Finally, France!
I finally get the chance to live out my dreams in Paris! Find out how I prepare for a vacation in a place I'm very unfamiliar with!
I finally get the chance to live out my dreams in Paris! Find out how I prepare for a vacation in a place I'm very unfamiliar with!
France has been the longest standing destination on my bucket list, and well, the time has finally come to cross it off! That's right, I'm heading to Paris this coming May! I am so excited to have this opportunity coming up that I can't even put it in words (but I'll try)!
I'm very lucky that my fiancé, Joe, gets to travel a lot for work because it gives me an opportunity tag along! If you didn't already know, his work is also the reason I got to visit Japan! We sorta messed up on that one though, since we didn't add any time before or after his work trip, but instead I went for the exact amount of days he needed to be there for. This worked out well for me since I didn't need to pay for extra hotel nights, but unfortunately he was soooo busy with work that he didn't get to experience really any of Japan! So this time, we are doing it the right way.
We will be traveling to Paris a week before he actually needs to be there so we can experience the city together! So the whole point of this blog is to see how I prepare for trips/places I am very unfamiliar with. When it comes to Paris though, I have spent many years (on and off) studying French - so I feel a bit (ok, a lot) more prepared already as I leap into this trip than I did for Japan.
I started studying French way back in sixth grade. I was always very into it though and wanted to become fluent - it wasn't one of those classes that was just required for me that I tried to pass and then move on. I've always had a deep passion and draw to the French culture & language, so I am beyond excited to put those skills to use!
So for starters, I need to brush up on my French! One of my favorite (free) apps to use is called Duolingo. It's a pretty common app that you probably have heard of before, but I think this is a great one for intermediate levels to practice with. It's extra nice too since it's on your phone and you can practice just about anywhere. If you are brand new to French (or any language), I would recommend using this app in conjunction with another learning source like a textbook or class. The app itself will teach you the full language, but it is an excellent tool for practicing & keeping you on your toes!
I also think that when learning any language, it is so so so important to actually listen to the language. It may sound like gibberish at first, but surrounding yourself with a language helps it stick with your brain when you may not even realize it. For instance, I can listen to podcasts in French and not understand a lot of it, but when I practice writing/creating sentences (on Duolingo!) I can recognize if the order of words I'm writing isn't necessarily grammatically correct, if that makes sense. You get a feel for how French flows & sounds when being immersed in it. And an obvious advantage to listening is that you also will hear the correct pronunciation of words, which will help when you go to speak it.
I'm going to just go ahead and give a general shoutout to podcasts here for a second while I can - I cannot believe it took me until 2020 to start listening to them, but they are such an amazing thing that I now can't imagine living without. Not only with language learning, but so many others as well. That's a whole different topic I could go on and on about. But there are podcasts for everything - crime stories, life lessons, health related topics... you name it.
Anyway, there's a really good French podcast I came across that's called CoffeeBreak French. They actually have CoffeeBreak for many languages (Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish...) which I highly recommend if you want to learn a language. They break up the podcast into 3 parts: Text, Questions, and Facts. The text is my favorite part - it's basically a French speaker giving a dialog (at regular French speaking pace) where I try to understand as many keywords as I can. Then, they break it down and go through each part of it, explaining what it means, common phrases, etc. This is extremely helpful! The question part is a question from the audience that was submitted that can be on just about anything - more fun facts! Then the actual fact part at the end will tell you something about French culture or language.
As for the actual preparing to travel to a new city part - that always begins with Google Maps. I need to visualize what the city looks like and what I'm in for. I use this to get an overview and see in my head where are all the "big stops" are that I want to visit. So for France, I'm looking at the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomphe, the Louvre, and of course Disneyland Paris! I even like to put them in as destinations on Google Maps to see how far apart they are and how it would be best for me to travel from location to location. You then get a feel for what their transportation systems are like, what routes they take, and also what locations may be walkable. This leads me into the next part, which is choosing a hotel/place to stay.
I often will open TripAdvisor or Expedia next to see what hotels are even available on my dates and what their prices look like. I can see them on the map, read reviews, and then also research if it's in a safe area. I completely rely on reviews (and always make sure to leave reviews on places I've stayed), as they are the most truthful and insightful way to gain knowledge on a hotel, restaurant, or experience.
My next favorite part of Google Maps is where I can put the little guy on the roads in street view and see exactly what to expect! I will literally start the guy at my hotel (once I've chosen one) and walk step by step down the streets of Paris (or wherever) to the location (say, Eiffel Tower) so when I arrive in Paris, I know my surrounding and can navigate around pretty well! This worked out so well in Japan. I got off the plane and didn't even need to open up my phone because I had "practiced" walking it so many times!
Reading people's reviews and tips on places like TripAdvisor or Expedia are so important and can give you really good things to look for (or ask for) at the hotel. If you chose to do something like an Airbnb, the same thing applies. People will mention what rooms have good views, are less noisy, etc.
My next resource is YouTube. I will watch vloggers (or just people who filmed their trip), highlight videos, etc. to get an even better look at a destination. For example, when I went to Tokyo Disneyland I watched many videos of people vacationing there, and I got to see all the cool snacks they found and where to get them, the rides, general wait times, and transportation to and from the park. These are very insightful pieces of information that you may not be able to find my just going to the Disney website.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I also use Instagram (and sometimes Snapchat) for information, too. I like that to watch peoples "stories" from the last 24 hours at a location. That way, I can see what is literally going on there right now. This is good to see if there may be construction going on, or maybe an event that is only happening for that week or weekend, etc.
As you can see, there are so many resources to use when going somewhere new. When I know I'm going somewhere (like Paris!) I spend most of my free time doing all of the above - I just can't get enough! On top of it, it gets me so excited for my upcoming trip, I just want to be there already! I have just about 100 days left until I depart for Paris, and I cannot wait to try and see everything that's in store for me!
Bon voyage!