If you're like me you've got about €10 in the bank account and about €100,000 worth of trips…read moreplanned in your head. This is where budget travel comes in handy. If you're also like me you're freezing to death right now and wishing just for a glimpse of the warm sun ... well living in Ireland I'm like that everyday. I booked a holiday through here to Lanzarote (ok maybe not the most exotic location, but hey it was sunnier and warmer than Dublin). The price was really cheap and everything was included from flights, hotels, and even our transfer from the airport, which was very convenient as the hotel was a bit of away from the airport. Don't expect deluxe accomodations, but for the prices we paid it was more than enough and the short walk to the beach satisfied my need for sun and sand. Now if only I could get a few more yo yos in the old bank account I might try for a Red Sea holiday. If you'd like to donate to the Kelly T Travel Fund, we accept cash, check and card.

Best kept secret next to a Jameson Distillery. Pretty Sick Views! Only €5 per person. Add it to the…read morelist of must dos in Dublin

There's only one bone I've got to pick with this posh little station on the south bound Dart…read moreline... That bleeping, beeping level crossing. Make the wrong choice on the 50/50 split of running under the rails in Landsdowne station or waiting at the gates could cost you twenty minutes waiting for the next train after yours whizzes by. Buy your tickets in the main brick building on the Southbound side, or stand in line by the single machine on the Northbound side. A tiny news stand which closes around 6 every day vends chocolate, sodas and dodgy coffee along with the daily papers. Unlike the larger Pearse station, or the sparsely furnished Grand Canal Dock (saved by the dearth of services just outside the gates), there's almost nothing at all in terms of service for folks at Lansdowne road. Considering the massive Aviva stadium barrelling it's way to completion just over the tracks, perhaps a few updates might be well-received here too.

Since I am currently the Yelp Duke of this fair Dart station I keep getting prompted to review…read moreit... not a lot to say really! its the station you use for any event in the Aviva Stadium, it has ticket machines that are never out of order and it is always clean.... yup, that about covers it!!!

I truly enjoy the Stena Line service, which I suppose I've used 3 times now, either to or from the…read moreUK. For my last trip, I decided to take advantage of a recent promotion to go from Dublin to Holyhead (Wales) with a same-day return for only €5 (I had membership credit for a total cost of €1 round-trip). I was in the middle of a big writing project, and so I took advantage of the deal as a day out with scenery and WiFi to get work done. In the middle, I enjoyed a little visit to Holyhead, which previously, I'd only seen through doors as I walked to the train. Honestly, it was a lovely day, and I enjoyed seeing the lanes of cars and caravans packed with kayaks and bicycles as people went on their August holidays. It was nice, too, that Stena provided activities onboard for children, including crafts, some kind of mini-play, and family-friendly films. I wouldn't mind if Stena cleaned and upgraded their seating areas and provided more spots to "plug in." Even in the Stena-plus lounge (which features unlimited snacks & beverages), it's seats along the periphery that have plugs, and those mostly have little side cafe tables. Upgrading their WiFi and providing some work stations would make a big difference. Still, it's pretty terrific to have a stress-free, comfortable, and inexpensive transportation to London with gorgeous views from the ship and from the train, if you choose to take advantage of that option.

I tend to avoid flying when I can, ok, there's the thing about if I stand on solid ground and start…read moreflapping my little stubby arms, do I take flight? ... no, then why trust Michael O'Learys el cheapo lets cut corners aircraft ... somethings gotta give there some day and I will avoid being the flotsam over the Irish Sea when it does! Ok Stena line - I do a bit of travelling to the UK and its honestly cheaper to bring the car when you have a few places to visit and they're not all based around London and da tube! Irish Ferries, Mmmm ... whatever it is about IF, I can't put my finger on it - they do try hard, but it just feels cheap, it just feels like I'm getting taken for a ride (which I am, on water...), it feels wrong, in fact the last time I went Irish Ferries the craft was over crowded, smelly and the staff just not very pleasant ... so, back to Stena! ... I like them, apart from the website which needs to be brought into the 20th century, they actually do offer a good service. They do actually listen, really listen! if you have questions / problems and do I honestly feel provide a better service than IF. The trick with Stena, especially when driving, is to spend an extra few quid and go for premium - it makes a world of a difference. You get access to the premium lounge, which may not sound something amazing, but trust me, its worth a lot when you are tired, potentially have children with you and want to know that your seat will still be there when you come back from the loo or general ambling about (whilst trying to keep upright!). The premium lounge is situated in a particularly good position and even if the sea is a tad rough (which its generally not), its quite comfortable ... not that the same can be said if you've baggsed a seat along the side of the ship! Top tip - if its not midsummer and very good weather is almost guaranteed, do NOT travel on the smallest ship with afair is called "the lynx" ... its a tiny little thing and is tossed around like a rubber-ducky in a 3year olds bathtub ... splash, splash, splash!! (oh and no point in buying premium on that wee tub, there's SFA difference between premium and normal on that craft) ps: update - a few days after travelling with Stena for the final time this year, first, new top tip, JOIN COMPASS POINTS!!!! ... I normally avoid these frequent flyer jobbies, my information is more valuable than the return they generally give back (Tesco take note!) ... anyway, I went to pay for my trip this time and it asked me if I wanted to use my points in part payment - Yep! says me.. why not? ... Ohhhh, nice shiney nice, they gave me almost €120 off the total fare!!! ... now THATS SWEET! pps: Stena, if you're reading this I DONT like your new style premium lounge - the chairs dont have high enough headrests, making it difficult to get a comfortable position on hte midnight ferry when one is trying to grab a wee snooze! .... change them for the comfy old ones, or the puppy gets it....

Nice small station with several newsstands and restaurants and bar inside. Spacious, clean and…read morewell organized with well informed information & instruction/direction.

Easy easy easy! Got tickets fast and platforms were clearly marked and called out!…read more My beef would be with the train. Halfway to Belfast and we're told, "Trains cancelled. Go to the front of the station and catch a bus." No explanation but I guess we didn't need one. Just go catch the bus. Bus was cool though...

CityScape buses, are more of a hop on, hop off tour and one of three similar businesses in Dublin…read more We chose the 3 day ticket for €25, see photo. For the most part, it was fast and easy. The drivers are knowledgeable, offering bits of history as you go from stop to stop. Whether it was century old speculation on Charles Parnell's love life, or the very real and sad, yet also heroic ones of the Easter Rising of 1916, we couldn't get enough. One of the best recommendations we received, was on local Trinity Prof Micheál Ó Siochrú's book on Olive Cromwell in Ireland. I would highly recommend "God's Executioner". As our guide pointed out, Cromwell spent only nine months in Ireland, so it's hard to blame him for everything. For us the only down side to CityScape was the apparent lack of buses, compared to it's competition. We too, sat outside the Guinness Storehouse, as other Yelp'ers have noted, while buses went by. And yes, our driver went inside to, er, pickup additional passengers. LOL. It's all part of the charm of Dublin. Enjoy!

Do not waste your money. The bus did not pull in and stop at Houston Station the morning I waited…read moreto be picked up. I watched it go by. It also did not follow the route to to the Zoo the next morning and rather went down the Quay towards the City Center while my husband and I waited on Parkgate. (it was supposed to hit parkgate after the zoo) I was stuck on the bus for 30 minutes while they changed shifts. Another 10 minutes sitting at another stop because he apparently was driving too fast to the next stop. His monologue consisted of snarky comments about big businesses in Ireland avoiding taxes and the waste of taxpayer money on the millennial tower. Finally, and maybe it's because I am a 'new' tourist, there are, I think THREE hop on and hop off services. They do NOT accept each other's fares. When we bought this at the KIOSK there was NO warning that not all Hop ons and Hop offs are alike. Buyer beware!