Packing light and laundry

1) If I remember correctly, a laundry service was available in Dingle but it might be best to check with the RS office.

2) No unless you want to go somewhere fancy. RS Tours are very casual.

3) Pack whatever you want. It's personal choice whether or not you pack a second pair.

You might want a light pair of shoes. April can be rainy, having a light pair to wear around towns or to dinner while your main shoes are drying might be worth the weight. Waterproof does not always mean your feet stay dry.

1. Not all hotels have self serve laundry facilities. Many people do hand washing in the sink every couple of days and have gotten it down to a science. Most everbody on the forum will share their tips if you are interested.

2. Not for the trip itself. It's always casual.

3. Packing an extra pair of shoes is not a "must", but is a very good idea as the first pair will probably get wet during some days. Keeping a pair of dry socks in a zip lock bag in your day bag is also a good idea. Saved our day several times.

This thread may help you with laundry https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/laundry-fd05c295-20ba-4cdc-818f-a2a516d90dc2
No, you do not need dress up clothes.
A lightweight spare pair of shoes can give your feet a break in the evenings. Or if a shoe fails, you have something to get you by until you can buy.

”2) must we pack ‘dress up clothes’ for any part of the trip?”

Hi Mary, to reply to “must” - then absolutely not needed. But, many participants like to have at least one item to look fine at a nice concert or dinner, if it happens to come up for your free time. And usually many of us look nicer at the final dinner, but again, it is not a “must”. ( I just didn’t want you to get there and feel like you wished you knew the whole story.). I do like to dress up more than most, and I still am just carrying 13 pounds in a nice backpack. My advice would be to bring what you normally wear at home if you were doing similar activities.

If by self serve you mean available machines and dryers for hotel guests, I don’t remember any. Most of the towns you visit have local laundromats. I’m sure you can google the towns on your itinerary to find out what’s available. That’s what we did in Dublin. The need for dress up clothing is dependent on what you like to do. Most people travel light so the clothing options are limited. A scarf or necklace at night can dress up what you’ve worn during the day if you feel that need. Frankly after 10 1/2 RS trips, I found that lugging around stuff just to have something “nice” to wear to the last dinner was just not worth it unless it was something I had picked up during the trip. During both our trips to Ireland, it rained quite a bit. I’m glad I had two pair of waterproof shoes and a very good raincoat and rain pants.

Our B&B in Dingle did a bag of laundry for us, the guide let us know about this at the start of the tour. This was easy as it was a three-night stay about midway through the tour. The hotels vary tour by tour, so there's no simple answer about laundromats. When you get the hotel list, use Google Maps or some such to find nearby laundromats. Dingle had one some distance from where we stayed but I never considered it. Free time is enough, in various places, to let you do laundry, but it's too bad to use the time that way if you can avoid it.

No need for "dress up clothes."

You don't have to pack extra shoes but it's a good idea if you can. I bring Birkenstock sandals, which are very light and compact, to give my feet a break when needed. I expect your Merrills will do fine otherwise, though the idea of extra dry socks is a good one.

1. In 2000, there was a youth hostel adjacent to the Rick Steve's Tour hotel in Dublin. No one was around so I just helped myself to the coin operated washer and dryer. I did not look youthful.
2. I have observed that the majority of women wear a step-up from casual outfit for the farewell dinners. Silk scarves were popular for the special dinner.
3. Flip-flops are terrific for a quick trip to the lobby or coffee shop and double as slippers in your room.
   

I can't speak for the tour or the laundry, but I always bring a second pair of lightweight shoes. My favorite pair are Hey Dude Wendy deck shoes. I love them so much and they are so comfortable. Plus they're great if you want to walk around outside in them for awhile. I wouldn't take them on a 5 mile hike, but I wore them one night to a restaurant and walked about 3/4 of a mile and back again to get there. I bought mine at a local shoe store but you can find them online at the Hey Dude site, Zappos and Amazon.

I would highly recommend another pair of shoes. I brought a pair of waterproof walking shoes which were wonderful, but I felt they seemed a little grungy at a certain point and enjoyed going out to dinner in my Clark's black walking shoes that were sleeker and paired well with my black pants. On lighter walking days, I would also wear these, to give my feet a rest from the pressure points of the other shoes. I think a scarf is a nice way to dress up a plain top. I don't think you would need anything "dressy."

I would also recommend, a rain hat. At some of these windy locations, an umbrella is useless, and it will keep your head dry.

I have never done a tour, but I can't imagine some of these hotels don't have drop off laundry service. I would do it the first day of a multiple stay destination, just to make sure you get it back ok. I don't think I would want to sit in a laundromat on a vacation. I would think there would be a way to contact the tour and ask them.

Re #3, at home could you wear your hikers every day for 14 days in a row without your feet complaining? Then you can probably fare fine with just one pair. As others have suggested a second pair would give your feet a break and allow your other pair to dry out if necessary. On my last trip took two pairs of shoes, plus packed a pair of Birkenstock EVA Arizona sandals (plastic) and they served as on the plane shoes (my feet swell), slippers in hotels, and casual footwear for a couple of evenings. That might not work for Ireland in April, but there are plenty of lightweight footwear options that might fit the bill (search the forum for ideas).

I totally understand the issue of space in your carry on, so I always wear my heaviest/bulkiest shoes on the plane. You can also pack stuff inside your shoes too to maximize space - that's where my socks live in transit, plus I use them to stash souvenirs that might need some extra cushion.

1 I've washed my clothes twice in Ireland, once in Westport, Co. Mayo, and the other time in Camp, Co. Kerry. I would guess that there are laundromats in most Irish towns of around 1,000 residents, often less. If the hotel doesn't have laundry facilities, they'll know where some are located. They'll probably be able to call someone who will come to your hotel, take your laundry, wash it and come back with it cleaned, folded and pressed.

I've also done my laundry in Spain, France and Poland as well as Ireland. I regard laundry duties as a fun way to meet locals and other travelers.

2 I've been to Ireland five times, always as an independent traveler. People dress generally informally in Ireland, even in Dublin. Maybe pick one ensemble that's slightly nicer than average.

3 I believe one pair of shoes should do. You can always buy a second pair there for $20 if you believe you want more. In 2010, I hiked a 100-mile-long trail in Kerry. For that, I brought two pair of shoes. For a Rick Steves tour, however, I believe one pair should work fine.

I went on this tour in July of 2022. I used a 38 liter, 2-wheeled, 4.5 lb empty bag. It weighed 20 lbs fully packed. It was often cold, wet, windy and rainy. I'd expect worse weather in April. Taking a long rain coat like this was probably the smartest thing I did. Sometimes hoods don't stay on in windy weather, but wearing a ball cap or a watch cap (beanie) under the hood will usually keep it in place. My major warm layer was a zip-up fleece jacket. You might need something a bit warmer than that.

1) Yes to both questions. Our hotel in Dingle did take a bag of laundry and have it done for us. So did the one in Belfast at the end of the trip. The cost was 20€ or 20£ and well worth the price. I'd spent a few days in Dublin before the tour started, so I did a little sink washing the first night in my tour hotel room. There was a laundromat nearby, but I really didn't need to use it. Based on my experience in Wales after the tour, whether I did laundry myself in a laundromat or had it picked up from my hotel, the cost was 20£.

2) Just say "no" to fancy clothes. I had my normal travel clothes and shoes on the whole time and never felt under-dressed. I actually plan my travel wardrobe around a colorful, not expensive, not silk scarf. On this tour, my basic colors were yellow, blue and orange. A good thing about a scarf is that it can protect a top from food spills and is easily washed and dried overnight. Including what I wear on the plane, basic garments for my trips include 3 pairs of long pants and 6-8 tops, period.

3) If your hiking shoes prevent slipping and support your ankles, if your pants cover the tops of them and if you wear socks that will keep your feet warm and dry, I'd say you're well-prepared for footwear. Be aware that the tour may spend more time on slightly hilly, rough or wet terrain, even in towns, than you expect. I've been wearing a pair of KEEN Women's Terradora 2 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots on my trips for years. I like them because they're lightweight and support my ankles. I have them in 2 colors including my favorite blue ones called Majolica/ Tapestry. I always take 3 pairs of fun moderate compression Sockwell socks to wear with them. They support my legs, help to prevent fatigue and keep my feet warm and dry. I do pack a pair of comfy Abeo flats, but I rarely wear them outside the hotel. After staying in a B&B with a very slippery shower floor, I always take a pair of nonslip fast drying shower shoes similar to these. I wear size 10 and they easily fold small enough to fit in a quart size Ziploc freezer bag.

One final note. The one time I wore neutrals on a trip, I found it boring and depressing. One woman on this tour with me did that because she thought it was expected and regretted it. If neutrals work for you, that's great. If not, don't be afraid of showing your personality in what you wear.

I'm also team second pair of shoes. For all of the above reasons