My packing list is for travel with ...
Traveling to France in mid/late spring - a teen/tween girl's guide of what to pack (also for their parents)
How I pack for travel
When traveling abroad with your teen, make them decide carry-on and go-everywhere bag at least a week ahead of time so they have time to think about how big it should be and what they can fit in it (you will want this bag to be the one they lug around the rest of the trip- going sightseeing and such.) The thing that you should definitely invest in is a power adapter, they are EXTREMELY useful and are usually quite inexpensive. CrateandBarrel.com has great adapters for only $8.95 or go to a travel store to get them. You also might want to get ear buds/earphones that block out noise, especially if your seat is right next to the engine on a plane.
Carry-on bag:
•iPod (fully charged) with charger
•Book , magazine, or e-reader even if they're not a big reader, what else are you going to do on a 6+ hour flight? You definitely don’t want to wear down all your gadgets on the plane.
•A small snack like a granola bar or a snack bag of pretzels
•At least 1 pack of gum or icebreakers
•A Pashmina scarf- they are fashionable and can double as a warm blanket
•A travel neck pillow- BEST THING EVER on a plane
•Fluffy socks or foldable slippers- instead of sleeping with your shoes on (although Uggs can be very comfy)
•Hand sanitizer for before and after meals
Sightseeing (Take everywhere) bag:
•Camera (fully charged) with spare battery and memory card
•Wallet- but make sure to keep on inner pocket ( I would recommend a bag with a zipper)
•Any small, foldable maps you might want
•Emergency phone numbers
Suitcase:
•Dark pants- not the neon pink and yellow jeans/jeggings
•Water resistant (or rain) jacket- I recommend the Women’s North Face Apex Bionic jacket, it’s wind and water resistant and super comfy
•Long sleeve shirts or sweaters with camis
•Good walking shoes- you do TONS of walking in France and you don’t want your feet to hurt and if you’re getting new shoes for the trip, buy them at least a week ahead of time and wear them almost every day or wear them around the house to break them in Mary Janes work great because they are comfy and fashionable
•Underthings
•Socks
•Pajamas
•Toiletries- if you’re staying for more than 3 days, bring 1 or 2 hotel sized bottles of shampoo , conditioner, shower gel and lotion, Bath and Body has great travel shower gels, lotions, and fragrance
NO CELL PHONE NEEDED ON THIS TRIP! Most phones don't have international calling. Bring your phone to and from the airport, but leave it off for the duration of your stay in France.
Lessons Learned
- What NOT to bring or do and some extra tips:
- bottled water to the airport, I was not being very intelligent that day
- Wear something comfortable to the airport, but not something sloppy- the flight is most likely going overnight and you aren't going to change into your pajamas on the plane, but you don't want to wear your sweat suit
- DO NOT bring your blow dryer or straightner or curler (unless, of course, you're going somewhere where you absolutely NEED it)
- transfer hundreds USD into euros right away, start with a small amount such as 100 euros and when you get to France, build from there
- HAVE A HAPPY TRIP!
