Our tour guide and driver for the 12 day tour was Aidan. He has the perfect personality for the job; he is friendly, knowledgeable, interesting and has excellent, excellent driving skills. the tour itself was the perfect blend of driving, hiking, and activities. One of my favorites was horse back riding on the beach on a beautiful Clydesdale. I have been on a lot of group tours and this is one of the best I've been on. the fact that it is a small group tour helps a lot. The limit for this one is 13. The van is very comfortable and not crowded at all.

My wife and I recently returned from the 11-Day Discover Ireland Small-Group Tour. Vagabond hit it out of the park with their mix of small, comfortable buses, accessibility to out-of-the-way destinations, lodging, service before the trip, and their guides! Our guide was Sean and he was funny and a consummate professional. Some of our friends have toured Ireland in the past with larger coach bus tours. While they enjoyed their trips (whats not to like about Ireland?!)...they left wanting for the intimacy and less-rushed approach a small-group company can offer. I will recommend Vagabond to all our friends and I hope this review is helpful to those considering them in the future. Well worth the money!

I suggest going to Dublin two days before your trip to allow you to see the sights before the tour begins. At the time of this review, they only start/end in Dublin and don't do any sightseeing there.

After my two day prequel, I was on the Driftwood 11 day tour. Driftwood is the sister company to Vagabond. The difference between the two is the activity level. Vagabond is for active individuals that like hiking and adventure. Driftwood is more laid back and a slower pace. While I'm an active person, for this trip I wanted a slow pace and chose Driftwood. The passengers ranged in age from 21 to 60s. Average was about 40s-50s.

The guide was friendly, informative, entertaining, flexible, and helpful. Each tour is limited to a small group. We had 14 on our bus. The buses are new and comfortable. The only negative thing I can think of is that the seats are a tad small, but no one had any problems or discomfort.

One passenger wanted to see a particular site that was not on the itinerary, but was on the way to our destination. Everyone agreed they would like to see it and off we went. I like that it isn't guided every single minute. I never felt rushed or herded like cattle on this trip. We had plenty of time to see/do what each person wanted.

All breakfasts were included and lunches, while on your own, were as a group. Dinners are on your own, most nights we chose to dine as a group, but it wasn't a requirement. The accommodations were excellent. They ranged from typical European private home/hotels to grand castles that made our jaws drop. Every hotel/castle was a place that I would visit again.

It was wonderful being on a small group. Everyone got to know each other. No clicks. No waiting for a bunch of people. In fact, no one wanted to be "That person" and everyone was always back at the bus at the appointed time.

The driver and other passengers were a pleasure and the entire trip exceeded my expectations. Don't even think about it, just book it and have the time of your life.