Boarding a plane and going on holiday was very different in the old days, says TREVOR LAFFAN - but has travel changed for better or worse?

Trevor Laffan and his wife are approaching empty nester status - but he says they are struggling to source suitable options

The behaviour of some characters regularly left me dumbfounded, scratching my head trying to make sense of the mindset, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

I have no skin in the game at this stage, and it shouldn’t really bother me who runs the show, but it does.

I was struck by the simplicity of the occasion and the wonderful sense of community it created, recalls TREVOR LAFFAN. 

I didn’t see one person on a trolley and, as an added bonus, they had an abundance of car parking spaces which were also free, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

Back in 2018 I had a biopsy on my prostate,  and I was told at the time there shouldn’t be any complications. Only 3% of patients get an infection, they told me. Well, guess what? I was part of the 3%, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

I’ve been in close proximity to these idiots many times and, on one occasion, I had to remain in my seat for some considerable time after the plane landed until the police could board the aircraft and remove the clown, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

There are enough hazards in life already, without going out of my way to find more, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

TREVOR LAFFAN says he understand why anyone would want to "swan around in the nude". 

My biggest concern was how I was going to explain to the family what an eejit I had been, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

"I can’t imagine trying to get through the day without proper rest, and then having to survive the night when it must seem like an eternity."

When I lived out in the country in the ’80s and ’90s, The Stations were a big deal, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

I would never have described my grandparents as hellraisers, writes TREVOR LAFFAN in his weekly column. 

I can tell you from my recent stay in Australia, that drivers there certainly worry about being caught for a variety of motoring offences, and there’s a good reason for that. The penalties are severe.

It’s about time we caught up with the rest of the world, who have long since figured out a better way to do it, writes TREVOR LAFFAN in his weekly column. 

People shouting and roaring on their way home from the pub, blaring music, or dogs barking continuously for no reason whatsoever, are the kind of things that drive me to distraction, writes TREVOR LAFFAN

To my non-engineering brain, it seems badly designed, and as far as I can see, it’s only going to get worse, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

Trevor Laffan visited Bali as part of his sojourn to Australia and was struck by the friendliness of the people there. 

TREVOR LAFFAN says he's done with long-haul travel. 

Trevor Laffan explains how when he was involved in community policing he would bring students to the district court to observe what happens there.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s not possible to predict the future, writes TREVOR LAFFAN

Cobh's Belvelly Bridge is no longer fit for purpose, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

Life in a submarine and exploring caves are things to be avoided, writes TREVOR LAFFAN, in his column this week. 

Football player James McClean has very publicly refused to don the emblem, while Cork player-turned-pundit Roy Keane recently chose to wear one on TV while doing work for Sky. Who is right, asks Trevor Laffan in his weekly column. 

A recent visit to his local doctor brought memories of the pandemic flooding back to Trevor Laffan.

Plans to extend opening hours is only creating further opportunities for havoc, writes TREVOR LAFFAN in his weekly column. 

Have we lost the ability to appreciate value for money or have we all just become accustomed to waste, asks Trevor Laffan

Many of us avoid it because we fear a blood test might reveal something unpleasant. It might indicate that there is something wrong with us, writes Trevor Laffan

Trevor Laffan was surprised to find that after 35 years in An Garda Síochána he and his wife still fell prey to scammers

I was out walking some time ago and I spotted a liner berthing at the quayside in Cobh. Once the mooring ropes had been secured to the anchor points on the quay wall, I saw a crew member fitting plastic discs to the ropes.

Trevor Laffan has a bone to pick with America, for introducing us to chewing gum

Many patients nearing the end of life are also being let down, says Trevor Laffan

Trevor Laffan's daughter and family moved to Oz earlier this year. The prospect of undertaking a long-haul flight to see them is not appealing, he says

Trevor Laffan recalls some of the characters he met during three and a half decades of policing - including 10 years in Mayfield

It’s surely not difficult to identify drunk engers before boarding, and the airline has a legal obligation at that stage to send them packing, so says Trevor Laffan

Trevor Laffan looks at the recent anti-immigrant riots in the UK and how police responded

What's the tipping culture like here and abroad? So asks Trevor Laffan in his weekly column

It’s fair to say that, despite all the restructuring of the gardaí, the organisation is in crisis, so says Trevor Laffan

Countries involved in over-tourism protests should be careful what they wish for, so says Trevor Laffan

Trevor Laffan wonders how much of bad behaviour would improve if the stocks were still available to the courts.

Trevor Laffan recalls his training days in Templemore

Falling to Earth at 200 km per hour armed with only a backpack is not my idea of fun, so says Trevor Laffan

Trevor Laffan recalls the life of Buford Pusser, in his weekly column

Trevor Laffan says he's on the verge of quitting X

THE Irish aviation industry recently launched a campaign to tackle unruly enger behaviour in airports and on flights.

Trevor Laffan says he's been really lucky thanks to the professionalism of his surgeons... had he been born in the 19th century, things could be very different

You don’t need to go to the southern hemisphere to find sharks because approximately 35 species have been found in the waters around Ireland, so says Trevor Laffan

As part of our Cork Coast series, Trevor Laffan reflects on his life growing up by the sea, in his weekly column