Archive for August 18th, 2010
Save Time Making Travel Plans Using the Internet
Guest post from: Steve Delaney
While I know I don’t look old enough, I can remember making travel plans before the Internet was ubiquitous. My life is much easier now!
Back in the day, I can remember calling the airlines or a travel agent to book an airline ticket, or to make a change in itinerary. I could be on hold for hours, first waiting for an answer, then waiting as the representative searched through available flight options. The same for renting a car or booking a hotel room.
Some companies where I worked even employed full-time, in-house travel agents to book flights and rooms for employees. While I wasn’t the one on ‘hold’ anymore, it was still inefficient.
With my clear tv bundle, I enthusiastically appreciate today’s online travel sites and options.
Nearly every airline around the world today has a website, and through most of them you can buy a ticket with 24 hour advance planning. You can also check on flight schedules and track frequent flyer miles. All ‘self serve’ and all online. The same for hotels and car rentals. There are also websites that consolidate your flight, hotel and car rental reservations all at one location, often with impressive combined cost savings.
Spooky Legends of Ireland
The Banshee
The Banshee, or bean-sidhe (woman of the fairy), is one of the best known horror legends. Poets and storytellers refer to the screaming of the banshee as a portent of doom. The original banshee is an ancestral spirit sentenced to forever warn certain ancient Irish families of a pending death in the family. Families such as the O’Neills, the O’Briens, or the O’Gradys have their very own banshee, who will appear often at night, right before someone is about to die.
The banshee can appear in three forms: a young woman, a mother, or an old crone. She wears a grey cloak with a hood, or a winding sheet. If the family doesn’t see her, they will certainly HEAR her keening cry across their lands. Her keening has been described as “the cross between an owl and the wail of a woman” or “so piercing, it shatters glass.”
Destination Ireland – The Ryder Cup 2006
The actual event will be held at The K Club in County Kildare, located about a 40 minute drive form Dublin. Demand for accommodation is already exceeding supply in many locations within a 50 mile radius of the venue. Prices for accommodation in Dublin and Kildare are at a premium and one wonders could this put people off travelling in the future.
The opening ceremonies will be held on Thursday September 21st and run for the next four days. Ireland already is a mecca for golfers but it is hoped that this event will cement the country as a leading golf destination in the minds of millions. The country boasts almost one third of the links courses worldwide with many courses posing a challenge for beginner and experienced golfer alike.
