April 7, 2003--April typically heralds showers, flowers and airfares to Europe going through the roof. So we were thrilled to see Aer Lingus' "A Thousand Welcomes" promotion, good from now through an extended May 15 deadline.
Start with some truly low fares. Flights range from a shocking $299 plus tax for April and May travel from BWI, Boston and New York to $608 for July and August travel from Los Angeles. All prices are for midweek travel, and all flights go to Shannon in the west of Ireland--a greener and more traditionally "Irish" place than cosmopolitan Dublin. Go to www.aerlingus.com and click on the "Thousand Welcomes" logo in the lower right hand corner of the page for full details. We checked in their booking system and yes, the fares are there and available. (The writer of this column is going to Amsterdam in May, otherwise I'd have booked a trip to Ireland myself.)
But wait, it gets better. Much better. Three tour operators, Brian Moore International Tours, Brendan Tours and Sceptre are offering combination air and hotel packages to either the west of Ireland or Dublin starting at $499 plus tax. We found it hard to actually get those low prices--an attempt to buy a $699 air/hotel/car rental package from Sceptre's website (www.sceptretours.com) turned into $1000 (additional costs included airport taxes and security fees, the collision damage waiver on the rental car and trip insurance)--but they're worth a shot. You can find Brian Moore online at www.bmit.com and Brendan at www.brendantours.com. You might also consider CIE Tours International at www.cietours.com.
As if those offers weren't enough, Aer Lingus has also lined up more than 400 other discounts across the country for people flying on their special fares. The hotel discounts aren't all that terrific--many are just a guaranteed early arrival or a free cup of coffee--but there's a lot of 10 percent here, 10 percent there discounts at things like tourist office gift shops and organized tours around attractions. These minor discounts won't make or break your trip, but they may add up to your being able to pick up an extra bottle of Bailey's in the duty-free on the way home.
If you're looking for a foreign trip where you don't have to worry about war, disease and all of the other stresses of life in 2003, it's hard to do better than Ireland. (Maybe Iceland's about as good.) Traditionally neutral, the Irish seem to be trying to remain friends to all. They're not terrorist targets, and don't have direct flights to Asia. So go, bring a notepad, and start ticking off welcomes; we think it'll take you a few days to get to a thousand, but you just might make it.
