Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

This was our second trip to Scotland planned by Katie, a member of Jonathan’s team. I can’t imagine using anyone else for the UK. Our son will be getting his Master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh and we wanted him to get acquainted with the University and the city before his program starts in September. Katie arranged great accommodations at 100 Princes Street. What a fantastic property!

We encountered a majority of the staff from our first trip and most of them remembered us and greeted us by name. 100 Prices Street has become our home away from home in Edinburgh. Katie was able to arrange a walking tour of the city with Jill, the same guide we had on our first trip. Jill is so knowledgeable about so many things—history, architecture, religion, politics, philosophy, etc. She really gave our son a great overview of the city, past and present. We sampled local fare at a number of places Katie recommended. One particularly memorable experience was sitting in a local pub and getting tutored on the finer points of snooker by one of the pub’s regulars as we watched the UK Snooker Championship on TV.

We will be visiting Scotland several times while our son is studying there and will rely on Katie to help us plan those trips.

Natalie Tomaras holding a Harris Hawk.

Natalie Tomaras with a Harris Hawk at Ashford Castle. Photo: Tim Hauber

Our trip to Ireland was just fantastic. We were very happy with the itinerary as our trip planner listened to our interests (animals, ancestry, and more authentic experiences) and managed to orchestrate a wide range of locales in our 10 days. I would say that some days felt a bit ambitious, but we always felt as if we could exercise control over editing the daily itinerary.

Things to check out: Giant’s Causeway and the Titanic museum in Belfast/Antrim Coast are must-sees. You would think that these things would be touristy and they are—but still very worth it. The museum is done in such an engrossing way—it sets the context of the era, and then draws you into the story completely. Tracy’s Farmhouse kitchen, our sheep farm tour, the hawk walk at Ashford castle and the food tour in Galway were absolutely enjoyable. We were able to have meaningful conversations with people in each of these activities and I discovered that this is really what makes a trip stick with you. The EPIC museum in Dublin was equally as engrossing as the Titanic and also a must-see.

We had a pints and sights tour when we arrived in Dublin—this was scheduled for 4 hours and that was a LONG TIME to be walking and drinking! I would definitely try to shorten this to 2 hours, though our guide was also fantastic and another person with whom we had connected conversations. Plus, after that, we were able to navigate Dublin on foot quite easily.

The most unique experience was definitely the hawk walk at Ashford Castle. Although this might not appeal to everyone, it was a true highlight for me.

We had 2 driver guides and they were amazing! Especially for the 2nd portion of our trip in Ireland. He took care of everything, was flexible, responsive, intrepid in the face of having to navigate a marathon route that kept us from our itinerary, and just a lovely human being. Martin (our driver) took it upon himself to locate a priest in a town where my husband’s relatives were buried in an ancient cemetery. Martin arranged a meeting on the fly with the priest so that my husband could validate his ancestral research. This was WAY above and beyond his call of duty.

We also toured a number of castles, learning about the history of Ireland along the way. Finally, we just got SICK of eating out, and specifically at expensive, posh restaurants. While touring Kilkenny, we sourced fresh bread, cheese, salami, and a bottle of wine to enjoy on the grounds of our hotel which was isolated from any town. This was a highlight for sure. Martin was more than willing to take us back into town for dinner, but eating out for every meal got to be tedious and expensive.

Our trip planner did a fantastic job of listening to our interests and planning a trip to hit on each one in addition to finding great places to stay and unbeatable driver guides.

Charlotte and Todd at St. Edward’s Church in Stow on the Wold.

Travelers Charlotte and Todd at St. Edward’s Church in Stow on the Wold, rumored to have inspired Tolkien’s Doors of Durin.

My husband and I had a wonderful first trip to England, which Katie and Shelbie planned. I’m thankful to Katie for encouraging us to stay four nights in London, rather than three, and she was so right! We were sure three was plenty, but seven would not have been too many. That’s why it’s important for us, for a first-time visit, to turn to Wendy’s advisors.
After London, we took the train to York and the Yorkshire area, then to the Cotswolds, where I fantasized about moving. We landed in the Cotswolds just in time to see the glorious wisteria and bluebells—Katie recommended visiting in the Spring, and she was spot on.

We had guides in all areas who were full of personality, knowledge, and insight. The staff at the recommended hotels in London and the Yorkshire area were over the top with service and sincere friendliness. We felt like part of the family.
Our guide Nick, in York, went above and beyond to make our trip special and to seek out things that we could never find on our own.

After four days touring with Jon, we left the Cotswolds with a new best friend. Having grown up in the Cotswolds, his knowledge was invaluable. When he learned we loved nature and flowers, he drove out of the way to a small wooded area known as the Bluebell Forest, where the entire forest floor was covered in Bluebells. It was stunning, and something we wouldn’t have seen on our own. The next day, he surprised us with a visit to the church where he was married, in a small off-the-path village. The church was small and one of the oldest in the Cotswolds, with a tapestry of the Lord’s Prayer dated to the 1600s. It was the highlight of our trip! This is why a trip planner with connections has so much value.

We really enjoyed our trip to Ireland, and definitely appreciated the guidance and support from our planner Katie.

We had 9 days in country to work with, and visited Galway, Ennis (to do Dromoland Castle—definitely worth it), Killarney (for the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula), and Dublin.

We wanted a mix of history, scenery, animal experiences (for the kids) and music, and Katie’s team did a great job mixing that all in.

Highlights for us:
– Dromoland Castle – Just wow! We loved the falconry, the high tea, clay shooting, walking around the grounds, the rooms (!!). Their staff is incredible and made us all feel like royalty (which we definitely paid for—but worth the splurge).
– Galway Food Tour – We had low expectations for food in Ireland and were so glad we did this tour, getting in on the evolution of the food scene in Ireland and some of the incredible finds (the fish, the cheese, the bakeries!!)
– The Dingle Peninsula, Skellig Islands, Kerry Cliffs (more impressive than the Cliffs of Moher for us). This is what we thought Ireland would look like and our driver Patrick did a great job showing us the sites and giving us all of the history and interesting facts here, and ensuring we got to the Skellig Chocolate Factory—so fun!)
– Private music experience/lesson in Dublin. Katie arranged for this Uilleann pipes player to teach us Irish folk songs and how to play the Irish tin whistle. We have 3 teenagers (none musicians but all music lovers) and to see them all laughing and dancing and trying to play along was so cute.

We appreciated how responsive Katie’s team was, especially when we had an issue with our room in Killarney. She said to reach out if we had any concerns, and when we did, we got upgraded to the Agadhoe Heights Penthouse! This turned a negative into a huge positive and will be such a great memory for our family.

I wish we would have gone with our original instincts and cut our time in Dublin and fit in Edinburgh but that was really our only gripe. That and the weather—there is only one season in Ireland and that is RAIN. Obviously that’s what makes it so lush and green and we were grateful to get 2 nice days with some sunshine, but that’s also something to be ready for (they say Ireland has no bad weather—just bad clothes). So be prepared for that!

But overall a great trip with fun memories.

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