How Megan Went to Paris with Just Her Carry-on

Bonjour mes amis!

After many cancelled and postposed vacations we finally took a trip to Paris. We hopped on a plane and went to the city of lights, the city of love aka the fashion capital of the world. This was my first trip to Paris and it did not disappoint. We went for eight nights — six in Paris and two in Normandy, and I did it all with a 22″ rolly bag. Travel to Europe has been hectic this summer, lots of horror stories about luggage lost and delayed. I challenged myself to travel with just a carry on, and you know what? Other than wishing I’d brought a 2nd set of pjs instead of a bathing suit – I would do it again. Read on for the details!

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What was in my bag?

Airplane outfit: black pants from Athleta, my fav ATM tee, linen scarf (on sale!) from Nordstrom, white (non athletic) sneakers and a red Rebecca Minkoff belt bag (similar – mine is from Poshmark) as a crossbody.

• 4 pairs of linen pants
• 3 dresses
• 6 tops
• 1 jersey skirt
• 1 cotton cardigan
• 6 panties (2 pairs of the shorties iykyk)/ 3 bras
• 1 pair of pjs
• 1 bathing suit (why?)
• 2nd more casual cross body/belt bag
• 3 pairs of comfortable flat sandals (black and brown and white)

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The Other Carry-On

My other carry on was this black bag from Amazon. In this bag I had my book, my iPad, my toiletries and another set of clothes (and one pair of sandals). The fear of going on vacation without a change of clothes was real! A packing cube held these items and I just piled everything else on top. I did bring shampoo/conditioner, lotion, hair oil and a small WOW! in a zip lock bag with no issues at security. I also used this black bag as a laundry bag while we were moving locations on the trip. Pro tip: One thing that I would do next time is bring a reusable shopping bag. You pay for grocery bags in France.

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Megan’s Trip to Paris

Paris was amazing! If you have not been – GO! The food, the wine, the shopping… oh, and the people watching! Paris cafe culture is designed for people watching and it did not disappoint. There is so much to do in Paris you could have a totally different trip each time you go. This trip focused on seeing the “main” sights and a side trip to Normandy for a D-day tour. What an experience that was! It’s Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers come to life. Highly recommend, especially for the history buffs.

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Megan’s Packing Tips

Three things I always consider when I pack:

• the weather
• what we will be doing (activity)
• the vibe of where we are going (city, beach, island etc)

Having never been to Paris I relied on advice from friends and lots of Pinterest searches like “street style Paris in summer”. My SIL went in June, so I picked her stylish brain for all the insider info., like get a personal fan – stat. (Best advice EVER! In fact my little Amazon fan is now in Italy with another stylish friend. You know, friends share the good stuff.)

PACKING

When packing for any trip, start with a color story and then it’s just a tiny capsule wardrobe. To begin I pulled out my linen pants (no one in Paris wears shorts, well a few girls were in leather shorts but…) And that gave me a starting point. Black, white and (French) blue. Tops to mix and match with the pants and the black jersey skirt, and then dresses. I brought two day dresses that could be worn with sneakers or sandals and one fancier dress for a nice dinner out. Pro tip: Packing cubes made this all possible!

SHOES

Since this was a family vacation I knew we would be doing a lot of walking and sight seeing and the dinners would be more casual. I wore my white sneakers on the plane and brought three pairs of sandals. Black and Brown and white Birks – all good walking shoes and the black pair could be dressed up for my one nice dress. Truth be told, I wore the white Birks almost every day. It was just too hot to wear sneakers. Full disclosure, I did do laundry two times. Once in Normandy (where the washer was older than me) and once in Paris in a laundromat. Neither was ideal, but I got the job done.

OVERALL

I was happy with my packing choices. I knew going into the trip that it was going to be VERY hot, like 100 in the city hot. My little capsule wardrobe accommodated that nicely and the (very welcome) cooler temps in Normandy were great, too. Although, if you forget anything or you “need” something, you are in the fashion capital of the world. When in Paris….

Green dress // faux Birks // belt bag (similar) // sunglasses

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For more travel ideas, Christa and I shared tips and tricks on our spring trips to Charleston and Miami. You can check them out here and here.

Thanks for following along on our blog. If you have any questions we’re happy to answer them – just leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you! We’d also love to hear about your favorite destinations so we can start planning our next trips!

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