The Top Travel Destinations with Kevin Flanagan

“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...

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 socia...

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...

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: @becreati...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 w...

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...

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. TheTopT...

“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: @thetoptraveldestination...

Why do we head off in the middle of our summers to find sun? Wouldn’t it make more sense to wait till the bleak mid-winter months to seek the sunshine?  Kevin Flanagan shares his top winter sunshine destinations that will warm your heart and soul while the rain and winter storms rage back home! Do visit our website on www. TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also follow The Top Travel Destination...

Sometimes travel can provide you with a unique and startling experience and in this podcast Kevin Flanagan shares one such outstanding moment, standing beside one of the most beautiful statues of the reclining Buddha in the world. And here, in the tranquility of Northern Thailand, Kevin finds a peace beyond all understanding. Do visit our website on www. TheTopTravelDestinations.com You can also f...

Kevin takes his grandkids Kuba and Maya to Ghent - one of Europe’s oldest and richest cities. And here the three of them enjoy art, culture and a haunted castle, where they spend hours searching one of the best preserved medieval buildings in the world. They also enjoy amazing boats rides, Ghent-style pizza and the cities legendary waffles! It is a city break not to be missed. Do visit our website...

Holidays don’t just need to be all sun, sea and sand. Recent years has seen a rise in Dark Tourism: visits to historical sites that have seen the very worst of human behaviour. Kevin Flanagan visits some of the most darkest places on earth and reports on what are the benefits - if any- of seeing what humanbeings do to one another. And his experiences might surprise you!   Do visit our website on w...

Kevin takes his two grandkids Maya (7) and Kuba (10) on a trip to this popular Austrian ski resort, and he finds that there is trouble off the slope. How do you deal with squabbling kids that threaten to disrupt the holiday? Listen to find out . . .  For their visit to Mayrhofen Kevin, Kuba and May were guests of Topflight.ie, the Irish family-owned ski specialists. Do visit our website on www. Th...

Kevin weighs the pros and cons of using a travel agent versus booking it yourself. Which camp are you in? Read and and take on Kevin’s challenge to see which opinion is right!.  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

“In 2002 my friend Alan kept going on about visiting a certain island in the Med whose name I could not pronounce,” says our presenter Kevin Flanagan, “Eventually I booked a scuba diving trip with my son Ciaran to keep him quiet!” The island was Gozo, part of Malta’s three principle islands and the holiday changed Kevin’s life. “Alan was proved right and myself and my family began a love affair th...

Is the traditional summer holiday dead? Kevin examines the evidence and finds that global climate change is changing the ways we look at our annual vacation. “With fires, extreme weather conditions and extended periods of 40 degree plus heat - travellers around the world are changing their plans and with good reason.” says Kevin, but what are we to do in the face of severe weather warnings and the...

The word “Hidden Gem” is often overused but when it comes to Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital, it is “entirely appropriate” according to Kevin Flanagan. Kevin goes on to explain that “I was not even sure where Slovenia was let alone Ljubljana!” But that all changed on a recent trip. “The city is one of the most sophisticated and friendly I have ever visited. It’s like Paris but on a human, manage...

I was in Dubai Airport waiting for a flight home when I heard the devastating news that one of my best friends, Paul McGlade, had died suddenly. I was in shocked disbelief and broke down in tears. One week later I am recording this podcast both as a memorial to a great friendship and as a wake-up call to myself (and anyone who is listening) as to the importance of healing rifts and keeping friends...

Ever been to a hometown wedding that was ruined by the rain or cold? Or full of people that don’t know one another? Kevin Flanagan has and he has found a remedy. ”Many European weddings are prohibitively expensive and often packed with distant relatives or friends that meet for a day and are rarely seen again.”  So what is the remedy? In this podcast Kevin recounts two recent nuptials that combine...

Kevin Flanagan takes his two travelling pals, Kuba (10) and Maya (7), to a city that utterly delighted them. “I found Antwerp had everything for an adult,” Kevin said, “fabulous restaurants and lively bars, while the art offering is second-to-none. And the newly developed docklands area has such terrific additions as the MAS - the Museum aan de Stroom, which afforded us hours of fun.”   And the ki...