Tag: www.ipw.com

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The faces of 2019 – Adventure

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I’d like to say it’s been a walk in the park, and it was, but it’s also been a walk up mountains and through rain forests.

And desperate dashes through airports to catch (and miss) airplanes!

But someone’s been smiling on me.Because I didn’t miss one trip and got to race with goats in Tobago, ‘Bandanaman’, whom I got to christen.

He’s a winner too.

And some even giddier goats: take a bow ‘Auntie’ Ali, ‘Uncle’ Kenneth, Marsha, Phil, ‘Porridge‘, Ean and Ian and ‘Santa’ Brendan.

And here’s our moment of glory.., Ready, steady, goat… in Tobago and www.visttobago.gov.tt.

It’s been all go and the shoe leather has taken a beating.

In Europe’s most popular national park Teide in Tenerife.

And the hills up to Afur in the midday beating sun which our guide Maria took in her stride.

And even had some ooomph left at the end to give us a pilates demonstration at the top of the mountain.

With CanariaWays.com in Tenerife… http://www.visitingtenerife.com.

And through the Alps from Ehrwald in Austria http://www.tyrol.tlinto Germany with mountain man Reini… where naturally I had a run-in… Water rip-off – a German pit stop

But, of course, I’ll be back in Bavaria https://www.bavaria.by.

It is a region I have loved since first going to the Oktoberfest 34 years ago.

The coming of the Lord

And where the Messiah himself graces them with his presence next year…  Oberammergau and https://www.passionsspiele-oberammergau.de/en/home

And I’d recommend you go on your trekking holiday with https://topflightforschools.ie.

We were, of course, always back in time for the entertainment.

It’s now or never

The lederhosen-clad Septuagenarian singer Christened Ehrwald Presley.

On account of his oompah, waltzing and keyboard renditions of The King.

Not all walks worked out alas and I missed out on the trek up the Hollywood Hills.

Because of a 24-hour sickness bug.

But I made up for it in style all across LA, West Hollywood and Anaheim www.visitcalifornia.com, www.attractiontickets.com.

As part of the American Travel Fair www.ipw.com and My weekend with Marilyn and Stair Wars

Just gone swimmingly

With all that walking I definitely earned myself my dips.

Not a natural swimmer I was glad of the chance to cut corners and the Dead Sea and the Nylon Pool gave me that.

Where I laid back, read a book and dreamt of Jordan http://www.visitjordan.com.

And stood in the sand back in the crystal waters of the Caribbean deep in the sea in Tobago It’s Robinson Crusoe’s very own Tobago limin’ with other revellers.

I’ve tried to conquer some water sports demons.

And went searching for submarines and tanks in the depths of the Dead Sea… Petra and the sands of time

And found out why snorkelling isn’t me… my moustache blocks the airways!

Which is why I dispensed with the snorkel and just used the goggles to see me some rainbow fish in Tobago.

Everybody’s gone surfing

It wasn’t all just corner-cutting. I did learn to paddle board on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas off Barcelona…. https://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/ and Surfing the seas in Barcelona

And http://www.royalcaribbean.com

While our Sligo pro surfer Gearoid taught me how to stay up on the surf in RC’s simulator FlowRider.

Well for three seconds at least.

Fun, fun, fun

I’d been practising with the Beach Boys you see in Surf City, Huntingdon Beach.

Enjoy your adventures in 2020. And…

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD

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The faces of 2019 – Marilyn, Natasha and Donald

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The stars aligned in 2019 and I got me the walk-on I deserve.

When Natasha Bedingfield, fresh from wowing us at the American Travel Fair http://www.ipw.com, with a particularly stirring version of Prince’s Purple Rain, introduced me.

She pointed out my purple beard from the stage in the plaza in Anaheim http://www.visitanaheim.org.

You see I got purpled up in Huntingdon Beach http://www.surfcityusa.com the previous night when we had been entertained by Snoop Dogg https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/09/18/snoop-and-me-acting-the-goat-in-california/.

Well this is Southern California where the stars come out to shine.

We starspotted from the off in West Hollywood where we dined in Lisa Vanderpump’s PUMP Restaurant Lodge http://www.pumprestaurant.com and http://www.weho.org.

And Lisa herself graced us with her presence.

Walk of Fame

Sometimes, of course, you just want to be on your own and she was good enough not to come autograph-hunting.

Greta Garbo, of course, made a name for herself for ‘vanting to be alone’.

But, alas, she has to share the Walk of Fame with hundreds of other Hollywood stars.

There’s Donald Duck too and a host of Asian picture clickers have gathered around Michael Jackson’s star.

But it is Marilyn Monroe’s tribute that I’m here to see… we’ve been inseparable the last couple of days https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/06/22/my-weekend-with-marilyn/.

In Venice Beach http://www.venicebeach.com, at her last resting place and now here in Hollywood.

This being Southern California the Beach Boys obviously wanted to turf up and surf up.

And here they are at lunch during the American Travel Fair. And I made Mike Love’s day by holding out my hand to touch him.

Jason Derulo also swayed his stuff while the best of Broadway also trod the boards for us.

So what could possibly bring down the curtain on such a show. We’d had Harry Potter and a light show at Universal http://www.universalhollywoodstudios.com.

While Jimmy Fallon on an audio gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the sets.

And we were also enthralled at the special effects show with stunt actors setting each other on fire.

But it was the Happiest Place on Earth for the finale… with Mickey in Da House with his Disney pals… http://www.disneyland.disney.go.com.

Oh, I’m the king of swingers… I don’t want this party ever to stop.

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Flyday Friday extra – Laid-back in Portland

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When the hippies had had enough of Haight Ashbury they moved up to Portland.

Which is what the cult American TV comedy series is all about which boasts the best of the Saturday Night Live crowd.

I know it’s my kind of place from their American Travel Fair parties www.ipw.com where we whacked back whiskey and ‘let her buck.’

And my Dad’s cousins are out there too.

Portland hoved into view with the announcement that British Airways www.ba.com will fly five times a week to beautiful Oregon from London Heathrow.

With return fares from €540 in World Traveller.

Visit www.travelportland.com and www.traveloregon.com. And it’s great for cruises… www.portlandspirit.com

Al have some of that

The Israelis are more used to waiting than the rest of us… in fact it’s the story of their people.

We in Ireland have been waiting too for a direct route out to Tel Aviv.

But it is now only a few months off with non-stop flights starting from May 26… http://www.elal.com.

The closest I got to Israel was 20ft across the Jordan and in the Red Sea in Jordan… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/petra-jordan-jesus-and-the-sands-of-time/. With G Adventures… http://www.gadventures.com.

Now to make that long-awaited next step.

Swede Christmas

It’s the time of year when you surf the channels trying to find something that hasn’t got Christmas lights on it.

Which is how I came across an Abba programme on Sky Arts.

Of course the Abba Museum is one of the most popular sites in Stockholm.

But it’s not the Swedish capital we’re flagging up here.

But hailing from a second city myself, Glasgow https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/04/15/sportstraveltraveltravel/ it’s second city Goteborg, or Gothenburg to you and me, that I’m flagging up here.

And Ryanair’s http://www.ryanair.com early Christmas presents…€9.99. While Frankfurt is the same price.

So let’s thrown in some Scandinavian and German memories here…

With https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/the-call-of-the-fjords/, https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/04/29/ich-bin-ein-hamburger/. And https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/dresdens-renaissance-martin-luther/

MEET YOU IN THE SKIES

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Poochie-poochie-coo… it’s Florida Keys

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You had me at aoooow!

‘Smooch a pooch’ in the Florida Keys follows in the pawsteps.

Of Bono, the Brazilian Labrador dog surfer and the pupparazzi at Huntington Beach, Florida.

I first discovered just how bow-wow bonkers the American were about their pets on my first visit there.

As a 17-year-old.

And I saw a pet parlor on the block near my Auntie’s in Long Island, New York, with the offer of peticures.

Now I might have made that bit up but they definitely painted your doggie’s toenails.

I saw the evidence out on the street on a poodle… in candy-floss pink.

I didn’t get to see me the surfing dogs the Huntington Beach delegation had told me about when they visited Dublin this year

It was too early in the season.

But I did see me a special dog… Snoop Dogg on my trip to Hollywood, West Hollywood and Anaheim…

For the American Travel Fair, IPW… www.ipw.com.

Now the Florida Keys has long been on my radar after I got a big taste for the Sunshine State.

On two unforgettable trips to Orlando… Aaawlando… Orlando, the rollercoaster capital and Why I love The Donald.

But while Orlando has a mouse, a duck and a dog as well as much, much more The Keys have a very special cat.

Hemingway’s six-toed cats…. https://www.hemingwayhome.com/cats/

But back to the dogs… and December 12 (10am-2pm) sees the sixth annual Parade of Paws and Holiday Bazaar… http://www.fkspca.org/events-and-news/upcomingevents.

At Higgs Beach Dog Park at Atlantic Boulevard and White Street.

In support of the Florida Keys SPCA animal care fund.

Sausage dogs

Which will include photos with Santa, a market of goods, and that chance to smooch a pooch.

And there’s more…

How about the Annual Key West Dachshund Walk, many of them costumed?

In a wiener wonderland on Fleming Street between Whitehead and Duval Streets. From 12noon on December 31.

Visit http://facebook.com/Key-West-Dachshund-Walk-161327957238019.

Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com flies to Miami with pre-clearance through your Irish airport.

And information to get to the Keys on www.fla-keys.co.uk.

GOODBOW FOR NOW

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Holiday Snaps – Berlin Walls and Philly Bells

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I’m indebted to reader Mark Konig @_markkoenig for his comments on my thoughts on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In my blog https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/11/10/when-the-berlin-wall-came-crashing-down/

Mark questioned ‘how could the Walll be a symbol of USSR?’

And, yes. it is important to say that this was the GDR and that the greater political bloc was the Soviet-driven Warsaw Pact.

Berlin fixture: The Brandenburg Gate Photo by Adrien Olichon on Pexels.com

Mark also rightly pointed out that I had focused merely on the exodus to the West through Hungary and that I had missed a lot of history/change before.

And he helpfully pointed me in the direction of http://www.the-berlin-wall.com for video clips and chronology on the key dates and events leading up to the Fall of the Wall.

Like I always say the best way to find out about a city, country, resort is to listen to the people on the ground… and to go there!

Dresden history: Ingrid and I

Like I did in Dresden where Ingrid led me by the nose… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/dresdens-renaissance-martin-luther/

If you want to know more about Berlin then put yourself in the hands of Click & Go http://www.clickandgo.com who are offering a City Break from €159pp in January.

Philly state of mind

What a cracker: Liberty Bell in Philly

I’m an impatient old sod.

Which is a bit off when I ask you to be so patient while I go off on all manner of tangents.

Which I did when I went to Washington DC for the American Travel Fair, IPW 2017 http://www.ipw.com,

And I also had a day out to hit Philadelphia.

Knowing I would only have half a dozen hours there I kept looking at my watch as I stood in the queue.

And I regaled the driver with my compelling need to make up time on the road when he eventually got going.

It wasn’t as if the Bell was going anywhere.

But I was as excited as an American Literature and History grad I was as excited as a kid at Christmas.

Rocky and Jocky: In Philly

It was crackin’…

And I also got bristly with the locals.

When I asked that they didn’t take the flag down at the Town Hall until I’d taken a selfie.

The answer is to spend longer there and Cassidy Travel http://www.cassidytravel.ie agree…

Flag happy: In Old Philly

They’ve got a three-night stopover in Philadephia in March from €825pp.

You’ll be staying in the 4* Home2 Suites by Hilton Convention Center.

Before jetting to the Big Apple for three nights in the 4* New Yorker Hotel.

Its Midtown West location puts you in the heart of Manhattan, just steps from Times Square.

There’s always something new in New York https://www.nycvb.com… and old https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/08/21/old-new-york-hamilton/

New York, Old York

Flight from Dublin departs 6 March. Call Cassidy Travel on 01 8786888 or book in one of their nine stores across Dublin.

Card happy

Also check out the City pass in Philly and New York… https://www.citypass.com/philadelphia and https://www.citypass.com/new-york

Mark and the rest of you, who I value more than any other Blogger out there will have noticed that this Holiday Snaps is on a Thursday.

Rather than a weekend.

Well, there’s so much out there I thought I’d snap to it and bring you more snaps whenever and wherever.

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD

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Holidos and Don’ts – the aisle seat

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You know that annoying dude who won’t shut up on your long-haul flight or falls asleep and their head flops near to your shoulder.

No, it’s not me, and by the way I’ve noticed you’ve been getting a wee bit bold.

Well, the answer is an aisle seat.

I won’t go into the tale of the Californian woman sat in the middle seat next to me from Dublin to LA.

So, you miss the view!

And who discovered while we were still on the runway that I too was a writer.

She hadn’t worked out though that it might not be a great idea to eat the eggs in the concourse.

And I’ll get onto that in another Holidos and Don’ts and why you’re better off with AerClub www.aerlingus.com.

But ten minutes into the nine-hour flight.

And while I was just getting into Laurel And Hardy on the infotainment than she was only passing me her bag of sick.

My pal Paula on way back from Orlando

Now I’m not saying that that wouldn’t have happened if I’d been in an aisle seat.

Although she would have turned to the middle-seat passenger.

My usual seat please

But I would have been able to alert the steward earlier.

Fair play to the Aer Lingus crew though who granted my request to get moved to another seat.

And who looked after the poor woman royally and provided a wheelchair for her when we got to LAX Airport.

In a galaxy far, far away

The kicker was, I suppose, that I got food poisoning too in LA.

The old aisle seat will also allow you first access to the steward when they are serving up the food.

You won’t have your neighbour stretching over you, and you might be asleep.

Ditto when you, or they, want to get to the toilet.

Back to that California trip and I had a whole day wiped out, and the chance to go to Warner Bros Studios Hollywood https://www.wbstudiotour.com and sit in Sheldon’s seat.

Though thankfully they recreated the Big Bang Theory lounge set on the plaza in Anaheim at the American Travel Fair www.ipw.com.

For more California adventures visit www.visitcalifornia.com and here are my adventures in the Golden State…

https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/06/22/my-weekend-with-marilyn/ and https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/07/03/stair-wars-3/

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My Sporting Weekend – Washington Nationals

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No, I’m not trying to avoid mentioning the Rugby World Cup Final… or the British Commonwealth Cup as I prefer to call it.

There aren’t many sports, to be fair, that are truly universal and can really claim to have a ‘world’ cup.

Baseball falls into that sphere with the World Series being an all-American affair (with Toronto Blue Jays).

These past couple of weeks all American, ex-pats and Americanophile eyes were on the World Series.

Jayson Werth shows the way

Between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros.

But for the rest it was only when The Donald popped up at the stadium of his local team and was booed that they took any interest.

Shame because baseball is at the heart of American culture.

And is the nearest to a blue-collar game comparable to my favourite sport football that there is.

Home run: The Nationals’ next big star

I first got interested in baseball when I spent a summer after university working in Boston.

And spending my spare time watching Roger Clemens’ Red Sox.

I also took in the World Series-winning new franchise Toronto Blue Jays where my brother was living.

Beautiful baseball fans

And I really got into them and their rituals such as ringing a bell when star player George Bell came out to bat.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I fulfilled a sporting ambition when I took my stance in a batting cage.

In the Washington Nationals’ ball park.

And knocked it out of the park.

I’ll support Colorado Rockies too

We were being hosted by the American travel fair www.ipw.com and were treated to a fireworks display to bring down the curtain on the convention.

Mr Murty goes to Washington

Washington www.washington.org is a political town (obvs) and Washingtonians are a discerning crowd.

It remains my fave American city Easy DC although I have far too many still to visit.

I also visited Denver’s team, the Colorado Rockies when in town www.denver.org last year… Go West.

That caps it: The Angels

And took in an Angels game in Anaheim www.visitanaheim.org earlier this year.

When despite the best efforts of star player Michael Trout it was clear that they wouldn’t be troubling the World Series.

A new baseball ritual

Now that we’ve established that baseball is more than a game and that we love their rituals what about adding this to the seventh-inning stretch…

That every attending US President should be booed (yet to decide on which inning)!

Get me out on the field: The Angels

Aer Lingus have what they are billing Wickedly Good Deals to North America, with pre-clearance, including the American capital.

From €159 each way as part of a return trip. Travel dates through to 31 March.

Book by November 4… www.aerlingus.com.

MEET YOU IN THE BLEACHERS

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Holiday Snaps… It’s Georgia, the love getaway

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I’m headin’ down the Atlanta Highway

Lookin’ for the love getaway

Headed for the love getaway, love getaway

I got me a car, it’s as big as a whale

And we’re headin’ on down to the Love Shack

The B-52s

Where you might just find your favourite Travel buddy.

I caught one of Georgia’s finest, The B-52s, last year at the American Travel Fair http://www.ipw.com.

Now they are more like The B-152s by now but they still had us rocking in the aisles.

Georgia, being in the Deep South, is infused with music and heritage.

Athens is home to angst kings REM, while James Brown, the Godfather of Soul is from Augusta.

Which just goes to prove that it’s there are some natty dressers there and it’s not all just v-necked golf jerseys.

Otis Redding also famously left his home in Georgia headings for the Frisco Bay only to sit on its deck.

Otis, methinks, was wasting’ time though. He’d have been better off staying put in Georgia though.

So why am I telling you all this? Because of the launch of the Macon Music Trail.

Now I like an oul’ Deep South Music Trail and the Blues Trail in Mississippi is one you shouldn’t miss http://msbluestrail.org.

And its accompanying review from a certain someone https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/the-story-of-the-blues/.

Photo by Diane Webb on Pexels.com

Macon lies in the centre of Georgia which is why I guess it is called ‘the heart of Georgia.’

It is 85kms from Atlanta which is a hub airport and hence well served from these islands. Visit http://www.google.com/flights.

To learn more about the Macon Music Trail and explore, visit www.maconmusictrail.com

For more information the latest news, developments and events in Georgia, visit www.exploregeorgia.org.

And for all things America visit http://www.visitusa..ie.

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Holiday Snaps – Leo’s LA story

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Have we had our fill of our leader, Leo Varadkar, our Taoiseach, here in Ireland?

Here he is in Los Angeles with Tourism Ireland obscuring the word ‘fill’ in the slogan ‘fill your heart with Ireland.’

Like Leo, I’m an LA fan, and a Tourism Ireland one too.

So, of course, I was there at the launch of ‘fill your heart’ where they showcased a Dutch guy in their video with a heart monitor going around Ireland.

And I happily tell the Americans when I visit their Travel fair www.ipw.com every year.

Leo Varadkar with Michael Kennedy, Aer Lingus; Shane Clarke, Tourism Ireland; and Mike Hawe, Isle Inn Tours,

This year, of course, the fair was in Anaheim and I brought you all that was happening… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/06/22/my-weekend-with-marilyn/. And http://Stair Wars.

LA and a cruise

Now you might think looking from afar that America and Mexico were squabbling neighbours.

But not all traffic between the two countries is of the illegal sort. In fact it is a well-trodden route for tourists going both ways.

You want to get on the road too. And American Holidays will help http://www.americanholidays.com.

Star of Hollywood: With Donald Duck

They have a Los Angeles Stay and 5-nights Mexican Riviera Cruise from €1,119pp.

All flights are included from Dublin to Los Angeles. You’ll get two nights say in the Garland, Los Angeles, and five nights on Royal Princess cruse ship… http://www.princess.com.

You’ll be travelling in February of next year.

And here’s what I think of Princess from their recent stop-off in port… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/07/30/cruiseday-tuesday-the-princesss-medallion-man/.

Now back to ‘Fill Your Heart with Ireland’.

I’m an Angel: In LA

It was rolled out on major American television networks – including NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC – in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Hartford, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Seattle, during the summer.

The campaign was specially timed to better align with when American travellers start searching for fall and winter vacation ideas.

Keep up the good work Tourism Ireland.

And with Holiday Snaps getting even snappier, watch out for more Holiday Snaps through the weekend.

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD

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Snoop Dogg and me acting the goat in California

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I don’t think Snoop Dogg was talking to me but the ladies were.

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, as his Mammy christened him, was entertaining us in the way only he could.

Standing on the pristine Huntington Beach in Southern California playing us a set of his tunes and standard party hits.

While smoking a funny cigarette.

Snoop was always going to be an ambitious choice for a corporate event, the American Travel Fair www.ipw.com, but the Big Fella is a likeable rogue and delivered.

And nobody baulked when Mr and Mrs America, the Mayor and his wife, and their two perfectly presented kids walked on stage.

To greet the Long Beach native through a plume of smoke.

California is the hippy state where anything goes and where an old man can get a high five for purpling up his beard.

Of course it doesn’t get much better than Natasha Bedingfield picking you out in the crowd the next day in Anaheim.

But she deserves her own slot so I’ll reshare that story with you another time.

Huntington Beach, Anaheim, West Hollywood, Hollywood et al is SoCal, Southern California which we all know about and keep coming back to… www.visitcalifornia.com.

SloCal is the area between Los Angeles and San Fransisco and prides itself on being even more laid-back.

So that’s almost horizontal then.

And all right by me and Snoop.

Now I’ve been flagging up the fun that’s been had in the surfing war between Surf City USA Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz.

www.surfcityusa.com and www.cityofsantacruz.com

Huntington won in the courts but whisper that around Santa Cruz, and its delegates when they make their annual pilgrimage to Ireland.

Although I must say that Huntington did tempt me with their hospitality when I visited and their surfing dogs competition every autumn.

Everybody’s gone surfin’

But I learn now that Huntington is not the only beach for surfing animals in California.

They like to act the goat in Pismo Beach.

Acting the goat

Dana McGregor has built up quite a following on the back of goatie Pismo and his two pals who he has taught to surf https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article39452574.html and http://surfinggoats.com.

He offers surfboard lessons, stand-up paddle board lessons and SUP/Surf camps on Pismo Beach.

You want to see a Dancing Dad dance the waves again…

On board Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Oasis of the Seas’ FlowRider simulator in Barcelona www.royalcaribbean.ie.

Thought you might.

For more information on SloCal, keep posted here and also visit www.slocal.com.

And remember Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com flies direct to LAX from Dublin.

LA is from €204 each way as part of a return trip. Book by September 23. And you’ll get pre-clearance.