overbuget

My husband and I are going to France for 2 1/2 weeks in June. From Paris, Normandy, Loire, Provence and fly out of Nice. What do I pack???? This is my first time in Europe.

judyjay

In France, it is best to dress "resort casual." No jeans, no gymshoes. I was most comfortable in sundresses and sandals for day and dress pants or basic black for evening. The same goes for men--even shorts aren't worn by men in France. Khaki pants for day/dress pants and collar shirts for evening.

Marge

One piece of advice I've seen here and spoken of elsewhere, and that I've personally found valuable through my own experiences, is PACK LIGHT. <BR><BR>I know it's difficult to do, especially with over two weeks. <BR><BR>Use large freezer bags to put clothing like socks and underwear in, this actually does compress them and will give you more space in your luggage, not to mention it allows you to be more organized. Bring some type of bag to put dirty laundry in.<BR><BR>Keep the number of shoes you bring down to an absolute minimum and remember that you will be walking a great deal (I'd say one pair of sturdy sandals and one pair of good walking shoes). Search fodors for shoe recommendations (been lots of threads about that). Your shoes should be extremely comfortable and very broken in. Don't wear new new shoes!<BR><BR>Have mix and match pieces with basic colors, maybe a nice scarf to dress up with if you go out to a nice restaurant. Make sure your clothes are comfortable. Leave at home any jewelry that you would hate to lose. <BR><BR>Pack as little makeup as possible, and for the makeup you do take, pack it in plastic sealed bags in case of leakage. Always remember that in the places you'll be going you can buy almost anything you may need, then leave whatever you don't use.<BR><BR>Have an extra bag or leave room for things you'll want to bring back.<BR><BR>Write a checklist of everything you want to bring ahead of time.<BR><BR>Bring a small shoulder type bag to carry around a bottle of water or snack or guide book when you're sight seeing.<BR><BR>Lastly, PACK LIGHT ;-) There really is nothing worse than having to lug big suitcases around everywhere.<BR><BR>Have a great trip.

elle

Here's what I do:<BR><BR>Put together one complete outfit for the hottest weather you are likely to encounter.<BR><BR>Put together another complete outfit for the coolest weather you are likely to encounter (and consider rain in this scenario).<BR><BR>Put together one complete outfit for the dressiest occasion you will attend.<BR><BR>Put together one &quot;everyday&quot;-type outfit.<BR><BR>Lay them all out on the bed. Look for redundancies and efficiencies--e. g., can you wear the same shoes with your hottest weather outfit as you can with your dressiest outfit? Is everything in a close enough color palette so that you can get by with one belt? Is there one item that cannot be mixed or matched with anything else? <BR><BR>Then, bridge the gaps with alternative tops, accessories, etc. that will serve and survive multiple wearings. <BR><BR>Two or three days before departure, do a trial run of packing to see how it fits in your luggage--make sure there's room to bring back new purchases . <BR><BR>Then, lay it all out on the bed again, and decrease number of items by 1/3 to 1/4. Keep the things that are most versatile, rule out the items that don't have as much flexibility (unless you absolutely love them; for example, a dressy dress that doesn't go with anything else but that you can wear out to dinner in all four destinations. After all, you're not likely to run into the same people in Normandy as you will in Nice!)<BR><BR>That's what I do, anyway. But I'm pretty obsessive.<BR><BR><BR>

EmilyC

Pack facecloths! There are none provided in most hotel rooms in Europe.<BR>If you are driving, it would be worthwhile to bring a garment bag so that you can hang things in your car, rather than continually pack and unpack them.<BR>The new Samsonite bags that compress are very nice - we just used them for the first time last month. Bring lots of extra packing space for things that you buy!

rex

&quot;Resort&quot; casual conjures up an image for me that is not the best fit for Paris, in my opinion. I might say more like &quot;dressy casual&quot;. Or whatever you would wear to work on &quot;casual Friday&quot;. I do NOT agree that this rules out jeans. In 80% of the restaurants of Paris, jeans plus a blazer will be fine. Basketball shoes - - true - - leave them at home unless you intend to play basketball there.<BR><BR>Dress as you would to go to the Art Institute of Chicago. The weather will ikely be similar to Chicago in Paris. And of course, warmer the further south you go.<BR><BR>Naturally, a lot depends on your age.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

ava

One thing I would really suggest is to take a small black purse and fill it with all you need to survive the plane ride over there. You can keep it with you at your seat instead of having to rummage through your carry-on stowed overhead.I fill mine with chapstick, gum, eye drops, moisturizer,tooth brush, and a Dove facial cloth to wash my face in the morning before getting off the plane. It just makes it easier every time you get up to use the restroom to take the small bag with you and emerge refreshed from the bathroom! Facial cloths are a great thing to take traveling as they are dry until you get them wet under the faucet. Then when you get to Paris you can use the purse as your evening bag. Mine is small enough to fit a small camera and a map in during the day as well when I don't feel like carrying around my daypack. Enjoy your trip!

mclaurie

You might want to look at an old thread here entitled &quot;I wish I had...&quot; or something similar. It mentions things people wish they had taken (or not taken) as well as some good non-packing advice. I agree with Rex about Paris. I think shorts are ok (if it's warm) for husband during the day outside Paris as long as you're not going to a fancy restaurant for lunch.

Kate_W

Stick with colours and textures that can handle repeated wearings, smudges, dust, even a little mud (e.g. tan/khaki; charcoal grey, brown; and if you love white take beige or cream instead). Note that some of your navy and black clothes (eg ones with a high sheen, or that need to be pressed perfectly) will look dirtier faster than heathery, warmer colours).<BR><BR>Sweater twin seats are very useful - long sleeves when you need them, a tank top if it gets really hot, and you can mix and match the two pieces with other items in your wardrobe (especially if the cardigan works as a cover-up for a dressy outfit).<BR><BR>French women (and women) do wear a species of &quot;trainer&quot; that looks like a cross between a sleek old-fashioned running shoe and a bowling shoe. Camper is one of major brands. You can find them (or similar shoes) in many US shoe stores. If you want to be trendy and comfortable, you could purchase a pair in advance.<BR><BR>In UK drugstores, I found terrific insect repellent in the form of sealed disposable wipes - very handy when mosquitos catch you by surprise. Pack a few travel size packages of Kleenex.<BR><BR>Unless you've got magic quick-drying socks or laundry access, take one pair for each day of your trip (or at least every day that you'll be wearing socks). Underwear can we washed and dried quickly, so you need less.<BR><BR>If, at home, you're the kind of person who changes into sweats/comfortable clothes as soon as you get home, pack something lightweight to lounge (inside) in - e.g. light cotton pajama bottoms to pair with a tshirt, tank or cardigan.<BR><BR>Pare down cosmetics to the absolute basics. Unless you're really fussy, you probably don't need to pack shampoo, conditioner, soap or body lotion (use the hotel's). Decant essential products into smaller, sealed containers if you can't find travel sizes. See if any products can do double-duty. Edit your make-up to the absolute minimum. Make sure that you double-seal cosmetics (put them in a ziploc bag, then into your cosmetic bag, then put your cosmetic bag into another plastic bag). And pack a few extra ziplock bags and one or two sturdy plastic shopping bags.

Christina

I agree that resort casual would be inappropriate except for on the Riviera/Provence--to me, that means Disneyland, cruise ships, etc wear. <BR><BR>I know French men who wear shorts (gasp), meaning knee-length khaki/cotton twill/cargo etc type shorts -- they just don't do it in Paris or workdays or going out at night, but they do on weekends or casual activites in hot weather. For example, I took a day trip from Paris to Honfleur once in July, by car, and my French friend Jacques drove up to pick me up wearing shorts (and Jacques is a man of 50, but pretty cute).<BR><BR>I break most of the rules above, what can I say -- shoes are very important to me for comfort and appearance and I'd leave a lot of other junk out to take more shoes. I never could go 2 weeks with 2 pair of shoes. I think good shoes are important, but I might do more dressy things than some tourists (or at least don't feel comfortable being out at night in casual daytime clothes and shoes).

Queenie

<BR>I agree that Jeans, especially black jeans, are accepted almost everywhere. The only problem is that they are heavy to carry.<BR><BR>Most European women do not wear shorts. Women wear skirts or capris.<BR><BR>I have found that the newer athletic clothing using coolmax or something similar packs very easily, does not wrinkle, and can be washed and dried very quickly.

elle

Here's a lesson from experience:<BR><BR>Never wear a white linen blouse on a day when you are going to be tasting (and then spitting out) a lot of red wine.<BR><BR>While I didn't make any obvious spills or sloshes, when I returned to the hotel that evening and looked closely at my blouse, there were microscopic red dots all over it (they did come out, though. . . )<BR>

Natalia

A good tip that I saw my British friend using is to separate like items by plastic sandwich bags in your purse. This way you won't fumble around when you need something fast. She puts all papers and receipts in one, makeup for the day in another, pens in one, money for the day in another, aspirin and throat mints in another.<BR>While I was digging in my purse, she would grab whatever she needed.

Statia

I've been wondering this same thing about packing for Italy this summer. I've only been to Europe in the spring or fall and managed to fit right in, but it's a bit different packing for hot weather.<BR><BR>I plan to go the skirt and capri route, but keep wondering HOW IN THE WORLD I'm going to walk all day in some nice sandals that will match? I usually wear my walking shoes in Europe, but they WILL NOT go with any skirts or capris. Any suggestions?<BR>

Syrin

Hi Statia,<BR><BR>The endless struggle of confort and fashion....I bought a pair of low-heel, wedge Ecco sandals for summer travel. I can wear them with a skirt, but they'er too &quot;blocky&quot; for capris. They are not as comfortable as real walking shoes, but better than flats, since they have arch support and thick soles. I can wear them all day without hurting and have taken a few long walks in them. I'm also bringing a pair of cute sandals--small and light to pack, if not as sturdy.

rex

Well, I'm sure I'm loco to try commenting on women's footwear. But without even thinking about it much, I just gave a shot at www.easyspirit.com - - they have a sling back sandal called Chayse. Isn't that designed to be comfortable enough to walk in, all day long?<BR>

Barb_in_Ga

Listen to everyone telling you to PACK LIGHT!! That's so important, especially if you plan to take trains.<BR><BR>I went to Italy in March and to Paris in June last year, and found that this wardrobe served for 12 days in Italy and with very few items changed, 8 days in Paris:<BR><BR>2 pair black trousers<BR>1 black skirt<BR>1 jacket/blazer in a multicolor tweed pattern<BR>4 knit tops--red, black, blue, and cream<BR>1 lightweight black raincoat that reverses to a black-on- black texture(this is hard to describe, but I found it in a catalog- Marshall Field's? maybe. It has a &quot;little red riding hood&quot; type hood which worked great in the rain. It is dressy enough to wear at night if it's cool, and can be folded up into it's own little pouch about 10 x 10, so it fits great into a daypack.<BR><BR>With the above items, I could dress up or down by adding a scarf(I bought mine while on the trip--great souvenirs) I went to the opera in paris, went sightseeing, saw museums, etc., and never felt over or under dressed.<BR><BR>I took microfiber underwear 4-6 pair, which allowed me to wash clothes only once<BR>The only other items were a few pair of sox, bras, pantyhose, and a lounge dress that doubled as a robe/nightie.<BR><BR>I took one pair of Aerosole basic loafers/walking shoe, and in June, one pair of Naturalizer sandals in addition. Shoes can really add to the weight of your luggage. I never take more than 2 pair, usually one thats more like a low heeled pump and one walking shoe. I have done this for the last several trips and have not regretted leaving out extra shoes.<BR><BR>I made a list several trips ago, including the items that my husband and I feel that we need to have along, such as toiletries, meds, a small fan, a small 220v hairdryer purchased in France, a set of adapter plugs, guidebook, map, phrase book, and 2 washcloth mitts(also purchased in France). <BR>I include an immersion coil for heating water, packs of Equal, and a few coffee bags. Throw in a paperback book for reading, and you should be in pretty good shape!<BR><BR>One last thing--I usually take a school report folder, and put in notes from this board, or pages I've copied from travel guides. That way, you can select one or 2 guidebooks, and leave the library home. <BR><BR>Have fun!!<BR><BR>

armand

WOW!!!! PA Rex is even an expert on womens shoes. Could he be a shoe salesmen in disguise???

Dutch

judyjay - your post said &quot;I was most comfortable in sundresses and sandals for day and dress pants or basic black for evening. The same goes for men....&quot; I'm so glad to hear that as I just bought the cutest sundress to go with my NY Yankees cap.

Statia

Thanks for the advise Syrin and Rex....I'll look into both options.<BR>