Shop My Travel Outfit:
I’m back! I took a blogging/social media break last week to fully soak in our Europe trip. The WiFi also wasn’t great when we got there, so I took it as a sign that I needed to take a break. We were gone for a week and stayed in both London and Paris, spending 3 nights in each city. I had originally planned to share this post as we left for the trip, but I am glad I waited. I feel like I packed all wrong, as it ended up being much colder than we expected due to the wind. I also had spring on my mind, so I thought I would be able to suck up and deal with the cold weather. If you’re going to London or Paris in March, their average temperatures are in the 50s/40s at that time.
My advice is to stalk the weather before you go and to bring a lot of layers and versatile pieces to mix and match, so you have options. I did this, and luckily the rain it was showing daily ended up only being 1.5 days in Paris and none in London. I also recommend bringing warm pieces like gloves, cashmere or wool.
Packing Tips:
- I highly recommend packing cubes. They save space and help organize your suitcase. These are the ones I used.
- Wear your coat/boots on the plane to save room. I made the mistake of checking mine.
- Keep a few days worth of clothes in a carry on just in case your checked bag gets lost.
- Bring a lot of things that you can mix and match. I ended up wearing pieces over again and re-styling them.
- I noticed and heard that people in Paris especially wear a lot of neutrals. I do wish I had brought a subtle statement coat, since I rarely took my coat off. I wore a lot of accessories with pops of color for this reason.
- I highly recommend packing a cross body purse. While I didn’t ever feel unsafe, Europe is known to have a lot of pickpocketing. My purse that is pictured in these photos is actually a camera bag. It was nice being able to safely carry my camera around.
Average Temperatures in the Spring:
March: London: 53/42 Paris: 54/41
April: London: 58/45 Paris: 60/45
May: London: 65/51 Paris: 67/51
Luggage:
My luggage is from iFly and I absolutely love it! I love that it’s bright, so it is easy to spy in baggage claim. They did gift it to me, but honestly I loved how easy it pushes. You don’t have to tilt the bag or anything; it can be pushed or pulled almost effortlessly when it’s standing straight up. Tip: when you check a bag, it will get dirty, and a magic eraser will help get rid of the stains.
What To Pack in Your Carry On:
Power converter (the electric outlets in Europe are different than the ones here), portable cell phone chargers, pillow, snacks, blanket, ear plugs, sleep mask, dual voltage curling iron (last time I went to Europe mine didn’t work), foot rest, sleeping pills, a few days of clothes and any other necessities you can’t be without in case your checked bag gets lost.
What to Pack for a London/Paris Trip in March:
Coats/Outerwear:
I highly recommend either a down coat or a wool coat (make sure it has a high percentage of actual wool). My coat was a wool blend instead of actual wool and it didn’t cut it. I wish I had brought my Brooks Brothers wool coat. I suggest buying them from the outlet.
Outerwear If The Temperatures are Warmer:
Tops/Bottoms/Dresses:
If you wear a dress, you’ll definitely need heavy tights. I noticed a lot of European ladies wore dresses and tights.
Shoes:
We walked a ton in Europe, so comfy shoes were a priority. I highly recommend these tennis shoes and these ballet flats were great too. If you do wear shoes other than the tennis shoes, I recommend bringing another pair in a shopping bag just in case your feet start hurting. Also, please note the Tory Burch flats are only comfortable when they’re very broken in.
Accessories:
With the colder weather, I highly recommend accessorizing with a wool scarf, a hat and gloves. It also rains a lot, so a cute umbrella was necessary for me for photos.
Thank you so much for reading! I cannot wait to share more about our trip on Thursday.
I had a crossbody for when I went to Paris and Barcelona. It was a lifesaver!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
Author
They are great. You can never be too safe.
I went to Italy two years ago at this exact time, and packed similar things to what you did. Hope y’all had a blast!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
Author
Ahh how fun! Italy is gorgeous. I want to go back sooo badly.
Such great inspo! I’m currently buying things for my trip next month and found this to be so helpful. I’m checking out the packing cubes and that airplane foot rest thing right now. I’m glad you said that about the weather because I have spring on my mind, too.
Author
I am soo glad that you found this helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions or need suggestions. I bet your weather will warmer than ours and hopefully by then not rainy. I really didn’t expect it to feel as cold as it was. It’s very windy, which you’re used to in Oklahoma. Birmingham doesn’t have hardly any wind, so I forgot what wind was like.
I can’t wait to read more about your trip! These are great packing suggestions! And that is a great tip for using a magic eraser on your bags. My carry on looks awful right now – I’m going to clean it up with one right now.
Author
You’re so sweet, Lindsey! I cannot wait to share more about the trip. I was glad the Magic Eraser worked because my bag looked terrible when I got home. Those things are truly magic haha.
Your luggage is adorable! Love the color! And I had no idea it was quite that cold! Good to know for future reference!
Katherine | http://www.oneswainkycouple.com
Author
Thank you so much! I am so happy with my new luggage. I didn’t realize it was that cold either the first time I went. Last time I went to Paris it was in May and it was still pretty chilly.
Hi Courtney, I didn’t realise your trip was coming up so fast! You can never predict the weather in Europe , especially London. Your luggage is very cute ! It is easy to spot at baggage claim. The crossbody bag is a really great idea, good thinking using your camera case. Heavy tights are a must for a trip when wearing a dress , you just never know. The carry on items are good advice. Looking forward to your posts, Terri xo.
Author
Hey Terri! It snuck up on us too. It was amazing. No you cannot. It was cold and windy. We’re blessed to have only had 1.5 days of rain. Originally the forecast showed rain the whole trip. A crossbody was great. I loved this one bc my camera stayed safe. It’s padded for the camera. My checked luggage was lost once and now I’m super careful with packing stuff in my carry on just in case. I hope you enjoy my travel posts. There will be lots of them hahah.
Hi Courtney. I’m glad you didn’t get too much rain! I took a sneak peek off your first post. Looks so fun! Have a great rest of your day Terri xo.
Author
Thank you so much Terri. Aw yay. I hope you have a lovely day.