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planning a trip, need some info

hey everyone. as mentioned above i am planning a trip to Ireland in the near future, actually i'm looking to go to check the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. has anyone gone there or know someone that goes,went there? i still have three more years of schooling here in the states, but after that i'm packing up and coming over. any info would be appreciated! thanks

Ian

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Permalink Reply by Felicia on September 2, 2008 at 14:31

My recommendation would be for you to travel over in the off season when fares are dirt cheap--look for student specials on line and plan on staying at a b & b, where you will get a more familial and localized view or at a hostel for cheap room and board. Take a few days and take in the sights and sounds of the city. I would not wait until you are ready to start school there. I was there this summer with my daughter and sister, and I discovered things that I never saw on three previous trips. Also, check blogs on-line--google the school name, blogs and see what people say about it. I do not know anyone there, but was recently elated when I googled Irish colleges and discovered a blog where on person was in the program that I am trying to get into. Good Luck. Slan.

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Permalink Reply by Trantor on September 2, 2008 at 14:53

Well, "cheap" and "B&B" doesn't go well together, if you really are on a budget, try a hostel ... even outside Dublin, the B&Bs are ridiculously expensive nowadays

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Permalink Reply by Felicia on September 2, 2008 at 16:03

I agree. I reread what I wrote and what I was trying to say is a b & b offers a localized and familial experience. A hostel is cheap and easy room and board--sorry for the confusion, but glad you saw it.

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Permalink Reply by Trantor on September 2, 2008 at 16:24

Personally, I prefer B&Bs, but for the money I spent this summer for 2 1/2 weeks, I could easily also have gone to Hawaii (from Germany!). Since I was first in Ireland in 1992, the B&B prices have at least tripled, in Dublin it's rather 5 times as expensive now.

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Permalink Reply by Felicia on September 2, 2008 at 18:18

I know what you mean; we were on tour this sumer and the costs across the board just blew me away; I had been three times before on a bi-yearly mode, but this last trip-OUCH!

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Permalink Reply by Ian Brandt on September 3, 2008 at 0:11

like i said, i might go over next year, really depends on the money situation at that time. but thanks everyone for their input.

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Permalink Reply by Laura G on September 8, 2008 at 1:58

i am going to Ireland again in October. The first time I left my cell phone at home, but this time I have to take it and I think I am going to buy a Vodafone SIM card and do a pre-pay plan to get the internet on my PDA. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I think it is a lot less expensive than the roaming / international charges my USA plan wants to charge. I have the cell phone, all I would need is the SIM. They won't ship it to me, I have to wait until I get there to buy it.

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Permalink Reply by Trantor on September 8, 2008 at 6:27

Personally I find Tesco mobile the cheapest option, but I don't know about their prices for calls to the US

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Permalink Reply by Felicia on September 8, 2008 at 13:47

I had a horrible experience with Vodafone and again with roaming charges through Verizon. I rented a phone one year and ended up with a $1500 tab after 10 days. So, last year, I purchased an international phone and ended up with $1500 for a month. Tghe difference is that the first time, Vodafone was not clear explaining how they price and the exchange--my fault. Second time was so high because text messagings is almost 3-5x higher than calling regualrly, and my daughter was so bored she used my phone excessively. I think part of the expense is that you don't have a huge amount of control over roaming charges unless oyu can choose the Europe carrier from oyur phone. Vodafone is the highest priced though. I wish you luck--it is tricky.

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Permalink Reply by Laura G on September 22, 2008 at 18:55

Thanks for the information on this - I wonder if you buy the pre-pay phone that would take care of the problem? Sort of like pre-paying at the gas pump? It shuts off when you reach your limit? I guess I'll have to ask them when I get there. I don't really have to use it to call or text the US, just get on the internet for mobile email. I found that the internet cafe's closed by 6pm which wasn't very convenient if you wanted to check mail more than once a day. I guess I'll just have to go to the cell phone store and check it out. Thanks again for all the input!

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Permalink Reply by Felicia on September 22, 2008 at 20:03

We took our laptops when we went, because there is free internet in all hotels where we stayed in Eire--lobby. Some people even came in, got a drink at the pub and parked their tush in the lobby to use internet. It is also great way to download oictures off camera cards every night and not have to buy a zillion cards for digital cameras. Might also work for oyu if you get nape or snope or something like that--allows oyu to call through omputer and is dirt cheap; professor friend of mine signed up so the family could talk to his son when he went to grad school in galway-something to think about.