Category: Blog Posts

Vava’u beckons!

The island of Vava’u is situated in the north of Tonga, and is famed for beautiful beaches on it’s Outer Islands. Many tourists visiting the Kingdom only stop off in Nuku’alofa, before catching an Air Tonga flight north to the resort mecca. However, I had … …

Finally I made it to Tonga!

Back in 2015 I had my heart set on visiting Tonga, with flights and accommodation booked as part of a previous South Pacific adventure. Mother Nature, however, had different plans as a volcano burst out of the ocean just off the coast and started spewing … …

Tom Rooney Travels is … up for anything!

I’m not sure how this sudden change has came over me, where I seem to have transformed in to the most compliant traveller going around! I’ll never forget these past 10 days in Busan, a beautiful city at the base of South Korea. The welcome … …

Too cool for school

Korea is a really cool travel destination and should be high on your bucket list. The home of K-pop is an all singing, all dancing extravaganza and a must see for travellers visiting Asia. It’s been a long held dream to revisit this wonderful country, … …

Turn your face to the sun

The summer months are typhoon season in Taiwan, a period of volatility over the Pacific Ocean that can lead to severe ramifications for the people of the region. Since my arrival in Taipei there’s been a typhoon alert in place, however there’s been no evidence … …

Exploring the delights of Taipei

It’s apparent the future of an independent Taiwan will remain uncertain, with the spectre of their giant and powerful neighbour China sure to exert an increasing influence over this small island. Nevertheless Taiwan is an economic powerhouse of the region, specialising in the high tech … …

Go on, take a punt on Macau!

Macau was handed over to the Chinese on 20 December 1999, thereby concluding 400 years of Portuguese rule in what had become the last European colony in Asia. The catalyst for the changeover stemmed from the return of Hong Kong by the British two years … …

Tripping the light fantastic!

Have you ever come across a blog from a traveller who last visited Hong Kong during British rule, well before the handover of the territory to China in 1997? Well, dear reader, if you haven’t I urge you to read on. I’ve been at the … …

Welcome to White Russia

In February of this year the government of Belarus introduced an option to visit the country without the requirement of a visa in advance. It’s understood the initiative may be expanded in the near future, nevertheless the current offer is a good fit for my … …

The place to visit!

Everyone is talking about Georgia of late, and it’s a privilege to join the summer hordes exploring the county, along with eight million or so of my closest friends! Although the distances in Europe are not vast between countries, booking flights is often problematic as … …