Hello,
We'll be traveling from the US to Ireland for a week and then fly to Rome for a week in mid-to-late June (2 adults + 3 kids)...we will be able to do laundry at least 1x but I'm struggling to figure out the smartest way to pack for two climates and not overpack. Would appreciate any tips- thanks!
Have you looked at typical temps? Obviously Rome will be much hotter, but overall it may not be a dramatic enough difference to justify too much packing. The light jacket you'd want for the plane anyway may suffice for while you are in Ireland. For the women in the group, if they wear dresses and skirts, some light leggings may be useful while in Ireland and will roll up so small they won't be too burdensome.
In Italy at the end of June you will dress like you would dress if you were going to Miami in the same period.
I would pack summer clothes for Ireland to wear underneath, but there you'll need also a sweater and a rain jacket. Rain jacket can be helpful in Italy too (it can rain in June) although not a heavy one. So minimize the sweater(s) for Ireland, maybe wear layers of multiple t-shirts below (which you can use later in Italy). I would even consider carrying old sweaters that you can leave in Ireland (if you need more than one). You might need a light sweater in Italy for the late evenings, although not likely unless you are like my wife who needs a sweater even when we go to Hawai'i.
I have a similar situation but going south to north. September 14 night western Med cruise then 7 nights London. Two travelers. One thing we are looking at doing is to have one of us take 2 small bags and the other one a larger bag. After the cruise, ditch all the warm weather/cruise wear into the large bag and ship it back to the US. There have been links here on how to do that. The end result is each of us with a manageable small bag (21-23") for our week in LOndon.
Maybe some variation of this plan would work for you?
For Ireland you can take a space-saving merino wool sweater and a water-repellant windbreaker. Even better, there’s no need for an umbrella with a hooded water-repellant windbreaker. Temps in Dublin average a high of 65 degrees with lows dropping to 48 degrees. June’s average rainfall for Dublin is 3” and that is over 10 days.
In Rome, days will be hot and humid ( 83 daily high/ 63 low). so cotton is King. It gets steamy at 65% humidity, so the only times you might need a light sweater/jacket will be during the evening.
