A Very Special Adventure, The Wrap-Up-Part Un

The Decisions Made

After we made the initial decision on when we were going to finally go, we sat down and made a list of "things we absolutely must see", "things we'd like to see if we can", "things that don't really interest us", to assist us with how long we'd need to be there and what was realistic too.

Given the whole drive on the opposite side of road, potential for a manual shift car to boot, and that we've never been there, we decided to go with a tour of 8-10 days, and ideally one that included Northern Ireland, as Spouse and I have both done some reading on The Troubles of the 20th Century.  

I am very lucky to have friends, who have some experience with the travel world. Angela used to work in the travel industry and is an experienced + well-educated traveler, so she was invaluable in choosing a tour company. Her spouse and his family had gone with one company on their trips over to Ireland and had enjoyed themselves. She cautioned it wasn't exactly luxurious but so long as we were willing to give up some comforts, she thought it would be a great time. 

Based on her feedback and knowledge, we chose a 9-day tour with PaddyWagon Tours. Their name is not exactly the most PC but it speaks to their ethos, which is to have fun while showing off the country they love, and also speaks to their average age demographic, which is 18-40 years of age. 

While there were a few fellow travellers who could legitimately have been our children <eek>, we weren't the oldest but definitely at the top end of the demo. However, it was totally fine and, given that we don't know strangers, fit in just grand. Honestly, it had a lot to do with our fellow travellers, who were all lovely people and there to enjoy it as much as we wanted to. I don't think we could have put together a more fun group.