Lunchtime Live

The top travel tips you need to know!

As we head into the Easter weekend, many of us will be taking advantage of the long break to start planning our summer getaways - from early sunshine escapes in May to well-deserved holidays later in the season. With rising fuel costs continuing to drive up the price of flights and accommodation, keeping an eye on the budget has never been more important. The good news is, there are still plenty of ways to travel abroad without overspending, if you know where to look! Joining Andrea with her top tips, savvy travel hacks, and budget-friendly ideas is Ciara Mooney, owner of Freedom Travel.

Are flexi-tickets on Irish Rail worth it?

Irish Rail offers passengers a flexible ticket option, allowing them to change their booking up to one hour before departure. However, one traveler was left extremely frustrated after being denied boarding a train to Cork, despite arriving just one minute after missing his original service. So, are these flexi-tickets worth the money, and are they even flexible? Andrea is joined by Barry Kenny, Head of Communications with Irish Rail, Lochlann Gallagher, Chair of the Galway Commuters Coalition and listeners.

How do you manage your money after pay day?

For many of us, pay day has just happened, and hopefully you’ve a few bob in your account, but how can you best manage it? Paul Merriman, CEO of Fairstone and Founder of Ask Paul joins Andrea with advice!

The Pod Squad: Strangers on a Bench

Welcome to The Pod Squad! We review podcasts every week so you always have something new to listen to. Host of the ‘For Tech's Sake’ podcast Elaine Burke and Today FM Producer Cathal Minogue join Andrea Gilligan to review ‘Strangers on a Bench’! Image: Acast

Should we have shorter school days?

This morning on Newstalk Breakfast, Anton spoke to Paul Crone on proposed shorter school days… The changes come after a report found the Irish curriculum is “overloaded” and should be adapted to follow the Finnish model. Joining Andrea to discuss is Cathal Crowe, Fianna Fail TD for Clare and Chairman of the Oireachtas Education and Youth Committee, Lisa Shaw (@modernirishmom on Instagram), Jen Hogan, Irish Times journalist and host of the ‘Conversations with Parents’ podcast and listeners.