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Popular Packing Lists | Miscellaneous Packing Lists Tips | All Tips (270) It's important to be well prepaired when you go to Paris. Be sure to have a good map of the center city, and it won't be hard to get around.
As for bags, you may want to have a bag with wheels if you are going to walk to get to your hotel, and a sack to take with you on sightseeing.
It's also a good idea to get to know the most common words and frases in French so you'll be able to order food and drinks without problems.
To explore Paris the best way, you need to bring a good comfortable pair of shoes, cause you'll be walking a lot.
Paris is one of the most photographic places in the world, with a million things worth 'shooting' so bring a camera for sure and a lot of film, or a big memory card if you have a digital camera.
There are a lot of beautiful parks in Paris where you can go relax or have some fun, so it might be a good idea to bring a blanket, maybe a frisbee or your rollerskates. Leave a Comment |
Done this so many times: packed too many clothes for just a week! What with 9/11 and security checks paring down to one 22" suitcase is the way to go nowadays.
Select all the clothes you wish to bring and leave half of them at home! There will be more room in the suitcase for souvenirs...
But be sure to take your suitcase full of valuables with you onboard the plane-do not check it in. If you do need to check in the suitcase, do not put anything of value in there. In fact, one great way to bypass the unlocked suitcase thing, is to get some cable wire ties which are really cheap. Pass them through the zippers on the suitcase to secure them; that way your zippers won't open up accidentally and you get a sort of reassurance no one will open your suitcase as easily as if there were no protection at all. However, if security needs to look inside your suitcase then they can snip off the ties. For yourself, you can snip off the ties with a nail clipper.
A Leave a Comment |
If your feet aren't happy then you aren't happy. So it's a good idea to invest in a really great pair of walking shoes when planning a trip. Don't forget to walk around in your shoes for at least 2 weeks prior to that trip so that your shoes get a chance to form to your feet & your feet get a chance to get used to them.
Here's a great website for you: www.nordstrom.com
This should enable you to get an idea of styles and pricing. Prices seem to range from $60 - $200.
They have the following stylish walking shoes that seem to make the tops of the lists for travelers who plan to walk a great deal while in Europe:
Aerosoles
Birkenstocks
Clarks England
Easy Spirit
Ecco (especially the boots)
Merrell
Naturalizer
New Balance
Rockport
Steve Madden
Also excellent choices, although not on the Nordstrom website:
SAS Free Time
Mephisto
Arche
Photo: August 2005 Leave a Comment |
My only tip is, if you know you're going to have to cross Paris by Metro and you have to change trains, try to take a shoulder bag or rucksack instead of a proper suitcase. There are loads of stairs to climb/ go down and the turnstyles are quite awkward, so it's really not fun dragging/ lifting/ dropping a heavy suitcase all the way.....here speaks the voice of bitter experience!!!
One question that appears in the Paris forum all the time is What should I wear? It seems to me that people stress about this loads before they come to Paris when really there is nothing to worry about!
Paris is a Western capital city and like all capital cities you see just about every type of person on the street, from the conservative businessman/woman to the punk revivalist and everything that's inbetween.
No one's going to look twice at you and if they do, so what?!
Other than that just apply your normal common-sense dressing rules you would follow back at home... if you're going to a church, don't wear a micro mini skirt and revealing top...if you're going out to a nice restaurant, don't wear shorts and battered old trainers!
It really is that simple.
Just relax and enjoy your time in Paris!
No need. One thing the French are not lacking is Pharmacies! Leave a Comment |
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While I try to take as little as possible these are some items that I must take along with me on most of my travels. I travel during any season and adjust my packing list according to the weather, type and length of travel. Following is just a sample of the items that I usually take along:
2 pair of slacks one black, the other any color depending on the season (depending on the season, linen or cotton for the spring/summer, wool/wool blend or polyester blend for fall/winter
1 black jacket to dress up the slacks or for casual dinning)
1 black dress (for evening dinning, show, opera, etc, or for a night out at a club)
1 pair of jeans and a pair of khakis or Capri’s (again, depending on the season)
2 skirts or shorts which can be worn either during the day or into the early evening
2 white t-shirts or tank tops
3 casual/dress shirts (sweaters in the winter)
1 pair of walking shoes for daytime touring
1 pair black shoes or sandals
2 bathing suits and 2 cover-ups
one week’s worth of undergarments
2-3 pajamas or oversized t-shirts for sleeping
4 spare pairs of contact lenses
5-7 pair of trouser socks
contact lens solution
spare glasses
extra pair of sunglasses
blow dryer (never leave home without it)
travel iron
cosmetics in a travel case
my favorite shampoo and conditioner in travel sizes
hand and body lotion travel size
Tylenol, allergy medication and any other medication I am taking at the time
Hair accessories, brush, hats or caps
2 cameras, plenty of film and extra batteries for the camera
Guide books, itineraries, maps, copies of my passport, airline tickets, phone numbers to credit card companies, extra ATM card for withdrawal from savings if my regular card fails, 2 credit cards, $500 in cash for just in case of emergency, $200 traveler’s checks (again, for just in case something happens with my ATM cards)
Extra travel bag to put all my purchases in.
What I tend to do if I am traveling during the colder season, I usually wear the jacket, a heavy sweater, wool pants, along with boots (these are items that would take up more space in the luggage). In my carry-on bag I usually have an oversized T-shirt, drawstring cotton pants and a spare pair of socks which I change into about 1 ½ hours into the flight if I am going to Europe. I also carry my tooth brush (no morning breath here), something to read, glasses, contact case and travel solution, Tylenol (I usually get headaches during long flights).
Remember to adjust your packing to the location and time of year, and just go out there and enjoy your time wherever that may be. Leave a Comment |
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In case you want to bring any electrical appliances with you, here is the system France uses : 230 volts and 50 Hz. It is a round pin plug and receptacle with male grounding pin (see picture)
An adapter will allow you to plug an appliance designed for one type of outlet into another type of outlet. Despite the fact that more than a dozen different types of plugs are in use, a typical travel adapter kit usually contains about five adapters which are capable of dealing with most of the outlets shown here. Adapters often manage this versatility by bypassing the ground/earth wire.
Beware : an adapter by itself will not change the electrical voltage. You must be sure that your appliance can handle different voltages (either automatically or through a voltage switch). If it can't, you will need a voltage converter. Leave a Comment |
A typical Parisian hotel doesn't equip its rooms with alarm clocks as is standard in the US. You can always request the reception desk to set-up an automatic wake-up call if you need that. But if you wish to know the time in your room you need to bring a travel alarm clock with you. There are some brands that include feature a built-in flashlight also. Leave a Comment |
This is a magical little map book, sort of like a teeny-tiny Mapsco of Paris. Each page has ALL the streets of each arrondissement, which number 1 through 20. You have an index of streets as well as metro, bus and some suburban train maps, too. You'll probably have several sizes/versions to chose from. Pick one up at your neighborhood newsstand or Monoprix for about 4-7 euros ($5-$9). Leave a Comment |
Books of course. You will need something to read on the plane, on the train or just on your couch as you dream of Paris. I've still got my old 1986 guide from my first voyage. You must keep these preciously.
I also recommend "How Proust Can Change Your Life" by Alain de Botton. Unfortunately I've given my last copy away but I really do think that your Paris (and even French) experience will be much better if you read this before you come...how I wish I had a Celeste to take care of me and a Madame Strauss to correspond with... |
Before I go on any trip, I always make sure to purchase a travel guidebook, especially from the National Geographic Traveler series. They not only provide me with important information and advice, but the illustrations contained in their books are simply beautiful. Leave a Comment |
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