canny good: Day 1: Looks Like We Made It

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9

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After a 6 year hiatus, the Canny Good travel blog has made its return! I had used this blog to document my travels when I studied abroad in England in the spring of 2012. Figured I'd revive it briefly to share my recent adventures with Steven to Ireland & Scotland (partly for my own benefit so I don't forget anything, but also for yours if you're interested). And, since we planned this trip on our own, you'll get some some bonus travel tips in case you ever organize a trip like this yourself! So without further ado...

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Flew out of Charlotte at 10am EST on December 26. Landed in Dublin around 5am local time / midnight EST on December 27. We took a bus from the airport & arrived in the city around 6:15am, then hauled our luggage around in the dark until we found our hotel. Dropped the luggage off, wasted a few hours in Starbucks (since it was the only thing open), then did a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, which gave us a good overview of the city. Some of the most famous stops included the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College (which holds the Book of Kells), Kilmainham Gaol, the president's official residence, and Dublin Zoo. Fun fact: the lion in MGM's trademark was born at Dublin Zoo! Our bus tickets also allowed us unlimited use of the Dublin buses for 72 hours so we were set on transportation for a bit.

We also wasted some time wandering the streets til 2pm when we could check into our hotel. There was a really cool park next to us - St. Stephen's Green - that had lots of seagulls and ducks and pigeons and swans. We finally got in the hotel room, showered, and went to bed by 4:30pm. Being awake for 30+ hours had taken its toll, and we had a full day of fun ahead of us in the morning.

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Dublin accommodations:

Travelodge, Dublin City Center, Stephen's Green
Lower Mercer Street
3 nights

Nothing fancy, but it has all you really need. A bit hard to find the first time if you're coming into town at night, since there's not a lot of external signage. Located next to Stephen's Green shopping center, so if you forget anything, you can just buy it when you get there. Breakfast starts at 8am in the cafe next door. Don't bother paying for early check in or late check out; they'll hold your luggage for you, for free, if you have a later flight.

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Packing tips:

Pack light: Steven and I fit all of our stuff in a carry-on & one checked suitcase. We could have gotten by not checking a bag, but I wanted a bit of extra room for souvenirs.
Boots made for walking: Shoes take up a lot of room in a suitcase. You really only need to bring one pair - the ones on your feet. Just make sure they're comfortable, warm, and waterproof. And don't cheap out on your footwear. I got these Eddie Bauer boots when they were on sale. A little expensive, but they did not disappoint! (Side note: If you stay in a hostel, I'd recommend you also bring of cheap flip flops to wear to/from the shower).
On a roll: Roll your shirts/sweaters in your suitcase. I wear camisoles with just about everything, so I rolled up a cami inside a sweater, so all I had to do was grab one in the morning & go. No need to sort through stacks of shirts in my suitcase to find the one I wanted.
Get cozy: If you're traveling to the UK in the winter, you'll need a warm, waterproof coat. It's going to be cold, dark, and rainy. Don't worry about packing a light jacket too. They take up too much room and, honestly, most days are too cold to go without your big coat!
Ladies: A backpack is better than a purse since it distributes the weight across both your shoulders. This small travel backpack was exactly what I needed. It's also "anti-theft" too, which means the zipper to get inside actually rested against my back, versus an exterior zipper than anyone could get to. I always felt like my stuff was safe & secure.