Ireland on a Budget: A Solo Traveler's Guide to an 8-Day Adventure

Detailed Itinerary:

Today, I planned a trip for a solo traveler on a tight budget from LA to Ireland. I used Google Flights to find the best days to fly and the best (in their case, cheapest) flight from LA. With a starting point in Dublin City, I obviously had to narrow down to the best itinerary as we couldn't fit everything into this trip. Sadly, Northern Ireland and Giant's Causeway were not in the cards, but we fit in a lot of other amazing sites like Trinity College, stunning views at Cliffs of Moher, and rich culture in Galway. Here’s the detailed daily overview…

Traveling

October 8

• Last minute trip prep

• Arrive at airport at 5:15 pm

• Dinner at airport

• Flight departs at 8:15 pm

October 9

• Flight arrives at 2:30 pm 

• Take Dublin Express Bus

• Check in at hostel

• Dinner

Exploring Dublin

October 10

• Breakfast at hostel

• Explore Dublin via Big Bus (Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Guinness, etc.)

• Lunch

• Continue on Big Bus

• Dinner

• Night Tour (included in Big Bus ticket)

October 11

• Breakfast at hostel

• Walking Tour at 11 am (included in Big Bus ticket)

• Lunch

• Continue on Big Bus

• Dinner

• Explore nightlife

Head to Galway

October 12

• Breakfast at hostel  

• Bus departs at 8:45 for Galway

• Bus arrives at 11:15 in Galway

• Take bag to hostel to drop off

• Lunch

• Explore the city center

• Dinner

Cliffs of Moher

October 13

• Breakfast

• Cliffs of Moher Tour departs at 9:30 am

• Lunch during tour

• Tour ends at 5:30 pm

• Dinner

Connemara National Park

October 14

• Breakfast

• Connemara tour departs at 10:00 am

• Lunch during tour

• Tour ends at 6:00 pm

• Dinner

Head Home

October 15

• Breakfast 

• Bus departs at 9:30 am for airport

• Arrive at airport at 12:00 pm

• Lunch at airport

• Flight departs at 3:25 pm 

• Arrive at LAX at 6:30 pm

• Return home

Budget:

As I plan the trip, I fill in the obvious costs like flights and tour fees. When I’m all done planning, I go in and add additional funds for things like food, souvenirs, travel insurance, etc. All in, this trip came in under $1,800. I round everything up to the nearest $25.

Trip Preparation Details:

Finally, here are the tasks that this traveler needs to complete in order to book their trip. These are the specific dates/prices I pulled as of August 2024, but if you are looking to do a similar trip, hopefully some of the links below will be helpful for you as well.

Transportation Details:

• Book flights through Aer Lingus for October 8-15, 2024. Flight Numbers EI 68 and EI 69.  https://www.aerlingus.com/

Accommodation Details:

• Book hostel at Abbey Court for October 9-12, 2024. (You don’t need a room for the first night of the trip as you’ll still be on the plane.) https://www.hostelworld.com/

• Book Woodquay Hostel Galway City for October 12-15, 2024. https://www.hostelworld.com/

Other Important Booking Details:

• Book Dublin Express bus from airport to city center on October 9. ($10) https://www.dublinexpress.ie/

• Book Big Bus ticket for October 10-11. (Choose the 48 hour option.) ($45) https://www.bigbustours.com/en/dublin/dublin-bus-tours

• Book CityLink bus tickets for October 12 from Dublin to Galway and October 15 from Galway to Dublin Airport. ($35) https://www.citylink.ie/

• Book Cliffs of Moher tour via Viator for October 13. ($55) https://www.viator.com/

• Book Connemara National Park tour via Viator for October 14. ($45) https://www.viator.com/

This was an incredibly fun trip to plan! I hope I get outside of Dublin City to explore the countryside of Ireland one day very soon. Until then, travel well!