Ireland is a place I’ve always wanted to visit. Partly because I have always been told that I have an Irish heritage – along with half of America! (More about that later . . . )
For me, one of the best parts of a trip is the planning stage. I’m a “learner” by nature and this gives me an excuse to research and learn about somewhere new. Books, guides, blogs and various travel websites all provide great fodder for research. This trip began by learning about the weather and the best time to visit Ireland – May through September with August being an optimal time to go. With our summer travel schedule, we couldn’t do August, but we also didn’t want to be there during the high season for tourists. We opted for May – the weather would be fair and the tourist levels would be low.
The next step – what specific dates? As time has passed, we’ve taken longer and longer trips to Europe. Thankfully, we are in a position to take a couple of weeks off work and have 10 or 11 days in the locale. The couple we travel with is retired so they are fairly flexible. We settled on two weeks starting mid-May. We got together and booked our tickets so we were on the same flights and the trip is now set.
On to the specific itinerary. On planning an itinerary, I can get very obsessive. I read books, blogs, and various sites to learn about the country. In this particular case, a friend that has visited Ireland several times told me to read the book Ireland by Frank Delaney.
Oh my! This book is wonderful and will really inspire your trip to Ireland. As my friend said, it provides a context to so many things that make Ireland so amazing.
The other part of planning has been talking to friends that have travelled there before. Since we only have so much time, it’s important to me to see the things I want and not waste time on tourist traps. So, what’s the itinerary? See my next post!