While the Ireland trip was very much DIY, this trip had a lot of oversight. This deal was about $1500 for 10 days – airfare, hotels, ground transportation, a tour guide, all breakfasts and some other meals. Another Groupon Getaways package, this one happened to be with a different travel agency called Friendly Planet. I challenged another friend when I saw an unbeatable price on a trip to China.

To summarize, the sum of the parts would’ve cost way more than the whole package, but Great Value Vacation’s Ireland package on Groupon Getaways offered a major value for an adventurous traveler. Ireland driving is on the “wrong” side of the road, which is not typical of Europe, but something to keep in mind! Nico is an amazing driver, so I let her take over. A few things to consider when traveling via rental car: For the most part, we followed our four-city itinerary, but enjoyed making stops between cities to take in the beautiful landscape. We had our own rental car, which gave us the freedom to go wherever we wanted. As a whole, the hotels would’ve cost as much as the flight (or more) if purchased separately. Surprisingly, it was the fanciest hotel that charged extra for wifi and didn’t provide toiletries. The hotels ranged from a Days Inn in Kilkenny, to a classy boutique hotel in Killarney, to a modern installation in Limerick, and a fancy hotel in Dublin. We started in Kilkenny, partied in Killarney, took it easy in Limerick, and ended it off in Dublin. She had friends who met up with us that she originally met when studying abroad. Going with a friend was a completely different experience. I’ve actually been to Ireland before, but it was with my parents. My best friend and I departed just as the weather was starting to become unbearable in Chicago, and landed on the lush green paradise known as Ireland.

I was excited to be the guinea pig amongst my group. I was actually working at Groupon at the time, and even the employees had their doubts that a discount vacation package would be worth it. Half expecting her to say no, she surprised me. “ There’s a deal on Groupon to travel to Ireland for 7 days for $1,000 – airfare, hotel and rental car. Randomly messaging my best friend Nico ( who wrote an awesome article about improv for Chicago Cheap Ass recently!), I said, I took my first leap of faith with Groupon Getaways in January 2014. I’ve gone on two trips and have the third planned for this fall. So far, I’ve purchased three Groupon Getaways.

Groupon vacations with airfare