{"id":103,"date":"2015-11-18T13:59:36","date_gmt":"2015-11-18T13:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/?p=103"},"modified":"2016-02-20T19:25:29","modified_gmt":"2016-02-20T19:25:29","slug":"the-next-big-trip-ireland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/18\/the-next-big-trip-ireland\/","title":{"rendered":"The Next Big Trip: Ireland!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ireland is a place I’ve always wanted to visit. \u00a0Partly because I have always been told that I have an Irish heritage – along with half of America! \u00a0(More about that later . . . )<\/p>\n

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For me, one of the best parts of a trip is the planning stage. \u00a0I’m a “learner” by nature and this gives me an excuse to research and learn about somewhere new. \u00a0Books, guides, blogs and various travel websites all provide great fodder for research. \u00a0This 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. \u00a0With our summer travel schedule, we couldn’t do August, but we also didn’t want to be there during the high season for tourists. \u00a0We opted for May – the weather would be fair and the tourist levels would be low. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The next step – what specific dates? \u00a0As time has passed, we’ve taken longer and longer trips to Europe. \u00a0Thankfully, we are in a position to take a couple of weeks off work and have 10 or 11 days in the locale.\u00a0The couple we travel with is retired so they are fairly flexible. \u00a0We settled on two weeks starting mid-May. \u00a0We got together and booked our tickets so we were on the same flights and the trip is now set.<\/p>\n

On to the specific itinerary. \u00a0On planning an itinerary, I can get very obsessive. \u00a0I read books, blogs, and various sites to learn about the country. \u00a0In this particular case, a friend that has visited Ireland several times told me to read the book\u00a0Ireland\u00a0<\/em>by Frank Delaney<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Oh my! This book is wonderful and will really inspire your trip to Ireland. \u00a0As my friend said, it provides a context to so many things that make Ireland so amazing.<\/p>\n

The other part of planning has been talking to friends that have travelled there before. \u00a0Since we only have so much time, it’s important to me to see the things I want and not waste time on tourist traps. \u00a0So, what’s the itinerary? \u00a0See my next post!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ireland is a place I’ve always wanted to visit. \u00a0Partly because I have always been told that I have an Irish heritage – along with half of America! \u00a0(More about that later . . . ) For me, one of the best parts of a trip is the planning stage. \u00a0I’m a “learner” by nature […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[45,22,12,27,20],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hz1R-1F","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":181,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/04\/18\/181\/","url_meta":{"origin":103,"position":0},"title":"The Journey is the Reward","date":"April 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"For some travelers, planning a trip is almost as enjoyable as the trip itself. It generates excitement and wonder. Nothing else can compare to this kind of freedom of exploration. Recently, we met with the couple we are traveling with to Ireland to plan our itinerary. With our plane tickets\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADVENTURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/20150502_Brandy_40_088-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":272,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2017\/03\/21\/ireland-redux-part-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":103,"position":1},"title":"Ireland Redux, Part One","date":"March 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 A friend of mine recently told me that when you get older you have two birthdays. This point comes to mind as I turn back to writing on my blog. This particular post started off as a redux of our \u201crecent\u201d trip to Ireland that we took in May\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADVENTURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/DSCF0384-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":234,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/10\/31\/how-flexible-are-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":103,"position":2},"title":"How Flexible Are You?","date":"October 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s hard for me to believe that our Prague - Vienna trip is over. (It\u2019s equally hard for me to believe it has taken me over two weeks to finish this post!!) 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In every major city you can make a list the length of your arm of sites to visit and things to do, which is practically impossible due to the length of time most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADVENTURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_3376-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":88,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/21\/so-you-wanna-go-to-the-south-of-france\/","url_meta":{"origin":103,"position":5},"title":"So you wanna go to the South of France . . .","date":"September 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to visit the South of France - in particular, the regions of Provence and the French Riviera. \u00a0It evokes so many images\u00a0- fields of lavender, the Mediterranean sea, and stone pathways through ancient cities lined with bougainvillea. 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