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Traveling with kids, one night or two?

Hi all,
My family and I are traveling to Ireland over Easter break. I have two sons; 8 and 14. This will be their first trip abroad. We fly into Dublin and head straight to Kilkenny. We are scheduled to stay one night and then travel to Cobh the next day. My question is: should we stay two nights in Kilkenny instead since it will be their first time experiencing a time change? We will have to skip Cobh if we opt for two nights in Kilkenny. Wanted to hear the thoughts of others who’ve traveled with kids before. Our itinerary is one (or two) nights in Kilkenny, one (or none) nights in Cobh, two nights in Killarney (yes, I know it’s touristy but the kids will love it and hubby has never been) and two nights in Doolin, then one night in Dublin before we fly home. Thanks in advance for your input.

Posted by
15582 posts

Even with 2N in Kilkenny, it sounds fast-paced. Have you traveled in Ireland before? How are you planning to get from place to place?

Posted by
3 posts

We are renting a car in Dublin. I have been there three times, myself. Husband has traveled internationally, but not to Ireland. Boys have never been outside of the US.

Posted by
1172 posts

We did 2 weeks in Ireland with our kids in the summer of 2016. One night in Kilkenny was enough for us. Not sure if you are looking for things to do with kids but on our way out of Kilkenny, we did the Dunmore caves and it was great
http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/south-east/dunmorecave/

In Killarney we did a sheep herding and shearing demonstration at Kissane farms which as amazing. We also rented biked outs Killarney national park and biked to torc falls as well as Muckross house and farm.

Our kids loved Ireland. Enjoy your time!

Posted by
4829 posts

...fly into Dublin and head straight to Kilkenny.

Are you sure you / hubby should drive immediately upon arrival? Being sleepy, jet lagged, on unfamiliar roads with unfamiliar road signs, and driving on the "wrong" side might not be the best way to start. Some people are not bothered by any of those things. Others are somewhat impaired, and folks like me should not be allowed near sharp instruments under those conditions. Even a minor fender bender (or traffic citation) at the start of the trip will put a damper on the entire trip. Just something to think about.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you, everyone, for your insights. I was thinking 2 nights in Kilkenny simply for the exhaustion factor. I appreciate your feedback about going with kids. Your response about driving tired made me giggle. I think we are ok on that score since we’ve done this before and my hubby has been to war. Sleep deprivation seems to not bother him anymore, LOL. I appreciate you all.