What to pack for France in May

13 rain days a month finds every seam. A real shell, not a windbreaker.

Wear one, dry one. Cotton stays wet all week here.

UV index of 7.8 burns skin fast even on cool 66°F days.

Bright sun off wet pavement after rain makes polarized lenses necessary.

Humidity at 71% brings insects out in parks near the city.

Travel to a foreign country means you need basic medical supplies.

This country runs on Type C or E. Get one with USB-C so you're not fighting over the single outlet.

One outlet per room charges phones and cameras slowly.

Set it up before you land. Signal drops for long stretches outside cities.

Overhead bins on international flights fill fast, so a bag under 45 liters fits when larger ones don't.

Day trips to national parks need a bag that carries water and layers.

Fits the overhead on every airline that matters. Skip the checked-bag line entirely.

For the passport, the chargers, and the one dry pair of socks.

UV hits 7.8 here. Long sleeves beat reapplying sunscreen every hour.

Fifteen hours of daylight means sun exposure all day long.

Treat the clothes once and it lasts weeks.

Tap water is safe but carrying a bottle saves money and time.

One brick charges the laptop, phone, and camera.

Hotel and cafe wifi is shared with everyone else in the building. A VPN keeps your banking and email to yourself.

Airports and trains lose bags regularly; tracking prevents total loss.

Packing cubes compress clothes and make finding items faster in hostels.

Thirteen rain days mean damp clothes pile up fast without washing.

Train noise from 18 km/h wind and station announcements makes long journeys to national parks exhausting without sound blocking.

Thirteen rain days in May will soak through regular shoes unless you treat them.

Wind at 18 km/h dries lips quickly in spring air.

Bites itch worse when you cannot use regular itch cream.

Multiple devices need charging; short cables untangle faster than long ones.

A few phrases go a long way. Ten minutes a day before you leave is plenty.

International travel requires your passport in a separate protective layer.

Luggage locks prevent casual theft in hostels and shared spaces.

Train seats are hard and flights to France are long.