Our First Adventures in Ireland: Sleeping in a Castle and Beating Jet Lag

After an 8.5-hour overnight flight, our family of six arrived in Ireland ready for adventure. Our first night was spent in a castle, our first full morning included a traditional Irish breakfast, and our first days taught us that traveling doesn't always go according to plan!

Our First Night in a Castle!

After months of planning, the day had finally arrived: we were in Ireland!

For our family, this trip was especially meaningful. My mother-in-law had gifted our family plane tickets after my father-in-law passed away in 2025. He loved to travel, and we were so grateful for the opportunity to make new memories together as a family.

Our flight was about 8.5 hours overnight, so by the time we arrived, we had already been traveling for quite a while. But we weren't heading straight to an ordinary hotel. Our first night's accommodation was Clontarf Castle Hotel in Dublin!

How fun is it to begin your Irish adventure by staying in a castle? Clontarf Castle combines historic architecture with the comforts of a hotel, making it a memorable place to begin our trip.

We were officially in Ireland, and we were determined to make the most of our time there!

Our Strategy for Beating Jet Lag

One of the pieces of advice we received before traveling was to try to stay awake until at least 7 p.m. local time on our first day. The idea was to help our bodies adjust to the new time zone rather than going to sleep as soon as we arrived.

After an overnight flight, that was easier said than done!

We decided to give it a try. Instead of crawling into bed as soon as we could, we stayed awake through the day and managed to make it all the way to 9 p.m. By then, everyone in our family was ready for bed!

Thankfully, we all slept well and woke up ready to begin our first full day in Ireland.

Travel days can be exhausting, especially with children, so I was glad we had thought about jet lag ahead of time. Everyone responds differently to travel and sleep changes, but for our family, trying to follow the local schedule worked out well.

My travel tip: If you're traveling across several time zones, think ahead about how you'll handle your first day. Try to get some daylight, drink water, eat meals at local times, and plan a manageable day rather than packing your itinerary full of activities. Staying awake until the local evening worked for us, but give yourself grace if you or your children need extra rest.

Waking Up in a Castle—and Enjoying an Irish Breakfast!

If staying in a castle was a fun way to begin our trip, waking up in one was even better!

There was something special about opening our eyes on our first full morning in Ireland and realizing where we were. We had made it across the ocean, navigated an overnight flight, and were finally ready to explore.

And then came breakfast!

We enjoyed a full Irish breakfast, including black pudding. Trying local food is one of my favorite ways to experience a new place, and it was fun to begin our trip with a traditional Irish meal.

Black pudding was certainly something different for our family to try. If you've never heard of it, it's a traditional blood sausage commonly served as part of a full Irish breakfast.

It was a wonderful way to start our first full day, and I loved that our trip was already giving us experiences we wouldn't have had at home.

If you're planning a trip to Ireland, I'd encourage you to try some traditional Irish food along the way. You don't have to love everything you taste, but trying something new is part of the adventure!

Learning to Get Around Dublin

After our first night at the castle, we began navigating our way around Dublin.

We had intentionally decided not to pick up our rental cars immediately. Since we planned to spend our first couple of days in the city, we thought public transportation would be easier than dealing with rental cars and parking.

It sounded like a sensible plan!

There was just one little hiccup: our family had trouble figuring out the public bus system. We ended up walking quite a way before calling our uncle for help and hailing our first Irish taxi.

And our seven-year-old was so proud of helping hail that taxi!

It became one of those little travel memories that sticks with you. We had made it all the way to Ireland, and there we were, figuring things out one step at a time.

We also discovered the Free Now app, which we used to arrange taxi rides during our time in Dublin. It was helpful to have another option when public transportation wasn't working out for us.

One thing we quickly learned was to communicate how many people and how much luggage we had. Our family of six had six suitcases and six backpacks, so we needed to make sure our transportation could accommodate all of us and our belongings.

A practical tip for traveling with a family: When arranging a taxi, tell the driver how many passengers you have and how much luggage you're bringing. A vehicle that can seat everyone may not have enough room for all your suitcases, too!

A Few Things Our First Days Taught Us

Our first experiences in Ireland reminded me that even the best-planned trips require flexibility.

Here are a few things I'd keep in mind if you're planning an international family vacation:

• Plan for jet lag. Think about your arrival time and how you can ease into the local schedule. Don't expect everyone to be at their best immediately after an overnight flight.

• Don't overbook your first day. Leave room for tired children, unexpected delays, and simply getting settled.

• Be willing to change transportation plans. If public transportation isn't working for your family, it's okay to consider a taxi or another option.

• Communicate your needs. Passenger numbers and luggage details matter when arranging transportation for a large family.

• Enjoy the little moments. Sometimes your favorite memories come from the unexpected parts of a trip, like a seven-year-old proudly hailing her first taxi in Ireland!

The Adventure Was Just Beginning

Our first night in a castle, our first Irish breakfast, and our first attempts to navigate Dublin were only the beginning.

After all the planning that went into getting 15 family members to Ireland, it was wonderful to finally be there and start making memories. We still had so much to see, and we were excited to discover what the rest of our trip would bring.

One thing was already clear: this was going to be an adventure we'd remember for years to come!