Pacsafe Travel Safe
1. Bring anything with you that 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.
2. Leave anything behind that you’re thinking about bringing “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. The French discount chain store Monoprix (the French “Target”) has everything you could ever want, in case you need to buy something upon arrival.
3. Remember that you’ll leave Paris with more stuff than you came with. (Clothes, wine, gourmet food items, gifts, souvenirs, etc.) 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.
Toiletries in Paris
Pack the basics, and if you can’t live without a specific brand of something, bring it with you. But don’t worry too much about not being able to find something in Paris if you forget to bring it. You can easily find deodorant, toothpaste, Listerine, Tampax tampons, Always pads, Dove bar soap, men’s shaving cream, shampoo, lotion, Kleenex, Aveeno, Neutrogena, and other products and brands we use in the states at the local Monoprix store once you arrive in Paris.
You can also 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 quality than whatever sunscreen you were planning to bring from home (and less messy to transport). Monoprix has you covered with bug spray/insect repellent, too. One thing you can’t find, though, is Epsom Salt. So if you like to soak your sore feet, better bring that with you.
Travel Supplies to Pack for Paris
After you make your basic list, here are some additional things I recommend bringing to Paris with you.
- Sanitizing 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)
- Travel Umbrella. For any other destination (except perhaps London), I would say just buy an umbrella when you get there, if the need arises. But Paris is prone to rainy spells, so just assume you’ll need one. It can rain off and on during the day, so bring a lightweight “travel” umbrella that you won’t mind carrying around in your day bag all day.
- Travel Safe. Your hotel might have one, but after having one malfunction at a French hotel and having to send for the maintenance guy twice to get it open, I always bring my own as a backup.
- Extra TSA locks (bring an extra one in case you buy a new bag to put your souvenirs in. They’re expensive in Paris, so buy them at home.)
- Extra luggage tag (for the new souvenir bag)
- Safety Travel Supplies: Small Smoke Detector, CO Detector, and Door Alarm
- Bring U.S. chargers for all your devices and extra camera batteries and gear, because they’re super expensive and hard to find in Paris.
- Electrical Adapters, which you’ll need if you’re taking any U.S. electronics with you that will need to be charged. (Camera, phone, iPad, Kindle, etc.)
- Multiple SD cards. You might want to remove the photos from your camera each day for safe keeping. If you’re bringing a laptop or tablet, then you might just want to pack the camera’s USB cable and perhaps a jump drive for this.
- Binoculars (I have a pair of cheap plastic ones that come in handy for viewing cathedral domes, etc.)
- Flashlight (for adventurous sightseeing and for power outages. Yep, I once had a power outage in a Paris Hotel)
- Swiss Army Knife (for the corkscrew and tools for any minor repairs — I once had to screw the handle back on my suitcase.)
- Handheld fan (handy in summer)
- Day Pack. Women may want to carry a functional and stylish day bag that can act as a purse and a travel tote for your camera, guidebook, bottled, water, etc. (Also take a small backpack if you’re taking a bike tour and need to carry your belongings.)
- Money carrier (Money Belt, women’s travel wallet, or whatever system you plan to use to keep your valuables secure from pickpockets.)
- Clothespins (even if you don’t need them for clothes, they’re great for closing curtains up tight or re-closing bags of chips, etc.)
- Journal (if you’re really going to journal)
- A small memo pad to carry with you to jot things down
- Pens
- A few Envelopes (handy for organizing receipts for VAT refunds)
- Small scissors (if you’re getting a Navigo Decouverte Metro pass, you’ll need these to trim your photo)
- A few paper clips and a couple of vinyl or manila folders for coralling papers and documents
Travel Supplies for Your Paris Vacation Apartment
If you’re renting a vacation apartment, the key thing you should do, before you overpack, is 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 vacation rental is that it’s furnished, so it should come fully stocked with nearly everything you need. But there were a few extra supplies that made my most recent vacation rental stay more comfortable. This list might give you some ideas:
- Travel size of toilet paper (in case there’s none when you arrive at the apartment)
- Kitchen Trash Bags (just a couple to get you started)
- Ziploc bags (sandwich bags and a couple freezer bags)
- 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 or a large piece of furniture.
- Travel Alarm clock, in case the apartment doesn’t have one (or just use your cell phone if you’re taking it)
- Towel and washcloth (at least one set of your own, just in case)
- Anti-allergen pillow protector (a personal need of mine. Fits right over the pillow, then I put the provided pillowcase on over it)
- Favorite snacks or comfort food
- Favorite tea or ground coffee
- Safety pins for securing apartment keys to your clothes or the inside of your bag. (Losing your apartment rental key can cost you hundreds of euros. Better safe than sorry.)
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (to erase any scuffs you make on the apartment walls, prior to checkout)
- 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
- Laundry Detergent, if needed. Bring your own from home if you have a personal preference or have other sensitive needs. A small box from the vending machine at your local laundromat will do the trick (and is more spill-proof to travel with than liquid. For hypo-allergenic/unscented travel size detergent, head over to Minimus.biz.
- Lingerie/Delicates bag for laundry
- A few fabric softener sheets (They don’t take up much room, and are handy for folks like me who can’t use the French stuff because I’m sensitive to laundry scents.)
* Instead of packing your own tote bags, buy cheap, reusable bags from Picard, La Grande Epicerie, Galleries Lafayette or wherever you shop in Paris. Those bags are everywhere nowadays. You can use them while you’re in Paris, and then take them home as souvenirs.
There you have it — my basic list of supplies to pack for Paris. I hope this list gave you some idea of what you can buy once you get to Paris, what scenarios you might want to be prepared for, and what little things might make your trip more enjoyable.
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