ameyer410

Hi all,

Finally booked my flight and starting my world travels ($600 roundtrip from NYC!). I am a young female traveler and will be solo, flying to Paris for 8 nights in late September. I am all about doing my research and love to plan, but I don't even know where to start - I definitely need some help getting started. Here are some things to keep in mind, I'd love advice:

1. I don't speak French. I am excited to learn a little bit, but I'm not confident I'm going to have a great grasp on anything before I go. Any resources or ideas on this are appreciated. I've heard it's not that important (not in the disrespectful sense, I just hear that it's definitely 'doable'). I am a smart girl though, and I tend to be intuitive and wouldn't travel alone if I wasn't confident I won't have many problems.

2. I fly into Paris, am there 8 nights, alone. Very excited about being alone and can definitely entertain myself, however, I am super social as well. I look forward to meeting as many people as possible, whether locals or tourist. I of course would rather err on the side of caution though. Curious how careful I should be when it comes to meeting and hanging out with men, if I should avoid it at all.

3. I am on a budget - not college kid, but I would like to be thrifty. I have no idea where to stay, I'm thinking I'll likely do Airbnb or something similar (staying with a friendly local in a room sounds ideal). I don't need any luxuries at all as far as where I sleep, just a comfortable and safe place, I don't plan to be in the room except for sleeping. I will take location over everything else, I'd rather be able to do things at night, walk around, and be safe. Also I love to walk - I have no problem putting in 10+ miles a day.

4. My focus will be wine/food/nature. Want to hit the museums but not a huge museum junkie, I get bored easily (sorry). I do LOVE to be outdoors, I love the nightlife, and I love to be around the water. I plan on being a walking freakin' cliche - hanging by the Eiffel Tower, river, eating pain au chocolat, drinking tons of red wine, enjoying the sights and sounds.

5. I'd love to do an overnight trip since I'm there 8 nights - feel like I shouldn't spend every night in Paris. I love the idea of Burgundy and wine country. I've heard to take trains to Beaune or Dijon? I don't want to rent any car while I'm there - so how should I go about making an overnight wine trip to this region? Again, I don't know anything or where to start - I'd love to know where to stay, if I should do a tour, if I can get everywhere by trains, etc. Tours sound like they may be an expensive option.

6. Also can't decide if I should go to Lyon or Versailles, heard both.

7. I'd love to be out at night, not late partying, but lots of wine and conversation. What's the best and safest way to go about this in Paris?

Hopefully I'm giving enough information. I'll take any advice I can - I think my next step is to figure out an itinerary for the whole trip, and then book places to stay. Next will be how to get around.

ANY help is super appreciated. I don't even know where to start, I'm so overwhelmed. But I'm incredibly excited. Apologies for the incredibly lengthy post.

PalenQ

3- airbb will still be a lonely stay perhaps - you should stay IMO in one of Paris' zillions of youth hostels and youth hotels - go to your library or online at Amazon and get a copy of Let's Go France - critiques by college kids of doZens and dozens of places where you can be in a clean safe environment and meet many folks your age - check out any hostel with reviews online - some may be dumps but many are really neat.

http://translate.google.com/translat...ml&prev=search - this is one reputable site for booking young folks hostels or youth hotels.

http://www.hostels.com/paris/france - this is a really main booking site zillions use for hostels all over the world.

Really stay in a hostel or be lonely - hostels you meet others to do things with - go out at night or just use the hostels' own pubs and meeting rooms. When I was your age and never had been to Europe before I got a hotel the first two days and was feeling along and changed to a hostel where I met lots of nice folk my age from all over the world.

Hostels in recent years have become much more client oriented - many have private rooms too.

wintersp

Kudos to you - willing go alone!!!! (PalenQ has good advice).

Check out Lonely Planet online also. Particularly their Thorn Tree Forums.

ameyer410

Thank you! One last thing - I'm not college aged, I'm close to 30 - I feel like hostels may be a bit young? Thoughts?

greg

It is actually quite difficult to use French in Paris. As quickly as the locals grasp your level of French, they would switch to English.

However, you must say <b>Bonjour / Bonsoir</b> when you enter a small shop or when you initiate a conversation. Not saying this would be consider very rude from their point view and you might be treated as such during your visit.

roefn

My daughter who is 29 stayed at a hostel recently and she loved it. However, she did not mind noise late at night which can happen. As of planning goes I suggest getting a copy of Rick Steves' book for Paris or going to his website; I am using his advice for my upcoming trip as well as "visitacity.com".

nytraveler

As long as you know the greetings and polite phrases in French you can get by. After that I would learn days of the week, number, directions and how to read a menu (get a menu reader that describes the dish not just translates it). You should be able to learn that much French from records in a week or so. Andy more you want to learn is fine - but people in the tourist industry will understand basic English.

More important are the rules of politeness. Always greet the staff when entering and departing a shop. Never touch the goods )or food in a street market) - ask to have them shown to you instead. And it is considered polite to use Madame for a woman over 30 - not Mlle.

As for where to stay I always stay in a full service hotel (often do some days alone before or after a business trip) and have always encountered interesting people - from many different countries - with whom to explore for the day or have dinner or a drink. But you must make sure the hotel has a bar, a pleasant lounge and a nice breakfast room.

tom_mn

Close to 30 is not too old for a hostel, which I think is the better choice for a young, social person. Some hotels have private rooms.

tom_mn

Some hostels have private rooms.

jent103

I went to Paris for about ten days in 2012; my brother was there working, so we would be together in the evenings, but during the days I was on my own. I did not know French, but do have a Spanish minor (so I could read a lot), and tried to learn as much as I could before I got there. However, my experience (and this is only my experience) was that if I tried to speak French out of respect/politeness, people would often answer me in French, but then of course I couldn't understand what they were saying and no one was happy. This wasn't universally true, but it was often true. So I would stick with polite phrases and customs as noted above, and make sure to include "I'm sorry, I don't speak French" in your research.

Hostels vary widely in terms of clientele and atmosphere. The right one could be a great fit for you. Try looking at the Thorntree forum or review sites (hostelworld.com used to be a good one, though it's been awhile since I've used it) to get an idea of what each one is like.

I took a few walking tours while I was there with Paris Walks - a great way to learn about different areas of the city, and possibly meet people as well. My brother and I also took a tour via Fat Tire Bikes to Normandy; it was a very very long day trip from Paris, but we were stuck due to his work schedule, and the tour itself was really fantastic. I'd recommend it if you want to get out of the city but want someone else to do the legwork for you. Otherwise there are lots of places to go via train; I went to Versailles and Chartres while I was there, but there are plenty of other options.

PalenQ

Thank you! One last thing - I'm not college aged, I'm close to 30 - I feel like hostels may be a bit young? Thoughts?>

I stayed in hostels galore in the my 30s and there is a wide range of ages from under 40 - and some youth hotels cater to an older group - feel comy that you'll fit right in.