Working Wednesdays: Doing PR for Card protection Plan.
Today’s Working Wednesdays bring me a reminder of a job even I forgot that I once did. I worked in PR for a company called Card Protection Plan (CPP) a few years back. I have written before in parts about my time working as a PR (Public Relations) Assistant for Bite Communications. An excellent global PR company and a really good job with a few perks. Although I loved the London lifestyle and worked hard, life was always leading me away from an office job. I hate the whole 8am – 6pm routine thing. I knew that. I worked on the CPP account in 2006 – 2007. But in between times I found time for trips to Denmark, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
I’d rather be out seeing the world than stuck in an office!
What did the job entail?
My manager Katy Cook used to get me to do “Regional PR outreach” for Card Protection Plan. Basically if you’ve worked in PR you’ll know how it works. You write an article or press release over hyping your company’s potential, disguised cleverly in an article about people moaning about mortgage rates or credit cards or something. The winner in the article is CPP as they can protect you and your cards.
A rare photo of me talking on the telephone – the boring PR lifestyle of London just wasn’t for me. I’d rather be out seeing the world!
So in short, you get on the phone, you write e-mails and you pester journalists on why they should publish the article. I don’t like falseness myself though so I’m not the best person for doing this. It never quite felt right. When I do PR for my travel blog, it always feels right as this is a real travel blog from a real traveller – selling my blog to someone is easy, fun and within morals.
I hate fake travel blogs (and believe me there are a lot of fakes and wannabes out there in the travel blog industry) and I hate fake stories that are for PR purposes only. BUT, I’m a hypocrite as I did it, I worked in it and I got paid for it. Thank you very much, Bite Communications and Card Protection Plan. I got them some coverage in regional newspapers back in the day, most notably the Belfast Telegraph in Northern Ireland. CPP will protect your cards for you, including on your travels. If any of you CPP guys are reading and you want to advertise on my blog, get in touch!
Within 48 hours of my last shift for Bite Communications, I was sipping a beer at a music festival in Toronto, Canada, and from there the inspiration for this very website came. Work your ass off, but live your travel dreams my friends…working Wednesdays can be spent hiking a mountain you know.
The night my mate drank a pint of his own piss for Children in Need: John Johnson.
OK so the crazy travel stories are going to keep coming I’m afraid. I’ve got a ton of tales locked in my travel cupboard and am finally releasing them on here – no holds barred!! You might have been part of my journey and if you have, you might well appear on here. Don’t forget that this is MY travel blog and I write what I want. I don’t want to be an “also ran” (and thankfully I never will be).
You won’t see me joining that list of “just another travel blog”. You’ll know these blogs when you see them – mostly people who don’t really travel at all. They have their own flat. They eat muffins and coffee at 11 am everyday. They will write boring, non-descript monotonous posts such as “Top 4 things to see in Madrid on a Tuesday” or “5 Travel things you must do in Sydney” or “Must visit beaches in Greece” or “Do’s and don’ts of LA”. I’ve thrown up all the food I’ve eaten before I’ve even clicked on their links. Repetitive, boring and they’ve probably typed the whole thing up from their office at home over a cup of coffee pretending to be backpackers. Funny how I never meet these types in hostels! Was that a rant by me?? Yes maybe but on with the business. I tell you what really happens when you are a budget traveller – stories like this one – the night my mate drank a pint of his own piss for Children in Need!!!
Having two simultaneous drinks with John in our London days a long time ago…around the time he drank his own piss.
So you’re getting a full on honest insight here into my life – it’s an open window to the world. These wild stories are from life on the road. We have fun but we have no shame.
“You don’t build a revolution sitting in a rocking chair.” Think about it.
Right onto the story – my mate once drank a pint of his own piss for Children in Need. How did that happen?
It was October 2004, I was sharing a flat in Bournemouth in England. I worked in a hotel bar at weekends, I studied during the week and I worked as a cashier on the tills as well. Life was pretty good and with a big social circle, alcohol and bars became a regular pastime.
A busy week of work had finished and Friday night was here – I had a night off and it was time to head to the student bar on the campus, known as Dylan’s Bar. I was actually in Dylan’s Bar more often than in the library in my student days. I like to study the world with my own eyes, not by reading some wannabe philosopher’s textbook while stuck in a library…
The beer was flowing – my best mate was there – Neil Macey (he might begin to feature a lot on here in fact – we have ended up living very similar lives and he travels and works his way round the world now too!). A few of my flatmates were there and there was one oddball – my mate John Johnson (a self confessed nutcase). John Johnson is his real name and if you have ever met him, you will never forget him.
The night my mate drank a pint of his own piss for children in need.
The bar had a fundraising night for charity. It was the UK Children in Need night. Spirits were high, all sorts of activities were on and students were more than generous. We all chucked in a bit into the pot as it came round and then one girl asked us “What are you doing for Children in Need?” and in fact apart from having a laugh and a jolly good piss up we weren’t doing anything. Then John shouts in with “I’ll do a dare and raise money!” We brainstormed and came up with a few x-rated dares for John to do – mostly stuff like getting naked or simulating sex in the student bar with a guy or a girl. This John by the way is the same guy who once shagged an inflatable donkey in my living room (I kid you not – a story for another “Don’t Stop Living day”). Finally John jumps up, necks the rest of his pint of lager and says “I’m going to drink a pint of my own piss for Children in Need, but only if I can raise £20.” We quickly rounded together the money and he pulls his fly (zip) down and is about to piss into the empty glass. Hold on, there are ladies about and besides we are all drinking around him. Nobody wanted to see him pissing into a pint glass in the bar – the bet was just for him to drink it.
So he rushes downstairs to the toilet and had to be accompanied by my mate Jody. Jody was there to watch him piss just to prove that it was really his piss he was drinking. We weren’t sure what was worse – Jody standing in the men’s toilets staring at John pissing into a glass or John drinking the pint of his own piss. A few minutes later the pair of them emerged with a pint glass full of piss.
I had a quick smell as I wanted proof and yes straight away I could tell – it was piss. Without further ado and to an audience of about 13 people he proceeded to down the piss in one go! Unbelievable. He did it – the piss/urine was gone – John had drank it to rapturous applause and to raise money for Children in Need. (OK it was only £20 but every little helps).
Fast forward five seconds and he was sick EVERYWHERE. And I mean everywhere – the vomit just kept coming – the table was covered and so was part of the sofa. It was a mess. We had raised our £20 but were now sitting in an area full of John’s sick from him drinking his own urine. It was absolutely horrendous and disgusting.
Myself and Neil made a quick getaway and the others followed while a cleaner came over to get rid of the mess “what on earth were you drinking?” She asked him. If only she knew…
Oh John, yes you John Johnson, in October 2004 you drank a pint of your own piss for Children in Need and were sick everywhere. It was monumentally horrific and I have yet to witness a single vomitation on a par with this since. I don’t recommend drinking your own piss, whether for charity or not. What I do recommend is to not stop living. I wouldn’t have things any other way!
Working Wednesdays: Working with Megan on the tills at Tesco Branksome Poole, England in 2004
I was recently thinking about my job history, including all the unpaid work, the work I have done for friends, the work I have done for others on top of my 50 plus jobs where I’ve been earning money around the world. It astounds even me, as until recently I didn’t actually realise how many different jobs I have had over the years! So I wrote a list of actual jobs or job related stories I could write and got into the hundreds…anyway today’s working Wednesdays however comes from the suburb of Branksome, on the edge of Poole in England. I actually spent 2 and a half years working there on and off, and always on a part time basis on top of 3 other jobs, my studies and my mega social commitments and ventures round Europe. I’m going back to the period from October 2003 to June 2006. I worked as a front end cashier or till clerk for the massive English supermarket chain Tesco!
Where did I work?
I worked in a 24 hour Tesco supermarket in Branksome, Poole in England. It was open 24 hour for petrol and conveniences and the main store itself also had loads of 24 hour opening days. Except Sundays were short. I think we opened 10am – 4pm in those days.
What hours did I work?
I was part time and I had set contract hours. I luckily managed to get Monday and Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday nights as my three shifts. These were EVERY week at the same times, for over two years. However I could get shifts covered or swapped when I needed them (which was usually for football or travel!). I also worked as many Sundays as I could as it was double pay. I’d say I averaged around 12 – 15 hours per week working there on top of my other jobs, studies etc. so this was a handy boost for me. I worked longer hours at Christmas as the shop was busier.
What was the rate of pay?
I’d have to check my payslips for that one. But It was somewhere between £5.50 to £6.50 per hour. Plus double rate on bank holidays and Sundays!
What bonuses did I get?
10% off ALL my shopping and double Clubcard points on all my petrol!! I milked this big time. I did all my shopping there and had a car at the time so filled it up with petrol. The discount included alcohol, but not petrol, stamps or tobacco. It was a staff card called a Tesco Privilege Card but you had to work there for one year to get it, so I got over a year and a half use out of it.
Where I once worked!! Tesco Branksome Poole, England!
What did the job entail?
For 90% of the time I was sat on a swivel chair on the tills, scanning groceries and charging people for them. It’s fair to say it got fairly boring at times so I used to just chat a lot of crap to my customers making them laugh. Zoe Oakley, my work mate and friend used to find it funny. Not sure if anyone else did. If I served you in Tesco Branksome from 2003 – 2006 I was trying to bring a bit of comedy to a fairly mundane job. Yes I was the one with the Northern Irish accent.
I also worked on the floor packing shelves on occasions and outside in the car park moving trolleys. I hated moving trolleys.
Back in the day!! Staff Party at Tesco Branksome Poole 2004 in a Cantonese Restaurant in Parkstone.
Any romance with the job?
Like most of my jobs I’ve had there were plenty of girls to flirt with and yes the willy got some use out of working on the tills of Tesco!! Perhaps a story for my recent line of crazy stories at some point. Though there were a hat-trick of girls I chased who I never got to “play with”. For old times sake and to name drop them: Emma Geraghty, Charlotte Marsh and Justine (can’t remember her surname) turned me down surely limiting and hindering their lack of adventure in days gone by…oh ladies it wasn’t to be…you never got your travelling Northern Irishman 😉
Any wild staff parties?
In fact in my two and a half years working there the staff parties were hardly anything to write home about. I wrote home regularly in those days in fact and didn’t mention Tesco staff nights out that much. I used to enjoy drinks with my co-workers Conan, Gemma and Zoe. It was a different type of crowd, a lot more work and family focused than worldly and adventurous. Though I did have fond memories meeting Natallia from Belarus and Sun from South Korea. They helped increase my appetite for travel as I scanned products through the tills. My destiny clearly never lay in working in a local supermarket!!
This was as wild as a staff party ever got at Tesco Branksome Poole Christmas Party in 2004
Any celebrities that passed through my tills?
Yes! Lots – this was near the Sandbanks part of Poole and I had Max Bygraves, Harry Redknapp, Louise Redknapp, James Hayter and Brian Stock all pass through my tills. Had to look twice when Max Bygraves handed me his credit card to pay. Just checking it’s really you I said!
Where is Tesco Branksome Poole England?!
It’s on Poole Road in Branksome, so it’s just inside the town boundary of Poole in the English county of Dorset. I actually lived in a few places while working there (nomadic even then – never stayed long in the same flat), including Wallisdown, Ensbury Park, Bournemouth Town Centre and Springbourne. It’s on England’s south coast so it has a fantastic coastline.
What was my favourite till to work on?
The one at the end. More peace, more freedom and I could plan my next adventures on the back of Tesco till receipts.
Who Did I work with?
OK this is in list form so apologies to those who I’ve left out or forgotten: Nickie Fudge, Sarah Mainstone, Dawn Standerwick, Katie Frost, Katie Clarke, Kerry Gill, Fran, Andrea, Conan Parsons, Paul, Charlotte Marsh, Emma Geraghty, Ross, Simon Dobson, Gemma Mornin, Richard, Dave, Andy Mantle, Claire Tait, Charlotte Rixon, Justine, Darius, Rory Saxby, Zoe Oakley, Simon, Louise, Ben, Nattalia, Megan, Sun, Joss, 2 other Sarahs, a different Emma, Sophie, Matt Holland, Vicky Randall, Cathy Randall…you know what I cannot for the life in me remember the rest!
On a night out with my friend Zoe Oakley, who I worked with in Tesco Branksome, Poole in England.
When and why did I leave?
Despite twice handing in my resignation (once in 2004 and once in early 2006), I didn’t actually leave until June 2006. I quit both my jobs in Bournemouth/Poole simultaneously so I could move to London and try living and working in the big smoke for a while. It was that job in London (doing PR for companies like Apple, Sonos, Iomega etc.) that made me even more eager to get out there and see the world! And a year later I launched the website you are now reading!! Don’t Stop Living – a lifestyle of travel.
If you worked with me in Tesco Branksome in days gone by, thanks for the memories. It was just another job in my coloured past. I’m pretty glad I’m now a travel writer and blogger!! Safe travels and happy Working Wednesdays guys!
My Top 5 Cities in Europe – in front of the City Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland
I often get asked about Europe and why I haven’t written much about my own continent for a while. The real answer is that all my travels in Europe were 2003 – 2009. In the last 4 years I’ve had less than 2 weeks travelling in Europe! This makes it my LEAST travelled continent in the last 4 years, but before that I toured the hell out of it, often doing short trips for football matches as well as doing the whole “inter-railing thing” before. So I thought it would be a good idea to reflect and pick a Top 5, focusing on what 5 European cities would be good for a short city break. Co-operative Travel have a load of decent options if you are looking for a cheap city break and my top 5 European cities all featured strongly which is great! Yes, I know it’s another list, but here are my top 5, which I urge you all to tick off!! Especially Belfast 😉
Backpacking on a “city break” in Hungarian Budapest a few years back.
The best thing about travelling to cities is that they are EASY to get to – just a quick flight and you’re there. Yes I know I go off the beaten track a lot to towns and islands that are virtually unreachable, but sometimes you just want a weekend or a short city break to escape your mundane day jobs. These are in no particular order by the way…
1. Paris, France
Despite having a global reputation for oozing sophistication, class, style and wealth, a city break to Paris need not cost as much as you might think. Seriously! I’ve backpacked my way through Paris twice ticking off the usual sights and I still see it as a place I’d like to go to again, as it’s a decent hub. Plus thanks to my education I speak a wee bit of French so I can get by. I’ll write more about money savers in big cities like Paris at some point.
Top 5 European Cities – a wee beer on my last visit to Paris.
With great food being served in abundance, art galleries on every corner and world-famous sites around every turn, discovering everything Paris has to offer in a weekend won’t be easy, but you can bung a lot in believe me!
Good old times with my travel buddy Rene in Paris – backpacking our way to the top of the Eiffel Tower!
2. Belfast, Northern Ireland
Ah good old Belfast! The thriving hub of the Northern Irish economy incites unusual and unexpected love affairs. Rarely does a tourist come away from Belfast feeling like they haven’t been culture struck. The city is steeped in history and has enjoyed a tourism boom the last 15 years.
Inspired by Belfast once again on my most recent visit in 2012. A city not to miss for sure!
There’s the spanking new Titanic Centre, Victoria Square for 360 degrees views, Stormont Parliament, the City Hall, the Crown Bar, the Peace Line, the Falls and Shankill, Cavehill (great views) and a whole load more in what is a very very under-rated city. Take your wandering heart there and you’ll love it.
Watching my local football team Glentoran FC on a rare trip back to Belfast in Northern Ireland.
As Northern Ireland’s capital, I just miss everything about the place. The food, the bars, the people, the sights, the local shops, the lifestyle and yes… Glentoran FC my football team. Every visit I’ve had to Europe in the past 4 years has included a trip to Belfast. I have more posts on Belfast scattered around my blog, here’s a couple of my favourite Belfast posts:
An odd choice perhaps, but an underestimated city. It’s a great city to relax in for a quick break. Spend your days admiring the river, the parliament and heading for a view of the city. Other random stuff I did there was visit some Baths (popular in Hungary), visit the Labyrinth (an underground cave complex), check out the football stadium and try some excellent Hungarian wine and goulasch at night in the Old Town. Complete with live violins…
In awe of the cityscape of Budapest in Hungary back in 2009.
Great city for a short break, and cheaper than the big boys like Rome, London and yes Paris.
4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
When it comes to going on a cheap city break, Amsterdam rarely fails to make it onto the shortlist, but that’s no reason for it to make my list easily…I miss Amsterdam immensely because I have only been there once and it was 20 years ago!!! So I am overdue a visit. I loved it and have no idea why it has taken me so long to book another trip back. I loved the typical streets, the bicycles, the art and the whole Dutch culture…clogs, cheese, delft etc.
Chilling on the canals of Amsterdam…this is my Dad not me – he’s been more recently than me!
Despite not being the most knowledgeable traveller on Amsterdam, I couldn’t leave it off my list and I’m gagging to get back and see it as an adult.
5. London, England
I lived in London, I worked in London and I still have a place in my heart for London. Realistically it’s never going to be an off the beaten track city so I’m putting it on my top 5 for definite short city breaks. I miss London pub crawls, the tube, the free newspapers, the random people you meet in bars and the whole lifestyle of the cosmopolitan English capital. For sure I will return someday…it’s where I earned the money to afford my first proper round the world trip so I owe something to it.
I didn’t even think touristy photos of me in London existed as it was once my home, but here’s me at Westminster!
OK so there were some “also rans” in this series, so here’s the extra 5 which would have made it in if I did a top 10…
6. Berlin, Germany
7. Reykjavik, Iceland
8. Ljubljana, Slovenia
9. Stockholm, Sweden
10. Warsaw, Poland
OK and a few videos of my recent trips to a few of these top 5 European cities…
Going into the Ice Bar in London:
Victoria Square Shopping Centre, Belfast:
Titanic Dry Dock, Belfast:
Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary:
The day I randomly ended up on the Paris – Marseille train:
Working Wednesdays: Relaxing on the car deck in my job on the waves for Wightlink Ferries, Isle of Wight, England
I LOVED working for Wightlink Ferries. In the last 10 years of nomadery, this was perhaps the one job that it felt like I was at home in. Getting paid to travel, meeting new people every day, free food and drinks and travelling every day to an enchanting island. Whatever fate befell me in 2008 led me to become a seasonal ferry steward on Wightlink ferries. I worked on 4 ferries, all on the same route. I loved it. But I was way too busy at the time. I also had this blog, I also worked as a barman in the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth (a Working Wednesday for the future), I also ran a supporters club and I also had a busy social network, not to mention season tickets for TWO football teams (Northern Ireland and AFC Bournemouth) so my 6 months on Wightlink Ferries was over in a flash but I have my photos and videos and my memories. On Working Wednesdays I tell the stories of the endless jobs I’ve had but I also want to help you to get jobs too.
The view of the Needles on the Isle of Wight, a bit of sightseeing on my days off!
How to get a job working on Ferries in England
First of all almost all of these jobs will be seasonal. Meaning they usually run from May – September. I was lucky with Wightlink Ferries and I worked right through until November for them. I also worked for Condor and also on the Brittany Ferries route (but on a Condor Vessel) over a 2 year period in the boating industry. If you’re not from the UK and planing to head there, you can check my 6steps on moving to the UK.
Yarmouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight – nice view from the office window!
I was employed by Seamariner who at the time sorted out seasonal staff for the Isle of Wight ferries run by Wightlink. For information on UK ferry companies check here: Ferry Cruise Jobs and here is Seamariner’s Website. Since I got my job in 2008, I cannot say for sure the best way to do this these days, just being honest, but here are a few important things to note:
– Look around for every ferry company in England and contact them around February – April time enquiring about summer jobs. Most of them will need extra staff in the summer.
– Live near a town that has ferries! (A few examples are Poole, Weymouth, Dover, Fleetwood, Birkenhead, Lymington, Portsmouth, Southampton)
– Make yourself available.
– Be enthusiastic (I’m pretty sure they only gave me the job as I talked non-stop about how I loved ferries, loved travel and it was always my dream to work on ferries!!).
The Wightlink ferry lands on the ramp in Yarmouth – not actually the usual place to disembark but this was a bust summer’s day!
I would imagine the same types of logic would apply to working on ferries in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
My Working Hours on Wightlink Ferries
It was normally a 5-6 day week of either an “early” or a “late” – each shift varied from 6 hours to 12 hours depending on how busy it was. Overtime was paid and a rota/roster was handed out each week and was easy to follow. I was assigned to a certain crew, though the captain of the ship and the other crew members often changed. I also managed to get trips to Belfast, Slovakia, Italy and Slovenia in my time working there so don’t think it was all hard work for 6 months and no travel. I always travel!
Lymington: Closest train to a ferry in the UK? Not sure on the facts but you could literally jump off the train and straight up the gangway to the ferry (well probably in an emergency…there was a proper boarding system and ramp 😉 )
Perks of my Job working on Wightlink Ferries
Free tea and coffee all day! Selected snacks free. Free transport to the Isle of Wight and back (including with your car). Early morning starts, late night finishes, varied working hours, bonuses, overtime for busy periods etc. I’d have to say the perks were great!
All at sea – loving life on the waves working for Wightlink in 2008
What Qualifications did I Need to work on Wightlink Ferries?
First Aid and Food Hygiene were the main ones and they put you through Fire Safety and Crew Briefings before your first proper shift. It’s essential to do all the training and you get paid for it and meet your fellow staff. I loved it.
Life at sea working for Wightlink Ferries in 2008 loving it!
What did my job on Wightlink Ferries entail?
I worked as a steward. I had a boss who was a Senior Steward. My main duty was safety of the passengers, as is everyone’s on board a boat. But I served tea, coffee, drinks and snacks. We had a bar too of course. Keeping the cabin clean, looking after passengers, helping disabled passengers etc. The job was varied and I loved it. I worked on the car deck once, but I didn’t enjoy it – not really my thing so I left it for the better staff to do.
My main duty was of course passenger safety – I loved the training and drills too though I have to admit!
If I loved working on Wightlink Ferries so much why did I leave?
My contract ended in October and I managed to stay on until November and I could have gone back again in March for the second season. But I had my busy life and my other jobs, so when I clocked out of the Caedmon in mid November 2008, I never visited the Isle of Wight or Lymington again. That’s the way life goes. I kept in touch with a few of the guys and girls from the boats and I later worked on Condor Ferries before I left to travel the world again in 2009.
The dream team in 2008 on Wightlink Ferries – Jo, Jonny, Simon. Great memories…
A shout out to Simon Eatwell, Steve Parrish, Jo Weguelin and Shaun Em who I worked with most on the ferries. I loved those days and it all came to an end but I cherish the memories. I’ll have to do a post on sightseeing on the Isle of Wight sometime…
Check out the Wightlink Ferries website if you want to visit the Isle of Wight – it’s a great wee island off the south coast of England!
Wightlink Ferries I worked on – Caedmon, Cenred, Cenwulf, Wight Light
Working Wednesdays: Doing PR for Tiger Beer in the UK
I’ve had a lot of jobs down the years and even within the jobs I’ve had there were other things I was doing, that I often forget about. I totally forgot that I once did PR for Tiger Beer in the UK! Not for long though – I worked on one campaign in May or June 2007 trying to gain coverage for an Asian Grindhouse Event in London. At the time I was a PR Accounts Assistant for the excellent company Bite Communications. Today’s Working Wednesdays is all about doing PR for Tiger Beer!
Oh the travelling lifestyle…it’s all just a beer and a bit of sightseeing sure!
It must be a dream job, right? All you do is drink beer, tell people how good it is and hopefully get them to buy it, right? Wrong. Even more wrong is that PR (or to use the correct name Public Relations) isn’t all it cracked up to be. It’s not all glamour. It’s a busy tough, hard working life where you are constantly chasing people and people are constantly chasing you!
My boss at the time was Andrea Christopherson and I remember we had some crates of Tiger Beer in the office. We were able to use it for PR purposes but also on Thursdays, we had our own “Thirsty Thursdays” in the office.
Tiger Beer are a Singaporean company and my brief was just to inform journalists to get down there and write about it. I mean it was FREE beer, FREE food and FREE Asian Grindhouse Film Screenings if I remember correctly. I can’t believe I even managed to find a link to some of the online coverage:
However in those days, and in the busy PR world, newspaper, television and magazine coverage was always better than any website mentions.
I was invited to the Tiger Beer event myself, but for some reason I didn’t attend (was busy with a football supporter’s club function at the time) and I got the journalists Tiger wanted to attend and all was sweet. It was a decent few working days. Within a month I had left the busy Public Relations world of London far behind and was sipping beers in Toronto, Canada where I got the inspiration needed to start this website, Don’t Stop Living.
A bit of an anecdote and sentimentality thrown in there for good measure! Safe travels!
I’m very well qualified to bring you this post today, as I spent a whopping SIX years living in the English seaside town of Bournemouth. While my time in Bournemouth came to an abrupt but needed end in 2009, my memories of the town and its suburbs will linger forever. Rather than bore anyone out there with personal stuff in Bournemouth, this is MY top 5 things to do in Bournemouth – I hope it provides some decent tips for all visitors to Bournemouth, a town which is embedded into my heart…this post has been coming for about 10 years now so it finally sees the light of day.
The peaceful pier approach at Bournemouth seafront. I spent 6 years working in and around views like this,!
1. Bournemouth Beach
Stating the obvious here, but Bournemouth’s award winning beach is probably the town’s most attractive tourist pull. I’ve worked on it, drank on it, played football on it and done a few other things on it…the beach stretches far and is split into many different “beaches” (West Beach, Southbourne Beach, Boscombe Beach, East Cliff etc.). The busiest part is the bit by Bournemouth Pier. On hot summer days this beach is honestly as good as England gets beachwise. You’d be a fool to spend any time in Bournemouth without even visiting the beach, even if it’s just to curb your curiosity and prove the fact that it’s a fantastic beach. It’s also very well kept.
Selling ice cream in a hut in Bournemouth, working on the beach, enjoying the epic view…
2. Bournemouth Pub Crawl
I love pub crawls and I love my quirky bars, promotions and everything that goes with the madness of nights out drinking. In Bournemouth you will find an endless amount of bars, clubs, pubs and restaurants all meeting your required taste. The names of bars and pubs may change a lot and have done since I left there, but my favourites were the Dolphin (Springbourne), The Moon in the Square, The Goat and Tricycle and in the past Jumpin Jaks. These days Bournemouth attracts a lot of stag and hen nights and weekends especially in the summer and the party atmosphere and vibe at night is unrivalled in England.
Pub crawls in Bournemouth – out on a night out with my old flat mates back in 2003 in Bournemouth!
3. The Wave Balloon
Everybody in Bournemouth knows what the “Wave Balloon” is and you should head there in the summer for epic views of the south coast of England. Situated in Bournemouth’s summer gardens, this is unmissable in summer months as it rears itself into the sky. It’s a hot air balloon near the seafront.
The Wave Balloon offers outstanding views over the nearby area.
It’s attached by a huge cord and is as safe as it is popular. Expect queues, but expect good views!
The Moon and the Square pub in Bournemouth – an old haunt of mine due to its proximity to work and generous prices!
4. Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum
A bit of a hidden gem here to be honest, this museum is unique in world terms, something a lot of the locals forget. For its quirkiness, history and “off the beaten track charm” it just had to make my list of top 5 things to do in Bournemouth. Featuring Japanese art and mixing Italian with Scottish architecture in design, this is a top spot. It’s down by the beach too.
Another image of Bournemouth beach – I took thousands of photos during a 6 year stint in the seaside town on England’s South Coast
5. Live Football: AFC Bournemouth
Head to the football stadium called Dean Court (and latterly known as the Goldsands Stadium) to watch AFC Bournemouth. Nicknamed the Cherries, Bournemouth are in the third tier of the English League with ambitions to move up the league ladders.
Head to Dean Court to watch AFC Bournemouth – the Cherries – great local team with happy fans!
You will get a more authentic and real life English football atmosphere in the lower divisions, and watching 90 minutes at Dean Court will give you a great experience. You might even fall in love and become a fan, like I did 😉
Head to Dean Court and watch the mighty Cherries! The local team AFC Bournemouth are great to watch and the atmosphere and fanbase is one of the most welcoming you could wish for. Grab a beer, a scarf and become a fan!
Getting to Bournemouth
Trains and buses run from London and the trip will only take 2 – 3 hours, so it’s easily reachable if you’re based in the capital for your travels. Take a Megabus if you want to save cash!
But a better fact is that Bournemouth has its own international airport!! Not a lot of people know that, they even had flights to New York at one point, and used to fly to Belfast so check what airports fly into it when you’re about to head and you might get a lucky cheap deal. Here’s the Bournemouth Council Website for reference too, upcoming events to look out for are the Annual Air Show and: Bournemouth Council
If you’re in the UK travelling then Bournemouth is a great spot to visit this is my top 5 things to do in the actual town itself – further afield Poole, Weymouth, Dorchester and Lulworth Cove provide plenty more activities to suit everyone.
I’ve written tons and tons about Bournemouth before and will do again, but don’t want to overload or make things cliches, this is more for those of you who haven’t been there yet. I’d argue if you only ever visit England once, head to Bournemouth (throw in a day trip to Salisbury or Stonehenge though too!).
Here are some of my videos from life in Bournemouth:
The Bournemouth Wave Balloon:
Fun times working in Bournemouth:
Watching AFC Bournemouth, The Cherries at Dean Court:
World Borders: me and some mates at the Welcome to Scotland sign back in 2008!!
On my series where I cross borders of the world, this ranges from passport stamping borders, internal country borders and indeed the Equator. While England and Scotland are very much separate countries, they use the same currency (British Pound) and are both part of the United Kingdom. That doesn’t stop there being a border though! I’m going back a few years with this post on my last trip from Scotland to England! I was with some mates on the train from Glasgow to Carlisle. We went there for a football match. While the border passed by fairly un-noticed, the trip didn’t. Not so much a “how to get from Scotland to England” but a general overview of our trip and some decent ideas for you, what’s more impressive is the landscape in the north of England…
This sort of countryside is the England to Scotland border.
How to get from Scotland to England:
Get on a train, get on a plane or drive. You don’t need me to tell you…really you don’t! Oh OK then, here’s the route we did, we went by train and it was an excellent journey:
Book it in advance on the internet and print off your tickets, or collect them from one of the listed train stations, or book them on the day you leave. Booking them on the day is normally more expensive. You can currently buy tickets for under 10 pounds online for a single ticket. As cross border trains go, that really ain’t all that bad you know!
Hanging around with my mates at Glasgow Train Station before heading to England!
What Visas do you Need to get from Scotland to England:
Zilch. Until Scotland becomes independent (which may or may not happen), the visa regulations remain the same for both countries. If you’re legally in one of them, you’re legally allowed in the other one (this goes for Wales and Northern Ireland too by the way).
Is there a passport check or stamp available?
No, the train glides past the border without you even knowing where it is! You are now in England, and will probably arrive at Carlisle station.
Admiring the countryside from the train because there are no visa checkpoints between Scotland and England.
Things to see and do once you arrive in the north of England
OK, so we were on a football trip but we got a bit of sightseeing in on the trip, these are my top 2 ideas once you’ve crossed the border into England (and before you head as far south as Manchester):
1. Carlisle Castle – not sure why this stuck out but we loved it. A medieval castle in Carlisle which once acted as the border in some way. Your train will stop in Carlisle first, more than likely.
Our crew doing Carlisle Castle, England.
2. The Lake District – you have to see the Lake District. Spend a few nights there, relaxing, doing some hiking and taking in the charm of it all. You’ll be surprised – England’s Lake District is quite stunning! I’m reminiscing here – it’s been a while, England! Again train travel is perfect – use either Carlisle, Penrith or Oxenholme as your gateway to the Lake District. Decent Lake District site here – Lake District.
You can get to the Lake District by train! Carlisle, Penrith and Oxenholme are the main 3 stations.
I will be writing more about these places separately at some point so keep your eyes peeled.
Places to stay once you’ve arrived in England:
1. In Carlisle you could try a local Bed and Breakfast or good old Travelodge which is where we stayed in Carlisle.
2. For the Lake District, treat yourself and seriously relax, there’s a really decent site here:
And yes, the views and fresh air in the English Lake District are fantastic.
How to get from Scotland to England – my mate Dan captures life as it happens somewhere near Carlisle…
OK, so that’s it on this occasion – I mentioned that all border crossings are different and the Scotland to England one is epic for the landscape and the fact that…you don’t even need to brandish your passport. I’m dedicating this post to my friends who I haven’t seen in a while – they joined me on this epic journey. Patrick Hogan. Dan Darch. Neil Macey. Gemma Mornin. Corinne Luescher.
