Eire is a spot we’ve needed to journey for a few years, and at last every thing simply fell into place for us to go to. And never simply go to, however do it in type…as digital nomads dwelling van life in Eire!
Eire lived as much as its fame of getting dramatic coastlines, beautiful rolling inexperienced hills, tiny villages, and loads of locations to cease and take within the views.
However the van actually introduced an additional component to the nation. We might 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 the best way to decide a van, the corporate we went with, the precise van we ended up with, and a few suggestions we realized alongside the best way so you may 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 wish 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 truly rented with them earlier than in Portugal and we all know they’re an ideal firm, so we have been excited to go together with them anyway.
Regardless that this was a sponsored journey, we did the reserving course of the identical as you’ll in the event you rented – so we bought the entire expertise. It was tremendous easy to e-book the van proper on their web site and there are many add-ons as nicely.
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 extremely thorough walkthrough of the van and its options.
We went with the Lively Lengthy mannequin. It was spacious, tremendous snug, and it had very nice finishes. We liked that it had a correct mattress that was fairly comfortable (don’t count on a king dimension pillow high although) and an ideal kitchen space, loads of storage and central warmth for the cool Irish nights.
There was additionally a surprisingly snug workspace because of the seats that swivel round to a pullout desk.
Additionally, in the event you’re anxious a few campervan like this being too massive for roads in Eire… it actually wasn’t. In the event you’ve pushed on slender roads earlier than, you’ll be superb. And in the event you haven’t, it’ll simply take just a few hours to get used to it.
If I have been to present a critique of the campervan expertise, it could be that the pots and pans and utensils have been fairly minimal and it was a bit annoying having them in an enormous tupperware bin within the again. It will be higher in the event that they have been put in drawers with some form of cellular dwelling shelving to maintain them from bouncing round.
The place to Go: Our 10-Day Digital Nomad Route By way of Eire
For this journey, we didn’t actually have a strict itinerary, which is admittedly the great thing about van life in the event you ask me. We truly booked this journey fairly final minute, so whereas we had a tough concept of the place we have been going, we nonetheless determined daily 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 choosing up the van the subsequent day. Once we bought the van, we headed south to Kilkenny, then labored our means by way of 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 a lot of spots that we might’ve parked the van for the night time and wild camped with out anybody actually noticing, however we selected an attractive campsite known as Clifden Eco Seaside 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 famous Cliffs of Moher, after which southwest to Dingle, then spent just a few days visiting Killarney and the Ring of Kerry.
We completed the journey by trying out Cobh and Blarney Fortress earlier than heading again to Dublin. This was a reasonably in depth journey of the nation, though we didn’t see Northern Eire or the east coast, nevertheless it was simply achieved in 10 days.
10 Important Ideas for Digital Nomads Doing Van Life in Eire
Earlier than we did this journey, we weren’t positive how nicely van life and distant work would pair collectively in Eire… particularly in October.
But it surely turned out that it labored superbly, however there have been just a few issues we realized alongside the best way. In the event you’ve ever needed to journey round Eire whereas working from a campervan, hopefully these will show you how to out.
1. Type your telephone plan out earlier than you allow Dublin.
Eire’s protection is okay in cities, however when you head towards Connemara or the Wild Atlantic Manner it may flip from full bars to zero. Get an area SIM or eSIM right at the start so that you’re not looking for a sign once you really want it.
We used our eSIM from our Revolut Account, and it was respectable, however we most likely would’ve had higher protection with an area SIM. In the event you’re touring as a pair, each of you can get an eSIM from a special firm.
We didn’t consider it till close to the top of the journey, however as soon as we different our eSIMs it normally meant that no less than certainly one of us at all times had protection.
2. Use wet days as your workdays.
Irish climate modifications consistently. We ultimately realized to reside with the rain… work when it pours, discover when it isn’t. It retains the entire journey relaxed as a substitute of making an attempt to power a plan.
3. Anticipate to work from the van greater than you assume.
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 have been higher and we truly bought extra achieved. The swivel seats helped, and the quiet mornings have been nice to get some work achieved.
We additionally needed to shoot some reels on this journey, which might’ve been OK however the wind made it onerous, even with the great mics now we have! In the event you’re capturing 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.
In the event you’re at a campsite with electrical energy, reap the benefits of it. Cost every thing. The van batteries, laptops, cameras, energy banks… all of it. You by no means know when the subsequent few nights could be wild tenting or when a campsite gained’t have hookups.
5. Empty greywater and blackwater at any time when you may have the prospect.
Severely. Do it even in the event you’re solely half full. There have been just a few instances once we stated we’d simply wait til the subsequent website after which the subsequent couple of websites didn’t have the services so we have been anxious we’d replenish or run out. Not an ideal feeling.
6. Convey your individual pillows and bedding.
The Indie Campers bedding works, nevertheless 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 offers you might be heat and that makes an enormous distinction on chilly nights, however these pillows weren’t nice.
7. Convey a powerbank that truly has energy.
Between charging laptops, cameras, telephones, and hotspots, having an additional battery took all of the stress off the van’s system. If in case you have a powerbank, deliver it.
8. Obtain every thing earlier than leaving larger cities.
Maps, Netflix, playlists, work information… 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 sort “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 form 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 trip around Ireland the place I’d wild camp about 50% of the time.
In the event you learn up on it, it says that it’s not allowed in Eire, however in the event you’re respectful and also you clear up after your self and depart early within the morning, no one would trouble you. At the least that’s what the Irish folks stored telling us.
10. Maintain the van tidy from day one.
A tiny area will get messy quick. As soon as every thing had a house, life bought simpler. Earlier than that… we have been consistently on the lookout for keys, chargers, socks, every thing.
11. Positively e-book the outside setup add-on.
This comes with simply two camp chairs and a light-weight desk nevertheless it makes an enormous distinction on the sunny days once 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 outside desk set. Indie has them as add-ons they usually’re undoubtedly price it.
12. Maintain just a few “don’t transfer the van right this moment” meals within the cabinet.
There have been days once we discovered the proper parking spot and didn’t need to transfer the van in any respect… not for groceries, not for something. Having a few straightforward meals you may cook dinner with out working round looking for retailers makes these quiet workdays doable.
13. Construct your work hours round your driving hours.
Some driving days take extra vitality than you count on, particularly on Eire’s slender nation roads. On these days, we’d hold laptop computer time mild and save the deeper work for days once we weren’t overlaying many kilometres.
It’s loads for the mind to deal with in the event you’re gazing a street and dodging different vehicles for five hours, and then you definitely 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. Lodges within the in style spots can get dear quick, so having our mattress and kitchen with us took plenty of the sting out of the journey.
We regarded up some little B&Bs and stuff on the best way they usually have been round $250 per night time for a primary small room, despite the fact that we have been there within the shoulder season.
The van rental is the massive expense, clearly, nevertheless 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 folks.
Gas prices have been OK. We crammed up the van twice for round €140 every time in 10 days. Eire seems small till you begin following each scenic street and taking detours locals counsel. We drove far more than anticipated, nevertheless it was price it for the value of diesel for positive.
Campsites have been normally between 35 and 46 euros for a spot with electrical energy, showers, and someplace to dump the tanks.
There have been just a few small extras…tolls, a top-up of AddBlue, a parking charge 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 daily.
The place to Sleep With a Campervan in Eire
One factor we realized 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 an ideal view, however they’re not all over the place, and plenty of coastal spots have indicators asking campervans to not keep in a single day. Due to that, we ended up mixing correct campsites with just a few “discovered it on the final minute” locations.
Campsites have been straightforward sufficient to search out and most had every thing we wanted… electrical energy, scorching 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 house owners have been at all times tremendous pleasant (is there a grumpy Irish particular person anyplace?).
We used Park4Night loads. It isn’t excellent, nevertheless it saved us greater than as soon as once we have been arriving someplace late and simply wanted a spot to park with out driving round in circles.
The one place we actually thought-about 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 discipline 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 every thing we wanted. It has fairly a bit once you e-book the add-ons, however after all it doesn’t have every thing a digital nomad would wish.
There are some things we have been actually glad we introduced, and some we want we’d considered earlier. In the event you’re planning to work from the street, these are the objects that truly made a distinction for us and stored the journey working easily.
1. An actual energy financial institution (not a tiny one)
In the event you’re staying in paid parking and charging the van each 2-3 nights, this wouldn’t matter, however in the event you’re wild tenting, you’ll undoubtedly need a big energy financial institution. You’ll find yourself utilizing extra energy than you assume. A correct energy financial institution that may cost a laptop computer is price bringing from dwelling.
2. Your personal pillows and bedding
Like I stated earlier, the rental stuff works, nevertheless it’s not nice. On the very least, deliver your individual pillow in the event 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 nicely arrange, however I do know they’re not all like that. An extended cable saves you from working in awkward positions.
4. A small extension twine or energy strip
In the event you’re plugged into campsite electrical energy, this allows you to cost every thing directly as a substitute of messing round with completely different shops.
5. Telephone holder for the dashboard
You’ll depend on Google Maps consistently, and holding your telephone or propping it someplace will get annoying quick. Surprisingly, the Lively Lengthy in Eire didn’t have any display within the sprint so… no Apple CarPlay. Fortunately we nonetheless journey with telephone holders.
6. A water-proof bag in your electronics
Eire’s climate turns rapidly. In the event 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 simple espresso setup
The van has a range, and it comes with a Moka Pot, however in the event you’re not used to creating espresso in a type of, then having your individual fast espresso setup makes mornings contained in the van loads smoother.
8. Journey Energy Adaptor
Not all vans can have multi-plugs. In the event you’re coming from a rustic that doesn’t use EU type plugins, then deliver your individual.
9. A second SIM or eSIM
Protection can leap round outdoors 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. In the event you’re going to be working loads, then it’s at all times good to search for quite than down at your display. The desk is snug, nevertheless it’s decrease than most kitchen tables, so a stand would undoubtedly be a bonus.
FAQs About Van Life in Eire
Is it onerous to drive an enormous campervan in Eire?
Individuals at all times say the roads in Eire are tremendous slender, however even on The Ring of Kerry, we handed massive buses in our campervan and had no situation. Not as soon as did I even should again as much as give area.
Are you able to simply pull over and sleep anyplace?
Generally. We discovered just a few quiet spots that felt completely superb, nevertheless it’s not a rustic the place you may depend on wild tenting each night time. Campsites ended up being our base more often than not.
Do you might want to e-book campsites?
We didn’t e-book forward in any respect in September/October. In summer season, we’d most likely plan a bit extra, however shoulder season was huge open. Generally it was simply us and one different camper in all the website.
Is the WiFi ok to work?
In cities, sure. Out within the countryside, it comes and goes. Between our personal information, having 2 eSims, and the campsites wifi, we at all times managed.
Does it get chilly at night time?
It may well. Our van had heating, which made an enormous distinction. And it wasn’t only a fan heater, it was central warmth! In the event you are available in October, you can reside with a lot of bedding (we noticed some campers doing it), nevertheless it’s far more snug to get a van with warmth.
Any particular license wanted?
Our common licenses have been sufficient.
Is it protected?
We by no means felt unsafe. Campsites have been quiet, and the few rural spots we stayed in felt relaxed. There’s at all times safety on the campsites so far as we might inform and Eire is fairly protected typically I believe, particularly outdoors of Dublin.
Closing Ideas on Campervan Life in Eire as Digital Nomads
This was a visit we had needed to do eternally, and we might undoubtedly advocate doing a campervan journey in Eire, whether or not you’re a digital nomad or not.
For us distant staff, clearly there’s a bit extra to consider logistically, nevertheless it was all doable. We just about at all times had sign and the van was tremendous snug to reside and work in.
IndieCampers was nice to work with. The checkout and checkin was tremendous fast and simple and actually, this van was loads newer than the van we had in Portugal, so we have been actually pleased with it.
In the event you’ve ever considered visiting Eire, otherwise you’ve been earlier than however you probably did it the standard means in inns and B&Bs, I extremely advocate making an attempt it with a campervan. It was a blast and I don’t assume it’ll be our final time doing Eire this manner.
I hope you discovered this put up useful. If in case you have any questions, shoot us an e-mail from our Contact Web page.
Pleased travels!
