Travel Tips from my Paris Trip

As promised, this is part 2 of my Parisian adventure, and I thought I’d share tips on planning and packing from my recent trip to Paris.

Planning

Flights

We booked our flights through Capital One Travel. We paid a little extra to get their flight guarantee. If a flight is significantly delayed or canceled, they will book you on another airline or give you a refund for your base price.  

Layovers

Since there are no direct flights to Paris, we opted for our connecting destination to be in the USA, so we didn't have to go through customs/ immigration twice. We also opted for longer layovers, closer to 3 hours, to account for flight delays and being held up in immigration on the way back. While every flight was delayed, we didn’t experience any travel stress.  

Eating 

We looked for decent places to eat in each layover airport ahead of time so we could eat a meal when we got there. We were glad we brought some Aloha bars from home but wished we had brought some other healthy snacks. 

Travel info

I kept all needed travel information, confirmations, places to go, addresses, and recommendations on a Trello board and had the Trello app on my phone. The board, through my Trello app, was available even if my phone was not on Wi-Fi or was in airplane mode. 

Guide Book. 

We took a Rick Steves tour and loved the Rick Steves Guide Book. He has them for many travel destinations. 

Things we’re glad we brought. 

Old-school AUX Apple wired headphones.

They are more comfortable for my ears than the ones they give you on the plane to watch their inflight entertainment. I also have a small lightning converter, so I could use it with my phone to listen to audiobooks. 

Compression Socks 

I wore my Bombas compression socks on the flights. They helped my legs feel better after a day of traveling.  

Secure bags

Since we would be doing a lot of sightseeing in a crowded city, Matt carried a Pacsafe backpack because of its antitheft, cut-resistant straps, and security clips on the zippers. We’ve had one for years that has traveled the world. I carried a small crossbody sling bag against my chest and under my scarf, where I could put things we would need to grab easily—like glasses and metro cards. 

Thin but long rain jacket and umbrella

It rains in Paris often unexpectedly and often hard and we were ready when needed. We got our rain jackets at REI. 

Layers

A tank top or tee, soft cardigan, moto jacket, scarf—the weather fluctuated between being cold in the shade and hot in the sun. I'm so glad I had these every day.  

Compression Packing Cubes 

These helped us pack more clothes into our suitcases and kept us organized in our small hotel room. I used the Gonex brand. 

To Keep Healthy and Feeling Good

A clearly filtered water bottle 

This allowed us to put any kind of available water into it, and it would be filtered. 

LMNT electrolytes (powder packets): 

We walked a lot on our tour and didn’t have many bathroom stops, so between the long, dry flights and less water during the day, we were glad to have these little packets. 

HMF Travel Probiotics to support gastrointestinal health while traveling. Because… travel tum is no fun.  

Emergen-C packets + Source Naturals Wellness Formula

In case we felt run down. 

What I didn’t need.  

So many pairs of shoes.

I could have worn my good sneakers on the plane and brought my short black lace-up boots. I didn't need anything else.

So many clothes. 

Besides underwear, I didn't need a new outfit each day. I could have reused clothes. I wish I had listened to this pack lighter tip! 

My fiction book, or Remarkable Notebook

With so much sightseeing and the tour group, I didn’t have time for extra reading or journaling. If needed on the plane or at night, I could have used apps on my phone. 

What are your travel tips?  

Hope to see you next week at the Summer Soulstice! I’m really looking forward to doing the journaling playsheets and gathering as a community for the solstice ritual. Are you joining us? 

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