8 Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before Traveling To Ireland

1. Ireland doesn’t have the same Netflix shows as the U.S. 

This goes for any streaming platform. Yes, perhaps I should have put this together, but I had honestly never had to think about it before. Quite simply put – people in Ireland watch different shows than people in the U.S. so streaming platforms adjust what they offer accordingly.

For example, Irish people might watch the British version of “The Office” more than they do the U.S. version. (I don’t know why they would because the U.S. version is obviously superior) but regardless that means that when you are in Ireland Netflix will provide the British version rather than the U.S. one. 

So if you’re thinking of starting a new show (like “New Girl,” for example) before moving halfway across the world, just be aware that you might not be able to get that show when you get there. 🙂 So idk maybe wait to start the show till you get back or mentally prepare yourself so you don’t have a nervous breakdown like me when you’re sad and lonely and want nothing more than to laugh at your favorite new show in a very unfamiliar place and literally can’t.

If this is you and you can’t stop crying at 3 in the morning because you’re still jet lagged, don’t completely dismay. There are still options. You can get this thing on your computer called a VPN for just a few euros a month. Its main purpose is to protect your computer while you’re using public wifi, but it also has the added bonus of allowing you to trick your computer into thinking it’s in a completely different country. Here is the VPN website my lovely friend recommended to me while I was being hysterical.

With all that being said, though, keep in mind the upside of this not-that-serious situation. You’re in a new country! That means you now have access to shows that you can’t watch in your own home country. I didn’t end up getting the VPN and instead fell in love with other shows such as “The Good Place” – the fourth season of which isn’t even out in the U.S. on Netflix yet and won’t be until the end of August. So take advantage of all the amazing movies and shows you can watch now. I promise you’ll miss them when you get home. 

2. Lidl is the superior grocery store. 

I went to a lot of new grocery stores while in Ireland and I have to say that hands down Lidl was my favorite. It had the best quality foods at the best prices. With amazing pain au chocolats (otherwise known as chocolate croissants in the U.S) and the best prices for these amazing cookies I became obsessed with called McVitie’s Dark Chocolate Digestives, Lidl is the place to be.

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Some other stores you can go to are SuperValu, Tesco, and Spar. While SuperValu had great prices,  I wasn’t impressed by the quality of their meat and perishables. And while Tesco and Spar had good quality foods, they are known for being fairly expensive. Those Digestives, for example, cost about 2 euros a pack at Tesco verses .59 euros at Lidl. I rest my case. 

3. Moovit: Train & Bus Times!

This app will change your life and by that I mean it will keep you from getting lost constantly on the bus system like I did. It’s super straightforward to navigate and tells you exactly what bus you should take, from which bus stop and when. 

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The bus system in Dublin is not great in my opinion and kind of confusing, but I promise you this app makes it so much easier. It even allows you to set where your home or work/school is so it’s easy and quick to find routes to them.

4. It’s safe to drink from the tap in Dublin. 

That’s it. That’s the point. Feel free to drink from the kitchen (not the bathroom) sink in Dublin. You don’t have to buy bottled water or get a Brita Filter unless you feel the tap water is too hard for your liking and want to soften it. 

I will say as well that the water makes your hair realllllyyyyy soft so enjoy that as well. 

5. The first floor is really the “ground” floor. 

So if someone tells you to meet them on the first floor, they really mean the second floor because what you are used to calling the first floor, they are used to calling the ground floor. See what I mean?

6. How to address a letter

I wanted to add this one because Ireland addresses are really different from U.S. addresses, and it took me longer than I’d like to admit to figure out how to address a letter. 

To correctly address a letter you need include the following in the top left corner:

Your name

Your house number and street,

The town you are located in,

The area/district you are located in, 

Your zip code (which is much different than in the U.S.) 

And finally the country

Here is what mine looked like when I was done:

7. SIM cards galore

Alright – SIM cards gave me an absolute headache when I first got to Dublin. You have to get a new SIM card for your phone or you have to pay incredibly ridiculous fees from your provider back home just to get data. The fee for Verizon is about $10 a day. No thank you. 

I recommend going to a Three store. They have a deal where you can get unlimited texts, calls and data for only 20 euros a month. (That’s $21.83 for all my U.S. friends.) You don’t really need unlimited calls or texts because you can use What’s App to call and text people, which only requires data, but I will say that being able to call people without using What’s App is very helpful because not all people have that app. 

It’s also very important to know that, for some absurd reason, you have to own your phone for a certain amount of time before you can put a new SIM card in it. I only know this is the case with iPhones so if you use an Android or something different you might be fine. But if you’re like me and had just gotten a new iPhone before traveling internationally just be aware that it will reject your SIM card and you will have to pay those ridiculous fees from your provider to get data until you have owned your phone long enough for the SIM card to start working. (I know, it’s stupid.) Yes, I also had a breakdown in an Eir store over this. Shoutout to the nice Eir employee who let me use his phone to call my mom crying. 

If you are willing to order a SIM card online, there is also a service called Gomo that will give you the same deal as Three for eight euros less. You can learn more about it here.

8. World credit cards

It is incredibly expensive for your bank to convert from euros and pounds to dollars on a regular debit or credit card. Most banks charge you about 1 to 3% of whatever each purchase costs. That’s so much. Like seriously so much. That’s why it’s so important for you to get a world credit card before going abroad. 

You can apply for world credit cards online, but I personally didn’t have much luck with that angle. Thankfully, though, Sam’s Club offers its members a world credit card, which I was able to get with my parents’ help. My dad had to be my signer in order for me to get it, but once we got it squared away I was able to use the credit card while abroad without having to pay crazy conversion fees. 

I hit quite a few bumps while trying to figure out how to live on my own in a new country. While I wish I would have known a few of these things before going, having to figure them out as they came along definitely helped develop my problem solving skills. I learned how to adapt quickly and that having a mom who answers my calls literally day or night is a luxury like no other. For those who don’t have that, though, I hope some of this helps you avoid a few unnecessary headaches.