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Ireland on a Budget? Yes, You Can!

Budget Accommodation in Dublin

The Irish themselves have become used to high prices for everything. So, is really low-budget travel to and through Ireland still possible? It is, but only if you are prepared to cut corners and do without the frills - here's how.

Enjoy Ireland on a Value-Vacation
Ireland Travel Spotlight10

Go Gardening this Weekend

Friday May 18, 2012
Or should that be "watch what others did in their garden"? From North to South, Ireland is gardening ... amateurs as well as professionals, for show or for pleasure, in small plots or on a grand scale. Should you find yourself in Ulster at the moment, visiting the Garden Festival at Hillsborough Castle might be worth a detour. And for those further south, Kilmokea Gardens in County Wexford could prove to be highlight of a day-trip. Stuck in the capital? Don't despair, there are enough Dublin parks and gardens to while some time away, every day.

Don't Miss the Ryanair Deadline!

Friday May 18, 2012

Flying with Ryanair these days? Then check-in online in the next five hours or you may face a fee of € 60 for check-in at the airport! Yes, that's right - the normal cost if you miss online check-in is sixty Euros (or even sixty Pounds in the UK) and there are no signs that the budget carrier will waive this. Despite giving some confusing messages regarding their website closure this weekend.

Remember - Ryanair's online check-in facility closes at 4 pm (16:00 hours) Dublin time today and won't be available for a full 44 hours. So check-in now.

Avoid Confusion and Costs Over Ryanair Going Offline

Wednesday May 16, 2012

Travellers that need to interact with Ryanair this coming weekend ... should be aware that their website is shutting down. Under the headline "18/19 May - Ryanair.com 24 Hour Closure" the budget airline manages to spread a bit of confusion. 24 hours? Just those days? Far from it if you need to check-in online ... be aware of that, very aware.

Here are the current timeframes during which you will have to find alternative means to contact them:

  • Bookings fall within the headline parameters and cannot be made on ryanair.com from Friday, May 18th, 22:00 hrs (10 pm) until Saturday, May 19th, 22:00 hrs (10 pm).
  • Flight changes cannot be made during the same hours.
  • Here comes the crunch - online check-in is not available for a considerably longer time, namely from Friday, May 18th, 16:00 hrs (4 pm) until Sunday, May 20th, 12:00 hrs (noon). These are not 24 hours, but a considerably longer 44 hours.

Cynics would now point out that the combination of a slightly misleading headline and nearly another day without online check-in facilities not immediately obvious might prove to be expensive for the customer ... but then again they have been warned, online.

On a slightly annoyed note I'd like to add that dates and weekdays seem to be mixed up on non-English versions of this information provided by ryanair.com ... the German version currently closes online check-in until Saturday, May 20th. Now that's what I call confusing ...

Events Calendar Getting Thinner

Tuesday May 15, 2012
Don't know about you, but I should really slim down a bit. Though I am afraid any diet would not make any such impact on me as the recession seems to have on Ireland's events calendar - County Meath, County Monaghan and County Kildare are amongst the casualties. Already confirmed as cancelled (or "taking a break" ... like actors, who are generally not unemployed but "resting between engagements") are:
  • Slane Castle Concert,
  • Kells Road Races,
  • Flat Lake Festival and
  • Oxegen.
Let's hope the list does not get longer ... the list of confirmed festivals in Ireland looks still tempting, though.

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