OAT tour of Ireland

[braumeister]

We have always wanted to visit Ireland and are looking at possibilities for next year.

This Overseas Adventure Tours package is on the expensive side but looks like it would hit most of the highlights for a first visit. We would still have to look for something to cover the south/southeast part of the country, but this seems to be a good start.

Has anyone been to Ireland with OAT? Or could you recommend another outfit?

Our main criterion would be a very small group.

Irish Adventure: Belfast, Dublin & the Northwest Counties

 

[gerntz]

OAT specializes in small groups, like 16 max. Their sister company, Grand Circle, takes a busload on their tours, like 40. They're lower cost & geared somewhat to less strenuous. Often cover similar itineraries. We've done 3 GC tours & enjoyed them. Find the higher numbers provide more opportunity to meet a variety of folks & having a better/high chance of hanging with compatible people.

Took tour of Ireland years ago with another company. Company OK & glad we went, but Ireland wasn't our favorite place. Comparatively plain/dull to other countries. Our take that was due to being under the yoke of an outside power for so long.

 

[Souschef]

We took a tour with Insight and enjoyed it. As gemtz said, it was also on a bus with 40 people, but that was OK.
I have attached the story of our trip. After our tour, we took the ferry to England and stayed in the Lake District, then took a train into London.

 

[PawPrint53]

Know nothing about the tour, but visited the West coast of Ireland a few weeks ago and loved it. A 5 hour guided walk (for our party of 4) in the Burren was a highlight. Our first night in Ireland, Galway, we were in a pub in the middle of a stag party. Fun! And then we went to another pub to listen to great music and were treated to an impromptu performance from an Italian woman visiting the area who was a competitive Irish dancer. She just couldn't stop her feet from moving to the music. The Irish people we met were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Hopefully you'll have as great an experience in Ireland as we had.

 

[Teacher Terry]

A year from November we are going to Ireland and Scotland.

 

[Chuckanut]

I took a tour or Ireland avbout 8 years ago with Rick Steves. Group size was in the mid 20's, great guide, and enough free time to do things like chat with some dads watching their teenage sons play Irish Football. Oh, a great group of fellow travelers also.

We had the opportunity a few times to sit with our bus driver during the group meals. It was interesting to hear his take on things like Northern Ireland, the British and and futball. Another point of view never hurts.

 

[Teacher Terry]

We like to explore on our own with a occasional day tour. We have to decide what we want to see. Planning is half the fun)

 

[Red Badger]

Know nothing about the tour, but visited the West coast of Ireland a few weeks ago and loved it. A 5 hour guided walk (for our party of 4) in the Burren was a highlight. Our first night in Ireland, Galway, we were in a pub in the middle of a stag party. Fun! And then we went to another pub to listen to great music and were treated to an impromptu performance from an Italian woman visiting the area who was a competitive Irish dancer. She just couldn't stop her feet from moving to the music. The Irish people we met were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Hopefully you'll have as great an experience in Ireland as we had.

+1 on Galway. If in that area, try to see cliffs of Moher (from the water - better than above). Shannon is nice as well, but if choosing betwixt, I'd vote Galway.

 

[Chuckanut]

We like to explore on our own with a occasional day tour. We have to decide what we want to see. Planning is half the fun)

This is an excellent way to go!

 

[Teacher Terry]

We will spend a week in each country. Any and all suggestions welcome.

 

[audreyh1]

We like to explore on our own with a occasional day tour. We have to decide what we want to see. Planning is half the fun)

This is an excellent way to go!

Personally, I'm getting to the point where I am no longer willing to do a bunch of detail planning. It's too exhausting and I am just not willing to put in the extensive time and work.

So our travel will simplify greatly and we will probably do more small group tours. We will also do long single city visits on our own (week or more) and limit the number.

 

[OldShooter]

This is an excellent way to go!

Yes.

Basically we avoid group tours like the plague. For Ireland we would probably just buy a map or two, buy an Insight guide plus one other, line up some AirBnBs with flexible cancellation policies, rent a car, and head out. We might also book private guides in some places.

We did this in Norway a couple of years ago and it worked out fine.

In Ireland you have people who speak English, road signs in English, easy to get around. Driving on the left is not a big deal once you get used to it. Stop when and where you want to. Morning start at whatever time you like, ditto lunch and dinner. No tourist herd-feeding stations (aka buffets with dull food). No waiting for people late to the bus or for people with weak bladders.

A good alternative though more expensive, is to hire a guide/driver with a vehicle. Generally, that ends up to be like traveling with a good friend who knows the country. Very efficient. No getting lost. No wasting time on unattractive attractions. No eating in tourist restaurants. Lots of learning about the country, history and politics, over meals.

 

[F4mandolin]

Dingle area......zing. And.....every old pub you can find.....if the carpet looks like sh*t....dirty......old.....ugly.....that's the place to be. Preferably smelly as well.

 

[braumeister]

Good thoughts, all.
My forebears came from three widely separated parts of Ireland. Antrim, Mayo, and Cork. Strange that I've never been over to visit the country until now, but it should be fun. Not sure if we'll do it in the next year, but certainly sometime.

 

[explanade]

Personally, I'm getting to the point where I am no longer willing to do a bunch of detail planning. It's too exhausting and I am just not willing to put in the extensive time and work.

It does take some time but I think of it as research.

Before, you used to browse travel books at the book store, pick up one a few months before the trip, book mark sections, highlight passages, etc.

Now you can get same content on the web and then if you still have questions, you can pose them on some forums.

Tours certainly makes it simpler and you don't have to learn much about where you're going. A good guide can give you the background on the places.

 

[Chuckanut]

In Ireland you have people who speak English, road signs in English, easy to get around. Driving on the left is not a big deal once you get used to it. Stop when and where you want to. Morning start at whatever time you like, ditto lunch and dinner. No tourist herd-feeding stations (aka buffets with dull food). No waiting for people late to the bus or for people with weak bladders.

A good alternative though more expensive, is to hire a guide/driver with a vehicle. Generally, that ends up to be like traveling with a good friend who knows the country. Very efficient. No getting lost. No wasting time on unattractive attractions. No eating in tourist restaurants. Lots of learning about the country, history and politics, over meals.

While I often travel on my own I have also used tours. IMHO, they have not been nearly as bad as described above. They have their pluses and minuses like anything else.

That said, if I can do it on my own, I will do so. I like having the control of my time.

 

[Bamaman]

We just returned in May from a week in Ireland--mostly staying down on the Ring of Kerry. We loved the people, and the place is beautiful. It's just a little quiet by our standards. Satellite television has the locals staying home nights, and we didn't find much pub life outside of Dublin. We had a rental car, and found the backroads to be pretty difficult driving.

Dublin is probably my least favorite big city visited in 48 years of traveling Europe. I'm sure a guided tour would be the preferred way to see the city, however.

 

[audreyh1]

It does take some time but I think of it as research.

Before, you used to browse travel books at the book store, pick up one a few months before the trip, book mark sections, highlight passages, etc.

Now you can get same content on the web and then if you still have questions, you can pose them on some forums.

Tours certainly makes it simpler and you don't have to learn much about where you're going. A good guide can give you the background on the places.

It is research. I do most of it on the web. I love reading about the places, but I’m tired of doing the detail research to make all the detailed logistics and arrangements.

 

[braumeister]

We had a rental car, and found the backroads to be pretty difficult driving.

This, in a nutshell, is the primary reason for our interest in an organized tour.
I can handle the driving (although I'm not fond of narrow roads), but DW tends to close her eyes or stare down at her iPad when we do that over there.

A couple of years ago we drove from London to Edinburgh, then down for a week in the Lake District, then back to London. Most of it was pretty easy, except for those single tracks in Cumbria, but when we turned in the car she said she really didn't want to ever do that again. My understanding is that Irish roads are similar, or more so.

So even though we avoid organized tours, sometimes it's the best way. I understand that OAT caps their groups at 16 people and then often splits them up into smaller groups, which is a pretty good system (although it keeps the cost up).

 

[Nemo2]

found the backroads to be pretty difficult driving.

I attempted, (unsuccessfully), to locate a digitized slide, circa 1986, my late wife took while I was following a bus.......the vegetation on both sides of the (narrow) road was brushing against the bus.

The bus driver was booting it and I stayed right behind him, allowing him to run interference (as if I had a choice or any say in the matter) - luckily there was no oncoming traffic because I don't know where they'd have gone.

 

[Gotadimple]

I did this OAT tour the last half of May this year. The itinerary is still changing on this tour. It is well handled, tho. Accomodations are comfortable, but you don't see all of Ireland. While it seems expensive, OAT and Grand Circle are moderately priced for what you get. Read the reviews on the website. It is a good tour and OAT does make sure you not only see things, but understand issues that affect the nation and the locality.

Their optional excursions can be expensive, IMO. While in Donegal they offer an excursion to Glenvegh National Park. I asked the Program Director if there were any guides in town willing to take me to the Cliffs of Sleve Leige instead. 7 of us went at less than half the cost each of the optional tour. So do your research.

Another alternative is Adventures Abroad. They also do a bus tour that circumnavigates the entire island, whereas OAT only does the northern half from Shannon to Dublin. I think costs are comparable, but you'd have to do the research. https://www.adventures-abroad.com/tour/ireland/ie1


Rita

 

[Fedup]

I don’t plan my trips down to details either, I roughly plan it and see how we feel each day. I guess I’m one of those people who really hate anything structure. No tour, no cruise. Only day tour if I need some background behind it, like the Coloseum tour. Otherwise, it’s just a ruin.

 

[friar1610]

I've been to Ireland 6 times and have done self-drive, small tour w/ a dedicated driver/guide (6 friends went together) and public transportation (just Dublin & Belfast). I love Ireland and no way of seeing it is bad!

The only downside of self-drive (at least for me) is that having to concentrate so hard driving on the left, particularly on winding, narrow roads, makes it harder to appreciate the scenery.

Now that I'm older I probably wouldn't drive myself any more, but 15-20 years ago it was fine. The private guide/driver was a great way to do it also.

 

[Fedup]

I've been to Ireland 6 times and have done self-drive, small tour w/ a dedicated driver/guide (6 friends went together) and public transportation (just Dublin & Belfast). I love Ireland and no way of seeing it is bad!

The only downside of self-drive (at least for me) is that having to concentrate so hard driving on the left, particularly on winding, narrow roads, makes it harder to appreciate the scenery.

Now that I'm older I probably wouldn't drive myself any more, but 15-20 years ago it was fine. The private guide/driver was a great way to do it also.

That’s why I drive and my husband gets to enjoy the scenery and taking pictures. I also like to drive the motor boat on lakes so my husband can enjoy, relax, and taking pictures. I should win bestwifeever title. Actually I enjoyed driving the motor boat a lot, especially in Switzerland. My husband liked to punt on the River Thames in Oxford. We do our share.

 

[explanade]

I don’t plan my trips down to details either, I roughly plan it and see how we feel each day. I guess I’m one of those people who really hate anything structure. No tour, no cruise. Only day tour if I need some background behind it, like the Coloseum tour. Otherwise, it’s just a ruin.

I put together a day by day itinerary on tripit.com. Kayak also offers a similar service but I like the layout of the itinerary generated by Trip It better.

It auto-populates your flights, hotels and car rentals if you forward the emails confirming those reservations.

From there, you can fill in details on day tours, guides, restaurants, whatever.

But I put in details in case I want to see something or am able to see something.

For instance, I had details about going up to Jungfrau and the Matterhorn for a trip to Switzerland. Those are pretty costly trips. I didn't end up going on either because the weather wasn't clear during the days I was near those attractions.

But I had details like how much they were, the hours they operate, how long it took to go up and return, etc. summarized in my itinerary so that I could retrieve those details easily.

Sure I could Google that info again but I just got the essential practical details handy.

On the trip, I will consult the itinerary the night before or on the morning of and depending on what the weather is going to be like, I can choose what to do for a given date.

When I was planning the trip, I found websites with suggestions for what to do in bad weather, since that can happen in that part of the world. I didn't note these details. Even when it was raining, I tried to get out and walk around somewhere for a bit, though obviously not as much as if it was dry.