Shawn

My wife and I along with a couple of friends are looking for a tour of Ireland to get a taste of the Irish Culture. We are in our late 20s or early 30s and are looking for a more "relaxed" tour. We are thinking about booking the "Meet the Irish" tour from BMIT.<BR><BR>Is this a good tour for us?<BR>

bill

I am guessing you are talking about a coach tour as opposed to a self drive. OK, let the arguments begin again, but I would have to be unable to drive myself before I took a bus tour. Ireland is not a problem to navigate and when you do get lost, you have even more fun. <BR><BR>This is what I discovered about the bus tours when I came across them: Everywhere you go, it's crowded, because you are with about 50 people on a bus and more often than not, there is another bus right behind you. Watching the line of people trying to cross the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge drove this point home. It must have taken them an hour.<BR><BR>It will be so much more "relaxing" to go on your own. You can change your mind...stay for an extra day...stop when you want to. The only semi good reason I heard was that, in some places, it's hard to see over the hedges on the side of the road to enjoy the view. I've been there 3 times and if that's a problem, stop the car, get out and enjoy the view from a stationary position. I'm not a big fan of drive by tourism which is the MO of a tour bus.<BR><BR>Ireland's beauty & serenity are among it's chief assets and crowds can lessen or destroy both. Finding that deserted beach to walk along at sunset or taking a picture of that "perfect Irish scene" can make your vacation more memorable than you can imagine. You're young...do it on your own!! You'll be fine.<BR><BR>Bill

Shawn

Bill,<BR><BR>I should have mentioned that we are looking into escorted tours and that in addition to my wife and I, we have around 8-10 others who are mulling over the trip. <BR><BR>If it was just me and my wife, I would lean towards doing a self-guided driving tour.

bill

Shawn:<BR><BR>You should be able to find a tour company that will take just your group. They use smaller vans. If I can find the name of one, I will let you know. That would probably be a LOT more fun. <BR><BR>Still, with that in mind, 8 of us are going together next year and we are still not using the tour bus thing. We'll probably rent 2 or 3 cars (vans) and do it that way. That way, we will have the option of people doing different things. Think about that as a possibility....it may seem a bit overwhelming, but it sure would be fun.<BR><BR>I'll let you know if I come up with a name of a tour company. I have heard others here that have used them.<BR><BR>Bill

Sally

Shawn, Brian Moore does an excellent job. If this is your first trip to Ireland, motorcoach is a great way to travel efficiently and comfortably - if you love it and want to see more, go again another time on your own. Going on a motorcoach tour with a group also takes the stress of making everyone happy (or trying to) off of you or whoever is doing most of the planning. Someone always doesn't like something, you can all blame the tour company. Go, enjoy, relax and have fun.

Fatima

We did a private tour with a driver/guide just for our family last year. It was the best way to go - doing only what we wanted and no waiting for 40 people to get off the bus or come back late from shopping. We used Lynott tours. Their website is www.lynotttours.com

bill

That was the company I had heard of. Thanks Fatima. There are probably others. I think the small tours are the best way.<BR><BR>Bill