Ireland - winging it. Good/bad idea?

I would say yes it is a bad idea as I hate to waste time... I just picture spending time going from place to place asking if they have availability, how much etc. potentially being stuck in sub par accommodations Time and energy that I would much rather spend visiting sites, experiencing Ireland etc.

I am far from a winging it person though ;)

I don't know about Ireland, but we did this last year in Germany and Italy in November. But, we would use the internet earlier in the day once we figured out where we were going to be and it worked out well. We did book the first night ahead of time so we weren't searching in a new city after a long flight. But as we travelled around once we got a better idea of how long we were going to be somewhere we would search online and secure a room so not to waste time stopping in each hotel in town. We of course researched what vacancy rates would look like and we were very off season for the most part.

So you are traveling in late September-October? You might be okay, and while I would not do it that way for the time issue mentioned by Sharon, I get it...as long as the group is on board with the plan. Maybe the group brainstorms it at breakfast each day. There are popular regions that people generally gravitate towards, and lots of people will park themselves in an area for a few days at a time and day trip from there. As far as where you want to go, this is knowable with just a bit of research, and in my view is worthwhile.

When are you actually traveling?

Here's the Irish B & B Assn, lots of Mom and Pop B & B's across the country:

http://www.bandbireland.com/

Just be careful when looking at prices. Most accommodations in Ireland and the EU, for that matter, book rooms pps. It means that 25 Euro for one. Two cost 50E, 3 cost 75E, etc. If you have more than two, you might want to contact the host individually and see if they might give you a cut rate, especially if you are traveling in the off or shoulder season.

I'm much happier these days booking a hotel, etc., at least the night before arrival, but if I had a rental car and was looking for places in rural areas, finding a place day-of might be OK.

If using public transportation, one thing to keep in mind is that (unless you've checked it out ahead of time) you don't know that the tourist office is convenient to the train or bus station where you'll arrive. There was a time when there was nearly always a tourist office within a couple blocks of the train station, but these days it may be a mile away. So now you've either got to store and later retrieve your luggage or haul it with you (maybe over cobblestones) to the T.O. It's much simpler to know where you're going when you step off the train or bus.

Well, IMHO there is no "right way" to travel (despite what some people on this board seem to think.) I am not a big "wing it" person. As I like to get busy seeing sights, unpacking, relaxing, etc., hunting for accommodations is not my idea of a good time. But hey, that's me. I think of 2 incidents. When in Granada, we booked great accommodations with a view of the Alhambra. I remember some British tourists dropping by as we were relaxing the atrium asking about rooms (they were full.) They mentioned this was the 4th place they had visited. In Mexico City, my friend only booked 3 nights of a 4 night stay. For the 4th night, the hotel was full. Took us 1/2 a day to find a hotel and move our stuff. Seemed like a waste to me. Anyway, if you travel when/where rooms are plentiful and don't mind the time, it may be a way to go. All depends on you. Also, there is an interesting distinction between flexibility and moving on to see something new.

Three of my four trips to Ireland have been "winging it". I never had a problem finding a place to stay, nor did I run into any subpar places. On the contrary, I have lucked into some really great places. There is no shortage of B&Bs anywhere, and since you are traveling in shoulder season, it shouldn't be a problem not to book ahead.

We circumnavigated all of Ireland four years ago (in September) and we did a combination: we pre-booked our B&Bs in Dublin, Belfast, Dingle and Kinsale and winged it for all the rest. But instead of waiting until we hit town to line up a B&B we booked it the night before. We'd sit in a pub and use wifi to see the B&B listings on Trip Advisor for the area where we wanted to stay the next night. After picking out our best prospects, we'd call them directly to get rates and make bookings. It worked out very well and we had no problems finding lovely accommodations.

I'm firmly in the not-winging-it group even though I travel during shoulder season these days. Lodging is a really crucial part of my trip - I like to be right in town, I love to have a balcony, I love to be right next to a grocery store. I like the nicest possible place that's within my budget. All of this works out better when I book lodging in advance. It's no big deal to be tied to specific dates in specific towns for me...I've done a lot of research for a trip and I know what sites I want to see at each stop and I have therefore picked out a number of lodging nights that seems adequate. I've tried arriving at a site and looking for lodging (only in the US) and I found it to be tiring and a waste of valuable time.

I don't know how many kids you are taking (translating into how many rooms)......I did this with a group of 6 adults needing 3 bedrooms, and there were a couple of nights that finding 3 rooms became an issue and we had to split up over a couple of far flung B&Bs....(we were sharing one van)......I could have done without those extra head aches.....

My wife and I traveled in Ireland in 2002, and again this year. In 2002 you could get a good B&B for $50 a night, this was with a weaker Euro and before the Celtic Tiger economy. We booked in Dublin but otherwise winged it back then. Now, any of place that anyone else goes, book ahead. Dublin, Kinsale, Kenmare, Dingle, Galway, Kilkenny, definitely book ahead. It's not that easy, arriving into town, figuring out where the tourist office even is, finding parking near it, etc. Actually if you were to wing it, it's easier to just drive around in a way informed by a good guide book and knock on the door of B&Bs, rather that book through the tourist office.

I am firmly in the winging it camp! It is so easy these days to find something the night before or day of online. I usually just book online directly from the properties website.

Have a great time!

Last May I did OK booking hotels a couple of days in advance but when I started looking at availability for this trip (currently on holiday) back in July it looked as though I'd have trouble if I waited. So I booked everything in advance.

Rather.than showing up in a town tired and in search of lodging, consider making your reservations a day or two before arrival into each town. It allows flexibility without lengthening the day before you can have your feet up. But look at availability a couple of weeks before departure just to see if something will make hotel rooms scarce.

Thanks all for your wonderful input and wisdom. I'm looking forward to an amazing time in Ireland!