Many of you (my faithful readers) have asked about a road trip Andrew and I took this Spring within Ireland. In this blog I'll detail my planning, the results, and my advice so that you can plan your very own trip to the Emerald Isle.
My timeline backdater for a May trip:
- January - Determine your stay duration and buy airline tickets.
- February - Plan road trip route and work with a travel agent to book rental car and bed and breakfasts.
- March - Plan excursions and book them.
- May - Freak out! You're visiting Ireland during the last week of the month!
Airline Tickets
If you can get tickets from the United States to Europe for < $1,000 you're shaping up pretty nicely. I used
CheapOAir and got ours for $950. I bought them four months from our travel date on a Sunday evening. I hear that Tuesday/Wednesday is the best day to buy them, but the price was too good to wait two more days for here-say. We flew from Indianapolis to Chicago and then to Dublin and were gone from Saturday to Saturday (seven days). Leaving of an evening out of Chicago let us sleep on the flight and better prepare for the full day awaiting us across the pond.
Our Road Trip Route
Car Rental
I used an incredible agency called
Terry Flynn Tours who not only booked the car, but handled bed and breakfast reservations for us after I shared our desired route. I trusted their recommendations, and they worked with my budget.
Email Michelle to get started and tell her that Cara sent you :)
Anticipate gasoline to be purchased by the liter. On average, it cost $30-$40 euro to fill our car; which we filled 2-3 times over the course of ~1,000km. We rented an automatic Class BA car with a GPS. Get the GPS, you'll thank me later. Also ask Michelle to explain CDW insurance to you. This is every important for Americans to understand because of the high accident risk that could occur while driving on the wrong side of the road and car.
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| Our rental car, Opal :) |
Bed and Breakfasts
We preferred these to a hotel. They were cozy, served amazing breakfasts, and were like home. Be sure to check for parking at these locations so that you can make room for your rental car!
Excursion Bookings and Costs *implies student discount
- Kilkenny Castle (FREE to explore grounds - fee to explore one of few furbished castle in the country).
- Smithwicks* - €9.50 or ~$12. Book before you go.
- Jameson Experience* - €12.00 or ~$15. Book before you go.
- Waterford - FREE to tour the showroom - fee to get the tour.
- Viking Tower - FREE to gaze upon the edifice - fee to climb the tower.
- Titanic Trail in Cobh - FREE
- Old Head - FREE
- Blarney Castle* - €12.50 or ~$15. Book before you go.
- Old English Market - FREE
- Kinsale Ghost Tours - €15 or ~$20. Buy tickets at the Tap Tavern in Kinsale to attend.
- Cliffs of Moher - FREE to walk the grounds, __for walking tour, ___for boat tour
- Burren Perfumery - FREE to explore, products and cafe' available.
- Poulnabrone Dolmen - FREE
- Guinness* - €14.50 or ~$16. Book before you go.
- Wild Rover Day Tours* - includes Titanic Museum, Giant's Causeway and Carrick's Rope Bridge. Book before you go.
Random Tips
- Don't worry about exchanging dollars for euros and pounds (northern Ireland uses this currency) until you land in Dublin. Visit an ATM and use your debit card to withdraw the local currency. My bank changed $5 per withdraw which was much cheaper than the exchange rate commission. Talk to your bank to learn about the restrictions. My credit card tacked on an additional 3% charge to each transaction that I didn't want to pay. We took this trip primarily with cash, so do your homework before racking up unnecessary fees.
- If you aren't an Irish resident, you can be reimbursed for tax on purchases of objects while visiting. This is valid for textiles, souvenirs, etc. but does not include food or tourism fees. Visit this link to learn more.
- Freestyle! If you have down time... EXPLORE. We had the best time doing this. Including boarding a ferry in our car and traveling across the ocean for 10 minutes.
- Take your college ID for student discounts :)
- Pack lots of layers. A windbreaker (shell) is a brilliant idea. Bring at least two pair of comfortable shoes.
- Plan to use iMessage to talk to family/friends in the States. Just connect to wifi and it's no charge!
- Seriously, get the GPS.
- People don't really tip money in Ireland. Don't anticipate these costs.
- Take LOTS of pictures and expect everyone to say 'wow, it's really green there,' once you get home.
- Be sure to try Irish Coffee, Fish & Chips, Guinness Stew and Shepherd's Pie!
Total Expected Cost: $3,500-$5,000 (depending on your trip preferences and activities).
What did I forget to mention? Comment below with questions and I'll provide additional details!
Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock!
Cara
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