First time traveller!!! HELP!?

Question

Im 20 a year old female and will (hopefully) making my first trip overseas at the end of the year. Im from Australia and I'll be going to Ireland and most likely going by myself, well at this stage anyway.

Im just wondering if any experienced travellers can give me some tips. What do I need to organise before I leave? How do you go about getting everything done? Is there anything else I should know?

Also, has anyone here ever travelled to Ireland before? I'd like to go for at least 3 weeks. I'd spend a week in Dublin. Can anyone tell me what there is to do there? I would then like to spend the next fortnight just going to a few smaller places in Ireland and having a look around. Anywhere you would suggest?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

A lot of great advice here ... I went to Ireland on my first solo vacation and it was fantastic. You are going to have a great time!

I went the cheap route and stayed at hostels. Saved me quite a bit of money and allowed me to meet other folks traveling solo. I made a lot of great travel buddies. Keep in mind you have to carry your pack - you can't leave your things like in a hotel - but there are lockers in the cities you can drop some stuff at (never drop your passport or other important docs in any lockbox).

http://www.hihostels.com/ -  I belong to this org and got a discount on the already cheap rates. Some hostels you can also reserve space at. Or you can just show up. Bring your own hostel sheet tho.

In three weeks you can see a lot of Ireland. If you don't want to go it alone, check out a few coach tours, like LALLY tours (www.lallytours.com) (they are west coast) - they have great day tours that take you to some of the fun tourist spots for only 20 euro. Beats renting a car or trying to get around to the various spots on your own.

The bus system is great too - and relatively cheap. You can get open ended (for a certain time frame) round-trip fares.

http://www.buseireann.ie/

I found everyone there eager to help. They see a youngster with a pack on her back and they are very helpful. I probably learned quite a bit from the taxi drivers.

Of course, as a female .. take your safety into consideration - but most importantly, have fun - Enjoy your travels!

Answer 2

Unless you're staying with friends, keep your visit to Dublin down to just a couple of days. Dublin is expensive ....

Head South towards Waterford, follow the coast to Cork city (handy if you're driving) and go along the West Cork route. If you can go out to the islands Cape Clear and Sherkin. (Cape Clear is a Gaeltacht.) Then head towards Beara and take the Healy Pass into County Kerry, if the weather is good you will have some truly wonderful views, and go on to Killarney and Dingle. Then take the road to Listowel, and on up to the Shannon Ferry at Tarbert (alternatively you can take the road directly to Limerick city via Newcastle West and go into Clare that way) and into Clare. When you're in Clare you NEED to see the Cliffs of Moher, and I would recommend a day trip to the Aran Island, also a Gaeltacht. You should also go into the Burren for a bit, just don't pick the flowers there (something to do with the fact that it's a very rare type of landscape) and I would recommend staying in Lisdoonvarna rather than Doolin, but that's just me. If you time it right and are into Irish music, then you might like to take in the Willie Clancy summer school at Miltown Malbay, it's just Mecca for Irish music lovers, and usually takes place in the second week of July. After Clare get up to Galway, worth checking out, and then out to Connemara via Spiddel, and to Clifden. If you're going walking in Connemara, it's strongly recommended that you get a guide, the weather here is so unpredictable and the land so full of bogs that it's very easy to get lost and fall into a bog hole. Head to Westport in Mayo, and take in Achill Island if you wish. You can also go to Knock if you're that way inclined. But you might find the Ceide Fields to be particularly interesting. Head into Sligo and Yeats country, and I believe Lisadell House (the Yeats family home) is once again open for business, but you'd better check this, the Yeats family no longer own it. Head up through Bundoran (surfers' paradise, apparently) and to Donegal, where men are men and sheep are scared.

Of course if you can do all this in 2 weeks, more power to you! While Ireland looks like a small country, the roads are not built for large volumes of high-speed traffic, so you will not do 100 miles in an hour, oh no .... If you cover 60 miles in a day you're doing well, especially if you're meandering as tourists are supposed to.

The west is the real Ireland, hon. Dublin, for all that it's the capital of the Republic and a very nice place to visit, is still very much an English city in feel and attitude. Three days is plenty to see it.

Answer 3

Hiya! Firstly may I say that a week in Dublin is way too much! 3 days is fine but a weeek is wasting time. Get to the north coast and the giants causeway, antrim coast road, Derry, Roe valley Country Park and Limavady, Doolin, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare, Cliffs of Moher, Fermangh, Mountains of Mourne, Newcastle, Enniskillen, Waterford, Galway...god I could go on and on...

Answer 4

1 week in Dublin is too much time. There are many more better things to see and do outside Dublin. I suggest you spend 3 days in Dublin, then rent a car and plan a route according to what you want to see (read a guidebook to get an idea of what you'd like to see). Driving is the best way to travel Ireland, but considering that you are alone you might want to consider the bus (although it will turn out expensive and slow). Stay at hostels, they're cheap and if you share the room with other travellers you have good chances of making friends. While travelling, if you are in a town big enough to have a tourist office, pay them a visit - they always have good suggestions and are very helpful. Ireland is a safe enough country for a female traveller on her own, but be careful and don't trust people too much.

Answer 5

If traviling by youself I would recommend maybe going on a bus tour , check out this website http://www.paddywagontours.com/ , it's a really good way to meet others who maybe traveling alone and you will get to meet like minded people , hope this helped and hope you have a good holiday

Answer 6

Charleville Castle in Tullamore an hour from Dublin and there are festivals going on you can catch the train from Heuston station in Dublin to Tullamore then its a 1 mile walk north of train station to Charleville castle

http://www.allthingsshannon.com

http://www.charlevillecastle.com

Also Bus Eireann has great one day tours for not a lot of money.  or you can get a student pass or a travel pass on the train too.

www.buseireann.ie

www.irishrail.ie

And don't forget there are some really nice hostels so plan ahead with researvations and you can get your train tickets by mail from the internet.

www.anoige.ie  Youth Hostel Orgainization

If you need to make calls home the best online phone card place is www.speedypin.com