How To Take Control While Traveling - Paris Edition
As most of you probably know, I spent the fall of 2017 in England at Queen Mary University of London. One of my best friends, Rose, came with me. Together, we spent nearly every weekend traversing around England and Europe with various tour groups. Most of the time, they were great experiences.
Except for one.
I want to preface by saying that this tour might be exactly what some people are looking for. Maybe it wasn’t them, it was us. Maybe we just caught our guide on a bad weekend. Maybe the awesome tour we went on in Rome the weekend before totally warped our expectations for this one.
Regardless, it didn’t do it for us.
Between a lack of sleep (I know, shocker), a tour guide who didn’t seem to value our time, and little to no guidance on where to go or what to do when we got to our destinations, Rose and I struggled to take control and make our very short 48 hours in Paris count.
We still did though.
Today, I’m going to give you some tips on how you can too.
Buckle up!
Smiling through the sleep deprivation...
Tip #1: Do your own research
One of the biggest things we were disappointed by was the lack of information and history we were given at the destinations. Most of the time, we would show up, get off the bus, and our guide would peace out after telling us we had 90 minutes.
The great thing about a tour is that you have access to the itinerary before you even get started, and the great thing about traveling by bus is that you can use that downtime to do some research! We spent a fair portion of our travel time looking up the destinations we were heading to and figuring out where we wanted to go when we got there.
This will come in super handy later...
Tip #2: Pack your own snacks
The first leg of our trip was an overnight ferry, and I absolutely cannot sleep in public places. Rose was in a similar boat (guys, I didn’t realize that I had made the pun when I wrote the first draft and, now that I have, I refuse to change it). We ended up spending north of £20 on food on the boat when buying food at Tesco wouldn’t have even cost us half that.
Bringing snacks is always a good idea when you’re traveling. I tend to stick to things like granola bars and nuts - foods that are easy to pack but can keep me fueled for a while. At the end of the day, you know your body and what it needs, but I definitely recommend bringing something with you. Being on someone else’s schedule means that you won’t always be able to eat a full meal when your internal clock is telling you it’s time to.
It’s a great way to save some money and time when you don’t have long in one place.
Tip #3: Don’t be afraid to separate from the group (as long as your guide knows where you’re going)
Because Rose and I had been doing so much research on the way over and during the day, we felt comfortable splitting up from the group after we noticed some other people doing the same thing. In the time that we would have spent simply wandering the streets with our guide, we were able to go to the Louvre, take our time exploring some of the exhibits, and walk up the Champs Elysees before hopping on the subway and going back to our hotel for dinner.
It was incredible.
We were able to really immerse ourselves in the culture of Paris and take in the sights and sounds and smells outside of the context of the big tour group we were in. That was the experience we had been looking for, and we were both glad to find it for even just a short period of time.
At the end of the day, it was the right decision for us, but it might not be for you. If you don’t feel safe doing something, there’s a reason. Don’t ignore it. But if you have someone else with you that you know and trust, then sometimes going off and making your own adventure can be more fun than the one you’re already on.
In our case, it definitely was.
Tip #4: Value your time
The biggest issue I had with this tour was the fact that the guide didn’t seem to value our time at all. He showed up late to the bus station, kept us waiting for almost an hour at the Eiffel Tower, and was basically just consistently late for the entirety of the trip. It definitely left a bad taste in our mouths, which was a major reason why we went off on our own.
My advice here would be to really look at the reviews and the itinerary of the tour you plan on taking. Figure out what your priorities are. Do they seem to align? If they don’t, then find another company, or simply go on your own. But don’t spend money on something you’re not sure you want.
If you do ever find yourself in an unfortunate situation like the one Rose and I were in, see if you can breakaway. Typically, in my experience, a lot of tour guides don’t care so long as you’re back in time to move to the next destination. On the off case where you’re not allowed to leave the group, try to remember: you’re still in the city or country you wanted to go to, even though you’re not doing exactly what you wanted to do. Even earlier on that first day, when Rose and I were waiting for over an hour at the Eiffel Tower, we were still in Paris...in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Rose actually ended up getting a really beautiful painting from a street artist in the meantime.
Tip #5: Download Citymapper
When Rose and I went off on our own, we used Google Maps for walking directions and Citymapper for transit. We really love the app because it tells us when the next train or bus will be arriving, and how long it will take us to get there. It meant that we spent even less time waiting for transportation and more time actually being present in the moment and the city.
For the record, I do not get paid to post anything about Citymapper or its affiliates. I just really love this app, you guys.
This might be the best photo I've ever taken...
My Biggest Takeaways from the Trip
Despite the experience, this trip was still one of my favorites. We laughed, we cried, we slept (lol just kidding, we all know that's not true). But I want to share a couple of the takeaways that I'll absolutely remember next time I'm planning a trip there.
The Eiffel Tower is worth it
This one is definitely debatable but, in my opinion, it’s worth the time and money. The Tower itself is absolutely beautiful and, although it’s a bit pricey and tourist-y, I would absolutely recommend buying a ticket to go up and see the view because it’s one of my favorites in the world
Parisians are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met
Even though the only things Rose and I knew how to say in French were “hello,” “thank you,” and “two crepes with Nutella please,” everyone we encountered was super kind and made an effort to understand us (or find a translator if they didn’t speak English). Before I went over, I grew up with the impression that French people were mean and hated Americans. I was told I would be shunned when I went over.
It couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Maybe it was because we were in a tourist-heavy city and they knew we would be spending money or maybe it’s because they were actually genuinely nice, but the people are one of the many reasons I’m ready to go back to France.
Paris is super easy to navigate on your own
When Rose and I left the group, we honestly thought we were going to need to take a taxi back to the hotel. We didn’t speak French. How could we possibly figure out the subway?
But between Citymapper and our city girl intuition, we navigated it with the ease of someone who had lived there for months. The biggest saving grace for us was the signage. Every street, every subway, every tunnel was all marked. Paris is right up there with Boston and London for me on my ‘ease of getting around’ scale.
McDonald’s might have the best (and most affordable) macaroons in Paris
I’m not even kidding. That’s all there is to say. Someone else back me up here.
READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE YOU BUY
Guys, I can’t stress this one enough (in case the all caps wasn't a dead giveaway). When I did just a little bit more research on the company after I got back, I found that a lot of other people had similar experiences as we did. It was a great company for people that were looking to leisurely explore the city, but not great for people like us (who were trying to fit in as much as they could in a small amount of time).
Going back to earlier, our priorities didn’t align. But I was so excited to book a tour to go see Paris that I overlooked that fact. That’s not to say it wasn’t a great experience. It was just different than what we were hoping for.
Versailles was so beautiful, even though it was super cold
The moral of the story? Don’t be afraid to take control of your trip back if it’s just not working out. It’s your money, your time, and your experience. It’s okay to be a little selfish.