‘We loved it!’
Lisa & Ryan, two friends who met in Japan, recently completed their Wicklow Passport adventure, collecting 15 stamps across Co. Wicklow, from Carnew to Enniskerry. The international duo, one Irish and one American, have recently become Wicklow’s latest Ambassadors. We sat down with Lisa to hear about their journey and learn more about their experiences in Wicklow.
How did you first hear about the Wicklow Passport?
I learned about it on social media in the run up to my friend Ryan’s visit to Ireland.
What motivated you to take on the challenge?
We had done similar stamp rally activities on road trips before and we were planning to drive around Wicklow and the South-East during his short visit at the end of April of 2024.
Can you share your favourite memory from your Wicklow
Passport experience?
It sparked a fun social interaction with the staff at the various locations, for example we had great craic with Jeff at the Avoca Handweavers Mill tour.
What advice would you give to others who are interested in participating in a similar adventure?
I would say to plan your route so that you can combine a bunch of attractions and locations.
The recently added interactive map makes that much easier!
If you had the chance to do your Wicklow Passport adventure all over again, what would you change?
We tried to cram in as many stamps as we could over two days during our trip. We got 11 stamps during that trip, and I gradually collected more over the summer.
Three days would be the best for getting the 15 stamps.
What was your overall impression of the Wicklow Passport challenge?
We loved it! It’s a fun way to see places or villages you might not otherwise pass through, and get to talk to people there.
It was fun to work towards the completion awards, and we particularly liked the individual stamp designs for each location and how they are included in the award item too.
