Merry Christmas Holiday

As a present to you, we at IndependentTraveler.com have compiled a collection of the best travel tips (submitted by none other than our all-knowing readers) to ease your chaotic Christmas holiday and help your journey be as safe and smooth as possible.

You don’t have to lug Christmas presents while you travel, and you don’t have to figure out how to get your own families’ gifts to your destination and back home again. This is certainly the least stressful option. If you have children, it’s even more hectic to travel when the masses are also hitting the roads, stations and airports.

It’s even harder if you have to travel with newborns. Pros of staying home for Christmas: It’s probably easier.

Ask a Question in the Christmas Island Travel Forum Get advice and info from your fellow travelers.

The glittering lights, snow-covered trees and dangling mistletoe can only mean one thing - the peak holiday travel season is upon us! While you’re making your lists, and checking them twice, you really should be preparing for the traffic jams, flight delays and complete confusion that inevitably ensues this time of year.

“When booking travel online, call the airline to verify you have received the seats you requested. I just learned that I didn’t get the seats I requested, and with a busy flight out, they separated all three people in my party.
Check out our guide to Choosing a Hotel.

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Plan a destination family reunion over the holidays so everyone can enjoy travel and visiting with family.

If you’re not carefully, a robber crab might sneak up the beach and partake of your picnic, but most of the time you can just ogle the migration habits of the red crab-yep, these crabs look cooked before they’re even caught. It turns out that Christmas Island, a territory of Australia that’s considerably closer to Indonesia, is badly misnamed.

Christmas in Kerry - Kenmare Christmas in Kerry - Kenmare The Park Hotel Wed 24 Dec 2008 - Sat 27 Dec 2008 3 nights - Escape to mystical Kerry for the Festive holidays and enjoy the splendid warmth of the Park Hotel Kenmare. The tradition of Christmas is preserved in this little Victorian haven overlooking Kenmare Bay.

Church services play a real part in the celebration of Christmas here. Another endearing quality of Ireland is the time that the people take out of their usual calendars to devote to Christmas. There is limited work activity for most people between Christmas and New Year, and most businesses remain closed for this period. The spirit of Christmas is so strong, however, that many hotels close during the holiday period to allow their staff to spend time with family.

What could be nicer that spending Christmas or New Years at your own cottage or house in Ireland? Let somebody else have the stress of preparing Christmas lunch or a dinner to die for as you count down the hours into 2009!

Relax by cozy log fires as you enjoy a wee dram before retiring into a sumptuous 4-poster bed, offered by many of our castle properties.
Start your Christmas Day with a traditional Irish Breakfast served in the Maigue Restaurant. Enjoy the morning at your leisure but be back in time for a mulled wine reception which precedes the arrival of Santa Claus on horseback!

Enjoy a light luncheon and the arrival of our very own Seannchai, or Irish storyteller, who will entrall you with his tales. He will then lead guests on a Victorian walking tour of the beautiful thatched village of Adare. Book as a group with family and friends or come as single guests. you’re sure to have made lots of friends by the time you leave!

Irish Cottage Vacations Dec. 21-29 Irish Cottage Vacations Dec. 21-29 Irish Christmas family vacation deals Spend a week in your own home away from home. Christmas Dinner Christmas dinners in Ireland usually consist of the standard fare; turkey, a ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc. Among the more traditional Irish elements are spiced beef (spiced over several days, cooked, and then pressed) which can be served either hot or cold. Ireland is one of the few places on earth where the meaning of Christmas is still remembered & the birth of the Christ child is celebrated. Whether you subscribe to the theory that to have a candle in your window on Christmas Eve meant that you were welcoming the Holy Family that found no such welcome in Bethlehem or that the candle in the window signified the home where the Catholic mass was celebrated, the custom still exists in Ireland today. Christmas in Dublin In Dublin, Christmas day is only the beginning of celebrating with friends that doesn’t end until the Feast of Epiphany on the 6th of January. Christmas Shopping: Gifts so perfect that they could only come from Ireland. Christmas Day Thursday 25th December Relax in the Drawing room after a Traditional Irish breakfast & read the newspapers or catch up with family & friends. Christmas day is traditionally a family day, with virtually all public places and shops closed. We include only those properties that will be open, and those that have special Christmas programs that include all meals, several receptions for the adults and entertainment for children. After Christmas Specials: Ireland BB & Festive Dromoland Castle Ireland BB & Festive Dromoland Castle After Christmas vacation package 6 nights - Early booking is ESSENTIAL for this vacation. When your trip spans two price periods, higher rates prevail. Ireland BB Ireland BB Christmas vacation package 6 nights - Christmas markets in Ireland Early booking is ESSENTIAL for this vacation.
Stay 3 nights and get a 4th free of charge Leopardstown Christmas Festival - Leopardstown Racecourse sees off the year with an extra special four day extravaganza of Horse Racing starting on Friday the 26th of December and finishing on Monday the 29th of December. Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, a troupe of Elves and a host of other Christmas characters will be among the special visitors to Bunratty Folk Park, Co. Clare, in the lead up to Christmas. This event will operate from December 4th to December 22nd (inclusive) and visitors to Bunratty can experience a magical, festive atmosphere in a unique and traditional village street setting at Bunratty Folk Park. The traditional dessert is usually composed of mince pies, Christmas pudding, and brandy or rum sauce. In general, the city has a buzz up to Christmas Eve, and much of the social activity centres around the pubs (as usual!) There are some outdoor activities on Christmas day, eg. outdoor walks, Christmas day swims for the hardy souls. Christmas Day - Thursday 25th December Late Bucks Fizz Brunch on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve - Wednesday 24th December Afternoon Tea or Hot Chocolate and the papers on arrival. Christmas Eve Wednesday 24th December Amid the hustle and bustle of modern life, Longueville House offers precious sanctuary.
Twelve Days of Christmas Song : Although most people say / sing “four calling birds”, the actually birds are “four colley birds” (blackbirds). Afternoon Tea Christmas Day Complimentary Golf and long walks on our extensive grounds if you wish. Airports, buses and trains do not operate on Christmas day, and will have a limited service on 26th. Visitors can look forward to a fun packed programme of activities and events giving the many visitors to beautiful Ireland a chance to experience Christmas as it should be and enjoy the build up to the season in a relaxed, happy and safe environment. The Christmas lights are turned on in November and from that point on, the big Christmas shopping season will have commenced in earnest. From shopping on Grafton Street and Henry Street, to listening to the carol singers and buskers on Grafton Street, and to the wonderful Christmas windows in Roches Stores and Clerys, Dublin City Center has loads to offer. As you stroll along the streets you feel the excitement of Christmas while shopping for traditional Christmas treats. A traditional Christmas in Wicklow at Rathsallagh Christmas at Rathsallagh is a really special time. Then enjoy a Traditional Christmas luncheon and spend the afternoon at a gentle pace, maybe even a forty winks nap! Later that evening, a delicious buffet supper will be served for you to enjoy. Christmas evening begins with a luxurious Champagne Reception before indulging in a five course Gala Christmas Dinner specially prepared for you by our Executive Chef. Some hotels stay open over Christmas, with a “package” stay and organized activities. After dinner join the Holy Trinity Abbey Choir who will enchant one and all with a recital of Christmas carols. Champagne and Mulled Wine Reception before dinner, meet our other guests and your hosts for Christmas the O’Flynn family. The highlight of your Christmas vacation is a 4 night Christmas party at the Dunraven Arms in the thatched roof village of Adare for Christmas Festivities.
Meet Christmas Island Locals and Travelers 3 Members live in Christmas Island. You get to enjoy Christmas morning at your own home, with your own Christmas tree. You’ll have to transport gifts. Compromise: Visit on another holiday, such as Thanksgiving, and forego the Christmas visit. Or visit right before or after Christmas, and have your Christmas celebration and gift exchange then. For others, it may be hard to imagine Christmas anywhere but the inviting home of a parent or grandparent. Pros of visiting family for Christmas: You get to see extended family members over the holidays, and perhaps brighten Christmas for someone who is far from the people he or she cares about. Cons of visiting family for Christmas: You have to get there, and you will either need to stay at someone else’s home (which may not have all the comforts or necessities you’re used to) or pay for lodging. Cons of staying home for Christmas: You may not get to see your extended family or friends who live elsewhere. Cons of going on vacation for Christmas: You will probably tick someone off who thinks you should be with extended family instead of traveling. Pros of going on vacation for Christmas: You get to bond as a family and do something enjoyable.
You don’t have to host anyone or do much special with your home for Christmas Day.