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Travel Advice - dogs need holidays too

18/6/2016

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​Travelling with your dog can make holidays all that more enjoyable. The family pet is just as much in need of a change of scenery as you. Finding accommodation that is dog-friendly can involve a lot of research and ringing around.
There are websites that can short circuit that time-consuming exercise and help you find the right place to stay. A long-standing place to begin a search for accommodation in Ireland is Georgina Campbell’s ireland-guide.com There are 100 places that will welcome your dog ,from bed and breakfasts and guesthouses, to country mansions and five-star hotels. There is also a top 10 of pet-friendly places. Ireland’s Blue Book, (irelands- blue-book.ie) is a listing of some very nice country houses which also has a pet-friendly section. Eleven properties around the country welcome dogs. 
Trident Holiday Homes has a section for such self-catering properties, tridentholidayhomes.ie A new arrival website is woofadvisor.com, which hopes to identify not just properties where dogs are welcome but also restaurants, parks, beaches and stopping points when travelling. Members of Woofadvisor. com can add reviews and suggestions for new places to stay or see.
​In Northern Ireland, the tourism board has a dog-friendly scheme, where owners are encouraged to list their properties. There are more than 100 listed on discovernorthernireland.com, scroll down to the Me and My Pet section. Some properties will charge a fee when a dog stays while some places do not charge at all. Check before you book. There is a similar website in Britain to help you find suitable accommodation, Dogfriendlybritain.co.uk. The listings include not just hotels and guesthouses, but also self-catering, cottages, holiday parks and camping grounds. jscales@irishtimes.com

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Travel Advice - Zika update

4/6/2016

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When Rory McIlroy said he would take advice on going to Brazil for the Olympics as he is planning on having children, it put a new spotlight on the Zika virus. The Department of Health also changed the status of the virus to “notifiable”, and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has set up an advisory group on the disease.

As summer approaches and the weather warms up, the Zika virus is spreading. Dozens of countries have now reported incidences of the virus. It is in almost all South American countries, South Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico and Cape Verde Islands.
It is expected it will have arrived in southern parts of the United States by the end of the summer. As there is no vaccine yet for the Zika virus, the only positive thing to do is try not to be bitten.
In order to do this, apply sunscreen first then use insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol. Keep your arms and legs covered, the mosquito that transmits the virus, Aedes Aegypti, is more likely to bite during daytime.
Stay in accommodation that has air conditioning or insect screens on doors and windows (if not possible, sleep under mosquito nets). Permethrin-treated bed nets are more effective due to being treated with insecticide.
The virus is not spread from person to person except through sexual activity. The virus is transmitted in semen, so practice safe sex and use a condom. Women planning on getting pregnant should check with their doctor before travel and after. It is now possible to identify if you have been bitten and are carrying the virus.
Symptoms of the virus are a mild fever and generally feeling not well, though most people do not show symptoms.
Keep up to date with the latest news on hpsc.ie and cdc.gov


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    Joan loves to travel, write about, hear about it, see it, talk about it, anything about travel.

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