The thought occurred to me mid-flight between Vancouver and Salt Lake City. Why I was flying from Vancouver to Salt Lake City was a mystery known only to the Expedia gods. I was on a three-week travel tour in support of the charity I work for. I needed to get from Portland, Oregon to Bismarck, North Dakota. The airline’s ticketing algorithm thought that I should first leave the country, go through Canadian customs and then five minutes later pass back through U.S. customs before then twice dropping me off in airports further away from my destination. The 1,000-mile trip scored me 3,400 frequent flier miles. And we wonder why the airline industries are going under . . .

But back to the thought. It occurred to me while reading Matt Gross’s recent “Lost in Ireland” piece in the NYT. I realized that in the midst of traveling, I had been reading travel articles for the past four hours. Before your “so-what?” alarm kicks in, think about it. Sure, it’s no secret insight that people who like to travel are the people who like to read travel stories.

But, there are very few activities like this. I had plenty of airport time to think about this, and I couldn’t really come up with anything exactly equal. Ironically, as much as I love reading about traveling, it seems to be only when I am traveling that I find the time to do so in earnest. (more…)

New York to Dublin for $434 (R/T incl. taxes/fees): This is about as cheap as you’re going to get for this flight from New York to Ireland. This rate is basically a very off-season price, so to see it crop up in the middle of September, a perfect time to see the country, makes it a no-brainer.

Los Angeles to Melbourne from $633 (R/T incl. taxes/fees): Good through June 30, this one’s great for those of you on the West Coast. Those of us on the East Coast, I guess we’re off to Ireland instead.

Las Vegas Hotel for $28: I was debating: Do I highlight this $28 deal for a stay at the Tuscany Suites & Casino, or the similar rate found at the Hooters Casino? Tuscany, Hooters. Hooters, Tuscany. It was a close call, but I figured, if you’re going to be doing Vegas on a budget, it’s best not to make it too obvious by sleeping somewhere better known for its cleavage and wings than for its accommodations.

New York to Dublin for $489 (incl. taxes/fees): Isn’t it the worst when a holiday comes up and you think to yourself, “This time last year I was in _____.” That happened to me this Easter as I thought back at how last year I snagged a super cheap flight to Dublin and spent a brisk, early April on the Emerald Isle. Well, it looks like the cheap deals are back, with this flight to Dublin for under $500.

Mykonos, Santorini & Athens for $1199: I normally don’t recommend packages, but if you’re one of those people who’s going to be staying in a hotel and are okay with the set schedule, this deal’s for you. Begin in Athens, then head to Mykonos and Santorini, and the price includes airline tix, hotels, and transport between the locales. Don’t worry, once there, you can ditch the other Americans you came with.

Chicago to Istanbul for $649 (incl. taxes/fees): Whenever I post a story about Turkey, I always have to Google: “Is Turkey Europe or Asia?” to which I get no good response. Well, in 2006, Istanbul was named as the 2010 European Capital of Culture, so that kind of clears things up. Next question: Central America — North or South America?

• Cheap Lodging For The Olympics: The Olympics are just around the corner. If you’re on TheExpeditioner.com staff you’ll be attending (like Jon will be doing), and you can expect meager accommodations from your employer: a luxurious stay in the back of a rented van and clipped coupons for the local Tim Horton’s (sorry Jon — the budget’s a little tight this time of year).

For everyone else, why not save a little money and rent one of the many apartments being offered from local Vancouverites. Check out Rent2010.net for rooms at a fraction of the cost you’d find for a hotel. Jon, we’ll try to do better come 2014 in Russia.

• Dublin For $374: What else says “a rollicking good time in Dublin” then an Aer Lingus flight for you and three of your buds. Or, Aer Lingus introduces “The Hangover” special. The airline is running a promotion right now (apparently for the bachelor party set) where a group of four can buy four round-trip tickets for $1,498 total.

To Lima For Cheap: Flights to Peru have been really cheap, and they’re staying that way. LAN is offering flights from D.C. to Lima for only $339 + tax (around $416 total), and $359 from Miami.

O.K. It’s that time of year. Time to use up the remaining vacation days you’ve saved up for no reason, and the important decision of how you will blow that end of the year bonus check. I guess, that’s just my way of thinking (might not want to follow my lead on that one).

I will soon be heading to Wisconsin, to make a round of family visits, and eat my body weight in German sausages, before the snow in the mountains is too good to pass up. I’ll just live vicariously through all of you for the next month, so here’s and interesting article from BnA about eight destinations that would be worth the trip… and the stories you bring home afterward.

How about the Crucian Festival in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands? There you’ll get to party island style, with, what looks like, a little Carnival mixed with Mardi Gas atmosphere. Then, there’s the Night of the Radishes (Noches de los Rabanos), on Dec. 23^rd in Oaxaca, Mexico. Radishes as art, that’s an experience you won’t forget.

My choice, besides creating a radish Mona Lisa, would be to kick back, relax, and enjoy a castle of my own. Renting castles can be done all over the world and is surprisingly easy. I would probably choose, hmm, Ireland, strictly because of Matt’s Dublin video, and the three drops of Irish blood Grandma Wick always mentioned I had around St. Patrick’s day.

I can see the water cooler talk now, “Jon, what did you do over break?”

“Live like a king.”

In Part Two of my travel guide to Dublin, Ireland, I head off the beaten path to get a better sense of the city. I begin by checking out an international graffiti festival featuring artists from around the world. Later, I take in some traditional Irish music at a private show in my hostel, then finish off by heading north to the town of Malahide to visit famed Malahide Castle and to see some incredible views of the Irish coastline.

Dublin is one of the world’s most popular travel destinations, and a few days spent there shows why.

In Part One of my travel guide to Dublin, I tour the city’s number one attraction, the Guinness Storehouse, go in search of the bar that serves the best pint, visit prestigious Trinity College, and head out into the famed nightlife that is Dublin after dark.

In pretty much every city in the world, you’re going to run into people that will swear on their mother’s grave that this particular bar is the best in the world, and that you should not let anyone tell you otherwise. This is ever so true in Dublin, the mecca of fine pubery (yes, I made that word up, it’s now part of TheExpeditioner.com lexicon).

SMH has a run down of their 14 favorite pubs in different categories, from the pub with the best music (Whelan’s — see above — which I found to be true myself when I was there, just be ready for a bit of a hike), to the pub with the best view (Gravity Bar, which is also one of the most touristy given its location on top of the Guinness Storehouse, but it does offer unparalleled views of the city), and finally, to the city’s best literary bar (McDaids, name-dropped by Joyce and a favorite haunt for local writers).

To add my two cents to this list, for a chance to experience an authentic Dublin pub with zero chance of seeing any tourists, try the Ardee House, a tip I got from a local while wandering the streets on a Saturday afternoon there. Naturally, he told me it was the best in the world.

Here’s the fully edited, new and improved, final “Ireland Trip 2009″ blog.

Yes, you may have caught a glimpse or two of the original, but this one has new characters, additional plot twists, and added romance! (Okay, I added a few more pictures, fixed various grammatical errors, and expanded a bit on the posts, but isn’t that enough to make you want to check it out one more time?)

New posts will continue this week and new articles will begin again next Monday (South Africa, the Mexican Riviera, Spain, and much, much more).

Here are some highlights of my trip to Ireland in April of 2009.

1. St. Patrick’s Cathedral: Dublin. Reputedly the site of a well that St. Patrick himself used to baptize newly converted Christians, the well has since been filled in by the British and the exact location is unknown (as was told to me by a local passerby who saw me filming).

2. Front Gate/West Front of Trinity College: Dublin. Ireland’s most prestigious university, this entrance to the university grounds is probably Dublin’s second most popular meeting spot (next to the “Tart with the Cart”: the Molly Malone statue).

3. Full Moon: Dublin. After exploring the grounds of Trinity College, I found myself at the corner of Nassau and Dawson Streets with this amazing view of a full moon. It’s funny those little things that you appreciate when you’re traveling.

4. Malahide Castle: Malahide. Just a short trip north from Dublin is Malahide Castle, an actual residence from 1185 up to 1976. The castle is surrounded by beautifully green grounds and is close to some spectacular views on the coast.

5. View Near Malahide. Many tours will take you to the castle then drive along the coast to offer you some incredible views. This is looking south towards Dublin and to the area where both Bono and The Edge have homes. We tried ringing them but they weren’t home.

6. Temple Bar: Nighttime. Temple Bar is not actually a bar (well it is but that’s not related to the origin of the name), but in this case “Bar” refers to the term for an area near a river, and Temple being the name of the original landowner. Now this area is ground zero for Dublin’s touristy nightlife (for a little more authentic experience head south along St. Great George’s Street).

7. Graffiti Festival: Car Park on Francis Street. In a symbol of Dublin’s diverse and creative culture, the city plays host to a number of graffiti festivals during the summer where artists from around the world come to paint and to be treated like rock stars from adorning pre-teens clutching autograph books.

8. Guinness Storehouse: Old Gate. The Guinness Storehouse is by far Dublin’s #1 attraction, attracting over 4 million visitors since opening in 2000. From this giant gate on the east end of the complex you can still see the old train tracks in the road where trains used to depart carrying loads of this classic porter.

9. View From Gravity Bar: Guinness Storehouse. Though a little steep in price, the storehouse tour is well worth the price once you see the 360-degree view of Dulbin from the Gravity Bar atop the factory. Shaped like a glass of Guinness, from a distance the bar represents the head of the beer.

10. Cork Seal: Cork. Cork is about a 4 1/2 hour bus ride from Dublin and is the country’s second largest city. Located in the southeast section of the island, Cork is also a great springboard to explore the scenic Western Coast.

11. Downtown Cork. Downtown Cork is dominated by small alleys and pedestrian-only walkways, perfect for exploring when the sun makes it way out.

12. River Lee: Cork. Like Dublin, the River Lee splits the city into two. It eventually leads to Cork Harbour and out into sea.

13. St. Finbarre’s Cathedral: Cork. Named after Cork’s patron saint, St. Finbarre’s Cathedral is Cork’s Protestant cathedral and has been around since the 7th century.

14. Cork Courthouse: Cork. I was told these steps were a popular hangout on St. Patrick’s Day.

In preparation of my Ireland trip beginning next Tuesday, I decided to try to bone up on travel video making by watching a lot of Anthony Bourdain (I’m finishing up Season 1) as well as some old Michael Palin travel video (for you Netflix folks, you can stream his first two shows on your computer: Around the World in 80 Days and Polo to Pole).

Two things I’m realizing: 1) My videos would be a ton better if I had a cameraman to follow me along (kind of obvious, but more so now as I watch the likes of Bourdain and Palin); and 2) I need more on-air interviews/interactions. This was a little difficult in some of the places I’ve been because of the language barrier, but in my upcoming Ireland trip I’ve procured an interview with the Dublin Tourism Board along with a couple of young Dubliners who’ll be giving me some good insight into the city. Although, #1 presents quite a problem with #2, but I’ll figure that out.

The above clip is of Lonely Planet’s own Cahal McGroarty (guess where he’s from) sharing the highlights from his own country, from the wild, rugged outdoor in the “Kingdom of Kerry,” to Galway, which Cahal describes as one of his favorite places in Ireland.

He’s even able to work in some requisite shots of sheep crossing the road at 4:37, which, from what I can tell, no Ireland video is complete without. Let it be now known from this day forth, that I shall endeavor to, and shall achieve myself, the capturing of my very own sheep-crossing-the-street footage for my own Ireland video, or I shall deem the entire trip an utter failure. To be continued . . .

One person’s authentic Irish pub may be someone else’s Olive Garden. It seems that with the onset of globalization and the increase of culture exportation, the traditional Irish Pub is the latest to be recreated and commoditized around the world. This article at World Hum discusses the new book, A Pint of Pain, one man’s Super Size Me look at the global pub industry, and the effect it’s had on the originals back in their homeland.

This is exactly what I’m worried about for my trip to Ireland on April 8th. I loathe the idea of finding myself in a pub that I stumbled upon and then to realize that I’m in some sort of mock-up created during the country’s recent boom, filled with German and Australian tourists sipping Guinneses. My solution to this problem is to look for the pub with the most old-timers inside, because you know that place has probably been around for ages if they’re there. So I pledge to go to only pubs where the median age is around 67. That should do it.

I promise this will be the extent of my St. Patrick’s Day coverage this year (there’ll be plenty more Ireland to come on TheExpeditioner.com in a few weeks). Resplendent Kelley over at TripFilms brings us some highlights from the best videos featuring Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day. First of all, who is this Zoe Salmon at 0:53 (a quick Wikipedia search reveals she was a contestant on some show called “Dancing on Ice” — okay now I know why I’ve never heard of her before) and second of all, is it me or could you listen to that accent all day long? Is she really from the same country as Colin Farrell? How does one sound like a Gaelic Mary Poppins and the other sound like that guy that lives in the subway stop near my house?

I also like at 1:28 where Cozette attempts to track down where the best Guiness in Dublin is served (apparently across the road from the factory — something to do with freshness, makes sense).