“It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight” – Survivor. After my first Christmas in Northern Ireland since 2019, I headed out of Belfast on Boxing Day/Saint Stephen’s Day south to Swords/Baile Atha Cliath. Known to the world as Dublin. I had a Dublin to Djibouti hat-trick of flights booked. A Read more about How To Get A Somaliland🟩⬜️🟥Visa In Djibouti City, Djibouti🇩🇯[…]
“Don’t tell me it’s not worth fighting for” – Bryan Adams. Tears drained naturally from my eyes when I heard this Bryan Adams song being sung in a bar I once worked in – 21 years later, in a hotel I once stayed in – 31 years earlier. The Heathlands Hotel in East Cliff, Bournemouth, Read more about 21 Years Later: Sentimental Return To The Heathlands Hotel Where Once I Worked In Bournemouth England[…]
The name of the next station on my Tasmanian tour was “Lower Landing”, I didn’t really like that name actually. It’s a bit false. And the name was totally false. It’s a custom built station for the sake of the Western Wilderness Railway. That took the shine off the stop there, but didn’t take the Read more about West Coast Wilderness Railway Part Seven – Tasting Honey at “Lower Landing”[…]
“Time flies” – Oasis compilation album. Time really does fly. From my first ever radio listen of Oasis in April 1994 on a Radio One session, before finally getting into buying CDs and cassette tapes of Oasis, it has been a wild 31 years. In the early years of Oasis, 1994 to 1998 I owned Read more about Oasis⚫⚪Week🎸🎙️: Finally Attending My 15th Oasis Concert[…]
Well the dream had been realised and that was when I finally landed in Cameroon in March 2024. After wanting and promising to visit it for years, the reality finally came! I went through the Cameroon Online Visa process and landed in Yaounde International Airport and then Douala International Airport. I was ready for football Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: Pub Crawling In Douala, Cameroon🇨🇲[…]
“He was turned to steel in the great magnetic field. When he travelled time for the future of mankind” – Black Sabbath. I started to write this post 2 years ago when I was back backpacking in Birmingham. It’s a city I have visited over 10 times but rarely written about, except maybe a review Read more about Visiting The Crown Pub, Birmingham, England: Where Black Sabbath⬛🟪Played Their First Ever Gig[…]
📚 Backpacking Centurion is a travel memoir series by Northern Irish globetrotter Jonny Blair, chronicling his journey through over 100 countries. It’s not just a collection of travel tales—it’s a deeply personal narrative that blends adventure, emotion, and reflection. 🧠What’s the series about? It traces Jonny’s life from his childhood in Bangor, Northern Ireland, Read more about The Backpacking Centurion Series According To Microsoft Copilot[…]
The Backpacking Centurion series is a travel‑memoir trilogy (with a later fourth volume) by Jonny Blair, a Northern Irish writer and globetrotter based in Poland. It chronicles his solo backpacking journey to reach 100 countries, weaving personal history, adventure, and emotional insight along the way. Goodreads+11northernirishmaninpoland.com+11eCampus.com+11 📚 Overview of the Series Volume 1 – Don’t Look Read more about The Backpacking Centurion Series According To Chat GPT[…]
Zanzibar is one of those countries that has introduced a mandatory travel insurance. This means to backpack it, you MUST have their travel insurance, not yours, not Jimmy’s and not Sally’s! As a backpacker who hates travel insurance and refuses to pay it, after companies stiched me up so many times two decades ago, it Read more about How To Get Mandatory Travel Insurance For Zanzibar[…]
I finally arrived in Comoros in July 2025! It was the third country of my Rainy Summertime tour and my 235th recognised country on this whackpacking odyssey on a ball. What Is Comoros? What are Comoro Islands? It’s actually a bit similar to the whole British Isles, Britain, Great Britain, United Kingdom argument and there Read more about How To Get A Comoros🇰🇲Visa On Arrival At Hahaya International Airport[…]