littlestroupes

I am trying to plan a family trip for 15 to 20 people for next summer and we dont want to do one of those bus tours. Any suggestions on what would be some good stops. We definately want to go to Donegal because of family history. Any information on how to plan this trip would be greatly appreciated.

twina49

littlestroupes,

Try a more detailed title to your post, such as "Need info on trip to Donegal for up to 20 family members." You'll get a much better response.

rex

In the context of wanting to help you... learn how to best use this forum... please see my reply on http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34612342

Best wishes,

Rex

JOHNOD

I envy you going over with so many friends and family. to give any good advice we would have to know where are you flying in and out of, number of nights and how many of those nights will be in Donegal. Most of the car companies can supply a small bus and driver that would suit your number and I assume thats what you want to do rather than rent 6 or 7 cars. Let us know.

Edward2005

With so many people in your party, you may want to consider a package tour. This is not the same as a guided tour where you're packed onto a bus with a bunch of other people. A package tour pre-books your hotels, ground transportation, etc., saving you the headache of logistics for so many people.

Here are some tips off the top of my head.

1. Find out ahead of time what everyone's sight-seeing priorities are.

2. Go by car instead of train. With so many people you can rent 3 or 4 vehicles and the per person cost will probably be less than 20 individual train tickets.

3. Book your hotels WAY ahead of time and negotiate a discount since you have so many people. Be prepared to give them a hefty deposit now. If you want B&B's, then be prepared to stay in separate locations as very few of them can handle 20 people.

4. Everyone should agree ahead of time not to get ticked off if some people want to separate from the group for a day or two.

eyps

I've used SMI Tours Ireland, http://www.smireland.com, to arrange a tour for my MIL & her 18 of “retired” friends (Siobhan Moore is great; you can reach her at 800-499-1899). I booked them on a 10 day tour, with their own bus; you just need to give Siobhan a budget and some idea of where you’d like to go.

The great thing is that they have representation in Ireland, so if you need to make changes, they can take care of it there.

cambe

Where are you arriving and departing?

wojazz3

A couple of ideas:

Consider renting a cottage for a week. In Donegal, http://www.donegalthatchcottages.com are in a beautiful location, though rather far from the action. We'll be staying there in a couple of weeks.

The notion of car rental is an interesting one. You would certainly need to rent more than 1 van with that many people. You would also want to rent more than one vehicle. With so many people and no doubt, so many interests, not everyone will want to do the same things.

Another option for trip planning is Michele Erdwig at irelandyes.com. She does custom itineraries for a pretty reasonable price. For that many people, it's a pretty good idea. She is not a travel agent, so she can't book your rooms, but can give great suggestions.

Bill