Online maps are a great family travel planning resource and a great way to get the kids involved. Teach the kids to use online maps of Ireland to find hiking trails and plot your route. Show them how to find their way with a map as part of your next hiking vacation. Geocaching - gps treasure hunts - is popular with kids and may provide the needed incentive to get them walking. Try geocaching on your walking trip in Ireland.

A hiking trip provides a great opportunity to introduce the kids to conservation and the environment. And while Darwin may be of interest to a parent or two, the meaning won't be lost on the kids if you start with The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and How an Elephant Got its Trunk by Rudyard Kipling. For adults interested in learning more about Ireland's walking trails books will help you plan, prepare and in some cases transport you there. Yet a walking holiday in Ireland is about more than ecology and the trail. It provides a chance to introduce the kids to Irish authors of note. James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker are but a few. Get a complete list of Irish authors and embark on an adventure through books before you depart on a family trip to Ireland. Recommended reading lists for travel to Ireland will help you get started whether your interest is guidebooks, history or Irish literature. Discover children's books about Ireland and find age-appropriate Irish myths and legends for kids whether you are departing on a trip or looking for St. Patrick's Day reading.

A walking holiday is great opportunity to explore nature through sound. Listen to the Whooper Swan before you depart on a walking trip in Ireland. Listen to 'wild tunes', nature's equivalent to popular music. But don't forget to explore traditional Irish music as well. Get the lyrics to traditional Irish songs and download or listen to Irish folk music online. Discover the author of your favorite Irish ballads and folk songs written throughout the centuries. Find Irish songs for kids and children's nursery rhymes and take a journey to Ireland through music and sound.

Getting the latest hiking news will help prepare you and the kids for the family trip. Discover tips and tidbits about walking and find out what's happening outdoors before you depart on a walking trip. Read Irish news online and brush up on current events in Ireland from politics to economics and sports to entertainment. Discover what the Irish are reading.

There are a variety of online resources that make preparing for a walking trip in Ireland fun. Map reading is about more than finding your home. These map reading activities will help you learn to read a compass and plot longitude and latitude. Map games make finding the way an adventure. Do you know how a compass works? Fun experiments bring science to the trail. But don't stop there. Use online resources to learn about Ireland. Discover Irish folklore from fairies to leprechauns and mermaids. Get trivia and fun facts about Ireland and test your knowledge of Ireland's geography, history and song. Do fun activities and learn about the country, people and the land.