{"id":417953,"date":"2025-07-15T14:29:48","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T12:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/?p=417953"},"modified":"2025-09-26T12:55:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T10:55:16","slug":"packing-working-holiday-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/packing-working-holiday-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Backpack or suitcases for a working holiday in France"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Backpack or suitcases?<\/strong> The choice might not be immediately obvious for those planning their <a href=\"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">working holiday<\/a> abroad. It all depends on the type of experience you want. Some prefer the nomadic lifestyle with just their essentials, while others want to bring more familiar things from home.<\/p>\n<p>To illustrate both approaches, here are <strong>two real examples of Canadians in France:<\/strong> Meghan from Quebec who arrived with a backpack, and Jackson from British Columbia who came with two suitcases.<\/p>\n<h2>The pros and cons of each approach<\/h2>\n<h3>Suitcases: the pros<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>There is less need to buy a bunch of stuff once at the destination<\/li>\n<li>One can more easily feel at home in his or her new home<\/li>\n<li>One is more prepared for all the seasons and unforeseen occasions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Suitcases: the cons<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Moving is more complicated<\/li>\n<li>There\u2019s less reason to buy interesting local things at the destination<\/li>\n<li>Depending on the airline and ticket, one might need to pay extra for checked bags<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Backpack: the pros<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s easy to move around<\/li>\n<li>One has more flexibility and freedom<\/li>\n<li>One learns to appreciate minimalism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Backpack: the cons<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>There\u2019s less space<\/li>\n<li>One has fewer choices in outfits<\/li>\n<li>If packing is not done very carefully, the backpack can be uncomfortable to carry*<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"c-dossier-article__info\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-dossier-article__info-wrap\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t*Tip: Put medium-heavy things at the bottom of the backpack. Then put the heavier items in the middle. End with lighter items on top; your back will thank you.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-417960 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/sac3-896x1024.png\" alt=\"backpack3\" width=\"896\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/sac3-896x1024.png 896w, https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/sac3-263x300.png 263w, https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/sac3-768x877.png 768w, https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/sac3.png 1096w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 896px) 100vw, 896px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>What time of the year did you move?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Meghan:<\/strong> I moved at the end of August. The forecast showed very high temperatures in France so I had to choose some lighter outfits. It wasn\u2019t easy packing for arrival near the transition between seasons.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jackson:<\/strong> I arrived in Paris in February. Even though spring was just around the corner, it was still quite cold at that point so I made sure to bring all my winter clothes.<\/p>\n<h2>How did you pick which clothes to bring?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Meghan:<\/strong> I arrived in France with the clothes that I had brought to Belgium. I liked them and I knew I would be happy to continue wearing them. I had picked ones that were rather neutral, classic, and wouldn\u2019t easily go out of style.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jackson:<\/strong> For my choice of clothing, I basically took what I knew I would need while also trying to ensure that they would be acceptably fashionable for Paris. I was never into fashion or anything, but since Paris is the world capital for it, I wanted to bring a bit more than just ugly sweatpants. So it was also an opportunity for me to go through and sort my wardrobe.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"c-dossier-article__info\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-dossier-article__info-wrap\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCheck out <a href=\"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/stories\/canadians-favourite-things-paris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A Canadian\u2019s 5 favourite things about living in Paris<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<h2>Did you bring anything that you ended up never using?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Meghan:<\/strong> In my case no, I use everything that I brought. Since I packed so few items, I really do wear all the clothes that I packed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jackson:<\/strong> My swim shorts. I learned that in France, swim shorts are banned from swimming pools. So what do the men wear? Tight Speedo style shorts. Loose swim shorts are, however, still allowed on beaches and outdoor spaces. I just haven\u2019t had the chance to visit any beaches in France yet.<\/p>\n<h2>Have you accumulated more things since your arrival?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Meghan:<\/strong> Of course. My parents sent me a couple of packages three months into my time in France. My mom also often travels to Paris for work, so she brings me extra things here and there. I\u2019ve also bought some clothes and decorative souvenirs for my room. I don\u2019t think everything will fit into my backpack now\u2026<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"c-dossier-article__info\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-dossier-article__info-wrap\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t*Note: If your family plans to send you packages, it is important to indicate that <strong>it is a gift<\/strong> to avoid customs taxes, which can sometimes be even higher than the delivery fee.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<p><strong>Jackson:<\/strong> No, since coming here I\u2019ve barely bought anything and no new clothes at all. My parents didn\u2019t send me any packages either. I had packed with the exact goal of buying as little as possible in France. That\u2019s why I even brought boring things like hangers and a towel. Obviously I couldn\u2019t avoid buying certain essentials, including a few pieces of furniture for my room. But overall, my budget has been reserved for new experiences and travel. So even if my list seems long, it has allowed me to spend less on my move to Paris.<\/p>\n<h2>What is most essential to absolutely bring?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Meghan:<\/strong> I think the most important is to bring a generous quantity of undergarments. Jeans can be worn many times before a wash, but that\u2019s not the case for underwear (hopefully). Also, a warm comfortable sweater is a great piece of home to bring. Trust me, winters here can be colder than you think, you don\u2019t want to be surprised\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jackson:<\/strong> A small hiking backpack. When living abroad, it\u2019s no surprise that one will travel at least occasionally, or maybe even full time. While walking in the streets of Brussels, Rome, and Strasbourg, I carry my water bottle and umbrella (or rain jacket, depending on the season) in my light hiking backpack and it\u2019s perfect. A second essential item is an adapter. Sockets in Europe are not the same as those in North America, and you will need one from day 1.<\/p>\n<h2>Did you forget to bring anything?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Meghan:<\/strong> One of my favourite sweaters\u2026 Actually I didn\u2019t forget it, I just had to make some tough decisions when packing. Upon arriving in France, I remember saying to myself \u201cHow nice it would be to have the sweater that had travelled with me throughout Belgium\u201d. But given that it was still hot in late August, I couldn\u2019t allow it to take up limited valuable backpack space.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jackson:<\/strong> My beanie (or tuque, as we say in Canada). I didn\u2019t think I would need it, but I didn\u2019t expect Paris to get so cold in the winter. It\u2019s less cold than Canada, sure, but with windchill the temperature can still drop pretty low. Thankfully I&#8217;ve been back to Vancouver since and brought it back with me, so I\u2019m ready for my second <em>hiver<\/em> in Paris.<\/p>\n<h2>Something unusual that you would suggest bringing?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Meghan:<\/strong> Maple syrup. In all seriousness, I didn\u2019t expect to miss food from home so much. But I do especially miss maple syrup. I hadn\u2019t even realized it was something that I consumed so regularly. And when I tasted the syrup sold in France, I told my mom to bring SEVERAL cans on her next visit. So my advice would be to bring some food from your culture, because sooner or later you will have cravings. Besides that, an umbrella is also very important, especially during winters in France.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jackson:<\/strong> I would suggest bringing your favourite pillow. I\u2019ve been using mine for years and it has never disappointed me. Even though it took up quite a bit of room in my suitcase, it was well worth it because it\u2019s not easy to find a good pillow, especially in a foreign country where you don\u2019t even know which stores sell them. For someone like me who values a good night\u2019s sleep, my pillow brings me a bit of familiar warmth from home, wherever I am in the world.<\/p>\n<h2>Questions for Meghan<\/h2>\n<h3>Why did you bring just a backpack?<\/h3>\n<p>Because before coming to France, I had travelled in Belgium for three months with just a backpack and I managed to live very comfortably. People have even told me that I dress well for someone with so few belongings. Even though my plan was to stay in the long term, I nevertheless told myself that if ever I did decide to return home early, I wouldn\u2019t have lugged everything over for no reason. Personally, I don\u2019t plan on ever travelling with a suitcase in the future. I find the backpack to be very convenient for someone like me who is restless to move around.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"c-dossier-article__info\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-dossier-article__info-wrap\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCheck out <a href=\"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/stories\/first-12-months-france\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A Look Back at My First 12 Months in France as a Quebec Woman<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<h3>Is it annoying to have to do laundry more often?<\/h3>\n<p>Not at all, because I brought a good number of undergarments, which is the most important thing. Additionally, I always had housing that came with a washing machine, which makes things convenient. However, I have had the experience of going five weeks without a washing machine, during which I had to wash everything by hand, but even that didn\u2019t bother me too much. I could have gone to a laundromat, but I just preferred to do it myself.<\/p>\n<h2>Questions for Jackson<\/h2>\n<h3>Why did you bring a suit?<\/h3>\n<p>That\u2019s a great question. Originally, I brought my suit because I had been invited to a wedding in the US that would take place 7 months after my arrival in France. Since I didn\u2019t plan on going back to Vancouver before the wedding, I knew that I had to bring the suit with me in the initial move. It turned out that the suit became useful even for a couple of job interviews that I had in France, which I hadn\u2019t anticipated. So I advise potential working holidayers to think about that as well.<\/p>\n<h3>Did you ever consider bringing just a backpack, like Meghan did?<\/h3>\n<p>I had decided in the very beginning that my plan was to stay at least a few years in Paris. Therefore I had a good idea of what I would need, and I wouldn\u2019t have been able to get by with just a backpack. If I tried to, I would have just had to buy a bunch of stuff in France anyway, which would defeat the whole purpose. As much as possible, I wanted to reduce the number of things I buy in France, for economic and environmental reasons.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">***<\/p>\n<p>We hope that this article will be useful in helping you choose an approach. Think about your ideal lifestyle, the duration of your stay, your budget, and the choice will come naturally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Backpack or suitcases? The choice might not be immediately obvious for those planning their working holiday abroad. It all depends on the type of experience you want. Some prefer the nomadic lifestyle with just their essentials, while others want to bring more familiar things from home. To illustrate both approaches, here are two real examples [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":443629,"featured_media":417657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[906],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-417953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prepare-your-trip","pays-france-en"],"acf":[],"comments_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/443629"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417953"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":449359,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417953\/revisions\/449359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}