Quick-Planning Guide www.exploringireland.net Quick-Planning Guide Welcome to Exploring Ireland’s Quick-Planning Guide www.exploringireland.net **Note – Your $100 USD Coupon is at the bottom of the guide. Just beginning to plan your Ireland vacation? Slightly confused? A little swamped with information overload? No problem! Sit back, relax and peruse our Quick Planning Guide and you will learn all that you need to arrange your perfect Irish holiday. Well first things first, how do you get to Ireland? www.exploringireland.net Quick-Planning Guide Traveling to Ireland couldn‟t be easier with a wide range of airline connections which offer great value. Dublin and Shannon are Ireland‟s two major airports, and all major flights land at one of these two points. Usually, it is cheaper to fly in and out of Dublin. Vistors from America and Canada can arrive direct whilst guests from Australia and New Zealand are best advised to route through London. Price wars have made flights to Ireland from continental Europe and Britain more affordable than ever. No visas are required for all US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and EU residents. You will only need a valid passport. The four major carriers between the USA and Ireland are Aer Lingus, Delta, Continental and US Airways. Whilst Air Canada plies the route between Canada and Ireland. For travel from Britain, Aer Lingus and Ryanair are the best options while there is also the option of taking the ferry; companies that offer the best service are Irish Ferries, P&O and Stena Line. Anytime is a good time to visit Ireland, as it is a year-round destination. The most popular time is summer, from early May until late September, when the weather is fine and warm. Of course there are showers (we need them to water our forty shades of green!), but all in all, it‟s a grand, fresh time. It never gets too hot, rarely exceeding the upper twenties (80 Fahrenheit), so there is no humidity, there really is nowhere like Ireland on a grand summer‟s day. Another great bonus in summer, are the endless days, which at their peak don‟t dwindle until nearly eleven o‟clock at night. It‟s a busy time, with life being injected back into the villages and rural areas after the winter, with loads of people knocking about. In late September and October, prices begin to drop and the autumn is a beautiful time to visit Ireland, with the changing landscape and vivid colours. In addition, the weather is still mild and the crowds have died down and the major attractions are quieter. Things become really quiet in the winter (November – February), the temperatures drop as do the prices. It is dark early and the landscape becomes more desolate but it can also be a great time to visit. Everyone wraps up warm, the fires are lit, the pubs are snug and as a tourist you really have the place to yourself. Some attractions do close or curtail their hours as do some hotels and B&B‟s but there is still plenty to see and there are more than enough places to stay. Spring begins in earnest in March, it is a brilliant time in Ireland, as the countryside re- awakens and everything starts to come alive. Tourists begin to arrive in large numbers again and everything begins to become busy once again. Hosts, tour guides and service www.exploringireland.net Quick-Planning Guide staff are fresh and ready for another season which is kick-started by the ever popular St. Patrick‟s Festival. Ireland has a mild temperate climate due to its proximity to the Atlantic and the existence of the Gulf Stream. The Atlantic has a great moderating effect on the Irish weather, as it absorbs heat in the summer and emits in the winter, making for very consistent weather. If you consider it, Dublin has almost the same latitude as Edmonton in Canada, yet we not near experience the severe Canadian winters, thanks to you Gulf Stream! Summer temperatures generally range from 60ºF/15ºC to 70ºF/20ºC. Spring and Autumn are generally 50ºF/10ºC. Winter is between 40ºF/5ºC and 46ºF/8ºC. (Snow is rare, but showers can occur in winter.) The trick in the “what to wear?” question in Ireland is ….. layers! You often get four seasons in one day, so you need to dispatch and put on, dispatch and put on and so on and on. And bring an umbrella and raincoat, we aren‟t this green for nothing! The first thing you need to decide is whether you want to drive while you are in Ireland. If you do the option for you is our Self Drive Tours of Ireland, if not you have two options - our Escorted Tours or our Coach Tours of Ireland. Self Drive Tours of Ireland What is a Self Drive Tour of Ireland? A Self Drive Ireland driving vacation is suited to both the first time visitor to our shores or indeed, the seasoned veteran. Exploring Ireland will co-ordinate a rental car, an itinerary and all your accommodation; you simply arrive, hit the roads of Ireland and enjoy the trip! We will ensure that you have the most enjoyable, interesting and relaxing of Ireland Tours. What are the benefits of a Self Drive Tour of Ireland? All of our Ireland Tours are customised to suit your particular needs, interests and requirements. You will be assigned a Personal Tour Ireland Operator who will deal with you from the moment that you contact us and who will work with you through the initial www.exploringireland.net Quick-Planning Guide planning, the development of your exclusive itinerary right through to the finalising of your specific Ireland vacation. Indeed, they will be with you throughout your Ireland Tour as they will be at the end of the phone should you require them for advice or assistance during your stay. Exploring Ireland are an unseen, guiding and helpful hand ensuring that things run very smoothly for you. With nothing to worry about, you can concentrate on what you are here for - enjoying yourself! Some visitors arrive in Ireland with the intention of driving aimlessly and selecting accommodation as they go. However, the standard of accommodations vary widely and accommodation is often completely booked out. Exploring Ireland‟s accommodations are the best there is, we have a select and exclusive list which we deal with, they are our partners, we know them and they know us, so Exploring Ireland‟s guests are well looked after. Which Self Drive Tour should I choose? All of our Self Drive Tours are chock-full with historical sites, stunning scenery, adorable villages, interesting characters and countless exciting and stirring possibilities. Our itineraries are specifically structured to contain the very best that Ireland has to offer. They range across different timescales and include various areas and regions of Ireland. So click onto www.exploringireland.net, read through our itineraries and see which one suits you. Of course, if you wish to do something completely different, we will be delighted to work with you to achieve the Ireland Tour that you are looking for. What type of accommodation will I be staying in? Every Ireland Tour can be tailored to suit whatever accommodation that you wish to stay in. We cover the full range, so whether you want to end your days in intimate Bed & Breakfasts, homely guesthouses, luxury hotels or stately castles, just tell us and we will arrange it for you. Indeed, if you want to stay in a mixture of lodgings, we will be more than happy to organise it for you. What type of car will I be driving? You can choose from a wide variety of cars from an extensive fleet. We cater for all tastes, group sizes and requirements. Choose from economy, compact, intermediate, full size executive models, premium executive models, station wagons/estates, people carriers (MPV‟s) or 4x4‟s. You can choose either automatic or manual (stick shift) for all models, all of which have car insurance, unlimited mileage and 24 hour roadside assistance. No matter the type of Ireland driving vacation that you pick, you will travel in style, in safety and with a full www.exploringireland.net Quick-Planning Guide support staff behind you. So what is the procedure? Contact us by phone or e-mail, we will listen to what you want your Self Drive Tour of Ireland to be, when you want to go and what you want to experience. We will advice you as to the best way to get exactly what you want, to do what you wish to do and to see what you have always wanted to see. We will put together a suitable package that meets all your requirements with an all inclusive price, together then we can review your package and make any amendments or changes that you decide upon. You can then decide in your own time if you wish to accept the package. If you accept, we will send you a detailed itinerary of your Ireland driving vacation that will include particulars of your accommodation arrangements and your car. We will then work with you right up until the time that you are due to arrive and indeed, we are at the end of the line if you require our assistance during your Ireland Tour. Your car will be ready for you upon your arrival and way you go! Escorted Tours of Ireland What is an Escorted Tour of Ireland? An Escorted Ireland driving vacation is a tailor-made trip, where every facet your tour is organized by us for you.