Helpful Travel Tips for Ireland

~Heritage Card IS worth the purchase. Man of the cultural, historical sights discount Card holders. If you are a student, even better.

~OFF SEASON is truly wonderful. B and B’s are easy to call ahead to, touring is less crowded.

~Talk to everyone! Travelers are so friendly and the better the listener you are, the more they will say. Wherever you go, whatever country you visit, we humans are all the same. We want to be heard, received and appreciated.

~It takes about 2 days to get your ‘sea legs’ and to recover from jetlag. Drink plenty of water, take AIRBORNE (purchase at Trader Joes), get rest and gooo slooowww.

DRIVING:
~Expect to get lost if you are driving! Have a driver and a navigator and factor in lost-time in your day.

~Roads are VERY narrow and people in Ireland don’t seem to notice that! But it helps for you to.

~Hollywood Lights? There are none! Many times the road sign would be the name of the next village AND the turn off. Stay alert or you may miss the turnoff.

~Stay off the beaten path as much as you can. Tourist sights are great but the sense of adventure will take you far.

FOOD:
~Buy lunch fixings at a grocery store. Saves time and money. Eat your morning meal at the B and B, pack your lunch and then eat dinner at a pub.

~Press your coffee grounds… Most B and B’s have a press type coffee pot. Press those grounds or they end up in your cup!

~Bring a tea mug from home and some tea bags you like. The B and B’s will give you the hottest water for your journey!

THINGS TO BUY:
~Linens are exquisite in Ireland. As well as wool cable knit sweaters.

CLOTHING SUGGESTIONS:
~1 pair of good solid walking shoes, I pair of Birkenstocks for mornings at the B and B. Also a comfy track suit to wear to breakfast daily is spiffy.

~Long sleeved coolmax type shirt and even silk long underwear was a Godsend. It gets cold at night and also some of the B and B’s are not that insulated.

~A light windbreaker with layers for warmth.

~Scarf for the ladies to dress up an outfit.

THINGS TO BRING:
~Bring postcards with your name address label already affixed. This especially worked well for us in the marathon as we spread the ‘Disney love’ to all the children. It works well to give travelers your home town card with address to get a new pen pal.

~Bring your sense of humor and your open mind. A sense of wonder doesn’t hurt either!

~When I go again I will bring 1 carry on roller-type small suitcase and one traveler’s backpack. And maybe a camera bag. Pack light, you will be schlepping it everywhere you go!

~An airplane pillow. I used it for the plane rides and in the car for my back. Worked like a charm!

~Eyeglasses holder for those of us who need reading glasses. It saves you taking them off and putting them on for map reading, historical sights- lettering etc. Extra pair of readers for night time too.

AND…….just for your information:

~Toilets = bathrooms
~Take away = take out food
~Self-catering = apartments available to rent instead of B and B
~Baggage reclaim = Baggage claim
~Still water = Drinking water
~Bubbly water = carbonated water
~Camden Court Hotel was recommended to us in Dublin. Near Trinity College
~Most of the homes have skylights for ‘sun’light and beautiful lace linen curtains.