I packed what I felt was a very reasonable amount of stuff. I really don't think I overpacked or brought stuff I didn't need. However, the weather report made me make mistakes - we were told over and over again how hot it was. But when we got there, it was cold. London was colder than Paris. One day on our trip to Paris it was warm/hot. But other than that day, I needed to dress for colder temps and rain. So the clothes that I didn't end up wearing were going to be used for hot weather, and I just never had the chance to wear that.
But there were a LOT of things I think I should have packed that would have made the trip a lot better.
🧥 A nice raincoat would have helped a lot. I bought a small umbrella in London, which helped a lot with the rainy weather. However, a jacket or coat would have been nice. And I knew I would have a hard time finding something I liked that fit good while I was shopping in Europe. I should have brought a rain jacket or windbreaker with me.
🔌 A small extension cord would have been helpful. I had European plugs, but sometimes the plug was in a weird location, and an extension cord would have helped a lot. And of course, don’t forget the special plugs you need for whatever country you’re going to. Don’t forget all your electronics charging cables you need.
🧺 A dirty clothes bag. We were able to do laundry at any AirBnB places we stayed at. It would have been super helpful to have a place to keep the dirty clothes away from the luggage. Good thing - I brought laundry detergent sheets with me and they were fantastic. Super lightweight and easy to carry, they did the job when I had to do laundry. Because I had access to laundry facilities at almost every place we stayed in our 3 week trip, I could have survived with less clothes. Even something as simple as a garbage bag or a pillow case would have worked.
👘 A small, thin robe would have been nice, simply to walk from the bathroom back to the bedroom to dress. We stayed together with our kids and other people, and sometimes you didn't have an ensuite bathroom.
🥿 Some thin slippers with grippy soles. Once you get back to your place, sometimes its nice to take off your shoes and relax - but there are stairs and hard floors just about everywhere - and if you only wear socks, you risk slipping.
📝 A couple post-it notes would been useful to just kinda remind yourself of things you don't want to forget as you pack up to leave. Or a place to jot down important information. Don’t forget a couple pens!
💨 A thing that I know I couldn't take, but it sure would have made the trip a lot better - some kind of a folding, travel fan. London and France don't seem to have air conditioning. Even if the weather is cold, the air is still and stagnant. You have to leave open the windows to get some breeze or fresh air. However, the windows don't have screens, so bugs come in. A fan would have made things better to simply move the air, and hopefully keep bugs from landing on you in your sleep. Just a way to have moving air would have made sleeping a lot more comfortable. Some places will provide you with fans, others don't. Some places have air conditioning, most do not.
💊 The MOST IMPORTANT thing you could bring with you - medicine! I'm not talking about your prescription medicine - you know you need to bring that. I'm talking about over the counter medicine you may need. I do not know what is happening in London and France, but you can't find "real" medicine in the pharmacies. My husband started to get a cold while in London, we stopped into a pharmacy to get something, and they give him some herbal remedy stuff. We couldn't find anything that actually works. While we were in France, I started to get the cold and now it was my turn to need medicine. Again, we stopped into different pharmacies and specifically asked for medicine by name, and even translated from English to French, and all they give you is herbal stuff. It was honestly shocking and upsetting. I felt so sick one day, and I was laying in the bed just thinking that if I had been able to take actual medicine, I wouldn't be this ill. Finally, on the day before we left, the pharmacy in the airport had actual real medicine. But at that point, I was very sick and it was going to be difficult to try to feel better once I had been so sick for several days. And another thing, I prefer to take ibuprofen, but all the places in London and Paris only have acetaminophen. I had to specifically ask for ibuprofen any time I needed it, and they often had it behind the counter with the pharmacist. And they sell it in these tiny boxes, rather than the bottles we’re used to here. It was all just insane, and I would suggest that you bring EVERYTHING you might feel you could need - cold, flu, pain, fever, stomach, allergies, etc. Don't assume you will find medicine you need while traveling. Bring a mini pharmacy with you!
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