Eire is a spot we’ve wished to journey for a few years, and at last all the pieces simply fell into place for us to go to. And never simply go to, however do it in type…as digital nomads residing van life in Eire!
Eire lived as much as its status of getting dramatic coastlines, gorgeous rolling inexperienced hills, tiny villages, and loads of locations to cease and take within the views.
However the van actually introduced an additional ingredient to the nation. We may considerably chase the climate, be spontaneous, work from the snug desk, and keep related by tethering our telephones for wifi.
On this information, I’m going to stroll you thru tips on how to decide a van, the corporate we went with, the precise van we ended up with, and a few suggestions we discovered alongside the best way so you possibly can plan a greater digital nomad journey round Eire. See additionally: Greatest Jobs for Van Life
Renting a Campervan in Eire with Indie Campers
Full disclosure, we rented with Indie Campers on this journey as a result of they reached out to us and requested us if we’d prefer to have a campervan journey in Eire and share our expertise with our viewers. I imply… who’s going to say no to that?
However, we’ve really rented with them earlier than in Portugal and we all know they’re a terrific firm, so we had been excited to go along with them anyway.
Although this was a sponsored journey, we did the reserving course of the identical as you’ll should you rented – so we bought the entire expertise. It was tremendous easy to ebook the van proper on their web site and there are many add-ons as properly.
The vans are all trendy and well-maintained and the pickup and drop-off went actually easily. It solely took about half-hour from the time we arrived to drive away and the man who checked us in gave us a very thorough walkthrough of the van and its options.
We went with the Energetic Lengthy mannequin. It was spacious, tremendous snug, and it had very nice finishes. We cherished that it had a correct mattress that was fairly comfortable (don’t count on a king measurement pillow prime although) and a terrific kitchen space, loads of storage and central warmth for the cool Irish nights.
There was additionally a surprisingly snug workspace due to the seats that swivel round to a pullout desk.
Additionally, should you’re nervous a few campervan like this being too huge for roads in Eire… it actually wasn’t. Should you’ve pushed on slim roads earlier than, you’ll be advantageous. And should you haven’t, it’ll simply take a couple of hours to get used to it.
If I had been to present a critique of the campervan expertise, it could be that the pots and pans and utensils had been fairly minimal and it was a bit annoying having them in an enormous tupperware bin within the again. It could be higher in the event that they had been put in drawers with some type of cellular residence shelving to maintain them from bouncing round.
The place to Go: Our 10-Day Digital Nomad Route Via Eire
For this journey, we didn’t actually have a strict itinerary, which is actually the great thing about van life should you ask me. We really booked this journey fairly final minute, so whereas we had a tough thought of the place we had been going, we nonetheless determined day-to-day the place we’d go and sleep for the night time.
We began in Dublin for an evening (we had a couple days in Dublin on the finish of the journey), earlier than selecting up the van the following day. After we bought the van, we headed south to Kilkenny, then labored our manner via Nenagh, Lorrha, and alongside the coast to Galway.
From Galway, we drove as much as Connemara Nationwide Park and that was one of many main highlights of the journey.
There have been numerous spots that we may’ve parked the van for the night time and wild camped with out anybody actually noticing, however we selected a stupendous campsite known as Clifden Eco Seashore Tenting as a result of it was too good to move up.
After Connemara within the North, we headed south all the way down to Doolin the place we checked out the well-known Cliffs of Moher, after which southwest to Dingle, then spent a couple of days visiting Killarney and the Ring of Kerry.
We completed the journey by testing Cobh and Blarney Fort earlier than heading again to Dublin. This was a fairly intensive journey of the nation, though we didn’t see Northern Eire or the east coast, however it was simply carried out in 10 days.
10 Important Suggestions for Digital Nomads Doing Van Life in Eire
Earlier than we did this journey, we weren’t positive how properly van life and distant work would pair collectively in Eire… particularly in October.
However it turned out that it labored superbly, however there have been a couple of issues we discovered alongside the best way. Should you’ve ever wished to journey round Eire whereas working from a campervan, hopefully these will allow you to out.
1. Kind your telephone plan out earlier than you allow Dublin.
Eire’s protection is ok in cities, however when you head towards Connemara or the Wild Atlantic Method it could actually flip from full bars to zero. Get an area SIM or eSIM proper firstly so that you’re not trying to find a sign whenever you really need it.
We used our eSIM from our Revolut Account, and it was first rate, however we most likely would’ve had higher protection with an area SIM. Should you’re touring as a pair, each of you can get an eSIM from a unique firm.
We didn’t consider it till close to the top of the journey, however as soon as we assorted our eSIMs it normally meant that a minimum of certainly one of us all the time had protection.
2. Use wet days as your workdays.
Irish climate adjustments continually. We finally discovered to dwell with the rain… work when it pours, discover when it isn’t. It retains the entire journey relaxed as an alternative of making an attempt to drive a plan.
3. Anticipate to work from the van greater than you suppose.
We assumed we’d be in cafés on a regular basis, however most days we labored proper from the van as a result of the views had been higher and we really bought extra carried out. The swivel seats helped, and the quiet mornings had been nice to get some work carried out.
We additionally needed to shoot some reels on this journey, which might’ve been OK however the wind made it onerous, even with the nice mics we’ve got! Should you’re taking pictures movies, the within of the van on a sunny day is definitely fairly good acoustically and the lighting was nice too.
4. Cost the van battery anytime you pay for a campsite.
Should you’re at a campsite with electrical energy, reap the benefits of it. Cost all the pieces. The van batteries, laptops, cameras, energy banks… all of it. You by no means know when the following few nights is likely to be wild tenting or when a campsite gained’t have hookups.
5. Empty greywater and blackwater every time you have got the possibility.
Significantly. Do it even should you’re solely half full. There have been a couple of occasions once we stated we’d simply wait til the following web site after which the following couple of websites didn’t have the amenities so we had been nervous we’d replenish or run out. Not a terrific feeling.
6. Convey your personal pillows and bedding.
The Indie Campers bedding works, however it’s not precisely luxurious. I by no means journey with out my pillow and a bedsheet and on this journey I used to be particularly glad to have it. The blankets Indie provides you’re heat and that makes an enormous distinction on chilly nights, however these pillows weren’t nice.
7. Convey a powerbank that really has energy.
Between charging laptops, cameras, telephones, and hotspots, having an additional battery took all of the strain off the van’s system. If in case you have a powerbank, deliver it.
8. Obtain all the pieces earlier than leaving larger cities.
Maps, Netflix, playlists, work recordsdata… all of it. When you get into the countryside, the sign can vanish with out warning. To obtain Google Maps, simply hover over all of Eire and kind “OK Maps” into the search and it’ll obtain it to your telephone so you should use it offline.
9. Combine campsites with some wild tenting
That is one thing we didn’t do, however we type of wished we did. We spent fairly a little bit of time in cities and villages having fun with the pubs and music, so we simply stayed at close by campsites.
However subsequent time I’d love to return and do a fishing journey round Eire the place I might wild camp about 50% of the time.
Should you learn up on it, it says that it’s not allowed in Eire, however should you’re respectful and also you clear up after your self and depart early within the morning, no person would hassle you. At the least that’s what the Irish individuals stored telling us.
10. Maintain the van tidy from day one.
A tiny house will get messy quick. As soon as all the pieces had a house, life bought simpler. Earlier than that… we had been continually in search of keys, chargers, socks, all the pieces.
11. Positively ebook the out of doors setup add-on.
This comes with simply two camp chairs and a light-weight desk however it makes an enormous distinction on the sunny days whenever you don’t wanna be within the van on a regular basis. Each time it was sunny (and never too windy) we’d eat on our out of doors desk set. Indie has them as add-ons and so they’re positively value it.
12. Maintain a couple of “don’t transfer the van at the moment” meals within the cabinet.
There have been days once we discovered the right parking spot and didn’t wish to transfer the van in any respect… not for groceries, not for something. Having a few simple meals you possibly can cook dinner with out working round trying to find outlets makes these quiet workdays attainable.
13. Construct your work hours round your driving hours.
Some driving days take extra vitality than you count on, particularly on Eire’s slim nation roads. On these days, we’d hold laptop computer time mild and save the deeper work for days once we weren’t masking many kilometres.
It’s rather a lot for the mind to deal with should you’re looking at a highway and dodging different automobiles for five hours, and then you definately attempt to work for five hours!
Prices of Van Life in Eire
Eire isn’t low-cost, and that was one of many causes the campervan made sense. Resorts within the well-liked spots can get expensive quick, so having our mattress and kitchen with us took a variety of the sting out of the journey.
We appeared up some little B&Bs and stuff on the best way and so they had been round $250 per night time for a primary small room, regardless that we had been there within the shoulder season.
The van rental is the massive expense, clearly, however it saves you on the lodging and a few meals in. Thoughts you, we ate out just about each meal nonetheless as a result of we simply love the pubs and eating places in Eire and we bought to fulfill individuals.
Gasoline prices had been OK. We stuffed up the van twice for round €140 every time in 10 days. Eire seems small till you begin following each scenic highway and taking detours locals recommend. We drove far more than anticipated, however it was value it for the value of diesel for positive.
Campsites had been normally between 35 and 46 euros for a spot with electrical energy, showers, and someplace to dump the tanks.
There have been a couple of small extras…tolls, a top-up of AddBlue, a parking payment right here and there. Nothing main. Total, the van made Eire much more reasonably priced than it could’ve been hopping between inns and eating places day by day.
The place to Sleep With a Campervan in Eire
One factor we discovered fairly rapidly is that Eire doesn’t have the identical wild tenting tradition as locations just like the US or Canada.
You can discover the odd quiet pull-off with a terrific view, however they’re not in all places, and a variety of coastal spots have indicators asking campervans to not keep in a single day. Due to that, we ended up mixing correct campsites with a couple of “discovered it on the final minute” locations.
Campsites had been simple sufficient to seek out and most had all the pieces we wanted… electrical energy, sizzling showers, a spot to dump gray and black water, and normally a bit of kitchen sink space.
Total the standard was good in any respect of them and the homeowners had been all the time tremendous pleasant (is there a grumpy Irish individual wherever?).
We used Park4Night rather a lot. It isn’t good, however it saved us greater than as soon as once we had been arriving someplace late and simply wanted a spot to park with out driving round in circles.
The one place we actually thought of wild tenting was round Connemara, however we determined towards it simply because there have been such lovely campsites up there.
Nonetheless, one of the best campsites in Eire are a grass area with a shocking view, and the worst are simply cement parking tons full of campers. It’s extra about utilizing the campsite as a spot to sleep and to discover from there.
Digital Nomad Necessities to Pack for Van Life in Eire
Earlier than this journey, we thought the van would have just about all the pieces we wanted. It has fairly a bit whenever you ebook the add-ons, however after all it doesn’t have all the pieces a digital nomad would wish.
There are some things we had been actually glad we introduced, and some we want we’d considered earlier. Should you’re planning to work from the highway, these are the objects that really made a distinction for us and stored the journey working easily.
1. An actual energy financial institution (not a tiny one)
Should you’re staying in paid parking and charging the van each 2-3 nights, this wouldn’t matter, however should you’re wild tenting, you’ll positively need a big energy financial institution. You’ll find yourself utilizing extra energy than you suppose. A correct energy financial institution that may cost a laptop computer is value bringing from residence.
2. Your individual pillows and bedding
Like I stated earlier, the rental stuff works, however it’s not nice. On the very least, deliver your personal pillow should you can, or decide one up in Eire for the journey.
3. An additional lengthy charging cable
Shops in vans are by no means the place you need them to be. The van we bought was fairly properly arrange, however I do know they’re not all like that. A protracted cable saves you from working in awkward positions.
4. A small extension twine or energy strip
Should you’re plugged into campsite electrical energy, this allows you to cost all the pieces without delay as an alternative of messing round with totally different shops.
5. Cellphone holder for the dashboard
You’ll depend on Google Maps continually, and holding your telephone or propping it someplace will get annoying quick. Surprisingly, the Energetic Lengthy in Eire didn’t have any display screen within the sprint so… no Apple CarPlay. Fortunately we nonetheless journey with telephone holders.
6. A water-resistant bag to your electronics
Eire’s climate turns rapidly. Should you’re strolling to a pub within the rain or hopping out for a hike, this retains your gear protected. I really like YETI for waterproof baggage. I didn’t deliver mine on this journey, however it could’ve been good if I needed to take my gear out.
7. Journey-sized kettle or a straightforward espresso setup
The van has a range, and it comes with a Moka Pot, however should you’re not used to creating espresso in a type of, then having your personal fast espresso setup makes mornings contained in the van rather a lot smoother.
8. Journey Energy Adaptor
Not all vans can have multi-plugs. Should you’re coming from a rustic that doesn’t use EU type plugins, then deliver your personal.
9. A second SIM or eSIM
Protection can leap round exterior cities. Having a backup community saved us greater than as soon as.
10. A small, light-weight laptop computer stand
That is one thing we forgot however would’ve been nice, particularly for a extra prolonged campervan journey in Eire. Should you’re going to be working rather a lot, then it’s all the time good to lookup quite than down at your display screen. The desk is snug, however it’s decrease than most kitchen tables, so a stand would positively be a bonus.
FAQs About Van Life in Eire
Is it onerous to drive an enormous campervan in Eire?
Folks all the time say the roads in Eire are tremendous slim, however even on The Ring of Kerry, we handed huge buses in our campervan and had no difficulty. Not as soon as did I even must again as much as give house.
Are you able to simply pull over and sleep wherever?
Typically. We discovered a couple of quiet spots that felt completely advantageous, however it’s not a rustic the place you possibly can rely on wild tenting each night time. Campsites ended up being our base more often than not.
Do that you must ebook campsites?
We didn’t ebook forward in any respect in September/October. In summer time, we’d most likely plan a bit extra, however shoulder season was large open. Typically it was simply us and one different camper in the complete web site.
Is the WiFi ok to work?
In cities, sure. Out within the countryside, it comes and goes. Between our personal knowledge, having 2 eSims, and the campsites wifi, we all the time managed.
Does it get chilly at night time?
It may possibly. Our van had heating, which made an enormous distinction. And it wasn’t only a fan heater, it was central warmth! Should you are available October, you can dwell with numerous bedding (we noticed some campers doing it), however it’s far more snug to get a van with warmth.
Any particular license wanted?
Our common licenses had been sufficient.
Is it protected?
We by no means felt unsafe. Campsites had been quiet, and the few rural spots we stayed in felt relaxed. There’s all the time safety on the campsites so far as we may inform and Eire is fairly protected basically I believe, particularly exterior of Dublin.
Last Ideas on Campervan Life in Eire as Digital Nomads
This was a visit we had wished to do without end, and we’d positively advocate doing a campervan journey in Eire, whether or not you’re a digital nomad or not.
For us distant employees, clearly there’s a bit extra to consider logistically, however it was all doable. We just about all the time had sign and the van was tremendous snug to dwell and work in.
IndieCampers was nice to work with. The checkout and checkin was tremendous fast and simple and actually, this van was rather a lot newer than the van we had in Portugal, so we had been actually pleased with it.
Should you’ve ever considered visiting Eire, otherwise you’ve been earlier than however you probably did it the standard manner in inns and B&Bs, I extremely advocate making an attempt it with a campervan. It was a blast and I don’t suppose it’ll be our final time doing Eire this manner.
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Completely satisfied travels!