The Top Travel Destinations with Kevin Flanagan

If you have an aversion to the ski slopes - or think you have - join Kevin and Aileen Eglington as they take you for a virtual tour of the pistes. “You can’t listen to Aileen without catching her love for all things skiing,” says Kevin, “She really explains how skiing offers more than just an active holiday in the mountains.” It is really one of the most unique holidays you will ever experience.  “And even if you don’t ski you can enjoy hiking and a taste of the purest Alpine air while sampling some of the most impressive spa activities to be found anywhere in the world.” Join Aileen and Kevin as they share their love of skiing - it MAY change your mind!    Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

We all have that one, unique memory of sharing a unique travel moment with a special friend. And in this episode, Kevin Flanagan recalls his time visiting Rome with his best pal from school. “We had both studied art history for our A levels and this was a very special journey before we both went off to university to study the History of Art proper.”  Kevin recalls it was a really memorable holiday and the occasion of their first visit to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome was one of the highlights. “That occasion really summed up the magic of that trip - a sort of pilgrimage to our love of art and its history and the journey we had shared together. Unforgettable!” Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

“For me, the volcanoes of Lanzarote are one of the great wonders of the natural world,” says Kevin Flanagan, the voice of The Top Travel Destination, after a trip to the legendary volcanoes. “As a human being, they make you feel so small and insignificant in the face of such vast power. The power that nature uses to form our planet through such volcanic eruptions.”  Kevin found the experience profound yet strangely calming. “The volcanos represent the true wonder of creation and I stood in awe before them. It’s a sight all of us should witness.”   Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

As editor of the Fine Wine & Food Guide Kevin Flanagan visited some of the best restaurants in the world, including the legendary The Fat Duck by Heston Blumenthal.  In this podcast Kevin describes what it was like to meet the man who helped create the Molecular Gastronomy movement which changed all our perceptions of food.  He also describes eating such iconic dishes as Blumenthal’s Bacon & Egg ice cream while drinking his Hot & Cold tea! Just some of the fare that won The Fat Duck the award of best Restaurant in the World! Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

Pól Ó Conghaile and Kevin Flanagan pick their top travel destinations in a fascinating back-and-forth conversation that will have you entranced. Pól picks Japan and shares the reasons why he fell in love with this fascinating country, while Kevin picked . . .  well, you’ll just have to listen to find out! Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

It might be hard to believe for some young people but before the internet everyone used a travel agent when booking their holidays. Then there was a massive shift to DIY bookings. Has there been a comeback in the travel agent business and if so why? You might be surprised by the findings. Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

Kevin talks to Deirdre Sweeny as he tries to build up enthusiasm to go on a cruise. Deirdre, who has decades of experience as general manager of Cruise, Worldwide, USA and Niche Holidays at Sunway Holidays, gives several reasons as to why cruising is one of the greatest forms of travel in the world. Is Kevin convinced? Listen to find out! Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

“I wouldn’t be seen dead in Benidorm” is just one of the things that Kevin heard when he announced that he was visiting the popular Spanish resort. And this universally negative response got Kevin thinking. How do we develop such prejudices? Are they true? And if not how do we discover the real identity of the city or resort that is so unjustly slammed?  Join Kevin as he goes in search of answers on a recent trip to the iconic Spanish resort of Benidorm. Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

Often referred to as the “New York of the Mediterranean” Benidorm has a surprising amount to offer the discerning visitor despite the dodgy reputation it suffers!  Join Kevin Flanagan as he recounts the adventures of a recent trip and you may just get the surprise of your travel life! Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

My favourite destination is . . .  Pól Ó Conghaile and kevin Flanagan share the secrets of Connemara having visited it many times down the years. These tips are not to be missed so you will have the perfect time when visiting one of Irelands Top Travel Destinations. Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

One of Kevins favourite travel writers, Pól Ó Conghaile, talks about Lake Como. The award winning travel editor with the Irish Independent, takes us on a journey around one of the most beautiful lakes in the world! Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

Bloody Sunday and the massacre of 13 unarmed protesters by British soldiers in 1972 marked an important tipping point in the conflict in Ireland and on mainland Britain. It also could be seen as the place where the road to peace began as well. Kevin takes an emotional journey into Ireland’s recent past with a guided tour that is both harrowing and enlightening. Join him as he follows in the exact and bloody footsteps of the marchers on that historic day.  Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

Derry is one of the gems of Northern Ireland a place were history and modernity coalesce. It is a vibrant city with one of the oldest walled fortifications still intact to be found anywhere in the world. It is also the place where the modern and bloody history of Ireland took a dramatic step forward. Kevin enjoys a trip through the chequered history of this amazing city, while enjoying some of the best hospitality on offer anywhere in Ireland.  Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

We have all heard the advice (often given by people who have never been there!). Whatever you do, avoid street food and only eat in hotels and restaurants.  But Kevin Flanagan shows how to eat street food in Asia safely WHILE enjoying some of the best taste experiences you will ever have! “It’s actually not worth going to Asia if you are not going to savour the street food culture,” Kevin says, as he describes his top 5 street food experiences!   Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

I always thought of Ibiza as a party island, but my mind was radically changed when I visited the island and experienced a level of food, wine and activity that was truly amazing! We had food that would make a Michelin-starred restaurant green with envy. All local ingredients are typically grown in the garden we overlooked, as we sat savouring the delights! But there is more than just sublime food in this undiscovered Ibiza.   A boat excursion to enjoy the sunset on the west coast of the island. A Hierbas Ibicencas liquor workshop at Finca Fluxà (fluxaibiza.com). A visit to the old city (Dalt Vila), which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, with its renaissance walls, narrow streets, white houses and cosy squares. As well as a guided excursion with e-bikes through natural paths and landscapes around the north area of Ibiza, and kayaking.  We even managed to get cooking during a Flaó workshop, making an Ibizan dessert with a traditional recipe. (.ibizacanmuson.com).Visit this hidden Ibiza as soon as you can. I promise you will be blown away! Do visit our website at www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

Sex makes the world go round and people pay fortunes to improve their sex lives: from plastic surgery to buying expensive pharmaceuticals. But did you know that a simple holiday break can have an equally dramatic impact on this most important area of human existence? Kevin Flanagan trawls the research so you can benefit from a better sex life while travelling the world!   Do visit our website on www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinationsX: @becreativkev

It is hard to believe that people still fall for scams in the mid-2020’s! And travel is no exception! Kevin shares how he was once scammed while travelling in Rome (with terrible consequences) and warns listeners about ongoing scams that they should be aware of. It’s essential listening.    Do visit our website on www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

Kevin visits the exotic temples of Kathmandu and has a chance encounter with a living Goddess, which turns out to be one of the strangest encounters in his life. Do visit our website on www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

Kevin visits the capital city of Nepal, nestled in the Himalayas and under the shadow of Everst. And in this remote, rugged and beautiful region he discovers the secret of Nepalese life including the food, drink and how they celebrate life and death.  It is a once in a lifetime experience that leaves an indelible mark on him and you can share his journey there! Do visit our website on www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev

“For years I put off travelling to seek sunshine in the middle of a cold, wet, dark Irish winter when finally the penny dropped and I found myself on a plane on Christmas Eve!” Find out what happened by listening to this Podcast Do visit our website on www.TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destinations on social media for updates:  Instagram: @thetoptraveldestinations X: @becreativkev