Air Fair???

So you’re organizing a stag or hen party for your best mate.  You’ve found the perfect party organizer in Eventhuse, who have set you up with the dream weekend full of action packed adventure activities, down and dirty parties, and luxury accommodation to rest your weary heads.  Now all you have to do is organize the flight details for 15 people at the cheapest rates.  Easy, right? 

Tired of Expedia not actually expediting your search for that dream price for your weekend getaway?  Or do you wonder if cheepcheepfly.com isn’t actually some sort of scam from hackers in Nigeria?  Well worry no longer as we’re here to help point you in the direction of some of the newest and coolest web sites that will help you find that perfect airfare! 

Momondo.com

Smart design, easy to use, and a pleasure to look at, this is one of our favorite search engines for cheap flights.  It’s no third-party aggregator; this site scours different airfare sites in order to find you the cheapest prices.  It’s likely to recommend different airlines for both your trip out and back, but most people mix and match airlines these days and this site does it for you. 

So, for example, that hen party of 9 from Dublin the first weekend in May in Barcelona?  Just found flights for 115 pounds per person.  You’re welcome.

Adioso.com

You’re sitting in your office daydreaming about a holiday somewhere in the Mediterranean, say, Cyprus!  Well this web site functions almost exactly like your brain in daydream mode.  The example we typed into their search bar was “London to Cyprus in late September for 4 days”.  What we got was return flights starting at 92 quid.  Boom.  Your mind has been blown.

 

Yapta.com

The wedding is in a year so you’ve got a while yet before that perfect weekend away in Budapest.  The activities are all perfectly planned thanks to your friendly neighborhood superheroes at Eventhuse, but do you book the flights now?  Should you wait for a possible better deal?  There is nothing worse than buying something only for it to go on sale a day later.  Well Yapta wants to help the customer out.  Track and book airfares with their site and if it’s possible to get some money back if those same tickets go on sale, Yapta will tell you.

So there you go fellow travelers and revelers!  Three of our favorite airfare search engines.  No matter where you’re going, the best flight at the best price is right at your fingertips.

Three day holiday weekend in Cyprus

After a hectic summer period it was about time the guys and I had a weekend away. Up until now we were used to going away within Europe, being Budapest and Krakow, but this time we thought of keeping it local and headed towards Pafos.

The plan was for us six guys to rent out a villa, have all the food and booze required for our stay, and to hang out by the pool when we had time to kill. On that front, time wasn’t much of a luxury as hanging out and getting a little breather were a commodity given that our three day stay was intensified with activities to do from the start.

On Thursday, the first day of our stay, we arrived at our villa at 3 p.m. and begun to unpack. Given it was 35 degrees Celsius outside we all agreed we had to dip into the pool. So out came the corona’s and in we jumped. By then we had already felt that we are actually away from home. Time for play, pranks, immature jokes, guy talk and of course a little competition in the pool.

We came up with a bright idea of playing water polo. Considering the combined I.Q. level of the group and the drinking to add to that, we didn’t find anybody objecting to it. Of course there were modified rules since none of us had the slightest knowledge of the game. Now, verbal abuse was allowed, as was choking and drowning the opposition. Two minutes into the game you could see how serious some of us were taking it. Boys will be boys. I can swear by the end of it we drank so much pool water that it was just pouring out of our noses. Getting out of the pool was the hard bit. We actually had a decent work out to the extent that we dragged our way to the sunbeds, popping open some more bottles and just lying down in the summer heat.

By 7 p.m. we had to be well rested and ready for our first main activity. We had booked for go-karting, and it was going to be at a pretty unusual track. This track boasts 1600 metres in length, a tunnel, a bridge, and combining that with the 35-40 mile karts top speed along with the sharp turns we were in for a load of drifting. We had made the track our own. Competition was going to be stiff and the adrenaline levels were high. You could tell from the start line and that smirk on everyone’s face that by the end of it the only way you were going to get away from the banter was by ending up first place.

During the race tension was high. By that time the sun was down and the floodlights were on, just to give this an extra twist and the ultimate condition. We were all looking for top speed, swerving our way on the tar whilst looking through the rear view mirror to make sure that anyone from behind would not overtake. Going through the tunnel which was placed beneath the bridge was always going to be hard and where the race would be won. The karts would have to slow down in order to turn 180 degrees, so anybody at high speed at that point would just drift into the tyres on the side. Any time that someone would crash into the tyres or one of us would overtake the other there was a little mockery or obscene body language to go with it to provoke the opposition. Home stretch 15 minutes later and nobody in front I knew I would be the one with the largest grin at the end of it. I played it cool, didn’t say a word till later on, and just let the rest of the guys give it out to each other.

We then headed back home and time to get the BBQ ready. As I had said earlier we came well prepared. We threw halloumi, sausages, mushrooms and peppers on the grill and well as some pitta bread to accommodate the dips for our starters. Following that we had some pork and chicken kebab with salad.  Once the food was done out came the rum and vodka along with the poker cards and chips. We had a knockout series and sat on till 4 in the morning although the game itself was pretty much one sided. Winner takes all and our American buddy had the last say.

 

To be continued……

So what do ya know

They say you find the most amazing things in the most unlikeliest of places. I certainly found this to be true during my stay in Budapest.

It was the summer of 2011 and I had managed to persuade my best friends to go on a road trip across Europe. A “lads holiday” if you will to celebrate our impending graduation from uni and our looming 40 year sentence to a life of paying taxes and other responsibilities.

A 15 day tour round some of Europe’s most picturesque and exciting cities such as Munich, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava and Berlin with some of your closest mates seemed just what the doctor ordered.

However, there was one factor that we hadn’t taken account on. One thing that would stand in our way of making this trip an unforgettable experience. Distance!!! The above cities were carefully chosen because of the endless activities they boasted both during the day and night of which any visitor would need to be equipped with a large appetite for fun. Yet, driving an average of 5-6 hours from one city to the next was a big blow to our energy resources.

Budapest was our third destination after Munich and Vienna and by now we were already feeling the effects of fatigue. After settling in to our rented flat we decided to take a day trip to Hungarore to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix. Now I’m not the biggest motorsports lover yet the sheer noise coming out of those engines and the electrifying atmosphere that surrounds you is enough to get you hooked. The adrenaline flowing through us was so high that by the end of it we were knackered. The whole thing took the best part of a day after all, so after we got a quick bite to eat we decided to take it easy and chill at the flat for the rest of the night.

After getting all cleaned up, the guys got comfortable on the couch to watch a film. However, unwilling to let the night end just yet and unable to persuade any of my mates to join me I took to the streets alone. Now don’t feel sorry for me just yet, the night as it would turn out, was just beginning.

I had heard a lot about the nightlife in Budapest and I wanted to experience it first-hand. Our flat was quite central so I headed for what I thought was the main square. I had underestimated my inability to read maps and after a few dodgy directions given to me from pedestrians in the street I was completely lost. I had been walking for just over an hour and had yet to find this main square everyone was talking about. All that was surrounding me were tall buildings and not a bar in sight. At this point I got a bit worried as I foolishly hadn’t written my address down and was starting to think how I was going to get back.

For some reason I decided to get off the main road and started walking through the side streets. These were very narrow and quiet. They reminded me of the streets in old Nicosia. I walked a few blocks and just as I was about to lose hope I caught from the corner of my eye some activity going on in one of the allies, so I decided to check it out. As I was walking towards it I started to hear some music and I quickly realized it was a bar. Two of the biggest bouncers I had ever seen stood outside. I was almost overwhelmed at the site of them but to be honest at that point I really needed a drink so decided to play it cool and walk in.

As I entered I was quickly blown away by the vibe of the place. It was a sort of hostel pub meets alternative-festival-kind of place. I had never seen anything like it. It was packed of students and young people travelling much like myself. The added bonus of beer available also made me feel at home. It was two storeys with a couple of bars at either level. To the right of the entrance was a vendor selling slices of pizza (the ultimate food after a big night out drinking. This guy had clearly done his homework). At the very back there were a few foosball tables and beyond those a group of travellers that had brought their instruments with them and were playing a sort of jive. This had attracted a large crowed around them of people drinking and dancing to their tunes. In the middle stood an open top court yard that was equipped with benches and used as a beer garden. Projectors were placed on all sides screening different short local films and clips. There was even an abandoned “beetle” car in the centre used as an extra place to sit.

I quickly send a text to my mates describing the place and begged them to join me. Well, I say begged when it was really more of a threat that they would regret it if they don’t come.

No reply, so I decided to have a drink at the bar. Next thing I know I was surrounded by three girls. We got to talking and it turned out that two of them were from Denmark backpacking across Europe while the third was a Swede who had come for a music festival. With the exception of the two Danish girls none of us knew each other before but such was the atmosphere and mentality of the place that everybody was eager and willing to make new friends.

The icing on the cake came a few minutes later when two of my friends walked in. We all started drinking and dancing. It turns out that the bar was only a ten minute walk from our flat!

So what’s the moral of this story? There will always come a time where you will feel tired and flustered. This is always ok but it is also a state of mind. Try and fight through it and seize the opportunities do something different. I guarantee you’ll be rewarded.