alarm on sydney bus

The Night I Got Locked in A Bus and Slept in It, New South Wales, Australia

Yes, there was that silly night when I fell asleep on a bus, got locked inside, and slept in it until the morning. My crazy stories haven’t all been told yet of course and I was just reminiscing about the night I ended up getting locked in a public bus in Australia. Please note alcohol was Read more about The Night I Got Locked in A Bus and Slept in It, New South Wales, Australia[…]

working wednesdays pjs

Working Wednesdays: A Tribute to My Friends and Heroes of PJs Parramatta, Australia

“If you really want more shout it out louder” – Usher. OK so before I launch into a tribute, the story begins, and this one needs a bit of an introduction. Even those that once worked with me in PJ Gallagher’s Irish PubI’m not sure I’ve told it all before in this much detail on Read more about Working Wednesdays: A Tribute to My Friends and Heroes of PJs Parramatta, Australia[…]

Why visit ‘The Last Paradise’ Lord Howe Island

Lord Howe Island is one of those places that actually lives up to its marketing spiel. While the word ‘paradise’ gets thrown about rather casually and a bit too often, the unspoiled natural beauty of this Aussie island makes it an alluring travel destination. With its forest-covered volcanic peaks jutting out of an aquamarine sea, Read more about Why visit ‘The Last Paradise’ Lord Howe Island[…]

beach at neko harbour antarctica

Top 10 Beaches From My Travels

While I’m not a total beach freak, nor a sunseeker, I do love to be beside the seaside. Over the years I’ve lived in a load of places by the sea (Bangor, Northern Ireland; Ma Wan, Hong Kong; Sydney, Australia; Bournemouth, England etc.). I haven’t really written much about beaches on here though, so here Read more about Top 10 Beaches From My Travels[…]

inca trail camping

My Top 5 Camping Memories!

As I celebrate the 10 year mark of being away from Northern Ireland by camping out in the desert at Wadi Rum with Rum Stars (AMAZING!), I thought it was a good time to share my top 5 camping moments from my travels…including my latest spot of desert camping, these moments were inspiring… 1. Camping Read more about My Top 5 Camping Memories![…]

jonny blair top irish pubs around the world

Thirsty Thursdays: 5 Best Irish Pubs From My Travels

It’s a post I was meant to write about 2 years ago to be honest, but never got round to it. In the hope I’d find better Irish Pubs than these 5. But I haven’t so the list remains the same. I’ve worked in a fair few Irish Pubs down the years and I love Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: 5 Best Irish Pubs From My Travels[…]

koala bear hugging

Holding a Koala at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Queensland, Australia

It’s been a while since I’ve written about Australia on here, but I’ve been reminiscing and will try and cover the countless Australia stories from my time there that haven’t seen the light of day yet. I’ve literally got a list of 40 plus stories to be written about from Australia alone!! Holding and cuddling Read more about Holding a Koala at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Queensland, Australia[…]

gay rights lecture getting drunk

The Night I Got Drunk For FREE at a Gay Rights Lecture in Sydney, Australia

Another of my weird and wonderful travel stories now. If you follow my blog, you’ll know I’m a cheapskate and I cut corners, and I’ll take anything if it’s FREE. Zoom back to November 2009 and I was living in Parramatta on the western edge of Sydney. I shared a room there with a couple Read more about The Night I Got Drunk For FREE at a Gay Rights Lecture in Sydney, Australia[…]

poatina lonely planet

10 Places I LOVE Which Aren’t Even In The Lonely Planet!

I use the Lonely Planet Guide Booksquite a lot when I travel and I like them. Usually they are correct, mostly they are useful but sometimes they are horrendously wrong and ill-informed. As soon as they go to press they are out of date, as prices go up, bus timetables change, visa regulations change etc. Read more about 10 Places I LOVE Which Aren’t Even In The Lonely Planet![…]

bruny island hotel sign

Thirsty Thursdays: My Lonely Beer at Australia’s Southernmost Pub

I spent a lot of 2010 travelling alone. I was working hard, saving, backpacking and still did a load of sightseeing on my days off. I had my own car. Life took me to a tiny island on the south east of Australia, off the coast of Tasmania. I got a boat from Kettering in Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: My Lonely Beer at Australia’s Southernmost Pub[…]