Europe: Take Two! I left the country again, and before I departed, my planning instincts kicked in on full power. The last time I left, I managed to pack for exactly what I would need while in Italy and for this trip, I wanted to make sure I stayed along the same lines so as to efficiently have everything for this next excursion. I took the old list from below and revamped it a bit to include things I did not have last time. Check out the document below to get an idea for what I brought.
What's cool about this handy dandy packing checklist above is that you can double click any space under the "done" section and it will put a cute little check-mark! I have also used Sygic again, creating the ultimate daily plan if we decided to use it. With the help of Sygic, which was a GREAT asset to me on my last vacation, I was able to plan every move and tour to the T. In hindsight, the first trip was a lot different and required my friend and I chart every step, but this trip, we got off schedule more than a couple of times, but it was still great to have a guide that we could attempt to stick by. We also utilized GetYourGuide again which had awesome savings and tours that we made great use of. So take the Sygic planner tool with a grain of salt and know that we didn't follow it exactly, but it really came in handy! What I ChangedTravel InsuranceFor this trip I ended up buying A LOT of clothes beforehand so I could look my best. In doing this, I was TERRIFIED I would lose my luggage or something horrible like that, so I ensured that I had at least a little bit of protection by purchasing a more inclusive travel insurance plan. I went over to Insure My Trip, and purchased a plan under Berkshire Hathaway for $50, which includes things such as baggage delay reimbursements, delayed flight reimbursements, and cancellation reimbursements. It also comes with the basics like medical and dental, which is great for a scaredy-cat like me. If you are interested in travel insurance, just know that it is NOT a must, I would just prefer to have it as opposed to not having it and being in a pickle. This plan worked well for my needs and if you chat with someone on the website, be sure to tell them EXACTLY what you want and they should be able to find a plan that accommodates to your preferences. I was a bit nervous about doing this, but I feel that $50 is not much to gamble when it comes to my comfort and safety. I made sure to add this to my travel list so that I could have a copy of all insurance documents while abroad. I also made sure to add to my checklist a copy of my contact information which should be in the luggage so that if the tag gets lost, there will be another way for someone to contact me about returning it. All of those new clothes going to waste...? I don't think so. Offline ContentI absolutely MUST listen to something while flying as it keeps my nerves at bay. Because of my nerves, I have made sure to download my offline Spotify playlists (if you don't have Spotify, it's an awesome service where one can listen to nearly ANYTHING they want for a monthly price). The beauty of making your playlist available offline is that you can listen to your content anywhere! Make sure to download your playlists this while on WIFI with a bit of time to spare if you have a lot of content. When back in an area where you don't need your content offline (like being back in the states), make sure to take your content back online, as having content OFFLINE takes up a lot of phone storage space. ALSO, little side note about offline content. Netflix now allows users to download their shows! KindleMy Kindle... Light of my life, fire of my loins (Lolita reference anyone?). I am OBSESSED with my Kindle Paperwhite, when I tell people it is one of the best investments I have ever made, I MEAN IT. I bought my baby last year around fall from a gentleman on Offerup, he said he didn't like reading and was willing to part with this iconic device for $50...HIS LOSS! I have used this Kindle almost every day since getting it, and I can take it anywhere, I even have some pockets in skirts and jackets that my Kindle fits nicely into. I should make money from them because of how much I hype this product. I can get nearly any book I want on this and what makes it even better?: almost EVERY library in the states has an online e-book catalog where you can "check out" a Kindle compatible e-book for free. How cool is that? What is also cool about the Kindle Paperwhite is that it is fantastic for people who suffer from screen-induced eye strain due to those pesky phone or laptop backlights. The Paperwhite has a special ink that makes the screen look like words on a paper. I panicked when I first got it because I thought it was broken, especially since turning the page gave a little bit of lag, but all that is the charm of the device. This feature is actually soothing to your eyes to use it! Calming DownSo, as you know from my previous posts, I am TERRIFIED of flying. On the last trip, my friend and travel partner told me I might need help for our next getaway and I agreed. So this time, I went to see my doctor. She immediately scratched me off a prescription for Ativan which I have never tried but wholeheartedly agreed might be the best for me based off of a little online research. I have also added calming teas to my list. I planned on bringing some chamomile or lavender teas so that I could ask the flight attendant for hot water to pour over. The plan was for the combination of tea and Ativan to put me right to sleep for my seven hour flight. I also HATE being cold on the plane, it contributes to me being a bit anxious, so I brought a cozy pair of socks to make sure my feet were warm, because for me warm feet=warm woman. Mini Essentials KitHoney, you've never seen anything cuter...this Minimergencies kit is the size of my palm and contains ALL of the things I stress about on a daily basis, in fact, I had an emergency the other day where I had to break this kit out! I thought about how I could make one on my own if I wanted, but this bag is too darn cute, I couldn't pass it up! Compressed Face MaskAHHH! I love this idea so much, I first saw this online and it HIT me, if my face breaks out because of OTHER brands masks...why can't I just make my own? I hate having micro-breakouts when on vacation because it makes me feel self conscious about myself and it takes my mood down. These masks can be plopped in anything homemade or safe to use by your standards and stored in a plastic baggie for the plane! They're only $2.90 at Forever 21, click for the link to it! For extra fun, rub on an eye cream and put a chilled mask dipped in green tea for a fresh face while traveling or just at home! All in all, I wanted to make sure that on this trip, I pamper myself a bit as I have been working my tail off since the last trip and felt I deserved a little bit more!
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So, like the Chainsmokers song, I went to Paris...to get away from my parents? Maybe, maybe not, but I had a blast regardless because of the company I kept. My best friend and I (same friend from my Rome trip), headed over to New York, yet again, on one of those fabulous Groupon deals that took us on a two country tour starting in Paris. Overall, the two country trip cost us $1,299.00 from Groupon with other add-ons I will outline separately. The vendor that Groupon used for this deal was different than last time (Gate1 Travel) and they were pretty decent. Go-Today really helped us navigate our trip, making it very easy to create our bookings over the phone and prepare for our departure. We were a bit nervous as this was a different booking agency, but for the most part they worked the same. You buy the voucher, redeem it by calling the agency, give them the dates you want, and they take care of the rest! Leading up to our June 18th departure, we had little to worry about (aside from my friend losing her passport and having to reorder a new one, d'oh!), and Go-Today made sure that everything was ready and seamless so we wouldn't have to worry! What was the most exciting to us was the realization that we would be on a two level plane going to Paris through Air France! This was exciting to us because not many people we know have been on one of these and from what we researched online the top level is signifigantly more quiet than the bottom level...and we were about that life. We made sure to choose seats that were at the BACK of the top level near the restrooms and flight attendants which was great because we had everything we needed within arms reach! In fact, it was so convenient that we made friends with the flight attendants and got so many extra drinks and freebies, we were drinking most of the flight and stuffed to the brim with goodies. Note: It was very helpful being smashed the whole plane ride because I forgot I was scared, but I landed feeling a bit queasy and quite hungover in Paris...so that was a negative...BUT, I think I may have cured my fear of flying, I didn't even have to use medication! What they say about the top deck of the double decker planes is true, it really is more quiet and peaceful with limited rows so that you don't have to go far to use the restrooms and don't have to share your space with many people, it feels pretty elite! You even go through a separate entrance! Not only was the top level cool, but we also got to share a flight with Nas! Yes, you heard me, Nas, the Rapper, was just a few rows in front of us according to our new flight attendant pals. Now, we could have gotten excited, crept to take a pic of the sleeping rapper after I asked my friend to discreetly check and see if it was really him, but we decided against a pic because that would be a huge invasion of someone's privacy. Anyway, after landing in Paris, the magic of that amazing flight was over and reality set in...we were now in the city of lights and we had tons of things to do!
So, be me, with the time being 5:30am back home, a woman who is slowly creeping towards becoming a creature that has been awake for almost 24 hours and had been drinking for 7 of those hours...welcome to Paris. My friend and I debarked feeling like garbage, but we had a city to explore so we put our big girl panties on, waited in a fairly long customs line and went out to call an Uber out front of Charles De Gaulle airport. Upon reaching the pickup area, we found a couple of taxis that were willing to take us to our hotel...if we could withstand their curt and rude attitudes. The older man who we had the pleasure of flagging down immediately quoted us over 50 euros to take us to the city center at which we promptly scoffed and made our way back to the curb to call an Uber with my sketchy Sprint cell service (just a word of advice...just because Sprint SAYS they have unlimited data overseas, that doesn't mean it will work well or consistently. You would be better off with a burner phone). We were able to find a driver who picked us and a couple up (Uber Pool) for almost 40 euros which was the better deal, but we were cramped in the backseat of our drivers small car when we could have been in a taxi on our own. The day in Paris started out a bit drizzly which was disheartening, but it cleared up substantially by the time we arrived at our hotel, the Pavillion Villiers Etoile, which was in a suburb of sorts, so not really in the city center but still in an area that is close enough. It definitely wasn't on the same level as the hotel in Rome in terms of amenities but still a great place to get some sleep at the end of the day (or dawn, for us). The hotel used an ancient key attached to what felt like a brick that we had to drop off at the front desk every time we left the building and the air conditioning was either broken or never worked at all...but we did have a gorgeous wall of windows that looked out at a building across the street, still let in a nice breeze so that was great. We figured this is really just a place for resting and dressing so it was more than fine for that purpose. Our first order of business being in the city was to get something to eat, so we got dressed in our cutest outfits and hit the streets in search of stinky cheese...and maybe some fries (Freedom fries, French Fries, or chips? TBD). We settled on a place not far from the hotel, a little spot called Le P'tit Canon, the most pretentious spot for French cuisine we will encounter on our whole trip. Upon entering the establishment, I committed my first faux-pas...not immediately speaking French to the staff. I kindly asked the man behind the counter if seating was available and he honked "WHAT?!!?!" at me in French. Thinking he was unable to hear me, I repeated myself as he continued to honk at me with a patron snickering nearby. Finally, he had enough of torturing me and said to take a seat and that my first mistake was not speaking French... I should have turned on my sneaker and left for a pizza joint...but that wouldn't be very brave of me, would it? So my friend and I took a seat next to some locals who couldn't stop staring at us, the overdone up Americans as we waited to be brought over a massive chalkboard with the menu on it. To our surprise, nothing on the menu looked edible aside from the cheese plate, especially with our jetlagged and upset stomachs, so we just went with that and a plate of fries. To this, our server looked annoyed and suspicious of us, finally asking if we would like wine. We declined, as we had already drank too much on the plane, which we explained. The very eccentric server (who looked remarkably like Bradley Cooper) proceeded to yank his menu board up, hitting a chair nearby and storming off muttering about how "wine is supposed to be ordered with cheese!!" France was not going so well...but the cheese tray was decent! Note: So the water here isn't the best, both my friend and I consumed tap water the first time we ate at a restaruant (as it is cheaper) and found later on that our stomachs were NOT happy at all with it. The water won't kill you, but definitely leave you feeling a bit green around the gills...and this lasted our entire time in France... We were NOT going to let Great Value Bradley Cooper ruin our day so after paying for our carbs, we went on our way to the Musee d'Orsay. Let's Talk About Uber...So, you want to take an Uber in Paris. Well, get ready to pay more for a ten minute ride than you have ever paid before. The prices in Paris surge frequently, and quite honestly, I'm pretty sure they make it up on the fly. These "surge" prices can make a 10 minute ride that should be maybe twelve euros AT MOST, a forty euro ride...you really are better off taking a taxi. My friend and I however, love to suffer, so we continued to pay outrageous prices for these on-call Ubers with my crappy Sprint service because of convenience alone, plus we had money to spend so why not. End rant! Anyways, so we took an Uber to the museum with our printed off tickets in hand from Get Your Guide, and exited, ready for our first Parisian intro to art...only to find out that it was closed due to strikes... Now, I knew this might be a possibility due to the massive strikes that have been happening since the beginning of the year, but COME ON! Our FIRST place?? Disappointed, but understanding of the fact that people should fight for what they deserve, we meandered over to the waterfront nearby thinking we would see this long river, the symbol of Paris, the mighty Seine!! But it was just that...a river, with people chilling nearby, making street art, or just walking. I can see how it might seem romantic, but after the first disappointment, it was just water. So, we moved on to our next stop: The Eiffel Tower. |
Paris 2018A trip to Paris in June of 2018 ArchivesCategories |