MichalI’ve always been the type of person who tries to have a well-prepared purse that can handle almost every situation, but after moving abroad I noticed that I needed to change the contents of my bag to be prepared for a bunch of new experiences. After all, I’m no longer doing my errands by driving around in my car (which can function as a big extension of your purse) and I’m doing a lot more walking while being exposed to the elements. So what have I added or changed? Read on to learn about some of the essentials I always carry in my bag and that you can add to yours for your next trip to Europe.
Water Bottle
I’m a bit obsessive when it comes to being hydrated. Actually a lot obsessive. I get very anxious when I don’t have water nearby. So I’ve always had a big reusable water bottle near me when I’m out and about. I feel that’s even more important now living in France where I’m walking more and sometimes that’s in the heat of summer.
Something I have changed is the size of my water bottle. For a long time, I thought bigger was better. However water is heavy, and when you’re putting a large (32oz or more) bottle in your bag, that’s a lot of weight on your shoulder. So I’ve changed to a smaller 17oz reusable bottle that I picked up from Ikea and I love it. It’s enough to keep me from getting parched while I go shopping and run errands, but it doesn’t give me neck and shoulder pain. Win-win.
Hand Sanitizer
Most of us carry hand sanitizer in our bags, but I use it even more now that I live in France.
I take public transportation a lot, and that means I’m often holding onto poles and hand straps to keep my balance on the metro or bus. And of course, who knows when those were last cleaned and who’s been touching them. So my hands always get a hearty squirt of hand sanitizer when I get off at my stop.
Also sometimes bathroom toilet seats are not as clean as you’d like (or not clean at all) and a wad of toilet paper with a squirt of hand sanitizer can make a gross situation much more tolerable.
Tissues
Continuing along with the bathroom theme, I always have a small packet of tissues (mouchoirs in French) in my bag. This isn’t as common as it was in the past, but now and then a public bathroom is out of toilet paper. And when you’re in Europe, where access to toilets is more scanty than in the United States, this might be your only chance to use a bathroom for the next few hours. But If you’ve got a packet of tissues in your bag, you’ll never have to be worried about not having toilet paper.
Wet Wipes / Baby Wipes
Being out and about in the summer, exposed to the heat, means getting sweaty. Sometimes you’re away from home, can’t take a shower, but still want to clean up a bit. Enter Wet Wipes. They can help you take a “mini-shower” and feel more human after melting down after hours in the heat. Also, they’re great if you’ve eaten something extra sticky or smelly and you don’t have access to a sink to wash your hands.
I haven’t been able to find the Wet Wipes brand yet in France, but a pack of baby wipes would work in a pinch.
Band-Aids
Being in France, and Europe in general, means lots of walking, Hopefully, you’re wearing comfy and well-broken-in shoes, but despite all of your best efforts, blisters can still happen. That’s why I always have a few band-aids (pansements in French) in my purse. I only need one maybe every six months or so, but when I need them, I’m so grateful I remembered to keep them in my bag.
Ear Buds
I always have a pair of wired earbuds in a pocket inside my purse. I prefer my wireless earbuds but if I forget them I know I have my wired ones as a backup. Why do I like having them? Sometimes when I’m riding public transport I realize that my route is going to take much, much longer than I expected, so I can pop them in, connect them to my phone, and listen to music, an audiobook, or do some French lessons en route, instead of just staring bored out of the window.
Also if you’re traveling alone and want to avoid conversation with someone who is overly interested in you or who might be mentally disturbed (it happens occasionally), earbuds are the universal signal that you’re not open to conversation.
One Euro Coin
Shout out to my Mom for reminding me of this one. Always have a one Euro coin in your wallet. Why? You’ll need it when you go shopping at a big supermarket and want to get a shopping cart. In France, you’ll need to take your coin and insert it into a slot on the handle. This in turn releases a chain connecting it to the cart ahead of it (it’s a way to keep carts from being stolen and drifting away from the cart corals). Don’t worry, you’ll get your coin back when you return the cart and connect it to the chain of the cart in front of it. Also if you forget your coin sometimes you can ask an employee of the supermarket for “un jeton” (a euro coin-shaped token) that works as well, but it’s so much easier to just keep a coin on hand.
Foldable Shopping Bags
This is my number one tip! I always have 2-3 foldable shopping bags in my purse. They weigh almost nothing and take up very little space but they are absolutely amazing. I’m constantly popping into stores to pick up groceries on my way back home and I use them all the time. They’ve saved me hundreds of times from having to buy yet another reusable plastic bag at checkout. Plus despite how small they fold down to, expanded they are extremely roomy. I always keep a few in my bag and my husband always has one in his jacket pocket, so no matter what if we see a store while we’re walking around and realize we need to buy something, we can always go in and do some shopping.
If you’re interested in giving them a try check out these ones on Amazon.
Summary
“Be prepared” is the Boy Scouts motto, and it’s mine too. With a few extra items in your purse or backpack, you can be ready for whatever Europe throws at you. And knowing that you’re prepared you can relax and truly enjoy your time out and about.
