10 days of solo traveling via rental car

stephATX · Member

10 days of solo traveling via rental car

stewh · Guru

Hello Stephanie, You couldn't pick a better destination than Ireland, in my humble opinion. Your idea of winging it with accommodations is good but you should be prepared. You need a good B&B guide or hotel guide depending on your plans. You can order a comprehensive B&B guide from B&B Ireland for 10 Euros. What you really should do is get that guide free from Tourism Ireland as well as a Hotel Guide and spend the money on Michele's book. You will not go wrong with her recommendations. You don't want to spend your time looking for a room each night. Ireland, unlike North America does not have a lot of reliable, predictable 'Motor Inns' for the casual traveler. Have a great trip.
Stewart

Michele Erdvig · Host

Stephanie,

Welcome to my forum. Stewart has started you off with some good info. The B&B book he mentions can be had free if you call Tourism Ireland. Go to my "Getting Started" page for the toll-free phone number, etc. They will also send you a free info pack, map and info about hiking and biking.

Mid-Sept is the cutoff point for shoulder season in Ireland. The beginning of the month can still be pretty busy. Generally, you will always find someplace to stay and if in need can pop into any local tourist office and they will find you lodgings for a small fee. In some areas there will be festivals going on and finding a place could be difficult. But you can always go on to the next town. Also weekends can be a problem in very popular destinations especially since Irish weddings are generally held on weekends.

As a solo woman I think you would enjoy the homey atmosphere at Irish B&Bs. I guess my best advice for finding them on the wing is don't wait till dusk. Plan on getting your lodgings by 4 or 5 in the afternoon. If you find a B&B you really like ask them for a recommendation in the direction you are traveling. Most will recommend comparable places to stay. And as Stewart suggested, my book will definitely be your best friend in Ireland. wink

Let us know if we can help in any other way.

Michele

Andi · Senior Member

One thing I've done is use one of the suggested booklets to book ahead by phone earlier in the day. That way you have an assured placed, with maximum flexibility and don't need to arrive at your destination early. You can get a phone card in Ireland. IN 3 trips to Ireland I've never had a really bad B&B experience. Accommodations have always been adequate or better, and the large majority of hosts friendly.

stephATX · Member

Thanks everyone for the help! I've ordered Michele's book and will look into the getting the B&B Guide also.

tony2phones · Guru

You could give some flexibility by flying into Dublin and out of Shannon. If you do get across the Conamara then Clifden arts week runs 16-26th and the town will be busy so any accomodation there will need pre booking.

stephATX · Member

Hi Michele

I called the toll free number on your Getting Started page and was told the free travel kit was only free for people over the age of 66. The man also wanted my passport number and a lot of other information that seemed excessive just to send me travel information. Wanted to let you know in case you want to follow up on that yourself.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Stephanie,

I just called the toll-free number for Tourism Ireland and ordered some free stuff myself. I think that the person you spoke with misunderstood your request. They have been dealing with many, many requests for the free train travel for those over 66. It is possible that when he heard the word "free" he went into free train travel mode. Instead ask for info to be sent to you:

Vacation planner
B&B book
Hotel book
(They are currently out of maps but try again in a few weeks. There is a basic map in the back of the vacation planner)
(They are out of cycling brochures.)
Hiking brochures
Brochures about anything else of interest to you

Give it another try.

Michele