What to pack for your tour to Ireland?
OMG, what should I pack in my bag? What type of bag do I need? Will it fit on the plane & the bus?
Firstly, don’t panic. We have some very handy tips for packing for a trip to Ireland that involves considering the variable and often unpredictable weather. Here’s a comprehensive list to help you prepare for your journey:
REMEMBER, THAT BAG IS GOING ON THE TRIP…..SO HEAVY IS BAD, LIGHT IS GOOD.
Quick Check Before The Plane
- Travel Documents: Passport, ensure it’s valid for at least six months beyond your planned return date.
- Visa: Check if you need a visa based on your nationality.
- Travel Insurance: Consider comprehensive coverage for health, travel disruptions, and cancellations.
- Toiletries: Travel-sized toiletries, medications, and any personal hygiene items
- Air-plane essentials: headphones (possibly noise canceling if you have them), a power pack, a neck cushion if you suffer from neck pain, lip balm, a toothbrush, hand sanitizer, a tablet device for reading any novels you might need to catch up on, or a book. An eye mask as sleeping on planes is virtually impossible. See the electronics below.
What type of clothing, rain jacket, and footwear do I need to bring to Ireland?
- Clothing: Don’t bring too much clothing. You can get away with light shower-proof hiking pants that zip down to shorts if needed. And they can be washed and dried very quickly with today’s modern materials.
- A Hat: To keep the sun from burning and drying out your head (especially for bald men), the sun does shine here in Ireland hence all the red faces.
- Casual hiking or sportswear: Perfect….. You will also find laundry facilities en route which will also help to reduce the size of your bag.
- Layers: Pack layers, including a waterproof and windproof outer layer. This helps you adjust to changing temperatures
- Rain Jacket: We advise a good light waterproof jacket, a heavy jacket will be on and off you and get in your way in our very changeable weather.
- Casual footwear: Essential and most of the time sneakers/runners/tennis shoes will be fine. If you plan to do a moderate to strenuous hike, trail shoes with a grip would be perfect but not huge hiking boots as they take up lots of space in your bag.
What type of luggage should I bring to Ireland?
- Small Backpack: Useful for day trips to carry essentials and any items you pick up along the way
- Rucksack or suitcase? Leave plenty of space for shopping, ie; sweaters take up a lot of space. Rucksacks have plenty of straps and handles for you to carry them. A small suitcase will fit in the overhead luggage compartment saving you both time and money and less dragging around too. Lots of the accommodations are B&Bs that have lots of stairs.
We ask that you bring only one large backpack/suitcase (20kg) and a day pack. If you are going to be traveling with a lot more than 20kg, then please let us know.
What electronic devices should I bring with me?
Remember we use a three-pin plug in Ireland, with square pins!!!
- Tablet-type device: With movies or audiobooks on it to read or, if you prefer a softback book that you were meaning to read. Unless you’re traveling from the UK, you will need an adapter to use your electric appliances in Ireland.
- Portable Charger: Keep your devices charged with a power pack especially if you’re out exploring all day.
- Camera or camera phone? This all depends on what you are going to do with your photographs at the end of the tour when you get back home. These days most people print their holiday photographs into photo books so your phone will probably be adequate enough for that. You may be a keen photographer and want large photographs so then you should bring your camera along too. This you can bring with you as your carry-on luggage.
What bank cards work in Ireland?
American, Canadian, Australian? Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted throughout the island of Ireland; American Express is accepted in some places but not all. Credit cards can be used for purchases and also to withdraw cash from ATMs (although this usually is accompanied by a fee). It is better to withdraw from the main banks as the charges will be cheaper. The two main ones are AIB & Bank of Ireland.
Some last-minute essentials!
- Travel mug: Bring a clean cup or mug that will help to reduce waste materials going to recycling or being incinerated.
- Water bottle: Bring a water flask/bottle as tap water is safe to drink here in Ireland. Both reducing water waste and plastic bottle recycling is good for the environment and your pocket too. 🙂
- Medication: This is a definite. DO NOT FORGET YOUR MEDICATION. Doctors are very hard to get hold of in Ireland and it can take days to get an appointment when in rural areas around the country. So virtually impossible unless it’s an emergency situation.
- Sunscreen: Yes. You can actually get burned on a trip to Ireland. Also don’t forget bug-repellant spray for things we call Midges, which are tiny biting flies. But yes there are Mossies here but not the biting kind.
- Sunglasses: Yes, they will both keep out the sun and the rain. 😎
- Itinerary Printout: Have a printed or digital copy of your itinerary, this will help you plan for the following day whilst on the bus.
- Communication: SIM Card or Roaming Plan: Ensure you have a reliable way to stay connected
REMEMBER KEEP IT LIGHT TO ENJOY THE SIGHTS.
Here at Irish Experience Tours, we believe in the mantra of REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE.
Everything we do in our lives impacts our environment so reducing our environmental footprint is our goal here.
We must reduce our waste in the future and be more environmentally conscious. Less luggage also means less carbon used in the form of fuel used in air travel and the bus journey
So helping us to be more environmentally friendly, so good all round. ☘️
If you have more questions about what to pack for your upcoming trip to Ireland, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our team or visit our website. We’re here to make sure you are prepared for your adventure in Ireland. Contact Us
