Tour Information
FAQs
Your touring activities end on the second last day of the tour. After you day’s journey, you will be brought to a hotel near Dublin Airport, where you will check in and spend a goodnight rest before your flight home, or on to an onward destination if you wish so.
Flight Departure from Dublin Airport
We have carefully chosen for you a hotel near Dublin airport to help you avoid unnecessary traffic and stress on your departure date. This Hotel offers an Airport Shuttle service to the airport, to give you maximum liberty to best organize your departure times.
The Shuttle service runs punctually almost every 30 minutes, on the 15 and 45 minutes for € 2.00 per person. You can find the Shuttle timetable in the lobby area of the hotel.
We strongly advise arriving at the airport at least 3 hours before your flight departure time, to give you ample time for check-in at the airline counter, then go through airport security and duty free area, a second security check and finally entering the US Preclearance Facility, where you will undertake all US immigrations, customs and agriculture inspections prior to departure, and finally getting to your departure gate! **
You need to get to your flight 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time!
Departure Dates according to each of our Signature Tours:
The Land of Heart’ Desire Wild West Tour: You should plan your departure for Day 9 of your tour, after staying the 8th night at a hotel near Dublin Airport.
For further information, please contact us directly at: infowildwestirelandtours@gmail.com
** Please note that Wild West Ireland Tours is not responsible for these procedures, nor arriving late to your flight.
The Euro is the accepted form of currency in the Republic of Ireland.
We suggest buying some Euros before traveling to Ireland.
If you want to buy some Euros in Ireland, we strongly recommend you get your currency converted at the airport when you arrive. There are some banks and specially designed ATM machines to convert US Dollar into Euros and UK Pounds.
https://www.dublinairport.com/at-the-airport/facilities/banks-bureau-de-change
Here is a currency exchange rate link: http://www.xe.com/ucc/
In addition, most restaurants and stores take debit and credit cards. However, you should let your bank know you are traveling to Ireland before the trip to avoid getting any transactions denied/declined.
Spending:
Breakfasts vary in price between € 8-12
Lunches will cost about € 8-15, depending on how hungry you are! Dinners will cost around €15 and €25 , depending on your order, drinks, etc. A pint of Guinness is around €5, and a glass of wine somewhere between €7 to €10.
There is ample opportunity to shop, whether it’s at a local craft shop, or one of the larger shops in town.
While tipping your tour guide and driver is not expected, if you would like to slip him or her an amount that you feel comfortable with a good guideline is about 10-15 euro per day
In Ireland the power plugs and sockets are of type G. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.
Please consider also a G Type travel plug adapter from US to Irish sockets for your cellphone/ipad
You can find a good one here:
Travel-Conair-Adapter-Converter
Most hotels will supply a hair dryer.
WiFi is available in the majority of your accommodations and at bars, coffee shops, etc.
Upon arrival, you will be able to connect to the free wifi service at Dublin Airport.
Wild West Ireland Tours carefully chooses the areas we visit. We don’t usually go to crowded touristy places. Nonetheless, when traveling, we can all be subject to unpleasant surprises. So we have come up with a small list of useful hints for you.
Scan your Passport, Visa, airline tickets, Travel Insurance, Credit & Debit Card documents. Then send them to your email account so you can retrieve them on any computer or cellphone when needed.
Write down the most important phone numbers to call in case you should need help from home. If you want, you can bring a copy of this information with you, while leaving a copy with a trusted person at home.
Our tours are quite casual. We strongly suggest leaving expensive jewelry, watches, and electronics at home.
When carrying a purse, choose one you can sling across your chest.When carrying your backpack, you may want to swing it around to the front in a crowded area.
Keep your passport and other important items in a safe pocket.
Don’t carry too much cash with you. Only carry what you need for the day.
When walking about town, take only the items you need – some cash, a credit card/debit card, photo ID, etc.
The image suggests the amount of clothes for the entire tour. As part of your assortment do consider your traveling clothes forth and back & sleepwear. Most restaurants we choose are casual, so you won’t need to pack elegant evening wear. Jeans are welcome everywhere!
We strongly recommend a very comfortable pair of good Hiking-Walking Shoes – Weather Resistant would be better. In the summer, a good Rain-Wind Raincoat or Windbreaker is recommended, with a Heavy Polar-Fleece or similar Sweater to wear under your jacket. In the spring and fall, a Warmer Raincoat is suggested. Please consider your wardrobe geared towards outer weather, and adding or subtracting layers of clothes, as the climate may change within hours, and you may experience all four seasons in one day!
To check the weather report before you depart, try this website: https://www.met.ie.
We also recommend a small Backpack of some kind to hold all your items (your rain jacket, camera, wallet, etc.) while we are out and about for the day. You might want to include a folding umbrella, or a folding cane if you think it might ease your pace, etc.
Many people like to bring binoculars and you will definitely want to bring your camera or cell phone with a camera, and a portable battery along with a G-Type adapter!
Toiletries: When traveling with a carry on suitcase, there are on-board size restrictions: bring smaller travel size amenities like toothpaste, cream, deodorant, and include sun block cream and insect repellent as well. A good baseball cap to protect you from the sun and a knit cap & scarf for the chilly days. A pair of sunglasses might be useful too.
Space for Luggage on the minibus is limited, so please bring just ONE Suitcase per Traveler, either a Carry on size (22 in. high x 14 in. wide) or Medium-sized (28 in. high x 17 in. wide). If in need, for a few euros we can arrange to have your laundry done in town (most B&B’s do not have laundry facilities).
Most B&Bs and hotels do have Hairdryers. You won’t need to bring toiletries like soap or shampoo, but you might want to include a washcloth. (Not always provided in Irish B&Bs).
Please remember to bring any Medications you may need, your Passport, your Visa if required, Travel Insurance, Airline Tickets/e-tickets and Credit/Debit Cards & Euros!
We suggest to Scan your Documents before leaving home and send the images to your email, so you can have access to a copy of them at any moment if needed.
Many of our travelers arrange to spend extra time in Ireland or elsewhere in Europe on their own! We would also suggest to arrive one day early so you can get a goodnight rest before the tour starts.
If you plan to arrive in Ireland before your Wild West Ireland Tour starts, please contact us. The meeting point is usually at a hotel not too far from the airport, so we can pick you up after the airport arrivals.
If you are staying on after the tour ends, please make arrangements for transportation from the Airport Hotel to your next location.
About 8-10 days prior to the tour we will send you a Last Instructions email with your pick up details and contact information.
For further information please contact us at:
Nowadays, most restaurants and pubs accept credit cards.
Tipping at restaurants and pubs in Ireland is typically not expected, but certainly appreciated. If you are paying for a meal by credit/debit card, there is normally no space for a tip, so you may want to leave a few euro in cash on the table or at the tip jar.
Tipping your tour guide and driver, is not expected but definitely appreciated! At the end of your time with them, you may want to slip him or her an amount that you feel comfortable with ( a good guideline is about 10-15 euro per day ).
Thank you for considering our tour drivers and guides!
VAT or Value Added Tax refund is available to non-EU Travelers when leaving Ireland, on their way back home. Tax relief is not allowed on services, like hotel accommodation, meals or car hire.
If you want to use the Tax refund option, we strongly recommend to check the website links for further information on how to claim it.
When leaving Ireland, you will need to get your purchases documents certified by Customs at the airport. This is done, once in the Duty Free area, inside the transit lounge facilities.
This procedure can take very long, so we strongly recommend arriving at the airport at least 4 hours before departure, to be able to go through check-in, security check, VAT refund, a second security check, US Pre-clearance and then boarding the flight 40 minutes before departure! **
Links for complete information:
** Please note that Wild West Ireland Tours is not responsible for these procedures, nor arriving late to your flight.
We all have heard about the Irish Weather, an ever changing blend of sun, wind and rain, offering you to experience within hours all four seasons in one day!
You can find warmer temperatures between May and September, but we have been pleasantly surprised in the past years, where we have enjoyed warm Aprils and Octobers as well.
Just check our Packing Lightly page and dress by layers! ….
Ireland is always stunning beautiful and green!
You may want to check the weather report before you depart.
Try this website: https://www.met.ie.
To be on Ireland Time:
Ireland is located on the GMT Time Zone (Greenwich Mean Time), which is five hours ahead of North America’s Eastern Standard Time Zone.
By the time we are enjoying a nice lunch in an Irish Pub, our families will be waking up and having breakfast in America!
On the first day of the tour, Wild West Ireland Tours will meet you at the airport at the designated time, or pick you up at a nearby hotel if you arrive one day early.*
The night of Day 1 and Days 2 through 7 you will be staying at the lovely B&B doing your fabulous Wild West Ireland Tour. On Day 8, we will drive you to Dublin for a last restful night before your departure on Day 9.
We will be exploring the country roads and towns of the Wild West of Ireland, embracing mountains, wild rivers and mystical places nestled in the beautiful landscapes surrounding you. During the day, we will take you to various sites, both the highlights of our tour, and some hidden gems we keep to ourselves. You will have time for lunch, and bathroom breaks are built into the tour route.
Our unique style of tour is “ radial ”. You check into your hotel or B&B and make day trips in our comfortable mini-bus. On a typical day, the amount of driving time ranges from 2 – 4 hours broken up with lots of stops so most drives are only 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
You’ll get back around 6 p.m. Your guide will suggest dining and pub options. During your free evenings, you could go for a walk, watch the sun set, listen to some music while enjoying a pint of Guinness, and having a chat with the locals. *
About 10 days before the tour starts you will receive a Last Instructions email with the pickup details and other information.
For further information please contact us at:
infowildwestirelandtours@gmail.com
** Please read our Terms and Conditions Page, located at the footing of the website pages.
restful night before your departure on Day 9.
We will be exploring the country roads and towns of the Wild West of Ireland, embracing mountains, wild rivers and mystical places nestled in the beautiful landscapes surrounding you. During the day, we will take you to various sites, both the highlights of our tour, and some hidden gems we keep to ourselves. You will have time for lunch, and bathroom breaks are built into the tour route.
Our unique style of tour is “ radial ”. You check into your hotel or B&B and make day trips in our comfortable mini-bus. On a typical day, the amount of driving time ranges from 2 – 4 hours broken up with lots of stops so most drives are only 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
You’ll get back around 6 p.m. Your guide will suggest dining and pub options. During your free evenings, you could go for a walk, watch the sun set, listen to some music while enjoying a pint of Guinness, and having a chat with the locals. *
About 10 days before the tour starts you will receive a Last Instructions email with the pickup details and other information.
For further information please contact us at:
infowildwestirelandtours@gmail.com
** Please read our Terms and Conditions Page, located at the footing of the website pages.
While our tours take into consideration the health and fitness level of an average person in his or her 50’s and beyond 70’s, combining easy walks and visits to various sites, we have experienced that some of our travelers find it a little harder than they originally expected.
Some months before the tour starts, we will send you a traveler form, where we will ask what your fitness level is, when looking at following activities on the tour:
- Walking up and down the stairs at the B&B at least once or twice a day.
- When walking along walks or sites, we will encounter some uneven surfaces and steps, some uphill/downhill too.
- You can take a 10-30 minute walk at a leisurely pace, carrying your handbag / backpack.
Please know that if you consider a specific walk too strenuous, you will have the option to wait for the rest of the group at a comfortable place.
If you think you would feel more confident, we encourage you to bring a portable walking stick with you.
Also, please let us know if you have any special requirements we should know about.
** Please read our Terms and Conditions Page, located at the footing of the website pages.