Packing for Paris

Packing for a short or long-term stay in Paris requires some “strategery.” You’ve got to pack more clothes and more toiletries than you would for a typical vacation, plus personal electronics and general supplies. On top of that, you need spare room in your luggage for the clothes, gourmet food items, gifts, and souvenirs you’ll undoubtedly pick up during your stay. I have a few rules of thumb when it comes to packing for Paris for an extended stay:

1. Bring anything with you that use every day. You obviously need those things and large quantities of those products.

2. Bring anything you’re extremely picky about. If you must have Crest toothpaste, Lubriderm Unscented lotion a Venus Razor with Aloe, and sugar-free Crystal Light, then you’d better pack it. I would particularly advise you to bring any products with you that you prefer to be unscented. For the items you’re not brand-loyal to or picky about, go online to see if Monoprix (the Paris discount chain/French Target) sells it. If so, leave yours at home and buy it there, and save that space in your luggage for the things you must bring from home.

3. Leave anything that you want to bring “just in case.” If the need arises when you get to Paris, then buy it there. Don’t lug stuff across the Atlantic on the slim chance that you might need it.

4. Remember that you’ll leave Paris with more stuff than you came with. I usually buy a cheap duffel bag in Paris from Rayon D’or and just pay the extra bag fee to send my goodies and souvenirs back home on the flight. It’s cheaper than shipping a package to the U.S.

5. If you are renting a furnished apartment, the key thing you should do, before you overpack, is to email the landlord and/or a former tenant to ask if the apartment already has something you were thinking about bringing. The whole point of a furnished apartment is that it’s furnished, so it should come fully stocked with nearly everything you need.

TOILETRIES AND SUNDRIES AVAILABLE IN PARIS

Toiletries are always a tricky area, especially for the ladies. One one hand, bottles of liquids are very heavy. On the other hand, the brands you like may not be available in Paris, or they may be very expensive.

You can easily get deodorant, flouride rinse, toothpaste, mouthwash, talcum powder (though, it might not be “baby” powder), Tampax tampons, Always pads, Dove bar soap, shower gel, shampoo, lotion, Kleenex, Listerine, Aveeno, Neutrogena, pocket tissues, paper towel, sponges, cotton rounds, Febreeze and bug spray/insect repellent in Paris.

You can get rubbing alcohol, but you have to purchase it from a pharmacy (or the pharmacy section at Monoprix) You can get sunscreen at the Paris pharmacy also, and it’ll probably be far better than whatever you were planning to bring from home.

Some things I haven’t really seen in Paris are cotton balls (I’ve seen “cotton rounds,” but not balls) and Q-tips. I also haven’t seen anything like Skintimate shaving lotion for ladies. There are plenty of shaving creams for men, but a very limited selection for women. Again, if you’re picky about it, get a travel size at home and bring it with you. If you’re not picky, you could get a small packet of the shaving sheets sold at those outdoor recreation stores to save yourself some room and some money.

ITEMS THAT DON’T EXIST OR ARE HARD TO FIND IN PARIS

Some things are difficult to get or non-existent in France, so you’ll want to bring those with you. These items include unscented laundry detergent, microwave popcorn, American-style coffee filters, baking soda (if you have a need for it), and Epsom salt. You should also bring a supply of contact solution from home, because in Paris you can only buy it from an optometrist’s office, and it’s expensive.

Here’s my suggested list of what to pack for a stay in Paris.

TRAVEL ELECTRONICS (click for the complete list)

COMFORTS OF HOME

  • Favorite snacks or comfort food
  • Houseshoes/footies
  • Glasses (to wear around the house when you take your contacts out)
  • Favorite tea or ground coffee

SUPPLIES

  • Travel Alarm clock
  • Lots of TSA locks (bring an extra one in case you buy a new bag to put your souvenirs in)
  • Extra luggage tag (for the new souvenir bag)
  • A Travel safe (I recommend a Pac Safe Travel Safe to secure your passport, extra money you don’t carry every day, and other small valuables. Just lock it to something immobile, like bathroom pipes are a large piece of furniture.)
  • Safety Travel Supplies: Small Smoke Detector, CO Detector, and Door Alarm
  • Travel Umbrella that you can easily stash in a bag and don’t care if you lose (from the Dollar store)
  • Watch
  • Sewing Kit for small repairs
  • Binoculars (I have a pair of cheap plastic ones that come in handy for viewing cathedral domes, etc.)
  • Flashlight (for adventurous sightseeing, like  climbing church towers, and for power outages)
  • Towel and washcloth (at least one)
  • Anti-allergen pillow protector (a personal need of mine. Fits right over the pillow, then I put the provided pillowcase on over it)
  • Sunglasses
  • Safety pins (for securing keys, money, securing rips in an emergency, etc.)
  • Swiss Army Knife (for the corkscrew* and tools for any minor repairs — I once had to screw the handle back on my suitcase. * If you’re picky about your wine openers, then take your own.)
  • Trash bags (just a couple to get you started)
  • Small BPA-free water bottle to refill with tap water at home if you don’t like or want to pay for French mineral water
  • Handheld fan (in summer)
  • Small Backpack (great for bike tours or day trips)
  • Money carrier (waist belt or whatever system you plan to use)
  • Clothespins (even if you don’t need them for clothes, they’re great for closing curtains up tight, or reclosing bags of chips, etc.)
  • Lingerie/Delicates bag for laundry if needed
  • A few fabric softener sheets (they don’t take up much room, and I can’t use the French stuff because I’m sensitive to laundry scents.)
  • Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (to erase any scuffs you make on the apartment walls)

Magellan’s Travel Clothing and Supply.

* Instead of packing tote bags, buy cheap, resusable bags from Picard, Le Grande Epicerie, Galleries Lafayette or wherever you shop in Paris. Those bags are e everywhere nowadays. You can use them while you’re in Paris, and then take them home as souvenirs.

TOILETRIES

  • Eyedrops/Rewetting Drops
  • Extra contact lenses and contact solution
  • Wipes (individually wrapped, good for eating on the go or just cleaning up after stepping in a puddle or putting your hands on the germy Metro handrails)
  • Razor and extra blades
  • Body Lotion (just a starter container. Buy more in Paris)
  • Face lotion
  • Travel shave gel or sheets
  • Travel size tube of petroleum jelly
  • Travel tube of toothpaste (buy more in Paris)
  • Floss
  • Favorite hair products and accessories (ponytail holders, nightcap, comb, brush, special potions)
  • Ziploc bags (sandwich bags and a couple freezer bags)
  • Trial size of toilet paper (in case there’s none when you arrive at the apartment)
  • Hanging Toiletry bag
  • Prescriptions in bottles (so you can get refills in an emergency)
  • Vitamins
  • Medications (sinus, cold, aspirin, Immodium, allergy, acne, etc.)
  • First-Aid Kit (custom make it yourself instead of buying one)
  • Feminine products (bring your own starter supply, but you can get more if you need)
  • Makeup (scaled down to travel sizes of the bare essentials)

OFFICE SUPPLIES

  • Journal (if you’re really going to journal)
  • Post-Its
  • small memo pads
  • Pens and a highlighter
  • Scotch tape
  • Envelopes
  • Mini-stapler
  • A few paper clips
  • Small scissors
  • Business cards/personal cards
  • A couple vinyl folders for coralling papers

There you have it — my basic list of supplies. You may find that need more or less than what I’ve listed. The important thing is to be aware that you can purchase many of the things you need once you get to Paris. You should focus your packing on things that you can’t buy there, or things that would be expensive to buy there. You’ll figure out a lot of things as you go along, so don’t overplan…and don’t overpack.

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