I recall before the weight restrictions came in (what 10 years ago?) Americans taking what must have been baggage in size the guts of a small car

Similar thing in Mongolia. By the way, it's a hateful country -the only place where I was threatened with assault on a bus, verbally abused in the plane waiting area and had problems on the plane with someone taking my seat, among a 100 other things

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__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.___

You mean the time when the Aran Islands were full of native English people before being displaced by Gaelic-speaking fishermen?




Irish people are known to do that and Americans aren't known for answering

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__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.___

I don't think she meant the Aran Islands, she wasn't at all from there, but you could hardly say that it was an intelligent remark to come up with. As I mentioned before, it was probably said out of frustration more than anything else. That's the only explanation that I could give for it - and I just didn't know what to say in reply.

Weight restrictions for overseas flights are fairly recent. They weren't in place when I traveled to Ireland in 2008, which is why I was able to save a lot of money carrying books and CDs home in my (checked) backpack.

Even with the extra charges for bags now in effect, people over pack...sometimes hugely. This especially is true if they're staying for more than a week. I think people get a little freaked out at the idea of being away from home for that long and figure they just can't do without this or that, so they're willing to take the monetary hit at the baggage counter.

Aside from the cost, the idea of lugging all that stuff around with me leaves me cold.

Redwolf

I think it's common for first time travellers to overpack because they're nervous about travelling. They want to bring this and that so they'll be prepared in case something "goes wrong."

Hint: When something goes wrong, being weighed down with extra bags doesn't help.

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Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

This thread is reminding me of how Redwolf came to Ireland last summer fully prepared for rain and then had to buy sun cream on her first day here!

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Its probably more helpful if non Irish people provide advice on this, as everything here is normal for us.

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Bíonn rudaí maithe mall

My first day in Barcelona it was raining. I rang my mother, and she said they were having a heatwave in Ireland.

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Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

One of my sons lives in Berlin and he is being visited by some neighbours of ours - they've been sitting out in front of cafés sipping beers this afternoon in the sunshine while out here in the countryside south of Paris we've had endless cold showers and icy breezes. Níl sé ceart ná cóir.

Not only that, but the morning I left Dublin to go to Donegal, I finally broke down and bought a couple of pairs of shorts and a lightweight cotton shirt at Penney's! I ended up mailing home a pair of jeans and the one long-sleeved shirt I'd brought. I definitely should have checked the weather report before packing!

BTW, I'd love to nominate the woman who was working in the women's department at Penney's for sainthood! I had no idea what my size might be (and I only had about an hour before I had to check out of the hostel), but she knew how American sizes worked compared to Irish sizes and was able to steer me right (she also found me what is still my favorite hot-weather top). I was able to try things on, then get back to the hostel and change before packing up my bag and heading for the bus station.

On the other hand, on my last day in Ireland, as I was eating breakfast in the hostel, I sat next to a couple of American college kids who were nervously eyeing the weather out the window and wondering if the rain was going to quit long enough for them to do some sightseeing. I asked them why a little rain would stop them...after all, we were in Ireland! They were horrified...they'd come all that way and somehow had no idea that Ireland is known for being rainy! Not a raincoat, cap, or umbrella between them. I sent 'em both next door to Carroll's to buy rain ponchos.

Daithí, on the one hand you may be right, but on the other, often people who live in a country and have heard what others had to say (or who have traveled overseas themselves) can give really good information to a traveler. For example, I got some of the best advice on things such as tipping (which is very different in the States) from Irish people. Also, many of you may have run into foreigners who did or said something that might be considered rude (or was, at least, irritating), and mentioning that here could keep some other person from making the same mistake.

Redwolf