Going to Ireland

crfcaio

Hello!

I am a high school student living in Los Angeles, CA. I love Ireland so much and wanna visit it this year (December, to be more specific)!

Since I'll be 18 in November, I'm going to be able to travel alone (Under 18 must go with an adult and stuff).

My questions:

1) Where would be the best place to go to learn more about Ireland and have some fun as a young adult?
2) Is there any (cheap) study abroad program for short period? Or, better, some exchange program for like 10 days or...
3) Would it be better travel alone? If yes, then where do I start (I mean, how do I start to plan my itinerary of places to visit, where to stay, etc...)
4) How much should I plan to save by the end of the year?

I will have approximately 10 days to spend in there... I want to visit it so bad because I wanna know if I want to really live there after college (that's my second plan).

Thank you whoever helps me!

blorg

A guidebook is a good place to start to give you an idea of the highlights and help you plan your trip. Lonely Planet is decent, especially for a young/budget traveller.

For me the best part of Ireland is the countryside, outside the major cities. I’m from Dublin but I wouldn’t suggest you spend too much time there. It has its charms but it not a particularly exceptional city by European standards and there is really nice scenery elsewhere. I would rather concentrate your time on the west coast which is really spectacular. You can fly direct from LA to Dublin; if the flight stops in Shannon that is a good place to get off for the west- although it is a very small country and easy to get about anyway.

To be honest December would not be the ideal time to visit; the weather tends to be bad (although that can happen any time) and more importantly there is very little light; it is not light until after 8am and dark by 5pm. May or September would be far better options, particularly if you want to get into the countryside. In summer you have really great long days, which I really miss in the lower latitudes. Between May and September is the monsoon season, at least in recent years.

If you do go in December, I would avoid Christmas- it gets a bit hectic in the lead-up and the actual day is very much a family occasion with virtually everything closed. Flights around this time are also at their highest as people are coming home from the US.

I would suggest signing up to couchsurfing.com- you can stay with locals and get to meet people while saving on your costs. They will often be able to show you around and you will get a better feel for a place than staying in a hotel or hostel.

Costs- it is a very expensive country. Probably around €50/day minimum, €20/25 on a hostel and the rest on food. Food and drink are very expensive in Ireland; you will save a lot of money if you don’t drink. You’ll also save if you CouchSurf.

BuffyBot

You can fly direct from LA to Dublin;

You can't - that flight was chopped quite a while back

crfcaio

@blorg - Thank you, it was really helpful!
This CouchSurfing.com seems a pretty good website; however, is there something more appropriate to me, since I'm a student?

blorg

I would think Couchsurfing is grand for students; you can choose who you want to get in touch with and contact students/people of similar age to you. Alternately try the university forums here if you want to make a "come and visit me in LA" type exchange. It would be a pity to be stuck in one place though, better to move around a bit, and CS is a community of people who specifically want to host travellers.

Stinicker

BuffyBot wrote: »

You can't - that flight was chopped quite a while back

Indeed Chicago is as far West as Aer Lingus fly now, so the best option would be to connect with Aer Lingus at Chicago or New York through Jetblue or United or fly long haul to London instead.

Also for much of the previous two Decembers Ireland was gripped in unusually cold weather with a few feet of snow in most places at temperatures down to -17c/0F for alot of the month and early January. Meteorologists suggest that this Winter will be the coldest yet, and not being used to it; the country copes badly with transportation chaos and Motorways clogged etc.

milliejones

Hi there - blorg gives some very solid advice! I think March, April, May are the best months in Ireland - look to going to Galway for some student fun - Clare, Kerry, Sligo, Mayo or Donegal for serious craic and a wonderful experience! My tip is to dig deeper when using the web - all the paddywhackery rip-off accommodation/activities come up on the first 5 or so pages - keep digging and you'll come up with something that suits. Oh and don't come alone - no-one will believe your stories otherwise...

candy_pants

crfcaio wrote: »

Hello!

I am a high school student living in Los Angeles, CA. I love Ireland so much and wanna visit it this year (December, to be more specific)!

Since I'll be 18 in November, I'm going to be able to travel alone (Under 18 must go with an adult and stuff).

My questions:

1) Where would be the best place to go to learn more about Ireland and have some fun as a young adult?
2) Is there any (cheap) study abroad program for short period? Or, better, some exchange program for like 10 days or...
3) Would it be better travel alone? If yes, then where do I start (I mean, how do I start to plan my itinerary of places to visit, where to stay, etc...)
4) How much should I plan to save by the end of the year?

I will have approximately 10 days to spend in there... I want to visit it so bad because I wanna know if I want to really live there after college (that's my second plan).

Thank you whoever helps me!

1. I would imagine anywhere in Ireland is grand for student age, Dublin obviously, Galway is a great student town, Cork, and as a child of a Kerry man - all of Kerry is an absolute must see. Donegal too is more chilled than those places but definitely worth a visit.

2. For this, as someone suggested the University forums would be worth a try asking but would your school have any affiliation with University's here? You could try contacting colleges directly (UCD, NUIG, Trinity, UL, etc) and even ask your school to contact for you?

3. I suppose that's up to you. I've travelled alone and in groups - both have their benefits and I like the freedom of being alone but it is much lonelier than with a group of people! Plus, I would personally be concerned about safety while travelling alone. You're also quite young so you need to think about that. If all your activities will take place during the day, this probably isn't an issue but should you want to experience Irish nightlife you need to think about how you'll feel walking into a pub or nightclub alone. I'm sure you'll pick up friends along the way, even other travellers, but just make sure you think through stuff like that. I don't want to discourage you though!

4. This I'm not sure about. It's always possible to do things on a budget so I'm sure you can put together a plan based on what you will have to spend. And I would say 10 days is a fair amount of time. Remember, Ireland is very small and it normally wouldn't take more than 2/3 hours to get anywhere in the country from most starting points. In 10 days, I think you would definitely cover all the major spots that shouldn't be missed and might get an opportunity to delve deeper in some parts of the country.

In terms of where you should go and see, a guidebook is definitely a good starting point. Just do your research. It sounds like it'll be a few months before you plan to get here so that's plenty of time. Read guidebooks, go online, visit sites like Tripadvisor for accommodation and recommendations. Just read, read, read and note anywhere that's of interest to you. Dublin is a good and logical starting point and then map out where you want and go from there. A circular route would be a good idea if you're flying in and out of Dublin and it'll mean you make most of your time.

I can DM you a very brief itinerary and list of ideas I put together for someone else who was visiting, it is by no means exhaustive! But might give you some ideas anyway.

Good luck and have a good time when you do get here!

candy_pants

Just as a PS, this literally arrived in my email inbox this minute. Now, it's clearly part of a marketing campaign BUT it looks like it might be of some use.

http://www.wherethemoodtakesme.com/

candy_pants

This is my last word on it I promise! But decent write up from CNN about things NOT to do in Dublin:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/06/10/dont.do.in.dublin.matador/index.html?iref=allsearch

crfcaio

I just would like to thank everyone for contributing!
I am definitely going to visit Ireland after all this help I've got from you, guys (:

Thanks everyone, again!

Xxsparkyxx

If you want to really experience Ireland you need to forget about going to cork,Dublin, all the major cities etc...the cultural capital of Ireland has to be Galway in the west.the west is the most Irish part of ireland.you will find all the traditional pubs there.if your interested in the Irish language all the gaeltachts are in the west!personally my favorite is a place called Connemara in galway.a trip out to the Aran islands is always a must. Inishmore is the biggest of the islands. You can get a boat to the island for a daytrip (25 euro) it leaves at 10 in the morning and departs inishmore at 5. You can rent a bike for 10 euro on
The island and cycle for miles. All the greatest aspects of medieval Ireland such as the fort of dun aengus are on inishmore:) galways a city with a brilliant night life!but to get the most out of your trip you would want to come in the summer months!!for the last 2 years we have had absolutely TERRIBLE winters.transport literally grinds to a halt.ice on the roads dublin was snowed under and people were stuck in there homes for long periods of time all across ireland.(we are not a country that is able to deal with this kind of weather)and this year will be no different....if you do come in December it might restrict your movement somewhat.The cost of living is pretty high here so prepare to have lots of spending money.if your interested in site seeing and want to travel around id advise you stay in a hostel(they are quite cheap:)) if you do want to move around the country travel isn't too expensive well the bus isn't.the train can be quite pricey.also during the summer months in Galway there are plenty cultural festivals...in fact in summer 2012 the Volvo ocean race is coming to galway again. This always attracts huuuge crowds and the Craic is brilliant:) finally...we may be economically screwed over here...but Ireland is a beautiful country(quite a few negative people though)ha but Ul find the majority of us aren't like that!!if ur comfortable travelling alone that's fine!but it's ur first time here so I'd recommend bringing someone with u! and on
The final note the cliffs of moher in county Clare is defo worth a visit for any tourist:)

damonsalvatore

Firrst of all, start your planning by asking any of your friend or elder brother or sister or their friends or some uncles and aunties who already had been to ireland because in this way you will exactly find out where to go, how to live and everything else, it will make your planning much more simpler. if you are planning to take your education from their, just try to get accepted at either University college of Dublin or Trinity college Dublin. They are the biggest educational institutions of the Ireland. So, start planning and have a great trip. Places you must visit.
1. Dublin
2. RDS
3. The Aviva Stadium
4. cork
5. limerick
these are mainly counties but go further in them you will find many interstinf things.

MissMoppet

damonsalvatore wrote: »

Places you must visit.
2. RDS
3. The Aviva Stadium
5. limerick

o.O Ah why??? lol

damonsalvatore

Miss Mopet, you are from galway and if you have never been toRDS, The aviva stadium or Limerick, then allow me to go in further detail. RDS has a very old history and it has RDS arena, simmonscourt and main hall. The aviva stadium is a very beautiful stadium, many matches are being organized over here. In limerick, you can pay a visit to The Hunt Museum, The Belltable Arts Centre, King John's castle and river shannon. These all are very beautiful spots one must see in ireland. You should also visit once.

blorg

None of those would be on my top 5 to be honest! And yes, I have been to all, albeit No 3 when it was Landsdowne Road, very often, including playing there (badly, and not on the main pitch!)

LizT

Would not recommend the RDS or the aviva, a bit out of the way and really not all that interesting for a tourist.

Lab_Mouse

damonsalvatore wrote: »

Firrst of all, start your planning by asking any of your friend or elder brother or sister or their friends or some uncles and aunties who already had been to ireland because in this way you will exactly find out where to go, how to live and everything else, it will make your planning much more simpler. if you are planning to take your education from their, just try to get accepted at either University college of Dublin or Trinity college Dublin. They are the biggest educational institutions of the Ireland. So, start planning and have a great trip. Places you must visit.
1. Dublin
2. RDS
3. The Aviva Stadium
4. cork
5. limerick
these are mainly counties but go further in them you will find many interstinf things.

are you on crystal meth or something?
rds and the aviva?:eek: