Planning for Paris....Returning To The City Of Light In 2016

It's been 5 years since I went to Paris for the first time.  Having never gone before and since I was going to be solo, I went with a tour group. Traveling with 40 other people was great for a first time destination.  I got to see all the major sights.  It would have been hard to plan all that on my own.  Traveling with a tour is pretty much stress free.  You just pretty much show up at the airport and just sit back and enjoy!

This time however I am really going to live out my dream.  I finally made my decision to go this year after meeting a women from France that now lives in Kentucky at a Holiday Market the week before Thanksgiving.  Talking to her just got me so excited about going back that I decided I'm done TALKING about going back and actually doing it!! This  time I am going to do all the planning on my own. This makes me a little nervous. Mostly because of the language barrier.  I do know basic phrases though and hope to learn more.   I will not be going solo, I will be going with my cousins wife. I am so excited that she is going with me. I will be doing most of the research and we will be getting together to discuss details.  I want to make this a great trip for her and want to make sure she gets to check off her list of things she would like to see while there.

So far I've been checking out airfares (wow! Expensive) and since I am leaning towards renting an apartment vs going the hotel route, I've been checking out various apartment rental agencies.  I have traveled before using VRBO and AirBNB for rentals and have been very satisfied with the process.  Anyway, there are so many choices out there it's overwhelming.  I am thinking I'd like to stay in the 5th or 6th arrondissement so we are pretty central to all the main things. Being this is the first time doing this on our own I have about a million concerns such as, what kind of transportation should we take to get from CDG airport to to the city, train, taxi, or hire a service?  I guess it's mostly the fear of the unknown.

So now that the holidays are over, it is time to start the planning process. First thing to figure out is a date, then a place to stay, then the rest will come later.  A million decisions to be made.  I'm open to any and all advice.  I'd love to hear any Paris experiences or suggestions. I'm going to be documenting the planning process all the way through.  My goal is to help make it easier on those that really have dreamed about going to Paris, but are afraid to plan a trip on their own.

Oh and by the way, Thank you to my new French friend for giving me the push to finally make this happen!! Merci!

How To Survive A Less Than Ideal Roommate When Traveling

Faced with wanting to save some money while traveling I had gone against my better judgment and signed up to double up on a room for my first trip to Paris. I had just one other solo traveler to choose from. She was in her 80’s and Paris was the one place she had never been to. First I told my travel guide no way, but the closer I got to the trip I thought -what the heck, I’ll meet her and decide from there.


So I made a date after a couple of phone conversation to make the trek to meet my potential roommate. We met and I was encouraged. She was well traveled and it was agreed that I would do my thing and she hers. Okay, we got along, she was spunky for her age, so I didn’t have to worry about the roommate from hell. Now all I had to do was wait for the big day to arrive.

Arrive it did. We met at the airport and almost instantly she began complaining about everything. The airline food, her headset didn’t work (a legit complaint I know), the long overnight flight. Once we arrived at CDG I didn’t see much of her (or maybe I was sub-consciously trying to avoid her) until we arrived at our hotel and were assigned our room numbers. We went up to our room and NOTHING was right. Our bags were not there yet, the room was small. The refrigerator was hard to open. You name it, it was not right. Now I on the other hand was happier than ever. The room was perfect, everything was perfect, I was in heaven, I was in PARIS!

Everything was perfect except my roommate. She complained about everything all week long. She didn’t like the food! Are you kidding me? We are in the culinary capitol of the world! If you cannot find anything good to eat here…..well forget it. Nothing pleased her and the first night I was so upset, I called home via Skype crying to my husband. He told me to see if I could get a room on my own. When we ended the call I walked outside for some fresh air and something magical happened. Our hotel had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. As I walked through the doors the tower lit up with all her twinkling glory and I knew right then and there that no matter how much my roommate grumbled about everything, she was not going to ruin the trip of a lifetime for me. And from that moment on I made the decision to avoid her at all costs. Come in late at night when she was sleeping and slip out for breakfast in the morning. Harsh, you may think, but there was no way I was going to pay thousands of dollars for the dream trip and have someone ruin it for me. The next morning I spoke with her and told her that I am going to do what I want to do. She seemed to think I was her travel companion and should be spending my free time with her?? Say what?

In the end, looking back, this was just a tiny bump in my Paris trip. In fact I hardly think of that part of the trip when I look back. I ended up meeting a group of ladies who took me under their wing and I had the best time with them. Seems I was not the only one that noticed my roommate’s sour disposition The whole group had stories to share with me.

So my ways to cope with a less than ideal roommate?


-Be kind, do not lose your temper

-Make your intentions clear right away

-Do not let them spoil your trip

-Do not feel you need to baby-sit them. Go do things on your own and DO NOT feel guilty about it

-If you can, get your own room, it’s not worth it just to save some money

-Most important, try and have a sense of humor, take a deep breath and do whatever you can to enjoy your surroundings.

If you want to save money and have a roommate when traveling make sure you choose wisely. I thought I did. In my case I was wrong. You don’t have to go through the same thing I did. I learned a very valuable lesson.

Have you had any roommate nightmares? I’d love to hear about them. Please share your experiences in the comments below.

More Favorite Books Featuring Paris

A while ago I wrote about my five favorite books about Paris.  Honestly who can just narrow it down to just five.  There are a ton of books out that there that choose Paris as the setting of their stories.  I try to read as many of them as I can.  I think for every one that I've read, there are probably ten more out there.  My mission is to read each and every one!I hope I live to be 105 cause that's how long it will take me!!

So from time to time I will share some of my favorites with you. Here's a few more that I'd like to pass along.......

This one is wildly popular and it is equally as popular with me!  The life of Earnest Hemingway and his wife Hadley in Paris at a time when THE place to be for all creative types was in Paris during the jazz age just fascinates me.  Maybe it has to do with my never ending love of Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris", I just cant get enough of this time period in the city of light.  The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain is an incredible look into the lives of the Hemingway's from the time they met and beyond.  This book is rich in Paris detail.  Could you imagine living in Paris at this time? The cafe culture was alive and even though Hadley and Earnest didn't have much money at the time, it sure seems like their lives were adventurous and full of interesting friends.  Really this is a must read!

 

Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas is a well done memoir about her year spent in Paris writing ad copy for Louis Vuitton.  How could a girl get so lucky!  If you have a hankering for French pastries, you will love this one.  She takes us along for her trials and tribulations in the city of light, but better yet her description of all the sweet treats she discovers is mouth watering!!

 

Last, but certainly not least are two wonderful chick-lit books by author Juliette Sobanet.  I love how she takes us along with her characters strolling the streets of Paris.  In  Sleeping With Paris, her main character Charlotte, after moving to Paris and getting her heart broken decides to write a blog about her dating adventures with french men and ends up falling in love.

Her next book Kissed In Paris is a fun little book.  Chloe, an event planner who just a week before her wedding in the states finds herself in Paris with no money or passport after a suave con man robbed her. She then goes on a wild chase in the streets of Paris with an undercover agent named Julian to retrieve her things.  All this makes her question weather or not her buttoned up life back in the states is really for her.  I am so looking forward to Juliette Sobanet's new book Dancing With Paris coming out this summer!  You can pre-order your copy on Amazon now!

 

 

 

 

So there you have it.  Some more of my favorite "Paris" books.  I'll keep reading and share with you!  Have you read any good Paris books lately that you'd like to share.  Please leave your suggestions in the comments below!

Where Are You Going In 2013?

Where are you planning on traveling to in 2013?  Are you off to some exotic local where all you do for a week is lie on the beach with a fruity drink in your hand?  Or maybe you are going on your dream European vacation where you try to see everything you can in the span of 10 days and come back exhausted but oh so happy?  Maybe traveling is just something you do for work and never really get to enjoy any destination you are at. Some I'm sure are just planning their annual weekly vacation, same destination every year, where nothing really changes except the cost of getting there.

  Of course travel is also a state of mind.  You don't necessarily have to physically go anywhere to go somewhere if that makes any sense!  I go places, through reading books and blogs, places I would otherwise never be able to travel to.  To me this is a great way to travel if you are on a budget since you don't even have to leave the house.  Heck, books don't cost anything either, with all the free downloads you can get. Plus let us not forget one of my favorite places to go, your local library.  Just spending a few minutes day dreaming can transport you  anywhere.

You can sit down and plan a dream trip.  Get some destination books, map out things you want to see, research, follow favorite travel blogs,  and search videos on You-tube.  Who knows it may inspire you to find a way to make that dream come true someday.

So now I will ask again-where are you planning on traveling to in 2013?  Either physically or mentally my advise is to go somewhere.  It makes life a little easier to cope with day after day if you have somewhere to escape to if even by just turning pages of a book.

Please leave a commment and tell me where you are planning on going  this year.  Doesn't have to be any far away destination.  I love to hear travel stories.  If you travel solo, let me know the best places to go solo!  I'm always looking for ideas!

My 5 Favorite Paris Books

I have debated for some time now just what are my favorite books about Paris and/or France.  There are an abundance of books both fiction and non-fiction about my favorite city.  I have read MANY of them, which is why I have been so indecisive about which are my favorites.  For the sake of keeping my post short, I have come up with 5 that have been a joy to read.  These ended up all being non-fiction, I suppose because I cannot get enough of the Parisian way of life.  I am always hoping some of that will rub off on me.  All of these books I look back at from time to time.  Guess it is part of the attempt to relive visiting Paris.  I have hard copies of all these as a result.

These are in no special order and each has its own purpose.

In preparing for my trip in 2011 I was obsessed with knowing as much about Paris as I could.  I bought Rick Steves Paris 2011.  I didn't realize what a help that book would be to me.  I carried it everywhere.  Even though I was with a tour, I wanted to know what I wanted to see on my free time. Note how I still have all those post it tabs to mark interesting things!  Also it was a god send to have after my trip when I was preparing to make my photo book and fill in my travel journal. It made it easier to recall monuments and other things that I thought I would remember but didn't

Being the committed Francophile that I am these next two taught me much about French culture.  French Or Foe by Polly Pratt explains what makes the French so different from us. From the working culture to family life, this book is a must read for anyone interested in traveling or moving to France.  Say what you want about the French, but their lifestyle makes for some interesting reading!  Along with that,  French Toast by Harriet Welty Rochefort is a wonderful memoir by a woman who grew up in Iowa but had an attraction to France.  I always admire people who can take a leap of faith and follow their dreams.  Even if those dreams take them half way across the world.  She tries to make sense of the Paris lifestyle. Not so easy for someone from Iowa!

To me the king of American expats living on Paris is David Lebovitz.  If you have never read his blog you have to take a look.  His book The Sweet Life In Paris is full of recipes done the French way and funny insights into the city of light.  As a lover of all the food Paris has to offer (especially of the sweet kind!), this book is a perfect match for me.

My last favorite book is Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange.  This book is a step by step guide to create that unique Parisian style. It is full of colorful  illustrations.  Not everyone in Paris shops at Hermes or Louis Vuitton.  There is style to be found at (gasp) your nearest Monoprix.  Buy the best you can afford for the classic pieces and have fun with the rest.

So that does it for my list.  Like I said there are lots of others that I loved (saved for another blog post perhaps).  I am always looking for books about Paris and the French.  You may have some suggestions for me.  Please let me know!

Take A Non-Traditional Approach To Lodging For Your Next Vacation

Trying to find a place to stay when you travel can be stressful. We found this out recently on our vacation to Washington DC. Not only did we have just a week to find lodging, but we also had a strict budget to follow.

So while I was taking the traditional route searching for hotel rooms, Rick was searching for rooms through Airbnb a website that brings travelers and private parties that have rooms, apartments, condos, or houses for rent. I had never heard of Airbnb before, but had heard of Homeaway and Couchsurfing.

While my hotel search was bringing up expensive rooms with an added parking fee of anywhere between $20 and $40 a day! Yikes! Rick came up with a few choices, an apartment right downtown, a room with private bath in the Georgetown area, and a room in a huge house in the suburb of New Carrollton. After contacting the apartment owner through email to no response, and the Georgetown listing disappearing. We took a close look at the bio of the New Carrollton house. Turned out they are a married couple whose children were all out of the house. So they had this huge house and all these bedrooms. She lived in London in the past and he is from Jamaica. They seemed well traveled so they could relate to the needs of the weary traveler.

We were able to read reviews from previous renters and see pictures. Our house had plenty of pictures, but no reviews. This was a little scary but we took a leap of faith and booked 2 rooms at $65 a piece. Plus the fee Airbnb tacked on. One room for Rick and I and one for Megan. We did not have a private bath, which ended up being absolutely no problem. Soon after booking our rooms online our host Ann Marie called to ask us questions. I found her incredibly friendly so I was put at ease. She had said this was a new thing for them and they had just listed their rooms.

When we arrived at their house the next weekend we found their house to be warm and comfortable. Our hosts were wonderful and very helpful. We work up every morning to a big breakfast to start out our day.

In the end it was a great experience! We drove to the metro stop, which was only a couple of miles away from the house, every morning. Parked and took the train into DC to see all the sights. We pretty much were gone all day and would come back later at night. The neighborhood was very quiet and safe.

Would we do it again? Absolutely! I would highly recommend this alternative to staying at the huge hotels which can be impersonal, very noisy, and uncomfortable. Just be sure to read the reviews and have a few places in mind in case one doesn't reply to your inquiry. So next time you are planning a vacation check out this alternative to the big box hotel chains! As I write this I am on Airbnb checking out places to stay in Paris!! Just to put on my wish list.......for now anyway






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