northern ireland belfast sailing out

World Borders: Getting the Belfast to Birkenhead Ferry (Northern Ireland to England)

It was a return to the familiar border crossings for me earlier in the year as I got the ferry from Belfast to Birkenhead. It’s a great way to get from Northern Ireland to England, and also avoids the hassle of flying, allows you to drive there by car, bring as much as you want Read more about World Borders: Getting the Belfast to Birkenhead Ferry (Northern Ireland to England)[…]

armenia yerevan capital

My Top 5 Capital Cities From Around The World!!!

I thought recently about all the capital cities I’ve been to and how they don’t always live up to expectations. I’ve been to capital cities in about 55 of the 80 countries I’ve backpacked through and thought it was a good moment to do a top 5. I write this post from one of them Read more about My Top 5 Capital Cities From Around The World!!![…]

jonny blair on the air nerve

Working Wednesdays: BBC Radio Ulster Interview, Northern Ireland

I’ve always loved media. There’s something about TV, newspapers, radio and the whole public sphere thing that I love. As a teenager I did some work experience in the BBC and Belfast Telegraph as well as studying a City and Guilds course in Journalism. At university I wrote for the magazine, starred in 2 TV Read more about Working Wednesdays: BBC Radio Ulster Interview, Northern Ireland[…]

arconada armstrong 1982

Working Wednesdays: Writing for “Arconada…Armstrong!” as a Teenager in Belfast, Northern Ireland

I’ll talk about my first ever job on today’s Working Wednesdays, a job which was unpaid but I got free football fanzines out of it, and I was helping support my country’s international football team. Aged 15, I wrote articles for and helped sell the Northern Ireland football fanzine, Arconada…Armstrong! Named after the ITV commentary Read more about Working Wednesdays: Writing for “Arconada…Armstrong!” as a Teenager in Belfast, Northern Ireland[…]

belfast to dublin train ireland

World Borders: How to get from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland (Belfast to Dublin train)

** STOP PRESS!! This article was written a while back and scheduled long before this week’s fire on the Belfast to Dublin train, so please bear that in mind…** (this is the first time since starting DSL in 2007 I have had to do this…) // I’m sure a lot of you reading will be Read more about World Borders: How to get from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland (Belfast to Dublin train)[…]

top 5 European cities Belfast

Top 5 Cities I Miss From Europe!

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 Read more about Top 5 Cities I Miss From Europe![…]

Crown Bar in Belfast Northern Ireland great place - a lifestyle of travel

Thirsty Thursdays: The Crown Bar in Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Crown Bar in Belfast in my home country of Northern Ireland is a brilliant place. I LOVE it and I take my friends there any time I’m showing them round my country. I’m pretty surprised this is the first time I’ve written about it, but buzzing at the thought of helping promote Belfast and Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: The Crown Bar in Belfast, Northern Ireland[…]

keeping up to date with football while you travel jonny blair

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

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 I have been a football fan. Firstly I played it – at any given moment. At some point Read more about How To Keep Up To Date With Football On Your Travels!![…]