There’s so much to say about our recent trip to Ireland with our almost-two-year-old daughter, but I’m going to start by responding to my prior post: Planning International Travel with a Toddler. That post was filled with our preparations and hopes (prayers) for the trip. .
I’m sure you’re wondering: Did things go as planned?
The answer is yes, and no (of course). Any traveler knows that plans are never rigid.
To help you with your future planning, let me take this point by point.
1. The Prep: Buying a travel stroller.
The Hope: That this stroller would be lighter and more portable, yet just as comfortable.
The Reality: No complaints from Kae and the Kolcraft umbrella stroller took one-hand to fold and stored easily. It’s also a smooth ride and we were able to use it right up to the gate. It got to and from our destination with no problem. The only negative is that it has much less under-storage space than a regular stroller.
The Lesson: Purchase a travel stroller. Just do it. You won’t spend more than $40 on a decent one.
2. The Prep: Booking a direct flight that offers a bassinet seat.
The Hope: One of the reasons we decided to fulfill this international dream now is because Kaelyn would be right under two at the time of the flight and therefore, free. Well, technically, if you don’t count the $90 in taxes we had to pay for a lap-seat child. We hoped that she would sleep the whole time. Both ways. During the night flight and the day flight. Looking back, I realize how unrealistic this was.
The Reality: Going to Ireland was gold, minus the fact that the Aer Lingus bassinet section had less legroom. It honestly felt pretty damn cramped with a two-year old on my lap. We left at 9PM-ish Chicago time, an hour and a half past Kae’s bedtime. (We were due to arrive at 9:30AM Dublin time). She was excited and in a good mood at the airport. When we boarded, she didn’t quite get that we had to stay in our seats, but overall she was very good and even got some compliments from attendants and passengers. As soon as the seat belt light went off, we asked for the bassinet seat. Within a half hour, Kae was fast asleep and stayed that way up until right before landing. 
However, you will not find any pictures of her on the plane ride returning to Chicago. We left Dublin nine days later around 4PM-ish (10AM Chicago time). There were problems from the start. First off, Kae went from being in the car for 2 hours, to being in a stroller for an hour and a half, to jumping on a plane. Somehow, we didn’t end up with any cushion time. She was hyped up and hungry (not to mention that she seemed to officially turn 2 over the course of a week and a half). It wasn’t good. She was antsy and refused to lay in the bassinet at all. I looked at the monitor screen in front of me that read “6 hours till landing” and thought I might quite literally die before then. My right knee is still numb.
The Lesson: If your kid is under 18 months and has a relatively calm demeanor, I say go for it. Kae was a bit too long for the bassinet, so her feet hung out a little, but it still worked. Kae is a calm child, but over the last few months our agreeable little one has gotten much more independent. Although she received compliments on her behavior on the ride back, the experience was definitely tough. If your little one is closer to two and you can swing the cash, buy the kid a seat. However, if I could go back I’d still go for the free seat. But I’m cheap.
3. The Prep: Booking AirBnBs instead of hotels.
The Hope: We were traveling with another family of two adults and two children, so we thought finding houses/condos might be the better deal.
The Reality: All of our AirBnB’s were amazing. If we ever go back to Ireland, even as just a small family, we will still book AirBnBs. This was a great way to save money as well as get an authentic Irish experience. We rented a condo in Dublin, a traditional B and B in Oranmore, a ginormous house in Ennis with four bedrooms (each with en-suite bathrooms), a cottage in The Gap of Dunloe, a farmhouse in the Ring of Kerry, and a house in Durrow. All our hosts were more than welcoming. We often came in to recently lit fires, fresh milk in the fridge, and soft brown bread on the counter. The only negative is that when you get out to the country, there are no addresses. Literally. But we always found our way due to great directions, helpful people, and sometimes, pure luck.
The Lesson: AirBnB. Always… at least when you’re in Ireland. I can’t speak for everywhere.
4. The Prep: Booking a car seat and travel crib to be picked up right in Dublin airport.
The Hope: It would be affordable, clean, and convenient.
The Reality: It was affordable (at about $90 for the entire 9 days of care seat and travel crib), clean, and convenient. A worker from The Stork Exchange met us with the equipment at our rental car, then installed the carseat and loaded up the bed. We were told to leave everything in the car when we dropped it off and he would pick it up.
The Lesson: Don’t truck all the baby equipment with you. Rent it.
5. The Prep: Researching ways to keep our little sweetie happy.
The Hope: I would discover so many amazing ideas to keep my angel occupied and happy on the plane. In my “diaper bag” (which probably weighed more than Kaelyn) I had a boatload of snacks, a tablet, my Kindle, little animal figurines, Easter eggs filled with prizes Kae could win, magnetic vehicles and backboard, an Aqua-doodle… like, a ridiculous amount of stuff.
The Reality: Out of everything I packed, we probably used 10% of it on the plane. Seriously. She slept pretty much the whole flight on the ride there. On the ride back… chaos. Part of the reason was that this frickin bag was so stuffed (especially on the way back with souvenirs and all) that I couldn’t really get into it. Mostly, that is because with the bassinet seat area, you get a lot less leg room and therefore, can’t really fit a carry-on under your legs, so we stored it above. Additionally, we got stuck storing our luggage about 5 rows back.
The Lesson: Did you know that international flights include a mini-tv with many different movies, shows, and games already loaded? I did, and I still packed all that crap. Don’t make my mistake. And don’t pack a book for yourself either. Be realistic. Like YOU’LL be reading or relaxing… HA!
6. 
The Prep: Researching the weather in March and packing accordingly.
The Hope: I’d heard the rumors about rainy weather all year round in Ireland, so we hoped for the best but prepared for the worst.
The Reality: It rains most days in Ireland, but then it clears up and the sun shines
brightly across the landscape. The rain was often misty, not heavy. The rain jackets and waterproof shoes served their purpose, but it wasn’t as rainy as I was expecting. Kaelyn loved wearing her rain boots every day and she often got this compliment: “Those are the cutest Wellies I’ve ever seen!”
The Lesson: Rain gear is always a must for Ireland, especially in the Spring, but expect both rain and sunshine while you’re there. And possibly fog, especially if you plan to visit the Cliffs of Moher that day…
7. The Prep: Throwing my hands up about the time difference.
The Hope: That we would all just float right into our new time zone (5 hours difference, then 6 a few days later when their daylight savings time hit), with no issues.
The Reality: Honestly, arriving there with our adrenaline pumping, we all did okay going there. That first day, I let Kae nap
when she needed to nap, which actually wasn’t much. She was out like a light in the car, awake and happy everywhere else. Looking back, I believe she crashed around the fourth day. We were at Ashford Castle in Cong, walking the gorgeous grounds, when she fell in the mud and it was all over. I had never seen her have a tantrum like that before. I knew in that moment she needed a bath and a nap, stat. So we abandoned our adventuring and did just that. Luckily, we’d brought our video monitor and were able to set that up and go the forty feet to the bar area. Needless to say, we needed a Guiness after that.
Overall, I think the time changes both ways hit all of us adults much harder than any of the kids. Kaelyn slid right back into her schedule when we returned. I was falling asleep on the couch at 7PM (1AM Dublin time).
The Lesson: Try your best to get the family acclimated to the new time zone, but don’t expect miracles. When the kid needs a nap, let her nap. Renting a car and driving around the country definitely helped with this aspect as well.
I hope this answers some of your questions. More detailed posts to come. What would you like to hear more about?
Oh, and of course there will be stories. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
