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I am two thousand feet above sea level traveling 60 km/hr on a gravel road roughly the width of two cows and a goat when it occurs to me that I am off-roading in a Ford Focus. From my standpoint driving on the right side of the car (struggling to stay at least a little bit closer to the left side of the road) it's hard to focus on maintaining vehicle safety when surrounded by such startling scenery, so beautiful that it bears striking resemblance to a still frame from the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy. This is Southern Ireland; undeterred by the little snowflake light on my dashboard, I roll down the window to breath in the icy mountain air and ease the pressure on my popping ears. MAN, is it freezing. But snaking through the Wicklow Mountains towards County Cork in our rental car, I don't regret the small risk that comes with being an American Yankee driving on the "wrong side of the car."

"Th-th-this is th-the o-only w-way t-t-to travel!" I tell my travel companion through chattering teeth.

And it's true. In less than a week, my roommate and I were able to traverse the southern coast of Ireland in our little rental car, punctuating our travels with stays along the way at affordable Bed & Breakfasts that felt more like home than like lodging, creating an itinerary from scratch that allowed us to cover more than a dozen points of interest without burning ourselves out. (And with so many woolen mills, the problem of wet, chilly weather is easily remedied with the purchase of your own wonderfully warm woolen sweater.)

Such is the joy of being your own navigator on the Emerald Isle. With frequent travel deals on AerLingus for flights across the pond, there's never been a better time to travel to Ireland - or to book your next Irish adventure independent of a tour bus. Taking to the road in your own rental car opens a world of destination possibilities that allow you to truly experience Ireland instead of watching the landscape and culture unfold from the window of your coach. The benefits are in the preparation; buy your travel book, do your research, and figure out where you want to go and what you'd like to see. (I recommend The process of deciding where to ride and where to rest can be as enriching as the journey, and in the end, you'll have the satisfaction of blazing your own trail and experiencing Ireland on a far more personal level.

Here's what we did on our Irish getaway. Experience more of Ireland... for less!

1. We booked our flight a little less than

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