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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

How to Take Your Kids to Ireland--Food

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.

"Mommy, I want chicken strips and fries, but all I see on this kids' menu is chicken gou-something and chips. It doesn't even say if they're Doritos!"

Eating in another country is fun, delicious, an adventure, and sometimes confusing. It helps--especially when traveling with kids--to know some things in advance.

Handy Food Translations

Irish English vs. American English

chips = French fries

crisps = chips

biscuits = cookies

muffins = English muffins

chicken goujons = chicken strips

squash = juice concentrate

tea = hot black tea (generally)

puddings = desserts

sweets = candy

And most importantly, "napkin" means diaper, so please ask your server for extra "serviettes"!

In a Restaurant

Family restaurants in Ireland abound in a variety of cuisines, from traditional pub grub to Indian curries to Italian pastas. You'll find more international options in big cities, and you can save the hearty stews, sausages, and potatoes for your time in the countryside. Just like in the U.S., restaurant staff and guests appreciate courtesy and good manners, but most establishments--even pubs, unlike American bars--are welcoming of children. There are some differences and it's good for both parents and kids to be prepared.

No free refills! If you order a Sprite for the kids, let them know that when it's gone, it's gone.
Drinks often come without ice. It's hard to get used to, but you'll appreciate your freezer at home.
It's "serviette," not "napkin."
Tipping is around 10% of the bill, or rounding up the check nicely. (You may need to tell the cashier the total to charge your card, because they don't always give a receipt with a blank for the tip, like happens in the U.S.)
Servers do not hover at your elbow like they seem to do in America; they leave you in peace to enjoy your meal. If you need something, catch a server's eye and raise your hand or nod with a smile.
"Napkins" are diapers. Wipe your hands with a serviette.
Out of courtesy, gauge your family's decibel level with other patrons in the restaurant. If there's a lovely trad session going on and everyone is jolly and calling to each other above the music, feel free to join right in. If the other guests are sitting down to a quiet dinner, try--as much as possible--to match their conversational volume with your own. Americans tend to be much louder in general than Europeans, so be sensitive to that.
Beer is often cheaper than soda, but they still won't let kids drink it.
Napkins are called "serviettes."

At the Supermarket

Grocery stores are fantastic for a simple spaghetti dinner at your Airbnb flat; a pick-me-up cup of coffee and a pastry; a picnic for the car or between museums; and even a hot lunch from the deli counter. While corner Eurospar markets appear in most neighborhoods, you'll find the most variety and affordability at Dunnes Stores, Tesco, and Supervalu. Just like grocery stores in the U.S., the stores sell brand-name items and then have their store brand equivalents for lesser prices.

Mmm, something yummy for everyone.

Supermarket shopping in Ireland is basically the same as here, with just a few differences:

You may need to insert a 1-Euro coin deposit to unlock a cart--er, trolley.
Bottled (or boxed) fruit juice and squash (concentrated juice) are sold in separate aisles.
Grocery bags are not provided for free, so bring your own or come with an empty backpack (or buy bags there).
If you're buying food for a stay of a few days, make sure you check the size of the fridge/freezer before you fill your shopping trolley. There may not be room for three frozen pizzas!

Breakfast! Granola, yogurt, and tea...with biscuits and chocolate stacked for later.

How to Take Your Kids to Ireland--Costs

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.

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.

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!

How to Take Your Kids to Ireland--Luggage and Logistics

Step 8: Luggage

You're taking the family to Ireland, and you're almost ready! Time to plan your luggage.

I don't know about your family, but no one in mine particularly likes hauling bags around. So we packed as lightly and conveniently as we could. For a two-and-a-half week trip, we took:

One carry-on "rolly" suitcase each
One carry-on backpack each
One checked duffel bag with booster seat

Luggage for four, including a booster seat!

That's all, folks! The rolly suitcases fit standard airline carry-on size guidelines and weren't too big for the kids to handle. Their backpacks were a little smaller than ours, so they could handle those, too. (Full disclosure: If your kid has ADHD and/or you've been in an airport for five hours, you might end up pulling his suitcase for him.) And if you're taking my advice and renting AS SMALL A CAR AS POSSIBLE, having less luggage is a definite win.

Sometimes, it's harder to know what to leave out than what to include. Here are some things we did not take:

umbrellas (we had lightweight Frogg Togg jackets)
dressy clothes (no black-tie dinners for us)
laptops (the kids took their tablets and we took our smart phones)
100 stuffed animals (although Z managed to fit in three and then bought two more on the trip)
hiking boots (we each had 1 pair of sandals or flip-flops and one pair of walking shoes)
a set of clothing for every day (we stayed at two places that came with washing machines, and were able to re-wear jeans after non-muddy, non-sweaty days)

Nothing like sunshine and an Atlantic breeze to dry the laundry!

In each of our rolly suitcases, we had...
A coat and the Frogg Togg jackets, although we probably could have skipped the coats in the June weather. One pair of shorts, about three pairs of long pants, and a similar ratio of shirts. Socks and undies don't take much space, so we had a week's-worth of those. Swimsuits, pjs, and the extra pair of shoes basically completed this bag.

In each of our backpacks, we had...
A sweatshirt, entertainment such as books and tablets, chargers and adapters, snacks, water bottles, cameras/phones/headphones. The kids' backpacks also contained their special blankies or animals; the adult backpacks carried money, medications, itineraries, tickets, and passports.

If you're carrying on all your luggage, it doesn't particularly matter which bag has what, but we found this arrangement to work well for us.

Checklists--very important.

As I mentioned in Step 5 (and discuss further in "Transportation"), since we had to bring a booster seat for Z, we checked it for free in an otherwise-empty duffel bag. At the end of our trip, we ditched the booster and stuffed the duffel bag with dirty laundry and other squishable stuff, having paid ahead of time to check it on the flights home. This left us more space in our other bags for the souvenirs we collected during the trip.

Step 9: Last Logistics

Before you actually leave on your trip, you'll need to take care of logistics like putting travel flags on your banking cards, holding mail, refilling prescriptions, and figuring out international phone data plans. Here's a great checklist from Rick Steves. And with that, you've completed basic planning for your trip!

So...are you taking your family to Ireland? Do you have planning tips you'd like to share? I'd love to hear your stories!

For more specifics on planning a trip to Ireland with your kids, check out these other posts:

How to Take Your Kids to Ireland--Itinerary and Housing

Previous: Steps 3-5: Dublin and Car Rental

Step 6: Fun!!! Make Basic Itinerary

Castles and music and lakes, oh my! This is my favorite part of planning. For this, I like to get out an old-fashioned pencil and paper and draw a calendar grid with the days of our trip. Pull out the wish list you started at the very beginning of all this, and start plugging things in.
(For a list of family-friendly destinations we enjoyed, see "Sights and Sites.")

Gallarus Oratory has withstood weather, war, and children for about 900 years.

Good news! Dublin is already planned.
If there are shows or events on specific days you know you want to attend, mark them in and plan your stays around those.
Make sure to check opening/closing hours and any holiday or other closures.
Checking-in/checking-out of places takes an effort, so keep your one- and two-night stays to a minimum. Also, read more about time it takes to travel distances in "Transportation."

I write the town we'll want to stay in on the bottom of each day, and then pencil in the places we most want to see. It doesn't have to be pretty.

You could use a calendar template on a computer if you're fancy.
(Our actual itinerary was a little different from the one pictured because we started in Iceland and took a side-trip to Wales.)

Notice that most of these towns are three-nighters. There's also a lot of daily space left...which is good. You're not planning your trip to the minute--you're just getting a feel for how much time you want in each place.

Step 7: Book Housing for Remaining Nights

When Jay and I went to Europe pre-kids, we debated whether or not to book rooms ahead or keep maximum flexibility and breeze in and out of places on a whim. In my experience, if you're traveling with children, this isn't a debate. The answer is--book ahead. True, you may fall in love with the Dingle Peninsula and decide you just have to stay two more nights, and if you've already booked a non-refundable room in Doolin, that could be inconvenient.

But the alternative to not booking ahead is that you'll have fewer places available (especially if traveling in summer), rooms will be more expensive, and you'll spend precious time on the phone trying to find a place when you could be walking around the local castle with an ice cream. And kids do not like sitting around while their parents make phone calls.

So use your time before the trip to research the best places for your family to stay. And if your time on the Dingle Peninsula ends up feeling too short, you can say, "Next time we'll stay longer!"

We would not have had this window and view if we hadn't booked ahead!

There are different kinds of places you can stay. Because I love lists (shocker), here are some pros and cons about staying as a family in each of them.

Hotels

Find recommendations through internet reviews and guidebooks

Pros: Room service, maid service, near airports and city center locations, pay with plastic.

Cons: Blech! You can stay in a hotel in Detroit. Hotels are often expensive, and if you come into contact with other people, they'll mostly be tourists too. You'll need to eat most (or all) meals out. ($$$) You might worry about your kids disturbing the room next door with all their wrestling.

Bed and Breakfasts

Rick Steves' guidebook is a fabulous resource

Pros: Hot breakfast served! My family of men love a good full Irish breakfast (hey, so do I), and there are usually lighter fare options as well. You get to chat a little with the local host/ess if they're not too busy, and you don't have to do dishes when you're done.

Cons: You're likely sharing the house with a few other tourists (or maybe that's a pro, depending on your personality). You probably have to pay cash. You might worry about your kids disturbing other guests with their wrestling.

The boys had their own little bunk bed room at this B&B.

Airbnb

www.airbnb.com

DING DING DING!!!!! For traveling with kids, this is the best thing ever. For a family of at least four, there are two basic kinds of options.

1. Whole house/flat rental

Pros: Um, WHOLE HOUSE. (Or flat.) For a similar price as a single hotel room. Mom and Dad get their own room...includes a kitchen...you get your own living area...you might have a yard for the kids to run around in...you might not be sharing walls with anyone else...you might get a washing machine. WASHING MACHINE. (Quick side note: We used a launderette once in Dublin. It cost 12 Euros to wash and dry one load. That adds up fast.)

Best conservatory cum laundry room ever!

Cons: You won't have local hosts in the same building (or maybe that's a pro, depending on your personality). No one cooks or does dishes for you. It might not be as clean as a hotel. As guests, the host can rate you afterward on airbnb.com, and you'll get a poor review if you don't respect the space or follow house rules.

2. Room(s) in a family home

Pros: Get to know locals! (Breakfast may be included too.) In contrast with traditional B&Bs, Airbnb hosts tend to have a much more we're-visiting-friends vibe. At all three of our stays, our host families invited, "Would you like to sit and have a cuppa tea?" One of them drove me to another part of town and hunted through headstones at a cemetery with me. One hostess made my kids crepes with Nutella, and her husband let them run around chasing his sheep. He also called and got us tickets to a concert at a local venue. Another hostess invited us to tour their dairy farm and showed my kids how to get under the electric fence so they could play on the swings.

We loved our farmer Airbnb hosts!

Cons: You don't necessarily have access to kitchen or laundry. You may be sharing a bathroom and common living space. It probably won't be as clean as a hotel. As guests, the host can rate you on airbnb.com, and you'll get a poor review if you don't respect the space or the host's guidelines.

One hostess served us this beautiful continental spread.

Summary of Housing and a Few More Comments

Book your housing ahead of time. During our trip, we stayed at all three of the non-hotel kinds of housing, and it was a great mix. The farm house we had all to ourselves on the beach was our favorite. But staying with Irish farmers in their home on the Dingle Peninsula was also our favorite. Before you book, just keep in mind the following basics: 1. Read reviews. 2. Find out what's included. (My 10-year old's first question at each new place was, "What's the WiFi password?") 3. Understand the cancellation and payment policies.

Next: Steps 8-9: Luggage and Logistics

How to Take Your Kids to Ireland--Dublin and Car Rental

Planning a trip to 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!

Previous: Steps 1-2: Time of Year and Booking Flights

Step 3: How Much Time in Dublin?

This is important, because you do NOT want to get a rental car until you're out of Dublin. (Find out why in my post about transportation.) We started our trip in Dublin and used public transport and our hoofers to see everything we were most interested in. Then we picked up our rental car to head into the rest of the country. Get out that wish list you started as a family and make sure you have enough time in the Dublin to see the things that matter most.

Medieval weapons matter to some people.

WARNING: Some of us adults (raises hand) like to do AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE every day. But I don't care how hyperactive your ~~spouse~~ kids are--they can't do the same pace you can. So make sure you're leaving plenty of time each day for meals, cake breaks, transportation, and time for the kids to run around a bit. You might want tot leave some time for shopping, too!

We had two full days and two half-days in Dublin, and we LOVED the things we did and places we saw. For descriptions of where we went, check out "Sights and Sites."

Step 4: Book Dublin Housing

Now that you know which days you'll be in Dublin, book your housing for those nights. Find tips on housing in the "next step."

Pause for just a minute. At this point in your preparation, you should have a spreadsheet or trusty piece of binder paper keeping track of your decisions. It might look something like this:

You can either keep track of costs on this same sheet, or have a separate one going for those. Okay, unpause.

Step 5: Car Rental

Assuming you're following sound advice and NOT renting a car in Dublin, book a vehicle for the remaining days of your trip. Don't worry...most rental companies have a fairly generous cancellation/modification policy, so if your dates change a bit during the rest of your planning, you can adjust your car reservation. There are plenty of websites to help you figure out the ins and outs of car rental (hint: read all the fine print), so I won't cover all the nitty-gritty, but you can learn a bit more about choosing a car, whether you need a booster seat--Z did, even though he doesn't at home--and how to save money on your rental in the "Transportation" post.

The roads of Ireland are forever surprising!

Next: Steps 6-7: Itinerary and Housing

How to Take Your Kids to Ireland--Time of Year and Booking Flights

Previous: Introduction

Step 1: Decide When to Travel

What time of year?

If you're like us, you're probably looking at traveling in summertime when the kids are out of school. To avoid the biggest crush of tourists and to get slightly better prices, try to go as early in June as you can. We were there June 6th-21st and didn't have a problem with hordes (and even had a couple places mostly to ourselves).

Flowers blooming, jacket under arm just in case.

Although we only had three non-cloudy days, it wasn't particularly cold and it didn't get dark until after 11 p.m., so there's lots of daytime to explore. Plus, Irish schools were still in session, so while we ran into a couple museum field trip groups, the local families weren't holidaying yet. (If you're a homeschool family or have other flexibility, check Rick Steves' recommendations on other times of year to travel.)

How long a trip?
Traveling overseas with children involves a lot of transition. Plan on two full days book-ending the trip to be "lost" to airplanes and airports. Then, factoring in the amount of time it takes to pack/unpack and adjust to time zones on either side of the trip, it would almost not be worth it for us to be gone less than two weeks. We were gone 2.5 weeks all-told, and that was perfect.

Step 2: Reserve Flights

There are many ways to go about choosing your flights. We chose the cheap way, which was certainly not the most comfortable way, and it wasn't as easy as calling a travel agent and saying, "Book something for me." BUT we got round-trip tickets to Dublin from the U.S. West Coast for about the same cost as flying from California to New York and back. Obviously, there are lots of factors for what will be available, but here's how I found the lowest-cost tickets out there:

Use a search engine like Orbitz or Travelocity. I like Orbitz, because you can...
Enter flexible dates. Prices fluctuate based on day of the week, so if you're not locked into exact dates for departure and return, you'll have more options. (If you're wanting to redeem or earn miles with a specific airline, you'll have to find out if they have blocked-off days.)
Decide if you can handle flights with layovers. My sister with a toddler says, "Never again," but my tween kids handled one layover okay. IN FACT, we got a bonus 16 hours to explore Iceland, but that's another story.
WARNING: Before you lose your head over a too-good-to-be-true price, double-check that it is round-trip, and find out exactly what the price includes. We got "unbundled fare" on Iceland's WOW Air, which means that the ticket price included our seats. That's it. No baggage, no cups of water, no headphones or movie screens, no breakfast. You get what you pay for, but this method can still be cheapest, even when you add in some of the "extras."
Once you've found a flight that looks good, check that airline's website directly. It's possible they might have an even better deal.
Pay ahead of time for baggage (almost never free for budget flights). Figure out how many bags you'll need and pay for them online, which is often cheaper than buying at the airport. See more about packing under "Luggage and Logistics."
Opt out of paying to choose your seats if you're not picky. Don't worry, an airline is going to seat your family together automatically.
It's up to you whether you pay a little extra for cancellation privileges. I went ahead and added it for peace of mind, and it didn't increase the total that much.

Luxury it is not, but it got us there!

Next: Steps 3-5: Dublin and Car Rental