Eire is a spot we’ve wished to journey for a few years, and eventually the whole lot simply fell into place for us to go to. And never simply go to, however do it in model…as digital nomads dwelling van life in Eire!
Eire lived as much as its status 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 comfy desk, and keep linked by tethering our telephones for wifi.
On this information, I’m going to stroll you thru how you can decide a van, the corporate we went with, the precise van we ended up with, and a few suggestions we discovered alongside the way in which so you’ll be able to 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 excellent firm, so we have been excited to go along with them anyway.
Though this was a sponsored journey, we did the reserving course of the identical as you’d in case 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 effectively.
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 Lively Lengthy mannequin. It was spacious, tremendous comfy, and it had very nice finishes. We cherished that it had a correct mattress that was fairly comfortable (don’t anticipate a king dimension pillow prime although) and an excellent kitchen space, loads of storage and central warmth for the cool Irish nights.
There was additionally a surprisingly comfy workspace because of the seats that swivel round to a pullout desk.
Additionally, in case you’re frightened a couple of campervan like this being too large for roads in Eire… it actually wasn’t. For those who’ve pushed on slender roads earlier than, you’ll be nice. And in case you haven’t, it’ll simply take a number of hours to get used to it.
If I have been to provide 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 house shelving to maintain them from bouncing round.
The place to Go: Our 10-Day Digital Nomad Route By Eire
For this journey, we didn’t actually have a strict itinerary, which is absolutely the fantastic thing about van life in case 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 day-to-day the place we’d go and sleep for the evening.
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. After we bought the van, we headed south to Kilkenny, then labored our manner by means 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 numerous spots that we might’ve parked the van for the evening and wild camped with out anybody actually noticing, however we selected a phenomenal campsite known as Clifden Eco Seaside Tenting as a result of it was too good to go 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 number 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 reasonably intensive journey of the nation, though we didn’t see Northern Eire or the east coast, nevertheless it was simply completed 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 effectively van life and distant work would pair collectively in Eire… particularly in October.
Nevertheless it turned out that it labored fantastically, however there have been a number of issues we discovered alongside the way in which. For those who’ve ever wished to journey round Eire whereas working from a campervan, hopefully these will provide help to out.
1. Kind your cellphone plan out earlier than you permit Dublin.
Eire’s protection is ok in cities, however when you head towards Connemara or the Wild Atlantic Manner it will probably flip from full bars to zero. Get an area SIM or eSIM proper in the beginning so that you’re not attempting to find a sign if 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. For those who’re touring as a pair, each of you might 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 different our eSIMs it often meant that not less than certainly one of us at all times had protection.
2. Use wet days as your workdays.
Irish climate adjustments always. We ultimately discovered to reside with the rain… work when it pours, discover when it isn’t. It retains the entire journey relaxed as an alternative of attempting to drive a plan.
3. Count on 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 completed. The swivel seats helped, and the quiet mornings have been nice to get some work completed.
We additionally needed to shoot some reels on this journey, which might’ve been OK however the wind made it arduous, even with the nice mics we’ve! For those who’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.
For those who’re at a campsite with electrical energy, benefit from it. Cost the whole lot. The van batteries, laptops, cameras, energy banks… all of it. You by no means know when the subsequent few nights may be wild tenting or when a campsite gained’t have hookups.
5. Empty greywater and blackwater each time you’ve gotten the possibility.
Significantly. Do it even in case you’re solely half full. There have been a number of occasions once we stated we’d simply wait til the subsequent website after which the subsequent couple of websites didn’t have the amenities so we have been frightened we’d replenish or run out. Not an excellent feeling.
6. Carry 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 provides you might be heat and that makes an enormous distinction on chilly nights, however these pillows weren’t nice.
7. Carry a powerbank that truly has energy.
Between charging laptops, cameras, telephones, and hotspots, having an additional battery took all of the strain off the van’s system. When you’ve got a powerbank, deliver it.
8. Obtain the whole lot 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 cellphone so you should utilize 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 journey round Eire the place I’d wild camp about 50% of the time.
For those who learn up on it, it says that it’s not allowed in Eire, however in case you’re respectful and also you clear up after your self and depart early within the morning, no one would hassle you. Not less than 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 the whole lot had a house, life bought simpler. Earlier than that… we have been always in search of keys, chargers, socks, the whole lot.
11. Positively e-book the out of doors 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 if 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 price it.
12. Maintain a number of “don’t transfer the van immediately” meals within the cabinet.
There have been days once we discovered the proper 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’ll be able to cook dinner with out working round attempting to find outlets makes these quiet workdays potential.
13. Construct your work hours round your driving hours.
Some driving days take extra vitality than you anticipate, particularly on Eire’s slender nation roads. On these days, we’d maintain laptop computer time mild and save the deeper work for days once we weren’t overlaying many kilometres.
It’s rather a lot for the mind to deal with in case you’re watching a street and dodging different automobiles for five hours, and you then 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 standard spots can get dear quick, so having our mattress and kitchen with us took a number of the sting out of the journey.
We appeared up some little B&Bs and stuff on the way in which and so they have been round $250 per evening for a fundamental 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 satisfy 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 worth of diesel for positive.
Campsites have been often between 35 and 46 euros for a spot with electrical energy, showers, and someplace to dump the tanks.
There have been a number of small extras…tolls, a top-up of AddBlue, a parking charge right here and there. Nothing main. General, the van made Eire much more inexpensive than it could’ve been hopping between motels and eating places day by day.
The place to Sleep With a Campervan in Eire
One factor we discovered fairly shortly 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 excellent view, however they’re not all over the place, and a number 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 number of “discovered it on the final minute” locations.
Campsites have been simple sufficient to search out and most had the whole lot we wanted… electrical energy, sizzling showers, a spot to dump gray and black water, and often a bit kitchen sink space.
General 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 individual wherever?).
We used Park4Night rather a lot. It isn’t good, 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 in opposition to it simply because there have been such stunning campsites up there.
Nonetheless, the very best campsites in Eire are a grass discipline with a shocking view, and the worst are simply cement parking tons filled with 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 the whole lot we wanted. It has fairly a bit if you e-book the add-ons, however after all it doesn’t have the whole lot a digital nomad would want.
There are some things we have been actually glad we introduced, and some we want we’d considered earlier. For those who’re planning to work from the street, these are the gadgets that truly made a distinction for us and stored the journey working easily.
1. An actual energy financial institution (not a tiny one)
For those who’re staying in paid parking and charging the van each 2-3 nights, this wouldn’t matter, however in case you’re wild tenting, you’ll positively 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 house.
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 case 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 effectively 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 wire or energy strip
For those who’re plugged into campsite electrical energy, this allows you to cost the whole lot directly as an alternative of messing round with completely different shops.
5. Cellphone holder for the dashboard
You’ll depend on Google Maps always, and holding your cellphone 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 cellphone holders.
6. A water-resistant bag on your electronics
Eire’s climate turns shortly. For those who’re strolling to a pub within the rain or hopping out for a hike, this retains your gear secure. I 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 case you’re not used to creating espresso in a kind of, then having your individual fast espresso setup makes mornings contained in the van rather a lot smoother.
8. Journey Energy Adaptor
Not all vans can have multi-plugs. For those who’re coming from a rustic that doesn’t use EU model plugins, then deliver your individual.
9. A second SIM or eSIM
Protection can bounce 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. For those who’re going to be working rather a lot, then it’s at all times good to lookup quite than down at your display. The desk is comfy, nevertheless it’s decrease than most kitchen tables, so a stand would positively be a bonus.
FAQs About Van Life in Eire
Is it arduous 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 large buses in our campervan and had no problem. Not as soon as did I even need to again as much as give area.
Are you able to simply pull over and sleep wherever?
Typically. We discovered a number of quiet spots that felt completely nice, nevertheless it’s not a rustic the place you’ll be able to depend on wild tenting each evening. Campsites ended up being our base more often than not.
Do you’ll want to e-book campsites?
We didn’t e-book forward in any respect in September/October. In summer time, we’d most likely plan a bit extra, however shoulder season was huge open. Typically it was simply us and one different camper in the complete 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 evening?
It may. Our van had heating, which made an enormous distinction. And it wasn’t only a fan heater, it was central warmth! For those who are available in October, you might reside with numerous bedding (we noticed some campers doing it), nevertheless it’s far more comfy to get a van with warmth.
Any particular license wanted?
Our common licenses have been sufficient.
Is it secure?
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 secure typically I believe, particularly outdoors of Dublin.
Last Ideas on Campervan Life in Eire as Digital Nomads
This was a visit we had wished to do eternally, and we’d positively suggest 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 comfy to reside and work in.
IndieCampers was nice to work with. The checkout and checkin was tremendous fast and straightforward and actually, this van was rather a lot newer than the van we had in Portugal, so we have been actually proud of it.
For those who’ve ever considered visiting Eire, otherwise you’ve been earlier than however you probably did it the standard manner in motels and B&Bs, I extremely suggest attempting it with a campervan. It was a blast and I don’t assume it’ll be our final time doing Eire this fashion.
I hope you discovered this publish useful. When you’ve got any questions, shoot us an electronic mail from our Contact Web page.
Pleased travels!
