This week, an email from a Distant Francophile reader prompted two things: A smile from me; and This blog post. So what was so compelling about this particular email? Well, it reminded me of the challenges travellers face when they try to book almost anything for their visit to France online. Now, don’t get me […]
Travel Planning
15 posts
Ten years ago this week my family and I were getting ready to return home following our first visit to France. On our last day in Paris, as we prepared to brave the 24 hour flight to Australia, Scott and I splurged by ordering two glasses of champagne. We sipped them, gazing out toward the […]
Someone asked me the other day about the things that light me up. Once upon a time I might have struggled to respond to that question. But these days the answer flows easily. And while the list of the things I’m passionate gets longer all of the time, two items are consistently at the top […]
As I promised I would be, I’m continuing to ponder the stack of questions I’ve received recently from Distant Francophile readers. One query that I realised I’d better answer in a hurry was around the success – or otherwise – of my most recent vacation packing efforts. I was also asked to share the […]
When it comes to visiting France, do you consider yourself an independent traveller? If you happen to be reading this, there’s a strong chance you do. It’s also likely that you enjoy making your own bookings and plans, as well as doing your own trip research. And I’m almost certain your research often involves scouring […]
More than a few years ago now, I made my first solo visit to Paris. I learned a lot, about travelling alone and about myself. Later, I shared that initial experience over at My French Life™, along with my thoughts on why Paris is an excellent destination for solo female travellers. Nobody will be surprised to […]
Packing for Paris. Once upon a time, those words made me feel more than a little apprehensive. It’s such a stylish city, and it is easy to feel like you might muck it up. Thankfully, visiting Paris at least once a year for the past decade has removed my packing nerves. But I won’t pretend […]
With snow falling recently on the normally balmy shores of the French Riviera, it is difficult to believe that spring is knocking loudly upon northern hemisphere doors. Spring is a magical time for travelling. The days are getting longer, the crowds aren’t the bother that they can be in summer and the parks and […]
A friend of mine is facing a packing dilemma. You see, he has agreed to go on a holiday with a large group of friends to celebrate a 40th birthday. He is very close to the ‘birthday girl’ and doesn’t want to miss her special day. But he is struggling a little. Because the holiday […]
If you ask me, a truly spectacular visit to France requires more than a little forethought. If you want to experience the best France has to offer and avoid disappointment when it comes to things like accommodation and restaurant reservations, you’ll want to do some planning. We covered all the reasons trip planning is important […]
Europe – and France in particular – holds such a fascination for so many people. You rarely come across someone who doesn’t love travelling there. At the moment I have two of my staff (from my day job) heading to European destinations and another one who has just returned. With our own trip now a […]
I’m one of those lucky people who enjoys the lead up to a big event almost as much as the event itself. I’ve been like it since I was a child. I adored the lead up to Christmas, and literally could not sleep on Christmas Eve because I was so excited. And you’ve got no […]
While this post is still very relevant, just to be sure, we did Another Do-It-Yourself Tour Of Champagne on our last visit to France. You can check it out here. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve always been quite surprised by how long it took us to visit France’s Champagne region. Especially given how much we […]
I work with a lovely young lady who is marrying her sweetheart next year. And, in what I consider to be an excellent decision, they are honeymooning in France.
I’m starting to get a bit excited. We are looking at travelling back to France next year, and it’s only a few short weeks now until the early bird flights become available. And once the flights are booked, the planning can really commence.