To be honest, surge protectors are really only needed in the third world and the USA. When I lived in Europe, nobody had surge protectors, and noboby needed theml. In fact, in my 20 years in Europe, I don't even think I ever saw any of them sold in any stores.

For a trip to France, you'll be fine with a normal wall outlet. Same goes for the UK and Australia. Nowhere in the world is the surge protector sold more often than the US, which either means the power here sucks, or that the surge protector companies have perfected the art of selling stuff nobody needs.