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asthejoeflies

Helping you and your family save money on your vacations to Disney and beyond

Shireland: Day 1 – Aer Lingus Business Class, the Burren, and Moher

Cruisin on the wrong side of the road!

Shireland: Introduction
Shireland: Day 1 – Aer Lingus Business Class, the Burren, and Moher
Shireland: Day 2 – Driving Dingle
Shireland: Day 3 – From West to East
Shireland: Day 4 – Exploring Dublin

As I noted in the introduction, getting to Ireland didn’t cost us an arm and a leg – AND we got to fly in business class on Aer Lingus using British Airways Avios. This was very important to me because I needed some rest because we were planning to rent a car and drive a few hours the first day in Ireland. As with most transatlantic flights to Europe, the flight was a redeye and I needed some rest. Once we landed, we visited some amazing natural sights, the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, and then drove south to our hotel in Killarney by way of ferry. Air, land, and sea, all in a day!

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Shireland: Introduction – how we got there in comfort for less than $450

I’m pretty sure the Lord of the Rings could have been filmed in Ireland

Shireland: Introduction
Shireland: Day 1 – Aer Lingus Business Class, the Burren, and Moher
Shireland: Day 2 – Driving Dingle
Shireland: Day 3 – From West to East
Shireland: Day 4 – Exploring Dublin

One reason I’m crazy about points and miles is it affords my family opportunities that we wouldn’t otherwise have. The points hater and I just got back from a long weekend in Ireland, what might be our last trip in awhile. Still, without earning miles from credit card bonuses, it probably is a trip we never could have taken. In this post I’m going to outline how we got over there, to show that it doesn’t take THAT much work or effort to travel cheaply. In subsequent posts I’ll get to some pictures and experiences from the trip, plus recommendations for anyone ever interested in visiting Ireland. Why is this series called Shireland? Hopefully the pictures will speak for themselves – plus I’m a nerd.

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Back from Ireland!

My wife (the points hater) and I just got back from what might be our last trip in awhile (hopefully not). It was a short but wonderful trip, we had a lot of fun, a couple of (mis)adventures, and saw a lot of rainbows (at least 7!) I hope to have some trip reports soon, but for now, a few quick thoughts:

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What’s in my wallet for my upcoming trip?

It’s pretty nerdy of me, but with so many credit cards I need to strategize which cards I’ll bring on any given trip. This is even more important for me when going overseas – certain cards provide advantages over others. Since I’m leaving for Ireland in a couple of days, I thought I’d share my thought process for what’s in my wallet.

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Credit Card Application Strategy: Introduction

Credit cards like the Ink Bold often require a lot of minimum spending before you receive the bonus

Applying for credit cards and banking the miles or points sign up bonuses is the best way to build up and maintain mileage balances. If you get really into it (like I have), eventually, you need to come up with a balanced strategy to go about applying for cards in as efficient a way as possible. Over the next few posts I’ll be outlining some of the thinking that governs what cards I apply for and why. Before that, though, I thought I’d review some of the basics you need to consider before applying for credit cards.

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