Thursday, April 23, 2015

Travel Thursdays - Packing for Paris

OMG - I'm leaving for Paris in 38 days and haven't started packing!  While this would not concern most people, it has me freaking out just a little bit. I need to get started...  Here's a tentative list of what I have planned.

Large hard-sided suitcase (The fella is letting me borrow his ginormous suitcase again. Thanks, hon!)

12 dresses                                    Leggings (black and gray)
1 pair of jeans                              Slate sport Mary Jane shoes
1 jacket                                        Metallic wedge sandals
3 skirts                                         Black multi-strap flat sandals
8 blouses                                      4 bras (black, nude, strapless, comfy)
2 cardigans (gray + white)           6 panties
Nightgown                                   2 pairs socks
4 scarves                                      Tank tops (black, white, gray)
Toiletry bag                                 Jewelry bag
Foldable shopping bag                Wine glass/corkscrew kit
Water bottle                                 Small fan
Hair straightener                          (What are the chances all of this will be less than 50 pounds?!?)

Carry-on bag (I really want to buy a weekender style tote from Vera Bradley for this.)

2 dresses                                                                                Medicine + contacts + rx sunglasses
iPad + charger + keyboard + case                                         Makeup
Pareo (use as a blanket or scarf if needed)                            Mini toiletry set
dSLR camera + portrait lens? + zoom lens?+ charger          Neck pillow
Converter set + adapters set                                                  Instax camera + film
Scrapbook kit                                                                        Stitching kit
Sketching kit                                                                         Journaling kit
Umbrella

Cross-body purse (This is the one that I had monogrammed for my trip to Mexico.)

Wallet                                                Headphones
Neck wallet for security                    Passport
Point and shoot camera                     Glasses
Sunglasses                                         Odd items - lipstick, gum,

Any ideas? Any thoughts? Things to add? Things to delete? Things to pare down a bit?  I considered bringing a swimsuit, but idk when I'd wear it. I also considered bringing fewer items, but I like to have options in what I can wear.

7 comments:

  1. I would bring 8-10 dresses total, and plan on buying 2 or 3 while there. I'm not much for souvenirs (I count my photos, ticket stubs, takeaway menus etc as my souvenirs) but I like to buy a couple classic pieces at the start of my trip. That way you can wear them throughout the trip, and when you get back home, you'll think of the fabulous time you had in Paris! :)

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  2. *when you wear them back home. Oops!

    Also, you're not the only that starts packing way early. My fiancé thinks I'm crazy, but laying everything out weeks before a trip helps me to not forget anything!

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  3. I would try to pare it down to a week's worth of clothing. I find that + all the crap i want to bring home (souvenirs, gifts, bottles of WINE :) ) is usually 50 pounds. Remember the weight of the ginormous suitcase also counts (I think mine is like 10 pounds by itself). I know it kind of stinks to have less versatility but, hellow shopping! You can also throw out some of your toiletries at the end of the trip to save more room in the luggage on the way home. Can you tell we always run into having too much in our bags? ;-o

    Could you check with the place you're staying to see if they have a fan, corkscrew, some of these other items?

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  4. gee. i'm going to hawaii in 2.5 weeks. better start packing!! i'm going to use your list as a starting point. btw, i think you're way under 50 lbs.

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  5. I've started putting clothing for Paris in a basket as I finish laundry. The dresses are super lightweight, but I may need to pare down some. As I actually start packing, I'll monitor weight and room available. Expect pics of that process soon!

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  6. I always pack a spare change of clothing (at least undies) in case your suitcase does not arrive at the same time you do. I also pack ziplock bags in various sizes - they are always handy to have. Do you have a packable rain jacket? When we went to Paris in June it poured on us several times - both umbrella and jackets required. Lots of great scarves to buy in Paris and they are a great souvenir/gift etc.

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  7. I would probably bring more than one pair of pants, unless I was traveling in pants (and would therefore have two.) I do see the leggings listed, but was assuming those were for under dresses/skirts.

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