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Jonny Blair at Heathlands Hotel Bournemouth England

Working Wednesdays: Barman at Heathlands Hotel, Bournemouth, England

Posted on March 13, 2013July 27, 2022 by Jonny Blair

I always enjoyed being a barman and indeed it’s the only job that I’ve actually done regularly. I think I counted that I have worked on 40 different bars over the years, if you’re reading there’s the slimmest ever chance that I once served you a beer. One of the jobs I always forget was when I worked as a barman at the Heathlands Hotel in East Cliff in Bournemouth, England back in 2004 so today’s working Wednesdays is on that. In an odd twist of fate, destiny had led me to work in this bar, where I once stayed 10 years earlier and something just clicked. I worked there for 6 months, on a part time basis, as I had 2 other main jobs at the time, as well as running a football fanzine, having a university radio show and trying to get a degree on the side. A busy time, but I didn’t let that stop me enjoying working at the busy Heathlands Hotel, which is on Grove Road (but sandwiched between it and Gervis Road) in East Cliff Bournemouth. As experiences in life go, this is the closest I got to a Fawlty Towers type experience (there may be more balls in my cannon on the Heathlands, we shall see…)

Heathlands Hotel Bournemouth Dorset — From the exterior – Bournemouth’s Heathlands Hotel in East Cliff.

How to get a bar job in England:

This is EASY – there are tons of bar jobs in England but the best tip is to start looking when the weather gets warmer and head to the south coast. Places like Bournemouth, Brighton, Torquay all need bar staff in the summer. It’s an easy job to do but most of all some extra money, meeting people from all over the world and great memories. You might even get laid 😉 Get a job in a bar in England in May and you can prolong it until October or November time. In the end they wanted to keep me on through the winter, but alas I declined as I had about 4 other jobs on the go at the time, and this was the least well paid and one that required Saturday night work – I’d rather have been down the pub with my mates watching the football!

When did I work in the Heathlands Hotel in Bournemouth, England?

May – November 2004. I only worked weekends. I was almost always on the cocktail bar, which may or may not exist anymore. You can actually check:

Possibly the Heathlands Hotel website

What were my duties as a barman in the Heathlands Hotel?

– Serving on the bar
– Maintaining the bar
– Stocking the bar
– Orders to the pool
– Room service
– Weddings and functions
– Food orders
– Loads of other stuff which I’ve forgotten including deliveries and giving room owners keys

How much did I get paid to work in the Heathlands Hotel?

I got paid around 5.50 pounds an hour at the time, but tips were decent at big events and I always got free food and some post work drinks 😉

Who did I work with at the Heathlands Hotel in Bournemouth, England?

I worked alone quite a lot of the time due to my experience on the bars, but I preferred to be working with others, the favourite co-worker I had was Mervyn. His name was Mervyn Harnett and he came from the Republic of Ireland. I saw him for the staff night out in December 2004 and haven;t seen or heard from him since sadly. A great lad and it was a wee bit of banter between us, given that he was a staunch Irish Nationalist and well, I am a Northern Ireland Unionist. We always had a beer together after worked and checked out the town.

Jonny Blair partying in Bournemouth Dorset — Irish and German on a night out to bid farewell to Christina who headed back to Germany. A rare photo of me with Mervyn Harnett too!

Aside from my Irish sidekick Mervyn, there was Hamta from Iran via Germany and loads of Germans, including Luiza Lenzner and Christina Rieke. I went out with the girls quite a bit. Looking back there was a lot of partying going on and the time passed me by in a flash.

There was also the Dutch and the Colombians. Serial shagger from Colombia Gustavo once worked with me and in Manuel Fawlty Towers style, I trained him up as he didn’t know a word of English! He once fell asleep on my settee (sofa) after a night on the tiles. I never seen him again, but I did visit Colombia…

When did I first visit the Heathlands Hotel in Bournemouth?

This is the oddest part of the story for me. Back in 1994, a full TEN YEARS before I started working there, I was a guest at the Heathlands Hotel on a family holiday. Something somehow stuck in the mind and by total chance I ended up working there. I think I was just living some kind of dream. While living in Bournemouth in 2004, I saw the advert for bar staff in the local paper The Daily Echo and I just applied – I hadn’t done bar work for over 2 years so was gagging to get back into it. They gave me the job instantly on arrival at the Hotel and I couldn’t quite believe it.

What other memories do I have of working in the Heathlands Hotel?

Not too many as it was all over in a flash but a few nights out down the town were great and the final farewell was with Carolina and Judit, 2 German girls we worked with. The last moment of their time in England was watching Mervyn and I strip completely naked and go for a swim in the sea beside Jumpin Jaks nightclub. That was probably a fitting end to my time there.

When was the last time I visited the Heathlands Hotel?

Believe it or not, after leaving in 2004, I did return once – August 2005 as my parents wanted to visit me and I booked them in on a discount as I was ex-staff. After that I haven’t been in since and I have no idea whether the hotel still exists, through I heard of a fire there which occurred back in 2010, and even made the BBC website, so perhaps the place no longer exists:

Heathlands Hotel Fire

Despite being a Hotel Bar, we also had regulars, as the bar was of course open to the public and I often served Dennis, an English guy – I got a photo of him with me on my last day there. The first photo on this post is me with Alison, whose boyfriend was the DJ for events and she used to come and join me on the bar while he worked.

Heathlands Hotel Bar in Bournemouth Dorset 2004 — Working Wednesdays: Relaxing with Dennis, one of the “regulars” in the Heathlands Hotel Bar in Bournemouth in 2004

A special shout out also to Matthew Warne, who was my boss for a bit of the time there. We shared the odd 5 am story and drink and added a bit of wit to the place. Like all things in life, that job and its memories have almost completely passed me by, hence the inclusion of it today before I forget what I did. I just know I enjoyed it but I can’t believe it was 9 years ago. I have no videos from my time there, but I truly treasure those photos.

Once upon a time, in the Heathlands Hotel in the East Cliff in Bournemouth, Dorset, England you were served by Jonny Blair, current nomadic Ulsterman and author of Don’t Stop Living. It’s a treasured existence my friends…

Some Jobs I did – Room Service, Wedding Functions, Poolside Orders, Sandwich and Toastie Making, Barman, Ballroom Functions.

Nationalities I Met – German, English, Welsh, Irish, Polish, Dutch, French, Colombian, Iranian.

Star Rating – The Heathlands Hotel was a 3 star when I worked there (I’d be shockingly surprised if it ever moved beyond that.

People I met – Mervyn Harnett, Christina Rieke, Matt Warne, LuLu Lenzner, Gustavo, Kerry, Mike, Mags, Hamta, Carolin, Judith, Gefion.

People I swore at – You’ll not guess.

Pints I served – Over 1,324.

Pints I spilled – None. I’m much too good.

Kegs I changed – More than 30.

Thirsty Thursdays: Secret🤫Bars🍸in London, England🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Posted on February 21, 2013October 12, 2024 by Jonny Blair

Thirsty Thursdays today on Don’t Stop Living takes us back to the UK. I spent a year living in London in England and have been back countless times since. So here’s a thirsty Thursdays on all those secret bars in London! I bet you didn’t even know there were secret bars in London. This is one for the pub crawl lovers!

When I head back to London, I still manage to do it on a budget by the way, I stick to loyal companies that have served me well (and beer!) over the years. It’s worth checking out hotels in London from Travelodge which are easy to organise and of course within budget. Time to hit the town and find those secret bars!!

Jonny Blair in London on a pub crawl — Quick tube stop on a night out before we went to check out secret bars in London, England!

Why head for the franchise bars for a drink when you’re in need of a bevvie in London? When you could head for a spot that is relatively unknown to visitors and tourists! England’s capital city is filled with independent bars that are off the beaten track and incredible to visit as an unforgettable experience rather than your normal English style pub.

While locals know the best secret hangouts, for visitors, they are hidden away and unheard of. Here’s a little helping hand if you fancy finding one for yourself, though, and just for a change, no photos of the bars, it’s a ‘secret’ remember 😉 Well OK, I’ll put a few up…

Jonny Blair in London in a secret bar — Having a beer in a secret bar in London, England with my good friend Steve Jones.

1. The Fourth Wall
This mega secret bar is about as hidden as you’ll get – seeing as it changes its venue every weekend. Although it wanders to alternative sites on a Friday and Saturday, the same familiar decor and drinks menu remains, wherever it is. It’s a good idea to sign up to their email alerts and you will receive a venue hint every Wednesday – if you can’t figure it out, just call or email them. Love the quirkiness of it all.

2. Drink, Shop & Dance
This is an off the beaten track hideaway in King’s Cross. Housed upstairs in an old sex shop, this super cocktail bar is a perfect find, if you can find it! Remember to book though – it fills up fast, so reservations are paramount.

3. La Bodega Negra

You can also find a speakeasy bar tucked away at the back of a porn shop, in Soho, called La Bodega Negra – it’s amazing what you can find if you look hard enough!

Dont Stop Living bars in London — Rush Hour in Central London – bound to be a hidden bar for a pint…

4. The Black Door

You’d be hard pressed to notice this place in King’s Cross, considering it’s hidden behind an indistinguishable black door above The Fellow gastropub. Once you’ve found it though, you’ll be treated to cosy 1920s decadence with a rock n roll soundtrack.

5. The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town
A basement bar that’s hidden behind a fridge – how cool is that (literally!)? Located in Shoreditch, in The Breakfast Club, this fabulous bar offers a fantastic ambience, plenty of fun and lashings of food and drink to keep you happy. Be sure to give them a call before you turn up, to avoid being turned away at the fridge door.

6. Bart’s Bar
Ring the bell on the door tucked away behind an average apartment block in Kensington and you will be greeted by cocktail makers who are some of the best in London. With plenty of fun to be had, including a free-to-use dressing up box, you can be sure that an evening in Bart’s is well worth it.

7. Underdog
If you ask the bar staff in Brewdog, in Shoreditch, they will direct you to this basement bar that oozes speakeasy charm.

Jonny Blair in London England — Chilling out on a return trip to London – there’s a bar round here – but it’s a secret!

So that’s all the secret bars I can tell you about for now – there’s a fair few more, including one that me and my mates used to frequent in Leicester Square – but I can’t tell you where it is, it’s a secret! And remember you can cut your costs by heading to one of the many hotels in London from Travelodge.

Thirsty Thursdays is an ongoing regular feature on Don’t Stop Living – a lifestyle of travel. If you have a bar, pub, drink, restaurant, brand or idea that you would like reviewed or featured on Thirsty Thursdays, please get in touch via my contacts page or my advertising page. I’d love to hear from you! I’d also love a free pint and a meal. Cheers!

Jonny Blair worked at Best Break Bournemouth for 4 years selling ice cream

Working Wednesdays: Selling Ice Cream in Bournemouth

Posted on February 13, 2013May 2, 2014 by Jonny Blair

Selling ice cream goes down as one of my favourite jobs. I spent 4 summers doing this as one of my jobs. It did seem at one point I would actually prolong my stay in the English seaside town of Bournemouth as I was constantly working and enjoying life there. But one day it all changed – I jetted off to Taiwan and well that was almost four years ago. However, realistically my job selling ice cream in Bournemouth played a major part in why I now travel the world…

Jonny Blair living a lifestyle of travel sold ice cream by Bournemouth beach for 4 summers — Selling ice cream by the beach in Bournemouth – living some kind of dream for 4 summers in the beautiful seaside town!

I started selling ice cream in May 2004. I had just recovered from a broken arm and was working in the local Tesco supermarket while studying a degree in Public Relations at Bournemouth University. One day I walked past the ice cream booth in Bournemouth and just asked have you got any jobs going? The sun was shining and it seemed like a good idea. The answer was yes and I started the next day.

a lifestyle of travel - Jonny Blair and his international friends — Nights out partying with my new friends from my ice cream selling job

That day my life changed. I worked with 6 people – one from Germany, one from Guinea (in Africa), one from Colombia, one from New Zealand, one from Poland and a token English guy. I suddenly had covered four continents of culture in one work place. It got better – over the next few months as the place became busy, I worked with Canadians, Spanish, Brazilians, Latvians, Chinese, Japanese, French and even an Albanian. I enjoyed days selling ice cream with them and nights partying. It was all a big dream. The job was paid higher than minimum wage and we worked long hours. But it was all fun.

Best Break bournemouth a lifestyle of travel selling ice cream — While selling ice cream in Bournemouth, I was reading travel books and meeting new people from all over the world. Life had changed.

I returned to the same job in April the following year for the summer stint and managed to keep the job on as part-time through the winter too. I had friends from all over the world now, just from selling ice cream. In 2005 I visited Poland and Germany for the first time. By the time summer 2006 came round I was ready for more global adventures, while still working hard selling ice cream. Then I got a job doing PR for Apple in London, so I moved. That was June 2006, and 3 summers had been fun (though I wasn’t able to complete my third summer).

Artur Rafal and Jonny Blair in Warsaw in Poland in 2007 — From selling ice cream to drinking in Poland with my new mates. This was one journey just beginning!

In 2007 I met 6 of the friends I had made from the ice cream job when I travelled round the world. That’s when I started my first travel blog on blogger.

Jonny Blair holding Mr. Softees in Best Break Bournemouth — Selling ice cream for the last time in 2009 – kind of a swansong as I returned to Best Break in Bournemouth before setting off for Taiwan…

In 2009 I gave selling ice cream one final fling before booking said flight to Taiwan, moving to Australia and the rest…

Jonny Blair holding 10 Mr Softees in Best Break Bournemouth — 10 ice creams in one hand – and I broke the record once by selling 16 in one single move in 2009. I was a pro after 4 summers of doing it!

In terms of the actual job itself, I broke the local record for the largest ice cream as well as the most sales of ice cream in one single action (8 Mr. Softees on my right hand and 8 Mr. Softees on my left hand – 16 ice creams held simultaneously!). There’s a few videos of this at the bottom of the post!

Oli Frame's party in Bournemouth in 2009 with the Best Break team — Partying with the ice cream crew for one last time before it was time to fly to Taiwan. I loved this job!

I have my photos, my pay slips and my memories. BUT most importantly this job gave me wonderful friends from around the world. If you worked with me at Best Break, Mobile 2, Mobile 3, Mobile 4, the Crazy Golf course, West Beach, East Cliff, the Trailer or the Trolley then thanks for the memories. I loved it and it gave me inspiration to see the world. Here’s a few other related posts:

– Meeting Julio in Colombia (I sold ice cream with him)

– Meeting Rene in Germany (I sold ice cream with him)

– Meeting Rafal and Artur in Poland (I sold ice cream with them)

My Videos, which you can subscribe to:

Jonny Blair’s YouTube Channel

A VIDEO OF ME CREATING A RECORD OF 9 SOFTEES IN ONE HAND (Think my final figure served to a customer in one go was 16 – 8 in each hand):

A VIDEO OF ME CREATING A RECORD OF 14 CONES IN ONE HAND, WHILE SELLING ICE CREAM IN BOURNEMOUTH:

I WAS GIVEN A RECEIPT BY MY WORKMATE OLI TO TAKE ROUND THE WORLD WITH ME, WHILE SELLING ICE CREAM IN BEST BREAK IN BOURNEMOUTH:

Working Wednesdays is a regular feature on Don’t Stop Living – a lifestyle of travel – something which I’m condemned to and trying to make you live your dreams too!

keeping up to date with football while you travel jonny blair

How To Keep Up To Date With Football On Your Travels!!

Posted on January 29, 2013June 5, 2024 by Jonny Blair

Jonny Blair keeping up to date with the Northern Ireland match in Taiwan in 2009 — How to keep up to date with football on your travels! Beer, laptop, flag and footy shirt – watching Northern Ireland ‘live’ in Taiwan in 2009!!

I was once described as a “football nut” and I’m not sure what that entails, but basically I LOVE football. Ever since I saw Norman Whiteside score for Northern Ireland against Algeria in the 1986 World Cup on a black and white TV, I have been a football fan. Firstly I played it – at any given moment. At some point or other I realised I was never going to make it as a professional so I stuck to watching. Not just armchair watching, actively supporting. But now I’m a world traveller, a self confessed “travel nut” so how on earth do I manage to keep up with football on my travels? Read on for my methods, hoping some of them will apply to fellow football mad travellers!

Jonny Blair playing football in Bangor Northern Ireland in the 1980s — Playing football at Ward Park in Bangor, Northern Ireland in the 1980s.

Those that know me will know that I have three main teams I support. OK so I’ll tell you a bit about them, but won’t bore you – I seriously hope my tips on keeping up to date with football can help make your decision to travel. I thought I couldn’t travel as I love football too much, but there are ways to get your football fix when you are a nomad! My teams:

1. Northern Ireland:

Jonny Blair is a Northern Ireland fan - he was at the Healy 74 match in 2005 but he now lives a lifestyle of travel — Enjoying great times at Windsor Park in Belfast in 2005 as Northern Ireland beat England 1-0!

First and foremost I am a Northern Ireland fan. We are still the smallest country ever to qualify for the knockout stages of a World Cup. I went to EVERY Northern Ireland home match from 1997 – 2009, and selected away matches. In fact it was only on a break from Northern Ireland matches that I first travelled round the world on a big trip (in 2007). For a few years, I hadn’t been to watch Northern Ireland live. So this meant trying to catch up with the matches online from all over the world.

2. Glentoran FC:

Jonny Blair at the oval watching Glentoran he lives a lifestyle of travel — I love watching Glentoran FC any time I’m back in Belfast, which is hardly ever!

My Dad was born in Glentoran Street in Belfast and Glentoran were the first club team I supported. I still try and keep up to date with every match and am proud to say I currently write for the Glentoran Gazette programme! I’ve my own column called “Globetrotting Glenman”.

3. AFC Bournemouth:

Jonny Blair supports AFC Bournemouth the Cherries he now travels the world — BARMY ARMY!! I’m an AFC Bournemouth fan and spent many days down at Dean Court/The Goldsands Stadium!

Bournemouth are the biggest club team I support. I became a Bournemouth obsessive whilst living in the English seaside town. I owned a season ticket for a few years and went home and away to watch them. In 2005 and 2008 I only missed ONE home match. On my only 2 days in England in the last 4 years, my visit was ONLY so I could go to a Cherries match!

Since 2003 I have lived away from Northern Ireland and since 2009 I have lived away from Europe so from corners of the world, I use the following 16 ways to keep up to date with football:

1. BBC Radio 5 Live Podcasts

These Podcasts on BBC Radio 5 Live, which currently are free and almost daily are basically what I rely on! The 5 Live Football Daily. The main reason I love these is, when I’m on the move I listen to them. While on buses, trains and walking I have my iPod on with the BBC Radio 5 Podcasts. This includes Alan Green’s 606 Phone in, Robbie Savage’s Doc Savage and Colin Murray’s show.

Download and Subscribe to the BBC Football Daily Podcasts here!

2. Twitter

I’m on twitter and thankfully so are Glentoran FC – that is the best way to keep up to date with Glentoran – through the official Glentoran twitter feed! You can join them here to keep up with gossip at the Oval:

Glentoran FC on Twitter

3. Wear Your Football Shirt

Jonny Blair the travelling Northern Irishman in Bolivian wilderness — Wearing my Northern Ireland football shirt with pride in the deep wilderness of Bolivia. Miles from a football stadium…

As odd as that sounds, this is one of the best ways to keep up to date with football, for one reason only – talking to people. Wearing a football shirt is a topic of discussion and an ice breaker. Picture the scene – you haven’t seen a football match for months and you turn up in a hostel in Paraguay and the guy in the kitchen is wearing a Man. City top – you talk to him. You get the latest news, you tell him some football gossip, you go for a beer and you also have a new friend. This is actually a very common football habit of mine, and to namedrop a mate that I met through this method, is Blackburn Rovers fan Anthony Moulden who I met in Ecuador.

4. Drink in Sports Bars

a lifestyle of travel keeping up with football on my journeys by Jonny Blair — Tiger FC and a Guinness watching live in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia

Every now and then you get lucky and find a decent sports bar to catch a live match. I won’t name the exact bars and cities I have watched football in, but I wouldn’t imagine many have watched a live match in Gaborone in Botswana.

5. Drink in Irish Pubs

how to keep up with football on your travels - irish pubs — I watched Chelsea v Tottenham at 4 am once in this fake Irish Pub in Seoul, SOUTH KOREA!

Love them or hate them, Irish pubs provide great craic, great food, friendly banter and quite often live football!! I hadn’t seen a live match for a while and then ended up watching Liverpool v. Udinese in the Wild Rover in La Paz, Bolivia a few years back.

6. Text Your Mates

how to keep up to date with football on your travels - text a mate — How to keep up to date with Football? My mates Dan and Austin are always only a text away!!

I text a few friends who live in England and Northern Ireland, though slowly this is moving to Facebook to save money, but for the big games I still text Dan Darch for Bournemouth results and Richard Ingram for Northern Ireland results.

7. Check Your Facebook Feed

Yes, Facebook feed is a great source of football updates, I have over 1,000 contacts on my own Facebook page and they regularly update the feed with everything from transfer news to matches being postponed, indeed my mate Ian McKinney notified me recently of a postponed Glentoran match via Facebook!

8. Go to Football Matches

Just because I travel around, doesn’t stop me going to football matches, and I try to go as often as I can. Whether it’s Uruguay, Australia or Hong Kong, in recent times, I’ve surprised even myself at how many matches I can actually attend. Only last month I watched the Unofficial Football World Championship final between Hong Kong and North Korea

9. Skype

Believe it or not, I ended up watching a few matches live on Skype as I had no other way at the time of getting the matches (my live streaming option was down). I phoned my parents and they turned their laptop to the TV in their house and I watched the match live!

10. Live Web Streaming

keep up to date with football on your travels with live webstreams — How to keep up to date with football on your travels – I used to rely a lot on webstreams from the internet, but these have their downsides.

Live webstreamsing is good on the short term for a 90 minute match, but ultimately damaging to your computer virus wise I assume! Having recently had a lot of computer problems, I have guessed that my live streaming has partly caused this. There is also the problem of intermittent coverage and I have missed goals and red cards before sue to the stream cutting out. Sites I did use (and may do again at some point):

Sport Lemon

VIP Box

11. Stare at the BBC Vidiprinter

You really cannot go wrong with the BBC vidi-printer on the BBC website. I grew up in the era when 4.45 pm on a Saturday afternoon was the most exciting part of my week. When the scores simultaneously come in. I love it – the BBC website is the best current site for me to do this on.

BBC Vidiprinter

12. Football Fans Forums!

Not sure why this is one of the last on my list, when it should rank higher as I get to chat or communicate online with fellow fans. My favourite football fans forum by a mile is the excellent Our Wee Country Forum, run by Marty Lowry. It is an excellent place to talk about my beloved Northern Ireland team and any chance I get a spare moment, I log on, have a read, have a rant, submit a few comments and keep up to date!

13. Write Travel Articles for Football Magazines

I currently write a regular column for the Glentoran Gazette, which means I get a PDF copy of each match programme e-mailed to me. An excellent read and the only way I can realistically keep up to date with events at the Oval in Belfast. I have also written a number of articles for Happy Days, a Northern Ireland fanzine. Local fans love to hear about a nomad travelling footie fan so ask your team if you can have a regular column the way I do. (I also send travel photos of me wearing my Bournemouth shirt to the AFC Bournemouth programme).

Glentoran FC Official Website

14. Visit Football Stadiums!

jonny blair keeps up to date with football on his travels by visiting football stadiums — How to get your football fix on your travels – head to a football stadium in every town or city you visit! Here I am standing on the pitch at the world’s highest football stadium in La Paz, BOLIVIA.

I love visiting football stadiums on my travels and try my best to do one in every city. My recent exploits have taken me to the highest national football stadium in the world – Estadio Hernando Siles in Bolivia where I sneaked inside and stood on the pitch!!

15. Supporters Clubs!

Jonny Blair a lifestyle of travel with Spencer Prior in Sydney — How to keep up to date with football on your travels – supporters clubs – the day I met Spencer Prior, once of Norwich City, in Australia.

Either form one or join one and you’ll meet a load of other football fans. I have formed Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs now in three different continents on my travels. These have provided me with loads of memories and a ton of new mates and football experiences.

jonny blair football nomad and loves northern ireland - watching the match in 2012 with the Hong Kong NISC — How to keep up to date with football on your travels – form a supporters club! Myself and the Hong Kong Northern Ireland fans watching the Russia match in 2012.

My recent exploits have involved forming the Hong Kong Northern Ireland Supporter’s Club, meeting ex-Glentoran player Robbie Craig in Sydney and also meeting Spencer Prior at an event in Sydney, Australia.

16. Adopt a local team!

Jonny Blair supporting Penarol in Montevideo Uruguay — How to keep up to date with football on your travels – adopt a local team. Here’s me becoming a Penarol fan for a few weeks in Montevideo, URUGUAY!

When you are temporarily based in a town or city, simply seek out the local team and make them your team. I went to three matches while living with a family in Montevideo in Uruguay back in 2010. I adopted Penarol as my team and still look out for their results!

That’s all for now, I’m off to the BBC Website to check the latest news from Dean Court…and by the way I make no apologies for the references to Northern Ireland, Glentoran and AFC Bournemouth! They are my teams and I love supporting them. You know what it’s like when you’re on the other side of the world…

ALL my football posts are here:

Don’t Stop Living – travelling football fan!!

My favourite travel football posts 0n Don’t Stop Living:

My Visit to the World’s Highest Football Stadium!!!

Watching Penarol in Uruguay!

North Korea retain the Unofficial Football World Championships!

A Visit to Paraguay’s National Stadium

Road Trip to Hereford

Here are a few of my favourite videos watching football on my travels, love them!!:

Watching Glentoran v Man United live in a bar in Prague in 2007:

Watching Netherlands v. Northern Ireland in Delaney’s Irish Pub in Kowloon, Hong Kong in June 2012:

Watching Northern Ireland v. Estonia online in my hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand in October 2011:

Watching Penarol live in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2010:

Watching Live English Premier League in Finn McCools Irish Pub in Quito, Ecuador in 2010:

Standing on the pitch at the world’s highest national football stadium, Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz, Bolivia:

Watching the Play Off Semi Final between Bournemouth and Huddersfield in my flat in Australia in 2011:

Jonny Blair of Dont Stop Living recommends the Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, England

Backpacking in England: Touring Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire

Posted on January 29, 2013January 30, 2024 by Jonny Blair

OK, so in travelling the world, it’s always nice to reflect back to your homeland. Although I was born and bred in Northern Ireland, I also have an affinity with the south of England. I spent 6 years living in Bournemouth, London and Dartford and loved every minute of my time there. Back in the 1980s I first visited the wonderful Salisbury Cathedral, life went full circle on me back in 2009 when I made the Cathedral one of my last tourist activities whilst still living in the UK.

Jonny Blair of Dont Stop Living recommends Salisbury Cathedral — Salisbury is a typical English city, old, historic and proud. Spot the highest Cathedral spire in the UK peering over its streets.

Salisbury is a city in Wiltshire. It is traditionally English to the core. The streets are charming and pretty. It is historic and proud. If you happen to visit, a must see is Salisbury Cathedral, to be honest, you cannot really miss it. Salisbury Cathedral has the tallest church spire in the whole of the United Kingdom!!

Where is Salisbury Cathedral?

Funny enough, it’s bang in the centre of Salisbury, full directions here – Salisbury Cathedral. You’ll be hard pushed to miss it, if truth be told, the locals are also very proud of it, just ask them if you’re really stuck! A massive grassy park sits in the foreground of this English medieval spectacle.

Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire on Dont Stop Living — Fantastic sight of Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire in England, looking over a grassy park.

What Can I Do At Salisbury Cathedral?

You can just walk inside, take a tour on your own, or a guided tour. The official Salisbury Cathedral website is a great information resource for planning your trip. Basically on there is everything you need to know.

Salisbury cathedral is worth checking out in Wiltshire — Get to Salisbury Cathedral and do a guided tour if you want an insight into the history and to see its fine architecture!

Private Evening Group Tours can be a great option, with the latest start time being 7pm, you can then eat at the Refectory Restaurant enjoying the views over a glass of wine! The minimum cost is 240 pounds per group tour.

a lifestyle of travel marvelling at the amazing Salisbury Cathedral — Admiring the wonderful Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire in England in one of my last weeks living in the UK .

By the way, I’m a budget backpacker and I didn’t actually go to the top, I marvel in just being there and seeing things and don’t always need to pay the extra! The bonus here is that there is no charge for the floor tours of Salisbury Cathedral, though they expect a donation, which I gave. They request £6.50 from adults. This goes towards the upkeep of the Cathedral, which has seen a lot of renovation work in its time.

A river in Salisbury England — While you’re in Salisbury get down to the river for a decent meal to relax.

While you’re in Salisbury stop by for some food down by the river and walk the city’s traditional, cobbled streets. Reminiscing on this reminds me of just how good places on your doorstep can be. Within days of my trip to Salisbury Cathedral, I was touring round Taiwan proving how random life can be.

Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire in England — The pretty streets of Salisbury are worth a look too.

So head to England and check out the marvellous Salisbury Cathedral and uncover parts of England that are wildly underestimated. You should also check out Bournemouth which is the town I lived in , it’s close by and easy to get to. Check for decent places to stay here if you want to enjoy a holiday in the south of England.

I just loved seeing the wonderful cathedral again and sharing the memory with two friends, Richard and Amy. I have since met up with them in Hong Kong, proving life goes full circle sometimes…

My Video from my trip to Salisbury Cathedral:

Don’t Stop Living is dedicated to a lifestyle of travel – I just love it.

Working Wednesdays: Managing a Rock Band

Posted on January 23, 2013May 2, 2014 by Jonny Blair

Jonny Blair was manager of rock band the Waves in 2006 — Working Wednesdays – the time i managed a rock band – The Waves at a recording session in Southampton, ENGLAND in 2006.

Of course travel leads you to random job opportunities all the time, some voluntary, some well paid, some just for the hell of it and others because of a pure passion for something (such as my travel writing and organising football events). For today’s Working Wednesdays we head back to a cheeseburger counter in Bournemouth, ENGLAND in 2005 and I was standing next to a rock star cooking burgers. I had met Ben Paulley, the songwriter and lead guitarist of local band The Waves. As we sold cheeseburgers, he invited me to his gig that Sunday night in Mr. Smiths (a rock venue which has since closed down). Immediately I loved the music and started to hang out with the band, going to the next lot of gigs which were in London, Bournemouth and Southampton. Soon I had become the Band Manager of The Waves. Not your everyday normal travellers job I can tell you!!

Jonny Blair managed the rock band the waves in 2006 while living in England - he now travels the world — Working Wednesdays – Managing a rock band! I managed the Waves in 2006 and we toured Bournemouth, Poole, Southampton and London!

My Job role was to do the behind the scenes stuff for the band. Although there was no specific tasks, it was all about the music. Promoting the music! I loved the music. Fronted by James Corbin, a typical rock ‘n’ roll frontman. James was made for the job. Drummer Ryan Glover was a session drummer for Kasabian at one point. Ben Paulley my work mate wrote some amazing tunes and Andy Galliers the Bass player was a quiet lad. To describe their music would be a mixture of Oasis, the Bluetones, Embrace and R.E.M. The music sold itself – they could play and they were fantastic. In fact I was absolutely convinced we (yes, I felt like it was my dream too) would become monumentally famous. If the music industry was simply about good music and good PR, then we would have been. BUT we learnt the hard way, factors such as money, geographic location, time off work to play gigs and that special “in the right place at the right time” factor are more important in terms of making it. Shit bands have got decent record deals. Good bands have been touring for years and never sold a CD. It’s just the way it is.

Jonny Blair lives a lifestyle of travel but he once managed the Waves rock band! — The Waves rocking the Playrooms in Paddington, London in 2005!

I would turn up at gigs, invite people to gigs, do fliers, try to sell CDs, create an e-mail list, play the band on radio (I was an FM DJ for Nerve Radio which is run by Bournemouth University). I also organised a few gigs. This progressed over a period of months and the band had two decent recording sessions.

Ben Paulley James Corbin Ryan Glover and Andy Galliers - The Waves 2006 — Having a band meeting over a beer after a gig in Southampton in May 2006!!

The biggest problem was we were all busy working, and we had girlfriends so our time together was basically gigs and recording sessions and it was back to work the next day. Looking back we were the best band at every gig we played at. EASILY. By a mile but things had changed by June 2006. The drummer didn’t turn up for a gig in the Green Rooms in Boscombe the night of the Sweden v. Paraguay World Cup match fueling rumours the band had split. I was piggy in the middle. Because we were all busy working, a bit of e-mail tennis led to a gig in the Southampton Joiners which we all kind of knew was the last ever “The Waves” gig.

The Waves live at Southempton Joiners 2006 — James Corbin, lead singer of the Waves rocks the place at Southampton Joiners in June 2006. This was the last time the Waves played together as a four piece and under that band name.

After that Ben and James played a few acoustic gigs together including one at Bar Fruit and I moved to London. The last band member I saw in the flesh was Ryan Glover at an Ash gig in 2007 and I saw Ben Paulley the same week as he called round to drop in a CD of his first solo album, Multiples. The odd thing is when I moved to London I suddenly got all these music contacts as I worked in PR for Apple and Sonos. It was too little, too late and the memories were fantastic. I know this isn’t an everyday travel story for the Don’t Stop Living blog and it’s a bit different but remember, this is my journey to share with you and every Working Wednesday is a different work related story from round the globe. When I managed the rock band “The Waves” I didn’t even have a travel blog (I started Don’t Stop Living in 2007).

Ben Paulley's solo album Multiples was released in 2007 - Don't Stop Living - a lifestyle of travel — Ben Paulley – Multiples – his first solo album released in 2007. I sadly haven’t seen Ben since.

In late 2007, I did some PR for Ben Paulley’s solo album Multiples and well, that was 6 years ago now. I still play the band all the time on my iPod and I know we were the best rock n’ roll band in the world at that time. Somehow my destiny was in travelling the world sightseeing and writing about it, not in managing a band. Cheers for the memories guys, may we meet again and rock to “Kaleidoscopes” again, some sunny day…

Working Wednesdays will return next week with a more ‘normal’ work related travel tale, or possibly not!

My Favourite ‘The Waves’ Songs: Fighter, Looking Like A Liar, Kaleidoscopes, Surrender, Something to Shout About

Other ‘The Waves’ Songs: Create the Light, Blood on Your Hands, Simple, Redemption, The Tom Song

The Waves Gigography:
saturday 21/5/05 club destiny, bournemouth
wednesday 25/5/05 jongleur’s, southampton
wednesday 1/6/05 the talking heads, southampton
tuesday 14/6/05 mr. smiths, bournemouth
sunday 19/6/05 the wedgewood rooms, portsmouth
wednesday 27/7/05 the joiners, southampton
sunday 14/8/05 mr. smiths, bournemouth
thursday 1/9/05 o’neill’s bar, bournemouth
thursday 15/9/05 lennon’s, southampton
saturday 29/10/05 the playrooms, baker street, london
thursday 22/12/05 the opera house, boscombe
monday 9/1/06 the joiners, southampton
sunday 19/2/06 mr. kyps, parkstone, poole (AFC Bournemouth Festival)
good friday 14/4/06 the orange rooms/west one four, west kensington, london
wednesday 19/4/06 klute, bournemouth (acoustic set)
thursday 27/4/06 the bullet bar, london
friday 28/4/06 the joiners, southampton (jar music group showcase)
friday 12/5/06 the nexus, southampton
saturday 20/5/06 the opera house, boscombe
thursday 25/5/06 planet sounds, southampton (bunker showcase)
tuesday 30/05/06 centre stage, westbourne, bournemouth
thursday 15/6/06 the green rooms, portman hotel, boscombe
monday 19/6/06 the joiners, southampton

Videos of ‘The Waves’ (I have full gigs on VHS somewhere!!):

Face to Face clip from Southampton Joiners, 2006:

Fighter (acoustic) clip from Green Rooms, Boscombe, 2006:

You can read other The Waves related posts here:

The Waves – 2005 – 2006

Ben Paulley – Multiples

Jonny Blair working on the gangway on cross channel ferries in 2009

Working Wednesdays: The Easiest Job In The World – ‘Gangway Man’

Posted on December 12, 2012October 2, 2015 by Jonny Blair

When you move around a lot, you jobs change often and perhaps the best job I ever had was when I worked on ferries – being paid to travel must be good! So this week’s Working Wednesday comes from my time being ‘Gangway Man’ on the ferries.

While some people hate thinking about their jobs, I have the opinion that every job is an experience to be cherished and simply another door on life’s corridor. I give 100% when I’m in work, but when I leave it’s my life and my job stays in work!! Anyone who lets a job run their life is actually (sometimes without realising it) not in control of their own life. Have a think about it. This is my life and it always has been. Yes, I’ve worked for countless companies and worked my ass off for them, but only during paid time 😉

Admiring the walls of St Malo in work — Getting paid to admire views like the one at St. Malo harbour in France

I love looking back on the jobs I’ve had and piecing some work memories together. After all it’s all the money I earned from my countless jobs that has given me the chance to see the world! I’m heading back to 2009 now for today’s featured work related story.

Cross Channel Ferries in England — Back in 2009 I was working on the Cross Channel Ferries: England, Guernsey, Jersey, France

I was working on the cross channel ferries that ran from England to Jersey, Guernsey and France. I worked 4 days on and 2 days off (except that for the love of money and travel on my days off and 2 of my days on, I had another job!) and the perks of the job were immense I must say! Check them out:

– Free travel while working 4 days out of 6 (OK, I was working most of the time, but being paid to travel each day is great!)
– Free food and drinks at work

duty free on board the cherbourgboat — Another bonus of working on ferries is taking advantage of heavily discounted duty free alcohol and tobacco!

– Cheap cigarettes and alcohol (I don’t smoke and at the time I had quit alcohol for 6 months, but I could buy cheap duty free stuff, then get staff discount then sell them for a profit)

cycling around Sark — Cycling round the car-free island of Sark on one of my days off

– Getting to see new islands like Guernsey, Jersey, Herm, Sark, Lihou (admittedly I had to do them on my days off to see them but still!!)

Docked at Guernsey in 2009 — I must have landed in Guernsey about 60 times in 2009! But I still found time to tour the island!

– Meeting a range of nationalities again (French and English mostly, but also Spanish, New Zealand, Polish, Romanian, South African)

– Speaking a bit of French (je ne sais pas pourquoi)

– Guaranteed travel every day in work

– Chatting to fellow travellers – my customers!

Ferry steward work from Poole to Cherbourg — 2009 – Getting paid to travel – working as a ferry steward on the Poole to Cherbourg routes!

The job on the boats itself had many different aspects to it however and I mostly worked in the cafe and restaurant which I loved. However today I look at the times in that job that I was on Gangway Patrol. This was the easiest job on our crew, and believe it or not it was one of my least favourite jobs on the boat, even though it guaranteed you would be working in three countries in one day.

loading cars in Guernsey — Getting paid to watch the ferry load up with passengers in St Peter Port in Guernsey

Your job on the Gangway was split into a few main parts, I cannot remember every detail, but it ran something like this:

1. Making sure the Gangway walkway for foot passengers was put down properly

2. Making sure not to leave the Gangway walkway for foot passengers while passengers were boarding

3. Any suspicious items – take them to the bridge (I confiscated a Spear Gun once!)

spear gun at St Helier Jersey — Confiscating a Spear Gun on route to Jersey!

4. Check some documents on leaving harbour and hand them to the bridge

5. Check there are no passengers on the car deck once you’ve left harbour (didn’t have to check the ‘bow doors’ – I worked mostly on catamarans.

Docked in Cherbourg Oscar Wilde — Arrival in Cherbourg – view from the gangway! Not bad, eh?

6. Once you arrive in the destination port, get off the boat with some passengers and take them to arrivals along with a document for the harbour staff which comes from the bridge.

So that’s 6 of the main parts of the job but really they could be:

1. Stand around holding a walkie talkie watching sunsets while passengers board the boat

2. Talk to passengers about their holidays and basically act like a traveller

3. Take photos of the boat leaving port

4. Walk up to the bridge to talk to the captain and check out the views

5. Staff room for a free tea and a packet of sandwiches

6. Visit another country – head off the boat and walk around like a tourist.

window between Poole and St Malo — Working away on the car deck between Poole and St Malo!!

So there you have it – I was once ‘Gangway Man’ on the England to France ferries and it was easy. My highlights were – sitting on the car deck doing nothing while docked in harbour, smuggling a spear gun into Jersey!

As working Wednesdays go, this is possibly as easy as your working life will ever get.

Don’t Stop Living!

A video I took while doing Gangway Patrol:

United Arab Emirates Fake Travel Report Part 1: Dubai Airport

Posted on September 14, 2012February 20, 2015 by Jonny Blair

** STOPPRESS – since this article I have actually been to Dubai and the UAE.

United Arab Emirates Fake Travel Report Part 1: Dubai Airport

How boring is it to write a travel story about visiting an airport? The answer is very, but I like to document everything and this journey was an emotional one. Plus it was my first time landing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A story which had a 4 year history behind it (I was supposed to go to the UAE in 2008 and couldn’t afford it). Everything began in Manchester, or Bury.

First things first was saying another emotional farewell to the lads – Dan, Shep, Rich and Austin. I had been in England for just 2 days, flying there just to meet up with the lads for the first time in three years and to go and watch Bournemouth playing Bury away. When I checked the flight schedules, it meant going straight from the match to Manchester airport for my flight to Dubai. But we moved fast and this allowed us to have a beer in the balcony bar before parting. It had gone full circle, as this was the bar I had met Dan and Austin in just two days earlier. Those two days were my only two days in England in the last three years (having spent the previous six living there).

I had my ticket from Manchester Picadilly to the Airport. It was only about a 25 minute journey so I could relax a bit knowing I had time before my flight.

Having said an emotional goodbye to the lads, I took this photo from the train station entrance. You can see them sitting on the balcony in the bar there. It was another goodbye. April 14th 2012. I wasn’t sure when would be the next time I’d see them.

I boarded my train and it left on time.

The train journey out of Manchester included a sunset over the Etihad Stadium, home of the Premier League Champions Manchester City (though not at the time). Manchester City won the league about a month later in dramatic fashion (two goals in injury time to beat QPR 3-2). I still have never been to that stadium, nor did I ever go to Maine Road. Where my Dad once played, and hit a post. I must get him to document that story to me again.

Sunset in Manchester. I like Manchester. I don’t visit it often, and have only been 4 times, but I like it.

View from the train. I kept looking for the area known as Burnage as that’s where the Gallagher brothers of Oasis fame grew up.

On the train. Tired. Cherries scarf on. Ready for the long trip home. Within 29 hours I was back in work in Hong Kong. After a stop off in Dubai and a sleep.

My flight came up on the screen and there was time for a final quick snack and a pint in England.

I could relax, I spoke to Mum and Dad on the phone from this spot and as the sun set it was time to leave England again. I was a bit happier and less emotional than my departure back in October 2009, the day I decided to leave for good. It took three years to go back to England after that, maybe it won’t be such a long gap until the next time.

A fresh Guinness and a plate of British chips.

The sun went down in Manchester Airport. Hint of sadness about that.

Match programme – my first Bournemouth match for 3 seasons – Bury away at Gigg Lane – we lost 1-0 – full report on the football trip to come!!

The teams for the Bury v. Bournemouth match. We lost 1-0. It was a boring, nothing, middle of the table game.

First flight ticket flying with Emirates. Manchester to Dubai.

Second ticket. After a 3 hour layover in Dubai, I’d be flying back to Hong Kong.

Boarding.

Even Economy Class has a TV on every seat! The joy of flying with Emirates.

Posh plane! Everyone had their own TV. Not poncy at all.

First meal arrived and I ate and drank everything! Even the crap tin of Budweiser they gave me.

Then a snack arrived and I got some sleep.

Arrival in Dubai. We were outside just before this and it was so hot.

Dubai airport is very very posh and over elaborate.

Check out the amount of flights that came in. So I had 3 hours and my big bag was already checked through to the next flight. By the time I got through immigration, I had about 2 hours 20 minutes left and I gathered not enough time to pop to see the city and back.

Dubai Airport.

I walked outside for a while as I had a bit of time, but there was nothing really to sight. You can’t really do much sightseeing in or around an airport!

This photo is as much as I have seen of Dubai! Of course I wished I could see more of it, even stay overnight. And of course go up the Burj Khalifa which is now easily the world’s highest building.

Dubai has a metro system and lots of signs in English too so travelling around might have been easy enough. Still I decided it was time to relax, find a bar and head onwards to Hong Kong.

Elaborate luggage belt section in Dubai.

The lifts.

Tourist guides. But I was after a beer. I knew I could find a bar.

I found The Hub bar up a lift.

View from the entrance to The Hub Bar. If I couldn’t see Dubai, I was at least going to buy a beer there!

And the bar had Guinness! How odd. I couldn’t believe it. This was very different to the last Middle East Airport I had been to – the one in Doha in Qatar. Certainly no bar in that one.

A guide to Dubai (free of course – I didn’t buy one!), a Guinness and free nuts. I did a wee bit of reading up on Dubai and am now intrigued by it. Will have to visit sometime!

Still wearing my Bournemouth shirt! I took a photo of myself in The Hub in Dubai Airport. The only photo of me in the United Arab Emirates to date.

Passport proof that I have been to the UAE! Well for 3 hours…

It was time to board my flight back to Hong Kong.

From the window of the plane I actually saw more of Dubai than I had from anywhere in the airport.

First onboard meal. Emirates do it well.

Second onboard meal. It was a tiring trip so I rested my head, got a wee sleep and landed back in Hong Kong on the Sunday night late and straight to work for 8am Monday. Ouch!

On a final note, fate and life hasn’t been kind to me in terms of getting to see the United Arab Emirates. Hence why this fells like a fake travel report. Despite Dubai and Abu Dhabi being common transport hubs and flight connecting airport, this 3 hours I spent there is to date the only time I have ever been to the UAE. In 2008 after completing my degree I had the option to go to Abu Dhabi to attend a global communications get together. At Bournemouth University I had studied International Public Relations and done a report on Abu Dhabi without having gone there. In October 2008 when the chance arrived to go there, I just couldn’t afford it. It wasn’t just the time off work, it was the added expense. That was a tad sad, as the University would have helped subside the trip for me. The trip included a full 5 day guided tour of the United Arab Emirates. You know it’s kind of a regret I didn’t go. In fact the only person that did go from my course was Jersey girl Summer Parkin, and through her photos on Facebook, I lived the memory of the UAE and what might have been.

Since my stop over in the UAE, my Dad has been on a business trip, and has been to Dubai and Abu Dhabi on that. My girlfriend Panny Yu has also been to the city of Dubai. Someday I’ll get there you know…

A Few Photos That Aren’t Mine –

These photos are from SUMMER PARKIN, a fellow student who went and had fun in the UAE at the Globcom Event – money aside I really don’t know why I didn’t go there! I will write a report on that too sometime.

And here are a few photos my Dad took in Dubai and Abu Dhabi:

Possibly the worst bit of travel reporting I’ve done, see you sometime, UAE!

From – Gigg Lane, Bury, ENGLAND

To – Lam Tin, Kowloon, HONG KONG

Via – Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Transport Used – Bury to Manchester tram, Manchester Airport Train, 2 Aeroplanes, Hong Kong Airport Bus

Countries Visited – England, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong

Bars Visited – Balcony Bar, Manchester Picadilly; Airport Bar, Manchester Airport; The Hub, Dubai Airport

Beers Tried – Guinness, Budweiser

Nationalities Met – English, Cornish, United Arab Emirateans, Hong Kongers

Strange Currencies – English pounds and pence (British Sterling), Emirati Dirham, Hong Kong Dollars

Key Song –

DAD AND I PLAYING ONE OF MY SONGS “INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM” ON GUITAR TOGETHER JUST 3 DAYS BEFORE I FLEW TO DUBAI (the song includes the line “Monday morning comes too soon and I’m sleeping on the moon”):

(My Dad has since been to Dubai and Abu Dhabi through work. I was pretty pleased he beat me to it at seeing these two cities. Though I hope I can see them both sometime)

My Videos –

POST MATCH VIDEO FROM THE BALCONY BAR IN PICADILLY STATION, MANCHESTER:

TRAIN FROM PICADILLY TO MANCHESTER AIRPORT:

ARRIVAL AT DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:

HAVING A BEER IN THE HUB, DUBAI AIRPORT: