OK, here’s the general question:
I recently received a generous bonus at work (yay me!), and am proposing to take my family to Ireland over the kids’ April break.
Am I crazy to try to do so? Given the current 3/2 exchange rate (Euro/USD), this is probably the worst time to go, but the kids deserve it, and this “extra money” (like there is such a thing) hasn’t been budgeted for anything else.
So, am I crazy? It’ll kill me to hand over $1500 and get €1000 in return.
Can anyone make any suggestions as to how to stretch the budget on this trip?
Here are my initial thoughts:
Rent a little tiny manual transmission car. NP. Did that on our last trip (just the wife and I), and by the second day I had the hang of driving on the ‘correct’ side of the road
Stay in B&B’s. We don’t need hotel amenities, and we love the locals. I’d much rather relax with some Irish hospitality than be pampered with US-style hotelry.
Stay out of the cities. NP there either. That’s not why we’re going. We’d like to swing through Galway, but other than that, we’d like to stay to the countryside locations of Cos. Clare, Galway, and Mayo.
Any other suggestions? Even if it’s just to tell me I’m crazy …
I believe that when means and opportunity present themselves, you shouldn’t turn them down on the basis of current exchange rate. You can either do it or you can’t and now is better than never.
Go for it - but I recommend hostels rather than B&B’s if you’re trying to stretch your dollars. Irish hostels are great - I stayed in them for a whole month in 2003 - and many of them offer family rooms so you can all stay together.
I thought the hostels were explicitly for ‘kids’ under 30?
I can’t imagine bedding my family in a bunk house like that. Was kinda looking forward to the homey charm of the B&B - we did that for the second leg (3 nights) of our trip there 3 years ago, though it was more of a hotel-style B&B. Still, Thanks - I’ll look into it.
Hostels are no longer just for youths, and every one is different. You will most likely have bunk beds, but not necessarily - the room I stayed in at the Ennis hostel had four bunk beds and one double bed.
Most hostels have their own particular flavour. Some are chains and a bit more sterile. Others are like staying at someone’s house. In Doolin we got treated to a slideshow of the Burren by the hostel owner, who was an avid photographer. On Inis Oirr the hostel is next to a pub and I could open my iwindow and listen to a session. (I couldn’t go into the pub, it was before the smoking ban and I couldn’t breathe in there!)
No prob. I’m a solid fan of hostels. Many (most?) Americans have a bad impression of them - and have never been to one. Get the book, take a look at the prices, pick a couple to try with an open mind. If you hate it you can go to a B&B the next night!
