Eat, Sleep, Breathe, Travel

St. Paddy's Day Survival Guide

You already know Dublin is home to the biggest St. Paddy's Day party in the world...but what does that really mean? Here's EF College Break's St. Paddy's Day Survival Guide for those of you headed to Ireland. 

1. On March 17 the entire city of Dublin transforms into a massive party... a party SO BIG people travel from all over the world to attend. Festivities officially kick off at noon for the parade, but the streets start filling up much earlier than that. Definitely claim your spot by 11 a.m at the latest.  We reccomend going to bed early the night before, you'll be glad you did.

2. Drink Guinness. Today is not a day for cranberry vodkas or frat-party beer.

3. But don't drink TOO much Guinness. It's easy to get carried away in the Irish spirit, but you don't want to be that guy/girl who has to leave the party mid-afternoon because they went a little too hard.  

4. Make a plan. With over 500,000 of your closes friends crowded around you, it's easy to lose track of the people you came with. Agree to meet at a certain landmark at a certain time in case you get separated.   

5. Wear green. Do we even need to tell you this? C'mon guys.

 So get in the spirit, stay safe, and have fun! Also, don't forget to send us your pictures via Twitter or Instagram using #EFCollegeBreak. We'll show off the best shots, and you'll be the envy of all our followers.  

YOU SHOULD BE HERE

Dubai is taking the title of the world's tallest ferris wheel

This week in Dubai, plans were announced to build the tallest ferris wheel in the world. The Dubai Eye will top all other roller coasters at 689 feet. 

Let's put that in perspective. 

Washington Monument (555 feet, 5 inches)

visitingdc.com

London Eye (443 feet)

The Dubai Eye will be over TWICE as tall as Big Ben (316 feet)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is TEENY in comparison. At a mere 183 feet, you could stack three of these buildings on top of each other, and still be shorter than the Dubai Eye. 

While the Eiffel Tower WILL still be taller, it's not by much. It measures in at 1,063 feet, with a small margin over the Dubai Eye.

This is a view of London from about 700 feet. Think you could stomach it from a ferris wheel?

NBC

So, would YOU accept the challenge and ride the tallest ferris wheel in the world? 

Raising the middle finger: what NOT to do while traveling

It's pretty easy to offend people here in the U.S. Just talk about politics, religion, or a variety of topics and someone's bound to get offended. But what about in other countries? Check out these five easily-avoidable ways you be offensive around the world. 

1.  In China, it's considered extremely disrespectful to let your grimy shoe-bottoms be shown, even when crossing your legs. When in doubt, keep the feet on the floor. 

2. Quickest way to insult your chef in Egypt? Put some salt on their food. In that culture, you might as well slap them in the face. 

3. Wanna take it one step further? If you insult the King in Thailand, they won't just be ticked off, they could put you in jail for up to 15 years. 

4. Keeping your clothes on in Turkey can be extremely offensive. Specifically while in a steam room or a sauna. These are considered places of purity where remnants of the outside world (including your clothes, even a bathing suit) remain outside the sauna.

5. Eating a delicious meal in Cambodia? Don't polish it off just yet. Clearing your plate is an insult to your host, and says they didn't give you enough food!