Planning a trip to the Republic of Ireland with your family? Let our experiences traveling with two tween-agers help you see the country, meet locals, connect with history, and keep to a modest budget! For step-by-step guidelines on planning your trip, start with the Introduction.
How Much Does a Family Trip to Ireland Cost?
Good question! Glad you asked. There's no one answer, because everyone has different traveling preferences; but with my family's priorities of experiencing the local cultures, people, and history without breaking the bank, we spent--not including airfare or souvenirs--an average of $83 per person per day. This is for two adults and two grade-schoolers with 12 full days in the country (I'm leaving the two days of air travel out of these averages).
Here's how that itemizes down:
All amounts are per person, per day
| Housing | 32 |
| Food | 17 |
| Gas | 2 |
| Car | 10 |
| Public transit | 2 |
| Sights | 14 |
| Phones (two) | 4 |
| Misc. fees | 2 |
Please keep in mind that different styles of travel can wildly affect these averages. You can link to specific posts about how we did each of these things, but there are some basic ways we kept to this modest budget.
We did stay in comfortable, clean, attractive housing and meet wonderful people.
We did not stay in any hotels, much less 4-star hotels, or--on the other end--do any camping.
We did experience local culture and cuisine by eating some meals in restaurants, by shopping in local markets for deli picnics and simple home-cooked meals, and by drinking mostly water, sodas, and juice. (Blackcurrant squash, anyone?)
We did not eat every meal out, nor did we eat in any high-end restaurants, nor did we buy much alcohol. (That will change the daily average right there!) Conversely, we did not subsist soley on yogurt and sandwiches.
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| This beautiful meal in Dublin still fit within our food budget! |
We did rent a car easy for me to drive (automatic transmission), large enough to be comfortable for the four of us, and small enough to navigate the narrow roads.
We did not rent a car for Dublin, select a high-end model, or have to spend gas on a hefty engine.
We did see all the museums, sites, and shows we wanted to see.
We did not search out only free attractions, or only self-guided tours (although there are a number of them to choose from!), but neither did we attend top-billing rock concerts or musicals.
We did purchase international mobile phone data plans for both Jay and myself, so that we could each have some navigation and communication capabilities.
We did not give both of our phones unlimited data/calling/texting; we used Jay's for most of that, and I waited to do my Facebooking, emailing, and so-on when we had wifi.
It's been said that for any given thing, one can only have two of the following: Ease, Elegance, Economy. For example, eating at McDonald's might be easy and economical, but it's not elegant. Preparing a candlelit steak dinner at home rather than eating out can be economical and elegant, but it's not as easy as visiting a restaurant.
What does this have to do with traveling? It has everything to do with your approach to budgeting. In general, Jay and I chose elegance (getting the quality we wanted) and economy (keeping to our budget) over ease. It takes time to find the best deal on a car rental. It takes patience to look at restaurant menus in the front window and skip the first ones you find if they're too expensive. It takes interpersonal energy to be kind and outgoing to Airbnb hosts, rather than simply handing a hotel porter a tip.
But then there were other times we valued ease and elegance over economy, such as paying extra for an automatic transmission and doing a day bus tour to the passage tombs of Newgrange. (And yes, we did skip elegance to get McDonald's for one meal on a particularly tiring travel day. Hey, it was a little taste of home!)
Of course, it's possible to end up with only one of the three, like being stuck in an airport and having to buy their outrageously expensive and extraordinarily mediocre food. Nothing elegant or economical there!
As a family, decide which of those two "Es" you generally want to pursue; plan according to that philosophy; and then allow yourself to adjust as specific situations call for it.
One last tip: This may seem obvious, but remember, the prices you see listed everywhere will be in Euros, NOT dollars. Keep the exchange rate in mind as you make purchases, or you'll be very unhappy when you see your bank statement at the end of the trip.
What do you think? How might your family's traveling preferences be similar or different to ours? Does a trip like this sound doable? Share your thoughts and budgeting tips in the comments!
Keeping in Mind the Three "Es"
It's been said that for any given thing, one can only have two of the following: Ease, Elegance, Economy. For example, eating at McDonald's might be easy and economical, but it's not elegant. Preparing a candlelit steak dinner at home rather than eating out can be economical and elegant, but it's not as easy as visiting a restaurant.
What does this have to do with traveling? It has everything to do with your approach to budgeting. In general, Jay and I chose elegance (getting the quality we wanted) and economy (keeping to our budget) over ease. It takes time to find the best deal on a car rental. It takes patience to look at restaurant menus in the front window and skip the first ones you find if they're too expensive. It takes interpersonal energy to be kind and outgoing to Airbnb hosts, rather than simply handing a hotel porter a tip.
But then there were other times we valued ease and elegance over economy, such as paying extra for an automatic transmission and doing a day bus tour to the passage tombs of Newgrange. (And yes, we did skip elegance to get McDonald's for one meal on a particularly tiring travel day. Hey, it was a little taste of home!)
Of course, it's possible to end up with only one of the three, like being stuck in an airport and having to buy their outrageously expensive and extraordinarily mediocre food. Nothing elegant or economical there!
 |
| This unattractive food was THE most expensive meal of our entire trip. Buyer beware: BYO food to the Reykjavik airport! |
As a family, decide which of those two "Es" you generally want to pursue; plan according to that philosophy; and then allow yourself to adjust as specific situations call for it.
One last tip: This may seem obvious, but remember, the prices you see listed everywhere will be in Euros, NOT dollars. Keep the exchange rate in mind as you make purchases, or you'll be very unhappy when you see your bank statement at the end of the trip.
What do you think? How might your family's traveling preferences be similar or different to ours? Does a trip like this sound doable? Share your thoughts and budgeting tips in the comments!
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