Jaunted

Airport WiFi / Airport-WiFi-Map / DUB / St. Patrick's Day / → All Tags

Pick Your Lucky Spot in Dublin

If you're not in Dublin already, you're probably going to miss Ireland's national holiday. But next year you can come prepared! And if you fly in through Dublin Airport you can choose where to get your internet access from, so you can figure out where the best corned beef and cabbage is.

If you're on level 4 by the Brasserie Bar, you can log in with your Boingo account. Elsewhere in the terminal, €3 will get you 30 minutes of access via Eircom. (Curiously, €3 only gets you 20 minutes of airtime in the Aer Lingus lounge -- the only one we've found so far where the primo space comes with a primo price tag. Save your gold!)

You can keep your pot of gold -- just tell us where to find the signal at the end of the rainbow.

Related Stories:
· Get Naked for the Sake of Art...Er...Rather, An Airline [Jaunted]
· No Lucky Irish At Aer Lingus This Week [Jaunted]
· Airport WiFi Map [Jaunted]

Travel Gift Cards / Holiday Gifts / Ryanair / Europe Travel / Low Cost Carriers / LCCs / → All Tags

Ryanair Vouchers Are The Hot Ticket This Christmas (We Tell You Why)

Many low cost airlines reckon they're feeling the pinch of economic goings on, but always defiant Ryanair is only talking positive.

Ryanair sells gift vouchers that recipients can use towards flights and the current sales of these are apparently at least 10 percent higher than last Christmas time. The airline's theory on the increase in sales is that this kind of present is a "low budget, high impact" one.

It's only low budget if you buy the stingy minimum voucher of £20 or €25 (around $30) but your friend or family member will be lucky to get a one way ticket out of that. Of course, there are some people on our Christmas list we'd like to give a one way ticket to. Perhaps Ryanair is really onto something.

Related Stories:
· Ryanair Gift Vouchers [Official Site]
· Ryanair Confirms Large Increase in Sale of Vouchers [Peanuts]
· Ryanair Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Aitor Escauriaza]

White Night Travel / Culture Travel / → All Tags

All Night Culture: Not Quite All Night in Dublin

The White Nights of culture are sweeping across Europe and while the Madrid version might see museums open all the way through to 6 am, over in Dublin they're a bit tamer.

At the upcoming Dublin Culture Night on September 19, the museums and galleries involved will extend their opening hours, but only until 11 pm--which makes it more a culture evening than a culture night, we think.

But it's still worth checking out. They're putting on free buses and there'll be live performances on Temple Bar. And we're guessing plenty of Guinness to quench the thirst that comes from engaging with all that culture.

Related Stories:
· Dublin Culture Night [Official Site]
· White Night Travel: Madrid's La Noche en Blanco on Saturday [Jaunted]

[Photo: hippydream]

Green Travel / Taxis / Deals / → All Tags

Green Travel: Pedal Powered in Ireland

Next time you're in Dublin trying to get around the congested city center, just keep your eyes open for one of these brightly colored, blob shaped Ecocabs.

Looking like a hybrid golf cart and pedicab, the Ecocab is a pedal powered tricycle. They provide an easy green transportation option for making short distance trips through busy cities. (A battery back up is included, just in case the driver gets a little winded or encounters a big hill.)

The aerodynamic cab comfortably seats three passengers and is totally free. The service is sponsored by advertising, and all Ecocabs are wrapped with can't miss ads. The drivers are even dressed to match.

Ecocabs are also on the streets of Toronto, and full-fare versions are running in several other cities. In Dublin, the cabs run from 10 am to 7 pm, 7 days a week.

Related Stories:
· Ecocabs [Official Site]
· Pedal-Powered Taxis Deliver Free Love [Springwise]
· Ireland Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Airports / Airport Hell / Ryanair / DUB / → All Tags

Airport Hell: DUB Still Recoving from Radar Meltdown

Ireland's busiest airport is still recovering from a radar meltdown Wednesday that left hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled. Officials are still advising passengers to check with their airlines before even heading to Dublin Airport.

An Irish Aviation Authority spokeswoman says that while the radar problems that crippled the airport yesterday have been fixed, only about 70 percent of flights will be operating today:

It will be nothing like the extent of the problems that happened yesterday. But it is likely that there will be some delays, especially as the day goes on. A 20 minute delay in the morning might be a 40 minute or an hour's delay in the afternoon.

Aer Lingus is letting delayed passengers rebook without charge. For its part, Ryanair is calling for a government investigation into the radar failure and is asking its passengers to do the same. The LCC has even posted contact info for the IAA on its website. Bitchy--but we like!

Related Stories:
· Dublin Airport Advice to Passengers [Official Site]
· Dublin Travelers Face Second Day of Delays [Reuters]
· Airport Hell coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of departure drama in 2007: aralbalkan]

DUB / BMI / Jonathan Rhys Meyers / Travel Hell / Celeb Travel / → All Tags

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Can't Fly with BMI

We're in disbelief: two celebs, running through two airports this weekend, and it's not Lindsay Lohan who's getting in trouble. Instead, Irish heartthrob Jonathan Rhys Meyers had the run-in with cops, being charged with public drunkenness at Dublin International Airport.

The Tudors star was visiting Dublin for a TV appearance and was scheduled to fly to London on BMI before police detained him. Apparently telling gate agents "I will get on this flight, no matter what" doesn't always work--even if you've co-starred with Scarlett Johansson.

Related Stories:
· Irish Actor Rhys Meyers Arrested [AFP]
· Lindsay Lohan Covets Your Overhead Bin [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: AFP]

Travel Guides / → All Tags

What, no iGuinness?

The podcast bandwagon keeps on keepin' on with the creation of "iWalks" of Dublin, created by--natch--the Dublin tourism board. There are plans for eleven tours in total, although only two are available at the moment. The walks are narrated by historian Pat Liddy--apparently Frank McCourt wasn't available--who also penned accompanying maps and illustrations.

While this is an exciting idea, part of the charm of podcasts is getting the "alternative" history of place, and it unlikely that the tourism board will provide it. Maybe Shane MacGowan?


[Image of Dublin's Spire via asteri design/Flickr]

Money / Budget Travel / → All Tags

Europe on $120 a Day -- Cheap!

Wow, 5 days in Dublin for 2 for under $1200. And without using frequent flier miles or flying in the dead of winter. Color us impressed.

How'd the intrepid writer for the AP do it? Well, first she chose a destination based on the best airline ticket price she could find, being sure to take taxes into account. Second, she ruled out B&Bs and hotels, instead couchsurfing with a nice Irish family. There are other good tips, of course, particularly this one about better living through chemistry: "If your time on the ground is limited, making the most of it means minimizing jet lag. . . . consider getting a prescription for something that will knock you out on the trip over. Some passengers find a Benadryl or other over-the-counter antihistamine is enough." Bring on the Ambien!

Image from Kathryn Yu

Related Stories:
·   Europe for two, under $1,200 [CNN, via TravelPost]