Peace in a Pod

The idea for this post occurred to me during a week where I’ve actually been really occupied with solo travel plans, so it seemed apt to put pen to paper (read: fingers to keyboard) to speak to the concept of travelling as a party of one, and why it is something you should never rule out. First things first, solo travel does not need to be an entire holiday where you are on your own 24/7 (but if you like the sound of that, by all means shoot for the stars, doll). It can take the form of booking a spot on a tour group who run a set itinerary, or getting in touch with independent guides in the area beforehand who can suggest and arrange activities for you (all to be covered in future posts). So just bear that in mind as you read this. We are not talking seclusion-in-a-cave-for-a-week here (but go for it if that sounds like heaven). When I sat and contemplated the life lessons I have learned from experiencing solo travel, I came up with 3 main lessons that I’m willing to share here. But t...

Let me acknowledge from the outset that not being able to travel nationally or internationally is by no means the greatest fallout of COVID-19. I think that much is obvious but I feel the need to say it nonetheless. Having said that, pre-pandemic when life got rough or it was all a bit too much, we always had the excitement of a holiday to look forward to, whether that was a weekend break away here in Ireland or a longer stint somewhere further afield.  Despite making use of the lockdown to read, meditate, spend time more productively and, of course, make banana bread, I long for the high-energy adrenaline rush that comes with air travel. There’s the paranoia of going through airport security: grappling for the <100ml liquids to squish into the plastic bag, or entertaining the irrational thoughts that, despite having never taken Class A drugs in my life, the X-ray machine may somehow find traces of cocaine in my luggage. Not forgetting the thrill of eating a dinner on an airborn...

I would like to start off this blog post by redefining the meaning of the phrase ‘self-help books’. Before I began ambling down this path of enlightenment, I would hear the above and think (ignorantly) “Self-help? That’s only for people with a mental problem” or “Only someone desperate and helpless would buy a self-help book”. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in having such flawed assumptions. In Ireland especially, we have quite a poor and twisted view of mental health and ill-health - a ‘shut-up-and-put-up’ culture has pervaded this country and especially the generations who grew up in an acutely Catholic society. Fast forward to 2020 where, in the last 5 years, the country has passed a marriage equality referendum as well as another concerning reproductive rights, and things look slightly better. So call them what you want - whether it’s self-help books, or personal development literature, or whatever - turning up for yourself and your mind is no longer considered a silly, fruity idea. Infac...