Concert Review: DARIUS RUCKER, Royal Albert Hall, London

Take one great artist and one beautiful venue, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a good night, so I had high expectations for Darius Rucker’s show at the Royal Albert Hall. We love Darius here in the UK, him having been a staple from the very beginnings of Country 2 Country and always taking the time to come back across the pond to play for us every now and then.

I headed to my seat, right in the pit in front of the stage (I find at the RAH you can either have great seats if you’re in the lower sections, so close that you could reach out and touch the artist, or rubbish seats if you’re higher up and can barely hear anything) as the lights dimmed for the opening act. Out rushed Russell Dickerson, dressed in a flowy shirt as if ready for a summer barbeque. Without a word, he launched into twentysomething with huge energy, as if he were kicking off a rock show.

From the get go, it was evident that Russell was overflowing with charisma as he sang catchy songs like Billions. He was certainly turning up the heat on this cold October night and seemed to be the perfect act for a beach party or the like. As he moved on to Every Little Thing, he smiled and pointed at people singing in the audience which I thought was a lovely move, showing that he appreciated those who had come to see him.

I was surprised, given that the demographic of this gig was slightly older than the usual pop-country gigs I go to, just how much people seemed to warm to him. Cheers went up when he spoke about the song he’d written with Florida Georgia Line, That’s My Girl, and I saw the crowd visibly grooving to his slower paced tracks like Low Key, where he showed off some impressive low notes.

With Russell, I found you just couldn’t help but smile as he really knew how to work a crowd, jumping into the pit during a mashup of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun / I Wanna Dance With Somebody  and his own song MGNO (My Girls Night Out). He finished the set with his two number one singles Blue Tacoma, inspired by driving along listening to Shania Twain’s You’re Still The One which he treated us to a few bars of, and Yours, a wonderful love song I’m sure many have walked down the aisle to. I thought he was an excellent pick for an opening act as we were certainly hyped up for the main show.

Right on time, Darius Rucker waltzed onto the stage dressed down in baseball cap, tshirt and jeans and my first thought was “he’s so chill.” This is the vibe he exuded throughout the  whole show as if he were here just to have a nice evening with friends. He kicked off with surefire hits Homegrown Honey and Radio with some cute little dad dancing that made me beam from ear to ear.

Even though it had been a while since I’d heard Darius’ songs, the minute he started playing them I felt I immediately knew all the words as they’re just so recognisable and easy to pick up, exactly what you want for a concert that’s basically just a big karaoke session!

It was a continuation of hit after hit as we moved through Southern State Of Mind, When Was The Last Time and self-proclaimed one of the greatest songs he’s ever had the pleasure to sing, If I Told You. There’s no such thing as a sad song in Darius’ vocabulary, so this was the perfect way to get the whole crowd feeling good.

Like Russell, Darius had great interaction with the crowd, heading off stage and into the stalls during This and getting us all to raise our hands during gospel/soul track True Believers. He evidently cares what his fans think, and had asked on social what we wanted to hear tonight, and played a track from his short lived RnB career for those who had wanted it, even though we know him mostly from country.

After Life’s Too Short, he picked an apt moment to tell us that playing RAH had been on his bucket list for a number of years, and how happy he was to have booked the venue, and not only that but had to open up the seats in the back choir as it had sold out within two weeks. We certainly were happy he’d made it.

It wouldn’t be a Darius concert without a throwback to his magnificent years as frontman for Hootie & The Blowfish (which I’ll always remember as Ross Geller from ‘Friends’ favourite band) so we all lit up our phones as he played Let Her Cry before he transitioned back to ‘country Darius’ for It Won’t Be Like This For Long. There are few who have experienced such a versatile career as Darius, so hearing these different parts of his musical career was a pleasure.

As well as his own career, Darius seems to be a lover of covers as he took on Friends In Low Places (a surefire crowdpleaser) and No Diggity. These again proved his ability to move swiftly between pop, country, RnB and even gospel which he somehow melds together in his own music.

The setlist continued through All I Want, Only Wanna Be With You, Don’t, and Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It. There wasn’t a single song that I thought ‘Eh, I don’t like this so much’ be that on ballads like History In The Making or the beatbox fuelled Alright. We were all just out here having a good time, and it was evident that Darius was too, as he played the parts of Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley during Straight To Hell, always a fun song to see country fans sing along to.

The main show ended with hit after hit after hit, as Darius brought Russell back on stage to sing Hootie’s Hold My Hand, followed by the heartfelt Come Back Song. I loved his choice of final song for the main set, a cover of Oasis’ Champagne Supernova (which, IMHO, sounded better than the original) in honour of the Manchester bombings before flashing a winning smile, thanking the crowd and heading offstage.

We knew the show wouldn’t be over without his most famous song with chants of ‘Wagon Wheel!’ echoing around the stadium. Darius returned with a stunning cover of Adele’s Someone Like You which the lady herself would be proud of, the sultry Hands On Me, and of course, Wagon Wheel. He took off his cap, signed it and handed it to a young fan in the crowd, and left us all cheering in his wake. In just two hours, we’d been on a whirlwind trip of a very impressive career. Darius is a joy to watch, and I hope he’ll be back soon.

I hope you enjoyed today’s review! Make sure to stay tuned for even more country content on Twitter @CiarasCountry and drop me a message in the comments below with your favourite song from Darius' career - thanks for reading!

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Concert Review: KACEY MUSGRAVES, Wembley Arena, London

Kacey Musgraves is probably the artist that I listen to most these days, so you’d best believe that I was going to trek halfway across London to see her perform at Wembley Arena for the London leg of her Oh, What A World Tour.

Proceedings kicked off ahead of schedule with opening act Soccer Mommy, who I thought was an interesting choice given that she would certainly not be regarded as country, but more indie/emo style with downbeat lyrics and groovy guitar beats that you can imagine moping around your room to.

The band, led by lead singer Sophie played a number of tracks from new record Clean including Last Girl, about wishing you were like his ex, Your Dog, which seemed to be the one members of the crowd were most familiar with, Cool (as in ‘I wanna be that cool’), and Scorpio Rising. Perhaps not the type of songs to hype you up, but she made sure there was at least one song in there that we’d know by producing a cover of Bruce Spingsteen’s I’m On Fire, although this slowed-down version was quite unlike what we would have heard before.

Personally, not exactly my cup of tea and perhaps suited to a tour where the main act is the same style of music. Having said that, if the aim was to bring along a talented songwriter, with Kacey also fitting into that bucket, then I believe this goal was achieved – whilst sad lyrics, they certainly had meaning behind them.

We had a bit of a wait before the main act, but the tension was palpable – any time a song on the speakers ended, the crowd would cheer in hope that this would be the start. All of a sudden, the lights shut out and were brought back up again, illuminating the large metal fans at the back of the stage and Kacey in front of them as the opening bars of Slow Burn began. I really appreciated this as the first track of the set given that it is also the first track of latest album Golden Hour – a very fitting start to the show.

For an arena tour, the setup was not too hi-tech with only coloured lights and the very occasional video played on the big screens. The theme seemed to be rainbow, with Kacey dressed in a beautiful sequined rainbow jumpsuit and lit up every now and then with rainbow lights as she launched into one of my favourite tracks from Golden Hour, Wonder Woman. It was at this point, two songs in, that the whole arena took to their feet in almost a Mexican wave style. We’d stayed reserved for one song, and that was enough. If you want heartfelt songwriting, look no further: “I can show you strong, I can fight for you / I can try to move mountains if you want me to / But baby, I ain’t Wonder Woman.”

It was at this point that she greeted the crowd and I was pleased at just how personable she was given that she looks quite stoic and calm whilst singing. She exclaimed about how excited she was to have first played in London six years ago whilst opening for Lady Antebellum, had then played the Royal Albert Hall, and was now doing an arena tour, encouraging us to ‘turn up’ tonight, as if we needed to be told!

Most of the tracks were from Golden Hour with their groovy 70s and 80s inspired vibes like Butterflies and Lonely Weekend, but she managed to slip some older songs in there. These included an updated electro-style version of Keep It To Yourself - again, I love the lyrics in this song with lines like “If you think that you still love me / Put it on a shelf / If you’re looking for someone / Make it someone else / When you’re drunk / And it’s late / And you’re missing me like hell / Keep it to yourself,” so it was wonderful to hear it live. We were also treated to a stripped back version of initial hit Merry Go Round, and the ever so fun High Time.

Every so often, she would pause to let the crowd sing alone with every word crisp and clear – Kacey fans are diehard and would happily have sang the whole gig by themselves. It was interesting to hear how the songs changed when played live as opposed to on the record, for instance Golden Hour started with a Latin-influenced intro; whilst Die Fun’s final notes were stretched out to allow for a mini set change.

We delved into the softer songs at this point with interlude track Mother and tour name inspo Oh, What A World. After this, Kacey stopped to introduce the band, saying “I would love to tell you who I’ve got up here with me and take a minute to recognise I have a kickass band and crew.” This is clearly someone who doesn’t take her fame and the people who have helped her along the way for granted.

In the second half of the show, I felt that she gave more time to introduce the songs as they came, including a song about ‘all the weirdass people in my family’ (Family Is Family), how we live in a very weird time in both the US and UK but that she is hopeful for the future (Love Is A Wild Thing), and about enjoying taking covers and making them her own (Somewhere Only We Know), for which she brought our lead singer of Keane, Tom Chaplin. They were clearly big admirers of each other’s talent, so this was a lovely moment to watch.

It was in the next song, Velvet Elvis, that I felt like the fun Kacey was well and truly released as she danced along to the song, playing it up for the camera. Looking around, it was lovely to see that everyone was having the time of their lives (their were some well and truly enviable dance moves displayed by members of the audience). The next song seemed particularly apt as Kacey prefaced Happy & Sad by saying it was inspired by that feeling of being happy in such a wonderful moment but sad at the prospect that it would soon have to come to an end – exactly as I felt in that moment.

Space Cowboy and Follow Your Arrow ended the main set after which a few people began to leave clearly not aware that an encore was still to come, but I knew the show wouldn’t be over until we heard High Horse. After a few moments, Kacey returned to the stage, asking if we wanted a few more songs, and if so good, she had 35 more to play and we’d all be missing the train home, she hoped we’d brought our sleeping bags. If only that were the truth, and we had to settle with just three more.

She began the encore perched atop a stool with the ballady Rainbow before turning up the heat for a cover of *NSYNC’s Tearin’ Up My Heart with Soccer Mommy, complete with 90’s boy band style dancing. One of the women sitting next to me near about lost her mind at this point – country queen covering boy band royalty? Amazing. We finished with the brilliant High Horse. I was secretly hoping for huge blow up beach balls like we’d had at C2C, but just the fact that we’d been treated to such a great show was good enough for me, and I left happily thinking about the next tour. BRB, booking tickets to see her on the rest of the UK leg!

I hope you enjoyed my review of Kacey's concert! I'd love to know what you think so be sure to drop me a message in the comments below. If you'd like to stay up to date with my music blogging, including plenty of reviews and interviews coming soon, follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry. Thanks for reading!

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TRAVEL: Top tips for budget friendly travel - food

Photo credit: Mother Nature NetworkI'm a big fan of food - I mean, isn't half the point of going on holiday being able to experience different cuisines? But when your stomach starts making your decisions for you, it can sometimes neglect to focus on whatever budget you have in mind, so I've written down a few of my tips and tricks for saving your bank balance when you're travelling, and still making sure you get some great nosh out of it too!

Food

·      Use TripAdvisor

Apparently there are people out there who just pick a random restaurant off the street and decide to eat there. Not me – I like to know that I’m going to get quality food (based on general consensus) and that it’s decently priced. With this in mind, TripAdvisor has always been a useful source for me when abroad, as you can easily check what establishments are available in the area you’re staying, and where they range in price ranging from $ to $$$$. I normally aim for the mid-region of $$-$$$, but it’s important again to check how expensive the city you’re in usually is versus what you’re used to, as what you might consider in this budget back home could be vastly different in another country. So far, I’ve not been disappointed by any of the restaurants I’ve landed in based on TripAdvisor suggestions, but would love to know if there’s another website or app you use to pick where to go!

·      Check tipping habits

Again, this is something which can vary dramatically depending on country, and should be considered when going out to eat, as you could find somewhere reasonably cheap and then realise you have to add on a 20% tip on top of this. Some cities choose to include service charge in your bill, so it might be worth Googling what ‘service included’ is in the foreign language so you can check if it’s on your bill so you don’t end up paying twice! If you’re not sure what the tipping culture is in this country, I’d say 10-15% is always a safe bet. Saving your change for occasions like this can also come in handy, so try to break some of your bigger notes into coinage that you can have to hand, rather than putting down a 50 Euro note and not knowing if your server will think the whole thing is the tip!

·      Grocery shop

If you read my last blog (if not, find it here!), you’ll know I’m a big advocate of the Airbnb and hostel lifestyle which, if done right, can be a great way of saving money. Conveniently, most Airbnb and hostels will have a kitchen facility that you can use, and this can be another great way to keep within your budget. Head out to a local grocery store to pick up some essentials and you can save tons when you’re not eating out for every meal. I think this is great to do anyway to give you a flavour for what the locals are eating, be that snacks, main meals or picking up something from the bakery. If you’re lucky, your accommodation might also provide you with basics like cooking oil, milk and butter, but make sure to check before you go out and buy food that might require these items too!

·      Bulk up at mealtimes

At home, I find I’m hungry pretty much 24/7. However, this all changes when travelling, when there’s so much to do I sometimes find I’m so busy rushing around the city to find time to be hungry! My usual routine is to eat a big meal at breakfast and power through until dinner, meaning that I can usually get away with only paying for the one meal if breakfast is included or I can make it myself e.g. having brought bread or cereal from a local supermarket to last me for my stay. In fact, I’d go as far as to say breakfast is my favourite meal to have when travelling as every cuisine is so different and can set the day off right! This normally tides me over for the day and means I’m raring for dinner when the time comes around, but if the hunger strikes earlier, I always make sure I’m carrying around some snacks throughout the day along with my water bottle and other essentials.

·      Go half-board or all-inclusive

Sometimes, the above options simply aren’t possible, be that because you’re staying in an area where restaurant options are limited or ridiculously overpriced, as you’ll find at many seaside locations; or maybe you don’t have access to fridges and cooking equipment you might need to cater for yourself. In this case, it can sometimes be best to see if where you’re staying offers built in food options, to save yourself from starvation or paying for a taxi to travel into the nearest town or the like. Check whether there are different levels of all-inclusive, as some will offer just bed and breakfast, half-board, or full-board; different drinks packages which can vary in price; or access to different restaurants associated with your accommodation. Where I’ve had all-inclusive experiences, such as in Crete (you can read about that here), most of the restaurants offer buffet style options, so it’s not like you’d get bored of eating at the same place each night either!

With that said, I'm getting hungry! I hope you've enjoyed today's blog, and there'll be plenty more travel tips to come, so make sure you stay tuned on my Twitter @CiarasCountry. I'd love to hera if you've used any of these tips in practice, or have any other recommendations I might have missed, so feel free to drop me a note in the comments below - thanks for reading!

Top Albums of 2018 (So Far!): Part 3

I love discovering new music, and with streaming services, festivals and social media, it’s now easier than ever to find new artists who float your boat. However, with such a plethora of music constantly being released, it’s often difficult to distinguish between the okays and the you-have-to-listen-to-this, so I’ve compiled a handy list of some of the albums I’ve enjoyed over the past few months. If you’ve not read previous iterations of this series, you can find them here and here!

Ashley Campbell – The Lonely One

Why it made the list: If you listen to the type of music I listen to (and if you don’t, this is a good place to start!), you’re probably here for the lyrics, and it’s been a long time since I feel I’ve found as good a songwriter as Ashley Campbell. Her last release before this debut album was the single Remembering in honour o her father Glen, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s at the time. This gave a great indication as to her songwriting prowess with lyrics like “Bone for bone we are the same / Bones get tired and they can't carry all the weight / We can talk until you can't even remember my name / Daddy don't you worry, I'll do the remembering” The album doesn’t disappoint and is filled with heartfelt lyrics in Wish I Wanted To and A Taken Man, delicious satire in Better Boyfriend and Looks Like Time (eg “God gave you the perfect face / I guess he took it back”), and some smashing banjo playing. Well worth a listen.

Top Tracks: The Lonely One, Wish I Wanted To, Better Boyfriend 

Brothers Osborne – Port St Joe

Why it made the list: Imagine a Nashville bar atop a cruise ship making its way around the Caribbean, and that’s the vibe I get from Brothers Osborne’s latest album as they head more down Zac Brown Band’s island-country route. T.J. Osborne’s deep voice sets the duo’s music far apart from anything currently on the market in the fact that he uses it in a completely different way to other arguably similar voices like Luke Combs or Chris Stapleton, who push through with power, whilst T.J. holds back for a cooler and more chill feel. You’ll be swaying around your room to Weed, Whiskey and Willie, raising glass after glass to Tequila Again and Drank Like Hank, and making sure to carpe the diem with While You Still Can. This is a great offering from Brothers Osborne and I think the perfect thing to get you through those cold winter months when all you want to do is head off and relax somewhere sunny. Don’t mind me, just off to book a cruise.

Top Tracks: Weed Whiskey and Willie, Pushing Up Daisies, A Little Bit Trouble

Dori Freeman – Letters Never Read

Why it made the list: This comes as quite an unexpected entry on my list, given that I wouldn’t have previously described Dori’s music as up my street. If you’ve read my previous iterations of this series, you’ll see I err more towards pop/country crossover, whereas Letters Never Read is very much traditional – the best way to describe it would be like the music throughout The Coen Brothers O Brother, Where Art Thou? mixed with a bit of Lana Del Ray. And somehow, I can’t stop listening to it. You’ve got the more trad Appalachian mountain tunes like Yonder Comes a Sucker and Over There, as well as the more modern sounding Just Say It Now and Turtle Dove. It’s effortlessly beautiful, perfect for when you’re home alone and just want something to chill to. I’m hoping you’ll listen to this and let me know what you think!

Top Tracks: Lovers on the Run, If I Could Make You My Own, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

Dan + Shay – Dan + Shay

Why it made the list: What is it with artists choosing self-titled albums? I feel almost as if there’s more pressure when they do this, suggesting that this album wholly exemplifies who they are. Dan + Shay return with their third album with plenty more sexy and romantic songs which Shay Mooney’s voice lends itself all to well at. In fact, I’m pretty sure all of the songs on this album are love songs, perhaps due to the fact that both members of the duo got married last year, no doubt giving great fodder for songs like Speechless, detailing how they felt upon seeing their future wives at the end of the aisle. Most of the tracks are ballads with a few more poppy songs like Make or Break and Stupid Love thrown in for good measure, maybe even veering a bit into RnB with No Such Thing. This is an album I’ll listen to into the ground, and maybe a bit beyond…

Top Tracks: Make or Break, What Keeps You Up at Night, Tequila

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s list, and do let me know if you’ve listened to any of the albums I’ve recommended or if there were any you think I’ve missed off – let me know by dropping me a note on Twitter @CiarasCountry or in the comments below. I’ll be back in a few months with an updated version – hopefully we’ll have some Christmas music up there along with some new albums from new and old favourites alike.

TRAVEL: Top tips for budget friendly travel - at the airport

Photo credit: Pure Travel
So last time we spoke, I offered up some tips on how to save money when planning your holiday (you can read that here!) Now that we're all booked, you can look forward to heading off somewhere nice, and keeping your wallet full as you do so. Your first and one of your most expensive stops en route will be the airport, known for hiking up prices once you're trapped inside past security. However, there are a few handy tips to save where you can at the airport, and even before you get there - enjoy!

 

Airport

·      Consider how you’re going to get there

Driving and parking at the airport is often seen as the most reliable means of transport to the airport as you’re mostly in control of your journey (with the exception of traffic) and not relying on anyone else, but it can also be one of the most expensive when you take into account the cost of airport carparks. See what your public transport options are for getting to the airport as sometimes these can be just as easy and much cheaper. This applies for both the home and away part of your journey, as you can save money at both ends. Do your research as some cities even have super cheap public airport transport – Riga for instance has travel from the airport to anywhere in the city for 2 Euros, and the Metro in Berlin is under 10 Euros. Check too if your accommodation has an airport shuttle, or if they can organise a taxi for you to share with other passengers which can help to cut down the costs. If you do need to park at the airport, make sure to book in advance as this can save you a pretty penny or two!

·      Don’t get caught out by ridesharing apps

Ridesharing apps like Uber and Cabify are often a cheap and convenient way of getting to and from airports and around the city your visiting. However, particularly when it comes to airports, check beforehand whether rideshares are allowed to go to the airport, as there are certain restrictions on this depending on where you go. I tried to get an Uber to the airport when in Mexico, only to be forced to pay a cancellation fee and sort out expensive alternative transport when I was told that Ubers weren’t allowed to go to the airport. This can be stressful and costly, so good to check in advance.

·      Bring a water bottle

If you’ve ever travelled before, you’ll know that airports are often ridiculously expensive – once you’re in, you’re in, and they take advantage of this. Couple this with enhanced security measures and that means you can’t even bring some water through with you. However, empty that sucker out and you have something you can fill up once past security, for free, meaning no cost to you in the airport or on the plane for drinks. Plus, should you be visiting a country where the tapwater is safe to drink, and you can save even more money by bringing your own water bottle with you throughout the day.

·      Bring snacks for the airport

Coupled with the above, the airport can be a hungry place. I often find that I leave the house to head to the airport at a time before I would usually eat, and then end up hungry whilst waiting for my flight with nothing but overpriced food options surrounding me, so having some granola bars or even a packed sandwich in my bag can be a lifesaver. This is particularly useful in this day and age of delayed flights, when you don’t know how long you’ll be waiting in the airport so being prepared with your own snacks from home is a good idea. Likewise, if you don’t eat them all at the airport, you’ll have something to snack on whilst out exploring your destination – helpful especially in rural areas where there might not be too many grocery options around! 

·     Think about getting a lounge pass

When looking at your next bank, have a check to see if they offer lounge access at airports with some of their options, as this can be an easy way to make sure you’re well looked after at airports and sometimes with no additional cost. Most airports around the globe have accessible (ie not associated with a specific airline) lounges where you can eat, drink, charge your devices and read whatever papers and magazines they have on offer to your hearts content. If you’re a keen traveller like I am, this can work out cheaper than buying food, drink and entertainment in the airport.

·      Learn to pack light

Hand luggage is free. Most other bags beyond this are usually not. Even budget airlines are jumping on the bandwagon and making the size of hand luggage you can bring on board for free smaller and smaller so you’re more likely to pay to bring a larger bag on board – Ryanair used to allow small wheelies on board for free, and now you’re only allowed a handbag or rucksack. However, I take this challenge in my stride (anything to save more money to spend for my next trip!) and have become somewhat of an expert at packing light. Make a note of the absolute essentials that you without a doubt have to bring; think about whether you really need that many changes of clothes, or bring more outer layers (no one will know you’re wearing the same shirt multiple days in a row if you switch up your jumpers and jackets!); and always, always leave a little room at the top of your bag in case you’re bringing back any souvenirs!

I hope you enjoyed today's blog! If you did, or if you think I've missed a key tip (and I'm always looking for more!) drop me a message on Twitter @CiarasCountry or in the comments below. In the next edition of this series, I'll be offering tips and tricks on how to save money on accommodation, so make sure you're tuned to one of my social channels to find out when that will be posted. Let me know as well if you'd like me to share my essential list for packing light to help you with this tip on your next trip. Thanks for reading! 

TRAVEL: Top tips for budget friendly travel - booking your holiday

Photo credit: Unconventional Wisdom
Holidays – they’re expensive, right? So we cut down the length and decide we’ll only go for a weekend to save on costs, but when you add in the flights, accommodation, activities and food, you end up spending way more than you budgeted for. However, there are some handy tips you can follow to help you save at every stage of your holiday – read on to find out more!

Booking your holiday

·      Use Skyscanner

This can be a fantastic tool, particularly if you’re flexible on where or when you want to go. Before I’ve even decided on a destination, I head to Skyscanner and set my destination to ‘Everywhere’ to see what locations are the cheapest to fly to during the time I’m willing to travel. The site collates flight prices from across the web, and shows you the cheapest airline to travel with, and you can then book via Skyscanner or the original airline. Because of this simple trick, I’ve visited places I probably otherwise wouldn’t have considered rather than going to the more popular and undoubtedly more expensive places. This also works if you know where you want to travel to but are flexible with dates, as you can see when in a specific month is the cheapest time to fly.

·      Travel offseason

Tourism is a great industry for cities, so they want tourists to visit all year round. For the most part, the majority of visitors come in the summer and school holidays, so if you can avoid these, do! Flights and accommodation will usually be cheaper, as will certain tours and attractions. Be mindful though, sometimes things will shut out of season, so if there is a particular attraction you want to visit or activity you want to do, make sure this is available in the time you’re visiting.

·      Check how expensive the country is

On top of the above, you might also want to do your research on how expensive it is to visit the country or city, as you might have saved on flights but then end up spending more than you would have elsewhere on accommodation and food if the place you’re visiting is known to be expensive. I got caught out in this regard in Oslo (you can read about that trip here), it being the cheapest place to go on Skyscanner, but a super expensive city, meaning I probably spent twice or three times as much on food as I would have in a different country, negating my savings on the flight! Likewise, your currency might have a good exchange rate versus the country you’re visiting, which can also make it cheaper for you to travel.
  
·      Follow foreign exchange rates
Depending on where you live and where you're travelling to, currency exchanges can either be really beneficial or detrimental, meaning you'll be making more bang for your buck or actually losing money when you convert your currency. The best way to check is to look at currency conversion websites online, which will give you a good indication as to how strong your home currency is versus the destination that you're visiting. Check the trends - if it looks like your currency is declining, it might be best to buy now to avoid a continued declining trend; or if your currency is rising, maybe hold off a few days so you get the best rate. Whilst online currency conversion sites can give a good estimation, always check with the company you plan to exchange your money with, and if you can, only take out as much as you think you'll need as it may be more difficult to convert back.  

·      Consider ‘off-the-beaten-track’ locations

We’re a pretty predictable species, and tend to swarm towards beaches, Christmas markets, and big cities when we head on our holidays. These places are known for being nice, but there are plenty of places out there which are equally if not more pleasant to visit, but haven’t got the same level of publicity, and could be the perfect fit for your holidays. I’m a big advocate of Eastern Europe (check out my adventures to Sofia and Riga) which is generally cheaper and less busy than Western Europe, but looking at smaller cities within the country you want to visit can also be a great option. Take Poland, for instance – whilst everyone is headed to the capital of Warsaw, you could be swanning around less touristy cities like Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, or Katowice for a fraction of the price!

I hope you enjoyed today's blog of my tips for travelling on a budget! I'll be continuing this series with further recommendations on how to save money at the airport, on your accommodation, on food, and activities in your chosen destination, so make sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry to be the first to hear when new content is posted. If you like what you've read or have any suggestions for other tips you'd like to see, drop me a comment below and I'll get back to you. Thanks for reading!