When: May 16-27, 2023
Where: Ireland, Northern Ireland
Registration: Registration and waitlist are closed
Join us in Ireland and explore its historic sites, picturesque islands, wild coastlines, and beautiful landscapes – north and south!
Highlights include:
- City tours of Dublin, Belfast, Galway, Derry
- Rock of Cashel
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral & Grave
- Giant’s Causeway
- Visit to sheepdog farm
- Dingle Peninsula
- Aran Islands
- Cliffs of Moher
- Kilmainham Gaol
- and more!
Our itinerary might change, but we’re planning this and more! Recommended for ages 6 and up.
Hotels
We’ll stay in multiple hotels as we explore different areas. Families of two or three will have one room, and larger families will split into multiple rooms. For example, a family of four will likely have two rooms, with two people in each room. A family of five would stay in two rooms, with two in one room, and three in another. (We may be able to get rooms that will accommodate larger families, but no guarantees.)
Each room must include an adult throughout the stay. I’ll request nearby rooms for families who need multiple rooms, but I can’t guarantee it.
Rooms for three (and larger families) are limited, so register as soon as possible if you have a larger family.
Transportation
Roundtrip flights to Dublin (arriving on the morning of May 17* and departing on May 27) is not included in the price. We’ll use buses and ferries for transportation while touring Ireland.
*Most flights to Ireland are overnight, so you’ll likely need to depart on Tuesday, May 16 to arrive in Dublin to start our tour on Wednesday, May 17.
I’ll email more information about flights after the trip is confirmed.
Registration Fee, Cost, & What’s Included
A $100 per-person, non-refundable registration fee is required, and will be charged to your debit/credit card when you submit your registration.
If I don’t have spots available for your family, or if I cancel the trip, this registration fee will be returned to your credit/debit card. It is non-refundable for any other reason.
The cost is $2,600 per person based on two or more people per room (in addition to the $100 per-person registration fee). This includes group airport transfers,* hotels, transportation within Ireland and Northern Ireland, breakfast each day, six dinners, all admissions on our itinerary, and tour guides.
Singles are $3,300 per person (in addition to the $100 registration fee).
*We’ll arrange several group transfers based on flight arrival and departure times. If you miss those transfers, your transfer won’t be included.
This price does not include airfare, any extra tours you do on your own, any meals other than those listed above, trip insurance, and gratuity for our tour guides and drivers.
Payment Schedule, Cancellation, and Refund Policy
Half of your total is due within 7 days of my confirmation of your spots. I will not be able to hold spots beyond 10 days. The remaining balance will be due by July 31, 2022.
I accept checks (personal, bank checks, BillPay through your bank) and Zelle transfers (if your bank offers that). I don’t accept credit or debit cards (other than for the registration fee), money orders, PayPal, Venmo, any payment method that requires me to provide my account number to a third party, or any other payment method.
This is a custom tour. Your payments are refundable only if I have a family on my waiting list to replace yours, and a $250 per-person cancellation fee will be deducted from any refunds. No replacements, roster changes, or refunds will be made after July 31, 2022. (Your $100 per-person registration fee is separate and is non-refundable for any reason.)
Please make sure you understand and agree with my cancellation and refund policy before you register. Your signed waiver, registration, and payment acknowledges understanding and agreement.
This trip may be cancelled if we don’t have enough registrations. If it is, I’ll refund all payments made to me. However, you’re responsible for your flights and any cancellation penalties the airlines charge.
Travel insurance that covers your expenses if you cancel the trip is strongly recommended. Thoroughly research policies to make sure of the reasons you can cancel, and that it covers emergencies and any unforeseen circumstances such as sickness, death of a loved one, and acts of God (natural disasters, etc.). Pandemics and civil unrest usually aren’t covered, but may be now, so make sure you check carefully, ask questions, and get answers in writing before purchasing.
Food Allergies, Special Needs
Make sure you list any food allergies or other special needs on your registration form. I’ll check to see if your needs can be accommodated before I confirm your registration. (No money will be refunded due to allergies or other special needs if you don’t tell me about them when you register.)
Important Notes
- If families have multiple hotel rooms, one adult must occupy each room throughout the night.
- Children ages 17 and under must be accompanied by their parents on all tours.
- Children ages 17 and under may not be left in hotel rooms while parents tour.
- A cell phone and international data plan for one adult in your party is required for this trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this trip still open? Are any spots left? Do you have a waitlist? Is your waitlist first come, first serve?
I’ll update this page if we run out of spots. I can’t answer “do you have spots left” questions because I receive registrations throughout the day. What’s available at noon, for example, may not be available at 1:00 pm.
Waitlists are based on a lottery system (not first come, first serve). Notifications go to everyone who signed up, and everyone has an equal chance of getting spots, regardless of when they signed up.
When the cancellation period for a trip closes, the waitlist also closes since we can no longer replace spots.
To increase your chance of winning a waitlist “lottery,” make sure to follow the instructions in the text you receive and provide the requested information.
What are the COVID travel restrictions for this trip?
There are currently no COVID travel restrictions for Ireland or Northern Ireland.
The current requirements for entering the United States are a negative COVID test or documentation of recovery from COVID. We hope these requirements will be dropped soon, but we have no “insider” information.
Regardless of what the current requirements are, please register only if you’re willing to travel with whatever requirements are in place for Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United States at our time of travel.
Is the price per person?
The price is per person, regardless of age.
This is a lot of money to send to someone I don’t know. Can you provide references?
I could provide references from families who’ve traveled with me since I began doing these trips in 2006, but the references could be faked.
Instead, read my About page to find out more about me, then do a search of “Carolina Homeschooler trips” and “Traveling Homeschooler trips.” If I’ve cheated anyone, it’ll be all over the internet.
My “Traveling Homeschoolers” name is newer, created in 2016 to differentiate between my local member trips, and trips that are open to everyone, so search both names.
You can also get a sense of who I am and what I do if you follow me on Facebook.
It’s too stressful to send money until you trust me, so research before you register.
Do you think you’ll have enough families to confirm the trip?
I hope so! My international trips usually fill up within a few days, but COVID and resulting travel infrastructure issues have made things more uncertain. I’m hoping 2023 will be our year to continue our international adventures!
Can you tell us what hotels we’ll be using? What’s our day-to-day itinerary?
Things may change, so I’ll wait to share hotel information, itinerary, etc., with travelers when we get closer to our travel dates.
Can we opt out of the hotels, specific tours, etc.?
This is a package deal, so you won’t receive a refund if you opt out of any hotel, site, or tour on this trip.
Does the description above list everything we’ll be doing?
Our itinerary is subject to change, and I may be able to add things here and there. I’ve listed some highlights of what to look forward to, but you’ll receive a full itinerary before we depart.
I have a larger family and have very young children. Can we all share one room?
The hotels we’re using allow up to three people per room (but we may be able to add more – it depends on how soon we confirm). If you have more than three people in your party, you will likely have multiple rooms, and at least one adult must sleep in each room. This trip is limited to ages 6 and up.
I have a baby, toddler, preschooler – do they count in the price?
This trip is limited to ages 6 and up, but everyone (regardless of age) counts in the price.
What city will we fly into and out of?
We’ll begin and end our trip in or near Dublin. Please don’t arrange your flights until we confirm the trip.
What payment methods do you accept?
The non-refundable $100 per-person registration fee must be paid by credit/debit card when you submit your registration. It’s separate from your trip payment.
For your trip payment of $2,600 per person (or $3,300 for singles), I accept checks (personal, bank checks, BillPay through your bank) and Zelle transfers if you can pay your first payment of $1,300 per person in one transfer (no split payments).
I don’t accept credit or debit cards (other than for the registration fee), money orders, PayPal, Venmo, any payment method that requires me to provide my account number to a third party, or any other payment method.
Want to join us?
- Registration and waitlist are closed.
- If you don’t receive a confirmation with payment information within 5 days, please email me.
- And that’s it! Email me if you have any questions.
