Don't Do This In Ireland! Mistakes In Ireland | Travel Guide and Tips

Don't Do This In Ireland! Mistakes in Ireland. Travel Guide and Tips!

We made several mistakes during our travel. Ireland was a great destination tough. We think it's a mistake to stay in Dublin a few nights and not go straight to the Dingle Peninsula. Ireland drive times in Dublin can eat up your whole day, so it might be best to ditch your car there.

One of the most scenic drives is Slea Head Drive. Dingle Peninsula Ireland is probably the prettiest part of the country.

A few of our mistakes:
We ran out of things to do in Galway Ireland. Travel guide writers sometimes make it seem bigger than it is. Galway Ireland nightlife is not as great as it seems.
Car insurance problems!
Driving issues!
Some people don't schedule enough time for their Ireland road trip. 10 days is enough but 14 would be better.

We hope you learned from our Ireland road trip 2019!
This video also includes a Northern Ireland travel guide.

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[slh]

Very true about making sure to see Northern Ireland, it’s so beautiful

[driverfound]

I went there twice, once in 2017 and once in 2019.
Rented a car both times and had no trouble with insurance.
But I didn't know about the toll.
Never heard from the rental people about it, might have got lucky. Also had no issues at the airport, checked into the country quickly and left without any delays. I thought it was much quicker and easier than some airports in the US.
Looking forward to going back this fall.

[sewcrazybaker]

My husband took me to Ireland for 15 days and we had SUCH A GREAT TIME! Joe is 1st generation Irish and most of his relatives are still in Ireland. We stayed at B&Bs except for a few nights when we stayed at a small hotel near his cousin's house. We did rent a car and had no problem. Since Joe had been to Ireland many many times, he was used to the driving. We hit most of the tourist spots and went several places with his cousins. We never spent any time in Dublin at all. Next time we go there, we want to fly into Shannon because it's closer to where our fave cousin lives. I really enjoyed this video!

[maryannmcc.]

Good advice about the insurance- you do need to budget for the insurance. Between driving on the left, the rocks hidden by bushes, the small roads, it has not easy to avoid accidents-or even scratches. I’ll add another thing- take a picture of the car when you pick it up. The rental cars usually have dings when you pick it up and you don’t want to be charged for someone else’s accidents.

[Sarcastix]

Can't blame the car rental places for wanting proof of insurance. They've been burned by tourists lying about being insured too many times.

[eileencostilow]

Take lots of pictures of the rental car in the lot in front of the company rep before you leave. Show them ALL nicks and scratches before you leave (both times raining but did a major inspection of the whole car). Then you will have proof of any previous damage when you check the car back in and not get blamed for it. Before our first trip to Ireland, I did a great deal of research and read about car rental fraud, so both times going to Ireland we bought all of the rental insurance. We flew into Dublin and stayed downtown. Love Dublin. This last visit (2019) we booked two day tours which were so worth it. The first was a long day to Northern Ireland. We did the Black Taxi tour in Belfast, road passed Dunluce Castle, then spent a while at the Giants Causeway, then went to the Carrick-a-Rede Bridge. The next day the tour went to Howth Village, then Newgrange (got to go inside of it), lunch at a tiny hotel, then the Hill of Tara. One tip is to visit the Cliffs of Mohr around 6 p.m. or later in spring/summer. The setting sun from the west shines onto the cliffs and seems to light them up. Beautiful and no crowds at all. Visit the lesser known spots like Craggaunowen, Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetary, Quinn Abbey, the Burren, see Benbulben, Dunguaire Castle, Glencar Waterfall, climb Croagh Patrick (the Holy Mountain). Don't miss taking the ferry out to one of the Aran Islands (on the way back it cruises over to the Cliffs of Mohr). Flying out of Shannon Airport was surprisingly so easy compared to Dublin. Can't wait to go back to Ireland. Thank you for this video.

[barryshannahan]

When we next go (in October), we are taking the train to Galway, where we’ll pick up our rental, returning it to Dublin airport (cost an extra $100) the day before our return flight. The Chase Freedom card covers the insurance if you use that card. Be sure to call the 800 number on the back of the card prior to your trip to have them supply you with a letter of coverage.

[sarahann]

Just like London , New York , Paris or most cities a car is not needed in Dublin . On a roundabout if you are in the wrong lane go around again , simple !

[irishkiwi]

Guys love that you liked my hometown Belfast the most, made me homesick. We even had my sisters wedding reception at the titanic hotel

[prestodc]

As an Irish person, I can say that this video actually offers the most helpful advice for visiting Ireland. A lot of videos say 'Rent a Car!' but don't talk about the practicality of it/ the difficulty you had - so this is something a well-meaning visitor should certainly be aware of! Being from Ireland, I had no idea about this, but (again being from Ireland) it seems absurd that you would just 'take someone's word for it' when it comes to something as serious as insurance (but this is just a cultural difference, and a good example of it!). I would believe that this is not only standard practice in Ireland, but also in the UK (and most of Europe).


In relation to your comment on 'fraud', I think you might have just slightly erred here. A lot of (mainly North American) tourists get into accidents on the small country roads in the west of Ireland, so I think this might be a US insurer's cause of concern rather than 'fraud' (there is certainly a lot of fraud in Ireland but, like everywhere else, it is more related to credit/debit card fraud. If there is insurance fraud, it is at a personal level - someone burning out their own car/house for the insurance, etc., again, like everywhere else...).


This aside, thanks for your video, and for your nice words about my country, and I really hope your negative experiences didn't put you off the wonders of visiting Ireland! xxx

[ediedarleneedgmon]

Excellent tips!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

[donovanfoto]

I was there one year ago. I first went to Ireland in 1979. It is a COMPLETELY different country. I have always had a FANTASTIC time. Most places are available with public transit. I did have difficulty getting to Port Magee/Skellig Michael and the Gaeltacht in County Cork. I was in the Gaeltacht in Galway, which was really fun. I never had a problem with security, but the COVID Testing took forever. I was one of the LAST flights to get the testing. Hanna at Aer Lingus did a fantastic job, making sure I got on my plane, taking me all the way to the gate. Go raibh maith agat Hanna
.

[Andrew-Comi]

Thank you! These are actual useful tips!! Most travel shows tell you "captain obvious" stuff, but im writing all of these down

[Harcix]

About the car rental and your credit card insurance. The companies require written proof AND it must say, that its valid in Ireland specifically

[hellototheworld]

I got taken to secondary inspection in Dublin because I had a snow globe and didn't declare the liquid hahaah the driving thing was fine as we drive on the left in Australia

[edgeofwest]

If you're only going to Dublin for a day or two. Fly into Shannon see the wild Atlantic and then go to the south, north or east and then Dublin. There is also US immigration in Shannon Airport and far more relaxed than Dublin Airport

[chelseawade]

This was really helpful!!!! Thank you!

[beauxmcduffie]

Thank you so much. We are planning Ireland in Nov. This has helped so much!!!

[richardryan]

Y'all are adorable. Thanks for the info.

[gerryward]

Actually, the best car to rent is a stick shift, because the gear stick is on your left and it helps keep you focused on driving on the left.