The Closer Look difference

Experience the culture

A Closer Look tour offers a different type of travel experience. While many tours to Ireland promise all the well known attractions in a short tour, this is accomplished by busing participants all around the country, watching as the sights pass by the bus window.

A trip with Closer Look won’t pack everything in to one trip, but you will spend your days out in the countryside, walking ancient roads, meeting local experts, learning about the history of the area we explore. When your trip is over, you will have had a chance to meet people and make connections to the place you visited.

Contribute to the community

While tourism is an important part of the Irish economy, not all tourist dollars have the same effect. Closer Look takes visitors beyond the regular tourist stops and gift shops, and works hard to ensure our purchases and expenses make a difference in the lives of people in the community. We hire local guides to share the stories of the area we are visiting. We stop at family owned pubs and cafes, visit local artists in their studios. Rather than increasing the profits of a multinational business, we interact with community members and take every opportunity to make our purchases impact the community in a positive way.

You may notice that many of our tours take place during the “shoulder seasons” of spring and fall. We intentionally plan our tours around these times, as the peak tourist months can be very busy in Ireland, and we prefer to share a less crowded experience with our visitors. And most importantly, for many guides, cooks, artists, and musicians who depend on tourism for their livelihood, the summer months are not enough. By extending their season with our tours, we can get the full attention of these local experts, and help them do what they love and make a living.

It feels good to know that our travel is having a positive impact in the communities we visit.