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January 2020

Posted on January 28, 2020

Big Bus Tours Dublin: 5 reasons to add it to your Irish bucket list

Travel

big bus tours dublin

It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that the city of Dublin holds a very special place in my heart. Between the vibrant buskers showing off their talents on Grafton Street to the beautiful pieces of street art that spontaneously pop up around town, the city has a plethora of charm and hidden gems that have yet to be explored. 

The Big Bus Tours Dublin offers a lively hop-on, hop-off bus tour experience which allows both locals and tourists alike to explore many aspects of Dublin through a lens which heightens the appreciation for the city’s cultural profile and rich historical background – trust me, I would know. 

big bus tours dublin

I recently had the opportunity to do some sightseeing with The Big Bus Tours Dublin. Needless to say, my love for the big shmoke has massively increased since seeing some of the city’s biggest attractions on an unexpectedly sunny day.

It took a Big Bus Tours experience for me to come to the realisation that after all the years I’ve spent socialising in the city centre’s swanky cocktail bars, nothing can quite compare to the feeling that comes from re-discovering the beauty of Dublin – warts and all. 

So without further ado, here are 5 reasons to add The Big Bus Tours Dublin to your Irish bucket list:

1. Value for money

the big bus tours

There are a number of ticket options available with The Big Bus Tours, each of which offer great value for money. I was gifted with a Premium ticket (€23.20 online) which includes a 2 day hop-on, hop-off tour, 2 free child tickets with every adult ticket, a guided walking tour, a panoramic night tour and free entry into the Pearse Lyons Distillery.

I found this to be an absolute steal, especially since both the night tour and Pearse Lyons Distillery tour alone would cost over €15.00 each. A package deal with the Big Bus Tours is definitely the more reasonable option to me because of all the other added benefits.  

Alternatively, if you are someone who simply wants a bus tour, then you can choose to opt for a Classic ticket (€17.60 online) as The Big Bus Tours tailors to a broad range of sightseers. Other ticket options include: a Deluxe ticket (€29.60 online) or a combined Classic + Guinness Storehouse ticket (€48.00 online).

Note: You can save 20% on selected tickets when you buy online rather than on-street. For information on ticket prices and packages, have a look on the Big Bus Tours website.

2. Hop-on, hop-off

the big bus tours dublin

The Big Bus Tours puts the ball in your court because with a hop-on, hop-off tour, you get to dictate exactly where your journey begins as well as when it ends. If you’re wondering how that works, allow me to give you a low down on the whole thing. 

Step 1: Download the free Big Tours Bus app after purchasing your ticket and use the live bus tracker to find your nearest hop-on stop.

Step 2: Enjoy the views of the city from The Big Bus Tours bus and hop off at any stop to visit your favourite Dublin landmarks.  Buses run every 15 – 20 mins so you can hop back on at the same stop whenever you like.

 

Step 3: Finish the tour at your own pace and time but bear in mind the last whiskey tour at Pearse Lyons Distillery is at 5pm!

When I did the day tour, I hopped on at St. Stephen’s Green and stayed until the second last stop. My day tour lasted about 1hr 15mins but it didn’t feel like it at all! 🙂

3. Free whiskey tasting

Free entry into the Pearse Lyons Distillery with a Premium or Deluxe ticket gives guests a full guided tour with a whiskey tasting at the end. As someone who is not green to whiskey tours, I have to say the Pearse Lyons Distillery really hit it out of the park. 

Our tour guide Sheila was very educated on all things whiskey, her love and passion for the Pearse Lyons Distillery overall was beaming throughout the tour adding to everyone’s excitement for tasting the product. 

pearse lyons distillery

The guided tour lasted for about 50 minutes before finishing with the much-anticipated tasting. Safe to say, I had a few Robin Scherbatsky ‘dayum! that’s smooth’ moments throughout the tasting with my favourite one being the 12-year-old single malt Founder’s Choice. 

pearse lyons distillery

Cherry on top? We even got the opportunity to try Mil Gin – it is heavenly!

Since we are on the topic of free drinks, I should also note that Big Bus Tours ticket holders get a free glass of Guinness at Nancy Hands Pub at stop 26 and 28 – I did say value for money, didn’t I? 🙂

4. Dublin after dark

The free Big Bus night tour is included with a Premium and Deluxe ticket as well as an upgrade to Classic Ticket holders. With the night tour, there is only one starting point (O’Connell Street) as it is a panoramic tour, meaning you cannot hop on or off.

Driving over O’Connell Bridge which is said to be the only traffic bridge in Europe that has the same width as its length, the evening tour guide proudly points out some fantastic pubs and bars around town so you can plan the rest of your evening. 

5. Cultural ‘wokeness’

big bus tours dublin

I sometimes get asked about what to do in Dublin by friends who live abroad. On such occasion, I often find myself almost reiterating the same itinerary I gave to a friend who asked previously.

But after my experience with The Big Bus Tours I feel that I can now give people more specific information about where to go and what to do. More importantly, I can stop them from falling into tourist traps.

As for non-tourists, it can be very easy to get caught up in a rut of doing the same activities or getting too comfortable in a routine. I think The Big Bus Tours can break that cycle by providing a fun day out! 

So there you have it, my top 5 reasons for why I think adding The Big Bus Tours Dublin to your Irish bucket list is something you will not regret!  🙂 Buy tickets online here. 

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*Disclaimer: While this is a sponsored post, all views remain to be my own.

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Posted on January 1, 2020

Dating trends to leave in 2019

Dating

dating trends

Whenever I listen to one of my single friends update me on their latest dating woes, I can only thank God that I no longer have to wrestle with the possibility of a recent right swipe being something I’d later regret. It would seem that the trials and tribulations of modern dating are becoming increasingly tiresome and at this rate, I have the impression that a single first date horror story would be enough to make someone with a perfectly healthy libido want to commit to a life of celibacy. 

Between Tinder users openly admitting to already being in a relationship and people going MIA when the details of a first meet up are finalised, there seems to be a growing disillusionment in the dating scene between men and women alike that doesn’t appear to be subsiding any time soon. 

So for my first blog of 2020, I wanted to draw from some of these very real experiences and discuss a few of the trends that have become the norm in 21st Century dating. I will admit that I am guilty of having committed one or two of these dating faux pas back in my single days, so know that I am in no way shape or form trying to be sanctimonious here. However, it is a new year so the least we can do is make an effort to put these habits behind us.

Without further ado, here are some of the dating trends that I think have absolutely no place in 2020 🙂

Pulling a Houdini

Commonly known as ‘ghosting,’ this trend is something we can all admit to either having fallen victim to or having committed ourselves. Whatever side of the fence you’re on, it is damaging for both parties. Karma has a way of giving professional ghosters a taste of their own medicine and as for the person on the receiving end, not only does it negatively impact their self-esteem, but it also impacts their attitude towards dating. Be grown and leave the magic to the professionals.

How have you been-ing

I’ve employed this phrase to describe the texts that usually start to prop up during the peak of cuffing season and then again in the lead up to Christmas. There must be something about the end of the year that makes people more inclined to want to rekindle past relationships. If it’s a genuine conversation or possible closure that is needed for the person asking ‘how have you been?’, then that’s fair. But if it’s boredom, then don’t bother because you’re only wasting your own time and theirs. 

Haunting 

Much like the last trend, haunting is the term used to describe the presence of an ex in your digital life. The difference being is that they exist silently. They continue to follow you on all your social media accounts, watch every Snapchat story as soon as it goes up and they consistently linger on without actually engaging in any conversation. It’s pretty what some professionals would consider to be light stalking. Keeping tabs on someone through light stalking is never a good look on anyone, leave haunting in 2019.

Fake date planning 

This is when someone makes a plan to meet someone for the first time only to have zero intention of actually following through with it. In the week leading up to the date they consistently send texts to share their excitement about meeting up in person only to go MIA the day of the actual date. Naturally, they commit trend 1, 3 and 2 almost instantly after planning a fake date. 

Penpaling

Now that technology has allowed us to have so much more access to one another, people are becoming more aware of their options. As such, they would rather play the field before committing to meeting someone in real life. If you would rather send endless texts before meeting up with someone, then that’s okay once you’re honest about wanting to explore your options. Time is too precious to waste so it’s always a good idea to make it clear what kind of dater you are.

Let 2020 be a year of growth and mutual respect for potential love interests by leaving these god awful dating trends in the past what do you say? 🙂

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