Tour staff from the initial query, through booking, and especially our tour guide were all... read more
Tour staff from the initial query, through booking, and especially our tour guide were all... read more
I had never taken a travel tour before Vagabond and now I think I am spoiled! Our Tour Daddy Shane... read more
Just returned from the Vagabond/Driftwood Ancient East tour of Ireland. There are simply not enough superlatives to describe this tour and the company. From the insanely user-friendly and informative website to the helpful and responsive customer service, everything about planning the trip was easy and confidence inspiring. We even received regular emails with tips and suggestions. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned in reviews is the strength of the Vagabond online community. The previous and future travelers are so passionate about their experiences that they go to great lengths to answer questions for newbies, including providing photographs and shopping suggestions. The trip logistics are meticulously planned to ensure comfort and ease. Our guide was Michael, who was local to the area we traveled, and the breadth and depth of his knowledge of the area, as well as history, politics, culture, and geology, was staggering, as was his warmth and kindness. He was able to make a couple of detours that allowed two members of our group to realize life dreams and provide a deeply touching memory for everyone else. The hotels where we stayed were in perfect locations, and the small bus allowed us to get to places inaccessible to larger buses. Almost everywhere we went, our group was alone and had private experiences, including very popular destinations. The trip was quite simply perfect, and the people of Vagabond, both staff and fans, are beyond generous with their time and advice. We are already beginning to plan our next Vagabond trip.
Thank you so much for sharing such a kind and wonderful review of your recent tour. Your glowing words means the world to us and we are delighted to hear you had an amazing trip.
We take great pride in our hardworking team and it brings us great joy to know we provided you with helpful information and suggestions.
Our online community is amazing and is constantly growing more and more each day. Everyone part of the FaceBook groups play a huge role in helping future guests be prepared for their tour. We are so grateful for everyone who is part of the group.
Michael is a brilliant guide. His work ethic and knowledge makes every tour so special for our guests and we can't thank him enough for his service.
Thanks again for the wonderful review and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
I traveled with nine family members. We had a fantastic week on the Magnetic North Adventure tour. Our guide Damien kept us informed and entertained. The weather was in charge but Damien didn't let that slow us down. Our accommodations were very comfortable. This was my third Vagabond tour; I see more in my future. Thank you
It is great to see you back on tour with us again for a third time!
The Magnetic North Tour is a brilliant way to see Northern Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way. We are so happy to hear you and your family had a wonderful experience and we thank you for sharing your review.
Damien is a true gem indeed and always strives to give is guests the best possible experience.
We are already looking forward to having you back on tour again! In the meantime, slán go fóill☘️
We did the 11 day Driftwood Tour with our amazing driver/guide Phil.
Phil went above and beyond for all of our group of 15 to ensure we had the best time in Ireland. His driving on very narrow, but very scenic roads was exceptional as was his knowledge of this awesome country. We Aussies had the best tour which exceeded our expectations and left us with memories to treasure. Vagabond Tours have a real ‘star’ in Phil, his humour and his care and concern for his guests are unparalleled.
Thank you for giving us ‘Phil’ for 11 days of fun and adventure. Highly recommend this tour , great value and great fun.
Thank you so much for sharing your glowing review of your recent tour experience. It bring us great joy to know that you had an amazing time with your group.
Phil truly is a brilliant guide and we can't thank him enough for his service and hard work ethic. We are so grateful to have him and all of our wonderful guides.
Thank you so much for your review and recommendation.
We hope to see you again on tour with us! 💚
What a great tour company. We just completed an 11 day tour of Ireland for the 2nd time, bringing family and friends this time around. Our tour guide, Brian Walsh, was so informative and made the trip fun and special. I would recommend them for anyone thinking of visiting Ireland.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your review with us! We are so happy to hear you had an amazing trip with your family and friends. Experiencing Ireland with your loved ones is so special and we are glad we were able to help make it happen.
Brian is an exceptional guide who always strives to give his guests the best possible experience.
Thanks again for the review and the recommendation!
My mom and I had a fantastic time on this Vagabond Tour! Our driver/guide was Alan and he did a nice job as the DJ and balancing giving us info and cultural/historical context (with a dry sense of humor) and also not constantly chatting during the pockets of time we were on the van, so we also got some downtime too. It was good that we rotated seats to get a different view each day. Alan kept us all on schedule, going from about 9am to 5pm each day. While a few of the sites included a tour, most were for us to explore ourselves and get back to the van by a certain time, so it gave us free time (I loved wandering around taking photos as everything was so picturesque). Just make sure to pinpoint where the van is parked. There were a few spots where lunch was set at a certain place and we ate together, which was nice and easy, but often we each just went to whichever cafe/pub we wanted in that town, and Alan would give us suggestions. (breakfasts were included in our package price and served at the inns we stayed at). Sometimes my mom and I and others ate dinner at the Inns too, which was nice. The Inns were really a highlight because they were often historic and all locally owned and in stellar settings: Gougane Bara Hotel on the lake, Emlagh House in Dingle, and the Aberdeen Castle in County Mayo were highlights.
The Inns accommodated vegan diets only somewhat, so I usually ate porridge each morning and was not able to eat the baked goods or have many other breakfast options unfortunately. Dinner was a little better with options but desserts were often not much. That said, I enjoyed my meals. I like the sustainability aspect of the Vagabond Tour in terms of the company's policies. I think that the Inns and venues could be more eco and animal friendly by prioritizing plant-based meals and milks instead of prioritizing diets based on animal exploitation (especially in a climate and biodiversity crisis), and it would be good to have the tour guides know what to tell all guests about where to get great plant-based meals or ice creams in each town to better encourage this more responsible and sustainable way of eating. But throughout Ireland, we often were able to get very tasty veg meals even in pubs -- along with local beers, ciders, and cocktails of course. Related to being animal friendly, I would prefer if the sheep dog farm visit were only an option on the tour but not included, as some people do not want to partake in animal exhibits. I just sat that one out.
This 7 day tour was an easy and fun way to see many of the highlights of Ireland's countryside. Each day had many gorgeous settings, mostly outdoors and with natural and historic sites. If I tacked on another day or two, I'd add in the Aran Islands too. My mom and I stayed in Dublin a few days on the front end and the back end, which was a great idea. We felt like the 7-days on the tour was the perfect amount to be on that daily schedule and moving around so active. You'll need some downtime or rest the day you get back, so it would be best if you didn't plan anything big that next day or try to fly back. And it would be good to get past your jet lag before you started the tour too (arriving a few days ahead of time).
We enjoyed meeting the other people on the tour (they were all Americans) and hanging out with them, making some friends and often choosing to hang out together at pubs listening to Irish music or just chatting. The social aspect of the tour made it special too. We all used a photocircle app to share our pictures and we often took pics together or for each other. It was great having a small group of people to hang out with (15 of us, all adults). That relatively small size made our van more nimble for traveling than the bigger tour buses. Alan would try to get us to any busy places early before most of the big busses arrived. Our van was small enough to travel the Slea Head drive in Dingle and the gorgeous Beara Peninsula's Healy pass ( a scenic highlight for us... just sheep,, rocks, green mountains, lakes, and a windy road as far as the eye could see). When I took a picture at Healy's pass, it was like a drop the mic moment. I now have that image framed and hanging up 16x20 in my living room. Ireland really is so beautiful!
Thank you so much for your 5 star review. We are delighted that you had such a fantastic tour. Alan is an amazing driver guide, it's great to have him as part of the team. We understand how important it is to balance free time with scheduled activities and we are really pleased to hear that this worked for you and your mom.
Its great you enjoyed where you stayed on tour. We aim to support locally owned hotels. These are often quirky with their own unique character and history. One or two even boast of ghosts! We are sorry to learn that vegan options at some places were limited.The availability of good quality vegan food continues to develop and grow In Ireland. They are generally plentiful in the major towns and cities, but some of the smaller places are still adapting to the changing market needs.
Presently, we are sorry to say it’s just not economically viable for hotels, restaurants and pubs to prioritise plant based options above dairy or meat as the demand isn't at that level yet, but the great news is that this is changing all the time, particularly as the spotlight is being shone in a big way on the climate and the biodiversity issues the world is experiencing right now.
We will certainly take on board your suggestion about changing sheepdog demos to becoming an optional activity. We are constantly reviewing activities on our itineraries, so thanks for your feedback.
We agree, arriving early allows guests to acclimatise so they can fully enjoy the tour experience. The small group tour is a fantastic way to get to know your driver guide and the rest of the guests travelling with you. We have guests who met on tour and keep in touch years later.
The photo at Healy's Pass sounds very special. Could be one for our photo competition?
Thanks again for your super review. We hope to welcome you to Ireland again soon☘️☘️☘️
Ireland is a great country, lots of sites to see and a deep history. Our tour guide Brian was filled with knowledge of history and sites and was extremely kind!
Ireland truly is a magnificent country and we are so glad you were able to experience it.
Brian is a brilliant guide and we are so pleased to have him on our team of top quality guides.
Thank you for your kind review and we hope to see you again soon!☘️