Here are links to pertinent web sites:
From what I have been able to ascertain, the weather in Ireland in July should be something like this:
So, from what I see here, and from what Christie says the kids at school say about the weather in Cork, we can expect it to be sunny, cloudy, warm, cold, rainy, and not rainy all during any day. Christie says, "Anyhow, pack your favorite sweater and definitely a good rain jacket."
Weather in June is a bit cooler - as I've monitored the weather in Cork for some weeks in May and June, I have seen the temperature between 60F for a high, and 46F for a low at night. But a lot of the time i has been 59F for a high in the daytime and 53F for a low at night. Suffice it to say that you'll need some clothes for these temperatures. And the chance of rain is still about the same - any day it likely will be sunny, cloudy, rain a bit, cool, etc. in June.
Your dulcimer will be too big to be a carry-on. Here is how to tell if it will be allowed as excess baggage (because it's over the maximum size for normal baggage), or not. (All info based on American Airlines policies. Check with your travel agent or airline concerning the size restrictions for baggage.)
Some background on this - I own a large, 4+-octave dulcimer. The flight case I would have to buy for it exceeds the maximum size American Airlines set for checked baggage. I was told I would have to ship it separately! Apparently, there are ways to ship it as cargo but have it arrive before or when you do, but you have to be without the dulcimer for several days each way.
American Airlines sets the size limits on baggage by using a measure
called the total linear dimension, or TLD
where
American Airlines has the following limits on baggage:
Oversized Baggage 62" < TLD < 80"
Checked baggage which is larger than American Airlines stated size limits
will be charged at the rate of $110 per piece per the 800 number guy.
This is assessed at the ticket counter when you check your bags. However,
I have seen and heard of charges being only $50 to $75 each way, but at
least you know there will be a charge. You need to check to know how much
it will be. From what I understand, you can pay for it by credit card.
There are charges for overweight baggage, too, but the dulcimers in thier
soft and flight cases shouldn't exceed the weight limits of 70 lbs,
even in the flight cases. Mine would have been about 55 lbs.
Baggage over 62" TLD must be checked. Baggage over 80". TLD must be shipped as cargo or by UPS or another freight company. So the goal is to have a flight case of less than 80" TLD. For dulcimers of the size of 16/15s and smaller, that seems to be no problem if the case is made to fit it. But for a large dulcimer like my James Jones 3/16/18/8, the flight case TLD was 88.5"
Now, one can buy your large dulcimer a ticket for a seat on the plane rather than
buy it a flight case and ship it. One traveling musician, Matthew, says he started doing that, and that he buys it a
window seat, and straps it in leaning against the bulkhead. Buying your dulcimer a seat has certain advantages and considerations:
So, here is how to tell what size of flight case you need:
Outer L = L + 3" Outer H = H + 3" Outer W = W + 4" To determine if this will go on American (or your airline use your max TLD - should be the same) TLD = Outer L + Outer W + Outer H < 80" (for American)
So, for my dulcimer, which measured 51" x 21.5" x 6", and would require a flight case of the dimensions 54" x 25.5" x 9". which has a TLD = 54" + 25.5" + 9" = 88.5" Too big! With this, though, at least you can know if you have a problem before you get to the airport. My solution to the problem, however, turned out to be buying a smaller dulcimer for which I could get a flight case of appropriate dimensions.
Have your travel agent check all the airlines you will be traveling on to be sure there isn't a restriction on one of them that could cause an unpleasant surprise during your trip. My travel agent says if the flight is booked on one ticket through to Cork (and on the return back to your home destination), the airlines along the way (British Airways or Aer Lingus, etc.) should abide by the baggage restrictions of the airline you initially fly on (in my case in 2002, American).
Now, having said all that, I have since found out that one
needs to check several things here, not just take the "+3 inches" and "+4 inches" I state above.
When working on the dimensions for my new case, I found out that one needs to be sure of the foam thickness on
all sides, and the case wall thickness for all sides. For instance, the case maker James uses normally uses 1-3/8
inch of foam around the sides. James recommended using 3/8 inches of foam under the instrument and 2 inches on the
bridge side of the instrument. Then one must also know the wall thickness - 1/8-1/4 inches depending on the type
of corners used (square or round). So the calculation really comes to:
Outer L = L + foam thickness (L) + wall thickness
Outer H = H + foam thickness (H) + wall thickness
Outer W = W + foam thickness (W) + wall thickness
Mine is actually something like this:
Outer L = Length in soft case + (1-3/8 inches x 2) + (1/4 inch x 2)
Outer H = Height in soft case + (3/4 inch + 2 inches) + (1/4 inch x 2)
Outer W = Width in soft case + (1-3/8 inches x 2) + (1/4 inch x 2)
where the "x 2" takes into consideration both thicknesses of foam and both walls of the flight case.
Hope this helps. If you have trouble with this calculation or the instructions are unclear, tell me what trouble you are having with it, and I'll try to help.
It has come to my attention that, due to the regulations imposed
in January 2003, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) will screen your checked bags 100-percent. I was told by a
Continental Airlines employee that they might screen them after they are checked, even if they are screened before they are
checked. Instead of locking the bags, the TSA suggests using cable ties. The Continental employee
suggested using twist ties instead of cable ties. Anyway, I thought you might be interested in this in case you haven't
flown since January 2003, or kept up with this on the news. The TSA homepage is at:
There are interesting links on this page under the Travel Tips section. Specifically, the links for
"TSA Claim Form for Missing or Damaged Items (SF95)" and "TSA suggests that you help prevent the need to break your locks by
keeping your bag unlocked".
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