My husband went to France with me for the first time in 2015. It was his first time leaving the US, and being in a country where he couldn’t speak the local language. Let’s just say, it was a culture shock. Watching movies that take place in France doesn’t give enough justice to what it is to actually be there. Here are some tips on what to know and do before your first trip to France. Use a map and have a plan Unless you know where you're going and you're very confident in using the local language, I would suggest using a map app everytime you go to France. It will save you so much time. Google maps and Apple maps are both usually up to date. France has a lot of small and narrow one way streets. It will be helpful to use a map to know where to go and not. Also if you want to use the public transport it will tell you what to take and at what time. It has been very convenient for us, especially in Paris. Learn a few words in the local language Yes, French people learn English at school. However they don't speak good English, especially in small villages. Some people even get annoyed when tourists talk to them in English expecting them to understand. Try to learn a few words like "Bonjour", "Au revoir", "S'il vous plaît", and "Merci". It would be even better if you learn a few short sentences like "Bonjour, une baguette bien cuite s'il vous plaît". It will always be appreciated and French people might even change their attitude towards you if they see you're making an effort. When my husband would try, they obviously could hear his accent, but they always appreciated it and would sometimes answer back in English. Try the local food Food in France, and even in Europe in general, will always be different from what you are used to in the US. Even the food you have back home will be different there, like pizza for example. McDonald’s and other fast food companies also taste and look different there. Go to France with an open mind and try the food there. France is known for good food, not only pastries and bread. Try the cheese, try new dishes, try new drinks… You might not like everything, but I think it’s part of the experience. Don’t look like a tourist In big cities like Paris, tourists are the main target for pickpocketing. Be careful, and don’t look like one. Don’t wear baseball hats, athletic shoes (even though they are comfortable, but French people only wear them to go to the gym), American brands, tops with American university names on them, cameras around your neck, bright colors… Try to blend in, or maybe even go to a French store on your first day there and only wear French clothes. Parisians especially are stylish and don’t go for comfort. Always put your bags and belongings in front of you when you’re in a crowd. Do not put your phone in your back pocket, and do not talk to beggars. They sometimes work in a team, and someone else will try to steal you from behind while you are talking to another one. Lots of walking Yes, you can’t wear your comfy athletic shoes, but yet you will have to walk a lot in France. French people are used to walking everywhere. Typically you will park somewhere, and walk the rest of the time. Or you will take the metro/bus, and walk after that. I am not sure how to get you ready for it, I feel like your feet just get used to it after a while. My husband always brings pain killers with him though, and it seems to help. Make sure your phone works there We have tried different ways for that one. The first time we went, we bought a French phone with a temporary French Sim card. It worked fine, but my husband's phone wasn’t working all the time and was only on WIFI. I was afraid to lose him and not find him, plus we had limited access to any map apps. The best way for us has been to buy a data only Sim card and use our unlocked US phones. This last time we used the ones from www.wraptel.com and we liked them just fine. The data wasn’t super fast, but fast enough to use a map. It also cost us $35 per person. We still used the WIFI everytime we could though. Expect the expected: French people ARE rude Hear me out: I am French, and though I absolutely love my culture, after living in the US for more than 9 years, I can now UNDERSTAND why Americans say that French people are rude. Generally speaking, we don’t believe in customer service. Clients are definitely NOT kings and queens. We don’t tip in restaurants so servers don’t care to talk to you or refill your water. If you have kids that need to go to the bathroom you can’t go to any restaurant and ask to use their bathroom unless you are consuming a product of theirs. If you are unhappy about a service, they typically don’t care. If you smile at a stranger they will not smile back at you. Now I am not saying that they’re all like that. We have seen some really nice people who did care and showed us that they aren’t all rude. It really depends on you acting like a tourist (disclaimer: French people usually don’t like tourists) and obviously your attitude. France is not always that pretty For someone who lived his entire life in Utah, my husband had to learn the harsh truth about Europe. Pictures of France that you see online were chosen on purpose. Most of the time, the streets are dirty. As a kid, I learned to walk while looking down at my feet. They are dog poop, gums, trash, and in Paris sometimes rats (might be kidding for that one). Some streets and metros can be very smelly. On our last trip to the South of France, I had to repeat it to my daughters to not walk on puddles, because they weren’t water, but mostly pee. Just be aware of your surroundings. No AC We went to France twice in summer. Something that I forgot about France is that we don’t use the AC. The houses and buildings are usually made to keep the cold inside as much as possible. For example the floor is usually made out of tiles. Some people will use an AC unit that they put above their door, or an electric fan. Somehow the body gets used to the hot or cold weather, as well as the humidity level. Whenever we go to France I buy the anti humidity smoothing milk from Fructis on Amazon. It helps with my hair not getting too frizzy. For the hot weather, take a lot of cold showers and baths, and go to the pool or the sea as often as possible. Also, open your windows at night. Jetlag We live in Utah so there is an 8 hour difference between here and France. When we go to France, we can’t go to bed until after midnight, and then sleep in until past 12 pm. To fight jet lag, force yourself to not sleep until bedtime, and then use whatever you can to fall asleep as early as possible. In the morning, use an alarm to wake up at a decent time. It will be rough at first, but it will get better after a few days. To sleep at night we like to use Melatonin or a sleeping pill. Also, this last trip we used the Jetzone pills from Amazon. I used them on our way there, and I can tell that I didn’t have the normal headache that I get when I’m overly tired. Even though I still had a hard time falling asleep, I felt like I slept much better while taking it. I will totally use it again for our next trip. Bonus: on our first trip to France, we had no idea how we were going to use our credit cards and minimize the international fee. We used a Travelex card once and we actually loved it. Now we use the Visa Marriott card with Chase. It has no foreign transaction fee and you get points with every purchase (point value varies depending on your purchase). If you spend money on a Marriott hotel stay (or affiliate), you can get a lot of points. We love that one and will probably use it from now on.
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AuthorMy name is Melanie Ashby. I am from France and I currently live in the US. Here are some tips about traveling to France from a French and an American perspective! Archives
December 2022
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