What SHOULD you PACK for Ireland

Let's talk about what you should pack for a 10-day trip to Ireland and fit it all in a carry-on size luggage and backpack. I've been to Ireland three times now and figured out what to pack and what not to pack. The first thing you want to think about is weather. It is very unpredictable. Layers are going to be key. It can be rainy, sunny, windy, stormy, all in the same day. You'll want to be prepared for any kind of weather you might encounter. The first thing I like to do is gather all the stuff that I would like to bring with me and then once I have it all laid out on the floor I decide what I may have two of or three of and decide I only need one. So I've already done that step. I've looked through everything and collected all the stuff that I want to bring with me which is here. So we're going to start first with powderware. This is what's going to keep you dry when it's rainy and warm when it's very windy because it gets very windy on the cliffs and the coastline. This is my rain jacket. I like it because it is super lightweight and it's made of Gore-Tex so it's going to keep me fairly dry. I tested it out on a trip to Colorado before I went to Ireland to test it in the windy conditions up near a mountain and it did really well. I like it for wind and rain. That's the important part. You want to kind of have a jacket that does both. Next is going to be rain or wind pants. These saved me a ton of times. Not only are they warm as an extra layer, they protect you against the rain and the wind. So I pretty much wore this on the outside of all of my clothes every day we were there. The next thing you'll want to have is a hat. I pretty much wore a hat every day I was there. This is the one I like. It's just a really lightweight wool hat so it keeps me warm. And then while I was there I bought a wool hat from Ireland and I love this hat because it keeps me super warm. So you could bring a hat and then when you go there you could buy a hat and have two options. Next you're going to want some kind of gloves or mittens. I like both of these. If you can, I would recommend getting waterproof gloves or windproof gloves. They can get kind of expensive. It's up to you what you want to spend for this trip. But I also like to bring a pair of mittens because mittens keep your hands a lot warmer than gloves do. Then I have a down jacket that I like to wear under my rain and wind coat. And then I can always just take it off and put my rain coat on and just wear that. So it's nice to have those two options. So that's it for my outerwear. Let's talk about shoes real quick. You are going to want to consider two things when you're deciding what shoes to bring. Are they waterproof? Bog proof as I call them? And are they comfortable to walk in? You're going to be doing a lot of walking if you really want to see Ireland. So those are the two main things that I would recommend. So I have a few options to show you. These are the ones I brought the last time we were there. They are hiking tennis shoes. They're really comfortable and they are waterproof. Are they bog proof? They're better than most. But if you want bog proof, you're going to have to go with more of a boot option. But I liked these. The more boot option are going to be something like this. Where these are definitely fully waterproof. You will not get wet. And they were incredibly comfortable. Now I wore them lots of times before going on a trip. So if you're getting new shoes, make sure you wear them. It's very important. Another option are something like a wintry kind of boot. If you're wanting to stay a little more warm. These I also have brought to Ireland and they were very comfortable. I could walk in them. I liked them. So I would pick one waterproof, bog proof shoe to bring. So of those three, I'd pick only one of those. The next option would just be a pair of regular lightweight tennis shoes. Like these or something like these. These are super packable, nice, lightweight shoes. So I would bring two pairs with me. One waterproof, bog proof, either a hiking shoe or a muddy. This is the one you're going to be going and trekking through the countryside. And then you're going to want a pair of comfortable tennis shoes. These are what you're going to wear like around the hotel or when you come in from a really long hike and you want to change your shoe because your feet hurt. Then you can change into those. Or if you know you're just going to explore the town one day, then you would wear those. So two pairs of shoes. Another thing I forgot to mention for outerwear is an umbrella. I thought, oh, why do I need an umbrella? I have a waterproof raincoat. I have rain pants. I should be good. Well, sometimes it is like a torrential downpour and my raincoat still would get a little bit wet if it just kept coming. I mean, you have to spend a lot of money if you want like a waterproof, waterproof coat. So I brought an umbrella. I like brighter colors mostly because it looks good in photos. If I want a picture of someone in the landscape, I will open the umbrella and have them hold it like this and it's a bright color with the green. To wrap up the outerwear section of the video, what is going to be a scarf. And next, we're going to talk about socks because this is also important when you're traveling to Ireland. There are a couple options you can bring. These are all wool socks. I like wool because they're warm and dry. So these wool socks are going to be more lightweight. These are going to be more like medium weight. So these are kind of the everyday hiking ones that I would wear. And these are going to be a lot thicker. It's kind of a preference as to what you want. But just note that even if a sock is thick, it doesn't mean it's warm. It depends on what the material is. So pay attention to that. I like merino wool. Let's talk about clothes. For pants, I like to wear leggings because leggings, you can have different weights, warmth weights, I guess. I like leggings with the side pocket that I can put my phone in. It's really a preference. So I have these like lighter weight ones. And then I have these leggings, which are actually fleece lined. And they're super nice because they're lightweight and really warm. And they go well under my rain pants. Then these are a little bit more thick. But they have the side pocket for my phone, which I like. Except when I'm wearing my rain pants, and then I have to like stick my hand on my rain pants to get my phone. So they don't always work for that. But if you're not wearing rain pants, that's fine. And then like a pair of jogger fleece sweatpants I like. So I would probably bring, if I'm going for 10 days, I'd probably bring five pairs of leggings, all different. Like I wouldn't want to bring the same because if it's super cold, I'd probably want to wear the thicker ones more often. And if it's warmer that day, I would wear the lighter weight ones. If you're going in the summer months, I don't think I ever wore shorts when we went in July. I can't remember it was a while ago. But another option would be these super lightweight pants. When you talk about clothes for the top, you want to really look at layers. You don't want 100% cotton. Now that's great if you're going to Hawaii or somewhere tropical where it's hot and humid. Cotton's great. But we're going to Ireland where it's damp and cold most of the time. So I would pick shirts that are like a polyester blend or wool. So I have four t-shirts that I would wear underneath. Then I have my long sleeve. Now my long sleeve is wool. I like to get wool long sleeves. So this is wool. This is wool. And then this is like a polyester blend, which is nice too. So I would bring those three long sleeves for layers. So I might wear this with this, this with this. So I kind of figure out outfits. One thing about your wardrobe is to think like a capsule wardrobe. Everything goes with everything. If I want to wear this shirt, it goes with every pair of my pants. I want to wear this shirt, it goes with every pair of my pants. That way you can mix and match the whole 10 days. Then you don't have to pack as much. Then you have another layer. Like I said, layers are key. This would be like an outer layer. If it's a warmer day, I might put a t-shirt under this layer. Or if it's really warm or really cold, I would wear a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, and this, and my down jacket, and my raincoat, and then I would be perfectly warm. And then throughout the day, if it gets warm, you can always just take off a layer. And I also like a flannel shirt. It's nice to just throw over if I have a layer and I want to go down to dinner or something or go out to the pub. I'll just throw this over my, um, one of my t-shirts. So I like this for kind of going out. And then this is another long sleeve shirt that I would bring, probably for pajamas, so I could wear it like when I'm cold. If the room is cold and all I brought was a t-shirt for pajamas, then I would put this over it. So it's multifunctional. And I would bring two pairs of pajamas. So I like just pajama pants and t-shirts. That's probably what I would bring for my pajamas. Let's move on to toiletries. Now this is going to be based on what you like and what you don't like. Everyone's different. I usually bring like a medium-sized bag and try to fit everything in here. Let's start. I found these little travel brushes that I like. You can bring a full-size brush too. It should fit. But I'm bringing that one. And then my toothbrush, some dental picks, dental floss picks. My toothpaste is going to have to go into a Ziploc bag. That'll be... I'll show you what I bring for my liquid stuff. Some q-tips, some Kleenex, deodorant. I usually bring a tweezers, a nail clipper, and a nail file. A band for my hair to keep it back. And some like hair ties. I usually keep it all in a little sack so it's easy to find. And if you need any feminine products, put those in there. You can see there's plenty of room. If you wear makeup you could put that in there too. Another option is for washing your face. I like these. Any facial wipe will work to get that dirt and grime off. But I also bring a washcloth. If you like washcloths, Ireland is known to not provide washcloths at every hotel that you're staying at. I would say about 50% had washcloths, 50% didn't. So bring your own. And I like to bring a brightly colored one so it doesn't get mixed up with their white towels. Washcloth, stuff to wash your face. Then I have my liquids, which obviously when you're traveling on an airplane you have to have all your liquids in a bag. So that's where I put my toothpaste, my mouthwash, eye drops, hand sanitizer, lotion, some conditioner, shampoo, body wash, and a razor. That is my stuff. I only bring this stuff I use on a regular basis. That's very important. So I probably put that in there. So those are my toiletries. I usually fit into one bag, two bags really. All right, moving on to accessories. I am a photographer and I like to bring all of my camera stuff. Well, not all. I fit all of my stuff in this one compact bag. It's pretty heavy. So I keep this with me in my backpack. I have my camera, an extra lens, battery charger, batteries, memory cards, and lens wipes. So that's pretty much what I, those are my necessities for my camera. I also have a Insta360 that I like to bring. It's a camera that has 360. So that's that, extra batteries, stuff like that in there. So that's my Insta360. So this is all I bring for camera gear. I also use my phone a lot to take photos. Next is you're going to want to bring cords. Usually my camera stuff has extra cords that are similar, but the most important thing you're going to want to bring is an adapter. So this one you can tell, Oh, USA. That's the normal for if you live in the United States and you just push this button, put it down. Um, and then you could do EU like that or UK. The UK is the one that Ireland uses. So it looks like this. This is very important and it has four USB so I can plug in four things at a time. So I'll keep that in my own little bag. You can put like a charger plate in here if you want to just set your phone on a charger too. So that's electronic cords. I have a little first aid that I bring. I have a nail file, chapstick, a few band-aids. Mole skin is great for blisters. So if you're wearing those shoes a lot and you're starting to get a blister on your heel, put this on before it starts getting bad. It's a game changer. So I always cut some sizes. It comes in like a bigger square, but you can cut them down and that's what I would bring. So that's just my little first aid that I need something. And then medications. This is a really fun little medication holder that I got in Georgia. It's a week's worth of medication. So if you're going to be there for 10 days, you can just load it up for the days that you're going to be there and it should be good to go. And then I bring a little container of like Tylenol and Advil. When you get a headache, you want some pain meds. All right. So that fits in here. So I try to know what's in what bag. Like, okay, my medications are in the pineapple bag. That's where they're going to be. So remember that. My chargers are in this bag. I like to pack just a tiny little bag for the airplane. And so it's easily accessible. I don't have to take my whole backpack out, get everything I need. What's in it is like earplugs, a nail file, a bandaid, just in case, cut your finger, chapstick, because it's really dry on the plane. And I've got my earphones for movies. Think about what am I going to want to get when I'm on an airplane? Those are the things. So what I'll do with this is I'll put it in my purse. Fits nicely in here. And I just stick that in there. And my passport and my credit cards and whatnot will go in here. And I will carry this with me. Don't forget sunglasses. I kind of like the hard case and, you know, they're not going to get scratched. And you can just shove them in your backpack and not have to worry about where they go. You can also use a softer case. I might put a soft case sunglasses in here and then maybe stick this in my backpack. I love sunglasses and I can't not have a pair of sunglasses. So I always bring two pairs because you never know. I always misplace where I put it. It's in there somewhere. Pack a little baggie of paper towels or Kleenex or toilet paper. Put it all in a baggie in case you maybe spill something. You never know what happens. So I like to bring this and just stick it in my backpack. So I have it in case I need it or maybe someone else needs it. Maybe they spilled their coke everywhere and you need to get a napkin really quick. Oh, here's one. These are my two favorite bags that I like to bring. They just come out when you are coming out of the car and you have a bunch of stuff just laid out. Just shove it all in here and then you can take it to the hotel. I also like this one mostly because it zips. So if you buy more souvenirs than you have room for, you can stick them in here, zip them up, and it's another bag. And then you can always check your carry-on if you want to on the way home. You can also buy a bag while you're there and then you get a souvenir and a bag all in one. That's what my sister did. You can also bring a little sack or like my coat when I don't want to wear it. I can just shove it in here which is why I like having a down coat because especially those packable down coats you can easily put it in here. Way easier to stick in your backpack when it's like this. So that's what I would bring. Next I'm going to pack it all up so you can see how it fits in my carry-on. There are different ways of packing but when it comes down to it, I think it's more of a personal preference. I do like a half fold half roll and I use a mixture of compression versus normal packing cubes. I do prefer packing cubes because as I go on the trip, I use them to distinguish what's clean and what's dirty. It is totally a personal preference so you can choose. Make sure you try everything on before you go to make sure you like it. You don't want to pack something you aren't going to wear because you don't like it on you. You want to be comfortable and wear things you love. Pack clothes that are you, not the person that you want to be. I've done this many times and end up never wearing it. That's valuable space it's taking up. Like I said earlier, coordinate all your clothes so they can mix and match with each other. Now don't forget your bras and underwear and socks. I put these all in their own cube. I like to keep my outerwear in its own cube as well so that I can easily grab it when we are on the go and all of my layers or outside are together. You can see the cubes on the left are compression and the cubes on the right are not compression cubes. I like both of these styles. Now let's put it all in the roller bag. As you are packing, make sure your carry-on can be checked if need be. Depending on your ticket, they may run out of overhead bin space which happened to us. I've seen this happen more and more lately. If you're traveling with other people, you can coordinate with them. For example, I'll bring the sunscreen and you can bring the shampoo. Then you can just share it while you're there. You may have to move some things around and see how things fit the best. If you have extra space, do not feel like you have to fill it because you will want room for souvenirs in your luggage. You can always do laundry while you're there. I can't go anywhere without a blanket. I love to be cozy and that is one way that I do it and it always fits in my luggage. That's what goes in my carry-on. Next, let's pack my backpack. I put anything I may need to easily access in the front pockets. Paper towels, sunglasses, and electronic cords. Make sure you check all the pockets in case you left something in there from the last time you used it. Next, I take my maps and itinerary. I use the laptop space in my backpack. You can go to my website to access my itinerary for iron. Let me know if you'd like a video on that. Then, I put my camera stuff in because it's pretty heavy. You may want to bring a journal or book along. I like to write down what we did so I don't forget. You will want your bag of liquids easily accessible and my meds go in this bag too. Lastly, I put my scarf and coat in if I'm not wearing them. I use a backpack for my personal item because I can then use it as a day pack when we go on adventures. My purse can go on the outside or inside of my bag. Seems weird to pack bags to put inside my bag but they will come in handy when we are traveling in our rental car to use for souvenirs or to take things into the hotel with you. I want to share with you a few things that you may want to consider bringing. For a full packing list, you can download it from my website which is in the description. These are the items I would not bring. You should leave these at home. That wraps up my packing to Ireland in a carry-on like this and backpack with my purse. This is what I would wear and wear like a t-shirt and a zip up little hoodie and some leggings with my bigger waterproof tennis shoes. You'll want to wear the bulkier of the two shoes. Don't forget to subscribe. I would love to keep making all of these videos for you. If you have any questions at all, please comment below and I will answer them. Thanks and have a great trip to Ireland. You'll love it.