Ireland and Scotland Packing List (Used and Not Used)

I researched before packing for this trip. And then Ireland's forecast seemed much warmer than expected, so I took out my sweaters and sweats and opted for lighter clothes. That was a good move for Ireland, not for Scotland. Overall, what I packed did work. In case it is helpful to others (and so I have record for next time), here's what I packed, what I used, and what I wished I would have had.

Clothing:

All my clean socks and underwear (I wore all of the socks for sure!)
Dry wicking run shirt

Three dresses (one short-sleeve, one 3/4 sleeve, and one long sleeve)

One pair of jeans (that I really did not need)

Five pairs of leggings (one I did not wear)
Pajama shirt and shorts

Tanktop and shorts for the gym

Four long sleeve shirts

Four sports bras (all I wore with all of our traveling)

T-shirt for traveling home

Two pairs of yoga capri pants (for running and traveling)

Outerwear:

Front tie coat

Hoka shoes

Sunglasses (used minimally, but helpful when I did wear them)

Warm waterproof shoes

Windbreaker

Luggage:

Backpack with laptop sleeve

Crossbody bag

Hard sided suitcase (important in the rainy climate-those with fabric suitcases had wet clothes after our Ireland to Scotland flight)

What I wished I had:

Allergy medicine (to combat that cold or infection I got from the room?)

Down vest (for Scotland)

Envelopes to sort receipts (We had a lot!)
Face cream (I had my sunscreen face cream, but not my night cream. The cold and wind plus blowing my nose a lot chapped my face.)

More veggies (I ate the sweet potato sticks I brought, but would have appreciated more fresh or dried vegetables. Fresh agricultural products, dairy, and meat are no-gos through customs.)
My phone's power block (Although we had an adapter, it did not handle the lightning cord well on its own)

Shopping bags (We consistently bought more souvenirs than expected, and the UK charges for bags. Bringing our own bags could have saved us money.)

A warm scarf for our day in Scotland (which I have now thanks to a gift my husband purchased for me)

What I didn't use:

Dress boots (We walked too much for me to think about anything other than tennis shoes.)
Hair straightener (I put my hair up every day.)

Raincoat (I needed a packable coat, not this big one, as I needed to take it on and off.)

Sunscreen (though we might should have used it)

Umbrella (because I kept forgetting to pack it, and my crossbody bag did not have room for it)

Other packing notes:

I like having my nails done for special occasions and trips. Normally, I use Sally Hansen gel polish, and that keeps for a week. But what to do this time about the two week trip? Enter nail decals. A friend of ours uses them, and I decided to try. It was a little bit of a learning curve to figure out how to apply them, but once I did, added the top coat, and let them cure for a few hours, they were solid. When I got home, I peeled them off, showered and washed my hands to remove the adhesive, and voila! No more nails. So easy! I used the forest walk nail wraps from Lily & Fox and am a big fan. Yes, they are a little more expensive than a coat of polish, but WAY cheaper than an actual manicure or fake nails.

I took a lot of medicine in case one of us got sick. That had not happened on our previous vacations, but I feared for my husband because one of his medications lowers his immunity. Well, this time, someone got sick, and that person was me. I was very thankful for the Emergen-C (off-brand), vitamin C, and zinc I had with me. At least that helped me feel like I was doing something about my symptoms. 

I needed snacks. Some people don't, but I made good use of my dehydrated sweet potatoes, fruit strips, and protein bars. They were snacks and meals and fill-ins, even with buying more food in country. I also took a refillable water bottle with me. That was very needed! While I did refill a throwaway bottle to carry in my crossbody bag while out and about, I also used my Nalgene bottle a lot.

My husband bought and brought with us an adapter. This is absolutely necessary! There are no US style plugs anywhere that I saw.

It is VERY helpful to have a Visa credit card that converts currency. This saves a lot of money and prevents needing to get out cash. We either tapped to pay, or used our phones to pay everywhere (even Aldi, which normally takes only debit cards in the US). As a bonus, it's helpful if that card earns points. Vacationing is expensive!

Final thoughts:

I will probably pack a little differently if we go to Europe again. Overall, however, this was not the worst job ever. I realized I also have enough clothes in my closet for almost anything (even if I did donate quite a few pieces in my year of less). I think with the right research, I can keep shopping the wardrobe I have for vacation clothes, saving our money for more adventures!