“It was the greatest way to explore and sightsee in Wicklow”
Charleen and Carmen are two adventurous au-pairs who recently became Wicklow’s newest Passport Ambassadors.
The pair have been exploring Co. Wicklow for several months and have amassed an impressive collection of 21 Wicklow Passport stamps.
In our latest interview, we spoke with Charleen to learn more about their exciting adventure in the Garden of Ireland.
How did you first hear about the Wicklow Passport?
I have been working as an au-pair in Ireland since 2023.
When I first arrived, my host family had a welcome bag for me which included the Wicklow Passport.
It was through them that I learned about the Passport.
What motivated you to take on the challenge?
I told two of my friends, including Carmen, about the Wicklow Passport.
I thought it would be a great challenge which would help us get to know County Wicklow.
What was your favorite memory from your Wicklow Passport experience?
Our favourite experience was a day trip across each of the towns in the countryside.
While we found it easy to collect the stamps from coastal towns, we rented a car for this journey. It was a beautiful sunny day and so we really enjoyed hunting for the stamp.
Towards the end of the day, we stopped at Brittas Bay and enjoyed the beautiful beach. We then enjoyed a dinner in Wicklow Town and talked about each of the days spent collecting stamps.
What advice would you give to others who are interested in participating in a similar adventure?
Plan your trips!
The VisitWicklow website makes it easy to locate towns, find stamping locations, as well as discover things to see and do in the certain towns.
We made sure to plan each visit ahead of time.
If you had the chance to do your Wicklow Passport adventure all over again, what would you change?
We had quite a good strategy on how to complete the Wicklow Passport.
In general, I would spend more time in each town and explore a bit more.
What was your overall impression of the Wicklow Passport challenge?
It is such a cool idea. It makes you explore and travel with a mission.
We enjoyed going around with the passport; exploring new towns, seeing the beautiful nature in Co. Wicklow, and having chats with locals.
As Au-Pairs going back to our countries, it was the greatest way to explore and sightsee in Wicklow.
