I decided to take a moment and finish a post I had been working on for a while. To be honest, I struggled with how to compile this post. However, today is a travel day, and the concept finally came together. Travel days are a great time to catch up on things like this post. These are tips and references that made my travels in Ireland so enjoyable. Perhaps some of you will find usefulness for traveling to Ireland or abroad to other countries. Some of these tips are transferrable. I took the approach of sharing things that are not readily available or widely known on the internet. Hope it helps!
Transportation - Public
Getting around Ireland is safe, easy, and can be inexpensive if you opt to use the public transportation system. The public transportation network is extensive in Ireland. I relied on Rome2Rio to help me plan my trips and daily excursions. It is available as a website or phone app. This resource allows me to enter any two cities in the world (see below). Once I hit search, I am presented with a list of transportation types (e.g., bus, train, taxi, airplane, etc.), schedules, and fares. By clicking on the See Schedules link, I can access the details of each route. I get the itinerary and the estimated cost of that specific trip for that particular form of transport. I use it as my coarse filter, as you can not book tickets directly through the app. I use it to find which specific vendor's website I need to visit to purchase tickets. In most situations, Rome2Rion estimates fare prices a little high. I have yet to pay more than the displayed price on the results page. It lists all possible types of transportation and the results. So if I only see the word Taxi, this lets me know that no other types of transport are available.
Bus and train fares in Ireland are general admission without time-specific stamps. This is wonderful as it gave me complete flexibility to hop on to the bus or train, as it suited my schedule. It even allowed me to board another train if I missed the original train I was planning on taking. This is a great way to travel and a perk of the Ireland system. It also gave me peace of mind not worrying about missing a scheduled time for my return bus or train. Some routes do stop operating after a specific time, so I always checked when those were. A "Single" is a one-way fare. Most buses are cash only and paid directly to the driver. My most expensive fare was 6-7 pounds on Translink.
Helpful links:
Transport for Ireland - Local Link, Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus (Bus only) great place to start for buses in the Republic of Ireland
Translink - United Kingdom (Bus and Train); Website is excellent. The phone app is worthless. Buy tickets at the train station or on buses.
Transportation - Car Hire (Rental Car)
Renting a car in Ireland is a great way to see the island. You must, however, feel comfortable operating a standard transmission. Automatic transmissions are rare on the island, and you will pay a premium if you find one. I recommend renting a small car. Some roads are only wide enough for one car. I was glad to have a small car as they are more maneuverable in these situations, making me feel more comfortable on narrow roads. Drivers are very courteous and will work with you to navigate around these encounters.
Driving on the wrong side of the road is relatively easy to adapt to. I had no issues, and neither will you; as long as you remember, traffic will come from the right. So look right first, then left, then right again. Of course, the car on the right will hit you first if you don't. Hopefully not-haha!
I found Irish drivers to be patient and friendly on the road. I drove much slower than they did, especially on more minor roads. Part of this was I was enjoying the scenery, and the other was me being cautious on narrow streets. Pay attention to road markings. First, a white stripe (not yellow) divides traffic. Yellow lines are used on the shoulders instead of white, like in North America. Wider roads will have all road markings. As the road narrows, you will notice shoulder stripes disappear, then center stripes. I used this as a reminder to slow down, as I will likely encounter oncoming traffic. In larger cities, you will see traffic lights. These are easy to navigate, and most right-hand turns on busy streets are protected by a signal. The light sequence is Red, Orange, and Green. You will see the Orange light right before the Green signal, letting you know the traffic signal will turn Green. Unlike in North America, where the Yellow light comes after the Green one, warning you of an upcoming Red light. I find this sequence much more intuitive and cuts down on the running of red lights. Outside of big cities, Ireland exclusively uses roundabouts to manage traffic. Don't treat these as traffic stops; there is nothing more irritating than the foreigner that comes to a complete stop at a roundabout when it is clear to proceed!
Gas is expensive! It cost me $68 to fill up a Vauxhall Corsa with a little over 8 gallons of gas. This includes the exchange rate too. This is the biggest downside of renting a car. Gas is and always has been more expensive in Europe.
Some rental companies might charge you an additional fee if you plan to cross the Irish-UK border in or out of Northern Ireland. But, overall, I enjoyed it and was surprised I enjoyed the experience so much. The last tip, use a credit card that covers liability insurance so you can decline the added coverage. This will save you the extra $20-25 per day for insurance.
Cell Phone and Data Plans
The first thing I realized once I left the US is how we are getting screwed on cell phone data and voice plans. Although you can add international coverage to most North American cell phone plans, this is extremely expensive. You pay a premium for convenience. This is usually $8-15 per day in addition to your primary plan. Due to the expense, I had to find a less expensive alternative.
Accordingly, I recommend using a different option if you plan to spend more than 2-3 days abroad. Buy a local SIM card with a local number. I purchased a SIM card from Vodaphone, a local cell phone company, in Letterkenny once I arrived. The SIM card, which I inserted into my phone by removing the Reach mobile SIM card, gave me a local Irish Number and 10 GB of data for 28 days. All this for 20 euros and at a fraction of the cost. Every 28 days, I can "Top Up" and renew each month. Like most European cell phone carriers, Vodaphone has free data-roaming across Europe. Vodaphone is my recommendation for Ireland and is what I rely on while in France.
Most of the time, I am connected to WiFi, so my phone doesn't use data. However, a local data plan allows me to use all my navigation and communication apps when I'm not connected to WiFi.
How do I call home or check texts? First, I connect my phone to WiFi, usually at the end of the day when I am back home for the night. Then I swap my SIM cards and reinstall Reach Mobile. My phone settings allow WiFi calling. Make sure to turn this on. So as long as I am connected to WiFi, I can call anyone in my contact list via WiFi. No fees. No weird international dialing processes. Simply dial and connect. Essentially I use my phone as a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Phone) unit with WiFi calling. I also check my texts daily.
I experimented with Airolo, an eSIM card, while in the UK. eSIM or embedded SIM allowed me to add a second data plan without visiting a local store. This worked well. I chose this option because I noticed that Vodaphone coverage was spotty in the UK, and I already had a local number via Vodaphone. It may not be a good option if you want to make local calls and have a data-only plan. The setup was straightforward. I installed Airolo app on my phone and purchased an eSIM card for the UK. This allowed me to toggle between two data plans as needed. I can buy a country-specific Airolo subscription for most countries, but it is strictly a data plan. When paired with Vodaphone, I had the best of both worlds. Unlimited local voice and text, plus data. eSIM cards tend to only work with newer phones that allow two sim cards (i.e., one physical and one embedded) to be installed. I am currently using an iPhone 13 Pro.
Helpful Links:
Travel Tom Tom searches their website for recommendations on the best SIM cards for the country you plan to travel to.
Airolo eSIM Cards travel TomTom also recommends this service.
Megalithic Ancient Sites
Ireland is full of great Ancient sites. One of the best resources I found for visiting these sites is Megalithic Ireland The site identifies every location within each county and provides directions. Unfortunately, some photos are dated, but it is still a great resource. The other great resource is Sacred Ireland which Pamela shared with me. It is, however, out of print.
The Wild Atlantic Way
Accommodations
I prefer to stay in Airbnb, Bed and Breakfasts, or places offered through Booking.com. I enjoy staying in a private room, studio apartment, or small house over staying in a traditional hotel room. The rates are usually much cheaper, more intimate, and generally quieter, too, in my experience. It is also great for meeting people and getting excellent travel tips. This is not unique to Ireland; this has been part of my travel approach for many years. I want you to know it works equally as well here in Ireland. My experience in Ireland was that traditional Bed and Breakfast often used Booking.com, while Airbnb offered more options for me as a solo traveler.
Showers
Showers in Ireland are an experience all to themselves. I encountered no less than five different systems for showers depending on the town or place I was staying. Below is information on the three or four of the most common types. Each operates slightly differently. In hindsight, I should have taken pictures of every kind for reference. I didn't realize there would be so many types.
Mixer types are the most like showers in the US and Canada. The controls are simple, turn the shower on with the right knob, then adjust the temperature on the left.
Next was electric shower controllers. These are located in the shower. Don't worry, you won’t get electrocuted. The first step is to turn on the power (bottom button), and the shower head will start spraying. Then adjust the temperature with the middle knob. The third knob is a power setting that is usually set based on water pressure and the incoming temperature of the water in the house. I never felt the need to adjust the power button.
Bring your own shower gel and shampoo too. Most places in Ireland do not provide them, nor do they provide facecloths.
Irish Time Schedule
During the summer months, daylight is long in Ireland. For example, in June, the sun rises around 430 am and sets some time after 11 pm. So don't arrive here expecting people to operate like they do in North America. I enjoyed the Irish schedule and found it relaxing not to start my day when the sun rises.
Breakfast - Most Irish do not get moving or start their day before 9 am. You may find larger cities like Dublin have a few morning breakfast places open before then. Generally, it's tough to find anything to eat before 9.
Dinner - Most restaurants close no later than 9 pm, even though it stays light until after 11 pm.
Hiking and Camping
Wild camping is not permitted without landowner permission in Ireland. Generally, I found people to be very supportive. Nevertheless, there are several great resources for approved campgrounds in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Pitchup is a good resource that allows you to find both tent sites and camper locations.
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