by Maggie Murphy
For our 10th wedding anniversary, my husband and I went to Ireland, and upon returning, we committed to taking our kids someday. A trip like that took a lot of planning and saving.
After saving together as a family for seven years, we took the trip of a lifetime. We traveled to western Ireland for 16 days. Here are some ways we achieved our financial and travel goals while sticking to our budget.
Building and Protecting a Travel Fund
1. We maintained an adequate emergency fund because, without one, our travel fund might be spent on those life moments that interfere with a monthly budget.
2. I set up an “Ireland Fund” and scheduled automatic withdrawals from each paycheck, setting aside the equivalent of a date night each month for the first five years of saving and doubling that amount in the final two years.
3. We started a savings jar at home with EIRE hand-painted on it. This was a family trip and the whole family were a part of contributing to the fund. By adding their spare change, the kids were part of the process from the start and loved to add their pennies to the pot. When full, I made another deposit in the “Ireland Fund.”
One year before the trip, we held a family meeting and shared with the kids that any extras on the trip were their responsibility (the Hawk Walk at Ashford Castle, horseback riding, souvenirs, etc.). We told them how much certain activities would cost, explained the exchange rate, and had our proud Mom-and-Dad moment when the kids looked for jobs and started saving. In the year leading up to the trip, the majority of the birthday and Christmas budgets were added to the “Ireland Fund,” with the exception of a few small gifts.
While no budget is perfect, we tried to anticipate every possible expense. About a year before the trip, we noted those extra costs and added them to our budget. We really wanted this to be a vacation that wouldn’t affect our family’s budget; we planned for expenses like airport parking, baggage fees, exchange rates, and gifts. We also had to account for the cost of gas to the airport and pet care for our furry friends while we were away.
Smart saving on bigger expenses
We saved a lot of money traveling in the off-season. Yes, early spring gifted a few chilly days, the perfect excuse to save for an Irish sweater! Airfare was the largest expense, accounting for around 35% of our budget. We researched cost-effective flights, considering the least expensive cities, days of the week, and times of day to travel to make the most of our budget.
We chose to stay in a few bed-and-breakfasts for the experience, but the per-person rate for five strained our budget. Renting a cottage for the majority of our stay helped immensely with saving money. It also provided regular access to two important facilities: a full kitchen and laundry, which proved an economical way for our family of five to spend 16 days traveling internationally and stay within our budget.
Dining out was limited to help extend our budget. We saved money by preparing two of our meals per day at the cottage or opting for a picnic on the road. The local markets offered a fabulous supply of cold-smoked salmon, Irish cheese, and soda bread. So, we were experiencing amazing local cuisine, but on a budget we could manage.
Create memories without overspending
While we enjoyed a few special outings, most of our time was spent exploring locations that were free to the public or had reasonable entrance fees. Here is a list of the amazing places we visited for little to no cost.
- Dingle Peninsula, pack a picnic lunch and enjoy scenic Slea Head Drive
- Ashford Castle, check out the Hawk Walk at Ireland’s School of Falconry
- The Village of Cong, see filming locations for “The Quiet Man”
- Ballyconneelly Beach, a lovely morning hike, walking on a beach of coral sand
- Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s holy mountain and pilgrimage site, where St. Patrick is thought to have fasted for forty days
- Ross Errilly Friary, a medieval friary in County Galway, is “one of Ireland’s best-preserved and complete ecclesiastical settlements”
- Cliffs of Moher
- Kylemore Abbey, tour the beautiful walled garden and wander back to the lovely chapel in the woods
- Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, not far from Shannon Airport, is a fun first/last day outing
A “No Spending Day” on the last day
On our last day at the cottage, we enjoyed a “no spending day” by finishing up our leftovers for meals at our cottage. We also prepared for our travel back home by washing our clothes and strategically packing our local purchases. This was a trip of a lifetime, full of memories for our family, and made possible by everyone pitching in and even sacrificing to make it happen. Travel to Ireland is possible for any family that makes the long-term commitment to save together. Our Irish adventure was worth it. Slainte!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maggie Murphy is a lifelong Michigander and graduate of Hillsdale College. She is an enthusiastic educator with 29 years’ experience helping community college students reach their academic and career goals. Maggie is also the author of the children’s book, Sara Dippity, and can often be found performing Irish, Scottish, and Americana folk music and running a small farm with her husband.
