Flying To France In Comfort

Regular readers will know just how much I love answering questions from this awesome community. As with my day job, and my coaching, I prefer sharing things you’d actually like to know, rather than just guessing what you’d like to read about. So you’ll know that I was very happy to write this post, given it’s completely devoted to answering questions from a reader named Vaughan. 

Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors, Vaughan had to cancel his travel plans last month. But this hasn’t stopped him from being curious about flying to France. Vaughan was especially keen to learn about how we fly long haul comfortably – and whether that involves first class travel to avoid aches and pains. He was also interested in our views on the best places to fly into in France. So let me answer all of these ‘flying to France’ questions right now.

Flying To France In Comfort

Let’s start with flight classes. As I’ve said before, Australia is a very long way from anywhere. A ‘fast’ flight to Europe, with only one stop, takes a smidge under 24 hours. Unfortunately, that also means flying to France can get rather pricey. When it comes to comfort I recommend travellers choose the best flight class their budget allows. That said, we’ve only splurged on Business Class, with its luxurious space, flat beds and superior dining options for a few flights over the years. And we’ve never flown First Class. (For context, return Business Class flights for 2 from Melbourne, Australia are currently sitting at approximately $16,000 AUD which is around $11,000 USD.)

Which means we’ve become quite good at travelling Economy (or Premium Economy at best) over the past 15 years. 

How I Make Long Haul Flights More Comfortable

I shared some of my must have items for when you’re flying to France long haul in this post. And they all still apply. But I’d also recommend the following moves to make things more comfortable.

1. Stand up as often as you can on the flights and stretch. The movement makes a big difference at around the 12 hour mark of the flight, when you’re wondering if you’ll ever be able to stand straight again. 
2. If you can, pay a little more for an extra leg room seat. It helps you to feel less claustrophobic and means you can stand up more easily. We’ve also paid extra for normal seats but that have just the two of us in the row. Again, it means we’re more likely to move if we’re not disturbing anyone.
3. Pack a flat cushion to make the seat more comfortable. I have one that was made for sporting events and it helps my lower back tremendously. 
4. Drink lots of water. My experience is the more dehydrated I am, the more aches and pains I seem to have when I’m flying to France. 
5. If you do have a stop over, walk around as much as you can, even if you’re feeling exhausted. 

Flying To France – Favourite Places To Fly Into

I remember the first time we flew into Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport. It was our first international trip and we were reeling from the 24 hour flight time. I remember being concerned that we wouldn’t actually make it out of the airport. Of course, we did, but even all of these years later I still find CDG a bit intimidating. That said, it is still very convenient for flying into France, and obviously Paris.

Having said that, we’ve actually flown into Frankfurt in Germany numerous times, and then caught a train to Paris. Frankfurt airport is very easy to navigate and airport railway station has regular links to France. And Frankfurt is a great option if you are travelling to the east of France, especially Strasbourg.  

If you’re flying into the south of France, Nice is a good choice. Another easy to navigate airport, with quick and easy links to the city and its beautiful surrounding villages.  

Over to you now travelling friends – how do you make things more comfortable when you’re flying to France? And do you have a favourite city to fly into?  If so, I’d love for you to share it in the comments below. 

Finally, a great big thank you to Vaughan for inspiring today’s post. 

And until next time – au revoir.