The Expat Astrologer

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slow travel

Visiting Kinvara in Ireland and living in a tiny house

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Visiting Kinvara in Ireland and living in a tiny house. Our first time staying on the west coast of Ireland, and our first Airbnb! Since we rented a car specifically for this trip, we thought it would be the best time to explore a smaller town, and really get a feel for Irish countryside. Kinvara did not disappoint.Our first time staying on the west coast of Ireland, and our first Airbnb! Rob and I were keen to see what the west coast had to offer, but were not so keen on staying in a busy city. Since we rented a car specifically for this trip, we thought it would be the best time to explore a smaller town, and really get a feel for Irish countryside. Kinvara did not disappoint.

Because we were traveling in winter, Kinvara as little country town, was very quiet – a lot of the restaurants were closed in the evenings. If you want to travel around Ireland in winter, it is important to remember that a lot of tourist spots are closed or have winter opening times. Read this post I wrote about the benefits of visiting the west coast of Ireland in winter.

Kinvara, County Galway, IrelandWe really just wanted to get away (with our dog) and just road trip around Ireland a little bit. We didn’t have much in the way of a bucket list of things we wanted to see, but rather the main goal was to unwind and relax. For us, Kinvara is the perfect place to just chill out. We did a few walks as a little family (Jack included) and took some time to just sit and read and drink wine too. It was the perfect amount of explore and recharge.

Tiny house living, Minimalism, Off the grid CabinWe found a great little Airbnb that has gone almost 100% off-grid, with a wood burning stove, solar powered lighting, and composting toilet. The cabin is small, 6m x 3m so it really gave us a real taste for tiny living – something both Rob and I are very keen to do long term. The cabin had a little cooker and we cooked our meals at home to save a bit of money, but also it gave us a lot more one on one time. Time to just hang out as a little family.

pet friendly airbnb, kinvarra irelandOne of the best parts of this cabin, apart from the tiny living feel, was that it was pet friendly! Jack absolutely loved his stay here, the cabin shared a little outside area with the cabin next door. There was no one staying in the second cabin which meant Jack had free reign to explore the garden – which he absolutely loved.

The nights were cooler, but the stove inside honestly worked such a treat. Rob accidently put several logs on the stove at one time on the first night we were there, and it ended up bringing the temperature inside the cabin to almost hotter than a summer’s day in South Africa. We were sweating that first night, but it made for a good laugh, and we just hydrated with extra wine. It will always be a fond memory of our time in Kinvara.

kinvara irelandTiny living is definitely something I want for us as a family. Since we have moved overseas to Ireland, we have learnt to scale back what we have in our own home. This tiny cabin experience in Kinvara really brought home the fact that we don’t need a lot to survive. And if organised cleverly, you can have the right amount of storage areas to hide away the things you do need. The cabin was fitted with a lot of cool features like a little kitchen nook where we ate our meals; shelves under the bed for storage; and a drying rack that could be hung up on the wall when we had finished using it.

going off grid, tiny house livingThe only real challenge was the compost toilet. I think this is something you have to wrap your head around if you ever plan on going off the grid (or in this case, renting this particular Airbnb). I won’t go into graphic detail about it, but it did take some getting used to. A composting toilet means that there is no water or drainage to flush things away. It basically stores it, and you then have to remove it once it fills up. The mechanics are a bit like a porta-potty, but it doesn’t smell or stink up the place. We thankfully didn’t have to remove or replace the unit while we were there. I am just not sure that sort of contraption is for me, I could handle visiting there, but not for the long term. So maybe going off grid entirely is not for me, but I do think I would love to live in tiny home.

All in all, our time in Kinvara was lovely, if not for being very low-key. That is part of slow travel that I enjoy the most. You don’t need to always be going to still enjoy being away. We had a great time, all three of us, and it was the perfect time away we all needed.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO KINVARA? WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT A WEEKEND AWAY?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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Visiting Kinvara in Ireland and living in a tiny house. Our first time staying on the west coast of Ireland, and our first Airbnb! Since we rented a car specifically for this trip, we thought it would be the best time to explore a smaller town, and really get a feel for Irish countryside. Kinvara did not disappoint.

Slow travel and how to explore your own city first

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Slow Travel. Making life an adventure every day, by slowing down and savoring what we have right in front of us is truly what I think makes your life infinitely happier, relaxed, and much more fulfilled. Here is how to explore your own city first. And no, you don't need a huge budget, and you don't need to jet off to distant lands to become a traveler.“Where is the first place you will visit now that you have a job?”

“When are you going overseas?”

“Now that you are working, when will you book your next holiday?”

These are the main points of conversation since I started my new job. Seriously, why are people always in a rush? Why does it feel like it is all a big comparison and competition? Life is so crazy as it is, everyone seems to be in a rush to tick off that bucket list, to rush through and get to the next bigger and better thing. They rush to travel to new places, but can they honestly say that they have truly savored the experience? Most people I find are waiting for Friday, waiting for their next holiday, waiting for a new year – why? Why are we not focusing on life as it is right now in the moment?

Why do people assume that to travel means to leave?

You can still explore and travel by staying at home. So often we think that to be living our best life we should be filling up our passports with visas and stamps in foreign countries – how many people can say that they have truly explored their home town? Have they have been a tourist in their own city? Making life an adventure every day, by slowing down and savoring what we have right in front of us is truly what I think makes your life infinitely happier, relaxed, and much more fulfilled.

Here is how to explore your own city first. And no, you don’t need a huge budget, and you don’t need to jet off to distant lands to become an explorer.

  1. Create a staycation. Some weekends I like to plan a mini itinerary on what we can see and do in Dublin, where we can eat and how our whole day will go. Just like as if we were visiting Dublin for the first time.
  2. Keep a bucket list for your city. We have an ever-growing list of things we want to do in Dublin, and we had a similar list in Johannesburg. On weekends when we are not sure what to do, we can go through the list and find ideas that we wrote down. It is a great way to remember and get to see everything.
  3. Try visit a new place every time. One of our rules is that we try not go to the same restaurant or pub more than twice. This is because there is such a wide variety, and we want to explore everything. Also routine can be so boring and monotonous. If you feel like you want to spice up your routine, change it first by trying a new place instead of sticking to your local go-to spots.
  4. Get creative and find the things to do that don’t cost a thing. Not everything in life has to be expensive and over the top. Sometimes exploring a new park, or museum, or finding a free event makes life exciting!
  5. Do one new thing. Key to exploring is to fully explore something, you can’t say you have truly experienced a new place if you run in, snap a picture and leave. Slow down. You don’t need to rush through your whole weekend, doing everything. I like to pick one or two things we can do each weekend, but leave it really casual, and play everything as it goes – some weekends you just want a pj and series day and that is OK too.

So many people use Dublin as a chance to jet overseas without fully exploring what it has to offer. And while I will admit that was definitely a reason we chose to move to Ireland (it is so central to all sorts of wonderful countries) because we have been short on cash recently, it has forced us to get creative on how we get out and enjoy our free time. Through living on one salary and still wanting to explore, it has made us realise that it doesn’t have to cost a lot to explore your home town, and for us, it’s still an adventure exploring Dublin from the inside out.

The biggest benefit to exploring your own city first is to really fall in love and appreciate where you live. You start realising just how much your home has to offer, and it turns you into a travel expert and brand ambassador for your own city – you can become that go-to person on where to go and what to see in your home town. And because things are always changing, new restaurants are always opening up, life never really gets boring because there is always something new to explore.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY? HAVE BEEN A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

Slow Travel. Making life an adventure every day, by slowing down and savoring what we have right in front of us is truly what I think makes your life infinitely happier, relaxed, and much more fulfilled. Here is how to explore your own city first. And no, you don't need a huge budget, and you don't need to jet off to distant lands to become a traveler.