jatrophia

Two of us will be travelling to Ireland, both parts, in the near future and thought we had everything sorted out as regards car rental. Most people on these boards advise on renting a small car because of the narrow roads. We intended to do this but, for our 3 week stay, we will each be taking 2 suitcases plus a carry on bag on this trip. Two of these cases will be the maximum size that Aer Lingus allows. Dan Dooley's rental rules state that any break - ins to their vehicles will be the renter's responsibility if the break in is to steal some personal item left in view inside the car. Our question is about trunk space in these small cars. Can someone please advise us on (1) amount and size of luggage that we should try to get by on, and (2) the size of the trunks in those small cars and if it's advisable to carry cases in the passenger area. We will be staying in many hotels and guesthouses during the 3 week trip - probably no more than two nights in any one place. We are both adult males - average build. Thank you very much.

nytraveler

For four suitcases and two carry-ons - if I'm reading you right (whatever could you have in them?) you will need the largest car they have - and even then something will probably have to go in the back seat.

(The small cars will usually hold one suitcase and a couple carry-ons in the trunk. But if you go to the car rental web sites it will have little pictures of how many suitcases they will hold.)

And no - I would never park a car anywhere - even in the country in Ireland - with any luggage showing.

So - I think you need either

1 - to bring a security guard with you

2- to cut way back on your luggage

3- not to park the car with luggage shpwing in it (not stop between hotels - or do so only in places where you can see the car - or that are secure)

Unless you're taking a bunch of stuff TO someone in Ireland - why not take half as much luggage and simply do laundry - or have it done - as you go?

edhodge

You will get tired of hearing this but if possible, you need to cut way back on your luggage. We rented a Mondeo, which I believe is considered an intermediate. It had room for both of our carryons, some small assorted bags of purchases and not much else. There is no way all your luggage will fit. You will be lucky to get 2 of your humongo bags in the trunk.

oceania

What you pack is essential to any trip and most people overpack and don't even half the stuff they bringing.

The key packing is layering. Take clothes with you that you can wear in layers. This way you can take off layers if you're hot or add on layers if you're cold. You can also switch the tops with the bottoms. One large suitcase for the both of you should be sufficent should be more the sufficient for 3 weeks. And put teh 2 carryons in the back seat.

I'll be travelling for 18 days and only plan to take 3 pairs of pants with me in a medium sized backpack!

Visit a laundromat a couple of times during your trip.

kodi

I don't think it matters what size car you rent, it isn't going to hold 4 suitcases and two carry ons in the trunk. I can't imagine what you could be taking.
Try to cut back to one suitcase each and a carry on.

When I did have to leave a carry on in the back seat, I'd put it on the floor behind the seat and throw a jacket over it. NOt the best solution, but better than leaving it in plain view on the seat.

althom1122

As others have said, no way will two suitcases go in the back of a small car (and I agree with the folks who recommended that you get a small car - the roads are indeed narrow). A friend and I went a couple years ago and her suitcase (rather large) was all that would go in the trunk. I had a rolling carry-on and it had to go in the backseat. I was not happy about it- wished we'd both brought small bags so they both would have fit in the trunk. But it worked out ok - I did try to cover my bag when we had to leave it in the car. But yes, suggest you cut back on your luggage!

Itallian_Chauffer

I've been to Ireland seven times, often as guide/driver for 4-6 people. I have a hard and fast rule that each couple are allowed one (1) SHARED Big suitcase and ONE carry-on per person. Average stay was 8-15 days. Two carryon and one large bag might/should fit into a mid-size (think Toyota Corolla). Pack a collapsable duffle to put dirty clothes in and to pack purchases. Bring old underwear and socks and discard them after use. Buy clothing there. There are infinite varieties of ways to cope with a reduced wardrobe.
Bob

Songdoc

We'll also be going to Northern Ireland and the Republic in two weeks -- also two adult males -- and plan to travel with one medium sized suitcase and two carry-on bags--total. We'll also pack a collapsible bag to fill with souvenirs and gifts. We're renting the smallest car available.

We've gone to Italy and even on a cruise -- with nothing but carry-on. Because of it being cold this time of year in Ireland it makes packing light a bit more of a challenge -- but it's possible. For us, it's not worth the hassle of dragging around all of those extra bags.

We'll be gone for 13 days. So, how will we do it? The same way we've done it in the past. We'll each take: a pair of jeans, two pairs of nice corduroy slacks; two sweaters; a sweat shirt; three or four shirts; a few T-shirts (as others have said, the key is layering); one set of thermal underwear and three or four sets of regular underwear (which we'll wash in a sink). Our only coat will be the one we wear onto the plane. We'll also pack a scarf, hat, and gloves. We'll wear our walking shoes and pack one pair of nicer shoes. One of our lodgings has a washer and dryer and we can do a load of laundry once, if necessary.

We don't plan on going to fancy places where we'd need a coat and tie -- and neither of us is big on fashion. We'll take our toiletries in small containers, carry along a good book, a laptop, an iPod, and manage to fit it all.

Does this sound crazy to you?

d1carter

My wife, teenage son, and I traveled to Ireland last May and we each took one carry-on sized wheeled bag and a day pack. We stayed 12 days. We took our dirties to the laundry in Kinsale where we staying for a couple of days. It works great. Even my wife agrees after we have done this several times. It takes some getting used to, but it is the way to go. We traveled in a Picasso hatchback and were very comfortable. Do your homework before you go and when you get on the plane, forget about what you forgot, they sell it in Ireland. Enjoy!

janisj

I'll just echo what everyone else has said. That is way, WAY too much luggage for any length trip, let alone for just 3 weeks.

If you are sensible about layering and mixing.matching you can get everything one needs into a 19 inch to at most 24 inch bag. I do any length trip w/ a 19" OR a 21" bag. That's it - no other carry-on/day pack/extra stuff.

You should easily be able to use a 21 incher plus maybe a small tote/daypack. Don't think of it as a 3-week trip - think of it being a 5 or 6 day trip and plan on washing out underwear/socks as you go and maybe twice do real laundry.

ktplymouth

I was in Ireland a couple of years ago with my 80 year old father and my 20 year old son. We rented some kind of 4 door that had a really large trunk. We all had 1 fairly large bag, my dad had his golf clubs and we all had carry on, 2 being backpacks on wheels. We didn't have any trouble with the luggage. Nothing showed in the hatch back. We were there for 3 weeks. I did all the driving because my father was over 70 and not allowed to drive a rental and my son was under 25. I had a great time on the narrow roads, really loved driving there and had no problems

Have a great trip!

jatrophia

WOW!! Thank you all very much for your responses. We got your message, loud and clear, that we will just have to cut down - away down - on luggage - no doubt about that. To be honest - looking back now - we don't know what we were thinking. I guess that all we worried about was the limits placed on us by Aer Lingus. As you said, kodi, no matter what the size of our car rental we could never fit in all that proposed luggage. Thanks to all for the tips and suggestions and we have already made some decisions today. First things to be scrapped were the two very large suitcases and the laptop. Thanks, Songdoc, for your help. We are not big on fashion either but we got carried away with the 'winter' type clothing thing and had various bulky jackets, sweaters, boots, etc., ready to pack! We will leave those items behind now and go with the 'dressing in layers' suggestion. Thanks again to all.

kodi

Great! Good luck to you both and I hope you have a great trip.
YOu will see once you are there that it's so much easier with less luggage.

janisj

That's a great decision! You will be sooooo much happier w/ less "stuff" to worry about. Not just in the car - but in the small B&B/hotel rooms too. Stepping over massive luggage to get to the bathroom/closet gets old fast.

chatham

You'll do fine now. I've traveled in Ireland with 1 large suitcase and 1 small carry-on for 3 weeks, winter, spring and fall. I take small packets of woolite, use the sink and for larger clothing go to a laundry. You can drop it off in the am and pick it up pm. Have fun.

Timlin

Sounds like your organized now. When we went we left our hard sided wheeled suitcases behind because they weight 14 lbs before you start to put anything in them.

We dragged out our old canvas bags and they work so much better for setting out of the way in the small rooms you find in Europe. Many of the hotel or B&B rooms are so small a large hard sided suitcase is impossible to work around.

I know your going to have a wonderful time.....enjoy every minute!!!

joolleeb

We were there for two weeks and sent out some of our clothes to be cleaned(we had been hiking/biking and doing alot of outdoor activities). The hotel in Dublin had this service. Just a thought to keep in mind. ALSO you will be carrying all of that luggage upstairs sometimes 4-5 flights. Most Inns B&B's and some hotels do not have elevators.

edhodge

Glad to hear it! Don't forget to pack some type of roll up duffel to check your dirty clothes on the way home. Use your carry on bags for all the good stuff you will purchase while you are there.