Hopping About

Wicklow Mountain National Park, clifftop walking in Howth, live music in Dublin, and seafood and craft beer in the harbour at Skerries.

3 days in and around Dublin

02/08/201925/04/2020Europe, Ireland

Most people would probably visit Dublin first, then head out to the surrounding countryside. I did the other way round because the real reason for my visit was to see my friend Lynne who lives

We walked part of Spain’s GR 330 in the Costa Blanca mountains via Finestrat, Sella, Abdet, Castell de Castells, Parcent, Gata de Gorgos and Denia.

Walking Spain’s GR 330 (sort of)

09/04/201925/04/2020Europe, Spain

Our plan was to walk the first 4 stages of Spain's GR 330 route, but in reverse. So most people start in Denia but we decided to start in Sella and walk to Denia -

As a beerlover in Belgium,you cannot get around the trappist beers. We had been trying to visit all of the Belgian Trappist brewing abbeys for a while, and recently ticked off the last one.

Trappist breweries

27/01/201925/04/2020Hopspot

As a beerlover in Belgium, you cannot get around the trappist beers. We had been trying to visit all of the Belgian Trappist brewing abbeys for a while, and recently ticked off the last one.

One month in Vietnam – from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

We spent one month (December 2018) travelling from Hanoi in northern Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam. We used trains and buses to get around, supplemented by taxis, boats, bikes, scooters, ferries...Our

Here’s our guide to what to expect when homestaying in Vietnam.

What to expect from a Vietnamese homestay

04/01/201925/04/2020Vietnam

We loved staying in Vietnamese homestays. They are often the cheapest form of accommodation (5-10 EUR a night) and you can book them through service providers like Booking.com. We started to see a pattern, so

After a month travelling from Hanoi in northern Vietnam, we spent one evening and one day in this southern, cosmopolitan city before returning home.

Ho Chi Minh City – Already halfway home

02/01/201925/04/2020Vietnam

With an evening flight home booked from Ho Chi Minh City, we chose to just spend one evening and day here before we left Vietnam. For us we think this was the right choice but

When we were in Ho Chi Minh City we were relieved to taste some proper Vietnam beer at Pasteur Street Brewing, after a month of lager elsewhere.

Hopspot: Pasteur Street Brewing

02/01/201925/04/2020Hopspot, Vietnam

When we were researching our trip to Vietnam, we already knew that craft beer was becoming very popular in this country. Ho Chi Minh City seems to be the source of the good Vietnam beer.

From Ha Tien, we opt to make a trip to Hai Tac, the pirate island halfway between the mainland and Phu Quoc

A day on pirate island Hai Tac

01/01/201925/04/2020Vietnam

From Ha Tien, most people go to either Cambodia or Phu Quoc. When we applied for our visas for Vietnam, we had requested single entry visas, so if we went to Cambodia, we wouldn't be

We took a scooter out for the day to visit some of the caves and beaches, including Duong Beach to the south and north of Ha Tien.

Caves and beaches around Ha Tien

31/12/201825/04/2020Vietnam

After we arrived in Ha Tien we quickly found ourselves eating a Greek salad (real cheese finally!) and drinking cheap beers in Oasis bar, run by Brit Andy since 2009 . But we were also

We took a bus from Cat Tien National Park to Can Tho, and stayed over one night before continuing our journey (via Rach Gia) to Ha Tien.

Bus(es) from Cat Tien National Park to Ha Tien

30/12/201825/04/2020Vietnam

Having arrived in Cat Tien and only then realised that heading to Ho Chi Minh City afterwards wasn't the only option, we booked ourselves on a bus to Can Tho (in the Mekong Delta) through

Archives