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We are back from France! It was a really awesome trip but we’re glad to be home in New York. It’s also Bobby’s birthday today, so wish him a happy birthday I will definitely write more about the food, etc… but first I wanted to share my packing strategy. I used to overpack for everything but I’m more of a minimalist these days and, for me, traveling is more enjoyable if you’re not lugging lots of baggage.

I was especially inspired by this post to try going to Paris for 9 days without checking any bags. Bobby and I each took a small personal item (a messenger bag for him and my ancient LL Bean monogrammed backpack for me) and one larger carry-on (an adidas swim bag for Bobby and a carry-on-sized roller suitcase for me). I actually ended up packing more than I ended up needing. But I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. (These pictures are mostly only my things; Bobby’s are not pictured but his strategy was similar.)

Accessories & Shoes:

• 3 pairs of shoes (danskos, flats, and dressy flip flops), a scarf, 2 umbrellas, jewelry (necklaces, earrings, and a small bag to keep them safe)

Tops:

• 5 tanks, 1 black sweater, 2 long-sleeved tee’s, 1 3/4 sleeve dressy-ish sweater, and 1 3/4 sleeve tee (so 5 tanks and 5 tops = 10 total; I think I wore all of them)
• As you can see, I am a fan of Gap.

Bottoms & Dresses:

• 1 jean skirt (didn’t wear), 1 pair of jeans, 2 capris (overkill = I only wore the black ones), 2 dresses (one comfy, one a little more dressy)

Underwear! (Bobby’s is on the right) & Comfy Clothes:

• 6ish pairs of underwear and socks for each of us (we had access to a washing machine towards the end of the week), 1 bummy tank and 1 pair of bummy shorts (I packed the underwear in a smaller bag inside the carry-on – it helped to keep things organized)

Purses:

• 1 regular purse (black), a bigger purse – brown leather (only used 1 day), and a cloth purse (I actually just used this to hold our rolled up formal wear, which is unpictured)
• Also my granny sweater that Bobby hates – this was a staple. France was a lot colder than it was supposed to be.

That’s about it. Some unpictured items were:

• 2 computers (probably could have gotten by with just one…)
• An iPad (edited to add: this way we didn’t have to bring entertainment like books, magazines, games, etc… – I did bring 2 small books though and finished 1.5 of them)
• An iPod
• A big DSLR camera (great for vacation pictures)
• Toiletries – didn’t really bring much since we couldn’t bring anything larger than 3 ounces. We found cheap toiletries at a grocery store in France.

Somehow we managed to get everything into just our 2 bags each. We didn’t bring back any souvenirs (except a few bars of chocolate…). It was the most hassle-free overseas trip ever. Definitely a success. Next time we’ll be able to take even less. It was a great lesson on living with less – which makes me happy. I am a firm believer in the idea that the less stuff you have, the happier and less stressed you are.

Ta ta for now; I’m going to go give Bobby a birthday HUG and enjoy the rest of my evening. It’s 1:30am in Paris time so I’m a little bit tired And I have to go to work tomorrow.

P.S. I completely forgot about my water bottle giveaway last week; I’ll keep it open until midnight tonight. The CamelBak was clutch for our trip – we took it everywhere and refilled it many times each day.

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• 21 May, 2011 -- We’re Going to Paris! (Travel Links & Ideas)

Tagged: fashion, france, packing, travel, vacation