Have you ever woken up every day lost? My alarm sounds Monday through Friday and I immediately groan. I used to love my job and the industry that has been my home away from home for the last 13 years. Since the pandemic, the hospitality and events haven’t been the same. You would think after the world shutting down everyone would come back with more empathy but instead clients are rude and demanding, leadership has shifted and my once enjoyable career is extremely toxic. I am a top sales rep for a large event supply company, we are never rewarded for our accomplishments but consistently being called out for our shortcomings. I might be a millennial but I am not one for a participation trophy. I work my a** off for my commission checks, I have to because I love an expensive bottle of wine paired with incredible cheese, craft cocktails, and am always planning my next trip.
In addition to being a top sales rep, I am one of our company’s trainers. This role is starting to bring me more joy than the never ending sales cycle and unattainable KPIs. Not only do I get to meet amazing new people, I am flown around the United States to train. Travel has always been my passion and I want to see the world. However, a downfall in the United States, we do not push for gap years, something I have always been envious of in other countries. Fear of traveling solo has also kept me from pursuing this passion.
I was saving for a house but my desire to settle down is outweighed by the constant pull of adventure. Over the past year I have also been reminded several times that life is too short. All these thoughts are on a constant loop in my head and I can’t seem to turn down the record. After much consideration and a nudge from reading “The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost” by Rachel Friedman I decide to listen to my gut and see what the world has to offer a mid-thirties, single, female, with two passport stamps (both to Mexico)!
Quitting my job, giving up my condo, and putting all my possessions in a storage unit is the scariest thing I have ever done. I hug goodbye to friends and family and board a plane from Texas to Dublin, Ireland! To say my anxiety is through the roof is an understatement. The first 24 hours of my new life are also met with many obstacles. Since I have traveled solo for work I know I can do this but navigating a foreign country on my own is providing a list of new challenges. I have always been a planner with a type A personality, that needs everything listed in extreme detail. One of the things I want to do on this journey is to give myself more grace, slow down, and be more spontaneous. I am too bougie for hostels so I plan on finding a middle ground between the nomadic backpacker and the bougie tourist.
The first mishap after landing is that my e-sim card, Airlo, I purchased when leaving the states is not connecting while on airport Wi-Fi. Deep breath, I will figure this out once I can check into my Airbnb. For now I will pay the $10 to AT&T for an international day plan. Since it is my first day and I am exhausted, I take a taxi into town, I will figure out public transit soon. My driver is wonderful and points out different landmarks throughout Dublin. He also points out how their license plates reflect what area of Ireland the driver lives.
My Airbnb will not be ready for several hours, so I ask to be dropped off at a local pub. I dine at Ivy House on Eggs Florentine and of course, a Guiness! After lunch to kill more time I walk down to Cat and Cage for an Americano. One of the things I did not know before coming here, in Europe they do not offer American ground coffee, but espresso based drinks. I want to share my naive experience with you and together we can grow into world travelers.
The pub is slowly filling up with patrons in various jerseys eagerly talking about today’s match. The bartender explains to me that it is Hurling, to me it looks like field hockey and European football had a baby. It really brings the whole experience of a first day in Dublin, pints of Guinness and a traditional Irish game.
I check into my Airbnb and I don’t think I have ever stayed anywhere more disgusting. I will spare you all the gory details but ladies, think of the grossest guy you dated in college, he might own this flat. I don’t want to think about my living situation for this first week. On a positive note, there is wifi and my e-sim is now working!
I am staying in Drumcondra which is a little outside the city but the bus stop is nearby, except in order to ride the bus I need a physical card. As a native Texan we do not have the greatest public transit so we drive everywhere. I just assumed in 2023 there would be a way to pay via cc or through an app. Guess I am walking the hour into town.
Dublin looks like it is going to be a lot of fun! I can’t wait to explore it more once I am rested. For now I am going to grab a drink at a pub. Bar 1616 is very chic! I make friends with a couple from the states who are on a belated anniversary trip. The bartenders, Brandon and Roberto are incredible and give us all samples of various liquors they make at the bar!
As my jet lag settles in I return back to my side of town. I grab dinner to go from Bombay Pantry where later, my Uncle Rick will tease that I had Indian food in Dublin. In my defense, Garlic Naan is amazing! Plus Dublin is closer to India than the states are and we eat Indian food all the time!
Not chancing when the last time the sheets were cleaned I sleep on top of the covers and use the towel my brother gifted me for my trip as a blanket. I will work on this terrible living situation when I am rested.
As I lay down for my first night in Ireland I am very overwhelmed, scared, excited, basically all the feels about this grand life adventure I have made the leap to explore. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Today’s helpful tips!
E-Sim
While on my travels I was not going to pay the $10 a day (max 10 days at $100) for my AT&T plan so I signed up for Airlo, an e-sim card. I purchased it before leaving the states and need wifi to set it up once I land. However, airport wi-fi is spotty and I can’t get it to work.
Side note: know your travel plan and set up your Airlo when you get to your home quarters. It’s easier than setting it up on the road.
Public transit
Be sure to buy a bus pass at the airport or look up one of the retailers so you can purchase one during your travels. Check out the Dublin public transit site here.
Pack a towel
When my older brother gave me a Texas towel for my birthday and quoted The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’s Arthur Dent: “A towel is just about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can carry.” I was a little baffled by the gift. However, it already has become useful serving as my blanket my first night in Dublin. Be like Arthur and bring a towel with you, you won’t regret it. The Only Towel You Need, Original Towel: Texas State Flag
Restaurants and Pubs
- Ivy House
- Cat and Cage
- Bar 1616 – Voted Ireland’s Bar of the Year in 2022!
- Bombay Pantry
