PACKING FOR IRELAND AND SCOTLAND
Spring in the U.K. is definitely unpredictable. Layers is essential for traveling, and your suitcase will thank you! So you’ve bought your tickets and your head starts spinning as to how you will possibly pack so little for such an amazing holiday across the pond. You are stuck between a couple of options, either you pack only a carry on and are sure your luggage will make it with you but you are so limited with space, especially if you want to bring your wellies! Option #2 is you have plenty of space, but you take the risk of your luggage getting lost on the way and you begin your trip without a fresh change of clothes. So the choice is yours, but remember it is not that uncommon for luggage to get lost on international flights. That isn’t to scare you from doing a checked bag, but just be aware! I know I would go insane without a change of clothes for a couple of days!
For myself it was a no brainer, I wanted something that I could pack up quickly and travel around lightly! We never stayed at the same place more than one night, so we were constantly packing up and putting our suitcases in the back of our rental car, so I opted for carry on only for those two weeks. Ever feel like when you do travel only with a carry on that you wear about ten layers on top and put on the biggest pair of shoes that you’re taking along on the plane? Yup, me every time, all about maximizing luggage space, even if that means wearing two coats on the plane and my wellies when it’s not even raining out when we get on the plane. I hope I am not the only one out there doing this!
Layers, layers, layers. The islands of Ireland + Scotland are definitely moody when it comes to the weather. Sunny to downpour rain in the matter of minutes and then back to sunshine. Hot and then all of a sudden so windy and you get cold, so having stackable layers when it comes to your outfits for the U.K. is exactly what you will want to pack. Layers mean there is so much versatility and outfit combinations that you can do which does make packing a bit easier, but I also get that you don’t want the same exact outfit in all of your pictures, girl I hear you, that is exactly my thought process with it, and not ashamed to admit it either! Plus you also want to be practical, but still look cute. Nothing wrong if you aren’t into fashion and care about those things, but I just love clothes and find that it is such a fun way to express creativity, so I love being able to express myself through clothes!
So, you decided to pack light, like myself. So the hardest part is set right before you. Think about all of the different things you’ll be doing and what you’ll need different outfits for. Our trip was a bit more laid back and geared more towards road tripping and doing some light hiking. So here is the breakdown of how I packed four our trip.
1 dress/jumpsuit
2 pairs of Jeans
2 pairs of leggings
3 workout/athletic tops
10 casual tops (long-sleeve, short-sleeve, and sleeveless)
2 sweatshirt/lighter jackets
1 Rain Jacket
Jean jacket
1 warmer Jacket
5 pair of shoes (sandals, nikes, my Hunter rain boots, my blundstone boots, pair of heels)
Of course other basics such as socks and other undergarments
Toiletries
Phone, Camera, Go Pro
Any chargers for - phone, camera, go pro, etc
Adapters for whatever country you are headed to! This is a big one and they are cheap on amazon, don’t get stuck buying an expensive one in the airport!
Leggings , Jean Jacket , Boots , Similar Hat
Yes, you will have overlap outfits on some days, we did have a washer and dryer at one of our airbnb’s which was awesome about half way through our trip, so then we did all of our laundry and were able to go into another week with fresh clothes. Helps out a ton with having to pack lightly! So if you can plan it out, I definitely would try work that out, then you are able to remain fresh. You don’t want to be those vacationers who are smelly and wearing dingy smelling clothes! That is not a way to remember and experience your vacation!
Sweater ( on major sale right now!) , Jeans, Similar Jeans, Hat, My FAV Boots ever!
This is where your creative side can come out, mix and match different outfit options. I physically laid out 15 outfits for every day we were going to be gone for, then I knew exactly how many outfits I had packed along, and then I wouldn’t overpack. It also helps eliminating packing things that you won’t even wear because you have nothing else to go with it or you have too many options. This definitely helps making sure you pack only what you need. I even then make a mental note of shoes that will go with the most outfits as well as my accessories to go with the outfits. Takes the stress out a bit when you can lay everything out ahead of time and physically see all of the different options. Like I said, it really allows you to prevent overpacking.
Sunglasses, Scarf, Top, Jeans, Boots
Now if you are a girl after my own heart, you often want options when you are somewhere else other then your own closet. So I did pack a couple of extra shirts because I had a bit of room, not a ton of extra room but enough to add a few other shirts for me to have a few more options to choose from! I definitely used the rolling method, also prevents your clothes from being really wrinkled, that is if you roll your clothes up nicely! stick rolled up socks in your shoes, they go there anyways, so I even utilized the space in my shoes to store my socks. Call it desperate, but I also was willing to do it to pack a few extra shirts!
Sunglasses, Earrings, Jean Jacket, Top, Leggings, Shoes
Like I said, Ireland and Scotland have very unpredictable weather, and not necessarily hot in the spring when we went. We lucked out with our weather and only had one day of rain! If you are traveling elsewhere, or even in the summer months, dresses. Dresses and jumpsuits are a game changer and a packing saver. So many different outfits and only one article of clothing, so takes up much less space. Dresses and jumpsuits are also so so stinking comfortable, flowy, and airy so it feels great when you are walking around and traveling in warmer countries or summer months!
There of course is no right or wrong way to choose when trying to decide how much you want to take along! I love when I travel lightly, takes a lot of the stress out of picking an outfit, it becomes pretty straight forward when traveling which is nice and saves a ton of time, well for me anyways! This of course is more of a guideline list, you can adjust it to your needs specifically. This is rather just some suggestions and guidelines that you can follow if you feel overwhelmed with packing before bigger trips! The nice part is, most international flights you will get a free checked bag, and even if you don’t it is only twenty-five dollars, so it’s not a huge budget deal breaker! So like anything in life, do what you want to do, it all will work out in the end and ENJOY and be present on your holiday! Happy traveling!
XOXO, Mara
