Wrong side of the road, right kind of trip

Howdy Roadtrippers,

Sam here, taking the wheel this week… and today, I’m taking y’all across the pond.

Do any of you remember when I planned a week-long luxury trip to Ireland with points and miles for our “Get Me To” series a few months ago?

Well, I recently got back from a trip to Ireland, which looked absolutely nothing like that. Because real Sam doesn’t pay $400/night for hotels. 😅

So today, I’m gonna share with you what I actually did.

Let’s go, or ar aghaidh linn, as they’d say in Irish! ☘️

• ✈️ Getting There: Aer Lingus FTW

• 🗺️ The Route Report: The Causeway Coastal

• 🚘 The Roadside Assist: Driving on the left

• 🏨 The Check-In: Points for cities, Rove for bnbs

• 🛑 The Pit Stop Poll: Driving on the other side

✈️ Getting There: Aer Lingus FTW

One of my biggest takeaways from this trip is the abundance of cheap economy award availability to Dublin on Aer Lingus. 👇

Even though I hear great things about Aer Lingus business class, I couldn’t find two seats from any nearby hub in the date range I was looking at. I planned this one more last minute than usual…. and sometimes that’s just how it goes. Next time. 🤷‍️

We used JetBlue for quick positioning flights from our home airport of Buffalo and were on our merry way. All booked with UR points transferred from my fleet of UR-points-earning cards.

🗺️ The Route Report: The Causeway Coastal

Most people go south or west when they visit Ireland. So obviously we went north.

We were also interested in the North's recent history, which shaped much of our trip, especially the museums and walking tours.

Overall, we had a great mix of cities, smaller towns, and natural areas. After two days each in Dublin, Belfast, and Derry (with one day in there to go to N. Ireland’s biggest spa, Galgorm – it was excellent, and not too busy this time of year), we made our way back along the Coastal Causeway Route.

We spent 4 days driving along the coast, which was the perfect amount of time for the distance and sights.

The guy in the rental car office commended us for not making the mistake that most travelers do: trying to bite off wayyy more than we could chew with packed itineraries and too much mileage per day.

On the map, we didn’t cover much distance, but we saw that area well, with plenty of extra time built in for diversions.

This scenic route snakes along the dramatic Antrim coast, with the highlight being The Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Going in October was absolutely the right call to experience this majestic wonder with very few people.

Some other route highlights:

• Dunluce Castle: Another one that gets packed with tour buses in high season. We had these medieval castle ruins practically to ourselves on a moody, misty day. Needless to say, it was one of our favorite sights.

• Glenariff Forest Park: Known as the “Queen of the Glens,” one of 9 forested valleys with lovely hiking and stunning views. We stayed at this forest hideaway across the street. It had a private hot tub. Need I say more.

• Rathlin Island: Famed for its puffins, sadly they had already migrated south during our visit (go during May-June to see them). We were there during seal season, but sadly they eluded us too. It was still a lovely day trip for an even quieter place with plenty of walking paths.

• Cushendall: This cute village is known as the “capital of the Glens.” It’s exactly the colorful Irish village you’re picturing in your head. Plus, a great gift shop and a shocking amount of third-wave coffee shops.

Derry deserves a special mention as the start/end point. It was our favorite city with lots of character thanks to its beautiful medieval walls, turbulent history, feisty locals, and great live music (Peadar O'Donnell's pub is a must).

It also helped that we had a local connection here thanks to a friend of mine. During the Northern Ireland conflict, a homestay program gave kids a chance to escape the conflict for a while, and my friend’s family hosted a Derry student in Buffalo for a summer. They became fast friends, and my friend connected me with his honorary Irish family. (Knowing someone = the ultimate travel hack.)

An aunt and uncle drove us all over the Inishowen Peninsula for a full day, showing us places we'd never have gone otherwise. It was truly special and a fantastic example of the heartwarming Irish hospitality that we experienced everywhere. 😭

🚘 The Roadside Assist: Driving on the left

But let’s talk driving. This is the Roadtripper, after all. And we’re not used to driving on the left with winding roads and hazards in the form of sheep. 🐑

Full disclosure: I’m pretty stubborn. And manual cars rented from Dublin Airport for one driver are ridiculously cheap. My car at home is a stick shift, and I usually drive more than my partner. So naturally, I thought we’d get a manual car, I’d drive, and we’d save a bunch of money.

But bless my partner for his gentle, “I really think we should get an automatic and pay for two drivers.” 🙇‍️

Because he ended up being way better at opposite-side driving than I am. 🫣

I’m sure I'd improve after a few days, but if there are two or more of you, I recommend making sure everyone can drive that car. Because you never know who might be a LHT (left-hand-traffic) savant. 🧙

Other international rental tips

I’m by no means an expert, but here are a few of my takeaways:

Getting a free additional driver

As I mentioned, an additional driver is huge, and several of my cards include status that is supposed to include a free additional driver… turns out it often applies only to rentals in the U.S. and Canada. 😭 

Pro tip though: Costco Travel waives additional driver fees for one person when booking with select rental partners. While none of those offered competitive rates for my dates/location, YMMV as many people swear by renting through Costo.

Request a copy of your credit card insurance coverage

It took me 2 minutes to request it in my card benefits portal, and 5 minutes later the document showed up in my inbox.

I didn’t end up needing it, but many people have reported having to show it at the counter to decline rental car coverage. Better safe than sorry.

Choose your rental wisely

Personally, I’d ask for the smallest rental available. Tiny, windy Irish roads. Enough said.

Plus, automatics are often hybrids. At least you’re saving on gas…er…petrol. We used only half a tank for our entire trip.

Weigh pick up/drop off location options

Renting out of Dublin airport is the cheapest option. However, the idea of driving on the left after a red eye flight sounded like a recipe for disaster to me. 🤷‍ 

We chose to rent out of Belfast after our city days (which also meant we got to experience the train from Dublin to Belfast – train travel ftw). No dealing with cars in Irish cities. No paying for unneeded days. I stand by our choice.

We did end up paying a bit more to rent out of Belfast city center than at Belfast Airport, but after weighing the cost of getting to the airport for two, it ended up being a wash, and way more convenient. We simply walked there from our hotel.

How I booked

In the end, the best deal was booking directly through Hertz (using this card for its excellent rental car coverage), stacking with Rakuten, ofc.

🏨 The Check-In: Points for cities, Rove for bnbs

ICYMI, the full suite of IHG cards got a massive revamp a few weeks ago.

Coincidentally, that happened while I was on this trip, staying at a bunch of IHG properties booked with a welcome offer I earned a few months ago. (There were only so many times I could read “Mike’s favorite card” before getting the card myself. After this trip, I’m inclined to agree with him.) 👇

When I saw the IHG news, I was selfishly bummed because the welcome offers right now are just so dang goooooddd.

But then I saw the Food & Beverage credit in my account… and was delighted when I realized my partner could use them for his lil NA nightcaps at the hotel bar.

After staying in a bunch of IHG properties, and now with the new Food & Beverage credit…I’m officially a fan. IHG has a huge footprint, so you can even find them in smaller cities where Hyatt and Marriott don’t have properties. Y’all… you’re gonna wanna jump on one of the current welcome offers. You can thank me later. 😇

Overall, we covered 7 nights with points in cities where accommodation is more expensive:

• Hyatt The Liberties Dublin (2 nights)

• voco Belfast by IHG (2 nights – actually, I used a credit on this card for this one)

• Holiday Inn Express Derry by IHG (2 nights)

• Holiday Inn Express Dublin by IHG (1 night)

I thought I was going to mind staying at Holiday Inn Expresses, but they were actually pretty nice. Yes, cookie-cutter. But in the cities, we were out and about, going to pubs and seeing live music, so we didn’t spend much time in the rooms anyway.  

For the remaining nights, we stayed in cute Irish bed and breakfasts, a country staple and a delight to experience. One night, we stayed in a beautifully renovated historic estate house that doubles as a retreat center. Such a treat, yet still so affordable. We could’ve absolutely stayed there longer.

We booked all our paid stays through Rove for those tasty points multipliers. 😋

🛑 The Pit Stop Poll: Driving on the other side

🚘 The Dashboard 🚘

Alright, y’all, that’s all from me! I hope you enjoyed this Irish re-cap, and if you have any questions about details, feel free to reply and I’ll try to answer them.

Katie will be back in your inboxes for another Roadtripper next Wednesday.

Slán go fóill! 🍀

Sam Anthony
Content & Compliance Editor, Daily Drop
42.8864° N, 78.8784° W

with contributions by Katie Begnoche.