7 MUST-PACK ITEMS FOR YOUR FRANCE TRIP (THAT EVERYONE FORGETS!)

➤ Wevat website: bit.ly/45Gojcg (If you have any questions about tax-free shopping in France, check out the Wevat website for more information) ➤ Wevat download link: wevat.app.link/JEFSUh5kfAb

I'd like to add that if you plan to visit Paris, there's some free water fountains everywhere to refill your reusable bottle of water. Well, not everywhere exactly but it's easy to find and you should absolutely see a Fontaine Wallace, they're beautiful, specific to Paris history and have provided free water for Parisians and tourists since 1872. So definitely a small thing to catch if you visit our capital !

on this trip i found that reserving your G7 taxi to the airport the previous day off of their website is way better than asking the hotel to call you a taxi when you checkout.

This video doesn’t concern me as being a Swedish person having lived a long time in France, still I watch the entire video since Diane is such a wonderful person - friendly, caring, natural, down to earth - super nice really. 💜 👏

I bought a pac safe unisex crossbody bag that will house our passports and credit cards. We are just going to London for the day and I realized I have to carry my passport all day . The strap is slash proof and the zippers lock. I’m going to be in pickpocket havens ( Gare Du Nord and St. Pancras). I’m not a paranoid person or live in fear, but you have to be proactive wherever you go in this world. Thank you for all of your awesome videos! Always look forward to seeing them. ❤️

On my last trip to Europe in summer 2017, my daughter and I packed virtually all our things in plastic zip lock bags. I know, the waste of plastic, but there weren't alternatives that could be zipped up to keep dirty laundry inside, soap bars, etc. We even packed small things in sandwich/quart sized bags and then put those in gallon bags almost like packing cubes. We also took scented dryer sheets to help with less than clean clothes or nightshirts when we couldn't get laundry done immediately. We spent 53 days in 8 countries with planes, trains, BlaBla rideshares and buses without a firm plan so we winged it to say the least! Thanks for the great tips Diane!

Compression socks for sure. I dont remember my lightbulb moment with those, but Ive never been without since!

Excellent tips, especially for those US travelers who have never previously left the country. One thing I would say is essential and not nice to have: the adapter! I realize there are indeed still 4 people in this world who don’t use electronic devices (😂), but for most of us, getting caught off without our chargers, charging cables, and the adapter would be an absolute disaster!

I didn’t know about wevat. THANKS. I never go through the hassle of getting my VAT back and I go annually. This will change now.

Hi Diane. First time commenter. Been watching your vids for about a year and found them very useful prior to a trip to Paris last fall. One thing you didn't mention, and I would never be without between April and November, is a folding (paper or other) fan. Since the French don't believe in "air" mine came in handy, especially at Versailles where it was very balmy on October 27th. There was exactly ONE window open in the entire palace - GASP GASP. With regard to dairy products, I found Lactaid stopped working for me years ago. That said, I have waaaaaaaaay fewer issues in Europe where the food isn't full of toxins like in the US

Thanks Diane! It's always helpful to hear about these more practical things, especially coming from a more lifestyle versus gear approach.

my reusable bag (from Land's End, I think) did a great job holding my snack pain au chocolate and my emergency snack pain au chocolate for my week in Paris! :)

Good travel essentials suggestions list Diane. If I may, I'd like to add to any of our fellow Americans who may traveling internationally, whether it's to Europe or anywhere else for an extended visit woth family etc of more than 2 weeks, pack maybe double up on the twin packs of your favorite brand of antiperspirant. You can run into deodorants that are formulated differently than your favorite brand snd it may not hold as well as your preferred brand. My mom had to run out and get a bottle of deordorant for us when we were in Barcelona, but we were at the tail end of both or 9 day tour of Spain and out trip overall when we ran out of deordorant. When my mom and I went to Europe in 2008, we just took probiotics the whole 2 weeks we were in Paris and while on our tout of Spain and were just fine. I'm not lactose intolerant and neither was my mom, although in addition to the jetlag, my mom did have to get adjusted to eating European cheese the first couple of days in Paris, but after that, she was fine. I on the on other hand had no issues adjusting to eating the dairy products. Being fifteen years older now , that may be a slightly different story if I was ever to travel anywhere in Europe. O

Great video, Diane—merci! One little addition to your great tip on adapters: I like a multi-outlet extension cord setup with a few regular outlets as well as USB and even USB-C. I also like having a portable charger for those data-heavy days navigating around (I also like Bonjour RATP app for Paris). Thanks for such a great service—I take university student groups to Paris and have shown your videos in class. Enjoy your trip to Alaska, too—my husband and I went last summer, and it was mind-bogglingly beautiful!! Bon voyage! :)

Really good list!! I just returned home from Italy, Switzerland and the UK. I took a scarf, SO needed as the temps changed I could use, as you said, for a head scarf around my ears, neck scarf, just great to have! Also, compression socks are a great idea. I did not take a refillable water bottle and that was a big mistake. I will look into the one you mentioned.

Fyi, the stuff for mineral build-up on hair is mostly just ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and citric acid (like in lemon juice). I diy my own, but those packets look great for travel. Thanks for the list, really helpful!

Ooh, 2-3 new things I hadn't known of before. You always have great info! Now, a less classy but serious matter😉: One thing I was glad I did was to take some t.p. along. SO glad!!! I re-rolled loose t.p. rolls tighter onto an empty roll. Got about 2 rolls worth onto one for space saving. I was in a lot of little towns that didn't have t.p. abounding or an American fast food place where you could use theirs freely. Was grateful I was wearing a panty liner in a couple of no-t.p. pinches, too. Sometimes, I would leave the end of a roll with a few uses on it just to be nice. Good karma!

Thanks so much. Would have never have thought of so many things you mentioned for our upcoming trip. ☺️

Scarves take up no room and I always take three or four. I don't travel in the summer and prefer the cooler months. I use packing cubes for everything. I also take several camis that can be washed out at night and dry quickly. They go against my body and protect my clothes from the oils in my skin and perhaps persperation. Everything stays so much cleaner. I usually take three and also wear panty liners. Again, barely any weight and easy to tuck in somewhere. I wear compression knee socks all the time. I found some footless ones so I can wear sandals. I wore them in Las Vegas last week and they worked great. I found mine on Amazon. I get the ones recommened for plane rides, kind of medium pressure. I can wear them all day.

I like to buy my scarves as souvenirs but this April I should have brought one! It was a very cool spring in Brittany and the Loire (yes, I thought of you in Nantes) and the stores only had lightweight summer scarves when I needed a woolen one. I ended up buying a silly tourist scarf printed with a scene by Renoir in neon colors just because it was soft and warm...