What I Learned About Travel During My Recent Trip to Ireland

By Lori Visser

As I hurried to complete my last minute packing, I briefly wondered what awaited me in Ireland.  This was a last minute trip.  A working trip with a group of 32 travel agents.  The purpose of the trip was to become familiar with Ireland to help with our client’s future travel planning. Even though I am a seasoned traveler, once I left on my journey, I was quickly reminded how much you learn when you travel.  Learning new things is one of my favorite things about travel.  Some new things you learn are favorable, and some…well…are not.

Airports of course can be a place of joy (early boarding, no one in the seat next to you, plenty of overhead bin space), of frustration (flight delays, luggage issues, security screening) and sorrow (lost luggage, cancelled flights).  Always a reminder that we are at the mercy of the airlines, but always reminding myself, that the safety of passengers, crew and equipment guide these decisions.

Once I arrived in Ireland I was once again thrown into the wonderment of travel.  Ireland is one of those destinations that clients typically choose between three types of travel:  Independent touring using public transportation, self-driving using bed & breakfast vouchers, and escorted coach tour.  We were taking an escorted tour – albeit an abbreviated version from what our clients experience.  It felt so nice after lugging my luggage around and navigating airports for the better part of a day, to hand it all over to the tour company. After boarding the coach with my fellow travelers I relaxed into my seat.  We were all strangers to each other, just as a typical client would experience.  As we started out on our journey, our professional driver & guide, Mick, was great at putting us all at ease.  This is when I was reminded how the Irish are known as natural story-tellers.  They take great pride in their story telling, so I was already convinced that an escorted tour with our own private story teller, Mick, was a natural fit for a visit to Ireland. 

In just over four days, we of course visited many sites, which was expected.  What was not expected was the depth and knowledge Mick had of Ireland and how great it was to listen to him.  A sampling of the things I learned from Mick over the few days were:  How Ireland elects their leaders, the history of the Great Potato Famine of the 1840’s, what the hot topics of conversations are in the pubs (water service), fairies & leprechauns, The Celts, Norman invasion, British rule, why hedgerows are found in Ireland and why they are used, what the different colors on the sheep you see in the fields mean (probably not what you think), some jokes, the housing market, why the population is so young, why their tech industry is exploding, and much, much more.  With free WiFi on our coach, some of the travelers were “googling” Mick’s stories or resources as we traveled as well.  It was fun. You see, I started to feel sorry for other travelers we ran into, that just were not experiencing this depth of knowledge, interaction and familiarity that we received from our local guide.  They were sharing some things they learned and well…what can I say...we were being educated all day long! We all loved it.  If the majority of the group wanted to see something or stop somewhere, our guide used their best judgement and creativity to make it happen, if possible.  If not possible, he was great at letting us know why.  What a difference a professional makes.

Another thing I learned was to be prompt.  No one on the bus wants to repeatedly be that last one back at a stop.  Although, this was not a problem during our tour, you just don’t want to be labeled as the one holding things up for everyone.  Great guides get this sorted early on.  Also, luggage handling is something people forget about sometimes when traveling.  Not having to cart your luggage here and there is so nice.  It travels along with you securely on the bus, being picked up and dropped off at your hotel room.  No hauling it between a taxi, train, down the street, up the stairs in the hotel.  So nice!  Something else I learned with a coach tour is the amount of down time you have. Even on a shortened trip schedule, we still had time to shop, visit the pubs, and take in the local music.  Mick made himself available to offer advice on request.

As a frequent traveler, sometimes I forget the basics, such as re-entry protocol at the airport.  One thing I forgot about was our farm visits and packed the shoes I wore at a farm in my check-through bags.  I was detained until the airline retrieved my bag to recover the shoes for inspection and cleaning. I learned that the TSA detention room is somewhere you do not want to be.  Realize that their 1st priority is NOT to make sure you make your flight.   Make sure you review the security, immigration and customs regulations before your arrival at the airport.   When they say arrive at the airport 3 hours ahead, there is a reason for that recommendation. Because we did so, my time being detained did not impact my travel home.

The last thing I learned is how, in only 4 days on a shared journey, 33 strangers can become friends.

About the author

Lori Visser is a Travel Specialist with Cruise Planners, your Land and Cruise Specialist.  She can be reached locally at (616) 263-1777 or [email protected]