Travel Destinations - Ireland

Mick Higgins, our CMO and resident Irishman here at Caddle, is no stranger to traveling on a budget. He frequently returns home to Ireland, and over the years, he’s had quite some experience getting to know the best ways to get travel deals.

Now, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this week, Mick is sharing his Ireland travel tips with our Caddle users!

If you’ve always dreamed of going to the homeland of Guinness and visiting the historic Dublin Castle, now is your chance to get insider tips and advice.

Check out Mick’s advice!

Price Watching

Any frequent traveler knows the value of price watching when it comes to your flight. But it’s hard to know when the best opportunity for the best deal is. That’s where technology comes in.

There are many apps out there that can help you keep track of your trip. Here are two main apps Mick says he can’t travel without.

Hipmunk: This app will track flight, hotel, and car rental prices for you and let you know when the best time to purchase is. Just input your travel information and let it track for you.

Hopper: On this app, you can watch and track your flight to see when the price changes.

Skyscanner: This is a great one for adding alerts for the dates you want to keep track of. You will receive an email when the price changes so you don’t have to check in to get the best price.

Plan to Visit Attractions Accessible by Public Transit

In Ireland, public transit is the most efficient way to get around, and many attractions and destinations can be located this way.

Check out some travel websites to figure out where you want to go during your trip.

Discover Ireland has popular tourist attractions, and Lovin Dublin as a good mix of local hangouts and must-see landmarks. These sites have attraction recommendations and information about how to get to each one, so you can plan your bus or train route.

A Hop On Hop Off bus tour is also a great way to see as many attractions as possible with travel ease. You just pay for a pass, then you can jump on the bus and get off at whatever stops you want, at your own pace.

Pick an Area Based on Your Travel Needs

There are a few main forms of transit that are used in Ireland. Check out their websites to see which routes to take. Then, plan to stay at accommodations that are located on those routes and can be easily accessible this way.

• Luas: Dublin’s streetcar system, named after the Irish word for “speed.”
• DART: the Dublin Area Rapid Transit system, which is an electric rail service.
• The Dublin Bus: the city’s main bus system.
• Larnród Éireann: in English, this is known as “Irish Rail” and it’s the city’s other rail system.
• My Taxi: Uber is super popular in Canada, but in Ireland, it’s not the only option! For the more popular Irish equivalent look at My Taxi.

Don’t forget about currency! In Ireland, they use the euro, so make sure you account for this in your travel budget.

Searching for a Hotel

When it’s time to book your accommodations, think about weighing your options. This is when travel websites make a huge difference on your savings.

Try out Airbnb, where you can find some really nice accommodations at decent prices.

If you’d rather stick to a hotel chain, try out Expedia or Travelocity to compare hotel deals and get the best price.

Claiming the VAT

You’re probably wondering what the heck a VAT is. VAT stands for value added tax, and in Ireland it’s 23% of your purchases.

In Ireland, you can claim a sales tax refund on the purchases you’ve made during your trip when you leave.

If you sign up for a HORIZON card, you can swipe it as you make purchases and it will automatically tack them as you go, so you won’t have to keep track of a bunch of receipts.

At the Dublin and Shannon airports, there are FEXCO kiosks set up where you can present your HORIZON card. You’ll also need your boarding pass, passport, and credit card information.

Download Caddle to Earn Extra Cash For Your Irish Getaway

Caddle rewards users for their purchases, feedback, and engagement. You can earn cash quick just by saving your receipts and taking our user surveys.

It only takes seconds to start earning- less than the time it takes to choose your favourite Snapchat filter.

New offers come out every week with more opportunities to save and earn, so keep checking back!