Trip to Ireland - first time to Europe

Tricia,

Whether I go for a week or 3 weeks, I pack the same size suitcase. A carry-on. As for the car size, get the smallest car you can. Roads are narrower and parking is much tighter than you are accustomed to. I plan to be in Ireland in early September and will pack the following: 1 pair jeans, 1 pair black dress pants, MAYBE a second pair of dress pants in a color that coordinates with all of a my tops, 5 tops-two long-sleeve, 3 short-sleeve, a leather jacket, enough underpants to last the whole trip (just my personal quirk), 2 pairs of shoes, one set of lightweight long johns and 3 bras. That is it for clothing. I don't go to Europe to be a fashion plate and all of my clothing can be easily washed in a sink and dried overnight if necessary. If I think they need more than that, there are laundromats over there (and can be an interesting adventure in themselves). Your concerns about being cold can be solved with the purchase of a souvenir while there--a fisherman's sweater. Ireland is known for their knitted wool sweaters. The money you save by renting a smaller car (less gas needed!) will more than cover the cost. With a pac-safe backpack (www.magellans.com) you can carry both your camera and your netbook safely.

Oh, and I will be traveling for 12 days.

Thanks for the advice about the magellan bag but I'm a photographer so my camera equipment won't fit into their bags.
I agree about the smallest car possible but I have the issue of having more people to accommodate at the beginning of the trip. If I didn't have to worry about those two I would probably just go for the car one size up from the mini. It's the other people that are making it difficult to get a smaller car.
I think I may have to invest in the suitcase one size smaller and if I was thinking I would have taken this one back but I bought it 3 months ago.

Re car: The size of the car isn't as important as the trunk space. (and sometimes larger cars don't have larger trunks) I have used a compact...and they can be pretty small in Europe (think the smallest cars we have here) I would try for something the size of a corrolla-which when we went was a step up from compact. We traveled with 4 last year and felt a corrolla/civic size would have worked. A smaller car is also nice for driving in Ireland since roads and parking can both be tighter than here in the US.

Packing: For warmth, thing layers. Bring lighter clothes that can be worn individually and then layered instead of heavy coats. You will need a good lightweight, breathable, wind resistant rain jacket for Ireland. I travel with a that and a lightweight-but warm North face jacket. I also take a sweater or 1/4 zip fleece for a warmth layer. Everything can be worn individually, but I can layer it all over a regular shirt if I want lots of warmth. I've gone to the top of the mountains with that...and it won't be as cold as that in Ireland. Pack as light as you can, you won't regret it. We found that it Ireland, it was a good value to leave our clothes at laundrymats and let someone else wash them and then pick them up at the end of the day. It wasn't that much more than doing it ourselves. We also wash a lot by hand, so we only had to use a laundrymat a couple of times.

The car rental websites have diagrams of how many suitcases and people can fit in what size of car. When my son and I last went, we took the smallest possible car. It did not have enough room in the trunk for both of our 21" bags, so one had to ride in the backseat.

There's no good reason that the two of you who are staying longer should have more luggage than the other two.

I will echo what the others have said about trunk space being more critical than passenger space. In 2005 I rented a Ford Focus hatchback in Ireland. There was barely enough room in the covered space in back for three carry-on wheeled bags arranged upright and side by side. We put our three day packs in the space that would have been occupied by a fourth person and always took them with us when we parked the car.

Have you thought about renting one car for the four of you and then a smaller car when it's just the two of you?

I amcurrently in Doolin, today is sunny and warm again. I realize we are lucky, but it is very temperate, lots of fushias, palms and wildflowers.
I say skip the purse and use backpack, if it is light. you could live in jeans and by the way...food has been Fantastic

Hi Tricia,
2 years ago we went to Ireland with my in-laws and rented a car. No car in Ireland is too huge! I would get the step up from the compact even with just 2 of you it will not be to much... As for the weather - I wore capries and long sleave t shirt with a sweater (that I bought there). We did laundry halfway through the trip. (12 days) I also had a waterproof jacket (lightweight) and was fine. I too am a photographer - I didn't take my laptop just a photo bank to download onto. Prepare for rain!

I don't really see much of a dilemma, you have no choice but to get the larger car and hopefully get your travel companions to throw in a few more euros to cover the added cost.

I wasn't concerned about packing light on my Ireland trip in '07. My wife and I packed our two rolling suitcases and one duffel bag till they were about to burst. Since we had a car and drove to our B&B's doorstep every time, the only time we had to haul the luggage was to and from our Dublin hotel after we returned the car. No biggie.

We are so busy right now, we haven't even had any more time to worry about it. We're going to pack whatever we need and then take a suitcase to fit. Will do laundry when we need to, buy a sweater there if necessary and just stop worrying about every little thing.

I'm sure the car and situation will be fine. If it is cramped on the way to and from the airport when there are 4 of us.... too bad!

Thanks for the words of wisdom and for relieving some stress. Time to stop worrying about everything and look forward to the trip!!

There is a difference between being cramped in the car and having things physically not fit at all. My parents once had to upgrdade a rental because of golf clubs that simply could not fit in the car with the luggage. Just be prepared to upgrade at the rental counter if you have to.

Upgrading is always possible, good point. Fortunately we don't have any large equipment or instruments. Like I said before, it will be one week with four and then just two of us. Should work out well.

Can't believe how quickly the days are flying. Better start making lists before I forget something important!!

I've rented from AutoEurope and often times some car categories indicate a free upgrade to the next class. Check their website for these upgrades and ask for these when you call them. Also, are you getting an automatic. Don't forget you'll be driving on the other side of the road, on the other side of the car and shifting with the left hand. Have a great time making lifetime memories!

Hi Tricia,

Here's a packing checklist that's posted on this site:

Packing Light and Right

Enjoy your trip!