Bella Hoffer, Plus3 Ireland Summer 2023
The Plus3 Program is only two weeks, so we did so many different activities. This made it so interesting and special, but it did not allow for a consistent daily routine. Most days we had one or two activities that we had to attend and then the rest of the day free. There were also two excursion days where we traveled to other parts of the country. The schedule was not too hard to keep track of because we were given an itinerary for the required activities each day. The day before our advisors would let us know what time we needed to be in the hotel lobby and what we needed to wear. In the morning, we would all walk or bus to the site together. Some days we would have meetings with the CAPA staff or a guest speaker and others we would be visiting companies. Most days these activities were early in the morning so in the afternoon we would have free time. During this time, we would go shopping, get food, and explore the city. Later in the day we got to see the nightlife and experience pub culture as well. Having this free time allowed us to immerse ourselves with the Irish people and really experience life there. It was nice that we got the opportunity to pick and choose what we wanted to see and do. We got to eat different foods, talk to locals, and go to sites that interested us. Our large group broke into a few smaller groups that were easier to travel in and we would go explore together.
Budgeting for a two-week vacation was not easy. I was so excited that I did not think much about what I was spending. We did not have enough time during our two weeks to travel on our own, so thankfully I did not have to budget for that. However, we did have a lot of free time, so I ended up spending a lot of money on shopping and food. I don’t regret this spending though because it enhanced the experience by trying new foods and interacting with more people. We tried to save money on food by buying a few groceries, but most meals we ended up eating out anyways. The hotel provided breakfast, so it was nice we didn’t have to worry about that. In terms of shopping, I tried to only buy items that were unique to Ireland and not items I could buy back at home. Overall, most of the money I spent was at restaurants and pubs, so the next time I travel I will be buying more groceries and making my own food. Since this was a shorter trip, I was able to go out to eat a lot, but on a longer trip I would make different choices to maximize the money I spend. I would want to invest in activities and experiences rather than meals.
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