Flying to France
 

I'm located in the States, Atlanta to be precise. In less than a year, I'll be flying with my friends for a week's stay in Normandy. I've never flown internationally and though I realize I sound a tad compulsive with trying to attain knowledge well in advance, does anyone have any tips on booking travel (preferably Delta) and arriving at CDG in Paris? I'll be catching the TVG to Normandy, so any tips with rail travel would be helpful too!

I've already laid the law down about luggage. We each will be carrying only one bag. Are there stricter TSA rules for international flights than there are for domestic? We're going buy the bulk of our toiletries in France (is this a good idea or should we do a checked bag?)...

I'm sure I'll be posting more questions as the trip gets closer. :)

Thank you in advance!

The TSA doesn't really care where you are going. The search of your stuff is seperate from the check of your ticket at least going TO Europe.

As for tolietires, I just take the 3 oz stuff in the baggie and do fine. You can make it in a week, no problem!

For airfare, I would sign up for the farewatchers now so you can see the trending. Delta will be high now and probably drop closer to the trip. If you watch the fare watchers you might be able to see what I mean. I think Kayak lets you put in the exact dates if you know them.

On your return, I find the French version of the TSA to have different rules. (They won't let me bring on a corkscrew for example) However, since I often "buy" liquids I just check going home.

When you purchase your train ticket in France, be sure to stamp it before getting on the train. I always forget.

Is there a TGV line to Normandy?

Regardless, you are doing well to inform yourself in advance. I'd suggest, though, that at this point you concentrate on the bigger picture (places you want to visit, logistics of getting between places, etc) rather than whether or not to bring toothpaste.

(Though, in general, the toiletry products you'll find in France are superior to those in the U.S.)

To check rail schedules and prices, go to the French rail website, http://www.voyages-sncf.com/. You'll be able to figure out train schedules and prices from there.

"(Though, in general, the toiletry products you'll find in France are superior to those in the U.S.)"

That's why I always have "liquids" on the return. But I do go with what I need. I don't want to have deal with "stuff" and "jetlag" :)

Generally, the baggage allowance on the international flights I have taken has been higher than on the domestic flights, especially the domestic flights in Europe. However, we are in a period now when there are a lot of changes in how much baggage you can take, and whether you have to pay for it, so who knows what it will be in a year. My wife and I check three bags and carry small carryons, since everyone else in the world is apparently trying to take everything they own in a carry on, or two, or three, and the bins are almost always overloaded now. But we have status as frequent flyers, so we get a higher baggage allowance than people who have not achieved status (I wish I knew a way to describe it that sounds less snobbish, but I don't).

While anything can change, generally air fares are lower in less popular seasons, so I think you would find a lower fare in April, for example, than in June. Also, while there are often sales, generally fares are high if you are shopping more than two months prior to the flight date, then they drop a little, but then go up even higher a month before the flight date, so buying a ticket ten or twelve months early generally is more expensive than holding off. When a sale pops up, the tickets disappear almost immediately, so you have to be ready to buy right away. I would meet with your friends and decide what a real good price would be, then have someone monitor the fares and be prepared to buy for all of you if that price shows up. If it hasn't shown up by two months before the trip, buy at current prices. Good luck on finding a sale. My suggestion that one of you buy all the tickets is so that you can get enough seats, which are often limited in number on sales, on the same plane, assuming that is important to you. (There's really no reason, other than convenience, that you couldn't go on two planes and meet up at the airport.

On our first trip to Paris, we took the train from the airport into the city, then walked to another station and bought train tickets to Caen. It was a long day, but it wasn't hard getting to Normandy. The TGV is a high speed train with limited routes; I think it doesn't go to Caen or Bayeux (I don't know about other places in Normandy), but there are plenty of regular trains that do.

http://www.seat61.com/
is a site run by a man with a deep interest in train travel. Read his section on France for all the information you could want, and more.

@CarolA

Thanks for the tidbit about getting by on the 3oz supplies. I needed a woman's perspective on that! :)

I started last evening looking at airfare after deciding I wanted to spend a week in France. I never knew how many different sites were out there... amazing. I was very overwhelmed, but Kayak did jump out at me as did IGoUGo.

And thanks for the advice on checking. I will definitely be bringing liquids back home with me. :)

@wally34949

Thanks for the advice! I will make myself a note on that tidbit!!! :)

@rizzuto

I thought there was a TGV (totally had that reversed in my initial posting, oops!) from Paris to Normandy. I was told to take RER Line B for a 30-minute ride to Paris Nord train station. From there, switch to a Line E train for a 5-minute hop to Gare Saint Lazare? Is that a slower train? I'm sorry for sounding vapid, but unless it's a subway system, I have no idea how rail travel works...

I have started to draft a list of places I want to visit. I do know that my friends have many suggestions, but I also know realistically that we will not be able to see everything in our short visit... we're only there for a week. :(

And the toiletries question was silly, but I'm very anal, so I think of small things ALL the time. I make lists of lists that need to be made!

I already bookmarked the SNCF; thanks for suggesting it though! :)

@clevelandbrown

Please do not fret! You did not sound snobbish in the least. :)

Unfortunately, I doubt I would qualify for the higher allowance. So far, everyone has been okay with my initial idea of carrying one carry-on and checking only one LARGE baggage between the four of us. My nickname is the Drill Instructor; nine times out of ten, no one goes against me. lol

I wish I could be more lenient with my trip's dates, but I'm going on my Spring Break from school; as it is, I've been lax while trying to find deals... I'm fairly certain that my professors would understand one or two missed days, but not four or five.

You must have read my mind in regards to one person purchasing the tickets. That would fall on me. One of my friends is a tad forgetful and I just know he would forget the dates. :)

-Side topic: I've noticed that ticket sales (even this far in advance) tended to be less on Tuesdays and Wednesdays... is that the norm for international travel?

If my French is not too rusty, I believe it does go to Caen after looking at a site for the TGV. It says (I think! lol) the total trip time is an hour and forty-five minutes. Here's hoping!

Thank you so much for the website you included! I truly appreciate the information.

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your suggestions and helpful hints! I'm truly appreciative!

If you're going to check one bag does it really make any difference if you each check one? The wait at baggage claim will be the same. If the 4 of you plan to rent a car then space for luggage is important. If you're traveling by train, then there's plenty of space. You could just follow the rule you schlep what you bring. One checked bag and one smaller carryon each isn't unreasonable.