November 26, 2024 • 24 mins
Celebrate the vibrant culture of Ireland with us on the Michelson Travel Podcast as we journey through this enchanting land with Diana from Celtic Tours Vacations. Get ready to immerse yourself in the magic of St. Patrick's Day like never before! Discover the unique charm of small group travel as Diana shares her expertise on creating memorable experiences for travelers. With a capped group size of just 32, this intimate tour kicks off in the lively city of Dublin, where you'll enjoy the St. Patrick's Day parade, visit the iconic Man O' War pub, and explore the city's rich history at your own pace. As the adventure unfolds, we'll traverse from Dublin to Waterford, uncovering Viking roots and indulging in the world-famous craftsmanship of Waterford Crystal with some retail therapy in Kilkenny along the way.
Our conversation with Diana also uncovers some must-see attractions and hidden gems throughout Ireland. Whether you're pouring your own pint at the Guinness Storehouse or soaking up the breathtaking vistas of the Dingle Peninsula, there's something for everyone in this episode. Diana offers insights into Ireland's delectable cuisine and erases the stereotype of the meat-and-potatoes diet, introducing us to fresh fish and chips from Dingle. For those planning an Irish getaway, she'll guide you through the flexible travel packages offered by Celtic Tours, from self-drive adventures to private chauffeur-driven journeys, making it easy for solo travelers and family groups alike. Book early to secure your spot on these exclusive tours and come discover why Ireland is an ideal destination for travelers of all ages.
Our conversation with Diana also uncovers some must-see attractions and hidden gems throughout Ireland. Whether you're pouring your own pint at the Guinness Storehouse or soaking up the breathtaking vistas of the Dingle Peninsula, there's something for everyone in this episode. Diana offers insights into Ireland's delectable cuisine and erases the stereotype of the meat-and-potatoes diet, introducing us to fresh fish and chips from Dingle. For those planning an Irish getaway, she'll guide you through the flexible travel packages offered by Celtic Tours, from self-drive adventures to private chauffeur-driven journeys, making it easy for solo travelers and family groups alike. Book early to secure your spot on these exclusive tours and come discover why Ireland is an ideal destination for travelers of all ages.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi and welcome to the new and improved the Michelson
Travel Podcast.
I will be speaking with moreguests and more travelers and
will bring you great insightsand, I hope, to inspire your
sense of curiosity.
As you may or may not know, myconcierge of podcast travel has
retired, or so he thinks.
(00:22):
Jay Lawrence has decided toactively travel more, so he will
be one of my many guests as weexplore this great world we live
in, along with rediscoveringAmerica.
And, of course, this is ZeeMichelson and I am here with
Diana from Celtic ToursVacations.
Diana, how are you today?
I'm doing fabulous.
(00:43):
How are you?
I'm doing great.
And you know this is going tobe airing in a few weeks and I
can't believe that Halloween isover and I missed going to
Ireland during Halloween, but wegot St Patrick's Day coming up.
We do, we do Absolutely.
So what does Celtic Tours dofor us for St Patrick's?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Day.
We have an amazing celebrationfor St Patrick's Day and it's
done the Irish way, Done theIrish way, irish way.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Oh, what's the Irish way so?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
the itinerary definitely brings you to Dublin
oh cool, yeah, of course wherethey have the big parade, the St
Patrick's Day parade.
It also takes you to WaterfordKillarney, so we go to Waterford
Killarney.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So we go to Waterford , where the Crystal, of course,
is there Yep, and Killarney Yep,and I'm sure there's more stops
along the way.
Now we're on a tour bus,correct, correct, yeah.
So what size tours?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
are they so for this particular tour?
We like to keep most of ourtours small for Irelandireland,
so for this particular tour themaximum size is going to be 32
people.
Oh, that's so, um.
So your first day you'rearriving in ireland and you're
in dublin, and of course youhave transfers to and from the
(01:59):
airport to your hotel.
But we're also going to stop atthe famous man O' War pub,
which is very, very famous inDublin.
Why is it famous?
It has a genuine traditionalIrish experience.
It has a rule setting iconicthatch building, so it's a very,
very popular pub in Ireland.
(02:19):
Really makes you feel likeyou're in Ireland.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yep, you got it.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Absolutely, Absolutely.
So then after that, of course,you're going to stay in the city
center, which is really reallynice because you are going to
have some free time.
You could go and travel and doyour own thing and walk all over
.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Dublin.
Okay, so let me, let me get ahandle on this.
Let me see I arrive in Dublinand that day do we meet our tour
guide or do we just rest in ourhotel?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yep, you're actually going to be able to explore at
your leisure the city center onthe first day, correct, and then
you're going to have dinner onyour own that evening in Dublin.
Okay, so then the very next day, which is St Patrick's Day, and
, of course, every day on thistour you're going to have a good
wholesome Irish breakfast dayon this tour.
You're going to have a goodwholesome Irish breakfast.
(03:06):
You know I like to call itcholesterol heaven because you
have potatoes and you havesausages, and you have the old,
you know the good Irishcholesterol breakfast you got it
, and then St Patrick's Day,you're going to go ahead and go
to the parade where you're goingto see the St Patrick's Day
festival.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So do we get seats there or a standing room?
Do we actually get over?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
there.
You're actually going to walkfrom there.
You're going to have your tourguide who's going to actually
bring you over there.
The day is pretty much freeafter the parade, so you can go
to the museums.
You can go to the Epic Museum,you can go to the galleries.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Now I got a question.
Now I got a question.
Now, when you do this and youdo have the tour guide and the
free time, is there somebodythere to say, oh, you need to
see this, or you know, if youhave questions?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yep, our tour guides are amazing over in Ireland.
They live there, they're veryfamiliar, they work directly for
us.
They don't work for a thirdparty, oh nice.
So our tour guides areabsolutely amazing.
They're also our bus drivers,our motorboat drivers.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So you only have one person that you're actually
answering to.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
You don't have to worry about going and hunting
down everybody.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
So that's really really good.
So that's day one and a half.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
One and two.
One and two.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Okay, so now you've been partied out.
You've St Paddy Day parade,you've done all of that, and now
what is the next day?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
like.
You get back on the bus, yeahWell you're going to go ahead
and stay the night in Dublinthat evening and then you're
going to go ahead and go toWaterford.
You'll depart Dublin and makeyour way south to Waterford with
a brief stop in Kilkenny so youcan do some retail therapy, I
(04:48):
like to call it in Kilkenny, andthen you're going to go ahead
and arrive in the Viking Cityand we'll check into your hotel
and you'll enjoy dinner thatevening In a Viking City.
Waterford is considered theViking City.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
That's where the Vikings actually are.
So it's a Viking City.
So you're going to see a lotfrom the Vikings in Waterford.
Now is the tour bringing youinto where the crystal is made,
and all of that.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yep, absolutely.
So we're not going to go intothe water for a crystal shop,
right, but you're going to havethat free time if you'd like to
go ahead and go explore, and itis a free tour so you can just
walk in.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Well, that's very nice, because a lot of people,
when they go on these tours,they don't always like to be
brought in to all of these, Iwant to say tourist traps,
correct, correct, and they don'twant to always be shopping for
something.
So this gives them the optionof whether they want to go in or
not.
And then there's other thingsto do in Waterford.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
So now do they spend the whole?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
day there.
They do, they do, and thenthey'll stay the night,
overnight in Waterford, okay,and actually you'll have dinner
that evening in the hotel, noton your own.
So you'll have dinner as agroup in the evening at your
hotel there, okay, and thatwould be day three.
And that is day three, correct?
How long is this?
This is actually a six night,seven day.
Oh, that's not bad.
No, it's perfect.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
It's absolutely perfect.
Okay, so this was day three.
Now where are we going afterday three?
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Well then, the next morning you get up and you'll go
ahead and head to Blarney.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Ah, the castle.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yep With the opportunity it's optional to go
ahead and visit the castle.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
And kiss the stone.
Yep, that's again.
So that is optional because alot of people don't realize.
In order to kiss the BlarneyStone, you're kind of hanging
upside down and upside down andbackwards.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, and there's a lot of walking, you know, to get
up to the Blarney Stone.
It's all the way up at the top,all the way up to the Blarney
Castle.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
But they say, if you kiss the Blarney Stone mills,
which is actually uh, where alot of the wool.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
You know local sheep oh wow, yeah, so you can buy
clothing retail.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
It's a retail store and they make it all right there
, that's nice, so they get itright from the sheep right to
the presses.
Wow, so you can do that now.
Do you spend the whole day inBlarney?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Actually, no, so after you after Blarney, then
you're going to go ahead and goto Killarney and for the
afternoon, and then you're goingto check out the town right
before dinner at your hotel andwhere you're going to stay the
night in Killarney.
Ok, so is there another dinnerwith?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
the group there is Wow, yeah, so how many?
How many dinners are includedon this tour?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
So we actually have dinner almost every single night
as a group, with the exceptionof the Day One, day, one right.
Yeah, and Day Two because of StPatrick's Day.
Okay, so basically you know.
We have four, three, one, two,four dinners.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Three dinners.
So you have three dinners andyou said breakfast, breakfast,
daily.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Yeah, except for the day that you arrive.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
So that's kind of nice too, I know.
And then the motor coaches arethey air conditioned, wifi
capable and all of thatAbsolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Our motor coaches are beautiful motor coaches, clean,
modern.
Again, we have a very, verygood reputation for all of our
escorted tours and everywherethey're going on the tour, there
is a tour guide.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yes, so if there's a place that they're going, like
Baloney Castle, people will betalking about why and how
Correct.
That's really nice, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
And they give history along the way as they're
driving.
They'll show different thingsalong the way.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
They have a microphone.
So over on your left, over onyour right.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, some of our drivers, they're so much fun.
Some of our drivers will put onsome music and sing along and
have everybody sing along.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
My family history is from Ireland, so they like to
party.
Yeah, yeah, who doesn't?
Who doesn't?
Speaker 2 (08:37):
So now, where are we going after Killarney?
You'll go ahead and stay thenight in Killarney that evening,
right?
And then you're going to goahead and depart from there the
next day and you'll do thebeautiful drive of the Ring of
Kerry.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
The.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Ring of Kerry.
Yes, so you'll travel fromKillarney and then it'll take
you through the Ring of.
Kerry, you get to go to thefamous traditional Puck Fair.
It's very, very popular.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Okay, Explain the Puck Fair because a lot of
people go.
What is a puck fair?
They?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
have a fair.
It's an Irish festival faircalled the puck fair, and it's a
tradition in that particulararea, so it's more about the old
traditions of Ireland.
I mean because when I hear theword puck, I think yeah, like a
hockey puck yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
No I actually think of Shakespeare.
Yeah, oh, ok, yeah, midsummerNight's Dream Puck, right,
exactly.
Yeah, that little imp in there.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Exactly, exactly that's.
It's kind of the old, old,historical Irish ways, the
things they used to do.
So the Renaissance time.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Nice, very cool, absolutely so they'll.
They'll be enjoying the puckfair and we're gonna carry
that's correct after they get.
So now, when they do the puckswhere that's included in the
tour yes, yes, it's all included, okay so how long do they stay
there?
I'm sure that's an all-dayevent well, it's it they.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
We just actually stop there so they can kind of see
it.
It's more of like a two-hourlittle stop.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
But it's on a whole day.
So just kind of puddle aboutCorrect.
Well, that's kind of cool,that's kind of cool, so what?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
happens next?
Well then you go ahead anddrive along the coastline and
you'll go through the peninsula,through Glen Beg, waterville.
So those are the actual scenicareas of the Ring of Kerry.
So it's very scenic.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Very, very scenic.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
You can see the mountains, the valleys, the
lakes.
So where do we stop?
So there are a few little stopsand there's no particular stop,
because it really does dependon the driver, because the Ring
of Kerry is very scenic and verylarge.
So there are a few stops.
You might stop along the wayfor a little bathroom break.
You know pictures, things likethat, right, because if somebody
wants to get out and takepictures because it's very
(10:48):
pretty, Absolutely Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
So this is more of the scenic part of the trip,
Correct?
Okay, so I'm sure they're goingto be lighting somewhere for
the night.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Yes, they're going back to Killarney.
Yep, they go back to Killarney,and then the very next day,
which is day six, they'll goahead and depart Killarney and
they return to the East.
Coast, so they're heading backto Dublin.
That's correct Heading back tothe Dublin area and they'll go
ahead and stop along the way.
They'll visit the NewbridgeSilverware Visitor Center,
(11:20):
newbridge.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Silverware.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Uh-huh, yeah, that's actually a silver company, okay,
and so they'll stop there, ofcourse, for some amazing
shopping.
They have all kinds ofdifferent products now they're
in dublin.
Are they going to guinness?
This is actually along the way.
So then, uh, if they want to goto the guinness storehouse like
it's something that they wouldbe able to do again on their
free time, because they're gonnahave so much free time- in
(11:42):
dublin Right, because they'rethere for two days and then
their last day is in Dublin.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Correct.
So it's not.
The Guinness is not included,but they can do it Correct.
It's correct Now.
I've I've been to Ireland, I'vebeen to Dublin, but I did not
go to Guinness.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I've seen it.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I've said, oh, there's Guinness and never, we
never went.
You have to go, you have to go.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
The history the history of the Guinness
storehouse, even if you're not abeer drinker.
Just the history and going inthere to see how the beer
actually was created and whereit came from, and just they go
into the entire history of itand then at the end of the tour
they actually show you how topour a real Guinness.
How to pour to get the headyeah exactly they show you and
they'll let you actually pouryour own Guinness.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
You know, my sister and brother-in-law went as well,
and we weren't together at thetime, we went separately, but
they never said that they got topour their own.
I'm going to have to ask themnow.
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
And they actually, they'll actually if you'd like.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Not everybody wants to oh, not everybody wants to.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
But if you'd like you can go ahead and pour your own,
and then at the very top of theGuinness Storehouse they have
an amazing bar that overlooksthe entire city of Dublin.
Oh how nice.
So it's round, so you canactually walk around and see the
entire thing.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Now, we had talked prior about Guinness beers and,
as you know, I'm not a bigGuinness lover because the beer
is very bitter, but a lot ofpeople like it.
But you told me there was alittle trick.
There is because I'm the sameway.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I'm the same way as you and I am not a big guinness
fan until I went to ireland andthey introduced me to what's
called a black and a black andblack and black it is a black
current right in the guinness,so they go ahead and put a
little black current prior topouring the guinness right and
then you know, continue throughthe process, and, oh, my
goodness, it gives the Guinnesssuch a sweet taste.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Oh, so it's like.
So it takes that bitter tasteout.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Absolutely, and it gives it more of a sweet taste.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Now we have local drinks around here, so I'm going
to have to see if they'll knowwhat I say when I say I want a
black and black.
If they don't, I'll have totell them.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
They should know.
If they're in a true Irish bar,they will know what a black and
black is, without a doubt.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
So now this is their last day in Ireland.
Is there something special thatthe tour does on their last day
?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Well, they're going to go ahead and continue on to
their hotel, which is in thecoastal downtown, and it's
called.
Balbrigana.
It's in a little coastal townRight and it's in Balbrigana.
It's in a little coastal townRight and it's in the northern
part of County Dublin, so it'snot in the city center.
This time it's in the northernpart of Dublin, right?
So they'll go ahead and enjoytheir night there, and they also
(14:15):
get, of course, a dinner as agroup that evening.
So the last hurrah.
Yeah, that's very nice, and yousaid there's only 32 in the
group.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Correct Now because it's only 32 in a group and it
is.
It is St Paddy's Day.
How many of these tours do youhave?
We only have one, only one,only one tour.
So if somebody wants to do thisright away, they're going to
have to get on board right away,because that I'm going to
imagine that would sell out veryquickly.
Yes it will.
So they have to contact theirboard right away because I'm
going to imagine that would sellout very quickly.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Yes, it will.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
It will sell out, so they have to contact their local
travel advisor and say hey, getme on this.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Correct and it does start March 16th.
And, of course, for the sixnights, they're staying at some
of our first class superiorhotels all over the place and we
are offering a special rightnow, oh, what's the special?
It's a hurry up and book.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Right if they can get in there fast enough.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
If they get in there fast enough, they need to make
sure that they ask their travelagent for the $100 per person
off.
Oh, $100 per person off.
And so that brings your tourland tour only to $1,899 for the
six nights with everything Perperson Per person.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Correct, that really isn't bad.
And that's the meals.
Those are the tours that areincluded.
Absolutely, the hotels are allincluded, correct, and your fun
bus driver.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yes, and our fun tour guide.
Exactly, bus driver, you got it.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
You got it Now.
You've been back from Floridato Ireland a few times.
I have, and have you been.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
You've been to Blarney Castle you just said
that today when else have youbeen that you would recommend
people to really say, okay, Iwant to go here.
So one of my favorite places isactually Dingle Peninsula.
It's not included in this tourbut we have several other tours
that do include Dingle Peninsula, and why and it is a small well
, the peninsula itself isabsolutely beautiful scenic.
(16:05):
It is on the west coast ofIreland and the scenery is just
gorgeous.
You might even be able to catcha sunset.
Yeah, I had to think east coast, west coast because in Ireland.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
You can go to one side of the island and see the
sunrise, while on the other sideof the island.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
you see the sunset, kind of like in florida right
right, so, uh, and the island isso small you know you can get
from one side of the island tothe other in about three hours,
three and a half hours, so it'sreally really easy to do yeah,
you can sit back and forthexactly, exactly, but they
they're going to want to see allthe different things and and
they want to experience.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
You know everybody has.
They're under the impression.
Oh, I mean, you're in ireland.
All they have for meals is meatand potatoes, but it's so much
more than that, so much more.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And Dingle has the best fish and chips.
Because it is such a smalllittle fisherman's town, they
take the fish right off the boatAbsolutely Freshest fish and
chips you will ever have.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
That sounds yummy, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
It's so, so good.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Some of the things I do when I go travel.
I usually talk to the localsand say, where do you eat?
And they'll pinpoint you rightto the good places.
Oh yeah.
So, neil, I am talking withDiana from Celtic Tours
Vacations.
Anybody who wants to do the StPaddy's Day needs to contact
their travel advisor right away.
Correct, so they can get inhere, because they only have one
(17:23):
tour and only 32 people.
Correct, Now, can you includeairfare in this?
Do they have options for that?
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Absolutely, we can include the airfare.
It's a fun, like us, go aheadand book it as a full package.
If they want to do, if theywant to add nights you know pre
or post to the tour, oh, so wecan do a pre or post, we can add
additional nights for them.
So if they want to do, if theywant to add nights, you know,
pre or post to the tour.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Oh, so we can do a pre or post, we can add
additional nights for them.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
So if they want to come in a little bit earlier and
stay in Dublin or, you know,stay a little bit later and do
some other things, they canabsolutely do that as well.
We can go ahead and book thosethings for them, okay.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
You know St Paddy's Day.
Everybody's Irish on St Paddy'sDay, so they need to go to
Ireland to really be Irish.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Everybody's got a little Irish in them at some
point.
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Absolutely.
So now we know that this ishappening very quickly, but
Celtic Tours does Ireland in itsentirety, so there are other
tours available.
So if you can't go on StPaddy's Day, there's definitely
other times that you can go.
Is it year round?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yes, okay, yes, absolutely.
We have tours that are all yearround that would fit your
vacation time from anywhere fromfive nights to nine nights.
Wow, Our escorted tours.
If they're interested also anddon't want to do a tour with
other people.
We can do a self-drive ifthey're interested, or we can do
what we call our independentjourney, where we can go ahead
(18:53):
and piecemeal it together forthem.
So if they want to come intoDublin and then they need to
transfer to their hotel and thenthey want to go ahead and take
the rail from Dublin tosomeplace else, and you can work
with your travel advisors tocreate this package for them.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Like if I wanted to go and research my family
history, I can say, well, I wantto be here, and I want to be
here, and we can work that out.
Absolutely, I like that, yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
And I'll tell you, one of the most popular things
right now are multi-generation.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
That's really, really popular.
So you know, grandma andgrandpa want to take the entire
family, so they take their kidsplus their kids, you know.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
So private chauffeur drives are honestly the way to
go with a multi-generationPrivate chauffeur drives.
I know a few people that wouldprobably love that.
How many people fit into thesevehicles?
Is it like a?
Speaker 2 (19:37):
big expedition?
It is not.
It's typically small.
You'll have your own driver.
We'll put the tour together foryou.
Your travel agent will put thetour together for you and then
it's like 12 people maximum.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
It's like a Mercedes Springer, oh, okay.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Yeah, so that's a very comfortable vehicle,
absolutely, and it kind of givesthat personal touch when you
have, you know, a private tourand a chauffeur that's going and
the chauffeur, I'm assuming isthe tour guide, absolutely, you
got it so they'll know all thelittle tricks and places to go
to.
That sounds great.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
They will.
And I can tell you, our driversare second to none.
I mean, they're absolutelyamazing.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Now, if somebody wants to do a private tour, like
a private chauffeur, driver oreverything, do they have to book
that like years in advance, oroh no, not at all.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
What I do recommend is for any of our tours, I would
recommend at least 90 days out.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Oh, that's not bad at all.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
No it's not I.
You know, I wouldn't recommendcalling us and saying I want to
leave next week because that'svery difficult to do.
So you know about 90 days out.
We can typically go ahead andbook our chairs.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Now, because you do multi-generational, is there an
age limit that you know?
Speaker 2 (20:54):
no child under five, or we have absolutely no age
limit whatsoever.
No age limit.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
No.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
And we actually have a lot of things for families to
do.
We can take them to a sheepherder, a sheep shearing, you
know where?
The kids would absolutely,absolutely love that Right.
They could be involved in thatprocess and see the sheep and
the baby sheep.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Yeah, so you can actually cater to the family.
So that's nice.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
We have all kinds of different family things that we
can do, that's very good.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Yeah, I think you know.
I know a lot of people like tosee the dogs.
Yeah, how the dogs work thesheep and how you know.
Yeah, it is amazing.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
It is, it is.
It is, just with a whistle or acommand.
I know you know, go from oneplace to another.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Now do you ever have where you can actually stay in a
castle?
Speaker 2 (21:39):
tours actually have a two-night castle stay All the
tours.
All of our tours, except withthe same paddy stay.
All of our tours have atwo-night castle stay.
That's all of our escortedtours.
So, depending on where you go,you could stay in Kilronan
Castle, which is amazing andbeautiful.
It's kind of in the northwestpart of the state I mean we just
(22:01):
have so many different placesthat they can go and castle
stays.
They can go on Christmas daysthey can go Glen Bay Castle as
well.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Yeah, that's nice too .
Now we're going back to StPaddy's Day.
St Paddy's Day, of course, isin March.
Yeah, and what's the?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
weather like.
So it is an island.
I always recommend everybody totake a look a week before you
go, because you just don't knowto take a look a week before you
go because you just don't knowRight, but typically in March
timeframe it's probably aroundthe 60s during the day and then
drops down to about the 40s inthe evening.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
So dress in layers.
Absolutely Always dress inlayers so you don't need to
bundle up with big muckalucks oranything like that.
Correct Dress in layers, thatmakes sense.
So make sure you have a lightjacket and a sweater.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Yep layers.
That makes sense.
So make sure you have a lightjacket and a sweater, and that
worked really well.
I was actually there in Marchone year and I did bring a
little heavier jacket becauseI'm a Florida girl, so I get
cold.
I understand.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
I was over there in July and I was going to Northern
Ireland and I had a coat gloves, I was freezing and I think it
was like 50 degrees, exactly,exactly so you know it, freezing
, and I think it was like 50degrees, exactly, exactly so you
know it does depend, but Idefinitely recommend bringing
layers and these trips.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
You do not have to get dressed up and fancy, you
know.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
They're very, very casual.
We want you to have a greattime.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
The people in Ireland don't care if you're all fancy,
you know Right, they're verylaid back, exactly.
Don't care if you're all fancy,you know Right, they're very
laid back.
Exactly, exactly, they're verylaid back.
Well, diana, I do appreciateyou talking with me today and I
know you're going to be back totalk more about Celtic tours and
all the different places theygo other than Ireland and that's
going to be exciting.
So thank you for joining metoday.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
I appreciate it.
No, thank you so much forhaving me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
I would like to thank my guests today for sharing
their travel experiences.
If any of these adventuresexcite you, feel free to contact
me.
Z at z michelson travelcom.
You can check out my website, zmichelson travelcom, or you can
call your local travel advisorand just say you heard it on Z
Michelson Travels podcast.
(24:06):
Remember, travel really opensup the world to you with food,
culture, exploration andexcitement.
And we find out we truly areall the same.
Travel safe and shoot for thestars.
And if you only get to the moon, have leashed and made the trip
.
This is Zee Michelson.
Remember.
All my podcasts can be heard onany of your preferred podcast
(24:29):
providers.
And don't forget, zee is speltZ-E-E.
Thanks for tuning in and have agreat day.
Hi and welcome to the new and improved the Michelson
Travel Podcast.
I will be speaking with moreguests and more travelers and
will bring you great insightsand, I hope, to inspire your
sense of curiosity.
As you may or may not know, myconcierge of podcast travel has
retired, or so he thinks.
(00:22):
Jay Lawrence has decided toactively travel more, so he will
be one of my many guests as weexplore this great world we live
in, along with rediscoveringAmerica.
And, of course, this is ZeeMichelson and I am here with
Diana from Celtic ToursVacations.
Diana, how are you today?
I'm doing fabulous.
(00:43):
How are you?
I'm doing great.
And you know this is going tobe airing in a few weeks and I
can't believe that Halloween isover and I missed going to
Ireland during Halloween, but wegot St Patrick's Day coming up.
We do, we do Absolutely.
So what does Celtic Tours dofor us for St Patrick's?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Day.
We have an amazing celebrationfor St Patrick's Day and it's
done the Irish way, Done theIrish way, irish way.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Oh, what's the Irish way so?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
the itinerary definitely brings you to Dublin
oh cool, yeah, of course wherethey have the big parade, the St
Patrick's Day parade.
It also takes you to WaterfordKillarney, so we go to Waterford
Killarney.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So we go to Waterford , where the Crystal, of course,
is there Yep, and Killarney Yep,and I'm sure there's more stops
along the way.
Now we're on a tour bus,correct, correct, yeah.
So what size tours?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
are they so for this particular tour?
We like to keep most of ourtours small for Irelandireland,
so for this particular tour themaximum size is going to be 32
people.
Oh, that's so, um.
So your first day you'rearriving in ireland and you're
in dublin, and of course youhave transfers to and from the
(01:59):
airport to your hotel.
But we're also going to stop atthe famous man O' War pub,
which is very, very famous inDublin.
Why is it famous?
It has a genuine traditionalIrish experience.
It has a rule setting iconicthatch building, so it's a very,
very popular pub in Ireland.
(02:19):
Really makes you feel likeyou're in Ireland.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yep, you got it.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Absolutely, Absolutely.
So then after that, of course,you're going to stay in the city
center, which is really reallynice because you are going to
have some free time.
You could go and travel and doyour own thing and walk all over
.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Dublin.
Okay, so let me, let me get ahandle on this.
Let me see I arrive in Dublinand that day do we meet our tour
guide or do we just rest in ourhotel?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yep, you're actually going to be able to explore at
your leisure the city center onthe first day, correct, and then
you're going to have dinner onyour own that evening in Dublin.
Okay, so then the very next day, which is St Patrick's Day, and
, of course, every day on thistour you're going to have a good
wholesome Irish breakfast dayon this tour.
You're going to have a goodwholesome Irish breakfast.
(03:06):
You know I like to call itcholesterol heaven because you
have potatoes and you havesausages, and you have the old,
you know the good Irishcholesterol breakfast you got it
, and then St Patrick's Day,you're going to go ahead and go
to the parade where you're goingto see the St Patrick's Day
festival.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So do we get seats there or a standing room?
Do we actually get over?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
there.
You're actually going to walkfrom there.
You're going to have your tourguide who's going to actually
bring you over there.
The day is pretty much freeafter the parade, so you can go
to the museums.
You can go to the Epic Museum,you can go to the galleries.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Now I got a question.
Now I got a question.
Now, when you do this and youdo have the tour guide and the
free time, is there somebodythere to say, oh, you need to
see this, or you know, if youhave questions?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yep, our tour guides are amazing over in Ireland.
They live there, they're veryfamiliar, they work directly for
us.
They don't work for a thirdparty, oh nice.
So our tour guides areabsolutely amazing.
They're also our bus drivers,our motorboat drivers.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So you only have one person that you're actually
answering to.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
You don't have to worry about going and hunting
down everybody.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
So that's really really good.
So that's day one and a half.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
One and two.
One and two.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Okay, so now you've been partied out.
You've St Paddy Day parade,you've done all of that, and now
what is the next day?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
like.
You get back on the bus, yeahWell you're going to go ahead
and stay the night in Dublinthat evening and then you're
going to go ahead and go toWaterford.
You'll depart Dublin and makeyour way south to Waterford with
a brief stop in Kilkenny so youcan do some retail therapy, I
(04:48):
like to call it in Kilkenny, andthen you're going to go ahead
and arrive in the Viking Cityand we'll check into your hotel
and you'll enjoy dinner thatevening In a Viking City.
Waterford is considered theViking City.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
That's where the Vikings actually are.
So it's a Viking City.
So you're going to see a lotfrom the Vikings in Waterford.
Now is the tour bringing youinto where the crystal is made,
and all of that.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yep, absolutely.
So we're not going to go intothe water for a crystal shop,
right, but you're going to havethat free time if you'd like to
go ahead and go explore, and itis a free tour so you can just
walk in.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Well, that's very nice, because a lot of people,
when they go on these tours,they don't always like to be
brought in to all of these, Iwant to say tourist traps,
correct, correct, and they don'twant to always be shopping for
something.
So this gives them the optionof whether they want to go in or
not.
And then there's other thingsto do in Waterford.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
So now do they spend the whole?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
day there.
They do, they do, and thenthey'll stay the night,
overnight in Waterford, okay,and actually you'll have dinner
that evening in the hotel, noton your own.
So you'll have dinner as agroup in the evening at your
hotel there, okay, and thatwould be day three.
And that is day three, correct?
How long is this?
This is actually a six night,seven day.
Oh, that's not bad.
No, it's perfect.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
It's absolutely perfect.
Okay, so this was day three.
Now where are we going afterday three?
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Well then, the next morning you get up and you'll go
ahead and head to Blarney.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Ah, the castle.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yep With the opportunity it's optional to go
ahead and visit the castle.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
And kiss the stone.
Yep, that's again.
So that is optional because alot of people don't realize.
In order to kiss the BlarneyStone, you're kind of hanging
upside down and upside down andbackwards.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, and there's a lot of walking, you know, to get
up to the Blarney Stone.
It's all the way up at the top,all the way up to the Blarney
Castle.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
But they say, if you kiss the Blarney Stone mills,
which is actually uh, where alot of the wool.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
You know local sheep oh wow, yeah, so you can buy
clothing retail.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
It's a retail store and they make it all right there
, that's nice, so they get itright from the sheep right to
the presses.
Wow, so you can do that now.
Do you spend the whole day inBlarney?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Actually, no, so after you after Blarney, then
you're going to go ahead and goto Killarney and for the
afternoon, and then you're goingto check out the town right
before dinner at your hotel andwhere you're going to stay the
night in Killarney.
Ok, so is there another dinnerwith?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
the group there is Wow, yeah, so how many?
How many dinners are includedon this tour?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
So we actually have dinner almost every single night
as a group, with the exceptionof the Day One, day, one right.
Yeah, and Day Two because of StPatrick's Day.
Okay, so basically you know.
We have four, three, one, two,four dinners.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Three dinners.
So you have three dinners andyou said breakfast, breakfast,
daily.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Yeah, except for the day that you arrive.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
So that's kind of nice too, I know.
And then the motor coaches arethey air conditioned, wifi
capable and all of thatAbsolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Our motor coaches are beautiful motor coaches, clean,
modern.
Again, we have a very, verygood reputation for all of our
escorted tours and everywherethey're going on the tour, there
is a tour guide.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yes, so if there's a place that they're going, like
Baloney Castle, people will betalking about why and how
Correct.
That's really nice, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
And they give history along the way as they're
driving.
They'll show different thingsalong the way.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
They have a microphone.
So over on your left, over onyour right.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, some of our drivers, they're so much fun.
Some of our drivers will put onsome music and sing along and
have everybody sing along.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
My family history is from Ireland, so they like to
party.
Yeah, yeah, who doesn't?
Who doesn't?
Speaker 2 (08:37):
So now, where are we going after Killarney?
You'll go ahead and stay thenight in Killarney that evening,
right?
And then you're going to goahead and depart from there the
next day and you'll do thebeautiful drive of the Ring of
Kerry.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
The.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Ring of Kerry.
Yes, so you'll travel fromKillarney and then it'll take
you through the Ring of.
Kerry, you get to go to thefamous traditional Puck Fair.
It's very, very popular.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Okay, Explain the Puck Fair because a lot of
people go.
What is a puck fair?
They?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
have a fair.
It's an Irish festival faircalled the puck fair, and it's a
tradition in that particulararea, so it's more about the old
traditions of Ireland.
I mean because when I hear theword puck, I think yeah, like a
hockey puck yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
No I actually think of Shakespeare.
Yeah, oh, ok, yeah, midsummerNight's Dream Puck, right,
exactly.
Yeah, that little imp in there.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Exactly, exactly that's.
It's kind of the old, old,historical Irish ways, the
things they used to do.
So the Renaissance time.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Nice, very cool, absolutely so they'll.
They'll be enjoying the puckfair and we're gonna carry
that's correct after they get.
So now, when they do the puckswhere that's included in the
tour yes, yes, it's all included, okay so how long do they stay
there?
I'm sure that's an all-dayevent well, it's it they.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
We just actually stop there so they can kind of see
it.
It's more of like a two-hourlittle stop.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
But it's on a whole day.
So just kind of puddle aboutCorrect.
Well, that's kind of cool,that's kind of cool, so what?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
happens next?
Well then you go ahead anddrive along the coastline and
you'll go through the peninsula,through Glen Beg, waterville.
So those are the actual scenicareas of the Ring of Kerry.
So it's very scenic.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Very, very scenic.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
You can see the mountains, the valleys, the
lakes.
So where do we stop?
So there are a few little stopsand there's no particular stop,
because it really does dependon the driver, because the Ring
of Kerry is very scenic and verylarge.
So there are a few stops.
You might stop along the wayfor a little bathroom break.
You know pictures, things likethat, right, because if somebody
wants to get out and takepictures because it's very
(10:48):
pretty, Absolutely Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
So this is more of the scenic part of the trip,
Correct?
Okay, so I'm sure they're goingto be lighting somewhere for
the night.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Yes, they're going back to Killarney.
Yep, they go back to Killarney,and then the very next day,
which is day six, they'll goahead and depart Killarney and
they return to the East.
Coast, so they're heading backto Dublin.
That's correct Heading back tothe Dublin area and they'll go
ahead and stop along the way.
They'll visit the NewbridgeSilverware Visitor Center,
(11:20):
newbridge.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Silverware.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Uh-huh, yeah, that's actually a silver company, okay,
and so they'll stop there, ofcourse, for some amazing
shopping.
They have all kinds ofdifferent products now they're
in dublin.
Are they going to guinness?
This is actually along the way.
So then, uh, if they want to goto the guinness storehouse like
it's something that they wouldbe able to do again on their
free time, because they're gonnahave so much free time- in
(11:42):
dublin Right, because they'rethere for two days and then
their last day is in Dublin.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Correct.
So it's not.
The Guinness is not included,but they can do it Correct.
It's correct Now.
I've I've been to Ireland, I'vebeen to Dublin, but I did not
go to Guinness.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I've seen it.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I've said, oh, there's Guinness and never, we
never went.
You have to go, you have to go.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
The history the history of the Guinness
storehouse, even if you're not abeer drinker.
Just the history and going inthere to see how the beer
actually was created and whereit came from, and just they go
into the entire history of itand then at the end of the tour
they actually show you how topour a real Guinness.
How to pour to get the headyeah exactly they show you and
they'll let you actually pouryour own Guinness.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
You know, my sister and brother-in-law went as well,
and we weren't together at thetime, we went separately, but
they never said that they got topour their own.
I'm going to have to ask themnow.
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
And they actually, they'll actually if you'd like.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Not everybody wants to oh, not everybody wants to.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
But if you'd like you can go ahead and pour your own,
and then at the very top of theGuinness Storehouse they have
an amazing bar that overlooksthe entire city of Dublin.
Oh how nice.
So it's round, so you canactually walk around and see the
entire thing.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Now, we had talked prior about Guinness beers and,
as you know, I'm not a bigGuinness lover because the beer
is very bitter, but a lot ofpeople like it.
But you told me there was alittle trick.
There is because I'm the sameway.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I'm the same way as you and I am not a big guinness
fan until I went to ireland andthey introduced me to what's
called a black and a black andblack and black it is a black
current right in the guinness,so they go ahead and put a
little black current prior topouring the guinness right and
then you know, continue throughthe process, and, oh, my
goodness, it gives the Guinnesssuch a sweet taste.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Oh, so it's like.
So it takes that bitter tasteout.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Absolutely, and it gives it more of a sweet taste.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Now we have local drinks around here, so I'm going
to have to see if they'll knowwhat I say when I say I want a
black and black.
If they don't, I'll have totell them.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
They should know.
If they're in a true Irish bar,they will know what a black and
black is, without a doubt.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
So now this is their last day in Ireland.
Is there something special thatthe tour does on their last day
?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Well, they're going to go ahead and continue on to
their hotel, which is in thecoastal downtown, and it's
called.
Balbrigana.
It's in a little coastal townRight and it's in Balbrigana.
It's in a little coastal townRight and it's in the northern
part of County Dublin, so it'snot in the city center.
This time it's in the northernpart of Dublin, right?
So they'll go ahead and enjoytheir night there, and they also
(14:15):
get, of course, a dinner as agroup that evening.
So the last hurrah.
Yeah, that's very nice, and yousaid there's only 32 in the
group.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Correct Now because it's only 32 in a group and it
is.
It is St Paddy's Day.
How many of these tours do youhave?
We only have one, only one,only one tour.
So if somebody wants to do thisright away, they're going to
have to get on board right away,because that I'm going to
imagine that would sell out veryquickly.
Yes it will.
So they have to contact theirboard right away because I'm
going to imagine that would sellout very quickly.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Yes, it will.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
It will sell out, so they have to contact their local
travel advisor and say hey, getme on this.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Correct and it does start March 16th.
And, of course, for the sixnights, they're staying at some
of our first class superiorhotels all over the place and we
are offering a special rightnow, oh, what's the special?
It's a hurry up and book.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Right if they can get in there fast enough.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
If they get in there fast enough, they need to make
sure that they ask their travelagent for the $100 per person
off.
Oh, $100 per person off.
And so that brings your tourland tour only to $1,899 for the
six nights with everything Perperson Per person.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Correct, that really isn't bad.
And that's the meals.
Those are the tours that areincluded.
Absolutely, the hotels are allincluded, correct, and your fun
bus driver.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yes, and our fun tour guide.
Exactly, bus driver, you got it.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
You got it Now.
You've been back from Floridato Ireland a few times.
I have, and have you been.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
You've been to Blarney Castle you just said
that today when else have youbeen that you would recommend
people to really say, okay, Iwant to go here.
So one of my favorite places isactually Dingle Peninsula.
It's not included in this tourbut we have several other tours
that do include Dingle Peninsula, and why and it is a small well
, the peninsula itself isabsolutely beautiful scenic.
(16:05):
It is on the west coast ofIreland and the scenery is just
gorgeous.
You might even be able to catcha sunset.
Yeah, I had to think east coast, west coast because in Ireland.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
You can go to one side of the island and see the
sunrise, while on the other sideof the island.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
you see the sunset, kind of like in florida right
right, so, uh, and the island isso small you know you can get
from one side of the island tothe other in about three hours,
three and a half hours, so it'sreally really easy to do yeah,
you can sit back and forthexactly, exactly, but they
they're going to want to see allthe different things and and
they want to experience.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
You know everybody has.
They're under the impression.
Oh, I mean, you're in ireland.
All they have for meals is meatand potatoes, but it's so much
more than that, so much more.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And Dingle has the best fish and chips.
Because it is such a smalllittle fisherman's town, they
take the fish right off the boatAbsolutely Freshest fish and
chips you will ever have.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
That sounds yummy, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
It's so, so good.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Some of the things I do when I go travel.
I usually talk to the localsand say, where do you eat?
And they'll pinpoint you rightto the good places.
Oh yeah.
So, neil, I am talking withDiana from Celtic Tours
Vacations.
Anybody who wants to do the StPaddy's Day needs to contact
their travel advisor right away.
Correct, so they can get inhere, because they only have one
(17:23):
tour and only 32 people.
Correct, Now, can you includeairfare in this?
Do they have options for that?
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Absolutely, we can include the airfare.
It's a fun, like us, go aheadand book it as a full package.
If they want to do, if theywant to add nights you know pre
or post to the tour, oh, so wecan do a pre or post, we can add
additional nights for them.
So if they want to do, if theywant to add nights, you know,
pre or post to the tour.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Oh, so we can do a pre or post, we can add
additional nights for them.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
So if they want to come in a little bit earlier and
stay in Dublin or, you know,stay a little bit later and do
some other things, they canabsolutely do that as well.
We can go ahead and book thosethings for them, okay.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
You know St Paddy's Day.
Everybody's Irish on St Paddy'sDay, so they need to go to
Ireland to really be Irish.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Everybody's got a little Irish in them at some
point.
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Absolutely.
So now we know that this ishappening very quickly, but
Celtic Tours does Ireland in itsentirety, so there are other
tours available.
So if you can't go on StPaddy's Day, there's definitely
other times that you can go.
Is it year round?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yes, okay, yes, absolutely.
We have tours that are all yearround that would fit your
vacation time from anywhere fromfive nights to nine nights.
Wow, Our escorted tours.
If they're interested also anddon't want to do a tour with
other people.
We can do a self-drive ifthey're interested, or we can do
what we call our independentjourney, where we can go ahead
(18:53):
and piecemeal it together forthem.
So if they want to come intoDublin and then they need to
transfer to their hotel and thenthey want to go ahead and take
the rail from Dublin tosomeplace else, and you can work
with your travel advisors tocreate this package for them.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Like if I wanted to go and research my family
history, I can say, well, I wantto be here, and I want to be
here, and we can work that out.
Absolutely, I like that, yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
And I'll tell you, one of the most popular things
right now are multi-generation.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
That's really, really popular.
So you know, grandma andgrandpa want to take the entire
family, so they take their kidsplus their kids, you know.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
So private chauffeur drives are honestly the way to
go with a multi-generationPrivate chauffeur drives.
I know a few people that wouldprobably love that.
How many people fit into thesevehicles?
Is it like a?
Speaker 2 (19:37):
big expedition?
It is not.
It's typically small.
You'll have your own driver.
We'll put the tour together foryou.
Your travel agent will put thetour together for you and then
it's like 12 people maximum.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
It's like a Mercedes Springer, oh, okay.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Yeah, so that's a very comfortable vehicle,
absolutely, and it kind of givesthat personal touch when you
have, you know, a private tourand a chauffeur that's going and
the chauffeur, I'm assuming isthe tour guide, absolutely, you
got it so they'll know all thelittle tricks and places to go
to.
That sounds great.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
They will.
And I can tell you, our driversare second to none.
I mean, they're absolutelyamazing.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Now, if somebody wants to do a private tour, like
a private chauffeur, driver oreverything, do they have to book
that like years in advance, oroh no, not at all.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
What I do recommend is for any of our tours, I would
recommend at least 90 days out.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Oh, that's not bad at all.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
No it's not I.
You know, I wouldn't recommendcalling us and saying I want to
leave next week because that'svery difficult to do.
So you know about 90 days out.
We can typically go ahead andbook our chairs.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Now, because you do multi-generational, is there an
age limit that you know?
Speaker 2 (20:54):
no child under five, or we have absolutely no age
limit whatsoever.
No age limit.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
No.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
And we actually have a lot of things for families to
do.
We can take them to a sheepherder, a sheep shearing, you
know where?
The kids would absolutely,absolutely love that Right.
They could be involved in thatprocess and see the sheep and
the baby sheep.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Yeah, so you can actually cater to the family.
So that's nice.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
We have all kinds of different family things that we
can do, that's very good.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Yeah, I think you know.
I know a lot of people like tosee the dogs.
Yeah, how the dogs work thesheep and how you know.
Yeah, it is amazing.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
It is, it is.
It is, just with a whistle or acommand.
I know you know, go from oneplace to another.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Now do you ever have where you can actually stay in a
castle?
Speaker 2 (21:39):
tours actually have a two-night castle stay All the
tours.
All of our tours, except withthe same paddy stay.
All of our tours have atwo-night castle stay.
That's all of our escortedtours.
So, depending on where you go,you could stay in Kilronan
Castle, which is amazing andbeautiful.
It's kind of in the northwestpart of the state I mean we just
(22:01):
have so many different placesthat they can go and castle
stays.
They can go on Christmas daysthey can go Glen Bay Castle as
well.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Yeah, that's nice too .
Now we're going back to StPaddy's Day.
St Paddy's Day, of course, isin March.
Yeah, and what's the?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
weather like.
So it is an island.
I always recommend everybody totake a look a week before you
go, because you just don't knowto take a look a week before you
go because you just don't knowRight, but typically in March
timeframe it's probably aroundthe 60s during the day and then
drops down to about the 40s inthe evening.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
So dress in layers.
Absolutely Always dress inlayers so you don't need to
bundle up with big muckalucks oranything like that.
Correct Dress in layers, thatmakes sense.
So make sure you have a lightjacket and a sweater.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Yep layers.
That makes sense.
So make sure you have a lightjacket and a sweater, and that
worked really well.
I was actually there in Marchone year and I did bring a
little heavier jacket becauseI'm a Florida girl, so I get
cold.
I understand.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
I was over there in July and I was going to Northern
Ireland and I had a coat gloves, I was freezing and I think it
was like 50 degrees, exactly,exactly so you know it, freezing
, and I think it was like 50degrees, exactly, exactly so you
know it does depend, but Idefinitely recommend bringing
layers and these trips.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
You do not have to get dressed up and fancy, you
know.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
They're very, very casual.
We want you to have a greattime.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
The people in Ireland don't care if you're all fancy,
you know Right, they're verylaid back, exactly.
Don't care if you're all fancy,you know Right, they're very
laid back.
Exactly, exactly, they're verylaid back.
Well, diana, I do appreciateyou talking with me today and I
know you're going to be back totalk more about Celtic tours and
all the different places theygo other than Ireland and that's
going to be exciting.
So thank you for joining metoday.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
I appreciate it.
No, thank you so much forhaving me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
I would like to thank my guests today for sharing
their travel experiences.
If any of these adventuresexcite you, feel free to contact
me.
Z at z michelson travelcom.
You can check out my website, zmichelson travelcom, or you can
call your local travel advisorand just say you heard it on Z
Michelson Travels podcast.
(24:06):
Remember, travel really opensup the world to you with food,
culture, exploration andexcitement.
And we find out we truly areall the same.
Travel safe and shoot for thestars.
And if you only get to the moon, have leashed and made the trip
.
This is Zee Michelson.
Remember.
All my podcasts can be heard onany of your preferred podcast
(24:29):
providers.
And don't forget, zee is speltZ-E-E.
Thanks for tuning in and have agreat day.
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