Swapping Clothes, Climates, and Activities

[NewCruiser51912]

I'll be going on my first trip to Europe and first cruise this May/June. My husband and I will be traveling with his family to Ireland in late May for 10 days, followed by a west Med cruise for just hubby and I June 3rd. We're sailing on the NCL Epic out of Barcelona. After that, we have a couple day in Barcelona before we fly home. A total of 20 days. Ireland will be spent with a good amount of hiking and exploring or generally being very active. The cruise will be a mixture of active and relaxation.

 

I'm trying to figure out how to pack for the different climates/activities and still pack somewhat lightly. Ireland will be in the 50-60 F degree range and rainy while west Med will be much warmer/sunnier.

 

I'm hoping to get by in Ireland on one pair of jeans. I've seen all of the suggestions for packing light by choosing outfits that you can make work several ways but I'm having trouble figuring out a few essentials that can cross climates so easily. I'm planning on buying a couple capris that I can wear in Ireland and for sites in Italy that require my knees to be covered. I'm also getting a lightweight, waterproof jacket to work in Ireland that will hopefully fold very small. I've bought a pair of shorts for the ship that are a light, soft material so they will fold into almost nothing. I also have thicker thighs so "chub rub" is a very real concern when it comes to shorts.

 

Does anyone have any specific suggestions (links are appreciated) of clothing I can use to make my suitcase lighter across these climates? I plan to bring a checked bag and a rolling carry-on for this trip.

[monster_like]

I have been to Barcelona, and the heat was unbearable, so I will suggest- pack something lighter for there! Ireland is colder and rainy which sucks but is worth seeing. You have to pack so many different clothes, it's crazy! But your plans sound great! Have fun :)

[Flatbush Flyer]

I'll be going on my first trip to Europe and first cruise this May/June. My husband and I will be traveling with his family to Ireland in late May for 10 days, followed by a west Med cruise for just hubby and I June 3rd. We're sailing on the NCL Epic out of Barcelona. After that, we have a couple day in Barcelona before we fly home. A total of 20 days. Ireland will be spent with a good amount of hiking and exploring or generally being very active. The cruise will be a mixture of active and relaxation.

 

 

 

I'm trying to figure out how to pack for the different climates/activities and still pack somewhat lightly. Ireland will be in the 50-60 F degree range and rainy while west Med will be much warmer/sunnier.

 

 

 

I'm hoping to get by in Ireland on one pair of jeans. I've seen all of the suggestions for packing light by choosing outfits that you can make work several ways but I'm having trouble figuring out a few essentials that can cross climates so easily. I'm planning on buying a couple capris that I can wear in Ireland and for sites in Italy that require my knees to be covered. I'm also getting a lightweight, waterproof jacket to work in Ireland that will hopefully fold very small. I've bought a pair of shorts for the ship that are a light, soft material so they will fold into almost nothing. I also have thicker thighs so "chub rub" is a very real concern when it comes to shorts.

 

 

 

Does anyone have any specific suggestions (links are appreciated) of clothing I can use to make my suitcase lighter across these climates? I plan to bring a checked bag and a rolling carry-on for this trip.

 

 

 

I'm no fashion expert but, I'd lose the jeans- just too bulky/heavy. Instead get a pair of convertible "climbing" pants (check REI). Lightweight, quick drying, zip to shorts, etc.

As for shoes, look at Sebago or Sperry deck shoes which can be great for both touring and dinner.

 

 

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[ricew001]

I used Boston Proper a lot for my work travel - nice lightweight clothes for easy packing. Layers are the answer! And wear your heaviest layers on the flight there - that may be the best place to wear your jeans to save suitcase room.

[Keith1010]

I agree about the blue jeans. They weight a lot and are not good in cold weather and not really needed in hot weather.

 

I would look at travel clothing sites such as Travel Smith and Magellan's to get ideas.

 

Keith

[martincath]

Layers. Instead of taking anything heavy, combine light things for when the weather is cooler and wear them alone for when it's warmer. A waterproof but UNLINED jacket for example, so it works to keep you dry but doesn't heat you up - if it's cold, you wear an extra layer under it for warmth. You may want something a bit more substantial for Ireland than the foldable jacket you mention - unless it's a very high quality foldable that breathes well, and totally waterproof footwear is a necessity if you're going 'offroad' in Ireland, lots of boggy soils that really hold onto moisture so even avoiding puddles entirely your footwear can still get soaked. Fingers crossed it's a nice sunny time for you, but Ireland/West of Scotland tends to get rained on a lot except in summer droughts.

 

Totally agree to ditch the jeans - although to be fair these days 'jeans' covers such a gamut of fabric thickness, colour, dressiness, and even fabric since some pairs seem to be more spandex than cotton! - but certainly a traditional pair of jeans is pretty much the worst choice of clothing you could take to a damp, cool climate for hiking around in, and could easily be too warm for comfort in Spain/the Med. I'd also do the zip-off-leg pants - I've seen some that zip between shorts, capris and full length but have only ever personally owned 'bermuda short' length versions that zip off a bit above the knee.

 

If you do have a broken-in pair of comfy boots, wear them while flying - saves a ton of room in the suitcase even if it's a hassle unlacing them to take them off at Security.

 

Brand-wise, if you can afford it, Tilley is about as good as it gets for quality of manufacture - but unless you plan to rewear these clothes for many, many years the price premium probably isn't worth it on their clothing. The hats though - no serious traveler should be without a Tilley hat, they are mind-blowingly good quality (and these days come in many different styles rather than just the original 'sailing hat'). If they ever wear out it will be replaced free. Google 'tilley hat zookeeper elephant' to see how robust these things are!

[Nevada Jen]

I find dresses to work better for travel. Lularoe makes a dress called the Carly. I literally wore one every day on my cruise and in very cold Florida weather for a few days on either side (don't ask how I ended up needing ice cold weather wear in florida). When it was cold, I wore leggings under them, when it was hot I wore shorts under it (slip shorts from Target. if you have a chub rub issue you NEED these!), for beach days I wore a swim suit under it. I wore a sweater over a dress when it was cold. For elegant night I wore the same dress but in a silky fabric. If you decide to go this route find a seller in your area and try on the dress. The sizing is very weird. I wear an XXL t-shirt and I wear a small in this dress but it is very much body shape dependent. Some of my friends don't size down at all. I literally did not bring a single pair of shorts or a tshirt. 6 dresses, two leggings, two booty shorts, two sweaters for 8 days and two climates. And I brought 1 pair each of flip flops, running shoes and wedge healed sandels. The tennis shoes didn't look super fashionable with the dresses but otherwise I was fine. Also, a stocking cap and scarf make a huge warmth difference with little space.

[Cruisinpickle]

I did Ireland and England two years ago in June. It was rainy and chilly everyday. I wore skirts and leggings though. I found a pair of pants from athleta that were lightweight hiking pants, but look like slacks. They were fabulous. Just stick to basic color for your skirts and pants and spice it up with your tops. Most pants and skirts can be worn more that once. Your skirts will work great when you get to warmer climates. They have built in A/C.

 

 

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[Cruisinpickle]

Oh and take some light weight cardigans that can be layers under your jacket. I think a beanie is a great idea too.

 

 

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[SRF]

Layer, layer, layer.

[SuiteTraveler]

Jeans are as good as useless for your trip. For Ireland, I would suggest a combination of leggings and some waterproof pants and a waterproof jacket for hiking such as pants and jacket in the North Face Hyvent waterproof breathable fabric. Otherwise you will be cold and wet while hiking - not much fun. Also get hiking boots and hiking socks, headgear and gloves if your hands tend to get cold.

 

In the Med, wear dresses and sweaters. The dress works better in the Med because many toilets in Europe don't have toilet seats and sometimes the floor is very wet and pants get in the way (or wet) when trying to use these toilets. Look at Travelsmith for ideas about simple, wrinkle proof travel dresses. The other thing is that May temperatures can vary between hot and cool in the Med in May, so if you wear a sleeveless knit dress paired with a knit sweater, you can take the sweater off when you are hot and put it on for going into churches. The dress is as cool as shorts - sometimes cooler and you will blend into the crowd better as Europeans tend to be more dressy in attire when walking around town. I wear Ecco walking shoes when touring in Europe for support and comfort. They have both fully enclosed shoes as well as fully adjustable sandals which are great if your feet swell up on the plane. For a 7 day cruise I would take 4-5 dresses and 4 sweaters and mix them up wearing a different combination each day. In addition, bring a sleep shirt and a swimsuit. Use one of the sweaters as a swimsuit coverup. Doing this will drastically limit what you need to bring in your luggage. Basically, I pick mostly solid colors for these pieces with maybe 1 to 2 print items. For example, I would buy this sort of cardigan:

 

https://www.amazon.com/B-I-L-Y-Womens-Front-Lightweight-Cardigan/dp/B01GIMTOQY/ref=cts_ap_1_vtp

 

You also need to know that while you may be able to bring a roll aboard bag as a carryon to Europe, internal flights and flying home, you would be required to check that bag as it is far above the Spanish carryon size limit which is more the size of a briefcase or large purse/diaper bag. You are also limited to 1 carryon. We ran into this when checking in at the airport in Barcelona to return home. My husband had brought his briefcase containing his computer and a backpack containing his camera equipment and they said he could only have 1 carryon. Neither of his bags could be checked without a huge risk of destroying his equipment. I had a single carryon. So I took my medicine and IPAD out of my carryon and put them in his briefcase and checked my carryon to allow us to take his bags on the plane home. I never travel overseas with a purse, so at least I didn't have that problem to deal with - as yes, that would be counted as a carryon in Barcelona. My husband also somehow managed to have an overweight bag (sigh) and Barcelona is strict so I had to fit his shoes into my checked bag. We now travel with a portable luggage scale and check bag weights before we go to the airport.