help!!! planning a non-disney trip

[nephthys43]

here's the deal...

a friend of mine and i want to go to ireland in july. it has to be july. i'm a teacher and she's in college. this will be the only time our schedules really sync. we do both have our passports and we want to go for about 10 days.

i have planned disney trips out the wazoo and know where to go for the deals and info. but i have no idea where to start for this trip.

i know some airlines have all in one trip planning, but i'm sure that cost extra and all. do i go with a travel agency or do this on my own?

we will be getting a rental car and as of right now, i'll be the only driver (she can't drive manual, yet). we don't want the strict schedule of a tour. we've been debating whether to fly into dublin or shannon and if we want to book a hotel for every night, or just see where we end up at night and find a place then. all we need is a bed and clean sheets. shared bathrooms and lack of ammenities are no problem with us. we've agreed that as long as we can shower every other day, we'll be good!

so, where should i start looking?

 

[marlynnp]

I'd recommend cietours - "go as you please" - you get a rental car and b&b vouchers. You call in the morning for the place you want to stay that night. We went two weeks and only 1 did we have to call our 2nd choice. Also, you can upgrade vouchers to hotels for staying in Dublin.

We flew in and out of Shannon. When we go back we plan on flying into Dublin. Spending a few days - then picking up our car and continuing on and leaving via Shannon. Having a car while in Dublin was a pain.

I did book our flights and the package through my AAA agent.

I made an itinerary based on what we wanted to see and then figured where our stops would be and pre selected a first & second choice of places to stay. You get a large booklet of the b&bs. I liked knowing that we could change our plans from day to day.

 

[rie'smom]

My husband and I went in 2000. We flew into Dublin and drove to Waterford to see the factory. Then we went to Youghal, a town that Elizabeth I gave to Sir Walter Raleigh. The next day we went to Blarney and Cork. After that we went to Bunratty Castle for the night. The next few days we spent in Carlingford and went to DownPatrick in Norther Ireland. Norther Ireland is scary. There were military personnel with automatic weapons all over the place.\
We ended our trip by spending the last 3 days in Dublin.
There we went to St Michans and saw the mummies.
Trinity College
Decorative Arts & History museum
Dublin Castle
Temple Bar
The General Post Office on O'Connell Streetwhich was the scene of the 1916 uprising. There are still marks from the bullets on the columns!
Walked around and shopped
Oh and we went to New Grange to see the Megalithic Passage Tomb.

 

[laurie31]

Go to the discussion forums at tripadvisor.com - they are almost as helpful as DISers

I recommend traveling independently, but ironically I've only been to Ireland with a group tour, so I'm no help there. Except to say it was beautiful and the people were very nice.

 

[AustinTink]

We used EEI travel for our Europe trips. They can be really customized to fits your needs.

http://www.europeexpress.com/

 

[plutotek]

You might also check out Ricksteves.com. He seems to be very good at finding the local, not too expensive, places to stay/eat. We'll be using his guide book for our next trip to Germany/Austria.

 

[rie'smom]

Go to the discussion forums at tripadvisor.com - they are almost as helpful as DISers

I recommend traveling independently, but ironically I've only been to Ireland with a group tour, so I'm no help there. Except to say it was beautiful and the people were very nice.

We traveled independently and loved it! My husband drove.
OP, I studied different Irish sites to find things we wanted to see and then marked them off on a map. Tt was a very easy trip. The Irish people we met were wonderful and friendly.

 

[BKMETV]

There are lots of websites for Guest Houses and B&B...start with the tourismireland site or discoverireland and go from there. I always find them much better than hotels...meet a lot of great people.

 

[nephthys43]

thanks guys... very helpful links!!!

i'm liking the flying into dublin and out of shannon. but i am overwhelmed with the amount of stuff i want to see and the time limit. this is gonna be tough.