GB,IR, FR,BE - how to go?

hi, im not sure why you want to travel by boat unless you want to enjoy the trip? I try to make my travel time as short as possible so that i have more time on the ground to see/do things. im not sure you are aware, but there are direct flights from PDX to Amsterdam. Not exactly on your route, but you can get puddle jumpers from there or take the train into Belgium or Paris. when i went from the Ireland to the UK i traveled via plane. faster, but not as fun as a boat. maybe leave that for anther day. i try to plan my trips so that i travel in some path. circular or some fashion so i dont cross my path or do alot of backtracking. afa your train, i noticed the same that short trips arent cost affective for a rail pass. Im spending about 4 weeks in the same area this fall and im buying point to point trains tickets since that what ive found to be the best buy. you may want to think of your trip in this manner: Dublin London Pairs Strasborg Mechelen im not sure about trains to the last 2 stops, but you can fly into Dublin, Fly to London, take the Eurostar to Paris and then trains (or fly?) the rest of the way. Dont know what obstructions there are in between like stops and connections. or Fly into Amsterdam, train to Mechelen Train to Strasborg maybe via Paris? Paris London via eurostar
Dublin via puddle jumper happy trails.

I agree with Ray. Don't fly round trip to London; even if this is "cheaper," you waste time and money backtracking. Fly into Dublin and out of Strasbourg. To find these flights, use the "multi city" option on Kayak, Expedia, etc. Don't book two one-ways, as that's much more expensive. From Dublin to Mechelen, fly to Brussels. Use http://www.skyscanner.com to find flights. These go up in price as you get closer to travel, so book early to save. From Mechelen to Paris, take the train (most likely a regional to Brussels, then a Thalys to Paris). Book at http://www.b-europe.com/Travel. If it is indeed on the Thalys, early booking will save a LOT of money. From Paris to Strasbourg, take the train (about 2:20). Book at http://www.tgv-europe.com. Choose Great Britain as your country, France as your ticket collection country, and refuse to be redirected to Rail Europe. As with the Thalys and the flight, on the TGV you'll save big bucks by booking early. If you want to see the cities in a different order, the same principles apply. For example, you could start in Dublin, fly to Strasbourg, then train to Paris, then train to Mechelen, then fly home from Brussels.