Rosa_Mundi

Iowa_Redhead: Great tip!

tinabina

You must be brutal!!! I overpacked last summer to Paris and then shopped! My solution was to leave behind items that I had brought. Next time:
3 dresses
(the light weight polyblend kind you can roll up and spritz with febreze at night on a hanger in the room -2 black and white prints and 1 black)
2 black pants(plane)-
1 khaki pant/capri
3 shoes (2 darling black walking flats-switch off each day-and 1 sandal)
1 black cardingan sweater(plane)
1 black trench/raincoat(plane)
1 black and white print top(plane)
1 black top
1 white top
1 set of silky jammies(lightweight and take up no space)
2 pairs of socks(use as slippers & wear on plane/trains)
2 darling scarves (that accent black and white theme)
3 pair of earrings (2 day/1 night)

Skip jeans too heavy and they strech out.
Skip big clunky walking shoes (get cute streamlined flats with support and good soles)
Skip heels

Pick a color theme and buy lightweight wrinkle resistant fabrics (poly blends)
This is Paris...you could go naked and buy what you need!!

djkbooks

I pack only black slacks (and, sometimes a black skirt or dress). And, they dry overnight when washed in the sink. (I pack a plastic hanger with skirt clips.)

If I change for dinner, I wear that the following day.

I love black knit slacks for the plane.

I always take my raincoat (with hood, and the pockets are handy) to Paris.

When checking the forecast, pay attention to predicted low temps, as well as high. You may need warmer outerwear...

25" is not a carry on bag. So long as it's not overweight, and you're not traveling by public transportation from/to the airport, fill it up!

sap

Wow, Tina: You've really been thinking this through!

My own packing style is somewhere between StCirq's and Tina's. I have bad feet w/high arches, so I need to alternate walking shoes. Fortunately, I have very small feet and so my slim, flexible "sport Janes" take up very little space. I have no idea how Parisians run around their city in heels.

Also, I like the black & white combo theme Tina and others utilize, but I am a Celtic-colored brunette w/strange gold eyes and look much better in dark brown & earth tones. I thus alternate black with dark brown and use cream or beige shirts & accessories that match them both.

I like the rule of thumb about packing 3-4 bottoms & tops to mix & match, then do laundry every 6-7 days.

sap

djkbooks: Do you take your raincoat (lightweight trenchcoat, I assume) to Paris even in the summer months?

tinabina

sap- I thought it through so much this morning that now I think I must go to Paris THIS weekend. Afterall, I have the whole trip packed in my mind. It's funny you said the "color" comment...it works with any 2 basic colors and accessories. We are brilliant. Want to go to Paris this weekend? I can be ready in a flash!
Plus: I do take the raincoat in summer:mine can double as a smart eveningish looking overcoat and is lightweight and stylish.
Ooooh come on let's go!!


Tina

sap

Ha, Tina! What & give up trimming my lavender & taking my kid to his game? Oh, I dream of the day I can just take off like that! If I said, "Bye, honey, I've decided to drive up to SFO and leave for Paris," DH would think I'd gone totally mid-life.

TPAYT

Some very good tips on the above posts.

After our luggage was lost and we had 3 wks. in France with just a carryon, I got used to it and now that's all we take. It was nice to look in the closet and not have so much to choose from. Most of the time you wear your favorites first and bring home clothes that you never wore.

I agree about accessories, they work wonders for changing up an outfit and don't take up much space.I also like to change for dinner and have found that black slacks work wonders. Those and a simple dress should do it.

Now I like to wear jeans because they are so versitile and look good in any country. I found a pair of darker wash, thinner material jeans they called city jeans that I wear on the plain with a cute top and a black jacket(a cute one that I had from a suit that will go day or night). I also carry a black, non-wrinkle 3/4 type thin coat on the plain, but then we do go in Sept. and it might get cool. In 7 trips, I wore the coat 2 times----I may leave it home next time.

I also take 3 pairs of shoes-- 1 day pair I wear on the plane then pack another day pair and 1 night pair. Since you do so much walking in Paris make sure you look at comfort first.

Also remember that you will see different people every day and night at different places so nobody will remember what you wore last night.

Have a great trip, we'll be waiting for your trip report.

NLspirit

We leave in the morning for 4 weeks in Provence and Dordogne. When we were young, inexperienced travelers we carried 5 bags ... yes that's right ... 5 bags! ... on our first trip to Europe 35 years ago. We're now a little more sensible, at least about how much we pack, and are now one bag travelers whether we go for one week or 8. I've just finished packing:

2 pairs of pants (1 tan and 1 black both of which convert to capris)
1 pair of black dress pants
3 pairs of shoes ( walking, sandals and dressier black shoes ... can't compromise because of foot problems.)
6 tops (4 short sleeve and 2 3/4 length)
2 scarves, a necklace and a pair of earrings to change the look of an evening outfit
1 light weight flax colour jacket
3 sets of underclothing
silk jammies

This includes what I wear on the plane and a vacuum pack of 1 change of clothes (not shoes) and carry it in my purse along with travel size toiletries, meds, a book, travel journal, phone and camera ... all small and light weight. If I need anything else there's always a Superstore nearby. There'll be a hair dryer, and a washer/dryer in each of the gites. It's always a challenge for me to pack a carryon and I change my mind a zillion times but still somehow manage. And it's great bypassing the luggage pickup area and never have to worry about an aching back later.

Have a great trip! Paris in springtime is wonderful!

spcfa

I'd like to chime in and vote for only two pairs of shoes total. The really good blister bandaids take up WAY less space than another pair of shoes, and work perfectly. They used to be sold under the Compeed brand, but I think Bandaid bought them. You can get a variety of shapes/size at Target or any drug store, finding them in with the rest of the Bandaid stuff.

Also, here here for accessories! I can take fake pearls and a jazzy super thin silk scarf and go from day to night in the street on my way in to a nice restaurant. Abracadabra!

Finally, don't underestimate the weight/space requirements of non-travel PJs. Ultra thin silk jammies are a must if you're trying to pare down space/weight.

25 inches? I could survive on a desert island for a year with a 25 inch bag. Less is more isn't just a cute saying - it's true for travel. I've been traveling light for at least 20 years and no matter how light I travel there is still always something in my bag that I don't wear.

You can do this!

djkbooks

<<djkbooks: Do you take your raincoat (lightweight trenchcoat, I assume) to Paris even in the summer months?>>

I've only visited Paris in June, May, and September. One June, a week of temps in the high 90's was followed by very chilly weather. I love LLBean's H2Off.

StCirq

How do pants convert to capris?

Lynnaustin

Eliza 61- maybe you should just get a bigger bag! Actually, you've gotten a lot of good tips just be sure to save room for your purchases. I don't have any tips to add, just a story.
Your comment about Cleopatra's barge made me laugh. We have an older family friend who has traveled everywhere with tons of luggage. She has been known to take a weekend trip to Las Vegas with 5 pieces of luggage. Of course, she always looks fabulous and is now in her 80's. She reminds me of the wife on the show "Green Acres"!
Last year she went to New York for a week and her husband warned her that she could only check one bag due to increased baggage fees. Punch line of story- she mailed her suitcases there and mailed them home.

NLspirit

St.Cirq I had them tailor made from a lovely pattern (in HoiAn Vietnam) ... beautiful work and at a very reasonable price I might add!

Barblab

I like taking 2 pants and two skirts with six tops of varing length sleeves to mix and match. Skirts are cool when its hot, pop a pair of tights on if it's cool, dress up or down as needed. Also take two scarfs for further outfit options.

Packing light is liberating.

StCirq

Sounds really interesting, NLSPirit. I'm having trouble imagining them, but still sounds cool.

Bubba

Hi, I did this trip just last year, but in July not June. I took, 3 pairs long pants ( really only wore two of them). 2 pairs capri's- walking shorts. One sweater, one raincoat - you will probably need this. Two long sleeved shirts, one a Nike dry fit w/zippered collar to wear over the other one when cold. I brought only 3 pairs shoes, one walking shoe ( Puma), one pair walking sandals, and one pair dressier flat sandals for evening. I wore the pumas on the plane so I only had two pair of sandals in my bag. Assorted T-shirts, 2 short sleeve and two tanks. Two dresses, one for day, and one for evening. I was fine everywhere, and had room in my suitcase for my purchases.

Iowa_Redhead

StCirq, I wonder if they're simply zipoff pants. I've seen these tons of times (mainly for men) where the pants zip off into shorts.

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...=zip+off+pants



eliza, one trick is to get everything to fit into a carryon size bag and then actually take and check the 25" bag. That way the bag isn't full so you have space and weight allowance for purchases. It's much easier to limit yourself when there's simply no more space in the bag. If I have space in my bag I'm likely to throw in another shirt or something.

NLspirit

My apologies StCirq ... I should have explained. Iowa_Redhead is right. They are similar to zip offs which convert to shorts except these convert to capris and don't have a zipper. Many adventure travel pants are designed for outdoor experiences and are made of an ultra light material which washes and dries overnight. They also have several pockets. Mine are an ultra light, similarly soft material and roll nicely from the bottom into a cuff. They also have a little tone on tone design around the cuff itself which helps you know where to fold it. Hope this helps.

elsiejune

Eliza, you can do it. Each year we go to Paris, we take less and less. My recommendation is not to skimp on the shoes, however. Paris is all about walking and that's all about the feet - they're either comfortable OR hurting. I vote for comfortable, so best to be mindful to take a few comfortable pairs. If the weather is warm, even the most comfortable shoes can cause problems....and you'll be happy you had another pair to change off with rather than moleskin. There's been some good advice already: one nice suit/dress for evening can get you through a full week with different tops & scarves. The top you wear to dinner (perhaps after a quick shower) can easily be worn tomorrow with jeans or capris during the day. Whatever you do, pick one color scheme (black/brown/khaki/navy) and try to have all your clothes mix and match. Bon voyage. EJ