Club music that was popular ten years ago pulsed off the brick basement walls. In one corner was a flaming, sparking tower of glasses set on fire by Jägermeister, the other was covered in artwork strangely depicting Hitler. Young women danced in groups in the dark, but so did gaggles of men fist pumping and shaking their hips just as enthusiastically. Smoke filled the air, unfiltered and unapologetic. It is 4AM and I am in an Eastern European nightclub as it pissed down rain just outside the heavy metal doors….

This is Megan’s final installment of her experiences traveling through Belfast, Northern Ireland. You can also read Part I and Part II! From the Peace Wall, we rounded a corner and walked through a heavy iron gate to the Irish republican side of the divide. Here, I found that the murals changed in tone and content almost immediately. While military men with guns are not entirely absent in these murals, peacemakers and global civil rights leaders take precedence. Gunmen and Red Hands are largely replaced with images of Nelson Mandela,…

Megan’s second installment about Irish history and our tour through Belfast. While Belfast has many modern offerings and natural wonders, the smart traveler would be wise to take advantage of this city’s rich history as well. When Ireland became an independent republic in 1922, it was also partitioned. Six counties in the North remained part of the Great Britain, becoming Northern Ireland. In the 1960s the Northern Irish Troubles began as a result of friction between the Government and the remaining Irish republicans (not to be confused with American-style, Donald…

My good friend Megan Crotty and I ventured on a road trip last month! We drove through Northern Ireland and Ireland for a few days. With her background in Irish history, she’s taken the reigns with our time in Belfast. Megan will conclude her Belfast story with her experience on an eye-opening Black Taxi Tour very soon. After a quick jet-lag fueled and giddy drive from Dublin, we arrived in Belfast’s city center on a bustling Friday afternoon (after a bit of practice, Eileen drove on the left like a boss)….

Think traveling is over once you “settle down”? Think again. Although I personally wander solo, in groups of girlfriends, professionally with other journalists and with family, I’ve still maintained a pretty happy and healthy relationship for more than seven years. I find couples travel to be a whole different ball game – you’re comfortable enough to express what you want to do, but also have to compromise a lot to keep everyone happy. It’s exciting to share everyone with someone on the road, but you also might have less time…