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29th Jun 2019

Nine Travel Milestones That Every Irish Millennial Knows All Too Well

Éadaoin Fitzmaurice

We millennials are a well travelled bunch.

We love to take a break from life every once in a while, jet off to some “exotic” place and fill our Instagram accounts with photos of how cultured we are.

However, we do all seem to go to the exact same places at the exact same time in life.

We have compiled a timeline of the typical holiday destinations visited by Irish Millennials.

We are sure that you can say you’ve ticked a few of these off your bucket list:

1. Age 0-4: Irish Holiday

Between Trabolgan and Courtown, these holiday destinations were the bomb when you were younger. There were so many activities on to keep you occupied, you’d be counting down the days until your next visit.

Looking back we were easily pleased, but hey!

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Busy busy bee’s this bank holiday

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2. Age 4-6: Camping In France

For some reason when we were kids our parents thought it would be a great idea to bring the entire family on a trip to France. The camper van often had little to no space which sparked regular fights between siblings.

We were shipped out daily by the ‘rents to the ‘kids club’ that was being put on by the site and would usually come home that afternoon with some wacky work of art or a painted face.

Also not forgetting, no trip to France would be complete without the parents making a pitstop to buy a years supply of wine before heading home.

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3. Age 13-15: The Gaeltacht

Ahh the Gaeltacht.

No better place to get your first shift than here. The céilís at night were the perfect way to get close to your crush and seal the deal.

During the day you’d be brushing up on your Gaeilge while having the absolute craic with all your new friends. The only thing that would ever make you miss home was missing out on your Mammy’s Sunday roast.

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4. Age 18-19: Santa Ponsa / Magaluf

Oh the dreaded Leaving Cert sixth year holiday, every time we think about it we cringe a little. This was the perfect spot however, to let loose after the leaving cert and drink more alcohol than you would ever tell your mother about.

Many of us fell victim to the idea that a piercing or tattoo would be a great idea after a night club and that getting drunk on a boat at 3pm in the day was the craziest thing you would ever do.

It was a great time, however, for running wild with your friends, kissing strangers (… and maybe more) and working on your tan.

If only we knew back then that metabolisms slow down and our bodies would never look as good again.

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5. Age 19-20: Interrailing in Europe

Interrailing is the reason most of us have seen those quirky, random cities across Europe that we’d never take a direct trip to.

This trip however, usually comes with a lot of stress. There is a lot of organisation involved: picking destinations, booking hostels, getting trains; there were surely some heated arguments amongst friends along the way.

Interrailing usually involved a visiting Amsterdam for the first time and getting a bit of a culture shock, going on crazy pub-crawls in Prague or Kraków and letting loose at a bath party in Budapest.

Many lessons were learned during the infamous interrailing trip, the most important one for us being that sharing a hostel room with 7 other people requires ear plugs! *snores*

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6. Age 20-22: The J1

Whether it was America or Canada, the J1 will have provided you with some of the best memories.

You lived your own ‘American Dream’ drinking Four Loko, going to clubs, swimming in the sea and getting tipped because of your killer accent. You and your friends squished into an apartment, sharing blow up beds and what not, but it was all worth it.

After all of that you probably took the dream trip to Las Vegas and danced your socks off, went hiking in Yosemite and biking across San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. We are sure you got some amazing Instagrams to top it all off.

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7. Age 22-24: Southeast Asia

Sure you wouldn’t be a cultured AF millennial without taking a bath with an elephant in Thailand.

Touring around Asia was the perfect opportunity to get drunk on a beach drinking out of a sand bucket while covered in luminous paint. Though there may have been a few monsoon showers while you were there you definitely had some of the best beach days of your life here.

Coming home with a rake of cheap clothes that you’ll probably only wear to festivals is a must.

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8. Age 25-26: Australia

As you get older, going away for a week or two just isn’t enough.

Most millennials decide to take a leap of faith and take a year long trip down under. This trip is renowned for breaking the heart of every Irish mammy. A surprise trip during the Christmas Holiday usually helps with this one!

This trip usually results in having the craic working in bars or restaurants and soaking up the sun during the day.

BEST TIME EVER.

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9. Age 27-30: Hens And Stags In Ireland/England

Hens and Stags are the best reason to take a break from working life. They involve a sh*t tonne of drink, good banter with great mates and a lot of celebrating.

Whether you’re glamping in Meath or clubbing in Newcastle, this weekend will never fail to disappoint!

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Have we missed any milestones?

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