Travel · An Expats Guide · The Joys of Solo Travel On A Budget · Destination France | Thomasina Shealey, MBA | Skillshare
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Travel · An Expats Guide · The Joys of Solo Travel On A Budget · Destination France

teacher avatar Thomasina Shealey, MBA, Consultant, Entrepreneur, Mentor

Watch this class and thousands more

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Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Lessons in This Class

    • 1.

      Introduction · Travel An Expats Guide The Joys of Solo Travel On A Budget Destination France

      8:18

    • 2.

      Mental Prep · Physical Prep · Financial Prep

      5:10

    • 3.

      The Checklist

      12:04

    • 4.

      Currency Exchange

      1:29

    • 5.

      Essential Travel Apps

      6:52

    • 6.

      Booking Your Flight to France

      6:02

    • 7.

      Airport Arrival

      5:57

    • 8.

      Transportation From The Airport

      6:48

    • 9.

      Regions · Departments of France

      4:53

    • 10.

      The Arrondissements · Neighborhoods of Paris

      6:28

    • 11.

      Accommodations in France · The Star Rating System

      8:33

    • 12.

      Public Transportation

      6:41

    • 13.

      Cultural Differences

      4:34

    • 14.

      Social Immersions

      2:55

    • 15.

      Basic French

      6:38

    • 16.

      Daily Budget in France

      8:21

    • 17.

      Virtual Tour Part I

      4:30

    • 18.

      Virtual Tour Part II

      7:08

    • 19.

      Summary · Travel · An Expats Guide The Joys of Solo Travel On A Budget · Destination France

      2:14

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About This Class

Planning a trip to France?

Thinking about spending extended time in this cultural and architectural gem of a country?

High on desire?

Low budget?

Join me as I walk you through the steps to get you here without liquidating your account and totally smashing your budget.

I'm going to share tips on booking your flight to France, creating your checklist before you leave your home country, essential travel apps, the various departments (regions) of France, currency exchange recommendations, airport arrival, public transportation, suggested expense allocations for dining, hotel accommodations (the French star rating explained), cultural differences, basic French recommendations and social immersion.

But first...a little bit about me...

I fell in love with France over 28 years ago…

It has been an unrelenting love affair ever since.

Daydreaming about a field of lavender walked through near Avignon; savoring rich, vanilla, rum soaked canelé in Bordeaux; lingering in cafés by the Charente River.

Traveling to my destinations of choice, predictably, I purchased extra luggage, filling it with the usual suspects; French linens, luxurious soaps, coffee, art and antique treasures; with the sole intent of prolonging my experience.

Making the decision to spend my "semi-retirement" years in France, exquisitely blends to satisfy my hunger for a more full, balanced and simpler life.

I had been planning my escape for years. (smile)

Attempting to time the merger perfectly.

Having visited almost every corner of this life-changing country, it is here that I hoped to spend the remainder of my days.

I have found my sliver of joy in a small French village nestled between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea; surrounded by romantic, quaint villages wrapped in colorful homes and ever-present blue shutters.

The vineyards stretch as far as the eye can capture; around each and every corner leaves of cabernet, chardonnay, syrah and their regional cousins are elegantly draped in tranquil repose.

The small villages in the south offer a visual of true rural France. It is as if time visited, knocked, then decided not to stay.

The ancient French villages of Uzès, Pézenas, Saint-Guilhem-le- Désert, Saint-Didier, Roquebrun, Collioure, Apt, Lagrasse, Venasque, Mirepoix, Olargues, Ménerbes, Sommières, Pernes-les-Fontaines, Aigues Mortes....all hold a charm one can only imagine until witnessed with their own eyes.

The larger villages of Arles, Narbonne, Avignon, Tarascon, and Perpignan, heave with the weight of its lineage, countless universities and regional dining; all mere moments from the Mediterrean Sea.

Diverse landscape dot the scenery...hilltops, vineyards, rivers, mountains, valleys and the sea....always the wonderful scent of the sea languishing in the air.

The charm of French country life remains untouched in some villages and barely touched in others.

Off-the-beaten-path inns and chambres d’hotes, leaning beside rustic restaurants frequented by locals, seduce the fortunate traveller who stumbles across this swath of blissfulness. It is here in the south of France, each day is filled with peace, tranquility and calm: a soulful quality of life that I treasure.

On my first adventure to France my son was 6 and my daughter was 3. I crossed the Atlantic dozens and dozens of times...

Sometimes solo...sometimes with friends....and sometimes with my children in tow, utterly and completely smitten with the simplicity of life in the small hilltop and coastal French villages.

Fast forward...

My son is now 35. My daughter is 32.

And me?

64. Semi-retired. Two decades plus in real estate. MBA/Finance. Global Mobility Specialist. 20+ years Relocating Spouse. Author. Educator. Instructor. Writer. Solo Traveler. Daughter. Wife. Mother. Empty-nester. French cafés. Cobblestone lanes. Morning walks through the vineyards.

A small village house near the coast.

Transition time...

Ok...there you have it...that was three (3) years ago that I made the leap to pack it all in, move to France and start living my sliver of a dreams...

And I have never looked back...

As your instructor, however more importantly, as an ex-pat currently living in France I bring to you 40+ years experience in finance, real estate, corporate relocation and just plain "living a relaxed, comfortable, in-the-know life in France".....which is the most important criteria for creating this course.

During this course, you will receive clarity, encouragement, direction and support to assure you are on track with your plans for spending time in France.

As you progress through the course, you will have continuous access to me should you seek a bit more clarity, wish to share your thoughts or bounce ideas.

This course will most assuredly give you an understanding and birds eye view into considerations to take when planning your first or next solo travel adventure to this beautiful country.

Congratulations in advance of your journey...

Let's get started...

"The pursuit, even of the best things, ought to be calm and tranquil." - Marcus Tullius Cicero

Meet Your Teacher

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Thomasina Shealey, MBA

Consultant, Entrepreneur, Mentor

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Transcripts

1. Introduction · Travel An Expats Guide The Joys of Solo Travel On A Budget Destination France: Hello, it's Thomasina Shealey and welcome to this travel course. The Joys of Solo Travel Destination France. I'm excited because normally I create my classic business courses on finance and financial literacy, and I'm a real estate broker, so I create real-estate training courses. But you know, I woke up today and I thought, No... I'm gonna create a class that's just completely a lot of fun and mirrors my journey on how I ended up living in my semi-retirement here in France. And just taking you through that process and you know, helping you create your own journey. Those of you who are taking this course, clearly, you have an interest in traveling to France. It is a wonderful country. You've heard all that before. But now, as an ex-pat living here now for three years and I actually have my Carte Sejour. (Resident Card) So I'm actually now an official resident in France. And I love it, and I love it. But you know, from the beginning, those 28, 30 years ago when I first started traveling to France, I didn't know all of those ins and outs, ins and outs and those little things and bits and how I need to book my ticket. What are the best rates? What are the hotel's and what does that star rating mean? I don't get it. You don't have that in the United States. I didn't know how to get from the Paris airport, Charles de Gaulle into the city center. I was always taking that taxi. That was back then when it was French francs. Now it's euros. So 600 French francs. I mean that was like a $100. I didn't know about the bus, I didn't know about the metro. And now they've got a TGV (train station) sitting at the base of Charles de Gaulle. You can hop on that for just ten or 11 bucks. I didn't know all of that. Now that I'm living here and I constantly receive e-mails from friends asking me Thomasina, you know, is it expensive to travel to France? Can I stay there for a week, a month, three months? You know, how would I put that all together? So this course is strictly for the fun of it. But I don't know, maybe you're a business traveler and you're thinking along those lines as well. But this course truly is for that solo traveler, for that person who might be travelling with a friend, for that gap year student, you know, right outta, you know right in between junior and senior college. I don't know. Your high school, you know, trip, you're planning a family vacation, whatever it is, and you're making your journey over here. This is definitely a course, you're going to enjoy it. So we're gonna talk about the travel apps that are essential. I'm gonna talk about the currency exchange. I'm going to make recommendations on how you need to exchange your currency before you get over here to France. And recommendations on hotels, recommendations on just different things...your checklist... You're packing lists. We talk about your medicine. Your adaptors. All this stuff I never even thought about, but now I want to share with you and, you know, I've got some great resources too. My 35-year-old son. He started traveling here when he was six years old with me with his little passport. And now he's here two or three times a year. You know... mom lives in France now, but, you know, I'm in the south of France. I"m creating this content from my beautiful little studio that I have in a region called the Languedoc. Which of course, as part of you taking this course you can contact me anytime. And if you're going to be in this region, you can definitely, hey, Thomasina Help! So, let's have a good time. I wanna cover, again, just that whole social immersion, a little bit of the language that you probably should know while you're here. And this is not a, you know, just kind of a hard course for you to take, that kind of thing...this is suppose to be fun. Maybe you're sitting at home during that pandemic. We're all kind of hunkered down in...or you just have a little bit of time. Either way, I want you to have fun with this and I'm going to share all that I know to be true. On traveling solo. I took...hummm..."beaucoup" (many) as they say over here "beaucoup" trips to France as a solo traveler, as a traveler with my children, traveling with my family, traveling with my friends. But the best fun I ever had coming here to France was when I developed that confidence to get on that plane from Washington DC to Charles de Gaulle in Paris or New York, JFK to Charles de Gaulle in Paris. And I was alone in my own space. Nobody to talk about... "What do you think we should do today?" No. If I wanted to spend one day in my pajamas, in my hotel room in Paris... and that's exactly what I did. I love solo travel. A lot of people are afraid of it, especially women. And yes, there are some things that we gotta put into place. Like I have this one rule. I never, ever, ever take that stroll at night. Paris is great. France is a great country. But you know, you gotta use that common sense too, you shouldn't be out after certain hours because you're alone. So you've gonna put some safety valves in place. But you're not gonna be afraid. I've got a cousin that lives near Cleveland, Ohio. She had never ever taken a solo vacation. She always waited for one of her best friends in Atlanta to travel with her. And so last year was the first time she actually took that leap and took a solo travel vacation. And...her name is Tanya...she never look back. Now I know she has the confidence to do it again. She's already talking about coming to visit me. I mean, that's just a great! It's scary at first. Maybe...maybe not. I mean, the young, I mean, if you're in your twenties and thirties, you've kind of got this like this. But if you're in your forties fifties and I'm 64, January 11th was my birthday. So if you're in your sixties and you're kind of a little nervous and always looking to travel with these big groups. I'm telling you right now, Don't be nervous. Put the systems in place. It's a lot of fun being on your own with your book and your, your map and your Essential travel apps and your directional travel apps and all that wonderful, wonderful, just moments of being with yourself and you re-introduce yourself to yourself when you do solo travel. So anyway, enough with the bla, bla, let's get started and thank you for joining me because this is a great course, So get ready when the time comes where it's safe to travel again. After this pandemic is put under control... and we've got this thing where it needs to be. You're going to want to get back into your routine and your groove of planning your annual or semi-annual trips. So thanks again for joining me. Again. My name is Thomasina Shealey and welcome to The Joys of Solo Travel on that budget, on the cheap. And you know, not cheap, cheap, cheap to the point where you're just wonderful where you are? Hahahaha... No. But at a price that's comfortable and relaxing. Obviously, if you've got deep pockets, you don't need to be looking at this video. Unless you just want to grab a little bit of information here and there. You can stay where you want to stay, go when you want to go, do what you want to do. But if you're like most of us, me included, I was always kinda watching my budget a little bit, you know, seeing where I could stretch it. And those are all the things that I'm gonna share with you during this course. Okay? So see you in the next lecture and welcome. 2. Mental Prep · Physical Prep · Financial Prep: Okay, welcome back. Alright, let's just jump right in. Now, we're gonna talk first about that whole mental, financial, physical prep for making this journey, this solo travel journey. Alright, so one, I talked a little bit about confidence. You've got to have the confidence to be able to do this. I'm here to tell you that no, the world's not a safe place. I wish I could make it sound warm and touchy and feely... but the reality is you have to put the safety valves in place. Whether you travelling in the US, France, or any other country. Common sense is going to have the rule. Yeah. Okay. So I have my basic rules as I begin my mental prep for solo travel. One, The same rules I have here when I'm in the United States are the same ones here when I'm in France. never do I go up after certain hours. I'm alone, have to be aware of the fact that, you know, there are, I like to tell my children 99% of the world is good. It's that 1%. That's messing it up for everybody else. And so it's that 1% that you always have to be cognisant of... Okay, so that's all I want to say about just your mental prep, your financial prep. Yes. We're going to talk about your budget, but I'm gonna just tell you this one thing, excluding airfare and your hotel. I like to allocate $50 a day. I know...it doesnt' sound like much...does it? But...that's the whole idea, we're trying to travel and stay a long time. We're not trying to blow through a lot of money... now... you can adjust your budget accordingly. That's up to you. But I 'm going to base this on $50 a day, excluding hotel and airfare. Okay. So that means that's gonna be your local transportation. That's going to be eating. That's going to be museums. That's going to be all the things that you're going to enjoy while you are here. And believe me, $50 a day is more than enough for you to have a great time. I promise you that. The other thing is, you know, the mental prep, the financial prep, and then the physical prep. I'm you know, they have a term here in France, called "personne âgée" (old person) Can you imagine that's, you know..."old person". Well, here in France, you're considered old. If you're over 75 years old, now in America. AARP, they're grabbing us at 50... it used to be 65...then 62...then 60...then 55... now...you turn 50 in the United States of America...and that American Association of Retired Person, they're grabbing you... lookiing for memberships.... In France? No. In your 60's....the women in France are still wearing stilettos. So it's a whole different culture here...that said, I just wanted to bring this up because based on your physical capacity, just be aware that, you know, the United States is very much into situations. Elevators, escalators, wheelchair access for the handicap. In France? No....a lot of these buildings are 16th, 17th, 18th century. Huh! You arrive at the airport, Okay, maybe the main airports...they have an elevator for you. But good luck trying to find somebody to push you to your gate. Be aware of that. Also the train stations. Oh, where's the elevator there? There is none. How are people in wheelchairs or walkers getting around? Not very good. I want you to make a mental note of that. This courses for everyone. And even though you may be young and doing your solo travel, your mom or your auntie or your grandmother. They may not be young and they may still want to take this journey alone or with you. So it's good for you to know that the country of France in general, they do not have all the legislation we have in our home country, United States of America. Or perhaps you're in another country and you're viewing this course, those regulations are not in place. So sometimes you will have access for assistance if your mobility is slightly impaired. Sometimes not. Okay. So that's the physical prep. So you've got the mental grep just the security piece, put that on the financial prep think budget. Okay. And then the mobility, the mobility prep. Okay. And that's it for this lecture. 3. The Checklist: Hello, welcome back and thank you for joining me. My name is Thomasina... and we are putting together your solo travel adventure to France hopefully this year 2021 or maybe we may have to wait until 2022, we will see what this whole pandemic and how that pans out. Okay, so today's lecture is on just putting together a checklist. And I like to keep my checklist tight. Ok. So I'm going to tell you the checklist I do for myself. Everyone's check is going to be a little different depending on your age, depending on your goal, depending on how long you're going to be there? First and foremost, for me, I'm telling you I never go anywhere without my computer. So I always make sure I have at least two adapters that I'm going to be able to plug in on my flight or in my airport, in my departure city. And another adapter...when I arrive in France, you going to need that European adapter so that you can plug in your computer or your telephone and recharge that. Important. You're going to need it at your hotel. Some hotels are great and they have the adaptors in the reception area for you. Others? No. It's best you're prepared. So if you're like me and you're traveling with a computer, laptop, mobile phone, whatever, make sure you do not leave home without your EU European Union adapter. That's number one. Number two, I'm sorry, number two for me, it's definitely my prescriptions. Some of you may take medicine, some of you may not. But on my checklist I want to make sure I have everything I need in the United States. Although subsequently, I have found pharmacies in France who have the exact same prescriptions. And for....you know...one-tenth of the cost, I'm not gonna get into that right now. But I no longer need to think about that one as much. Because the pharmacies here, in addition to not giving you generic drugs, they actually give you the top of the line drugs. They mirror, point on point, whatever that prescription is, you're traveling with for your medicine, maybe you have contacts, you wear contacts and you need drops. My son, he has found Its just pennies on the dollar here to, you know, get that liquid that's required...those solutions. So for me the adapter, for me, the medicine. I can tell you right now no sense in packing those face creams and oils and gels and all that for your hair and your perfumes...you're coming to France. You don't need to pack that. I mean, the moment you land you are going to be inundated with every high quality, incredible product you've ever seen in your life here. So you don't need to pack any thing that involves your hair... your face, and your body.. Let that go...'cause when you land you're gonna be excited to run into those pharmacies and those supermarkets and buy them...again... for pennies on the dollar. Okay. Packing list. I always keep my clothes casual, you know, well, I call it casual chic. Okay. That's the term. So I stick with the same thing every time. I stick with one pair of Pants that are black and one pair that are grey one pair that are tan and one pair that's navy. All my tops pretty much look the same...white linen. That's just me....I wear white tops all the time. Everywhere I go. One, it's just an easy way to get dressed. You can put on whatever you want on the bottom and you got your top together. So I always stick with white linen and white tops. In terms of outerwear. That depends on the season. But I tell you one thing that works all the time in France is a trenchcoat. So if you've got a wonderful trenchcoat...let that be your one thing that you bring. Ok. And it goes with everything. Shoes. one pair of medium heals, I'm a woman... one pair high heals.. I'm a woman...and one pair of flats and that's it. I leave... I don't bring any shoes, tennis shoes... none of that sports stuff here. I don't want to stand out too much and yeah, it's a cliche. But "Americans" wear their tennis shoes... they call them "baskets" (sneakers) here, that's the French word, baskets. Isn't that interesting?...Oh....do you have your baskets? Anyway, that's the term for tennis shoe or tennis sneaker. If you want that comfort with that type of shoe, I highly suggest you just find yourself a wonderful loafer. That way you always look good. This is a country that prides itself on the way it dresses. That's not a cliche. That's the "vérité" (truth) as they say. That's the truth. That's the"vérité"... Whether you're going to the supermarket or you're walking your dog, whether you're just hanging out in the park. Everybody in his country seems to care about how they look. So, you don't have to spend a lot of money, but it's nice that you pay attention to your grooming and you know, that kind of thing. It's good that you leave all that athletic wear back wherever it is you're coming from. There's really no place for that. You're not gonna get the great seats in the restaurant. You know that you want to, they take one look at you and you're wearing sports gear...and sometimes yes... it's kinda discriminatory, but you're in France now and they have an affinity for discriminatory practices when it comes to how you dress. I'm not saying that to mean... I'm just telling you a little bit about the culture. The culture is very aware of the hair, the face, the clothes, the weight, the shoes, the bag, everything. I've never seen anything like it in my life. Really. I used to watch it in the movies and think, ah, that's an interesting lifestyle. And then when I started traveling here, I thought, wow...does everybody dress like this? And now that I live here....yea... It's confirmed every single morning when people get up and dress like that. So keep your clothes at just the basic colors. Jazz it up with the scarf, jazz it up with a jacket, jazz it up with a hat. But I'm going to recommend that you not bring a lot of stuff... mix and match four basic shades. for your pants...four basic shades. If you wear skirts...four basic shades.. if you wear dresses, or basic shades, if you wear jackets, you don't need to go off with your wardrobe. Okay. I'm not gonna talk about undergarments that's on you. But outerwear stick with the trench coat. You'll always work. It always works. And it just looks good. Ahhh... Checklist. Okay. Carry on. Oooo....if you can pull it off. Just bring one piece. Just bring your carry on. Okay. Try not to check that luggage. One they're charging for everything now at the airports. Two... you're going to have to stand around and wait for your baggage claim. Three, that means you now gotta go through customs and they open this sac and all this other business and the dogs come out and they smell everything and if you've got anything in there that smells remotely suspicious. You're gonna be tied up in customs for longer than you need to be... So if you can put everything that you need, and I think you can... here's the guideline, put everything you can in your carry on.. If you're going to be coming here for five days, you can do the carryon, mix and match. Okay. If you're going to be coming here for ten days, that's a little different. Its gonna be tight. but it's still doable. Ok. Other than that, yes. You're going to have to book one piece and with your ticket normally one piece is included in the price. But if you buy the bare bone ticket, then we'll talk about that in the next lecture. Then. Yes, you're going to have to pay for that extra piece of luggage. So checklists? Yes. Passport. Check your passport. Okay. There's something weird here in France about if you're coming over to spend, say, a couple of weeks...and your passport is about to expire in three months or less. Sometimes they can turn you away. I know that's harsh. Check your expiration on your passport. It's essential that you get that renewed. So you get that... if you're an adult that's that 10-year window before you have to renew your passport. Don't come to France with you passport expiring within a week or two, or a month or two. Before you're scheduled to depart, you might have a little problem as you enter the country. Okay? So let's see passport. You don't need a visa if you're coming from the United States. You don't need a visa if you're staying for 90 days or less, your passport is all that you need. So that's good news. If you're staying for more than 90 days, then you need to apply before you leave your country for a tourist or a visitor visa that will extend your stay for six months to up to one year. Ok. That's how I started once I started coming for two weeks, three weeks, one month, two months. Once I hit the point where I was staying longer than three months, I applied for my one-year visitor visa. And yes, the "dossier" that's the French word for file. It's like this, but it was approved. And now I have the option of coming back and forth in a 12-month period. But if you're just coming over for a weeks' vacation, a couple weeks, even a month, your passport is fine. You have all that you need, okay? Now, okay, I'm creating this content... It's coronavirus time... so yeah, I'm going to tell you, check with your embassy for the Americans, check with your American Embassy on everything that's required for you to enter France as of today... which is January...what is it? January 19th, 2021. So I know they're requiring that COVID test, but which one? There's two different kinds. We're not talking vaccine, we're talking tests. Check with your embassy to see what test. Some are asking for the antibody test....some are asking for the actual Covid test where they go all the way up through your brain. So know the difference. Alright, checklist. What else? We're gonna talk about currency in the next lecture. But yes, you want to make sure you arrive in France with your native currency a little bit. When you hit the airport, that way you don't have to go around and looking around for currency exchange. And I'll tell you why in the next lecture. So there you go. That's a basic checklis... things you should be packing...adapters, you should be bringing carry-on versus checking your luggage, prescriptions, stuff you can leave at home, hair, face, body. That's the checklist. Download all your essential travel apps, download them before you leave the country. Download all of your language translation apps that you're going to need while you're here. And it's so cool. It's nice to speak a little bit of the language that you're coming to, whatever country you're visiting. But obviously with Google Translate, you can talk into that app and hit a button and there's the translation. So that's a must download your Google Maps before you get here. Download any other directional GPS Maps on your phone that you need to have before you get here. And certainly download your communication apps before you get here. Alright, on to the next class. And that's going to be on a currency just a little bit about that. 4. Currency Exchange: Hi, I'm here, it's Thomasina and just a little bit about currency. Okay, here's what I do before I...when, I'm in the United States. Before I make the journey back here, I always like to arrive with just a little bit of the local currency in my purse. So I bank with Bank of America and I request my currency from them. And usually within a day, maximum two days, whatever I request is waiting at the bank and I take it and I make my flight. Check with your bank. Check with...to see if you can do the same. How much do I change? No more than a 100. I might need it for the bus, the train, maybe the taxi. You can do 200 if you want. But a 100 is usually enough. Why do I do it before? Because my exchange rate is better. Your bank's gonna give you a better exchange rate. If you wait and bring your US dollars or whatever country you're traveling from. And then when you arrive at the airport and you see these wonderful little kiosks, currency exchange, currency exchange, they're flashing... They are waiting for you to get off your plane and come through that gate. And there you are Baggage claims waiting for currency exchange. you are going to get the worst exchange rate of your life. So if you don't want to be ripped off from the moment your feet touch French soil. Exchange, a little bit of currency before you leave your home country. That's it. See you next lecture. 5. Essential Travel Apps: Hi, it's Thomasina and welcome back checking my notes right now. Because this lecture is on those essential travel apps and I want to make sure I get all of them right. The ones that I personally use every single day, even while I'm living in here is Google Maps. Download Google Maps because then you can just pinpoint your location, type in where you're going. Hit. Get started. And it will let you walk to your destination with ease. Google Maps, essential. Google Translate. Essential. Again, my French has gotten to be pretty good. I mean, after three years of total immersion. I'm pretty good. So I know how to do all the whole taking the bus, taking the Metro at the grocery store, at the boulangerie. (bakery) that's the bakery. At the patisserie. (pastry) That's the place where I buy all of those wonderful pastries, the supermarket, just day to day, you know, and there are times that I anything, you know, And there are times when I buy my ticket for the bus, I'm going nowhere. I sit on that bus just to listen to those conversations so that I grow a little bit and learn new words, learn new expressions. Everything is regional, just like in your home country. And if you think about it, the people in New York talk differently than the people in the South, The people in California talk differently than the people in the Midwest. It's the same in France. So I want my ear...to... They have a term called "grandir" (grow) which means to elevate a little bit "grandir" i want my ear and my listening skills to "grandir" So I take the train, I sit in the park, I watch podcasts. Download a few French lessons, podcasts... Those are just great apps while you're on the plane on your flight. You can listen to the podcasts in French. You know, you can get your ear acclimated if you're gonna be spending your time in Paris, that's a whole other accent. And when you come to the south of France is almost like you're in another country. They speak french like I've never heard anybody speak French. And when you leave my region and you go to Provence which is about two hours in the other direction. You have the Languedocien, which is the Languedoc where I am. And then you have the Provencale, The Provencale! They blur, they blur all their words. I can hardly understand one thing a native Provencale is saying. So that said, I want to recommend that you download a couple of the, you know, language apps. Babble, Well that's a nice travel app. I get...I love Google Translate because I can use it to scanned document and it translates and take photos of documents. It translates. I can hold it up and use it, for QR codes, I can do all kinds of things with Google Translate. So that's my number one, Google Maps, my number two. Let's see what else you should be using. Oh, we talked about currency in the last lecture. We didn't talk about currency exchange...just the fact that...yes.. You're gonna get a horrible exchange rate if you do it at the airport. But just so you know, the exchange rate fluctuates each day. So during the course of their time being here... if you decide you want to withdraw money from your bank account back in the US or whatever country, it's better you use your ATM or debit card, it's better...normally. And I say that with an ounce of precaution, normally, you get a better exchange rate when you use your debit card or credit card and you take money out, than you would get exchanging cash from one of these exchange services that you'll see all throughout the city. I'm going to highly recommend that you bring at least one or two, maybe even three cards, debit cards for taking out your money. Credit cards? Okay... I stay away from those because again, their exchange rates at whatever the rate is at that moment. I like taking my cash out and I know what I'm taking out at that moment. And then when I return back to the United States, I've got nothing hanging over my head. So that's another thing as part of your planning, put that $50 a day times ten days aside, that's $500. And you can take out a little bit each day as you need it. One, you lower your risk of losing your money. And two, you gain sometimes a little bit of the exchange rate for that day. Sometimes the rate goes down sometimes it goes up. Here's another app for you. It's called x.e currency. That's what it's called, xe currency. You can go online. You can check it every day. They tell you the currency rate, US dollars to the Euro US dollar to the yen, US dollar to any currency across the globe. So that's an important app to download. Okay, what else should have... There's something called...hummm...Google clock. Well... I'm on vacation. I don't want an alarm...but...but...you know.. just in case getting up because you're taking this wonderful tour you got an alarm built-in I'm sure on your mobile phone, already and certainly on your laptop. So, and probably on your watch... So there you go. But if you want an app, Google also has an alarm clock. Other apps I'm going to recommend essential for me now that I'm spending most of my retirement and semi retirement years here, I mean, I live...live on WhatsApp. I live on FaceTime talking to my mother and my friends, my family. WhatsApp communicating there... I mean, yeah, it was an old lady before I found out that you could actually call people on Facebook? Facebook video? I mean I never even thought about that. I use Skype. WhatsApp. But mostly FaceTime. So download FaceTime. It's probably already on your iPhone. That is strictly an iPhone app. You know, definitely have WhatsApp ready to go. I think that's on iOS and Android. Keep your Skype on lock as well. But you also have the option of using Facebook video, Facebook audio, as well as Instagram video and Instagram audio. So those are the essential travel apps I want you to have already pre-packed on your phone, your tablet, or your laptop before you leave your home country. Okay. There you go. See you in the next class. 6. Booking Your Flight to France: Hi, welcome back as Thomasina. And guess what? We are now ready to get that flight from. In my case, it was Washington-Paris, New York-Paris. Now it's even LA-Paris. In your case. You may have a different departure city. But in all these cases, this particular lecture is not about helping you find that great fare. This is about talking about the best time to travel here. And the best time to travel to France. Hands down is off-season. What is off-season? Well, off-season. February, March, April, and again, September, a little bit of September, October, November for sure. Now you may say, Well, who wants to be in France during those times a year? Everybody wants to be here this summer. Well, yeah. But guess what? In the summertime the airlines blow up your fares. So now the same ticket in February, New York-Paris, that might be $300. Round trip is now $1400 round trip in July and August. In addition to that, every tourist from the face of the earth is now arriving in France. Think about it. France is the number one tourist destination in the world. 88 million people arrive here every year. And there's a reason for that...It's pretty magnificent. But...of that eighty-eight million I wonder now many are showing up in June, July, and August, the worst months here, you can't get a seat in the restaurants, the museums are filled, the trains are filled, the airports are a nightmare. Now, let's come in February and March. But you gotta pick your city. You remember that movie "April In Paris", springtime in Paris... That's April. Magnificent. Airfare, $300, round-trip. Incredible. Now, potentially you think, OK, maybe I'm not coming to Paris. I want some are little warmer. Well now you can come to the south of France. You can come to my hood. It's magnificent, airfare from your home country into Paris. Or///I'm going to recommend you always come into Paris, you get the better rate into Paris... and then take the train to whatever city you're trying to get to in France, do not make that reservation. New York-Nice. New York-Montpellier. You're gonna drive up your cost. Always go direct. And then when you get here, hop the train. I've got a whole other lecture on the local transportation. The public transportation here is...supreme. And pennies on the dollar. So always think departure city... arrival city...Paris. Even if you think departure city - arrival city Paris. If there's a direct light, do it! You're going to get a great rate. But normally flying directly from your city into Paris, that's going to be the Moneyball. February, sometimes a $175 one-way from New York to Paris, round trip, $350, sometimes $250 round-trip. March, almost the same. April starts going up a little bit. May. Eh... By the time you hit June, July, and August, your zone is gone. You gotta wait now 'til September. Now remember this course is about solo travel, or even if you're traveling with friends, this is about on a budget...thinking about what you want to do. It's not essential that you travel in the summer unless you have a job. Like I know my cousin Tania I mentioned she's an educator, so her summers are free. So sometimes she gets locked in, but I had to get her out of that mindset. You also have Easter off. You have Thanksgiving. You have Christmas. You can take a vacation. Off-season. You lock into the summer, it's gonna cost you trying to get over here. Don't lock into the summer. That's what I wanted to say. That's all I want to say. How you acquire your tickets, kayak, all those other services that compare rates and everything that's on you. But I'm telling you right now, make your journey here in February, March, or April, or September, October and November. And you will come to France...I've got friends now who come here twice a year. Because for the price of one ticket in the summer, they can come in February or March, and they come back again in the fall, once in the spring and once in the fall. And I've got a friend who never her wildest dreams would she think she would be coming to France twice a year and spending time here. It's not like we're rich. But it sounds like a rich lifestyle, right? Oh, I travel with friends twice a year. Well, you're traveling off-season. You got it going on. If you don't take anything else from this course, that's the one thing I want to leave you with... Off-season travel, whether you're coming in here to France or you're going to another country, that's the way to travel and you will have a full and rich life. You don't need to be here with the masses. That's nothing. You just got a lot of people around you with a lot of noise. I leave you with that...Off-season travel. Book your ticket, you're gonna be shocked at the difference of the prices. And if you coming south, let me know. I'll meet you at the airport. You see in the next lecture. 7. Airport Arrival: Hello. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Ok. You've made that reservation, you've booked that flight, and now you're going to be arriving. Normally, your first arrival is going to be in Paris. So you're going to be arriving at Charles de Gaulle. Beautiful airport, easy to get around. There are two airports in Paris, One is Charles de Gaulle, and one is Orly. Orly is a smaller airport, a bit more regional, a little further out from the city center. But you might be able to book a great fare depending on your departure city into Orly. So don't sleep on that airport either. But for all intents and purposes, normally you're going to be arriving at Charles de Gaulle. So depending on your airline, depending on your arrival gate, Charles de Gaulle is divided into basically, you know, four or five different terminals. All of those terminals are serviced by a free...don't anybody tell you differently. A free tram that takes you to your baggage claim, depending on your arrival gate you may have to change trams to get to where you're trying to get to. But when you come off your gate and you're now in your terminal, look for those signs that tell you Charles de Gaulle, CDG, TRAM, and then you just follow the crowd. There are people stationed along those... I give me credit for that. In that airport, there are people there who can help you. Most of them will also speak English as a second language. If they don't...arm yourself. You know, we talked about those apps that you download before you left home, pre-program in some of the more common phrases. So even if you can't get it out, "Where is the free shuttle to baggage claim?" Type that in and then all you have to do is hit that button and show that to a person in the airport and they'll point you in the right direction. Believe me... it's easy. You know, "Où est" (where is) where is?..."Où est" (where is)? Even if you cut it short, "Où est le tram"? They'll get it. Normally you say it more proper. But trust me, they've heard it all in that airport with 88 million people flowing through that country. They've heard it all. That's every year. Ok? Now. When you arrive at the airport for some of you, this may be your first time..ok.. I want to tell you something that's a little bit shocking. It was for me. They have military in the airports in Europe, specifically in France. So...When you land in Paris, you are going to see military officers with AK-47's... I know it sounds bizarre, but yes, they're here. Ak-47's, you're gonna see the dogs, you're gonna see the military, you're gonna see the police. It's a heavy presence. And that's just not for because something's happening. That's just GP General Practice here. The first time I saw that I was terrified. I thought I had arrived in the middle of a terrorist situation. I was shocked. And then I realized, why is everybody so calm? There are people walking around with weapons. Well that's the norm. It keeps calm and order in the airport. I just wanted to share that with you, so you wouldn't be taken aback when you got off and your flight, ok, no reason to fear anything...clearly you are totally protected. And you can also ask the officers for direction. That's another thing. It's a little intimidating seeing two men or two women dressed in military with AK 47's, and you're asking where is baggage claim, I mean, this country's different. But yes, friendly, you know, and they don't give me a lot of conversation, but they are cordial. It's better you ask airport security or people in the uniform. But if you are in dire straits, yes. The police can also give you directions. So just remember that when you land... know your terminal, know that there's a free train that takes you to your baggage claim. You're going to claim....you're going to go through customs first... And then they're gonna be stamping you out... And then you're going to claim your baggage. Then you're gonna go through customs again and they're gonna fling everything open. So be prepared for that. It's not a big deal. It's normal. And if you're arriving in the airport at the early hours of the morning, you're gonna get off your flight and you're going to arrive where it is that you need to go through customs and it's empty. You know how many times I landed at 6:30am or 7 o'clock in the morning from the U.S. because most of the flights from the US to France are in the late afternoon or evening. So you're arriving in France in the morning...and it's "vide" (empty) which is the French word for empty. "C'est vide". It's empty. So that's just a beautiful experience you go through, you know, the dogs are there...the Ak-47's are there..the police are there...you're there... customs is there...your baggage is there... it's a beautiful experience. And after you get used to seeing that visual, after a few times... you actually feel very secure about your arrival into this foreign country. So there you go with, you know, just getting off that plane and getting down to your baggage claim. And for the next course, I'm gonna talk a little bit about transportation from the airport into the city center or other points that you may be considering in France. See you soon. 8. Transportation From The Airport: Ok, here we go. We're going to continue a little bit about, you know, talking about the airport arrival. And just a tad of data here. Once you arrive at the airport and once you've gone through customs and once you've claimed your baggage and once you've got everything stamped and you're signed, sealed and delivered, you now have to get from the airport to...if your first stop is Paris, Paris City Center. If your stop, is another region of France. just know... I mean, wow, there is a TGV on the lower level of terminal C in France. In Paris, it is wonderful. You don't even have to leave the airport. The train is downstairs. I love that...I mean...years past... Yes. They did not have the train at the airport. I mean, this has just been a generous addition to getting around the country. It's already an easy enough to get around France because you know, unlike the United States...the United States is huge. France is a small country. You can go north, south, east, west, in 3 or 4 hours...that's the whole country. It's incredible. So if your first stop is going to be in Paris, you've got a couple of options. One, obviously the most expensive private driver car waiting for you, but this class is on...you know... Solo travel on a budget, you want to splurge on that, that's on you. The second option is the taxi. Again. Now I find that to be expensive. I've gotten so cool. I've learned how to catch the train from the airport Charles de Gaulle into the city center, and it cost me $12. Okay. There's also a bus. There is a bus that can also take you from Charles de Gaulle into the city center. So you've got four options. Well, actually five. You've got the private driver, you've got the taxi. You have the RER B, which is a commuter rail train. You have the private bus service that takes you into the city center and then you have the public bus service. So you actually have five options. Now, if you are physically exhausted after your flight, I'm going to recommend you splurge on either the taxi the private driver or the private bus. You're gonna need it, it's gonna be too much coming at you for you to try to figure out the train. If you're in your twenties and you know you're just kinda living it up, and you're like, hey, I can do this. Then look for the sign that says "RER B" In your twenties and thirties, maybe you're in your forties and you're feeling like you can do this.. Look for "RER B"... into the city center, you're going to buy your ticket right there at the reception area once you get through the gate and you're going to take that train and yeah, it's going to drop you off right there in the center of Paris. And then from there, you can figure out where you going, wherever your hotel is. You may have to catch a taxi to your hotel or you may be so cool. that you decide you're gonna change trains and catch the metro to your nearest stop near your Paris hotel. Or you may be so cool, you've figured out the local bus. It's possible, especially if you do all your groundwork before you leave. So that's another thing I'm gonna recommend. Research the local bus system in Paris. It's cheap, it's wonderful. Research. The metro system download the app. They've got an app, RATP, they've got a map of the rapid transit system in Paris. download that...put that on your phone. You got it, you know, so you've got options. on getting from the airport into the city center for people like me a little older... maybe a little fatigue. I'm going to use the bus sometimes...and sometimes I'm going to hop that train if I'm feeling great and I'm rested and I slept on my flight.. I'm catching the RER B into the city center. If I'm tired and just want to relax. I'm going downstairs I'm going to look for the private bus and catch the private bus shuttle into the city. So those are your choices. That's on your airport transfer. Now, let's say Paris is not your destination city. You go into Nice, or Bordeaux, or Lyon or Dijon or Montpellier near me in the south of France, or Perpignan Or maybe, maybe you're going to Brittany or, you know, Monet's birthplace in Giverny I don't know. But I know this... you've got train transport right there in the airport for where you need to go, there is a train running all day long, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 times a day. From Paris to Avignon...Provence...Paris to Nice...Côte d'Azur Paris, you know, coming south to Montpellier where I am... the Languedoc...six times a day. Paris-Bordeaux all day long, Paris-Lyon, all day long. Take a look at the train schedule. SNCF is the rail system in Paris...in Paris...I'm sorry, in France, that's the rail system and it services all through France, the entire country. Download the app before you leave home. SNCF I still have that app on my iPhone, I've got apps for everything. I've got apps for my train. Let me show it too you...a little bit.. And I live here...but they have this thing called OUI SNCF I keep it... I keep it. Bonjour Thomasina. Yes. And then when I'm ready to go, for instance, next weekend, I thought, oh, I'll visit Collioure. Collioure is a beautiful resort city right on the Mediterranean, one hour from where I live. And I search for my fares and sometimes they've got a 1-euro ticket for people over 60... 1-euro...for 1 hour on the train... €1, that's like U.S. $1.40 And I hop the train. I spend my day on the Mediterranean Sea. I spend another 1 euro to come back. That's why I tell you $50 a day...you're living large... Once you figure out all that, you need to figure out in this country, and you're gonna find as you come back time again and time again. You "grandir" (french for grow) you grow just a little bit more in your knowledge and it's a blast. So there you go. Write me if you have any further questions or you need just a little bit more detail on that transportation piece into Paris City Center or other points in your journey. Okay, see you in the next course. 9. Regions · Departments of France: Hello! Welcome back. And this lecture is about just a little overview. I'm taking a little break here and I'm gonna give you a little overview of the country. So France is divided into what they call these different departments, basically regions. So you've got the region of Paris... you've got the region of Provence... You've got the region of the Côte d'Azur... you've got the region of the Languedoc...you've got the region of Bordeaux, Brittany, all these different regions or departments. As you start your journey. your solo travel journey...whether it's your first or your next visit. I started out just like you always coming to Paris. Always coming to Paris. I mean, how would land and stay right in that city for almost a decade? I don't even explore outside of Paris...well, for almost ten years. And then one day I decided to hop that train and see what was going on in Bordeaux. They call Bordeaux the little, the "petite" Paris, the little Paris of France. It is a beautiful city. Then I decided to go north and I checked out Brittany..Oooo... the coastal cliffs...ahhh....the cliffs in Brittany and there again it's sitting on the Atlantic Ocean. It's just magnificent. Then one day I...oooo... I "grandir" (grew) a little bit, and I took the train down to Nice. Oh my goodness, that was my first time in the south of France. And that was, I was hooked. I was like, how am I ever gonna go back home? That's one region. Then I took the little train from Nice down to Marseille. oooo, I've seen so many films made in Marseille. And now I'm standing there looking at the cliffs and the calanques and I'm sitting on his boat looking at this beautiful Mediterranean Sea. And I'm thinking...how in the world. did a woman from upstate New York find her way to such a beautiful part of the world. And then after that, hey, I got my confidence groove going.. and I started catching trains left and right... The French having a saying..."de gauche à droite" "de gauche" (left)... "à droite" (right) So I started traveling "de gauche" (left)... "à droite" (right) And before, you know it.. I pretty much covered just about every department, region in France. And each has its own personality. Each has its own flavor, Each has its own cuisine. You know... I mean...This is truly a country that is just obsessed with eating local. So you know...when you drink champagne I know in America for many years...Oh..."lets get some champagne...champagne"... You know...it can only be called champagne if it's from that region, that department, Champagne. I learned that the hard way. So you've got that. Then you've got regions that are known for cheese. You know, the blue cheese, the Roquefort cheese. That's actually a city in France. Roquefort, Roquefort, France. And you go to this city and I mean you smell that blue, that stinky cheese...that blue Roquefort cheese It's all over the city. And then the, the other specialties that each region is known for...In Provence they are known for this amazing stew, called the "cassoulet" ...oooo.... it's got these beans and all this meat.. Oh...it's just incredible. So I'm just telling you, you know, do your research before you decide to make your journey. You may decide you're solo travel. Maybe you split your time between Paris and then coming south...or Paris...and then going west... I mean, Biarritz...oooo... Biarritz I mean...that is a again, a coastal community. All about the water... all about the sea...ahhh... And then when you come down near me (the Languedoc) it's all about the oysters, and the seafood and the Mediterranean... it's all about the water. It's all about the wine... And that's another thing. If you decide you're going to visit Cognac, Think about it...It can't be called "Cognac"... if its not made in Cognac (France) There's actually a city called Cognac, France. And I've been there...and I've been back..so I mean...you're gonna have a great time as you spend your off-season travel in France...coming here two or three times a year. On a dime! You will also discover a region where you will just leave your heart like I did here in the Languedoc...where I just...I know call home.. So yes, that's a little bit about just the various departments. You're going to do that research before you leave. And then as I said, book your flight direct...you're gonna get the best fare...off-season... direct from your home country into Paris. And then buy your train ticket to whatever point you're going to be visiting. Okay, there you go. See you in the next class. 10. The Arrondissements · Neighborhoods of Paris: Hello...Welcome back. Okay, in the last class we talked about the regions and departments of France. Now I just want to kind of hone in a little bit on Paris, okay. Because if this is your first time, normally, your first trip to France is going to be Paris... the City of Lights. And believe me, "crois moi", that's French. for "believe me"..."crois moi" It is all that you've ever read, all that you've ever seen in the films. It's all that and more. The beauty is just astounding. But, you know, in the last class we talked about regions and departments of France. I want to talk about Paris for a minute because Paris has divided into what they call our arrondissements or neighborhoods. Paris has 20 arrondissements or neighborhoods. So as you start looking for your hotel where you want to stay. And we do have a class on that. You're going to want to be aware of the different types of personalities of different neighborhoods in France. (Paris) And you can do that research on the internet. It's easy enough...I'm here just to tell you my favorites. Ok...My favorites in Paris is the seventh. (7th) The seventh (7th) arrondissement I love...One... It's typical Parisian...Two...not a lot of tourists stay there. Three, It's very exclusive. So you gotta dig pretty deep to find those gem of a hotels and I've got a few gems I'm going to share with you. And it's just one of those places.... I can walk to the Musee d'Orsay, a beautiful museum. I can walk to the Louvre. I love that it's a neighborhood where diplomatic housing is located. So the security is built in...I'm a solo traveler... So I love that when I'm walking down the street, you know...there's the embassy for Guatemala. Or the embassy for Chile...or the embassy for Australia... I like that it's a diplomatic arrondissement. So you see the ambassadors, their families, their children. I like that. That works for me. I like the formality of the seventh. (7th arrondissement) Paris is divided into two (sections) the Left Bank and the Right Bank. Okay? The 7th arrondissement is on the Left Bank. They call that the "intellectual bank." And that's not because everybody is an intellectual, is just because the left bank is where they have the Sorbonne which is that beautiful university in Paris, that exclusive university that everybody tries to get into. And that's where all your thinkers, and your philosophers and many, many years ago you're most famous French poets and writers. They lived in the "Left Bank". So you'll go to many restaurants in the Left Bank and you'll see pictures of all the, all the history of all the writers, the greatest writers in the world...where they dined and where they slept. It's just beautiful. I like the Left Bank. Again, the seventh (7th) is a little formalized, but you've got also the sixth (6th arrondissement) and the fifth (5th arrondissement) and the fourth (4th arrondissement). And that's just a lot of students...a university setting. It's casual, the cafes are cool. It's just a great place. The Right Bank. That's a different personality. That's the eight (8th arrondissement). It's nice. I don't stay there, but I love visiting it. You know, the eight (8th arrondissement)..ooo...the sixteenth (16th arrondissement) you know, little bit "cher" (expensive" That means expensive. (in French) But beautiful. You can find gems in the Right Bank. Whole different vibe. A lot of tourists enjoy the Right Bank. I like the Left Bank. I like the feel of it, just like the comfort of it. And now that I live here in the south, like I told you, you can get anywhere in France, in three or four hours, I take the 8:30am... train from Béziers I'm in Paris by lunchtime. I can have lunch and get back on the train at three o'clock and be back at my placed by evening. That's how beautiful this is. And sometimes when want to spend the weekend. I go online... I choose my favorite hotel... See if they've got any great rates.. And now that I'm semi-retired I don't even have to focus on the weekend... I can go midweek. I check Tuesday through Thursday. I hop the train from where I am to Paris...I spend 2-3 days in the Left Bank... soaking up all that culture and architecture and that food and that history. And then I come back home. That's France. It's beautiful. It's easy to get around. So as you do your research, go online and Google, Paris, Left Bank, Right Bank. You get your definitions. Then...look at the different arrondissements or neighborhoods in the Left Bank. Then review the arrondissements in the Right Bank. Find one that fits your personality, and then start searching your hotels there. You might make a mistake the first time, but the next time around while you're here, visit other hotels. It's when I do...even now. If I see an a little charming hotel where I'm staying, I walk in, I asked for their card. I ask them if a room is empty. Can I peek in it? I'm an American, you know, we...we talk...the French always say "What is it with you Americans"? "You just walk into a situation and you just think you can access everything." Well, that's our culture. We don't know what "no" means in terms of can we do this?...can we do that? We're always looking for what's next. "Quelle est la prochaine" (French) What's next? "Quelle est la prochaine" (French) You know, that's what we do. So I've visit hotels and sometimes the staff is a little taken back, like..."Why does she want to see an empty room?" Well, I want to see it for my next visit. Duh??? Doesn't that make sense? And then once they understand that, Oh then...they get it. But...be prepared for that. Be prepared...that we're kinda of like a bull in a china shop over here. And so obviously living in the south I've had to dial it back a little bit... but not so far back that I'm not still me. Anyway. That's all I wanted to share with you on Paris and the neighborhoods, the arrondissements... Do you research... My favorite is the seventh (7th arrondissement) Also the fourth 4th (arrondissement) the Marais...it's nice... Ahhh...those are my two favorites... the 16th (arrondissement)...parts of the 16th are good...great... Not even good...great! The 8th (arrondissement) it's glitzy, but it's fun. But the 7th (arrondissement) that's home for me...30 years now. That's where I stay in the 7th... and I love it. So see you in the next lecture. 11. Accommodations in France · The Star Rating System: Hello it's Thomasina and welcome back! Now, today we're gonna talk about hotels. All right, where do I begin? First of all, the beauty of this country is that, and this is going to apply to every city, every tiny village, every hilltop hamlet. They have a star system in France. Unlike a star system I've seen anywhere. And every single place you are considering to stay... will be rated One, Two, Three, Four, or Five Star. Now, there is an organization in France that every year, or every two years, they go through each one of these accommodations and they deliver that star. Now what does the star mean? Well, in my home country in America, a five-star hotel, I mean, we kinda get that...Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons. It's there. In France. Five star. You're talking a palace...can you imagine? They even have a rating called five-star plus, which is now a 16th, 17th century palace hotel. With the nightly rate associated with staying in a palace. Okay. So in America, would you ever stay in a two or three star hotel? Maybe. What's a two star in our country? I don't even know. I think a three-star might be a Marriott Courtyard. I don't know. Okay. So whatever you thought about in terms of star ratings, you can throw that out now.. It doesn't apply here. Their ratings are based on location. Not really service... in America we're big on... You know...how are you gonna get your rating? What amenities and service? No. France, it's based more on, you know, how did they make you feel when you stayed here? Kind of service. It's hard to explain. Do you get points for having a swimming pool? No. Do you get points if you serve breakfast a little bit. So what exactly are they rating? Yeah. I know. I wonder sometimes too. But I do know this. I have found out in my 30 years of staying in hotels in France that the three star hotel is the sweet spot. Now, it depends on what you're looking for. When I'm coming to France before I moved here, I was always looking for that traditional unique experience. So I wanted a hotel that had the rooms that had the fabrics from Louis the 14th. I wanted the lamps, I wanted the bedding. I wanted the things that reminded me of centuries past. That's the hotel I look for... Other people who might be looking for something a little bit more modern, a little bit more updated. That's where the star system also come in... in play here... Some of the older hotels, more dated hotels. You're going to get the 2-star and 3-star.. If your plumbing has been updated or your electricity has been updated since the 17th century, then you might get a 4-star. It has nothing to do with service... but are the interiors updated, the plumbing, the heating, the roof, bizarre system. But you need to be aware of that. So I'm going to recommend that first.. you find....figure out where you want to stay. Let's for example, say the 7th... my arrondissement in Paris...or my neighborhood. Or for example, you may say...I'm visiting Bordeaux. Now you gotta research those neighborhoods in Bordeaux just like you would Paris. Or you could simply Google three-star hotels in Bordeaux. And you're going to come up with that list. Or maybe you're an Airbnb person. Now the star rating doesn't apply there. Airbnb, that's an American company... So now you've got to go on, you know, the reviews. But if you're gonna go for that traditional French experience, you might want to stay in one of these quaint and charming French inns.. French hotel... You know...a "chambre d'hôtes"... that's like a a bed and breakfast in the United States..."the chambre d'hôtes" first of all, the rate is wonderful. Sometimes $20...$30...$40...a night.. You're staying in a private home. When you visit the smaller villages or the cities outside of Paris, you can locate a "chambre"...which means "bedroom"... c-h-a-m-b-r-e-s..."chambre d'hôtes" the hope that comes with breakfast. So you save there. How 'bout that? I like those experiences because now I'm with a French family...I'm in a French environment, I'm in a French neighborhood. What are you going for? you know, just because you're traveling on a budget, does'nt mean that you're necessarily going to stay in a hotel or other accommodation that's bare, bare bones. Just think differently. Think well...they have a saying here..."pense bien" (French)..."pense bien" Think well...and if you think well... booking your ticket, off-season, booking a "chambre d'hôtes", a small inn...now you've saved just out of the gate... you spent maybe $300 or something...or $400 on your ticket... And for ten days at $40 a night, you might spend $400 with your accommodations. I mean, that's budget traveling and you have not sacrificed the experience. So research the French star system. Just Google. What do...what does the star system mean in Paris? What does the French star system mean for hotels in Paris... What does the French star system mean for hotels in France... And you got the history there. Then you can decide which level you want to go. You may even decide, you may visit another city and say, I'm staying in a two-star hotel...don't let the two-star throw you... It's all about the upgrade of the plumbing, the heating, the roof, the location. It's a different rating. Two-star means nothing. Don't don't let your ego get in your way. Okay. Get out of the way of your ego.. You know...2-star...I don't care if its 1-star...if it's magnificent and it's old and its beautiful and its historic... I'ms staying at a 1-star hotel for $25 a night. That's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to get locked into the mental prep of staying in a 5-star, you're going to pay! Why are you taking this course? You're not operating on a budget. Anyway. So do your research on that. This course is just all about giving you that information, that data, so you can start your process and you can write me anytime you know that. If you know a specific city that you're visiting, write me, I'll research with it and I'll send you some recommendations. Ok? That would be my pleasure. So there you go. Know the star rating hotel system in France. And also know that there are other options, palaces, chateauxs..."chambre d'hôtes"..."maison de maître" (large in-town or or country properties) you're gonna hear all kinds of terms. But..iIf you're a history buff... You're going to want to stay in those vintage hotels. If you're a modern, you like modern amenities, modern upgrades...room service...like why would you want room service? You're coming to France for the experience. You want to eat in the cafés... you want to get up and get out of that room... And that's the beauty also here... No matter what time we get up and get out...you can always find a croissant and a wonderful café... So, see you in the next lecture. 12. Public Transportation: Hello it's Thomasina and good morning, good afternoon. Good evening. Depending on where you are on the world and you're joining me. Today we're gonna talk about public transportation in France, Okay? The last lecture was on accommodations. We talked a little bit about the star system. We talked a little bit about location. Here's something I want you to take into consideration Now as you're planning your first or your next solo adventure. And of course, this course can be adapted to whether it's solo, group, business, student, just whatever travel you're planning on doing. Coming to France. The transportation is key. Now, obviously in a city like Paris, you've got the metro. So no matter where you are staying, no matter arrondissement, neighborhood, no matter what star you choose, whether you're in my neighborhood, the seventh (7th) that I love so much. There's always going to be a metro stop near your hotel. That's the way the city was designed. The person who designed the city, made sure that you were no more than a few hundred meters from a metro stop. That's beautiful. Same with the bus system in Paris. It's just wonderful. And you'll always be able to access it. You can buy a day pass...a week pass...a month pass... That's where you're going to save you a bundle. You can use the local bus in Paris as a tour bus, which is what I do. I pay €1.60 or $2.00 US dollars. And I get on the bus and I go from one end of the line to the other for $2. Now, if you decide you're going to go with one of those double decker buses in Paris and tour. And you're going to pay $75 dollars for that. Like why? Just get on the city bus? Number 69... Bus number 69 is the bus. And I mean, it it takes you pass the Eiffel Tower. It takes you all over the city. It's incredible. Incredible. But if you have the time, if I were you I'd buy that pass...and then you just swipe it and get on the bus and then you can jump off, jump on, jump off, jump on... Not only do you learn the city quicker, but now you have saved a fortune. That thing about that double decker, I mean, that guy...that woman...they're talking and it's noisy...you got tourists on there. You're not seeing local stuff...hoping on...hoping off... Yeah. They have designated stops, but not as many as the bus....the bus you can go one stop and get off... then catch the next one going... So I'm highly recommending the local bus in Paris as your number one method of transport above ground. And the metro. as your number one transport below ground. A lot of us like me like to stay above ground... So I use the bus alot...taxis? I mean, why would you use a taxi in Paris unless you're just in a hurry to get somewhere. It's not necessary. The bus, the metro that's your route...it's the same with the airpot... You know, why would you use a taxi unless you're in a hurry, or unless you're tired. And also with the taxis, you know, just be sure you pay attention to what's on top. The taxi, all the taxis in Paris they're marked. Do not get in an unmarked taxi. I don't even care if they say they're a taxi... don't get in there. They're regulated, highly regulated. So you will see the mark on the top of the car that says "Paris taxi." You will know, they have the medallion, which is like in New York City. The medallion, the right to drive a taxi in Paris. So that's just a little safety aside there... don't just jump into the first thing that stops. Is there Uber...is there Lyft there... Again, I'm talking public transportation...I'm trying to save you money. Do they have Uber and Lyft? Yes. Unmarked cars... I'm always afraid of that...foreign city...I'm going local transport. Okay? But if you've got that courage and you wanna take that Uber or that Lyft.. it's there for your public transport needs. Now, let's say you want to leave the city. Now you've got the train. And if you're in Paris, you've got multiple train stations where you can catch a train to various regions throughout the country. The Gare de Lyon (a major train station) The Gare de Nord (a major train station)...The Gare Montparnasse (a major train station) You've got four...five...six...different train stations there for you to catch a train wherever you're going, most of the train's coming south are from the Gare de Lyon...so if you're leaving Paris and you're coming to the south of France, nine times out of ten, you're gonna be leaving out of the Gare de Lyon. So I want you to definitely Google all the train stations in Paris so you are armed and ready before you arrive here. So if you are making a decision to leave Paris, and taking..you know, splitting your trip, stay in Paris for a few days and maybe leave after a week in Paris...then a week somewhere else. You are ready with your information. It's not hard. You can do this before you leave or when you're there in Paris. I always recommend putting together a little folder, printing out the papers and having everything right there. But that's just me... So in terms of public transport, yes. You have the local buses...you've got the TGV...the TER which is a regional... the TGV, that's that bullet train, the TER that's that regional train, the Intercities...another regional train.. So you've got all kinds of options. The fees...the ticket prices are low... everybody uses the train in Europe, especially in France. So you can just go "gauche et droite" (French for left and right) left or right "quand tu veux" (French for "whenever you want")...you know? So there you are on the local transport scene... If you are not staying in Paris and you're going to be in another city, research the local transportation before you do that, some of the smaller villages, there not even a local bus...you're going to need a car. And that defeats the purpose if you have to rent a car. So try to stay in a village that has local bus access. In some of the small villages around me, the bus runs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, but not on Sunday. In the largest cities, the local bus is going to run on Sunday. Be aware of that. You will have no transportation on Sunday if you stay in a small French village. That's key. And maybe that's a good thing...'cause then you can take a walk through the vineyards, or you can sit in your pajamas all day and read your book...or you can sit in the park with a beautiful picnic. Maybe it's a good thing ya got no transportation on Sunday. So write me if you have any questions. See you next course. 13. Cultural Differences: Good morning...It's Thomasina and this lecture just a little bit on cultural differences. I mean, you've heard it all before. You know the French are yeah, they can be a little rigid. For me they move in frist gear... sometimes reverse...again, I'm from a culture that's very aggressive. Americans. So it took a little while to get used to operating in first gear or in reverse. As I've grown in understanding the culture and the traditions here. I mean, you gotta remember America. What are we? three hundred, three hundred and fifty years old? France is what? two thousand...three thousand years old... I mean...it's just old here... And the traditions are in place. So everything is regulated. They call bien (French for good)..."règles bien"... which just means "very well," you know what time you're going to be having breakfast normally around eight o'clock in the morning. "petit déjeuner" (breakfast in French) you know your gonna take a break at mid-day for coffee 10:30am...11 o'clock... you know you're gonna be eating..."manger" (French for eat) "Midi" (French for midday), you know...between 12:00pm and 2:00pm you know you're gonna be having apéritif every evening with family or friends between 6:30pm 7:30pm or so... you know you're gonna be having dinner at 8:00pm in the evening...until 10:00pm... I mean, everything has its place here. So as you make your plans to arrive here in France, you know, they have this saying..."When in Rome...do as the Romans do"... My mother told me that years and years and years ago when I left for college and I was only 18 years old. Well, at 64 years old... I can tell you it still applies..."When in Rome...do as the Romans do"... And so it's best to, yes, I don't need to change the fact that I'm an American. I love my country and I love who I am. But I do need to adapt, and I need to adapt. I've made the decision to live in this country, I've made the decision to spend large parts of my time in this country. And you're coming here on holiday, vacation, business, whatever it is, you don't have to lose your identity. That's not something that anybody's looking for... But it's nice if you adapt to the ways of the culture that you're coming too...One...it's just respectful... It just is. And when you respect the culture, you are going to be better received. And I mean, I have such a wonderful time here, even when I make mistakes with my language....I make mistakes in pronounciation, I make mistakes with drinking orange juice at lunch, which, you know, that's just criminal here, which I don't understand...I like orange juice, I don't drink a lot of sodas or even I should drink more water, but I don't. They drink water all day long here. But you know, there's this thing. They switch up...you know, so breakfast...if you're going to have juice...that would be the time.. Because come midday...they're switching to that wine...you know...or water and it's like wait a minue...can I get an orange juice or apple juice at lunch? you know, why is it "interdit" (French for not allowed) Which means, you know, not allowed..."C'est interdit" (it's not allowed) the waiter once told me that's not allowed to have an orange juice. I'm like...Oh my goodness, the rigidity. But you've got to get used to that. So yeah, so by the time the day progresses. and I want to have a nice café au lait at 3:00pm or 4:00pm o'clock in the afternoon They're like, why are you drinking coffee at 4:00pm o'clock in the afternoon? I'm like...what is this...you're the coffee police now? so you have to get used to the traditions and the culture. And yes, you can do your thing, but just be aware that the reaction sometime will be startling. You know and...ahhhh...you hear that? just like in the old war movies, that's actually an ambulance passing the house. And a police car. And the fire department...sounds like something out of a 1950's film...right? It's perfect timing. Just to give you an idea, they haven't even changed the sirens since the 1930's... It's still the same sound you hear in every foreign film. So be aware of that....that's all I really wanted to tell you...a little bit about, you know, trying to adapt and assimilate a little bit...intergrate a little bit... into the cultural norms and traditions. And it'll just make your stay that much nicer. There you go. See you in the next lecture. 14. Social Immersions: Hi it's me! It's Thomasina... And for this lecture I'm gonna talk just a little bit about social immersion. Now one of the things that I stayed away from when I would travel to France was finding another group of Americans to sit around and talk American English with. I stay away from that. Now maybe you feel comfortable with that. If you do, maybe you just want that little support there. Then...you can always do that little Google search again...meetups. They've got all kinds of apps out there where you can let people know where you are or you can let them know that you're in the city and you're looking for another group of, say, females... or say, you know, Americans and maybe you just want that company, you know, you can do that too. The whole idea is for you to be socially immersed... immersed in the culture, the language, the food, the wine, the museums, the architecture. But if you find that you just want a little bit of companionship of like-minded people. Then obviously, you can search....Also here in Paris, they've got the American Embassy. So that's an easy resource for you to make the connection. You can always show up at the American Embassy in Paris, I did it one time just to see what would happen. And I showed up with my passport. Hi....I'm an American in Paris. I just wanted to visit my embassy. And they were like...come on in...all these guns and guards and I'm thinking... wow, this is really cool. The gates actually opened because I had an American passport. The blue cover. So... just so you know, if you're in Paris you can visit your embassy... And they're going to have a list of resources for you. That's always cool. Now in other cities in France, obviously there's no American Embassy in every city. That's only going to be in the main city in Paris. But you do have these other groups. You can go on Facebook and look for Americans in Bordeaux, boom! Americans in Nice...boom! Americans in the south of France...boom! Or you can just do English speaking, It doesn't have to be Americans... It could be Australians, British, Americans, English speakers in Bordeaux, English speakers in the Languedoc, English speakers in Montpellier...you get the point. So if you find that you want to speak with somebody else that shares your language.. you're starting to feel a little isolated or a little alone. Those are the social immersions you can do. I'm hoping you're going to just take this time to rediscover yourself. And rediscover some of the passions that you may have tucked to the side as you've gone through your life. This is a great time for that. And if ever there's a country that's perfect for rediscovery... it's here in France. So there you go. 15. Basic French: Hello I'm back...It's Thomasina...and Ok....Basic French... Can you make a solo travel journey over to France without speaking the language? Of course, 30-40 years ago it might have been a little tricky. You didn't speak the language and getting here, and, I mean, how are you even gonna communicate. Obviously your experience is going to be enhanced when you know the language. Now that said this is 2021. They've got llanguage apps there, out there that, I mean its gonna be like you're fluent... I'm going to recommend that you pre-program in certain phrases that you know, you might be asking, "Can you tell me where the bus is"? "Where's the nearest train station?" "I'd like to order"... whatever it is that you think you might be ordering. You can do it on the fly. You don't have to pre-program it. But I think it's nice if you practice some of the basics. So here we go. And you know, my accent is not that great, and I've been here three years, but I've managed to get around. So when you enter a shop and when you leave the shop, it is mandatory "obligatoire" (French) obligatoire...which means you're obligated when you enter a shop, a supermarket...I don't care what store it is or where you going? Train station...buying a ticket... getting on a local bus. You say "Bonjour" (Hello) That's it... when you leave that bus, when you leave that store. Au revoir (Googbye) Merci (Thank you) A bientot (See you soon/later) if you know the person. But the main thing is Bonjour (Hello) When you enter any place in France, if you don't do that, believe me, you are gonna be ostracized from the moment you land. when you walk up to that gate in the airport and you're there two seconds on French soil and you have a question. You can say, Pardon (Sorry)...Excusez-moi (Excuse me)... Bonjour (Hello), and then you can tell them your question. They are polite to a fault here. Even the little kids, you've got two-year-olds running around talking about "merci"..."bonjour"..."merci"... "excusez-moi"... The first time I had a two-year-old say "excusez-moi" to me... I thought...Who taught you that at 2 years old? It's a cultural thing. If you don't say it. You're like this... Like who are you? What animal are you? You know, that's how they look at you. When you don't say hello.... "bonjour" or "au revoir"...goodbye...when you leave. If you need to interrupt someone, "excusez-moi" or "pardon"... that's acceptable. And you get used to it. It's beautiful. And you just don't have all this strange ignorance going around where you're like..."Ah hey"... no...you don't talk like that. It's a society that I've never really witnessed much in my home country... And we have a lot of polite people in America. But for the most part, we can be a little intrusive... And you know that if you're an American, you know that. So for me to have to dial it back a bit and all day long if I'm out and about...every supermarket, every cashier, just the cashier at the supermarket, you know. "Bonjour" (Hello)..."Ca va" (It's ok) "C'est bien" (it's good)..."C'est bien" (its good)..."Tout c'est bien" (All is well)..."Tout va bien" (Everything is fine)... Au revoir (Goodbye)...I mean you're talking all day long...by the end of the day you're physically exhausted. Your mouth has been going all day long. But that's the culture. And you need to know that. So when you walk into a store, please...just by all means...just..."Bonjour"...and when you leave "Au revoir"... if you'd have a question..".Excusez-moi" Or... "Pardon"... The rest I'm going to leave to your translator. Those words will get you through France. Merci... Bonjour...Merci... "Au revoir"... If you only know three words, "Bonjour" Hello)..."Merci" (Thank you)... "Au revoir" (Googbye) You are going to do extremely well here because the French love it when you at least try...Your pronounciation... it can be like this. It doesn't matter the fact that you made an effort, that's the "plus important" (most important) that's the most important. So I'm going to pretend to tell you that I am like this super fluent person. I know enough to get through my day. Ah... you know, France is in three layers. Just like with English. You speak it, you understand it, and you can write it. I can speak it at the intermediate level. I understand it at the advanced level, and I write it at the beginner's level. So you're always improving on what it is that you're trying to do. But "pour moi " (for me)..."pour maintenant" (for now)..."tout est bien" (all is well) For me, right now, everything is great... "j'habite à" (I live)..."dans un bon place" (in a great place)... "J'aime la France"...I love France... "Je visite de nombreuses villes et villages de France". I visit many cities and villages in France. "Ma famille me manque" I miss my family, you know, so your conversation will grow as you spend more and more time with the language. Its' just like anything else... And don't fall into that trap..."Oh when you're young you absorb it quicker, okay, that part is true. But you can learn a new language. And when you fall in love with a country, like I did with France, it was important that I learn the language. Not only that...after 5 years here.. I'm required to take a test if I'm going to get my 10-year resident card. So I better be fluent. And they ask you, what are the three largest cities in France? "Quelles sont les plus grandes villes de France" You know, that just happens to be...Paris...Marseille... and Lyon, you know, a lot of people say Bordeaux and that's not true... So in addition to that, I'm actually studying for an exam that I'm going to have to take in a couple of years. So... do your thing with the language, get your app together. You know, the French crack up when I don't know what I'm saying. When I go to get a haircut, I didn't know "coup" (cut)...actually cut...."cheveux" (hair) you know, when I walked in, I had it programmed in... "I would like a haircut and here's the picture that I'm trying to get." ("Je voudrais une coupe de cheveux et voici la photo que j'essaie d'obtenir.") So I press translate. And I showed them....ooooo...the whole salon cracked up...lol I showed them the photo and I got the cut I was looking for. So it's not necessary you're fluent. but it's necessary that you make that effort. And that's what I want you to take away from this particular lecture. So write me if you have questions and see you in the next lecture. 16. Daily Budget in France: Okay...here's a lecture we've all been waiting for...budgets. Now I said earlier that I feel personally good in telling you that you can pretty much make your journey on $50 a day. Now remember the currency here is euros. So $50 dollars...US dollars... that's about 40€...42€...43€...euros each day. How are you going to do that? Welll remember it's excluding hotel accommodations, your daily rate. You're going to figure that out and pick out where you're gonna stay. And it's excluding airfare. But it's not excluding your local transportation. How about that? So your local transportation, obviously, your best bet is going to be buying that weekly pass wherever you're staying. And remember, when you move you lose. What does that mean? Well, every time you change cities, you're gonna to spend money. So...that's when you knock out your budget. If you're going to be catching that train at three different cities in France while you're here... Yes. Your transportation budget...he's gone... If you get to France and you stay in one city, the $50 dollars a day works. How does that work? Well, have the right to have breakfast every morning. So that's just a café.. a coffee or tea, and a croissant. So that's going to run you about $3 dollars, okay? Then at lunchtime, you're gonna check out. They've got these different types of restaurants. They got "cafés", they've got "brasseries" which are more elaborate lunches. They have restaurants which now... 3 or 4 course dining... I'm going to recommend that you do, "brasserie" because when you go to a brasserie they have a little board out front and it tells you what they're serving that day. And there's going to be a fixed price for three courses. I love that. I usually get the chicken (poulet in French )with the french fries. (frites in French). And that's going to cost me ten ($10.00) bucks, and it's a full meal. I've got chicken...a half a chicken...French fries. Or you might want to get the beef, you know, the stew, or you might want to do your hamburger, you can get whatever you want, but the price is on the board, you can get pasta.. but it's going to run anywhere between $12.00 dollars and $20 dollars for you to eat three courses. So now you're at $25.00 dollars. And the days half over. If you decide you're going to do a museum, I going to recommend you go on Sundays. They're free! If you decide you're gonna go on off time, depending on your age, you're gonna pay an age appropriate price. Most of the museums in France are free... there are those that charge a small fee... some actually asked for a donation. Now obviously the big ones...the Louvre.... the Musee d'Orsay, you're going to pay... But...It's not astronomical. And like I said, if you go on a Sunday, it's free. Check with the museum(s) to see which days are free. Other than that, use the city as your museum. The "promenades" (French for strolls), wandering, walking around the city. That's free. Okay. Taking the bus. I already talked about that. Your daily pass. $3 or $4 dollars...buy the pass... Okay. Your evening meal. Another brasserie, or...you may find a small restaurant with the price fixed on the board outside. It might be $15, might be $10, might be $20. And of course, you can always go to the supermarket, which is my favorite. I go to the "boulangerie," (French for bakery)... which is the bakery. I buy a "baguette" (French bread) for €1 euro...$1.00 dollar.. I go to the supermarket and I buy my cheese, my tomatoes, my ham, if I"m going to put "jambon" (French for ham) on my sandwich or "salad" (lettuce) I spend $5 - $6 dollars at the supermarket and I have the most amazing picnic. And... I sit in my hotel room and watch CNN on the television... just to get a little bit of English in my ears, if I need that. Or I watch a French channel and I practice my French, you can go to the supermarket, every single day... You can go to the open markets, which I highly recommend. You visit the "marché" (French for market) the "BIO" (Biologique in French) which is organic You'll see that a lot. "BIO"....B.I.O. that is the organic market. You can go once a day and you can spend $20 bucks, and that's your food for the whole day. You can buy a roasted chicken for $10 and then buy all your vegetables and make your salad in your room. And you can spend $10 a day eating. That's the way to go. You've got a $50 dollar a day budget... If you spend $10, even if you splurge at the market, you can't eat $20 dollars worth of fruits and vegetables in one day. So you can go daily. You can buy a couple of bananas, a couple of apples, you can buy your cheese, you can buy your bread. You can buy a hot dish, you can buy your chicken, you can buy your sausage...you can buy whatever it is you do... You know, when you get to Paris, you're not looking for green smoothies. But if you are....they're there... but you're looking for that immersive experience with eating and dining. I always like to have one hot meal a day when I'm on vacation. And...It's always lunch. One, the price is better. It's cheaper...by the evening time...yeah....the prices.. they, they run up a little bit in Paris. Normally with your meal. It also includes a glass of wine. How about... so if you're into red wine, white mine, rosé... That comes with the price. So if you, you know, have your breakfast at the hotel, if it's included, you're staying in one of those charming inns... your breakfast is going to be included. The "chambre d'hôtes" (bed and breakfast) you're going to eat based on whatever they had. That's a traditional French breakfast, the croissant, the coffee, the juice, sometimes a little cheese, sometimes a little meat, sometimes an egg made. But normally coffee, croissant, maybe juice. That's enough. And then at lunch, have your main meal, Lunchtime...the sky's the limit...you can spend $20 at the brasserie... you're going to eat, well. And then for dinner, think about the market. Taking something back to your room, you need to eat less after six o'clock anyway. So why not now? And then you can eat your fruit or whatever it is you've bought maybe some nice chocolate. you know, you can relax in the bed...and the next day start over. But always have that one great meal between noon and two. (12pm-2pm) And that's your splurge...that's where it feels good. And then you have your change leftover...to catch your metro... to catch your bus...to pay for your museum(s)... That's assuming you stay in one place. You can do Paris with $50 dollars a day, not counting your accommodations and your plane ticket. How about that? It's doable. I promise you. And when you visit the smaller villages, you can take that budget down to $30 a day because it's even better. So now you can stay longer. You can stay two weeks in a small French village and then hop the local bus, which is now 1€ euro... that's almost $1 US dollar, and visit different villages around you. So depending on what you're trying to put together, believe me, I'm an expert at it. So along with this course, you also have me pretty much for life...as long as I'm living... You can write me and ask me anything on how you want to put together the trip that you're trying to plan. So...on that note, that's how you're going to budget. You're going to book that ticket off season. You're gonna book that hotel off-season or that small little inn, off-season... You're going to limit your meal to one really incredible lunch every day. You're going to dine well for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you're going to explore the markets... buy your food there. And you're going to have one the best solo adventures you've ever had in your life. And France is the place. I love it here. And I know you will too...See you in the next lecture. 17. Virtual Tour Part I: It's Thomasina Shealey And yes, I am taking you on a virtual tour of the neighborhood where I live in France, in the Languedoc. And the name of the neighbourhood, its near "The Marie"... which it is the French word for "City Hall." So this is one of those typical streets, right? It reminds me a little bit, italy. I visited Italy...ooo... two decades ago can't wait to go back as soon as it's safe. I don't know why I waited 20+ years... And then when I finally decided to go back the pandemic hit. But yeah, so in terms of that whole Solo travel and just kinda spending time with yourself, even though I no longer take all these solo travel vacations. It's just wonderful getting up some days and just having my coffee or having my tea. And literally just now walking down my street. I love what they did with the umbrellas...do you see that...they've decorated. And that's all through the city. They have these beautiful umbrellas and they choose a different artist each month. And they can come through and, you know, France and their whole artistic scene. They come through, they can change it out. Sometimes it's balloons, this month's, it's umbrellas. Every now and then its puppet So lots and lots of things going on. But just wanted to show you my street... a little bit of my neighborhood. And we're going to walk a little further. Because I want you to see a main square. That's really pretty. And this is where the mayor's office is... And this is where they have small concerts and normally the cafes are open, but...you know... its a pandemic... Everything is closed. Everybody's masked up... You know...that's what you've gotta do... But yeah, this is this one of my favorite squares here. Ooh, I just love, absolutely love it. It's beautiful... Open spaces. The architecture is absolutely gorgeous. As you can see. Behind me...around me... I mean, its just...see how beautiful? I love living here...it's like a little bit of Paris. This one little sliver here. It's like Paris, it's beautiful. And so normally in the summer, this entire little square, and not even just the summer...just throughout the year. This entire little square, it's filled, filled with people and cafes and tables and you know, that's, that's part of the French life. You're gonna have that cafe scene no matter what. I'm looking down because there are steps coming... and I don't want to miss them...hahaha... But, yea.. I'm going to walk a little bit here. And these are some of my favorite shops. You can see the stores behind me, great, great shops, wonderful clothing stores. This is one of our local bus stops. That's beautiful and this here is the Office of Tourisme behind me here so people can stop and get whatever information they need about the city. So that's, that's beautiful. And then directly behind me, one of the most important buildings in the city, that's the mayor's office. You could see the French flag hanging there. Yeah, that's where he is. And this is where it all happens. So just wanted to share a little bit of my neighborhood with you and just, you know, welcome you... When you do have the time to come to the Languedoc I would be delighted to show you the city, help you figure out how to buy your bus tickets. Take you to visit other small villages here and just basically have a great time. So I hope you enjoyed this little small walk. And now we're gonna go over towards the Cathedral and I'm going to show you a view. Okay. See you in a bit! 18. Virtual Tour Part II: Hi...it's Thomasina...and yeah... I'm surprising you, mask and all with one of my favorite strolls in my city. This is my Street. This is where I live. In the Languedoc... As you can see behind me. Beautiful church. Oooo.... the lovely square. Yeah. I just thought I would leave my studio and take a little walk. So you can see a little bit of Béziers today...its a little overcast. But this is what I like to do. You know...even though I don't take many solo travel journeys now. Now that I am here, I still take my day and my time to view the architecture. Because you can see it's just parts of, it reminds me of Italy. It's absolutely beautiful. This is the palace of justice... As you can see... I'm going to try and...There you go. Get that view in there. Oops, here comes a car... Yes, this is actually the first time I'm going live with one of my courses in recording accordingly... But, Oui! (yes) and here we go. So now we are walking away from the palace of justice, and we have a beautiful building here right behind me, that's a restaurant. And I'm walking here...ooooo.... this is one of the oldest churches in France Actually Béziers is one of the oldest cities in France! I mean, you talk about old... you can kind of see a little bit going on behind me. Ooooo...its beautiful here. It's absolutely beautiful. So anyway, I'm walking up to this point here, which is a great view of the city. My purse is getting heavy. I don't know where I came up with this idea, but hey, I feltwhy not? Ahhh....we're going to enter the church. Here. It's called. You can see the name..the Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire I mean...oh...you're talking 14th century. Its a ittle dark. The church is closed, they're cleaning. Maybe we can catch it on the backend. But either way, the reason I'm here is for this view. I'm walking. And my house... Just maybe five minutes. I'm going to turn this around... you don't need to see me. I want your to see this...oh...there's the police... They're always keeping an eye on things. The city is beautiful. That's the name of my city...Béziers...As you can see... This is a beautiful little square... in the summertime. Oooo... it's just filled. And you can have picnics here and I usually don't even need a mask because very few people are here during the season. But for now, I'm going to stay in compliance and I'm going to wear my mask. So, here we go...this is what I want you to see. Do you see this view? Do you see this view? Isn't that beautiful? You are getting the real deal here. This is my region...The Languedoc... It's absolutely magnificent. And when you look here...you can see...It gives you a little history. Today is a typical day in December. Absolutely. Gorgeous. And...there you go. I hope you enjoyed that. Ahhh...I tell you...life is pretty good here in the Languedoc. I should have done my entire course here outside, but it's a little cold, but its beautiful. But as you can see, I enjoy all those years of solo travel. And now here I am solo but not traveling. But I'm living the life that I always wanted. And I just wanted to share a little bit of that with you so that you can get a sense for why I fell in love with France. So get ready for your adventure. And your journey...because it's going to be a good one. I'm sure. Thanks again for joining me. And I'll see you in the summary. 19. Summary · Travel · An Expats Guide The Joys of Solo Travel On A Budget · Destination France: Okay, there you have it. I mean, did you enjoy that virtual tour? This is just where I live and this is where I spend my life. And I started like you doing my little adventures, coming to France...spending time here. And I made a promise to myself that one day, God willing... I would be able to spend my retirement or semi retirement years here in this country that I have fallen in love with. And obviously I will always be an American in France. There's just no getting around that. But I have learned to adapt to the culture, adapt to the traditions, adapt to all the things that I love. And reasons for being here. You know, the wine, the food, the cheese, the bread, the architecture, the history. And in the south...the weather... I mean the weather's gorgeous, the Mediterranean Sea. So I highly encourage you on your journey if you need me for anything at all. And again, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for taking this course. And I hope you've enjoyed it. I certainly have had a good time. You've given me a break from my traditional content creation, along those business lines of real estate, finance and all the things that I've worked 40 years in those fields to accomplish and have now reached the point where I can share. And I can, you know, you can live your life in lockstep with me, for as often as you like, you know, for as long as I live...you can contact me and certainly if you're putting together an itinerary for your solo travel, I'd be delighted to help you. Complimentary. It's just what I do. It's what I love, its what I do. And I look forward to meeting you perhaps one day soon. So much success on your solo travel journey and "Bienvenue" (Welcome) Welcome to France.