Welcome to November! Scott and I arrived home last night, after spending almost all of October in France. As usual, we had an amazing time. But, honestly, we would have been hard pressed not to with cities and towns like Annecy, Bordeaux and Toulouse on our itinerary. Highlights for me included a small plane flight […]
What To Pack
42 posts
When it comes to looking stylish, there’s a lot to be said for a good coat. We’ve just spent most of October in France. And while the weather was quite warm when we first landed and during our time in the South, it has cooled down markedly now that we are heading for home. As […]
Today’s top travel tip for fashion loving francophiles. If you are only spending one day in Paris, make sure you time your visit to coincide with Fashion Week. Somehow, via good luck and absolutely no management whatsoever, that’s exactly what I managed to do on our recent visit. Now Paris is wonderful for people watching […]
My mind is definitely in packing mode at the moment. Not only am I right in the middle of packing for our upcoming trip to France (we fly next Wednesday) but I’ve also been travelling extensively with my day job. Last week, as I travelled to an interstate conference with workmates, several conversations reminded […]
Last week’s guest post from Claire – the Multiples Of Two Packing Plan – really resonated with the Distant Francophile community. And why wouldn’t it? Who doesn’t love picking up advice from fellow travellers. Well, luckily for all of us, Claire has generously agreed to share another of her packing lessons – thank you so much […]
This might sound silly, but creating Distant Francophile has brought all sorts of artistic joy into our lives. We spend way more time than you might imagine discussing topics and the associated photographs that might be worth sharing. But the whole creative process is not my favourite part of Distant Francophile. In fact, it doesn’t […]
You are probably aware – either via the news or the astonishing Instagram photos – that the rain has been bucketing down in Paris. To say that it has been a rather damp start to the Parisian summer is a bit of an understatement really! With so much discussion going on about the Parisian weather […]
Generally speaking, people find packing shoes for Paris a difficult task. This is the conclusion I’ve come to after numerous conversations with fellow travellers. Time and time again, I’ve been told how tricky it is to decide on which shoes to take and that it is hard to find comfortable shoes for travel. But packing shoes […]
The week before last, I attended a conference for women in finance where I was absolutely delighted to receive a Lipault Weekender bag. In a fine show of generosity the bag was actually the sponsors goodie bag – a definite step up from the standard cloth bag that normally graces that sort of event. Now […]
I’ve got to tell you – I’ve always found packing for Paris in spring a bit tricky. I always end up lugging way more weight than I want to – primarily because I’m forever trying to cater for the changeable weather. Shoes are definitely the worst. If there is ever a season that sees me […]
Baby pink blossom, with an Eiffel Tower backdrop. Parisian café terraces bathed in ever brightening sunlight. Yes, the photos that have been popping up in my Instagram feed lately have been sending a clear message. Spring is on the way – at least in Paris. And while the ever appropriate Parisians won’t be looking to […]
On Sunday, I shared my Top Five Reasons For Packing Light. Each one of my points were perfectly reasonable and fairly difficult to argue with, even if I do say so myself. But having a stack of motives for travelling light doesn’t make the art of refined packing any easier. These days, I can head […]
We went to a party a couple of nights ago and as it always does, the conversation turned firstly to travel and inevitably to packing. Our host on the evening is planning a three month jaunt to Europe with her hubby. It is their first big trip and it will be their introductory visit to […]
People watching is one of my very favourite things to do in Paris. I love every bit of it. I’m very happy to check out the current fashion trends and what shopping bags people are carrying. I try and determine what people might be eating for dinner and I smile knowingly at fellow travellers struggling […]
Autumn is my absolute favourite season. The days are still deliciously warm, but the evenings are crisp and cool. The light is divine and the colours become all soft and golden as the trees prepare to shed their leaves. And I adore the flavours of autumn, as earthy mushrooms, pumpkins and fennel all come into […]
It’s funny. So many people love travelling to Paris (or they would love to travel there someday). And while they are in Paris they are more than happy to take in the big name tourist sights. Yet (unsurprisingly) no one wants to actually look like a tourist. It’s the big dilemma – how can you […]
Well, summer has definitely hit Paris this week. And the high temperatures reminded me that I still owed you all an updated summer packing list. My first Packing For Paris In Summer post was more of a guess than a guide. But as it turns out, I didn’t do a bad job of packing clothes […]
In a week’s time we will be in Paris which is, of course, very exciting. Given I have a massive week ahead of me at work (yes, we’ve decided to work until Thursday night) I really need to sort out my packing list this weekend. You’ll be pleased to know that I finally made a […]
Last weekend, I shared one of my first luggage dilemmas. For the record, I’m still sorting myself out on that one. But there is one bag I know I will definitely be packing for France when we next visit…no questions asked. That’s my small, cross body bag by Dior. I bought this gorgeous little thing […]
Our next trip to France is getting closer and for the first time ever, I’ve hit a packing dilemma. For all of our previous trips we’ve followed the advice of a close friend and travelled with large backpacks. While the flash hotels aren’t quite sure what to do with packs – we actually had a […]