What to pack for a trip to New York?

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My advice for clothes

Obviously, I’m not going to advise you to take sweaters in winter and t-shirts in summer: you can imagine that and you don’t need me to know! 🙂 On the other hand, here are some practical tips for clothing:

• Place 2 t-shirts, 2 pairs of socks and underwear in your hand luggage. If ever your suitcase were to get lost on the way, you would have enough to last a few days, until your suitcase was found. This has happened to me once and since then I plan to hold on just in case!
• Take clothes for the rain and slip a small umbrella in your suitcase.
• Avoid bringing clothes that are too valuable or that you value more than anything: if the airline company ever loses or damages your suitcase, you risk losing everything.
• Plan to bring a second pair of shoes: this will allow you to alternate pairs in New York and have a backup solution if a pair starts to create blisters. Alternating shoes also reduces the risk of blisters. See my tips for avoiding sore feet in New York.
• Plan a dressy outfit if you want to spend an evening in a nightclub or on the rooftop of a 5-star hotel.
• If you want to travel light and not pack too many clothes, know that there are plenty of laundromats in New York. You bring your dirty laundry and pick it up the next day, clean and ironed. Of course, this is paid for but it is much cheaper than the dry cleaners in France and it is a formula that can be practical if you stay there for a long time.
• Don’t hesitate to complete with t-shirts and other clothes bought in New York! New York is THE capital of shopping and you will certainly want to bring back clothes in the colors of the Big Apple. Go to our shopping guide in New York to put aside the best addresses.

Prepare a small first aid kit

• Please note: if you are under medical treatment, always take your medication with you., in your hand luggage. For the rest, plan a small first aid kit with some first aid drugs, in particular Smecta and Spasfon for stomach aches, paracetamol (Doliprane or Dafalgan), aspirin, lozenges or a spray in case of headaches. throat and a cold remedy, such as Actifed. Also see in advance with your doctor if he can prescribe an antibiotic just in case. But it is not compulsory.
• If you’re in a hotel, you don’t need to take on a lot: hotels all have first aid kits. In addition, you will easily find drugstores on site with over-the-counter medicines. And, as a last resort, know that New York has everything you need in doctors and hospitals : it’s not the Amazon jungle!

Remember to take an adapter

• A New York, electrical outlets are not like in Europe and you will need an adapter to charge your smartphone, electronic devices and phone batteries. I really recommend that you buy an adapter in France because the prices are much more expensive in New York.
• You will easily find it in major stores such as Leroy Merlin, Fnac, Darty or Boulanger. If the store nearest you does not have one, order your adapter online and arrange delivery ahead of time.

Limit cosmetics and liquids

• Ladies, be reasonable with your beauty products, especially perfumes. You must actually avoid having too much liquid in your suitcase to avoid the risk of breakage. If your bottle of Chanel 5 ever breaks during the trip, there will be problems on arrival… 🙂 In any case, always pack your liquids in several plastic bags, in order to limit the damage in the event of breakage.
• Same thing if you want to bring a bottle of wine or champagne to friends in New York: protect the bottle as well as possible and, above all, wrap it in a plastic bag. Regarding the bottles you wish to offer, I recommend that you make your purchases at the airport: not only will you benefit from the duty-free prices but, in addition, you can take the bottles with you on the plane, as hand luggage. . This eliminates any risk for your suitcase!

Plan to bring empty bags

• Fold plastic bags or paper bags and put them in your suitcase: these bags will be used to wrap any fragile giftssuch as a jar of maple syrup or other liquids that you bring back.
• Plastic bags will also allow you to isolate dirty clothes for the return trip. This will avoid spreading smells of sweat or dirty socks in your suitcase 😉

Keep empty in your suitcase

• A very important tip: Above all, do not leave with a suitcase filled to the brim! During your walks, you are likely to crack and stock up on clothes or souvenirs from New York. However, if your suitcase is already full on arrival, you will have a small problem on the way back!
• I take this opportunity to reassure you: if you ever realize that you have forgotten something once in New York, you will find everything you need there!

What not to put in your suitcase!

When you pack your suitcase, be careful to keep these items with you, in your hand luggage :

• Your passport.
• Your credit card.
• Printing your electronic ticket.
• The printing of your ESTA certificate, the authorization to enter American territory.
• Vouchers (or exchange vouchers) for your excursions in New York and your guided tours of New York in French.
• Your camera and its accessories, memory cards, chargers and batteries.
• Your glasses, lenses and sunglasses.
• Your smartphone, laptop and any valuable electronic items.
• Your jewelry. A small comment on this point: I do not recommend that you bring high-value jewelry to New York. All you risk is losing them or having them stolen… You never know.
• And your guide to New York, which you can read and reread on the plane. In this regard, I take this opportunity to recommend the guide that I wrote myself, Destination New York 😉 You will find everything you need to know for your trip to New York as well as more than 500 quotes from the Forum New York.

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