TravelHer: Sonal Satelkar Got To Kiss Blarney Stone In Ireland

Travel rejuvenates me, gives me exposure to different cultures and teaches me that every human being is same. It instills a lot of confidence in me. It also gives me a sense of feeling that not all that we see in our own country is bad or wrong. Travelling makes me very happy. I adore aeroplanes and go flying endlessly.

Where Did I Go

England, Scotland and Ireland

How I Reached There

I took a flight from Mumbai first, to London, then from there to Edinburgh, then next from Edinburgh to Dublin and again from Dublin to London.

Important Places To See

In England the must-visit places are London of course, Bath, Birmingham, Manchester and Lake city. In Scotland Edinburgh, Highlands, Glen Coe, Fort Augustus, Fort William, Loch Ness, Pitlochry, Isle of Man and Inverness. In Ireland, Dublin, Cork, Cliff of Moher, Doolin, Bunrraty Castle, Barney Castle are some of the places to visit.

Travel rejuvenates me, gives me exposure to different cultures and teaches me that every human being is same. It instills a lot of confidence in me.

3 Lessons I Learnt From The Trip 

1. Travel light
2. Practice walking prior to the trip
3. Do a little more homework about the places to visit

Also Read: TravelHer With Shaili Chopra: A Village, Stars And The Changing Definition Of Luxury

Best Moments From The Trip

Picking up a beautiful white Owl a soft toy from a tourist center near the Highlands in Scotland and the Hedwig keychain at Gatwick airport from the Harry Potter shop are somethings I'll cherish for a long time.

Being able to kiss the Blarney stone was an exciting moment. The entire Ireland experience was wonderful. Coming across people with a lot of warmth mainly all our Airbnb Hosts and lots of strangers felt surreal. Having home made whiskey ice cream at a small pretty village called Pitlochry was an Aha moment for me. Also, we got to try Irish stew at a small restaurant in Doolin. The ferry on Loch Ness was another lovely moment, as was having mussels in a restaurant at Cutty Sark near the Greenwich observatory. Meeting some very dear friends like a school friend and a dearest college friend in London and meeting my niece in Birmingham made this trip very special for me. Getting greeted by a Hindi Speaking driver at London airport was a pleasant surprise. Picking up a beautiful white Owl soft toy from a tourist center near the Highlands in Scotland and the Hedwig keychain at Gatwick airport from the Harry Potter shop are somethings I'll cherish for a long time.

My Other Experiences

All our hosts were lovely people and very cooperative. We had a lot of strangers approaching us and offering us help where we lost or way to the destination or were looking for places. Local transport at all places was very convenient and comfortable. Although we were not looking for Indian food, I would like to mention that there are plenty of Indian restaurants everywhere. Ireland is a wonderful place and you find very warm and friendly people here. Make it a point to have apps like city mapper, my taxi which I guess is called Free Now, on your mobiles. They help a lot. Oyester Card and Leap Card helped us a lot for our local transportation in London and Dublin respectively.

Also Read: TravelHer: Ruchi Makkad Shares Hacks On Travelling With Kids

A Human Resource consultant and a Leadership Coach, Sonal Satelkar works mainly with women from different sectors. Her vision is to create Leaders Across Society.