Planning a Trip

Chances are you've been looking forward to your trip to Ireland for some time. You've probably set aside a significant amount of hard-earned cash, taken time off from work, school, or other commitments, and now want to make the most of your holiday. To accomplish that, you'll need to plan carefully.

The aim of this chapter is to provide you with the information you need, and to answer any questions you might have on lots of topics, including: When to go? How to get there? Should you book a tour or travel independently? What should you pack? How much will it cost? You'll find all the necessary resources, along with addresses, phone numbers, and websites here.

Planning a Trip Online

The Irish tourism authority has an excellent online hotel booking service known as "Gulliver" (www.gulliver.ie), which includes hundreds of fully vetted hotels, B&Bs, and guesthouses in many price categories in the Republic and in Ulster. Because it's run by the tourism office, it offers both good prices and peace of mind.

The 21-st Century Traveler

Internet Access Away from Home -- To find cybercafes in your destination, check www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com. Areas around universities (in Dublin, Belfast, Galway, and Athlone, for example) are rich hunting grounds for Internet cafes.

Cellphone Use -- There's a Vodafone shop in Dublin airport where you can purchase an Irish SIM card for your own phone -- this allows you to pay in-country rather than international rates for calls you receive while you're there. They also rent and sell mobile phones.

Buying a phone can be economically attractive, as many nations have cheap prepaid phone systems. Once you arrive at your destination, stop by a local cellphone shop and get the cheapest package; you'll probably pay less than $100 for a phone and a starter calling card. Local calls may be as low as 10¢ per minute, and in Ireland incoming calls are free.