who do you travel with?
Travel companions make or break a trip.
The people you are with affect every decision, meal choice, activity, walk/drive, music played, conversations, and general energy of the trip.
This past fall, my little sister was traveling through Europe for work. She invited me, our older sister, our mom, and our sister-in-law to come meet her. Miraculously, we all were able to get to Paris for five nights together. We made so many good memories; we laughed until we cried, walked forever each day, ate good food, and talked more than we ever have the opportunity during our day-to-day lives.
I’m very close with my sisters, and we’ve been lucky enough to travel together a few times over the years. Before Paris, I’d even traveled internationally with my mom to both Japan and Italy. I knew what to expect with them – our Paris trip would be laid back, food (and wine) focused, with a fair dose of site seeing and a little shopping.
Until going to Paris, I didn’t know how our sister-in-law would be while traveling internationally. She was the wild card. If I’m totally honest, prior to the trip I didn’t know her all that well on a personal level. Sure, I’d known her for years through countless dinners and family parties, but international travel, that’s a whole new level of relationship.
Well, maybe it was because we were in the city of love, but I fell in love with her on that trip. I still remember the point at which it hit me, “oh, this is why Peter (my brother) loves her.”
Before the trip, we’d booked a few things in advance… a couple meals, tickets to the Louvre, and a private tour boat on the Seine.
We decided that the boat tour should be on our first day. We read that the boat driver gives great information about the city. I knew Paris well and that we’d be able to see a lot of the highlights and get the general layout from a boat ride. Getting to the boat the first morning was a little hectic thanks to both jet lag and the five of us sharing one bathroom. Needless to say, we ran a little late to the boat pick up and ended up power walking through a not-so-pretty area along the Seine to meet our boat driver.
Fast forward, the boat ride was incredible (a must if you visit Paris). We laughed so much, the views were insane, the driver was funny, knowledgable and knew just the right amount of information to provide.
Afterward, Becca and I were debriefing. She and I were burnt out on sightseeing so we posted up at a bougie bar. She had her fancy mocktail while I enjoyed an afternoon espresso martini. Apparently, she’d been super anxious when she saw the boat. (I think the hustle getting there didn’t help). She said she’d seen the boat and said to herself, “OH H#$% NO!” and almost didn’t get on, but she just smiled and acted chill. For some reason this made me cry with laughter. I had no idea what she’d been feeling, and the way she recounted it was hilarious. I mean, she wasn’t wrong:
Becca orders well at restaurants, she’s always smiling and giggling, she is down to do anything/go anywhere, and she is authentic. When the Louvre felt crowded and we’d completed the Beyonce tour she just sat on the floor laughing with me.
Becca is going to have a baby in a few weeks – our entire family is through the roof about it. I’m thankful we had Paris to bring us closer.
It goes without saying that Paris is an incredible city. I studied in Paris for a few months in college and I’ve been lucky to go back a few times since, once with friends, once when my son was a newborn, and then with my mom and sisters. Here are some pics from over the years:
Where to stay: The 6th arrondissement is my top choice, the Latin Quarter second. The lower the arrondissement, the closer to the city center.
3-bedroom Airbnb - Perfect for a family or group of close friends, great hood
Boutique hotel - Comfy, in great neighborhood
Saint James Paris - Fancy, newly renovated chateau
Where to eat: Overwhelming to decide in a city like Paris. Many travel sites and sources for info… I say choose a few in advance maybe making a couple reservations. Use google maps to search places near your location and save the options that look good. Our general rule: never eat anywhere that’s below 4.5 on google.
Where to Drink:
What to do:
Luxembourg Gardens Sit with coffee or wine - and ideally a baguette and cheese. Nice spot for jogging too.
And of course all the major sites: Notre Dame, Sacre Coure, Eiffle Tower, Louvre, Musee D’Orsay
Shop:
Outside Paris:
Versailles - Easy day trip from Paris. Worth the effort if you have 4+ days in Paris.
Loire Valley - We stayed in Amboise, the most picturesque small french town I’ve seen. An easy train ride from Paris, we did both Versaille and Amboise with a newborn. Sancerre wine comes from this region. A nice option if you want to tack on a small countryside town to a Paris trip.
Biarritz - Beach and surf town on Southwest Coast. A fun option to add some beach to a Paris trip. We took a train to Biarritz and stayed a few nights. While there, we rented a car to drive into San Sabastian for a day.
