Ireland with a group of 7
 

We're planning a trip to Ireland at the end of August with 7 adults. Is it possible/desirable to rent a van for that many people and their luggage? What about a private driver for that size group? We don't really want to do a tour. Any thoughts are appreciated.

I'd go with 2. You have seven people..and luggage. I'd think you'd also want smaller more maneouverable vehicles, not a big "boat". It also gives you bit more flexibility in terms of not requirering everybody to be always together in the vehicle, could split group up: some go to pub, some go shopping.

I'll add my recommendation for two vehicles. Sometimes you want to do different things at different times with that many folks. We're doing 6 people in Scotland and getting two mid-sized cars. We got a mid-sized car last trip to Ireland, it barely fit three adults and their luggage :)

We have been three times with nine people each time. We rented three cars on each occasion. Twas perfect. Even the guys who had wanted the large van with driver ended up appreciating the flexibility of having more than one vehicle.

We would have gotten sick of one another.

You will not fit 7 adults and luggage in a reasonable size van - it will have to be a people mover or a small bus. Agree to rent 2 cars. Easier to maneuver - and that way everyone doesn't have to be joined at the hip the whole time.

You might want to speak with the folks at Auto Europe (1-888-223-5555). They rent all types of vehicles in Ireland including vans of various sizes. They also have chauffeur/tour services. I particularly like their free cell phone rentals with an auto rental. I usually get 2 so the whole family doesn't need to stay together every second of the day. They also offer GPS units, but I understand that not very much of Ireland is mapped for the technology. Here's an article with tips for driving in Ireland that you might find of interest http://www.wickedgoodtraveltips.com/?p=24

My thought is that you might enjoy having two vans so if a few folks want to play golf and others want to roam around a castle you can split forces for a few hours.
Have a great trip.

We've done family trips (with 11) for many years, and always get multiple vehicles for comfort of travel as well as all the other good reasons already listed. For your group and on this trip, I'd think 2 vehicles would be perfect.

One tip: take walkie-talkies! Someone always gets separated, either on foot or on the road, plus someone always needs to stop for a photo, or, oh you know...

I took myself and six people to Ireland two years ago and rented a van from Avis that would have been big enough for nine. It resembled a small UPS truck, red with a push button transmission, very easy to drive and I was suprised it was was very good on gas. The downside is the size. I have driven many years in Ireland and I had no trouble but if you plan to get off the beaten path and onto the smaller roads you will have to go carefully. One vehicle was best for us but other do make a good point about the flexability of two vehicles. Have fun

Thanks for all the input. We may just end up doing a coach tour. Any recommendations?

Obviously, you have to do what works best for you. But, personally, I'd choose independent travel over a tour.

But I really just wanted to chime in here to say that we had a group of 8 two years ago. We went with two vehicles and it worked very well for us.

We stayed in the same B&Bs every night, had dinner together, went to the pubs together. But having the two vehicles gave us the opportunity to take different day trips and different routes.

IMHO - unless you simply do not have 2 drivers - doing it yourselves w/ 2 cars would be much better than a coach tour. And it definitely would be much cheaper.

Another vote for for going your own way. The ability to plan your own trip and linger or not in a particular area far outweigh the inconvience of sorting out the renting of a vehicle and doing a little research. Have fun

Two vehicles. Two of your group will be drivers with all that it entails: IDPs, insurance, parking, security and 'crowd' management. Someone needs to outline the scope of your visit. Two vehicles in Dublin or Shannon is overkill. A bus and driver/guide will be luxury travelling your selected route.

GSteed: No one needs ONE vehicle in dublin, let alone two. We were obviously talking about touring the countryside. And IDPs are not required in Ireland

rkovideo,

Do a search for "chips trip report" or just Chip, as I just did. He writes about his trip with ten people. They hired a driver with a mini bus. Maybe he'll see this and reply.

Joan

I would suggest the best of both worlds and hire a private driver/guide...did just that with our family trip of 10 in June 06.

It was fantastic.

It's pretty far back...I will find and top for you

read about our private driver/guide self-planned tour at

"Trip report-Ceol Agus Craic"
just topped for you...

below are sites for pictures...you can see pics of bus


Here is web site to go along with my "Ireland trip report-short version" from June 2006.

irelandjune2006.shutterfly.com

here is extended version of pictures for "Trip report-Ceol Agus Craic"

ireland2006pictures.shutterfly.com

password is vinegarhill (the name of my "Irish" pub band which you can learn more about at vinegarhillmusic.com)

let me know if you have any other questions

We've gone twice recently, once with 6 people and once with 7. Both times, we rented two cars because of the luggage. We did not rent the BIG 9 passenger van for those narrow roads. With 7 of us last October, we rented a Zafira to drive around - we all fit in somewhat comfortably and had no problems. We didn't really use the 2nd car on either trip except to and from the airport. Only two of us drove and that worked out well.Be sure to pay the extra $$ for the automatic. It's worth it to do the driving yourself.