TDudette

<I>”you are funneled into a gift shop”</i> Always the same story!

What you said is so true:

<I>I truly believe getting out of your comfort zone increases your self confidence. Your outlook and empathy are also tremendously broadened by traveling and living amongst different cultures.</I>

Again, super TR. Brava!

annhig

”you are funneled into a gift shop” Always the same story!>>

there is a whole BBC radio comedy series [in fact several series] which uses the ubiquity of the gift shop as a running gag.

Kudos to you for your persistence in getting your compensation - it's very amusing that Ryanair's form doesn't actually allow for people to be paid except in € and has no return email address.

no wonder there were all those jokes about them charging to use the loos.

Thanks for taking the trouble to finish it too - it was well worth the effort.

bilboburgler

good trip
when I fly to the US I get interviewed by a US numpty (sorry, "security officer") too...

lovs2travel

Exceptional trip report! Thank you so much!

colduphere

I'm exhausted reading this. Glad the Gap worked out. Slea Head. Connor Pass. Such a beautiful area.

Fewgreek

Will love to hear more, planning a trip next summer with our 13 and 15 yr olds.

bvlenci

I've just come across your trip report, because we were also toodling around (Northern) Ireland when you wrote it. I have to say it's one of the best trip reports I remember reading.

You seem to have done an excellent job of taking into account the interests of your kids. Too many parents drag their kids to every single "must-see" and end up turning them off art and history altogether. If they've already "seen", for example, Westminster Abbey, at the age of 12, and didn't really appreciate it, they may pass on the experience of seeing it with more mature tastes later in life.

I'm glad you didn't let the luggage experience drag down your mood. We also had one lost suitcase this summer, passing through Belfast Airport. In our case, we got the bag super quickly, because the delivery guy realized we were staying near where he lived and volunteered to drop it off on his way home.

Actually, we suspect that the bag didn't make the connection because my daughter-in-law had put some sort of high-tech luggage tag on it. It's possible that the tag was so clever that it raised a red flag at security.

lolfn

Thanks bvlenci! I'm looking forward to returning and visiting the northern part of Ireland in the future.

colduphere--in case you happen to look at this--- did you do a bike trip in Ireland? We saw a bunch of bikers and it terrified me on the busier roads because there were no shoulders and you had crazy right side drivers driving on the left, sometimes not well. Just curious if you were brave enough to bike and how it was.

travelchat

Great TR - thanks! Appreciate your persistence and writing skill to get all that detail down. Your children will have absorbed so much from being exposed to the marvelous variety of these travels. Even losing your luggage, a good life's lesson, will have armed them for just this situation should it ever happen to them - heaven forfend.