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Join Us for 9 Days of Incredible Scenery
Ireland Summer Photo Tour
June 30 - July 8, 2024
Leisurely, small group, private coach travel for both photographers and their companions - No rushing, no big buses - just a wonderful experience!
Join us on this special private tour designed for those who love taking pictures and their partners who just want a wonderful vacation experience! We all had such a wonderful time last time that we can't wait to get back and we’re excited to be able to offer this again to you.
Unlike standard tours where you are headed from place to place and on a strict timetable, we have our own private coach and guide. That allows us the freedom and flexibility to adjust our travels to get the most out of every place we visit. Having a smaller coach also means that we can get to places others simply can't manage. No rushing, no big busses - just our group in a comfortable and relaxing journey filled with beautiful sights, wonderful photography and leisure time to enjoy and explore.
We've adjusted our itinerary and added days to cut down on the hotels movements so that we can pack less and relax more in some great locations.
Our Itinerary
Come with us to experience Ireland like you've never seen it before! Join Joe Brady and Diane Bollen in a private motor coach as we explore the towns and landscape of southern Ireland for nine days. No big buses that can't get to those wonderful, out of the way places, no rushing, and the ability to make changes along the way when we come across something special. Our coach is all ours for the duration of the trip!
This is a custom tour designed for both photographers and non-shooters alike. For the photographers in the group, we will have photo ops and instruction as we tour the beautiful towns and countryside. There will be plenty of time to be enjoyed with the magic of Ireland, and Joe and Diane will be available at any time to talk photography.
While the photographers spend some time each day capturing great images, our driver and guide will share their great knowledge and experience in each place we visit. We will have plenty of time for visiting local attractions, shopping and exploring.
The trip starts in Galway and finishes in Dublin and will of course make time to tour the Guiness Storehouse and enjoy a magical pint! As we have our own coach and driver, we may make adjustments to how long we stay in each place. We want to take advantage of great light for the best photography and be able to stop should a spectacular sight present itself!
Though subject to some fine tuning, here's our planned itinerary:
Day 1 • The trip will begin in Galway. We will stay just a short stroll from the beautiful walking zone in downtown Galway. We'll tour the city and then settle in for the evening.
Day 2 • We'll take a ride into the countryside through Connemara and visit Kylemore Abbey to photograph the wonderful settings and reflections along the lake. Along the way we'll stop for both photos and sightseeing.
Day 3 -5 • We head south to Kerry via the charming seaside village of Doolin. We will also visit the beautiful Cliffs of Moher on the way. We'll stay in Killarney at he fairview Hotel (4 Star!) for three nights and use that as our base to head out each day for more sightseeing and photos. Killarney is also a beautiful town filled with great shops and restaurants so we make sure that there is plenty of time for taking it all in at your own pace. While in Killarney we'll head out each day and visit the Dingle Peninsula, The Ring of Kerry and more.
Day 6 • On our 6th day, we head over to Cork and stay at the Blarney Woolen Mills Hotel (3 Start, but get's a rating of 4.4 out of 5!) hotel for one night. We have stayed here on our last three trips and love both the hotel and the location. For one, it is right across the street from the Blarney Castle and its surrounding park. Even if you don't want to "kiss the rock", it is a wonderful place for photography and the grounds and castle are stunning. For those looking to do some shopping, the hotel is connected to the Blarney Woolen Mills (hence the name) which a huge, multi-story store filled with all manner of Irish Wool items. Diane and I always spend too much money there!
Day 7-8 • We arrive in Dublin for two nights. We stay at the Trinity City Hotel (another 4-Star property!) that is right across the street from the Tram Station. This offers a short and easy ride to the pedestrian shopping zone if you are interested.
We will get a wonderful taste of Irish Culture and Music this evening at The Irish House Party Dinner and entertainment with Irish dancers and musicians in an elegant Georgian setting.
While in Dublin, we'll visit the Guiness Storehouse and Tour Trinity College with the amazing Book of Kells. We will also plan a trip out to The Hill of Tara, located near the River Boyne This is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Ireland. It contains a number of ancient monuments and, according to tradition, was the seat of the High King of Ireland.
Day 9 • Fly Home - or extend your trip!
The trip is limited to 18 (9 couples and/or mix of singles),
so reserve your spot soon!
Complete details and registration coming soon!
Two Spots Left!
We Have a New Itinerary with Incredible New Stops!
The Trip Now Starts and Finishes in Zurich, Switzerland*
Officially, the trip now starts in Zurich, Switzerland. While it is no longer included in the trip, we can still help you make reservations arriving and/or departing from London. Diane and I plan to start in London, take the train to Cologne, Germany, spend a couple of nights there and then head on to Switzerland. We will be flying back from Zurich.
*If you really want to take the Eurostar from London in either/both directions, let me know and we can talk about that. Travel before and after the Zurich dates is not included in the tour price, but we have added much more!
The Itinerary
Day 1 • June-10
Arrive in Zurich, take the train to St. Moritz (3.5 hours) Afternoon-evening to explore the town. We will all meet at our hotel (The Hotel Arte) in St. Moritz to start our trip.
Day 2 • Jun-11
A full day in St. Moritz! We will walk the town and for those interested, take a mountain excursion to either Diavolezza or the funicular to Muottas Muragl.
Day 3 • Jun-12
We take the amazing Glacier Express from Chur to Zermat (6 hours). A three course luncheon on board is included!
Day 4 • Jun-13
Our highlight today will be the classic cogwheel train from Zermat to the Gornergrat (10,285 feet) for the best views of the Matterhorn Mountain.
Day 5 • Jun-14
A free day in Zermatt, for those interested, we’ll take the Sunnegga Funicular for more mountain views
Day 6 • Jun-15
Today we take the train from Zermatt to Grindelwald (3 hours). We’ll explore the village this afternoon.
Day 7 • Jun-16
A big mountain day! We take the Jungfrau railway to Kleine Scheidegg, to a cog wheel train up to and through a tunnel through the Eiger, until we arrive at Jungfraujoch - the highest railway station in Europe!
Day 8 • Jun-17
We ride the scenic Interlake-Luzern express train to Luzerne (2 hours). We can use the afternoon for an excursion to either Mt. Pilatus or Mt. Rigi high above Lake Luzerne.
Day 9 • Jun 18
Morning in Lucerne, we then have a flexible time to take the train to Zurich.
Day 10 • Jun 19
Onward departure or extend your trip.
What’s included:
9 nights’ accommodation in conveniently located, independently owned 3 and 4-star hotels.
9 buffet breakfasts at the hotels
1st Class Swiss Rail Travel Pass (15 consecutive days) that will provide all rail travel in Switzerland, including the Glacier Express train.
1 dinner at the hotel: In Grindelwald (drinks not included)
3-course lunch on the Glacier Express (drinks not included)
2 Group luggage transfers: Zermatt to Grindelwald and Grindelwald to Zürich.
Discounted Mountain excursions: Many of the excursions such as Mt. Pilatus and Gornergrat will be a 50% discount. Jungfraujoch will be a 25% discount. Mt. Rigi excursion is free with rail pass.
Most museums are also free or discounted with this rail pass. Local city buses and boat rides in Luzern are also free with the rail pass.
Glacier Express seat reservation fees for 1st class.
Not included
Airfare
Lunches and dinners not specified
Luggage transfers to St. Moritz and to Zermatt. You will need to take your suitcases on the trains with you to these 2 locations.
Items of a personal nature (laundry, telephone calls, room service)
Mountain excursions are not usually included: BUT since some group dinners that were originally planned are not happening, Joe and Diane are paying for three of the mountain excursions (a total of around $300 per person) as a thank you to the group and for your patience!
We highly recommend that everyone add travel insurance to protect their investments in any trip. Diane and I personally use aardy.com which is an insurance conglomerator that looks for the best deals.
What’s a Photo Tour?!
Photo Tours are vacations filled with beautiful Landscapes and Scenery and are designed for those who share a passion for photography and want a vacation they can share with their spouses or partners.
How Does It Work?
Each day will have time for photography exploration and instruction with two award-winning pros as we travel in our own private coach with an experienced local guide and driver. We’ll take in the sights, visit iconic locations, shop, dine and relax. Photography Instruction Available for All! It’s not unusual for half of the people on a Photo Tour to consider themselves non-photographers and that’s OK - enjoy the scenery, attractions, food and shopping! Our photography instruction is available to all (even if you just use your phone) and we often turn people into passionate photographers!
The Best of Both Worlds
Photo Tours offer plenty of time for photography within a wonderful vacation experience. Spouses and partners will never be bored and the entire group will share activities, attractions and sights together. Every Level of Experience From passionate smartphone shooters to working professional photographers may join us, and everyone will love the places we visit. Learn about better composition and seeing light, color and shapes, or just enjoy the sights - our goal is for you to return home with images you will want to share and cherish forever.
Singles Welcome Too!
We often have singles join us on our trips as the Photo Tour format provides photography, touring and sightseeing with a group of like-minded people. We’re a friendly bunch and are all out to have a great time.
Workshop & Tours Policies
Cancellation or Changes
Land, Sea & Sky/Joe Brady Photography will make every attempt to operate a photo adventure once confirmed, but will reserve the right to cancel or change a trip at any time, due to insufficient bookings, and/or reasons beyond its control, such as; strikes, war, acts of God, acts of government, civil unrest or any other cause whatsoever, that may make operation of the tour impossible, illegal or inadvisable. All tour payments received will be promptly refunded, and this refund will be the limit of our liability. Land, Sea & Sky/Joe Brady Photography is not responsible for any expenses incurred by tour members in preparing for the tour including non-refundable airline tickets, airline penalties, special clothing, visa or passport fees, or other tour-related expenses. Please do not make flight reservations until you receive notice that the trip has been confirmed.
Domestic Workshops Payment policy
The workshop fee is for instruction only. All other expenses, including transportation, accommodations and meals are the responsibility of the participant. A deposit is required to confirm your registration after receiving your registration forms. The full balance is due 60 days prior to the start of the workshop.
International Tours Payment policy
The Tour fee is for instruction, hotels and in-country transportation only. All other expenses, including meals (except where otherwise noted) and items of a personal nature are the responsibility of the participant. A deposit is required to confirm your registration after receiving your registration forms. The full balance is due 90 days prior to the start of the workshop. For Trips by Rail, once deposits are paid, there are no refunds available, so please be sure to get travel insurance from a site like www.aardy.com
Cancellation policy
Deposit and balance paid will be refunded (less deposits for Train Trips) if cancellation is made prior to 90 days (120 days for International Trips) before the workshop start date. No refunds will be given if cancellation is made less than 90 days before the workshop start date unless we are able to fill the slot vacated, in which case we will refund the entire amount paid less $150 for accounting costs. Land, Sea & Sky/Joe Brady Photography advises trip insurance for any Workshop.