HOW I PACKED FOR 3 WEEKS IN FRANCE IN A CARRYON

Yes, you read that correctly. Last summer, I packed for my entire three and a half week excursion in France in only a carryon. As a disclaimer, I spent most of my days in France hiking and swimming and outside. I was not there for Paris fashion week, so I did not dress accordingly. Instead, I focused mostly on everyday outfits that I could mix and match with ease.

Last summer, I was presented with the amazing opportunity to spend 2 weeks studying the French language and culture in a small whaling town called Biarritz (I like to refer to it as my happy place), and another week and a half traveling through Northern France with my mother. While there, I stayed with a lovely family and another American roommate. All around, a great experience, but I'll go into that in another post. While I was starting to pack - a month in advance, as I do - I was overwhelmed by the packing list the program sent. Do I really need a different shirt for everyday? But it wasn't the amount of clothes that influenced my decision to bring only a carryon necessarily, it was the fear of showing up in Paris with a bag lost along the way. My belongings felt like a safety blanket, something that I brought from home, so under no circumstances would I be separated from it.

I began my research online and found a Vera Bradley bag that seemed just perfect for what I needed. It is the Large Duffel in Petal Paisley, which I can't for the life of me find anymore. I had it monogrammed with a pink D to give it a little bit more character. At first I was a little nervous about the fact that it was clothe, but it held up perfectly. I lugged that bag from Charles de Gaul airport, through the streets of Paris, onto the TGV to Biarritz, back through the metro system in Paris, and into Normandy with no problems what so ever.

Here is a link to where I found the bad. Again, I can't find this specific pattern anymore, which totally blows. http://www.verabradley.com/product/large-duffel-travel-bag/ziggy-zinnia/154786_198161.uts

Next, I worried about how I was going to get my toiletries over there. I mean, have you seen my makeup bag? It's huge! By this point, I am completely broke from buying a plane ticket, setting aside spending money, and from buying the duffel bag. I saw another hanging makeup organizer on the Vera Bradley website that was GORGEOUS, but couldn't bring myself to spend another $30 on luggage. So instead, I took to the sewing machine and made one myself. I made this bag using thick fabric, quilting material, zippers, and clear plastic. It has one large and two small plastic pockets and one expandable pocket on the bottom. It folds and snaps into a compact carrying case and it is so great. Here is a link to the Vera Bradley bag that inspired me to make this one: http://www.verabradley.com/product/hanging-travel-organizer/concerto/1000947_203029.uts

And last but not least, comes what I actually filled these bags with. Like I said above, I packed basic necessities. I spent my mornings in classes and my afternoons exploring neighboring cities. Comfort was key for me. So I took to Forever 21, where I can always trust to find super cheap basic essentials, including $3 leggings, $10 jeans, $7 V-necks, and $15 mix and match swimsuits. Here is a list of my complete packing list:

Shoes:

Birkenstocks (a MUST if you ask me!)

Nike Free

Toms

Shirts:

4 solid V-necks (white, gray, black, and light blue)

2 Tank tops

2 "nice" shirts (meaning not a solid V neck. For me, these were two lace, loose fitting tank tops that blended fashion and comfortability perfectly)

1 sun dress

2 Jackets (It rains a lot more than one would expect in the South of France)

1 Sweater

Bottoms:

3 Jeans

2 Leggings

3 Pajama pants

2 shorts

Misc:

2 Bikini tops

1 Solid Bikini bottoms

A neck pillow for the plane

I think ya'll can handle your own socks and underwear

This sounds like a lot, and I think it is an testament to how much that duffel can hold! In order to fit all of this, including my makeup bag, I rolled all of my belongings instead of folding them. It creates a lot more room. I also had a difficult time fitting shoes inside, so I tied my Nikes to the strap of the duffel and let them hang there. They didn't get in the way and it freed up some extra room (get it? Freed? Like Nike Free's? It was funnier in my head).

Packing in a carryon was well worth it, if you ask me. Charles de Gaul is one hell of an airport, and life was much easier when I didn't have to deal with waiting for it to come off of the plane. I hope that this helped! Please feel free to comment with any further questions you may have. Thanks for reading, folks. Still working on that sign off.