Pens Down (T-7)
This trip felt so far off… until it didn’t. Staring down at 7 days from takeoff, there’s not much more I can do to prepare.
Or is there? One thing I’ve learned planning a 70-day, multi-stop trip is that how I approach trip planning reflects my raw psyche - amplified. My worst-case scenario, perfectionistic, must-think-of-everything-ahead-of-time psyche. Even 7-year-old me had a hard time with the concept of pens down. Proof in the photo below.
Me, in 2nd grade, hanging on to that pen as if life depended on it. No wonder pens down is hard.
There’s a part of me that, for as much as I’ve researched, can’t help feeling I’m overlooking something big. Something everyone else knows but me (someday I’ll write about the Barcelona fiasco and you’ll understand). And a part of me that, for as much as I’ve planned, can’t help fearing that I didn’t plan enough. Of all the worst-case scenarios, I’m sure there’s a few I haven’t conceived of yet.
But really, my to-do list is in the low teens and hasn’t grown in a few days. Packing list is done, itineraries and documents are copied in multiple locations, the travel app has the latest and greatest, and it even looks like I’ll achieve my goal of only a carry-on and under-seat backpack (minus a little cheat of having Steve bring a fall duffel in late September during his “guest” week). That translates to pretty ready even for me.
And now, pens down. I mean it.
I was originally going to wait another year, but when Sophia said she was interested in coming with me during her gap year, I made it my mission to make it happen. After all, I was already starting late from a planning perspective, so from March to August, this became THE project (so sorry Doughlene, my now defunct sourdough starter).
I can’t begin to count the hours I’ve spent researching areas, cities, villages, sites, routes, and accommodations, then circling back and fine-tuning rough plans when I found a gem, or when a seemingly amazing gem revealed itself too touristy or too big or too hard to get to. Thank goodness for cancellation policies because I won’t lie – I adjusted many plans along the way until every choice seemed just right to me -- when there was no longer (too much) doubt or hesitation, and I could look at the itinerary and feel excited.
For posterity, here’s how it all went down.
The approach
Google was my friend. I did a ton of research on general areas and villages in France and picked the general ones I wanted to explore.
Found local accommodations that weren’t too touristy or ritzy – AirBNBs, boutique hotels, B&Bs.
For each area, I kept a list of nearby towns, attractions, and activities. That list is coming with me as a list of possibility, not a to-do to cross out.
I organized a tour or two with local guides in some areas for special activities and also to give me a break from having to drive, figure out routes, and parallel-park with people cussing at me in a foreign language. The anxiety is real.
Most days, other than travel days, are open. If we feel like exploring, we’ll go down the list and see what strikes our fancy and generally aligns with the weather forecast. Or go to the beach, the countryside, a park, or just relax at a café. To write, to read, to people watch, to take things in, to slow down. To immerse.
Have credit card, will pivot. For as thorough as I’ve been in the planning, I can and do let go. When things don’t go as planned, we’ll make it part of the adventure. A phone, a credit card, and google translate should take care of most things.
The route
While I originally looked into trains with local car rentals where needed, it was going to be a little more of a hassle with missed opportunities of going through interesting routes. I found that as a non-EU citizen staying in-continent longer than 21 days, I could lease a brand new car with full insurance and return it at the end of my stay for less than a rental. You had me at brand new, so ok. Deal. Except for a couple train trips before we pick up the car lease and after we drop it off (not driving in Paris, no siree), we will be road warriors. This is where we’re going:
The Brittany coast, including Gaugin’s Pont Aven, the beautiful medieval village of Dinan, the reconstructed port of St. Malo, the haunting Mont St. Michel, and the majestic coastline. Looking at you GR34 coastline trail!
Sancerre in the Loire Valley. Sophia and I will do a 2-week language immersion while exploring the area. Will it be bike rides along the Loire, balloon rides over impressive castles, walks along vineyards? All possible, or also just hanging out in a little village in the middle of nowhere.
Beaune in the Bourgogne, famous for its Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, and Alsace, my region of origin and also famous for some great wines, picturesque towns, and the Vosges mountains. In the plan are a couple wine tours, town markets, and a cooking class, plus open time to explore.
Lake Annecy and the Alps. Nothing scheduled but the opportunities for boating, paddle boarding, hiking, walking through alpine villages, and riding nail-biting cable cars atop the Alps are all in the cards, weather permitting.
Provence, where we will do another 1-week immersion and 1-week of visiting the beautiful villages of the Luberon, Cassis, and the Camargue. Hiking up to St. Mary Magdalene’s grotto, olive oil tasting, more wine. Yes, please.
The magical, quiet villages of the Dordogne, including prehistoric caves and towns carved out from cliffs. And possibly more wine. Possibly in this context means definitely.
A final week in Paris where I get to show some of my favorite spots and museums to special friends as well as explore some new to me.
The planning deets
For anyone who is contemplating a trip like this, these sites and tools have been invaluable in my planning process:
A travel planning app. I tried both TripIt and Wanderlog. They are both good, and they both have some subtle differences. I ended up going with Wanderlog for the full itinerary. While their method for activity confirmations isn’t as good as TripIt’s, it is a faster experience and the integrated map seemed more intuitive. Both can be shared with travel companions and are great aggregators of all the information for even complex trips.
Craft. An organization and productivity app for notes and documents where I created repositories with information for each region that included links, suggestions, notes, etc. It is cloud-based, multi-device, easy to navigate, and super easy to view and organize, so I’ll be able to access it during the trip as final plans come together.
Booking.com and TripAdvisor. While I typically prefer to book directly from the lodging, restaurant, and transit sites, these aggregators were great for checking out options and most importantly, user reviews. I sorted by worst reviews first to see if patterns or non-negotiables emerged, then looked at the rest. In some cases, booking.com offered free cancellations whereas the direct sites didn’t, so I opted for those, and it came in handy as I deepened my research and made a few changes.
Facebook travel groups. Nothing like hearing from fellow travelers and locals. While not everyone’s experience or expectations are the same, I discovered a ton of activities, venues, and travel tips I wouldn’t have otherwise. Les Frenchies and Nice/Provence/South of France groups were particularly useful, including tips about taxi practices, latest pickpocket scams, local guides, hidden gems, and more. Some even had YouTube channels and websites for more in-depth information.
A consult with a travel planner or two. I found a couple sites that offered 1-hour consultations and/or planning guides. French Affaires was incredibly helpful to chat about trip goals, share my rough itinerary, and get tips and suggestions. I deleted and added a couple key stays based on the conversation with someone who was very familiar with the regions.
For some things, there are services to make your life easier. For those anxious about navigating a large international airport where you don’t speak the language or have a tight connection, there are airport-sponsored services to help guide you and take you through expedited lines. This will be helpful for some of our guest travelers. On the other hand, there is so much information on google and YouTube on just about everything, that while overwhelming, it can also quell any anxieties or questions about navigating an airport, station, or what have you. Or for the wingers, you can for sure just wing it. News alert, I’m not a winger as you may have surmised.
Learned the hard way. Initially, I saved posts and links I was interested in to refer to later. Well, some were taken down for whatever reason and I couldn’t access them when I was ready to take notes. So, I learned to distill the pertinent info as I went. I also used a couple aggregators like Trainline and Expedia only to find that any changes were super hard to make – like changing seats or times. That’s why going to the direct site (SNCF train website for example), gave me a lot more flexibility. And if I ended up booking with a site like booking.com because of the free cancellation, I made sure to contact the actual hotel or host so they could confirm my booking, answer questions, and in general get a feel for their service and responsiveness.
Is it truly pens down? Well, no, not entirely. I’m still checking out some special restaurants and using ViaMichelin to map out routes less traveled, but I’m leaving those details to the week of or the day of so we can improvise and pivot. Pens down. Time to breathe. Oh, and pack.