Exploring Ireland

If you followed my tips for storing your camping gear over the winter, then all of your gear is safely stowed away, and it’s time to start getting your camping gear ready for spring. Your sleeping pad (or pads, in my case) is another important piece of gear to ready for camping season. This is also a good time to make sure you still have the repair kit for your sleeping pad or a good time to order a new one. As you can see, if you properly store your camping gear at the end of the season, then preparing your camping gear for spring camping trips is a piece of cake!

Mankato – Minneopa State Park is known for live bison as well as waterfalls that are easy to access Voyageurs National Park – Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Voyageurs National Park (VNP) are new places certified by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) in 2020. Voyageurs National Park also joined the ranks as a newly certified International Dark Sky Park, offering primetime night sky viewing. The Twin Cities – not just the Mall of America, which we’re known for, but so many museums, attractions, and parks…I’m part of a “Hiking Minnesota” Facebook group where I’ve learned about hidden waterfalls, caves and canyons right here in the Twin Cities.

So that used to be the story that people would kind of think negatively about Michigan because the only thing they’d ever heard were bad news stories coming out of our biggest city, a city that had gone through, you know, decades of challenge and transition because of a change in the world economy. At the same time, the rest of the state probably was a little bit ahead of Detroit in kinda, you know, getting ready for that next, who we are. Where the lower peninsula, a lot of people like to go to the UP to experience the out of doors temporarily and then kind of go back to their city environments later. It’s the kind of place you need to be there for at least a couple of nights to kind of get the sounds of life out of your mind, to really take in the sounds of the clip plops of the horses as they’re carrying people down the roads.

Today’s guest is Ciara Rounds, Global Media & Public Relations Representative for the South Dakota Department of Tourism. It’s a state that isn’t defined by one thing – though there is something that people tend to focus on when considering a South Dakota vacation… I-90 stretches the width of South Dakota and with five National and State Scenic Byways covering hundreds of miles make it the perfect road tripping state. South Dakota has 56 State Parks and recreation areas and 6 National Parks Service sites, so there is a lot of opportunity for wide open spaces and outdoor adventure.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park – Visitors to the three units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park find the dramatic scenery and recreational opportunities awe-inspiring. The Enchanted Highway is a collection of the world’s largest scrap metal sculptures constructed at intervals along a 32-mile stretch of two-lane highway in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of North Dakota. North Dakota is the ONLY state in the country to have a National Park named after a president, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Opening Spring 2021 Heritage Landing in Bismarck will feature a full restaurant and bar and a 4,000-square-foot deck overlooking the Missouri River and the dock for the Lewis and Clark Riverboat in Bismarck.

Today's podcast is brought to you by my book Planning the Ireland Vacation of Your Dreams, a step-by-step guide to planning YOUR perfect vacation in Ireland. Read: Everything You Need to Know About Car Rental in Ireland with special attention to step #6 and Car Rental Check the drive times to your first night's lodging from the airport and your final night's lodging to the airport. If you want to join an Ireland tour unlike any other, be sure to check out my Traveling in Ireland Tours!

Like airfare or hotel rates, car rental rates can be non-transparent and it can be hard to figure out how much the car rental will actually costs you – because often insurance and gas costs aren’t included in the advertised rate. Now however, a variety of peer to peer car or taxi rental companies have emerged as an exciting alternative to traditional car or shuttle rental. At every stage of the car or taxi rental process, the car rental company will attempt to upsell you a luxury car model. Sometimes, I’ve shown up at the car rental place to pick up my rental car and found out that I’ve been automatically upgraded because they didn’t have an economy rental car available!

While the UK has so far shelved plans to issue Covid passports amid public backlash claiming discrimination, it isn’t off the table. When travelling to any country it is always a good idea to check local laws as many destinations aren’t the same as home. The UK has already imposed very strong, almost draconian Covid-19 laws which could see you paying a fine of up to £10,000 for disregarding anti-Covid measures in the country. This means that at best, in the UK and USA for example, mass vaccination won’t be achieved until the end of Summer or Autumn.

But, since I had so much experience travelling solo in the Western world, solo travel in Thailand wouldn’t be too difficult for me. While you should never expect everyone to speak English if that isn’t their first language, the fact is that the abundance of English in Thailand is a huge relief and does make things a lot easier for solo travellers. Getting Around Thailand as a Solo Traveller is Easy One of the best things about solo travel in Thailand is that it is so easy it is to get around, both in cities and around the country. How to Meet Fellow Solo Travellers in Thailand Thailand is a mecca for solo travellers so making friends along the way won’t be hard.

I’m not going to lie, I am one of few people who didn’t love Bali. There doesn’t seem to be a firm cost- like most things in Bali you can haggle. If you really don’t like the idea of renting a motorbike and exploring on your own, you can join a small group tour from Bali that will take you to Nusa Penida for a day. The view from the top of the cliffs makes it look like sandy crescent moon against the turquoise waves and while I sadly can’t speak from experience, those that have been say it is stunning.