My family and I are doing a self drive tour of Ireland in November. Does anyone have a susgestion on a company to use. We are interested in B &B's and farm and country homes. I also wonder about car size. There will be 4 adults and we have a concern about luggage space. Family consist of parents and to 20 some daughters. 2nd question, is it best to go with a company that has Vouchers?

Pat, <BR> <BR>I have never been to Ireland, but I have heard good things about Brendan Tours. They have "independant modules" that reserve hotel and tours, but let you drive there on your own. I have been told that they have packages in Ireland. We will be using their independent tours in Australia. <BR>Kittie

Pat, <BR>We did our own 'fly/drive'last August. After checking the various companies, felt it best to do it ourselves. You should first get literature from Irish Tourist Board and then start doing your research. Your destinations will depend on what you want to see/do. There are many excellent websites to view accommodations and itineraries as well as travel books. We particularly enjoyed the Blue Guide, which really helped us in our decision of what to see, as it is not an accommodation book, more a text of sights with lots of information. <BR>Re: car size...we traveled with another couple and our luggage did not fit in car at Shannon. Luckily, there was one Volvo auto. station wagon available. We packed one bag each and a carry on, but it was way too much. If we had scaled down our packing, the orig. car would have been just fine. Be aware that driving distances in Ireland are at a minimum, twice as long as same distances in the US. The need for vouchers is confusing, as if there are only so many good b&b's in a particular area, they will be booked by independent travelers. If having a private bath is a concern, concentrate on looking at places that indicate 'ensuite' baths. <BR>Hope this helps. <BR>Have a wonderful trip.

I used Lynott Tours when I did my tour of Ireland and they did a super job. I had a car (get one with a trunk) and vouchers for B&B's and also stayed at a castle. I'd go back in a minute!

Pat <BR>We live in Boston, so we used the Brian Moore International Tours. WWW.bmit.com <BR>We had four people, we used a full size Volvo S-70 automatic. Pack light. Vouchers worked great. We stayed at Adare Monor our last night with a voucher, Great place. Adare is a darling littel town.

We've done the fly and drive twice. First time we used Brendan Tours with vouchers. Second time we went through the Irish Tourist Board. Both were great. Brendan's you have to book through a travel agent. vouchers worked perfectly, just needed to upgrade if you wanted a B&B with a private bath. Do get a bigger car, you will also pay a lot more for an automatic.

Pat, <BR>There is so much to say and so little time. Self driving is great as everyone is saying, major rental car companies are the same as here. You could work with a travel agent to do flights and your car. The cars are small, like hondas, etc., so there is not a lot of room for luggage. Try to pack light. One suitcase for 2 and a carryon or lighter if your're seasoned travelers. Take raingear and warm coat. Take one or two sweaters, dockers, slacks and maybe one dressy skirt. Try to mix and match as much as possible. No one will notice if you wear the same sweater twice. Make sure your shoes are water proof. It will be cramped with four in the car but it can be done. Just remember keep the passenger to the curb, the average driving speed is about 30 to 40 mph maybe less due to narrow roads, sheep, etc. <BR>Get Fodor's Ireland, decide where you want to go then map it out, just like triple AAA. Patricia Preston has a wonderful daytrip book you can get on Amazon.com. She also has a web sight is the most responsive person Ive met on her own web sight. She'l;l help with your itinerary and guide your right. The best is to stay away from tourist areas unless you must kiss the blarney stone. Get off the beaten path, stay in small towns and get to know the people. <BR>If you would like more info, feel free to email me. <BR> <BR>Relax, it's wonderful <BR>Darlene <BR>

Four of us are planning a self-drive tour of Ireland (leaving from Shannon Airport) in mid-March. What type of weather can we expect(rain, cold, etc.). I don't have all the specifics for this trip.

We travel the UK and Ireland by car with four adults and find we have to travel really light! We take only one suitcase for the two of us plus three small carry-ons. Easier to smash into small spaces. (plus we are always sitting on stuff in the back seat!)

I travelled in late October/November without vouchers and I think that afforded us more choices in B&B's. Only twice did we have to go to a second B&B because the first one was full. We never paid more than 20 pounds ($26) per night for an en-suite room. We also stayed in two very nice hotels (Dunraven Arms in Adare and Bella Vista Hotel in Cobh) for 35 pounds each. These were great rates...I guess due to being there in the off-season. A few of the B&B hosts told us they did not accept vouchers. But in general, there are an incredible number of B&Bs, even in remote areas. <BR> <BR>We were three adults traveling in an Opel Vectra. It would have been tight for a fourth person, particularily at the end of a trip with purchases added to the trunk. But I think the smallest car you could possibly fit in would be ideal...the roads are incredibly narrow in most places! (We lost a side view mirror during our travels!)

Pat, <BR>Contact the following company for good car rental deals and bargain with them for a larger car - Hamills Rents Car Tel (00-1-353-44-44500). Since you are travelling in November there is no need to pre-book hotels or B&Bs - just wander around and telephone the day before hand - it will give you great freedom. In Dublin stay outside the city centre and have secure car parking or try Jury's Inn in Ballsbridge or ChristChurch - they charge per room rather than per person. The ballsbridge Inn is in an exclusive part of Dublin while the Christchurch is less than 5 minutes walk from City centre. Drive up the Wicklow Mountains and stay in Tinakilly House - excellent but epensive and really worth a call just to see it and experience the food if not to stay over night - a pamper yourself place. Mitchelle's of Laragh also in the Wicklow Mts is a good place to stay. In Cork try Morrison's Island Hotel - pure luxury or Ballymaloe House for an evening meal. In Kerry try Parkacilla Great Southern Hotel (a good chain of hotels). Clare - must do Ardare Manor, Dromoland Castle (expensive but worth that extra bit for one night) In Galway - the Great Southern on Eyre Sq is excellent and has a central location too or its sister hotel - the Corrib outside the city. Check out Ashford Castle if you are into Castles - it is where the film the Quiet Man was filmed. In the Midlands Crokerwood House outside Mullingar or Currans in Oldcastle. Must sees - Dublin tourist places - Guinness Brewery, the Writers Musuem, Trinty, the National Musuem etc, Check out Newgrange, the Hill of Tara - the Boyne Valley drive and the towns of Kells and Oldcastle (see the Book of Kells in Trinty College) Good pub in Oldcastle for traditional irish music Ceili House Bar. Good restaurant Bistro Castello. Hope this helps. If you have any more questions e-mail me.