- The winner of the Travel Extra young journalist award for 2026 is Dylan Kehoe of TY Journalism class in Saint Andrew’s College, Blackorck, County Dublin.
My amazing adventure began as I checked the Aer Lingus website to see where I would bring my family for our next big European holiday. My eyes were struck by the sight of: Faro, Algarve, Portugal. In that moment, my dreams for the perfect family holiday had been sealed.
The Algarve. A land in which I had yet to set foot. It had been described wonderfully by friends. Why not? My whole family could fly to Faro, embark a two-week fantasy holiday and fly back. And for less than €150! I immediately pitched the idea to my dad. No need for him to struggle to find the ideal summer holiday destination. Not this year. Within ten minutes a hotel near Albufeira had been booked. Now all I had to do was await the trip of my dreams.
Fast forward three months to the 17th of June. Our family holiday is just a day away, and I distinctly remember my excitement. One day to go.
It was great from the start: a scintillating ham and cheese toastie, Pringles and a hot chocolate on board. The staff were so friendly, one of them, like me came from Shankill!
You know you’re abroad when you exit the aircraft and a warm rush of Mediterranean air brushes your face. There was hardly any wait for our luggage and we were off via taxi to the hotel.
Arriving at this magical hotel, I read the sign, Pine Cliff Resort. I see visions of the amazing experiences I will have here. Whether it be at one of the two amazing swimming pools, enticing restaurants with cuisine from around the globe or, Estima Sport, the world class football academy.
In this dream getaway, we had the time of our lives. We travelled to the nearby towns, most notably, Sagres and then to Lagos. We also went on a daytrip along the southern coast to “The end of the world”.
I played at the football academy. I met Louis Saha! Legendary ex-Man Utd footballer. At the end of my time, I was offered a summer job coaching! A chance to return to the resort’s academy. At first it sounded like a dream, but it wasn’t. I’m going. I can’t wait.
In Dublin in January, I long for the summer. Every time I hear one of the songs I carefully downloaded for my holiday to the Algarve, I’m immediately taken back to this brilliant trip. All thanks to Aer Lingus and their dream travel destinations.
