Ireland(A Trip)

[Qatarab]

I wasn't sure if this belonged in F7 or General but i chose General as it said "discuss" and i wish to discuss something rather than goof off. I was going to ask on opinions of people on something i have recently been planning. Hints,advice etc. would be greatly appreciated so:

I plan on visiting Ireland. Now i can't say i will be able to go 100% but if it happens that i go,i want to be prepared for it. I'm not willing to fly however because its slightly expensive and i just don't feel like going through all that stress. I plan on taking a ship,specifically a cargo/freighter ship. I'm patient so the long ride across the sea is no trouble and i also enjoy the ocean. I also believe these ship rides are cheaper(though it does still take alot longer than a plane). We also get better luggage service(well it has to be carriable with you but you can bring 200 Ibs).

Of course my age for when i want to go on this trip will be 16. I hope to be able to leave this summer. What i wish to ask of the people of NS is their ideas on such a trip and what advice you'd give. I'll be highly likely going alone(or i won't go at all). I'm not sure what the reason is but i felt a sudden urge within myself that i must go(or i'd go insane). I want to bring as few material as possible. I'd say imagine this as a strange version of a road trip except to a completely different country. Of course i plan to stock up on vitamins,water and granola bars while carrying a hiking bag for those items and then one of those large roller bags to carry cloth. Then i'd have a shoulder bag to carry some other stuff like notebooks and all. In all i plan on carrying 4 bags(roller bag,hiking bad,shoulder bag and a small but durable bag for misc. items). I also plan on bringing a camera along but thats more a want not a need.

-Hiking bag:Will carry my food and water plus medical supplies and toiletries plus a sleeping bag(cause you never know when you'll need one).
-Roller bag:Clothing mostly. Actually all of it clothing and maybe some small misc. stuff
-Shoulder bag:Paper,pens,notebooks,pencils,maps and other books
-Small bag:uh....everything else i might think i'll need or maybe things i'll find or buy while on my trip.

So...Advise,Tip,Criticize,Commend or Condemn or just give your feedback

[Lackadaisical2]

Less is more, but thats just me.

[Yootwopia]

Yeah I wouldn't go on a walking holiday around a foreign country on your own at sixteen. Ever.

[Brandenburg-Altmark]

Yeah I wouldn't go on a walking holiday around a foreign country on your own at sixteen. Ever.

This. If your parents say OK you need to call DCF, because they are total shite at parenting.

[Qatarab]

Yeah I wouldn't go on a walking holiday around a foreign country on your own at sixteen. Ever.

I tend to be different from those of my age group
Hence the reason i will avoid telling anyone at school BEFORE but if i do get to go i'll tell them AFTER. They just can't usually grasp the logic of why someone would do such a thing at this age but after all it's what makes me different and i like different

EDIT:I don't think it's illegal or wrong especially when you can travel by yourself at a certain age without becoming an adult with only parental consent.

[Yootwopia]

Yeah I wouldn't go on a walking holiday around a foreign country on your own at sixteen. Ever.

I tend to be different from those of my age group

Yeah whatever, we all thought that at sixteen.

Hence the reason i will avoid telling anyone at school BEFORE but if i do get to go i'll tell them AFTER. They just can't usually grasp the logic of why someone would do such a thing at this age but after all it's what makes me different and i like different

Right yeah, again, whatever, you're going to a now-poor country on your own, after you serve as a cabin boy or something to obtain passage to some port in a nation you know nothing about.

No.

[Qatarab]

I tend to be different from those of my age group

Yeah whatever, we all thought that at sixteen.

Hence the reason i will avoid telling anyone at school BEFORE but if i do get to go i'll tell them AFTER. They just can't usually grasp the logic of why someone would do such a thing at this age but after all it's what makes me different and i like different

Right yeah, again, whatever, you're going to a now-poor country on your own, after you serve as a cabin boy or something to obtain passage to some port in a nation you know nothing about.

No.

You know that cargo/freighter ships have private cabins which you pay for to travel in. I don't know what time period you think we're in but in the era of capitalism,no one wants anyone "illegally" working the ship even for passage due to insurance issues. It's not like i'm traveling to Nigeria or Afghanistan.

[Yootwopia]

You know that cargo/freighter ships have private cabins which you pay for to travel in.

I do know this.

I don't know what time period you think we're in but in the era of capitalism,no one wants anyone "illegally" working the ship even for passage due to insurance issues.

Actually lies, but we'll move swiftly on.

It's not like i'm traveling to Nigeria or Afghanistan.

There are still dodgy fuckers in any country, and turning up anywhere with basically no cash nor means of making any means that your trip is going to be short-lived, quaint but stupid ideas about camping under the stars and eating flapjack aside.

[Qatarab]

You know that cargo/freighter ships have private cabins which you pay for to travel in.

I do know this.

I don't know what time period you think we're in but in the era of capitalism,no one wants anyone "illegally" working the ship even for passage due to insurance issues.

Actually lies, but we'll move swiftly on.

It's not like i'm traveling to Nigeria or Afghanistan.

There are still dodgy fuckers in any country, and turning up anywhere with basically no cash nor means of making any means that your trip is going to be short-lived, quaint but stupid ideas about camping under the stars and eating flapjack aside.

Oh i don't plan on camping or something,the sleeping bags for a worst-case scenario. I'd shoot myself if i had to camp outside like that.

Any optimists on here at this moment? any?

[Yootwopia]

Homeless foreign sixteen-year-old on the streets of Dublin (presumably)? World's easiest mugging target?

[Hegstoria]

Dude, you do know everything in Ireland is pretty damn expensive, right? From what I can remember I think Ireland has the highest prices out all the other nations in the Eurozone. It definitely is not a good idea to go by yourself at 16 (I'm 16 btw)

[Yootwopia]

Dude, you do know everything in Ireland is pretty damn expensive, right? From what I can remember I think Ireland has the highest prices out all the other nations in the Eurozone. It definitely is not a good idea to go by yourself at 16 (I'm 16 btw)

Not entirely sure about that one, Finland cost a fortune last time I went, but yeah everything costs about as much as in Blighty and is thus Not Cheap.

[Hegstoria]

Dude, you do know everything in Ireland is pretty damn expensive, right? From what I can remember I think Ireland has the highest prices out all the other nations in the Eurozone. It definitely is not a good idea to go by yourself at 16 (I'm 16 btw)

Not entirely sure about that one, Finland cost a fortune last time I went, but yeah everything costs about as much as in Blighty and is thus Not Cheap.

I might be thinking of electronics to be honest. I can't remember where I read the statistic, but I have a lingering suspicion that it might solely be electronics that they're the most expensive. Regardless, it's still damn expensive there, especially if your American.

[Qatarab]

Nah not Dublin. Im probably going to stick around the South East(Carlow County or was it County Carlow to be exact).

If it costs that much i'll probably be the one mugging

Hm...Must research more in-depth. Continue your feed backs,especially criticisms. They help alot,seriously.

[Vitius]

I don't know what you're thinking, but Ireland isn't a fun paradise just waiting for adventure.

I've been there a couple times, and I'll tell you this:

-Alot of the cities are far apart. Good luck 'hiking' miles and miles for your next meal.

-The crime rate has risen, so if you're sixteen and travelling alone, well...Let's just say that 'they'll' pick you over the dude in the car speeding sixty miles down the road. When I see a small story on Yahoo about the sixteen year old American dissapearing in Ireland, I'll think "I told you so."

-I assume you're going just for the summer, but if you're not, I can't even comprehend why you would pick this over two remaining schoolyears.

-If you get sick, get parasites, or get injured 'hiking', good luck finding medical attention while you're off alone.

Also, I don't even understand why you would pick Ireland over the mainland European countries. To be honest, Ireland is another form of America, with a different accent. The culture really isn't all that different; sure, you'll find some history, but less than culturally and historically rich Germany, Switzerland, France, or Italy. If you really want to go that bad, you should wait until you're eighteen.

Acting on impulse and going by yourself to a different country is what gets you killed. Sorry to break your dreams. And this is coming from a fifteen year old.

[Qatarab]

....I might have to become Irish to do this.
Time to work on my accent and learn Gaelic.

Like i said this was only a sort of rough draft. I still have some good amount of time till the summer to see if i can get this to work(preferably by finding a group to stay with since crime seems to be rampart there).

So keep...criticizing,i need to gather info. Any Irish people willing to chip in? Some local advise would be nice.

[Vitius]

....I might have to become Irish to do this.
Time to work on my accent and learn Gaelic.

Like i said this was only a sort of rough draft. I still have some good amount of time till the summer to see if i can get this to work(preferably by finding a group to stay with since crime seems to be rampart there).

So keep...criticizing,i need to gather info. Any Irish people willing to chip in? Some local advise would be nice.

I hope you're being sarcastic, because almost all of Ireland speaks English. Especially in the east. Most don't even know Gaelic. Like I said, it's basically another form of the U.S.

[Yootwopia]

....I might have to become Irish to do this.
Time to work on my accent and learn Gaelic. .

Gaelic is for casually racist proletarian smallholders and plastic paddies only. Avoid.

[Qatarab]

....I might have to become Irish to do this.
Time to work on my accent and learn Gaelic. .

Gaelic is for casually racist proletarian smallholders and plastic paddies only. Avoid.

Looks like i'll have to use Gaelic to piss off people back here in America then..

[Davids Conglomerates]

So keep...criticizing,i need to gather info. Any Irish people willing to chip in? Some local advise would be nice.

Everyone else has been correct in their posts. Ireland will chew you up and spit you out.

The fact that you even refer to it as Gaelic shows how little you know of here. We refer to the language as "Irish" and the people that do speak it refer to it as "gaeilge".

Ireland is expensive. There's a reason the minimum wage is going back up to 8.65 an hour, and it's not because the government loves us.

Hostels are not up to par with mainland europe. We're also preparing for two high profile leaders visiting the country. The Queen of England and Obama. Prices for accomodation WILL go up.

Our crime has gone up. Unemployment and increased homeless rates obviously lead to more crime as people get desperate. A green 16 year old with plenty of luggage will be a fantastic target. As a person who works in the security industry in Ireland, the criminals here are smart people and they will spot an easy meal for themselves.

Outside of main cities and towns, it's just hills and a few homes and old farmland. You're not getting a hostel out there. You could get buses or trains, but those are expensive.

Here's some local advise. Don't come here. You're not ready for it. All the gut feelings in the world won't prepare you for here.

[Qatarab]

Anyone else?
I don't exactly plan keeping this thread open long. I believe many of you have been able to supply enough information.

[Siorafrica]

Ireland is culturally 1/3 American,1/3 British and 1/3 Irish. I'd love to get out*. Worse yet all of that crap about Ireland in American movies,it's called gramacreeting,an idealised and outdated view of Ireland. The closest you'll get to the Ireland of the movies is in the west of the country,although all of the run down and empty houses may upset you a bit. Avoid the Millenium Spire,I've been there and it's just big,that's all that's significant about it,apart from all of the money used to build it which could have been far better used elsewhere.The main focus of today's Irish is money. Keep the radio and tv off,unless you're happy to listen to people go over the same points about money all day.The hotwords are EU,IMF,bailout,Seanie Fitzpatrick,Church and Anglo-Irish (Bank),say any of these and watch tempers flare.
*No culture suits me,your resident miserable misanthrope.

[Qatarab]

So...Anything else? If not i'll give this thread another 20 minutes before having the mods lock it(or delete it if possible)

[Yootwopia]

Don't delete this thread, leave it as a reminder for why this is a Bad Idea.

[Qatarab]

Don't delete this thread, leave it as a reminder for why this is a Bad Idea.

Aha! Wise idea.