Dublin Pricing

This retreat to Dublin is perfect for you if you are an active person ready to find your creative inspiration with like-minded people. We will experience most places by walking, and you can expect daily yoga practices in the morning.  You don’t need any yoga or writing experience just an open mind, open heart, and a reasonably good fitness level for walking in the city and countryside.

This trip may not be right for you if you have conditions or injuries that limit your ability to participate in these kinds of activities. Please consult with your physician to make sure these activities are safe for your body. We will make every effort to accommodate your needs.  You are not required to participate in the hiking activities, if you wish to, you may stay at the lodge and enjoy some downtime.

What’s Included:

• Transportation for all scheduled activities
• 3 nights in Trinity College Summer Apartments
• 4 nights in Westcove House County Kerry
• 7 breakfasts
• 4 Lunches (3 are yours to explore)
• 6 dinner meals with non-alcoholic beverages (one is yours to explore)
• Transportation to activities in the itinerary 
• Entry fees and guide services (where applicable) for activities in the itinerary
• Excursion to Sellig Michael
• Private tour of ancient passage tombs
• 2 Evening events at Westcove
• Daily Yoga/meditation practices
• Daily creative writing workshops
• The most amazing Irish experience ever!
• Lifelong friendships

What’s Not Included

• Airfare to/from Dublin
• Transportation to/from Dublin International to Trinity College
• Any items of a personal nature including souvenirs, personal care items, snacks etc.
• Lunch on 3 days
• Dinner on one night
• Spa Services
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Tips
• Travel Insurance

Your trip, your time!  

While we have planned this adventure to provide a good balance of activity and downtime, we understand that you may wish to ‘sit this one out’ occasionally.  Maybe sleep-in instead of doing a sunrise meditation or spend time in the spa instead of on the trail.  That’s fine by us! Just let your trip leaders know your plan so we can work with you.  

Most of our retreats are lodging based so you can easily stay and relax instead of participating in an activity and we work to make sure we have alternatives for anything on a trip that might be more difficult than the rest of the itinerary. However, on trips where we have a moving base, transition day activities may be required to get from one point to another in the journey.  

If you are traveling solo and would like to book the lower double occupancy rate simply check the roommate request form.  We will make every effort to match you with a same gender roommate, if we are unable to find a match, you will not be charged for the single occupancy surcharge.  

This trip is for adults only due to the nature of the activities involved.  Your partner and adult children 18 years or older are welcome to participate.

You will fly into the Dublin Airport (DUB) on June 20th returning on June 27th from the same airport. 

No.  We have people arriving from all over the US at many different times throughout the day so it’s not possible to coordinate a group transport.  However, DUB is a major international hub only 7km north with plenty of transportation options to Trinity.  We can assist you in planning and we will be waiting at the hotel when you arrive to assist with check in.  

We make sure that every meal on every adventure is healthy and vegan friendly in keeping with our wellness adventure theme.  This ensures that vegetarians can be accommodated and of course those who eat meat will find options during most meals on our journeys unless specified in the itinerary as “vegan”.  Other dietary restrictions can usually be accommodated but we need to know these well in advance so that we can work with restaurants, chefs and other providers to ensure we can take care of your needs.  Please fill out the dietary restrictions section of the booking form at the time of booking and we will go to work to meet your requests.

Most parts of Ireland are considered safe; however, crime does happen in all parts of the world so you should always exercise caution to avoid getting into a situation where you may be a target for pick pocketing, robbery, or assault.

• Always arrange for a taxi through your hotel or restaurant and never hail a cab on the street or accept rides from soliciting cabs.
• Always travel in groups of 2-3 after dark and avoid dark or vacant streets.
• Never leave your drink unattended in a bar and use caution when ordering mixed drinks in some kinds of places.
• Don’t carry more cash than you need and be discreet with it.
• Only bring your credit card and passport with you when you will need them.
• Avoid using ATMs after dark.
• Use common sense and ask the hotel staff if you are unsure about the safety of an area or activity.
• Leave the expensive watches and jewelry at home.

You should always exercise caution when traveling at home or abroad and check with the State Department website for any updates.

In late June and early July, Dublin and County Kerry experience mild, pleasant, and highly changeable weather with long daylight hours (up to 17.5 hours). Expect daytime highs in the 60’s and 70’s. County  Kerry tends to be wetter than Dublin due to its Atlantic location. Be prepared for sunny spells, quick showers, and breezy conditions often occurring in the same day. Layers and rain jackets are recommended, see the packing recommendations below.

Ireland operates on 220V power.  Your devices such as cell phone chargers and laptop chargers will work with this output, however other things like personal care devices may not.   You will need a step-down transformer that will convert the 220V input into a 110V output for many non electronic devices. 

Ireland also uses round plugs with are type G so you will need an adapter to connect your laptop, phone and other chargers.  These can be purchased on amazon or any travel store.

The tap water in Irland is considered safe from the tap complying to the highest EPA standards.  You do not have to worry about drinking the water in Ireland.

Ireland uses the Euro and you can exchange your cash at the airport, city exchange offices (usually lower fees) or your bank here in the US might offer exchange service for a nominal charge before you leave.  Always notify your bank of your travel plans for the use of credit cards or debit cards.  For best rates withdraw using your ATM card IN Ireland or pay with your debit and credit card in Euros.

Passport with at least 6 months left before expiration from the entry date into Ireland. You will need this throughout the trip. Check with your issuing government to be sure you don’t need other travel visas based on your country of origin. Currently US Passport holders do not need other authorizations to enter Ireland for visits less than 90 days

The vaccination recommendations for Ireland are the routine vaccinations plus hepatitis A&B.  There are no vaccination requirements to enter Ireland from the US.  

Packing List:

Ireland is casual, the places we will visit do not require anything more than smart casual in the evening (Jeans and a sport shirt for men).  Layers and rain friendly gear is important.

Clothing:   

• Comfortable clothes for travel days
• Casual clothes for walking around Ireland
• Comfortable walking shoes.
• Sandals
• Shorts and slacks or jeans
• Sport shirts or t-shirts.
• Light dresses
• Yoga Clothes
• Jacket or sweater for cooler evenings
• Rain jacket or poncho
• Underwear and Socks

Note Dublin is a typical major city and if you don’t want to stand out as a tourist you will want to dress conservatively and fashionably much like you would in Manhattan or LA.. 

Gear:

• Travel Yoga Mat 
• Small Umbrella 
• Sun Protection: Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, protective clothing.
• Camera
• Water bottle
• Type G electrical adaptor

Toiletries and medicine:  

• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Shampoo, conditioner, and soap (optional, hotels have this)
• Hair Brush
• Deodorant
• Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes
• Medicines including any prescriptions, Imodium, Pepto-Bismol, Tums, eye drops, allergy medicine and Advil or Tylenol
• Travel first aid kit

Food:

Food and snacks are readily available throughout Ireland. 

Snacks for the airplane:  Nuts, dried fruit, energy bars, trail mix, etc

10-12

Itinerary

This is our planned itinerary but as always it is subject to change depending on the pace of the retreat and the group’s desires.  We have planned most days to include plenty of time to write and workshop along the way and will stop and explore many of the amazing sites, old book shops and more along the way.  

Day One: (June 20) Arrive in Dublin

Arrive at Trinity College Lodging

• Check in at Trinity College Apartments
• Lunch on your own depending on your flight schedule. (Saucy Cow)
• Free time to get settled and freshen up from the flight.
• Light yoga practice to stretch out from the trip.
• Tour the Old Library and see the Book of Kells
• Opening dinner at Davy Byrnes intro to writing discussion (Dinner included)
• Exploring Temple Bar

Day Two: (June 21) Ancient Ireland

• Morning Yoga Practice
• Breakfast at The Buttery (Included) or cornucopia
• Leave for the Boyne Valley
• Creative writing workshop
• Lunch near New Grange 
• Evening exploring Temple Bar Pubs 
• Dinner on your own

Day Three: (June 22) Dublin to County Kerry

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at The Buttery (Included)
• Travel to Kenmare
• Stretch and explore ancient stone ruins
• Lunch in town
• Arrive at Westcove Estate
• Dinner at the Estate (included)
• Evening with a traditional Irish storyteller

Day Four: (June 23) Explore Ivereagh Peninsula

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Westcove
• Writing Workshop
• Lunch at house
• Afternoon exploring ancient stone forts and coastline
• Dinner in a local pub (included)
• Evening to relax and restore

Day Five: (June 24) Coastline and Skellig Michael

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Westcove 
• Writing Workshop
• Visit Skellig Michael Island and surrounding coastal area
• Lunch along the coast
• Visit the quaint town of Sneem
• Dinner at Westcove 
• Evening with traditional Irish Music

Day Six: (June 25) Killarney

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Westcove
• Travel to Killarney
• Jaunting Cart- Gap of Dunloe 
• Sack Lunch in at the top
• Writing discussion
• Explore Killarney Town
• Dinner on your own in one of many pubs
• Evening writing workshop at Westcove

Day Seven (June 26) County Kerry to Dublin

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Breakfast at Westcove
• Final writing workshop in County Kerry
• Return to Dublin (lunch along the way)
• Explore story tellers and musicians in Temple Bar area
• Final dinner at the Winding Stair

Day Eight (June 27th) Say Goodbye to Ireland

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at the Buttery
• Morning writing workshop and closing circle
• Check out
• Lunch on your own (any last places to visit)
• Visit Swenys Pharmacy
• Go Home

Writing Workshop One:

Set creative intentions for the week ahead, get to know your fellow writers, then jump into a generative workshop that will have you filling your pages. The exercises we use can jump start new work, or help you see an existing project with new eyes. We’ll also explore how travel can make the world itself into a writing prompt.

You will leave the first workshop with a list of exercises you can use throughout our week together, and beyond. 

Writing Workshop Two:

Explore how contemplative practices like yoga and meditation can help us connect to intuition in our writing process. We will use our beautiful outdoor classroom to help us connect with our senses, along with a moment of meditation, then will generate new writing through a series of exercises. Author Anais Nin wrote: “we write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” Here we will do both.  

Writing Workshop Three:

Let’s consider some of the writers throughout history that used Paris as a muse, then put our voice among theirs! We will engage with some Paris-inspired readings, then will write back with our own words in this generative workshop.

Paint a picture using JUST WORDS. 

Being immersed in such an epic place as Paris, let’s explore how place—with all its descriptions and meaning—can show up in our work. Kick back and listen to a reading on place, then pick up the pen and explore your own place-based writing in this generative class. Once you learn these tools, any spot you find yourself in can act as an inspiration for creative work. 

Writing Workshop Four:

Once we begin to fill our pages, how do we re-vision them? We will begin this session with a generative writing exercise, then will explore ways to edit, expand, and revise our own texts. We will take inspiration from some of the amazing writers that worked in these streets and will try our hand at some editing exercises that make the work fun, joyful and creative. 

Writing Workshop Five:

Let’s get (and give) feedback! The writers who worked in Paris certainly spent time working alone, but they also knew how to make use of community. We will engage in a writing workshop where you’ll have the chance to share work for constructive and loving feedback, and will learn how to help yourself and fellow writers in making a work shine. 

Writing Workshop Six:

Let’s keep the creative community going! We will open this session with a short, generative writing sprint—then will give and get feedback on our work. While all sharing of work is optional, it’s a great chance to learn your strengths as a writer and where opportunities are for new explorations. You’ll leave workshop with a roadmap for personal revision. 

Writing Workshop Seven:

The end is just the beginning! We will discuss tools of publication in our final writing workshop circle. If you’ve created something you’re proud of on our retreat, how might you get it out in the world?