Twitter as a Traveler's Tool

Twitter is generally intended to be an interactive source of sharing information, but for my purposes, I tweet very seldom and instead rely on it as a another source of great travel tips. With twitter, I'm able to monitor a number of resources in one place, which is especially useful when I'm traveling somewhere. Often, I'll use internet cafes and have a limited amount of time to do any research about my next plans.

There are a few follows I find especially useful. First among them is the US State Department's #travelgov which provides updates about world events and how they can affect travel plans. This is also used heavily by my mom whenever I'm traveling; she remains convinced that I'll be kidnapped somewhere. I was in southern Bulgaria in January of 2011, right around when Greece was having another round of dangerous protests. As the two countries border each other, we both kept a close eye on the developments and I decided to postpone a two-day trip down to Athens for another time.

I also follow any airline I'm planning on flying with, which is helpful when weather or other issues cause widespread delays. Although there is still room for a lot of improvement, it's nice to see a concerted effort to get as much info as possible out to customers. Twitter has more than once served as my primary source of info while overseas.

Sarah Loves Anthony

When choosing an RSS feed to subscribe to, I wanted to have one that was specifically about travel books and one that was still travel related, but more general. First I turned to the Reader's Club site and found a nonfiction travel category that seemed perfect.
Then I went to the Travel Channel's website and remembered my eternal crush on Anthony Bourdain. He combines travel with another passion of mine, cooking. The Travel Channel allows you to chose from feeds divided by show, general topic, or even media (like if you'd rather get video links).

What a stud.

The Best Music in Ireland

Last March, I went to Ireland with four friends. It may not look like much, but the tiny town of Doolin is the center of Irish folk music. There are only three pubs, all of which host musicians from all over the country. On Friday and Saturday nights, these pubs fill up with tourists and locals alike. The musicians come from all over Ireland, which is hard to believe until you’re reminded that it only takes about 2 ½ hours to drive across the middle of the entire country.

These musicians rarely come as bands, it’s almost always individuals. They arrive, take a seat at the center most table, along with a few other musicians. The bartender places a microphone in the center of the table, and the musicians begin a short discussion on what they will play.

Because they play folk music that has changed little over decades (sometimes centuries), they all know the songs well. Depending on the makeup of the group, you may have a vocalist, one or two guitar players, a harpist, a flutist, or any combination of these, plus other instruments. Once they’ve picked their songs, they begin.

The crowd almost always knows the songs; this is a tourist destination for international travelers, but also for Irish people themselves. Some people begin to dance, others start signing along. During the particularly emotional songs, it can be a very moving experience.

Rumor has it that J R R Tolkien used Doolin as an inspiration for the Shire in his Lord of the Rings books. As a longtime reader of these books, I could feel the influence and it made our time in Doolin even more special. We only spent one night there, but I recommend it to anyone looking for an authentic Irish experience. 

Here's a picture of the main part of town. It really is that tiny. There are farms surrounding this small street. 

The journey starts...

The idea of travel as a to-do list has always seemed wrong to me and I don’t believe that having been somewhere once means that you’ve seen all you should. Every time I visit a new place, I come home with a full list of all the things I’d like to do the next time I’m there. This blog is devoted to travel; travel I’ve done and the travel I hope to do. I’d love to hear suggestions on places, restaurant, sights, and landmarks that you’ve seen on your own travels. I wish you happy travels, with short customs lines and lots of empty seats on the flight.