Frequently Asked Questions

You can book directly online via our tour pages. You can also select your prefered tour from the list below and proceed to securing your spot on our booking platform:

• Go South
  • Book a 2027 tour
• Go West
  • Book a 2027 tour
• Go North
  • Book a 2027 tour 

If you have any questions prior to booking, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

One month before your tour starts: You receive more detailed information about who is on your tour, your guide, the time to meet your guide and group on Tuesday morning, contact details for all your accommodations, and other travel tips.

If you have booked your Inroads Ireland tour and need to transfer your trip start date to a different tour, we are happy to do that, as long as there is space available on a new tour date in the same calendar year. If you transfer your tour within 30 days of the original tour start date, you are responsible for accommodation cancellation fees. Transfers are allowed to tours within the same calendar year.

Trip Cancellations or Changes

Inroads Travel LLC d/b/a Inroads Ireland reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to the departure date for any reason or because of logistical complications which may prevent our ability to operate. If Inroads Ireland is unable to provide another trip that is comparable or better than the cancelled trip, it will refund all payments, less credit card charges. This refund shall release Inroads Ireland of further liability. Inroads Ireland is not responsible for additional expenses such as non-refundable “Advance Purchase” air tickets or deposits. Inroads Ireland reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Tour arrangements are made up to a year in advance, and unforeseen conditions that mandate change may arise.

Cancellations / Refunds

If the Client cancels his or her reservation, a cancellation fee will be determined as follows:

• 90 + days cancelled prior to trip start date: US$500 (per reservation)
• 46 – 90 days cancelled prior to trip start date: 50% of trip price (per reservation)
• 0 – 45 days cancelled prior to trip start date: no refund

Exceptions to this policy cannot be made for any reason, including those of weather, personal or medical emergencies, terrorism, or civil unrest. There is no refund for arriving late or leaving a trip early. Single room supplements are considered part of the trip price and are subject to cancellation fees.

Inroads Ireland tours take no responsibility for delayed airlines and missing the tour’s start, lost baggage, or any injuries that may occur while on tour. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance to cover cancellation fees, airline tickets, and medical expenses. We recommend Travel Insured International.

We have curated an extensive packing list for you on our Ireland Travel Tips & Packing Guide page. Check it out to discover everything you need to bring to have a comfortable and enjoyable trip.

Not at all! 60% of the people on our tours are between 40 and 65 years old, 20% are younger than 40, and 20% are older than 65. They all share a love of roads less traveled and having an authentic Irish experience. What matters most is not your age, but your mobility and comfort with an active travel style. As long as you have a reasonable level of fitness and mobility, you’ll be able to fully enjoy the experience. If you’d prefer to skip a particular activity, that’s perfectly fine too.

These tours are fairly easy going and most involve easy walks to sites. However, please note:

• You should have an average fitness level and moderate mobility. Bring a walking stick if you’d like.
• You should be able to go on walks along uneven surfaces, up hills, and carry your bags to your room.
• To get to sites, walks can be 10 – 20 minutes and some involve gravel or dirt roads.
• Most people take them at their own pace.
• If you’re just not feeling up to it that day, you can always opt out.

If you are flying from the continental USA or Canada, you should take an overnight flight leaving on Sunday and arriving on Monday. DO NOT take a flight leaving Monday night and arriving Tuesday morning. You will miss the tour’s departure on Tuesday morning.

If you are arriving from outside the USA or Canada, please be in Dublin by Monday evening to enjoy your night’s accommodation. When you make a reservation, you’ll receive an email with details about the starting hotel.

Your tour returns to Dublin on Monday afternoon (around 5:00 PM) and your Monday night accommodation is included in the tour price. Your return flight to the USA or Canada should depart on Tuesday. With most flights to the continental USA or Canada, you arrive home the same day.

For U.S. bound passengers, we recommend that you arrive at Terminal 2 of the Dublin Airport three hours before your flight’s scheduled departure. You will go through security and then U.S. preclearance where you clear U.S. Immigration and Customs. Upon arriving into the U.S., your flight is treated as a domestic arrival. All you have to do is pick up your luggage and off you go!

For Canada bound passengers, we recommend that you arrive at the Dublin airport two hours before your flight’s scheduled departure.

Aer Lingus (the national Irish carrier) flies directly from several U.S. and Canadian cities to Dublin. Other airlines (for example: United, American Airlines, Delta) fly direct depending on your departure city. Most major air carriers fly to Dublin (Airport code = DUB).

That’s a tough question to answer. Generally, if you start watching airfares 6 – 7 months before you plan on flying to Dublin, you can get a sense of where the price is. Websites like kayak.com let you create a “Price Alert” on a particular route and you are notified by email with price changes.

TIP: Join the e-newsletter of the air carrier with direct flights to Dublin from your departure city and you’ll get the inside scoop on airfare sales.

To enter Ireland, you need a valid passport with an expiration date of at least 6 months after your return date. U.S. and Canadian citizens do not need a Visa to enter the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland (UK).

As of January 2025, unless you are a citizen of the UK or otherwise exempt, all travelers who are entering into the UK for visit or flight connections will need to have an electronic entry authorization. It must be obtained prior to travel and is required for the Go North tour. To apply and for more information, see the link here.

If you are not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, here’s a link that discusses Visa requirements for travel to Ireland.

If you took an overnight flight, take a short nap. For some people, this helps with jet lag. On that Monday night, try to go to bed at your “regular” time. Here is a link with tips to prevent jet lag from the Mayo Clinic.

The Dublin airport is located approximately 10 km (or 6 miles) north of the city center. You will receive more detailed information about the starting hotel upon making a reservation. You have the option of taking a taxi or an express bus to the city center.

• Taxis: There is a taxi stand just outside the Arrivals Hall. The fare is generally €25 – €30 to the city center. Taxis are available at all hours of the day.
• Dublin Express: (€9) Dublin Express operates from Zone 1 at Terminal 1 and Zone 21 at Terminal 2 and travels directly into Dublin via the Port Tunnel, making it the fastest coach to Dublin City centre. View Dublin Airport bus map here.

Your Inroads Ireland tour begins on Monday with checking in to your Dublin hotel. You will receive an email with the hotel’s details. We will work with the hotel to allow an early check-in. If that’s not possible, you can leave your bags at the front desk and return in the afternoon to check-in. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy.

The Euro (€) is the official currency of the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland (U.K.), the British Sterling Pound (£) is the official currency. U.S. dollars are not accepted. We recommend obtaining about €100 in cash (denominations of 20s or smaller) from your home bank prior to your arrival in Ireland. You can then take out more money from an ATM as needed during your trip.

When traveling in Ireland, one strategy is to use cash for smaller purchases and your credit card elsewhere. If you want more tips regarding ATMs, credit cards, and more, check out our Ireland Travel Tips & Packing Guide page.

Ireland is in the Greenwich Mean Time Zone, which is 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the United States. The 24-hour clock is commonly used for air, bus, and railroad timetables.

Breakfast at your guest house starts around 8:00 AM and the tour group will be hitting the road between 8:30 and 9:00 AM. During the day, you’ll visit various sites, enjoy free time for lunch, and have spontaneous photo stops. Bathroom breaks are built into the tour route. You’ll get to your overnight town between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. Your guide will point out dining and pub options and you can choose where you’d like to eat. With free time in the evening, you could go for a walk, watch the sun set, enjoy a pint of Guinness, or have a chat with the locals.

People often ask “How much time is spent on the mini-bus?”. With our style of tour, the routes have been designed to take you on some of the most scenic back roads of Ireland. So, you may not get somewhere the fastest, but you’ll see the best of Ireland along the way. On a typical day, you’ll spend approximately 2 to 4 hours on the mini bus, with plenty of stops along the way. We intentionally break up travel time to make the journey as enjoyable as possible. Most driving segments last only 45 minutes to an hour at a time.

Ireland is somewhat of a non-tipping country, but tipping is expected in some situations:

• In pubs, the bartender does not expect a tip for each drink order. However, if you order drinks at a table, a tip is expected depending on your group size.
• Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, but you can round up to the next Euro.
• At restaurants and cafes with table service, a 10%-15% tip is customary, or more if the service was exceptional. In nicer restaurants, you may see a “Service Charge” on the bill. This equals a tip.
• For your tour guide, a standard amount is €15- €20 per person per day of the tour, or whatever you decide is appropriate. All guide tips are greatly appreciated..

Breakfast each day is included in the tour price. To give you time to explore restaurants and towns, you have free time each day for lunches and dinners. This gives you the flexibility to find the food you like and spend what you want. When you arrive in a town, your tour guide will provide recommendations for pubs and restaurants.

In most areas, you will be able to spend as much or as little as you like. A lunch of a sandwich, beverage, and chips can cost about €15. A sit-down dinner in the evening can cost €20 to €25. A pint of Guinness costs about €5. A glass of wine costs €7 to €10. On average, one may spend €30 to €40 per day on food and drinks, depending on your tastes. The good news is that cuisine is as varied in Ireland as elsewhere. You can choose to eat at a very fine restaurant or pick up delicious fish and chips from a local food truck.

For more information about WiFi, cell phone plans, and SIM cards, visit our Ireland Travel Tips & Packing Guide page.

Ireland can have a mix of sun, wind, and rain on any given day. Travel to Ireland is best between May and September. Temperatures tend to be in the 60s—some days may be warmer (low 70s) and some days cooler (high 50s). There is low humidity and few biting bugs. The days are long with light— the countryside is beautiful and green, plants are blooming, and everything’s open and accessible. Irish temperatures are in Celsius. Ireland’s weather is influenced by the Gulf Stream and has a year-round temperate climate with warmer summers and cooler/damper winters.

If you want to learn more about how to use electrical devices, power transformers, and plug adaptors, visit our Ireland Travel Tips & Packing Guide page.

If you’re interested in renting a car, check out our Ireland Travel Tips & Packing Guide page to learn more about renting a car, driving tips, insurance, and minimum age requirements.

Visitors to Ireland from outside the European Union (EU) can buy goods in Ireland to take home with them and benefit from tax relief (also known as Value Added Tax or VAT refund). Tax relief is not allowed on services, for example, hotel accommodation, meals or car hire. The visitor must provide proof that they are a visitor from outside the EU when making each purchase. The proof includes evidence of the place of residence, inbound and outbound flight dates, and a signed declaration. For more information, visit our Ireland Travel Tips & Packing Guide page.

Here are some of our tips so that you can have a safe and comfortable trip in Ireland:

• Make photocopies of your passport, airline tickets, write down the account numbers of items in your wallet along with phone numbers to call if lost/stolen. Bring a copy of this information with you PLUS leave a copy of this information with a trusted person at home.
• Minimize financial risks by leaving expensive jewelry, watches, and electronics at home.
• If you are carrying a purse, sling it across your chest or hold it close to your side with the clasp towards you.
• If you are wearing a backpack, swing it around to the front if you are in a crowded area.
• Keep your passport and other important items in a money belt that is under your clothing
• Carry small amounts of money on you.
• Don’t put a wallet with money in your back pocket.
• Split up your cash. Only carry what you need for that day. If you are carrying a purse, put some money in your front pocket.
• When walking about town, take only the items you need – some cash, a credit card/ATM card, photo ID, etc.
• If you are using an ATM after dark, go to a well lit ATM with pedestrian traffic.