Ireland and Wales with David McGuffin

Nine months in advance, my husband, Gary, and I (ages 70-plus) and our daughter and her spouse began planning a trip to Ireland. After much searching for tours and being frustrated with scheduling problems, we contacted ITN advertiser David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe (Middleburg, FL; 800/570-1351, http://davidmcguffin.com).

Based on his 9-day “Essence of Ireland” tour, David designed a custom package for the four of us for Aug. 27-Sept. 5, 2015. We paid $3,039 each and were pleasantly surprised by the affordability of having our own professional tour guide and driver plus all of the included amenities, among which, received in advance, was a travel planner with travel tips and descriptions of the areas we’d be visiting.

Following the Ireland trip, David accompanied Gary and me on a 6-day extension to northern Wales, where we visited many historical sites and went to an archive office to search for family history documents. I also explored the area where my great-grandfather grew up.

The total cost of the extension, including airfare from Ireland to Manchester, England, accommodations, a luxury car, a driver and a guide, was $2,590 each.

While we were in Wales, we stayed at the small but wonderful B&B Tan-yr-Onnen Guesthouse (Waen, Saint Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales; www.northwalesbreaks.co.uk) and took side trips around the area.

The B&B owners served delicious homemade breakfasts and were very helpful in providing information and local contacts. 

We were astounded by the beauty of northern Wales, with the wild heather in full bloom covering the mountains with purple haze and lining the lovely backroads that led to small villages and farms. 

On both of the tours we scheduled with David, we were extremely pleased with his attention to details, his professionalism, his excellent driving skills and his great sense of adventure. He was flexible and well informed and a delightful traveling companion. 

All accommodations on his tours were first class, and the included meals were excellent, with a wide variety of choices and some culinary “surprises.”

Gary and I have traveled extensively overseas, usually with tour groups, and it was wonderful not having to wait in lines to get on or off a bus or to search for our luggage, check into hotels, file into restaurants, etc., not to mention being able to take more convenient routes to save precious travel time. These tours were awesome!

SHANTI MILES-KELLEY

Newport, OR