Any ideas for fundraising?

I have pledged to raise £700 for Diabetes.co.uk by cycling in the Surrey 100 this summer - but I'm sure I can do better than that! Thanks to the extremely talented Andrea Martin atwww.greasebugsgear.co.uk, I will have a rather unique offering which I hope to auction. I would love to hear from anyone who has any ideas on fundraising. For my journalistic buddies, I also have amazing story of how I burnt off type 2 diabetes by cycling 100 miles a week to and from work. I now have totally normal blood sugar levels and I'm no longer on daily cocktail of drugs. Contact me at andrew@honesttravelguy.com

Raise your class

NOW I  do like my wine. So when I travel to a new destination I like to try out the local alcohol offerings. But I have never really been much of a buff on vintages and always wanted to be able to distinguish between a fruity and oaky tastes and understand all the  jargon used by the experts.

So I have embarked on a wine-tasting course at Gibneys of +Malahide Dublin The pub and off licence has been at the heart of this leafy village in County Dublin for decades - and the staff know their stuff.

Each student is presented with a box of six tasting glasses. Last night we were given an overview of wine production and various techniques. My fascinating discovery was that white wine can be made from red grapes. Two of the three grapes used to make champagne are RED.

We got to taste six wines from around the world. A spittoon was on each table but it didn't get much use. And at the end of the evening, us students were invited to polish off the bottles. Three of us dedicated scholars eventually left the classroom three hours after the end of lesson.

Next week is all about France. The final week concentrates on champagne. I hope there are lots of samples to finish off after school.

Holiday World Show

WITH the way the weather has been recently, I can't possibly think of a better time to attend the Holiday World Show in +Dublin. I'll be making my way to the RDS tomorrow for the annual event. There will be loads of representatives from destinations all over the world. I am sure that just about anywhere will be more appealing than the freezing wet and cold in +Ireland right now.

I'll be there for the trade session, so if you see a chap wearing an Honest Travel Guy t-shirt bearing a pic of me wearing the same hat on my head, please  come and say hello.

The exhibition runs until Sunday. Tickets and more details are available at www.holidayworldshow.com

Holiday World Show - my review

IT doesn't matter what your holiday plans are for this year, my advice is get yourself down to the Holiday World Show at the RDS in Dublin. I went there today and was totally overwhelmed by the choice and ideas I gained of  places I'd like to visit. It was like going to a mega store of a travel agent. One company that caught my eye was +Intrepid Travel  They are into adventure holidays and trips that are maybe a bit offbeat. Visit a remote village in South America perhaps. Whatever you fancy, I need to go back this weekend to make sure I have everyone covered.

Holiday World Show - the finale

I JUST can't get enough. I am going back tomorrow for the final day of the Holiday World Show in Dublin's RDS.

I spent most of my first day looking at destinations and resorts where Irish tourists may be interested in visiting. Tomorrow, I want to focus on attractions for tourists visiting Ireland. A huge number of visitors come from the +United States of America ♥. So whether they are coming from New York, California or Florida, the +Holiday World Show exhibits plenty to offer.

The hotels will be gearing up for the influx of +The Gathering Ireland so there will be a huge welcome. Who knows with President Barack Obama staying in office, he might consider a return to the country of his ancestors. Perhaps his staff at +The White House, should consider pencilling in a visit.  You can still visit the exhibition. Visit holidayworldshow.com

honesttravelguy.com

Keep it in perspective

honesttravelguy.com

YOU won't write anything bad about my country, will you - asked the heavily-pregnant representative at the Egyptian stand at the Dublin Holiday Travel Show.
It struck me as a rather bizarre question at first. There we were at the trade section of this exhibition. She was there to promote Egypt and my quest was to look for interesting places to write about.
On the whole, us globetrotting wordsmiths give a fair and accurate description of our encounters for the benefit of readers who might to choose to follow our paths.
And we are unlikely to lash out criticism if minor things go wrong - that can happen anywhere.
But then I reflected on the terrible scenes of violence from Port Said being beamed around the world. The slightly nervous tone in the voice of the woman at the trade show was a reference to that situation.
Her concern was understandable... but is it?
I would be interested to look at the figures..but I wonder if there is a link between atrocities in one part of a large country and the effect on tourism as a whole?
I doubt it.
We have seen barbaric and heartbreaking scenes in places like Alabama and Colorado after shooting rampages.
I am not aware that tourists in large numbers started having second thoughts about trips to New York,  California or Florida.

'This is bound to hit tourism,' is an oft used comment in the aftermath of these atrocities but I believe that such a reaction tends to be rather alarmist and unjustified.
Now I should stress there are some very dangerous places in the world where there is a strong threat of acts against foreign visitors. And, if you are considering going to those countries, then you are strongly advised to heed guidance from your own governments.
But restricted actions do not always require such widespread caution.
Over at the Northern Ireland section of the Holiday Trade Show, businesses there were also lamenting the impact on tourism of Belfast being back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. This time there are protests on the streets over the flags dispute.
But these demos are taking place in parts of this city where the average tourist is unlikely to be wandering on a discovery or heritage tour neither in the day nor at night.
And in my native London, there are areas where the average local would wary of visiting at the wrong time of day - but that doesn't mean that tourists should avoid the largely safer rest of the capital.
Places like Belfast are a beacon to the world showing how communities steeped in history of discord can come together in harmony.
Millions have been spent celebrating the beauty and positive aspects of life of Northern Ireland. Belfast is very proud of its shipbuilding heritage - and the Titanic exhibition is a great success. Over in Londonderry/Derry, celebrations are under way to mark the hosting of the European City Of Culture.
The place deserves credit for its remarkable achievements.
Don't stay away because of some 'bad headlines' from the wrong side of town.

honesttravelguy.com

London Pretty Airport

London City Airport, pictured above, has been voted one of the world’s ten most scenic airport landings in a poll conducted by PrivateFly.com. The company asked travel experts and fans across the world to vote for the most scenic airport landings in its annual survey.

Full top ten:

1. St Maarten Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), Caribbean
2. Barra Airport (BRR), Scotland
3. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), USA
4. Paro (PBH), Bhutan
5. Las Vegas McCarran Airport (LAS), USA
6. Phinda Airstrip, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
7. London City Airport (LCY), UK
8. Aruba Princess Beatrix International Airport (AUA), Lesser Antilles
9. Mustique Airport (MQS), St Vincent & The Grenadines
10. Nice Cote D’Azur Airport (NCE), France

honesttravelguy.com