Interactive Packing List: Ireland Getaway

Ever wonder what my suitcase looks like on our travels around Europe? Well, today I've got a sneak peek of a few things we'll be bringing along with us for our trip to Ireland in just 2 short weeks!
Typically, I'm the worst at packing. You'd think with all the traveling we do I'd turn into some kind of 'packing guru' or something, but no. I tend to overpack for two reasons: 1) European weather changes with the drop of a hat. One second it's cold and raining, the next, I'm frantically searching for my sunglasses and wishing I hadn't worn such a thick sweater. Annnd 2) I'm an indecisive dresser. I pack a wide variety of pants/shirts/scarves/shoes because I know once I get to whatever destination we're visiting, I'll get a vibe and decide at least 2 out of the 5 outfits I brought aren't "right" for the wearing. I might be clinically insane, it's true. But I'm also sure many other girls can relate to this. Sometimes that dress just doesn't go with the scenery…or with that pint of beer and tub of fries I ate at the pub late last night, but that's neither here nor there. A girl's gotta have options, and I'm the queen of them while traveling. Of course, my overpacking is met with quite a bit of annoyance and nagging from my male travel companion--"Why is your suitcase SO HEAVY?! Do you really NEED all those shoes. You only have two feet!" Yadda, yadda. You can blame Lufthansa and their gracious 50 lb. weight limit, because you bet your bottom dollar I'm gonna use every last pound of it!
In my defense, for weekend trips, I'm a modest packer. D and I usually share a carry-on bag just fine. It's the long trips over multiple designations (i.e. cruises) that make me a packing nightmare. One of my goals this year is to pack smarter. So far, I've been a good girl and only packed what I truly needed…and not a pair of shoes more. I have to say, while hard to stick to, this more streamlined way of packing has made our load lighter and easier to manage. I'm beginning to become a fan of simple packing (although this row is still a tough one to hoe). This interactive packing list has been a fun tool to help keep me on track and really visualize what to pack and what to leave home. And now you can see a few of the items I'm bringing along to our Irish adventure! If you click on any of the items in the list, you can see where to buy it, pricing, and why I love it. Neat, huh?! While this particular packing list is carry-on friendly, I'm sure I'll be adding much more to my suitcase once our trip gets closer. What can I say? I'm a packing work in progress. :)


(A big, huge thank you to the kind folks over at Round the World Experts for creating this fun app to display our packing list on the blog! For researching and booking flights around the world, give them a visit!)