Help Getting Started Needed

Laura,

I'm assuming that you study program begins about the middle of May? You indicated that it ends on June 2nd, so that would provide about a month for touring the U.K. in order to be back home by July 4th. If you're able to do some touring around Ireland while on the program, I would definitely spend the remainder of the time in Scotland and England as there's LOTS to see and do!

When in Dublin, be sure to enjoy "a pint" at a local Pub (Oliver St. John Gogarty's is one of my favourites - it's in the Temple Bar area). Also, the tour of the Kilmainham Gaol is very interesting and historically significant. With limited time, I probably wouldn't bother with the Guinness Storehouse tour unless you're really interested in that sort of thing.

If you're planning on buying any Sweaters, the Aran Islands (Kilronan) is the place for that! I believe they have the largest Sweater shop in Europe! Taking a local Minivan or Pony Cart tour is a good way to learn something of the history of the islands. If you hike up to the Dun Aengus Fort, DON'T get too close to the edge! BTW there are some nice local restaurants where the trail to the Fort begins.

It would help to have some idea of what you most want to see? Have you checked any Guidebooks or other sources for ideas?

One possibility would be to fly from Dublin to Edinburgh and spend a few days there. From there it's an easy train ride to York and London. I'd recommend at least five days in London. You could also consider a route that includes Bath, the Cotwolds, Wales or other areas. Finally, fly home from one of the London airports about July 2nd.

There are lots of ways the trip could be arranged. It would help to have a few more details about your preferences. Check your local Library for copies of Rick's England Guidebook, as it will provide lots of ideas.

Cheers!

Since it sounds like you're traveling solo after your studies end, I'm assuming you are planning to take public transportation to get around Ireland and the UK once you are solo rather than renting a car and driving. Taking public transit can sometimes pose limitations on where you are going and what you'll be able to see, or can take a little longer to get from place to place. You need to factor the time spent traveling from one location to the next when you work up your itinerary.

You could easily spend the entire month of June in Ireland. I'd highly recommend some time spent in Northern Ireland (Belfast, Derry, Antrim Coast) after you finish in Dublin. You could fly or take a ferry from Northern Ireland to the UK.

Plan at least 2 weeks per country - it's not much time, but trying to do Scotland or England in 7 days will not give you much of a taste for what they have to offer. You could easily spend 2 weeks just in London and still not see everything.

Get yourself a copy of Europe Through The Backdoor which can help you craft your initial itinerary. And head to the library and take out some travelogue DVD's on each country you plan to visit. The Globe Trekker DVD series by Pilot Guides and Rick Steves DVDs can show you some of the highlights and areas that may be of interest.

Many travel podcasts can be downloaded free on iTunes which can give you more ideas about what you may want to see in the UK and Ireland.

Having been to Ireland several times, I could still easily spend a whole month there seeing things I haven't yet seen. If you have lots of time, you could see Scotland and England while you're "in the neighborhood", but if you only want to spend a couple of extra weeks, you won't run out of things to do and see in Ireland.

Hello Laura. I think a trip from Ireland to Scotland to England, for you, would NOT be unreasonable. And, for getting started planning a trip to Ireland and Scotland and England, there is no better way to do it than to read the books "Rick Steves' IRELAND", "Rick Steves' GREAT BRITAIN" (it includes Scotland), and "Rick Steves' ENGLAND". When I was at England, riding in a bus from Stratford to Warwick to Coventry, the bus was filled with young women, ages approximately 19 and 20. Some of them were Americans (citizens of U.S.A.). They were very happy to be in England ! And I like England ! I desire to go to England again. I recommend that you stay in England for as many days as is possible. I recommend that you fly from Dublin to Edinburgh (in Scotland). Ride in trains from Edinburgh to London, with stops at : Durham to visit the Cathedral, Beamish Open-Air Museum, Whitby (at the Sea coast), the Howard mansion, York (York is a tourist's delight. Stay at York 3 nights). If you will be in England many days, I recommend : try to visit the Chatsworth mansion. It is not mentioned in Rick Steves' book. A weakness of the book "Rick Steves' ENGLAND" is that he does not mention 20 of the mansions in England that are open to the public. Rick recommends visiting the Blenheim Palace (located 3 miles west of Oxford). I visited Blenheim palace, I did not like it. After you decide what places you want to go to, you could post questions at Traveler's Helpline/to the North ... for fine - tuning your trip. And, acquire the book "Rick Steves' EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR 2009". It tells you how to prepare for travelling, and how to travel, and how to have a good experience over there.

Get a copy of a Rick Steves book for some good tips on how to travel... but for actual choices on where to stay and eat on a student budget, consult Lonely Planet, Let's Go or The Rough Guide.

Hi Laura. I would suggest using the public library to check out the suggested guidebooks (above), then buy the one that suits you. An additional guidebook is the MTV Guide, there is one for England and Ireland, supposedly for "hip, youthful travelers"; I found several budget ideas for travellers of any age. The MTV Guides are published by Frommer's. There are many more guides that have lots of pictures which are great to read at home, but are very heavy to bring along when travelling. Happy Travels