Belfast during Covid and the great value for money that it offers as a city - " People weren’t proud of this city for a long time. Now we are much more confident, We’ve a thriving music, theatre, food and art scene. Exciting things are happening and we’re part of it.”  

The Harrison Chambers of Distinction

Instagram: @theharrisonbelfast

Thanks to the Lyric Theatre Belfast for all their support in recording this podcast

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

Maine is home to many mountains and several state parks but there is only one mile-high Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, located in the glorious Baxter State Park. Located right “next door” is the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.  We were joined on Travel Talk recently by Eric Goodwin the strategic Consultant for Katahdin Tourism.  "These incredible places are right here in the Katahdin Region"

Located in the east central portion of the state, known as The Maine Highlands, the Katahdin region boasts scenic vistas and abundant wildlife throughout north-ern Penobscot County’s hilly lake country, the rolling farm country of western Pe-nobscot, and southern Aroostook’s vast softwood flats. The area is home to incredi-ble wildlife; including our local celebrity the moose, as well as osprey, bald eagles, blue herons, beaver, black bear, white-tailed deer, fox and more.

Visit in spring, summer and fall to enjoy miles of hiking trails—from casual walks to challenging hikes, kayaking and canoeing on pristine lakes, white water raft-ing with up to Class V rapids, world class fishing for trout, landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass, birding, nature photography, mountain biking and much more.

Visit in winter to enjoy Katahdin’s spectacular snowmobiling, cross-country ski-ing, snowshoeing, ice climbing and dog sledding. Our backyard features groomed and scenic XC ski trails to accommodate beginners through experts. There are miles of back-country XC skiing and snowshoeing in and around Baxter State Park and the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument as well. Snowmobilers enjoy over 350 miles of groomed trails with welcoming lodges, food and gas to keep the fun going.

You can even see the Northern lights in Katadhin
https://youtu.be/9g0yP-2PhvU

For more information on this fantastic region visit - 

https://www.katahdinmaine.com/

https://www.nps.gov/kaww/index.htm

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

The Liberties has become Dublin's hottest hood.   The Hyatt Centric is a great place to stay here and I really enjoyed their wonderful hospitality.  In this special podcast on the Liberties,  I first chatted with the hotel's MD, Declan Curtis,  I met Dean William Morton and Freda Doyle from St.Patrick's Cathedral.  We called in to see Amy Ryan from Marsh's Library and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of whiskey tasting and sightseeing at the award winning Pearse Lyons distillery with Bernard and Grant.

The Liberties truly is the beating heart of Dublin.  I had a terrific few days being a tourist in my own city and staying at the Hyatt Centric Hotel,  part of the Hodson Hotel Group.   Declan Curtis the MD at the Hyatt told me the very interesting story about building the Hotel. 

Don't miss their special Mad hatter's Afternoon Tea.   

I had a wonderful visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral meeting Freda Doyle and Dean William Morton.  At Marsh's Library, Amy Ryan tells me about the incredible history of this still working library.  Marsh's Library. Perfectly preserved library of the early Enlightenment in central Dublin. Opened in 1707 and still welcoming visitors, tourists and scholars. We had a wonderful visit and whiskey tasting to Pearse Lyons Distillery with Bernard Birmingham and Grant.   Pearse Lyons Distillery is Dublin’s only independently, family-owned distillery. Located in the former St. James Church in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties, the award-winning distillery produces Pearse Irish Whiskey.

During the late 18th and 19th century, The Liberties was dominated by great brewing and distilling families, most notably the Guinness family, who from 1759 built and developed the world’s largest brewery at St James’s Gate.  Renowned distillers Powers, Jameson, Millar and Roe were all located here, creating a Victorian cityscape of chimneystacks, mills, malthouses and bustling streets.  The area even had its own harbour linking it to the Grand Canal, and a mini-railway through the St James’s Gate brewery to the River Liffey quays.

However this industrial wealth and prowess went hand in hand with dire poverty and often horrendous living conditions. The 19th century Liberties had notorious slums which in turn spurred a number of enlightening housing developments by the Earl of Meath and the Guinness and Power families in the latter years of the century.  The now-charming enclaves about Gray Street and John Dillon Street were originally examples of modern new homes built for the working class by the Dublin Artisan Dwelling Company, while the Iveagh Trust Buildings on Patrick Street remain beautiful examples of the first ‘flats’ built for Dubliners.

The ancient ‘liberties’ were finally abolished and subsumed into the city in the 1840s, however the name ‘The Liberties’ remained and became primarily to mean the old Earl of Meath’s Liberty.  

While the fortunes of the area declined in the 20th century, Thomas Street and Meath Street remained the quintessential heart of Auld Dublin, renowned in song and story.  The area has produced its fair share of storytellers, master musicians, street characters and thespians.

Today, it retains its distinctive character and curious detachment from the life of the wider city.  It’s a place to discover and enjoy: a place of evocative place names, engaging architecture, vibrant street life and strong community spirit. 

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

It's no secret that I'm just wild about Florida so today on the Travel Lounge,  I’m delighted to be speaking with the co-founder of Wild Florida, Sam Haught and Director of Sales, PJ Brown, who are here to tell us all about their amazing Wildlife and Safari Park which is an absolute ‘must do’ when you visit Orlando and Florida.  This "hidden secret" is a terrific day out and a great way to explore the natural reserves and beautiful wildlife that this area has to offer AND all within minutes of well known theme parks.  

When it comes to Orlando airboat rides "Wild Florida is simply the best" so the guys tell me.  Just a short drive from the Orlando and Disney area, they offer beautiful airboat day tours, relaxing sunset tours and exciting night tours which are a great favourite with guests of all ages. This is Natural Florida at its best!  They guarantee that you won’t see any development or homes on your airboat ride, just you and nature!

I was lucky enough to have experience Wild Florida’s airboat rides myself a couple of year’s ago and I was captivated by the incredible sense of freedom you experience as you watch the sunset over this beautiful and natural reserve, it was incredible to be immersed in nature just a few miles from the hustle, bustle and lights of the big theme parks.   Since my visit they have added an amazing drive through safari and walk through gator park with unique experiences like feeding the giraffes and meeting some laid back sloths.  So some real ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences to try out.

For more information check out the website   - www.wildfl.com

There's also a cool video to watch - 

http://wildfloridairboats.com

For more ideas on where to stay when planning your holiday check out nearby Kissimmee in the Orlando area, there are some great villa options as well as hotels and resorts which are perfect when planning a trip with family and friends.

Best Place to Stay | Experience Kissimmee

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

Today, I’m joined by Tik Tok sensation and luxury hotel expert Marcos Toscani. 
Marcos is a content creator and founder of @expertoenhoteles.  Hailing from Argentina, he focuses exclusively on luxury hotels worldwide.   Marcos has been named the Meliá TikTok Luxury Expert, the company's first ambassador on TikTok, after also being named "Visit Mexico's" first luxury tourism ambassador in 2020.   His podcast "Hotel Expert" became the most popular podcast about hotels in Spanish only weeks after its launch.

Marcos Toscani and Meliá Hotels International

With almost 400,000 followers on TikTok,  Meliá has launched the new channel with a strategic focus on its luxury products. Hotels such as Gran Meliá Iguazu (Argentina), Paradisus Grand Cana (Dominican Republic) and ME Cabo (Mexico) are among the first hotels chosen by Marcos.  “As a Hotel Expert, my goal has always been to experience and show first-hand the best luxury hotels in the world, and I’m very excited to start this partnership with Meliá, where I have already started to choose their most amazing hotels, suites and experiences. TikTok is the top emerging platform and is seeing surprising growth, and I’m really happy to be able to bring my point of view to a hotel chain that I admire and that is always one step ahead, this time in my new role as Meliá TikTok Luxury Expert” said Marcos Toscani, Expert in Hotels. 

Tik Tok
TikTok is a mobile app that started in China and now offers millions of users around the world the chance to share videos.  It currently has more than a billion users in 150 countries around the world in 75 languages. Before even opening its own channel on TikTok, Meliá already had more than 12 million views.

Meliá London Kensington

In the heart of fashionable Kensington, this refurbished, 4-star boutique hotel offers Victorian elegance with modern comforts. Gloucester Road Tube Station and London’s museums are just a few minutes’ walk away.  Kensington Palace, Hyde Park and Knightsbridge are all just 0.5 miles’ walking distance from Meliá London Kensington Member of Meliá Collection. London tour buses also depart from the hotel's entrance to all of the major attractions.  Beautifully appointed, air-conditioned rooms have satellite TV and luxurious, exclusive Dream Beds, custom-designed for the hotel.  Guests at the Meliá London Kensington can reach Westminster and the South Bank with just a 10-minute tube ride from Gloucester Road Station.  The SW7 restaurant and bar has a sleek, minimalist design with food inspired by traditional British dishes mixed with Mediterranean flavours.

I had a terrific stay here, the staff couldn't do enough for me and it felt like a home from home.  I loved the welcome bubbles for guests on arrival and the breakfast was delicious.  I flew with Aer Lingus to Heathrow and a quick tube ride on the Piccadilly line had me into Gloucester Road station which was all of two minutes walk to the hotel.  A big thanks to Giorgia and all the team for a wonderful stay. 

Click here for Meliá offers

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

This week we are bringing our listeners some great tips and advice on ways to save time, money and to enjoy stress free travel.  How to breeze through airports, avoid baggage problems, save time on queues,  save €€€ on airfares and tours.... and much more.  These are little secrets of the trade that we have picked up over our many years of travelling.  Happy Travels

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

Lanzarote is unlike anywhere else on earth, with its beautiful climate, jaw-dropping scenery and dramatic volcanic history. Three hundred years ago, the island suffered the longest and most brutal volcanic eruption the planet has ever seen - it was a raging cauldron for six years - and yet today Lanzarote is a holiday paradise.  On this week's Ambassadors to Spain series
we meet Geraldine Mc Fadden who has lived here for over 14 years.   Geraldine tells us about some of her favourite places on Lanzarote like the beautiful fishing village of El Golfo and she reveals the best way to get the most from your holiday on this truly special island.   The number one destination for the Irish, Lanzarote has become a go to destination these days with its balmy eternal spring climate, amazing value and award winning wineries.  For more information visit www.spain.info or https://turismolanzarote.com/en/. - Geraldine is the General Manager at the Aqua Suites Hotel - https://www.aquasuiteslanzarote.com/ - The tourist board has produced a wonderful video to discover the island - https://youtu.be/IgQjI7yLg2g

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

In this week's Ambassadors for Spain series we meet Eoin Flynn in Gran Canaria.  Here is an island full of surprises with its volcanic landscape, lush pine forests, secret rocky coves and swathes of sand dunes.  Year round good weather, historic towns, a calendar of unusual festivals and superlative cuisine and wines.   Eoin Flynn moved to Gran Canaria 10 years ago.   An Irish International Mountain runner and an english teacher,  he reveals the locals insider track on this beautiful Island.
 
Vitamin Sea
There’s more to Gran Canaria than just great value food and drink and lots of Vitamin Sea and sun.    Eoin takes on a trip to a land of lunar vistas high above the clouds.  He tells us how to discover the real food and culture of this stunning place.  Eoin is also a well known commentator in the media for the best trail running races in the world and specially the famous "Transgrancanaria" over 160 kilometres long - the next one is due to happen on March 4th 2022 -  Eoin also tells us about the famous festival which takes place here every September in the local villages with full traditional Canarian dress.   There's even a strawberry festival and an avocado festival.    

This festival, which takes place in the town of Agüimes in Gran Canaria, attracts a multitude of visitors each year, as it brings one of the oldest Canary Island traditions back to life. This is the “traída del agua y el gofio”, a lively, joyful event that re-enacts the old custom of taking corn, barley, or wheat to the mill to be ground into gofio, a kind of flour that’s used in many different ways and is still an essential part of Canary Island cuisine today. On this day, people head for the mills, and along the way gofio is distributed and there’s music and dancing. Afterwards it’s back to the town, and water is sprinkled down on everyone from the balconies of the houses.

Camino de Gran Canaria?
Did you know that Gran Canaria even has a part of the Camino de Santiago! Check out the www.jacobeogalder.es   Yes indeed - 23 hours and 66 kilometres make up the Camino de Santiago in Gran Canaria. A good part of this route was already traveled by the ancient canaries in communications from the south to the north of the island, and later, it was used as a livestock route for cattle,  pilgrims and "romeras".  For lots of info on Gran Canaria - check out www.spain.info and www.grancanaria.com

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com

This week in our Ambassadors for Spain series we chat to Fiona McAndrew who has lived in Tenerife for over 34 years.   Fiona has worked in Tourism for many years in Tenerife and she tells us what a wonderful place Tenerife is and specially how friendly the people are there.  Tenerife is famous for its beaches of course, ( 72 listed on the tourist board website at least) on which to stretch out, switch off and get that gorgeous shade of bronze.   Tenerife however is a multi-faceted island and everywhere you look there are man-made and natural attractions to be had, from stargazing in Europe’s clearest skies to conquering the planet’s third-largest volcano, and from splashing around in the world’s most popular water park, to getting within touching distance of dolphins in the wild.    You can’t get to the very top of Tenerife’s omnipresent volcano, Teide, without a prearranged pass, but you can get to within 600 ft by cable car.   The views are spectacular, but it’s the sheer sense of scale that will really take your breath away. What you see above ground is only the tip of what is one of the three largest volcanoes on the planet.  Tenerife really has everything and of course is a golf lovers paradise.  I recently stayed in the Green Garden Resort and just loved it.  Fiona tells us her top tips for her favourite beaches and places to visit.  We spoke to Fiona last July and of course travel has fully opened up since then and travel to Tenerife is back with a bang.  For full details visit www.spain.info and for Fiona's hotel recommendations visit www.royalgardenvillas.com 

The Travel Lounge in association with www.discovernorthernireland.com