On the trail of a Celtic goddess: the Irish town celebrating St Brigid

The world's elite had a busy year of jet-setting in 2023, spending thousands of dollars to fly private to events like Burning Man, the Super Bowl, and Sun Valley, Idaho's annual "summer camp for billionaires."

A holiday is always a good day to market travel deals. But what about a holiday that comes not ‘but once a year’ like Christmas, but just once every four years?

An imposing 189 metres up in the sky, London’s BT Tower doesn’t look like the most hospitable place to rest your head.

Last year, my parents took their first-ever group tour to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. You know, those tours where you share a coach bus with 30 strangers for a week, stop at popular tourist draws, stay in pre-arranged hotels, and go on guided city walks with bright orange audio boxes that might as well be “look at me, I’m a tourist” placards. I tried to dissuade them, offering to plan their entire Eurotrip myself, but they ultimately opted for the tour’s convenience and relative all-inclusiveness. Now they’re absolutely hooked, with two more tours under their belt this year.

The Salomon brand and functionality have always been synonymous. Ever since its inception in the French Alps during the late ’40s, the design collective’s mission has remained the same—to make gear that transforms the wearer’s life experiences. Today, it’s come a long way from the ski-boot origins and expanded its offering to include an everyday “Sportstyle” collection with pieces fit for city-dwellers who enjoy the exhilaration of the athletic outdoors.

This year more folks are prioritizing travel and newfangled experiences. We’re inspired by beloved television shows à la Emily in Paris to reexamine cities we’ve previously visited. Scoring tickets to see our favorite musical artists, like Taylor Swift, fortuitously opens up the prospect of flying to a different country. A rising wellness and longevity movement encourages travelers to seek alcohol-free vacations. Slower and more intentional travel—quality over quantity—is important and sustainability and eco-minded experiences are at the forefront.

I first fell in love with the idea of moving abroad five years ago after spending a semester in England.

Shannon Airport had a strong growth surge in 2023 with 1.958 million passengers welcomed to the airport, a 29 per cent increase on 2022 activity. This strong performance saw the airport achieve its highest passenger numbers since 2009, 14 years ago, with growth in air services across all markets.

This article originally appeared in the February issue of AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.

In the EU, all employees are entitled to a minimum of four weeks’ paid holiday per year.

Forget Paris in spring: Rome is both warmer and cooler in the first few months of the year. The locals are in their winter black rollneck jumpers, accessorised with equally noir-ish sunglasses. With an average of 17C by March, it’s warm enough to sit outside cafés and bars, but not hot enough to fall foul of the “no shorts” rule enforced in Rome’s oldest churches.

More Americans are taking up golf than ever, according to the Professional Golf Association. During the pandemic, interest in solo outdoor pursuits flourished. And thanks to the popularity of shows like Netflix’s behind-the-scenes Full Swing and the rise of places like Topgolf, the sport is surging.