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Post by traveler63 on Sept 14, 2009 23:23:04 GMT
Bonjour;
Well not quite yet, but getting there. What a action packed couple of weeks! Everything is packed (I think) except the last minute things. We take off Wednesday for the airport at 10:45 am for a 12:30pm flight. I have concluded that going on vacation for a longer period of time takes more planning and I had convinced myself that we didn't need as much, because we have laundry facilities in the apartment. Wrong!!!!! We were also going to not pack some of the things, such as shampoo, etc but with the US dollar so weak against the Euro, nope no way, nohow are we spending money like that. I contemplated taking a picture of our extra room but couldn't bring myself to, what a mess!!
I think things have been in and out of the suitcases, well I have lost count.
So, we will begin on Wednesday. I will post when I can.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 14, 2009 23:54:08 GMT
How long are you staying?
Well, personally I wouldn't worry about shampoo as you can find places to buy it for a reasonable price (unless you have special needs - I have very curly-kinky hair but there are a lot of Black and Maghrebi people in Paris). Your main problem will be the change of seasons - how long are you staying for?
Our dollar has always been pretty weak against everything...
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 15, 2009 0:01:45 GMT
Bon voyage, VoyageuseSoixante-trois!
Just my two-cents worth: you aren't going to use up a bottle of shampoo in a month, unless you're drinking the stuff. Are you going to want to schlep that kind of stuff back to the States?
How much more could it possibly cost to buy small sizes of shampoo, detergent, etc. in France? Is it really worth it to use up valuable space and risk the stuff leaking in your luggage?
It's easy for me to be coldly logical -- I'm not the one going off for the trip of a lifetime. ;D
Have a fabulous, wonderful, dreams-come-true time!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2009 0:38:23 GMT
Really, if you go to the right stores, most things are not that much more expensive than the U.S. -- and some are cheaper. Oh well -- personally I think it is impossible to travel without kicking oneself regularly to say "why did I brng that?" or "why didn't I bring that?"
You'll be in Paris before I will!
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Post by lagatta on Sept 15, 2009 0:38:38 GMT
Detergent is easy to find for a most reasonable price in Paris. I've found shampoo and conditioner that suited my needs at markets in Paris. Usually European products are good quality - my challenge is finding something for unruly, very curly (and hence dry) hair. I actually use very little shampoo - I only shampoo my hair with soapish stuff once a week, unless it is truly dirty from exercise, gardening etc - but I use a lot of conditioner. Unless you are wedded to a brand, doubt you really have to schlep it.
I have had "sensitive" toothpaste leak in my luggage. Thank the cat-goddess it didn't bleach any of my favourite clothes!
Do you have to change anywhere in Northeastern North America? When I leave for Paris it is in the evening.
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Post by fumobici on Sept 15, 2009 0:46:27 GMT
I haven't noticed stuff like deodorant, razor blades, shampoo etc. costing much if any more in Europe if you shop around like you (or I at least) would at home, but then again I pretty much just ignore the exchange anyway while shopping and spend Euros as if they were dollars. When I go, I usually stay around a month so I can't worry about packing much of that consumable stuff. It probably also helps that I am not too brand conscious about that stuff so I don't need any particular brand.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 15, 2009 1:22:07 GMT
I'm not "brand-conscious" at all, but my hair for example requires specific types of shampoo and conditioner or it becomes a frizzy mess. (In Netherlands, I find the HEMA shops a good source of reliable quality products without too much perfume and in not-too-large formats - they actually have a shampoo and conditioner for "uncontrollable" hair). My hair is at the antipodes of flaxen Dutch hair, but Amsterdam, Rotterdam and other cities there are multi-culti now.
It is rare that I run out of deodorant in a month!
The detergents are fine and it is easy to find products for hand washing in a basin, which is useful even if you are in a rental with a washing machine, as you will have fewer clothes than usual and want to keep underthings and favourite garments fresh. There are good generic brands that are cheap.
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Post by traveler63 on Sept 15, 2009 1:39:09 GMT
We will be in Paris almost 30 days. So, I really don't think we will need too much shampoo, etc, I have packed a couple of the travel sizes on some of the things and some Mr T and I will just share so I think we will be ok.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2009 4:30:16 GMT
I have always found it even more fun to stock up on products like that just before I return home (assuming that I have room to pack them). Continuing to use a foreign product from my vacation mentally extends my holiday.
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Post by fumobici on Sept 15, 2009 5:31:09 GMT
I do the same even if Ipercoop or Spar house brand shampoo and deodorant aren't the most evocative of keepsakes. A bottle of freshly made truffle oil works better.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2009 7:35:01 GMT
But you see the bathroom stuff every day!  |
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Post by bjd on Sept 15, 2009 7:58:09 GMT
Go to the market at the Porte de Montreuil on Sunday morning. They have all kinds of brand name toiletries at good prices. Well, maybe you don't need 4 bars of Dove soap, but the shampoo was sold by the bottle. Just avoid the little neighbourhood shops or the big department stores like Bon Marché or Galeries Lafayette.
Anyway, as Fumobici says -- you may as well just buy the stuff on the spot. If you are concerned about the price of shampoo or soap, you can't afford a month in Paris anyway.
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Post by bjd on Sept 15, 2009 11:54:58 GMT
Traveler63 -- in case you check on here before you go, I just heard on the radio that it's cold and crappy in Paris. 13° and rainy. Fall seems to have arrived early, so take a windbreaker or light jacket with you.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 15, 2009 13:53:39 GMT
If you don't have umbrellas (given your desert climate) you can also buy them cheaply at Paris markets.
If it is 13c during the day and rainy, you need a warm sweater too, as it will be damp. But Paris is full of places to nip into if the weather turns a bit raw.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2009 13:56:54 GMT
But I am arriving in Paris with Bangkok attire on Thursday at dawn!  |
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Post by lagatta on Sept 15, 2009 14:10:11 GMT
Well, I've arrived in Montréal many times when it was frigid here. You'll survive the short walk to the RER and the change of métro lines.
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