How I Survived a Trip to Ireland Where Everything Went Wrong
Today is my one year anniversary. Not of a job or a marriage, but of my trip to Ireland where everything that could’ve gone wrong, did. Enough time has passed that I can laugh about it, and I want to share what I learned, what I’d do differently, and how I still had fun.
Planning a trip to Ireland soon? Continue reading to be extra prepared for your time on the Emerald Isle.
What Went Wrong
Oh, where to begin. Everything involving our air travel went horribly wrong.
The short story is that my friend Caleigh and I lost 4 days of our 2 week trip due to cancelled flights.
The long story is that we were supposed to have a direct flight from Chicago O’Hare to Dublin. We were originally informed of a delay due to maintenance. But the delay kept getting extended, and extended, and finally our flight was cancelled. The next available flight to Dublin would get us there 2 days later than originally planned.
Needless to say, we were so upset. We emailed the airline with our disappointment, and we both received flight vouchers. However, my voucher was for a higher amount than Caleigh’s, even though we were in the exact same circumstance, on the exact same flight. Thankfully, Caleigh lives in Chicago, so we were able to stay there overnight, and the customer service agents at O’Hare were able to transfer our hotel vouchers to Charlotte, NC, where we would be rerouted before flying to Dublin.
The next day, we flew to Charlotte and got in late, so we stayed at the hotel we received our vouchers for. The hotel was lovely, but there was a large mixup about when we were required to check out which resulted in me putting on my big girl pants and speaking to a manager to avoid an unnecessary fee. We had time to kill in Charlotte, so we spent our day in the vibrant Uptown neighborhood and ate fantastic southern food. It was a lovely day, but it wasn’t Ireland.
We rode to the airport that night, and boarded the plane to Dublin on time. Right before we were meant to depart, the captain announced that there would be a short delay for maintenance. The short delay turned into a long delay. The long delay turned into us having to de-plane and wait inside at the terminal.
While we were eating our airport provided sandwiches, we received a text about our flight being cancelled before the staff was even informed. Caleigh and I sprinted to a customer service desk to get our plans sorted out, tired and beyond angry. The service agent was able to get us on the next flight to Dublin, which would depart from Dallas the next day, and arrive in Dublin the day after that. They printed us another hotel voucher to stay overnight in Charlotte before heading to Dallas.
The faces of 2 people experiencing their 2nd cancelled flight in a row
Uptown, Charlotte
When we arrived back at the hotel, which was the same hotel as the previous night, the front desk agent informed us that our vouchers were expired. I explained that there was a misunderstanding- we had been there the previous night, but had to get a voucher again tonight. The agent explained that, no, the airport printed the exact same voucher they gave us the previous night, which was used and expired.
We were given the option to either return to the airport, or pay for a room. I burst into the most dramatic sob fest in front of this man. It was 2am, we were exhausted, and we were angry. Caleigh ended up paying for our room, and to this day, has still not been refunded by our airline.
The next day, before heading back to the Charlotte airport, Caleigh and I spent time writing detailed complaints to our airline outlining how much money we had lost, and how disappointed we were with the service. Our requests went ignored for weeks until they ultimately revoked our flight vouchers from the first cancellation, (yes, you read that correctly), and said if we wanted to be reimbursed we had to provide receipts and proof that we weren’t refunded. It was such a mess.
Back at the Charlotte airport, we received word of a delay on our flight to Dallas due to weather. We were convinced that we were never going to get to Ireland. Ultimately, the flight was delayed, but we still arrived in Dallas in time to catch our flight to Dublin. And much to our surprise, the flight to Dublin took off according to plan. At this point, we had lost 4 days of our trip, our entire time in Cork, and a lot of money. We had to frantically reschedule our train tickets in order to reroute us to Limerick and catch back up with our itinerary.
Many little things also went wrong, like getting lost in Limerick in the pouring rain while carrying our luggage, taking countless wrong turns, and missing plenty of bus stops.
To cap it all off, our returning flight to Chicago was delayed, and I got dumped immediately upon arrival home in Minneapolis.
We can laugh about it now.
What Went Right
Even though every possible thing seemed to go wrong, we still ended up having a memorable time. Since we decided not to rent a car, the biggest thing that went right for us was purchasing a Leap Card.
We planned to only visit cities that had public transportation covered on the Leap Card, and we chose Cork (RIP), Limerick, Galway, and Dublin. This was incredibly convenient because once we loaded our Leap Card with money, we didn’t have to worry about purchasing separate bus passes in each new city.
Perhaps our favorite part of the trip was taking a bus to the little town of Adare, just outside of Limerick. Our Leap Cards worked on this bus trip. The village was utterly adorable, and exactly how you’d expect Ireland to feel. We spent our day exploring a park, meandering through little shops, admiring cathedrals and castles, and eating at the cozy Arches Restaurant.
I have to admit, Caleigh and I didn’t have high hopes for the restaurant, as it was decorated in a very kitschy way, and the menu was very simple with salad and sandwich options. But we were blown away. Caleigh received the most beautiful salmon salad I have ever seen, and my ham and cheese toasty was pretty dang good. Not to mention, the waiter was super kind and so much fun to chat with. He even let me play on the most out of tune piano I’ve ever heard in the back of the restaurant.
Another aspect of the trip that Caleigh and I both loved was being in Dublin for the Dublin Theatre Festival. We saw two productions- a clever, modern staging of the Irish classic “The Playboy of the Western World” presented at the Gaiety Theatre, and “Hecuba,” an edgy Greek adaptation presented in the round at Project Arts Centre.
Overall, Caleigh and I both enjoyed Dublin the most, even though we had heard that most people thought it was skippable. We found it to be lively, bustling, and well-organized in terms of public transportation. Our stay at Isaac’s Hostel was great, and I would highly recommend them.
Caleigh’s unbelievably beautiful salad at The Arches Restaurant, Adare
Playing the most out of tune piano I’ve ever heard
Other activities that we enjoyed:
The Cliffs of Moher (This was the trickiest public transport to organize, but you can’t miss it.)
Shopping in the Latin Quarter, Galway
Eating seafood at Hooked, Galway
The Limerick Milk Market (Best on Saturdays)
Afternoon tea at The Atrium Lounge, Dublin (Don’t be afraid to ask for a box. We got so full.)
Dublin Pub Crawl, hosted through Isaac’s Hostel
Eating tapas at The Port House, Dublin
Gelato at Cloud Nine in Temple Bar, Dublin
The Dublin Market
Afternoon tea at The Atrium Lounge, Dublin
The Latin Quarter, Galway
What I Learned
This trip reaffirmed for me that having a travel partner that you trust and communicate well with is key. Caleigh and I were college roommates for 2 and a half years, so we already knew we worked well together. I learned that it is totally okay to ask for rest when you need it, and to honor the same request from your travel partner.
In terms of lodging, we went the AirBnb and hostel route, and I learned that was definitely the way to go. We booked Airbnb’s in each city except for Dublin, where we opted for Isaac’s Hostel. Our Limerick AirBnb and Isaac’s Hostel had kitchens available, so Caleigh and I were able to stick to our plan of utilizing groceries for 2 meals a day, and dining out for 1 meal a day. Our Galway AirBnb had a mini fridge, so we were still able to keep breakfast and simple lunch items on hand.
I also learned a great helpful tip when traveling to Ireland, or the UK in general. Purchase a Three SIM card! I purchased a Three SIM card in advance, and inserted it into an old, unlocked iPhone I had on hand. (You will need to call your provider to unlock your device.) This allowed me to have dependable access to data while in Ireland as an extra security blanket. It also provided a reliable hotspot for both of us to use.
What I’d Do Differently
If I were to plan a re-do trip to Ireland, there are a few things I would do differently.
Firstly, I would spend the extra few cents on flexible train tickets that would’ve allowed us to get a refund or reschedule when our flights were cancelled. Instead, we just had to suffer the loss. In regards to the Leap Card, Caleigh and I both wished we had opted for the unlimited Leap Visitor Card, which would have probably saved us a few euros, instead of topping up a regular Leap Card as we went along.
Even though we both loved Dublin, (we’re city girls), I would plan for at least a few days in more rural areas, or more time in Northern Ireland. The cities we visited were more touristy, and it seemed like I consistently heard more Americans than Irish people when we were out and about.
We visited the Cliffs of Moher fairly early in the morning, and the morning air was still very foggy. The Cliffs are a majestic sight to see, even in fog, but as we were catching our bus after lunch, the sky had completely cleared up. So I’d recommend an afternoon visit to the Cliffs of Moher when you go.
We also went to the Limerick Milk Market on a Sunday. It was a nice time with lots of local artists and food, but the big, famous day is on Saturday. If you stop through Limerick, be sure it’s on a Saturday. If not for the Milk Market, and honorable mention to King John’s Castle, I would probably skip Limerick entirely next time.
I also would opt to skip the Galway Museum if given a do-over. Finally, if you’re traveling during any time that isn’t summer, pack hats, gloves, and lots of warm, wool socks! I had thin gloves with me, but the frequent rain and cloud cover made things chillier than originally anticipated. Even if you bring waterproof shoes, (which is highly recommended), walking around with wet socks is the worst.
Cliffs of Moher, thankful for our umbrellas
Grafton Street, Dublin
All in all, we had a fun trip even with all of the roadblocks. I even said before we left for the trip that “Everything is perfectly planned and organized, all we need to do is show up!” The trip was definitely a life lesson about expecting the unexpected.
I hope this gives some insight while you plan your trip to Ireland. Be sure to comment with any questions, and share with any friends and family who need this inside Ireland info! Subscribe for more upcoming blog posts on travel, the art and entertainment industry, and life in the Twin Cities.
With joy,
Naomi
Enjoy this vlog of our entire trip!