SHARE
COPY LINK

TIPS

Readers’ tips: What should you pack when coming to France from the US?

Each week The Local asks its readers to share their tips about various aspects of living in France. This week we asked our American readers what they bring with them to France from the US. Here's what they had to say.

Readers’ tips: What should you pack when coming to France from the US?
Photo: AFP
When you come to France from the US there's no shortage of things to look forward to, not least of all the easy access to the country's wonderful cheeses, cafe culture and fine wines. 
 
But there will also be some things you will want to bring with you whether it's for money-saving purposes or simply because you want the comfort of home, while you're away on your travels especially if you're staying a while, or even moving here.  
 
We asked our American readers what makes the grade when it comes to their filling up precious luggage space when they make the trip to France.
 
Medication was one of the top suggestions of things to bring, with Susan Gish providing a list of small essentials that might make a stay in France more comfortable: “Benadryl ointment for bites, Neosporin, big bottles of aspirin, cotton real q-tips, favourite sunscreen, favourite bug spray.”
 
Meanwhile Lexie Savic suggested stashing some American tampons in your suitcase, and F Joseph Leonard-Peray wrote that when he first came to France toilet paper was top of his list of essentials to bring from home because he “could not find a decent roll anywhere. It was a horrid pink, flimsy tissue paper.” 
 
READ ALSO:
Where in France do all the American expats live?
 
Although he went on to say that “thankfully, things have changed in that department and one can purchase quality toilet roll now.”
 
Other readers suggested products such as toothpaste, razor blades, deodorant and dental floss. However feel like it's important to mention that all these products are all widely available in France although they may cost a little more, depending on where you shop.
 
Another reader, André Blanbecque also pointed out that bringing favourite over-the-counter medicines to France might make for a smoother transition to a new country, rather than “expecting to be able to order it on Amazon. You may or may not be able to do that, and it may or may not cost twice as much.”
 
However André also pointed out that if you're moving here, while you might feel you need some intimate creature comforts with you at the beginning, it's likely this feeling will eventually fade. 
 
“Every country does things differently so until you get a handle on just how, bring your intimate creature comforts with you, and seasonally appropriate clothing but nothing else. You will eventually find alternatives or even lose interest.”
 
Whether or not to bring American clothes and food to France was a topic for debate among readers.
 
Some pointed out that it was worth bringing American brands like Levis to France as they are “way cheaper in the USA” and Twitter user What if Brigade even claimed that American clothes are preferential because “natural fabrics can be difficult to find in France.”
 
READ ALSO:
 
 
Meanwhile, others suggested that finding inexpensive and good quality clothes in France is just a case of “knowing where to shop”.  
 
When it came to food, many readers said they bring over home comforts such as peanut butter, chocolate chips and Bisquick pancake mix, essential for making classic American dishes like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies and American-style biscuits.
 
But again, others pointed out that some of these items can also be bought in French supermarkets although “they are expensive due to shipping costs.”
 
The difficulty in finding spicy food in French restaurants and supermarkets lead readers such as Lexie Savic to advise packing some spices from the US as a suitcase essential.
 
Although readers’ suggestions for items to bring to France were much discussed, they were united in their suggestions for items to leave behind, which included electrical goods, such as hairdryers and electric razors and books, all of which would clearly weigh your suitcase down. 
 
READ ALSO:

Photo: AFP

Christopher Tyle summarised:  “Leave books behind unless they are rare or hard to come by. You can get almost everything on Amazon or other online places. Furniture, cars, electrics – all of those things you can get here – and have a good time (in most cases) shopping!”
 
Finally, many readers had more philosophical response to the question, with the psychological aspect of enjoying a new culture taking precedence over physical comforts.
 
Merijke Gerritsen advised a minimal approach to packing might help new expats discover French culture, writing: “Bring only what can't be missed or replaced. Leave everything else behind. Don't make the mistake of becoming a permanent tourist and missing out on the essence of another culture.”
 
Francine Gloaguen Curtner suggested (a tad harshly) that Americans do not bring an “attitude of superiority and your loudness to France.”
 
And Phil Lambert recommended that those who move here should “bring an open mind and patience, especially with the bureaucracy. It's a much slower and wonderful lifestyle here.”

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

HOLIDAYS

Readers’ tips: How to get the most out of a holiday in Denmark

We asked our readers for tips on how to save money when holidaying in Denmark and for some of the best things to do. This is what they said.

Readers' tips: How to get the most out of a holiday in Denmark
The ferry to Anholt, the far-flung island in the middle of the Kattegat Sea is free for foot passengers and cyclists. Photo: Visit Anholt
HOW TO SAVE MONEY
 
Take advantage of the cheap train tickets
 
Fabrizio, from Italy, recommends the Rejsepas (travel pass) from the Danish train company DSB, which gives holders a week's totally free public transport across the whole of Denmark from June 27th until August 9th, and only costs 299 kroner. It's an incredible deal, so incredible in fact that all 50,000 tickets were quickly snapped up this year. If you missed it, you'll have to wait until next year. 
 
But you can still get so-called 'orange tickets', which are on sale for a maximum of 99 Danish kroner, which is also a pretty good deal. 
 
Nadine Morgan says it's important to book train tickets in advance, as they are then much cheaper than on the day. 
 
Take advantage of the free ferries 
 
As part of the government's “summer package”, pedestrians and cyclists travelling to Denmark's smaller islands, as well as to Fanø, Læsø, Ærø and Samsø in August and September can travel for free, points out Martin, a Danish reader.
 
There are also reduced prices on all ferries for cars, and reduced prices on the ferry to Bornholm. 
 
 
Go camping 
 
Vanessa Lima, from Brazil, recommends camping wild on some of Denmark's less frequented beaches. “Just find a place to camp there and spend few days with nature,” she says. 
 
Don't eat in restaurants too much 
 
Denmark's restaurants are some of the most expensive in the world, so a great way to save costs is to buy food in supermarkets and cook it yourself. “You don't necessarily need to eat out at every restaurant for every meal, so consider packing or making your own meals. Food costs go a long way,” Morgan says. 
 
Marta, from Poland, agrees, adding that you can save a lot of money by having barbecues while camping. 
 
Take advantage of the summer freebies in cities. 
 
“There are plenty of free things to do in Copenhagen. And until the middle of August a lot of museums are half price,” says the British travel blogger Karen Smedley. “The harbour bus is great for sightseeing, as is walking around the capital and admiring the architecture. There are plenty of lovely parks, especially the deer park, which are all free.”
 
Use student discounts
 
One Hungarian international student recommends take advantage of the thousands of student discounts on offer in Denmark, many of which relate to things you'd like to do on holiday. The train company DSB offers 25 percent discounts for students, and the student website Studenterguiden, has a whole section devoted to them, with discounts to most museums, and many theatres. 
 
 
WHERE TO GO
 
The smaller islands
 
Morgan thinks Rømø Strand is Denmark's best beach. It's such a unique beach where you can drive for a few kilometres on the beach itself and enjoy the low tide of the water, and then when high tide comes, you have to hurry out. It's great because you can stay there for hours, it's family friendly, and its really beautiful with soft sand and seashells and few crabs walking around.” 
 
Allegra De María, from Italy, also recommends Denmark's “smaller islands”, as the best places to get away from it all. You can check out a list here at the Visit Denmark website.  
 
Beaches between Aarhus and Skagen 
 
Lima recommends travelling a little south down the coast towards Aarhus from the most popular areas around Skagen. “Not too close to Skagen or Aarhus, [the beaches are] usually good places to enjoy nature.
 
Enjoy the parks around Copenhagen 
 
Morgan is a big fan of the Dyrehaven, or Deer Park in Klampenborg north of Copenhagen.
 
“Dyrehaven is really beautiful and its my favourite park in Denmark that I have visited so far. I arrived there the first time on a fall [autumn] morning and they sky was clear blue and the air was brisk, and the colour of the leaves were a perfect beautiful orange and brown and there were deers roaming all over the park. It's a beautiful walk in the park and you can bring a picnic and sit there and enjoy nature.” 
 
Megan Miller, from Scotland, recommends bicycling around Copenhagen's Amager island to Dragør, the prosperous 19th century sea-faring town south of Copenhagen. 
 
Day trips to sea near Copenhagen 
 
Maria Andrianova, a tour guide from Russia, recommends the chalk cliffs at Stevns Klint, a UNESCO site with a great sea view. “I was quite impressed to learn that a part of the church fell down onto the seashore in 1928. The island of Møn has a very similar breathtaking landscape, but Stevns Klint is closer to Copenhagen”.
 
“I am also a big fan of Bellevue Beach near Klampenborg station – especially because of all the history and architecture behind it,” she says. “The small lifeguard towers on the beach were designed in the 1930s by famous Arne Jacobsen, and there are a whole bunch of great buildings also designed by him just next to the beach (like the Bellevue Theatre, Bellavista Housing Estate, and Skovshoved Petrol Station).
 
 
Visit Denmark's excellent open air museums
 
Morgan is also a fan of Den Gamle By [the old city] in Aarhus and the Frilandsmuseet in Lyngby, both of which showcase Danish architecture of different periods and try to recreate how life has changed across the centuries. 
 
“In Den Gamle By, you get to go inside a pretty big area where it feels more like a city or small town, and you get to go into all of the houses that were imported from different parts of denmark and placed there and rebuilt to their original state, and also travel through time the further you progress into the open-air museum.” 
 
 
 
SHOW COMMENTS