Do you pack light? Or do you take enough clothes to clothe a small family of five when there are only two of you or just yourself?  A few years ago I started planning a 10-day trip to Ireland.  Budget in mind we will be carrying everything we need in our backpacks as carry-on luggage. No checked bags. A first for us as a forever young couple…but it will give us freedom from lugging suitcases as we explore our great-great grandparent’s homeland.

We are on a budget. We are foregoing hotels as well and will save our Euro for the fun stuff. This includes a wool shawl and several MANY pints of Guinness. 

Where did we stay? 

In a hostel of course!  A converted 19th-century wine store at 2-4 Frenchman’s Lane in central Dublin, Ireland. I guess you can say it is one more thing to check on our bucket list. We thought we’d be the oldest couple there but we were not and everyone was so friendly too.

No rental car on this trip either.  Public transportation and day tours will take us where we plan to visit.  Are we crazy?  I like to think we were thrifty.  It’s our chance to be a local for a while and not a tourist.  Life is short and tomorrow is not promised.

Easy walk to many great places or take cheap public transportation. We lucked out and there was a small restaurant just around the corner that served a great breakfast!

This is another reason for our special trip…we never know what the future holds. However, I most definitely wanted to see Ireland with the man I love. PS, don’t forget to visit Molly Malone or look for some leprechauns.