Tips re car and driver, chauffeur and guide

There are many things you need to be sure about before you choose your car and driver or your personal chauffeur and car. I would advise that you keep in mind the following when doing so. Your holiday is important to you and you must be comfortable when sharing it with somebody else such as a driver or guide. You must not feel that you are restricted in any way. From my own experience i have a good idea by now how to make sure that my fellow travelers are aware of how i operate before they ever get to Ireland. I do this mainly by supplying them with the e-mail addresses of people who have traveled with me in the past. Sometimes they even get to talk to these people on the phone and this helps them to ask the kind of questions that they might find embarrassing if they had to ask me directly. They may feel for instance that they have to do everything with me such as eating in the evening or going for a drink or whatever. This is not the case at all. I allow my clients to have all the private time they need but i might occasionally dine out with them if they ask me to. We all need our space and i am no different.
The first thing to look for when choosing your Chauffeur is
1) Is the company to be found on any of our Irish tourist board sites. I am to be found on the tourists board's Ireland West site and indeed i am a member of Ireland West. There are a lot of con artists around and Ireland is no different. You must be sure that they are properly insured to carry passengers and that the insurance covers both you personally and also your luggage. Anybody can have a web-site and paper never refuses ink.
2) Do you know if they have more than one driver and have you any idea who you may be getting as your driver. I work alone so you know from the start that it is me you are dealing with and whatever i say and agree i will be delivering personally. This again can be verified by the contacts i will give you.
3) How experienced is your driver? Is he insured properly?What kind of background has he got? What kind of education has he had?
Before i went into this business i worked with an Irish oil company and traveled all over the country. The business was a family run business and before entering this business i was in the entertainment business and had worked in both Ireland and England. I know my country, i have a very broad education and i know its history, its culture, its politics and i have a good general knowledge of world affairs. It is amazing just how varied the conversation can be when traveling.
4) Does your driver drink and smoke? I have nothing against people who drink moderately or who smoke in areas where they are not a problem to anybody else but i am totally against anybody driving who has had a drink ...or a heavy session the night before. Not only can alcohol be still present in the system in levels above the legal limit but the smell in the car can be unacceptable sometimes. I neither drink nor smoke but i have no problem with my clients having one.
5) When it comes to price you need to be sure that everything has been disclosed. Are there any hidden charges or taxes? Are there a specific number of hours every day and if you exceed that will you be charged extra? Is the accommodation up to scratch? The hotels may look fine but what kind of rooms are you getting? All hotels have good and not so good rooms. You need to be sure. When i quote a price then that is it. There is nothing extra added unless there are changes made to the plan. I do not work on a specific number of hours and some days i have to put in a lot extra as people may want to be driven out for a meal and collected afterwards or maybe go to a show and possibly collected afterwards. Sometimes i go above and beyond the call of duty but i am also very mindful of my clients and i make sure that i do not overdo things. I always feel that one of the flaws in the tour group type of holiday is that they pack too much into their programs in order to make them look more attractive and people end up feeling like hamsters on a wheel. With a personal chauffeur/driver you have that flexibility that you can call it a day whenever you like.
I also know all the best places to eat, with the best value, and the best pubs around. I know where you can get the best value shopping and i know the places to avoid.
My price covers car and driver costs, accommodation with full breakfast, and if there is anything else added it is clearly specified. I never include meals as i feel that people much prefer to do their own thing when it comes to eating. However i will recommend when asked. In this business you need to be a jack of all trades.
All the accommodation i use is Irish Tourist board approved and i get better rooms at a better rate because i always use the same premises and have done for years.
I know that there are always other questions that people like to ask and if you have one then just post your comment and i will do my best to clarify it for you.
Let me add finally that the one thing that makes me better than average at this job is that i have a great love for my country and a great love for people in general. To be of service to others is always a privilege and when i see people having a great time it does my heart good.
Now i better get on with my housework....my wife is out shopping today and my duties include preparing a nice meal for her when she comes in from the cold. Lucky me.
I look forward to your comments.