Self-drive(gas$) vs CIE tour ?

irishjack · Member

Self-drive(gas$) vs CIE tour ?

CowboyCraic · Guru

Good Morning Jack,

Welcome to the Forum.

First off, April & May are a great time to visit. It is off-season so the crowds won't be as intrusive. The flora & fauna are usually starting to blossom and bloom. The sheep paddocks will be like romper room for the lambkins. Michele has aweather chart on her Ireland Guide page, which will give you an idea of weather & temps. However, it is Ireland and weather is subject to change without notice. biggrin

In most cases, you would be better off to book the different aspects of your trip on your own. Most tour packages involve B&B vouchers. These vouchers are not necessary in the off season. They are usually more hassle than they are worth.

Are you planning on a week for each, Ireland & England? If that is the case, then you need to figure out exactly what it is that you want to see. In a week's time, you could possibly do two to three towns, given your stated intention of interacting with the locals. For example, if you flew into Shannon, you might stay 3 nights in Dingle, 2 nights in Galway & two night sin Dublin before catching a plane or ferry to England. If you flew into Dublin, you might stay 1 night in Kilkenny, 2 nights in Kinsale, 2 nights in Killarney and back to Dublin for two nights. Though she looks small, it takes more time than you might think to get from point A to point B.

There are several Castles attributed to the O'Connors. There is the Hen Castle in Clonbur, Co. Galway, which is set in Lake Corrib. There is Carrigafoyle Castle in Ballylongford, Co. Kerry, which you mentioned, situated on the Dingle Peninsula. There is Ballintober Castle, considered to be the Chief seat of the O'Connors (O'Conor), located in Co. Roscommon.

As for Senior Discounts, Look for those that offer discounts for Old Age Pensioners (OAP).always ask for a discount, even when not posted. You might considered ordering Michele's book, as it is highly recommended as an astute guide by all who have purchased and used it.

Let us know if you need any other help.

Slan Beo, Bit

irishjack · Member

Bit,
WHERE is Vail AZ?? WE live in Phoenix !! Another cowgirl here (Jan) from the East Coast who as a little child KNEW she had to move out West and be a cowgirl. Couldn't afford the ranch or a horse but we do camp and have taken an overnight trail ride in the Mogollon Mountains a few years back.
Thanks for the speedy reply, you have us rethinking that perhaps we CAN plan a B&b trip on our own. But to calculate FINAL BUDGET $, how can we factor in the cost of gas? Do you know what the CURRENT price of gas is now? Of course we'd have to factor in an increase for next year. Then to calculate the cost of food.We understand that we'd have a full, hearty breakfast at B7B's. If that's so, then we would be fine with smaller pub meals and an occcasional meal at a special place that could be recommended. We DO want to meet locals and feel as Irish as we can! Not so much interested in N. Ireland to save $ & time. But looking at so many brochures we have an IDEA of what we would like to see. A 2008 CIE brochure including air (from East Coast) states $ 1255. for a automatic Nissan Primera through Hertz for 6/1-6/30 & 9/1-9/30 for 6 nights as an example. OR,

GO-AS-YOU-PLEASE Self Drive, SAME CAR, March 1-April 30 for $87. and $116.6/1&9/1
Sorry Bit, another $, our anniversary is in September. What is the difference between going in June or October? We considered April to save & stretch our $.
Yes we would like to see Britain as well, with some time for London which we KNOW is SO expensive! Have you or Michele been there? Is it possible to do B&B"s in England with an `inexpensive' ! package in London?

We can do longer than 2 weeks,some of the combined CIE tours add up to 20 days and are priced attractively. So we need to see what we can do ourselves for the same time and &. $$. BUT Jack is not so keen on buses for 2 weeks!

Bit, I cannot tell you how pleased I was to get your email. I sincerely hope I didn't drive you away with our problems and ??. You seem to be an EXCELLENT resource and we will appreciate ANY help you can offer.

Sincerely,
Jan

CowboyCraic · Guru

Jan & Jack,

The biggest expense is going to be airfare, as the cost of flying from Phoenix is more than if you flew out of one of the hubs. Book as early as you can and sign up with a few airlline's newsletter emails. That way you will be notified of any upcoming fares.

It is easier than you might think to plan your own trip. You save money by not paying commissions to a travel agent. We will help you out here on the forum, as well. I would definitely chose June over October for a few reasons:

everything is blooming in June
the daylights hours are much longer
The weather "should" be better

If you book a rental car through Kemwel, link here on Michele's site, you have the benefit of paying it off before you leave. I habitually rent from their sister site, autoeurope, pay half down when I rent and make payments throughout the months before I go.

With a budget of approx $8K for the two weeks, you should be fine. The gas will not be as much of an ordeal as you might think, as the cars are smaller and most run on diesel. The current average fuel price can be found on this site, which a friend just sent me. Remember that the price shown is per litre and 1 US gallon = 3.8 litres.

England will definitely up the cost. London is expensive no matter how you look at it. I did a two week England/Scotland trip with my boys two years ago and it ran me, at that time, $1400 for the rental car, $1600 for the lodgings, Another $1200 for food and around $500 for fuel. Adding on the extra money spent on snacks, tourist attractions, a morning of falconry for one son and souveniers and I think we came close to $5500 for the two weeks we were there.

Vail is just east of Tucson. If you are familiar with Colossal Cave, that is in Vail. We are quickly being swallowed up by Tucson and fighting to incorporate before it is too late.

If I can help you in any way, you can always find me via kowboykraic@aol.com, as well as here on the boards. Michele has been nice enough to create such a lovely environment for all of us to help each other. I just want to make sure you have th ebest trip possible. I know that is the goal of everyone here.

Slan Beo (Take Care), Bit

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jan,

Isn't Bit just the most helpful person? biggrin

Her info is excellent. I don't know why your travel agent is pressuring you to book by the end of this month for travel almost a year from now? Perhaps she needs a nice big commission so she can pay for her own vacation? wink

I think you need to ask your agent some hard questions.

If you do decide to go with CIE Tours and book an organized tour I know where you can get yourself a 5% discount off land prices. Also, this year CIE gave a lot of discounts to attract tourists to Ireland. Certain tours qualify for an over 55 discount.

I think you just need to take a deep breath, relax and start some research. You have plenty of time for making your plans.

I was just at Carrigafoyle Castle in May. It is a ruin with a big hole in it in a beautiful setting.

Michele

meredith · Veteran Member

Jan & Jack

My husband and I are spending a month in Ireland in September. Apart from getting our travel agent to organize our flights and car hire, we have planned the trip ourselves. Bit's right, it's easier than you think, especially with the help you get on this forum. I came across it accidentally when doing initial research for our holiday and have received a lot of very helpful advice with regards to accommodation, things to see etc. I ordered Michele's book and have referred to it extensively. We have a mix of B and B, self catering and hotel, B and B is definitely the most economical way to go. Work out a rough itinerary, and post it here, and I can assure you that, like me, you will get great suggestions for your trip!
Enjoy the planning and don't get obsessed (as I did) with trying to do as much as possible.
Even with a month there, there is still a lot we won't be getting to see.

Meredith