How To See The Best of France In 14 Days
A Two Week Tour of France That Visits All The Best Sites. I believe that everyone should visit France at least once in their lives. This 2-week itinerary travel through France makes a great introduction to this amazing country....
Easiest Ways to Get Around While Visiting Paris
Easy Ways to Get Around in Paris - Best Public Transportation Options As one of the most popular destinations in the world, Paris, France, continues to be a place where over 6 million people visit each year. From The Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, there is...
Packing For Paris – What To Bring and What To Buy There
How to look chic in Paris - what to bring from home and what to buy in this stylish city. We will take a look at some items that you must bring along to Paris and some items you can buy there to make...
11 Famous TV and Film Coffee Shops You Can Visit For Real
Famous TV and Movie Coffee Shop Hangouts All of our favorite TV sitcom shows seem to have a comfy neighborhood coffee shop where all the popular characters gather to exchange their inner-most feelings and to share a laugh or two, even if it is supplied by...
Fun City Beaches Pop Up Across The Globe
Best Urban Beaches From Paris to Philadelphia - Summer City Beaches Are Popping Up In Land-Locked Cities Around The World July is almost here when all thoughts turn to lazing at the beach with friends. In major land-locked cities across the globe, temporary beaches are...
Favorite Things To Do In Paris For Free – Our Full Fun List
Top Free Things To Do In Paris Paris is one of the most popular capital cities in Europe, drawing travelers from all over the world. It has always been known to be an expensive city, but there are also many things that you can do for...
Cooking and Barge Cruising in France, A Perfect Pairing
One of the most rewarding aspects of barge cruising in France is that you have a chance to experience all the exotic French cuisine along your route. You can go ashore and explore fine restaurants, stop by out-of-the way cafes, and perhaps even learn a...
Exploring Top Paris Sites in the Iconic 7th and 8th Arrondissement
Paris, often called the City of Lights, has a number of iconic attractions to visit. The 7th and 8th arrondissement are home to the famous Champs-Élysées, the Invalides as well as the Eiffel Tower. Even if you have already been to Paris once, it is...
Lonely Planet Offers Free “Best of” Travel Apps
All of my favorites are included! Just in time for the new iPhone 5, free apps for the very 'best of ' are being offered free of charge for Barcelona, London, New York, Paris, and Rome by Lonely Planet, one the most respected travel publishers...
A Single Traveler’s Guide To Paris
The Singles Guide to Surviving Paris, the City of Love It always struck me as particularly one-sided to regard Paris as the domain of lovers, as little more than a love nest with a big tower and lights. Paris may be the ultimate honeymoon destination, but...
Urban Jungle Adventures – 5 Sizzling City Break Destinations
Consider a city break this year to make your summer vacation sizzle with exciting activities. Most people travel in summer to get away from it all. They want to be close to nature, by the ocean, or in the mountains, away from the hustle and bustle...
Essential Guide To The Best Paris Wine Bars
5 Top Wine Bars of Paris Paris is a great hub for a range of clubs and bars. Many Parisians visit local bars and cafes to meet their friends and enjoy the city nightlife. Most of the city monuments and roads remain illuminated throughout the night...
Tours Inspired By Your Favorite TV Shows
Have you ever watched an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and wished you were sitting in that red Camaro riding along with Guy Fieri, nibbling and chatting your way down the road? Or perhaps you've watched a PBS special and fantasized about exploring a...
Dining In Paris Gets Even More Exciting During National Food Festival WeekThis Week
France is about to launch its very first national food festival. In celebration of the abundance of exquisite local ingredients available throughout France in the fall, restaurants in Paris and all across the country will introduce Restaurant Week menus beginning on September...
Paris By Pastry – Exquisite Madeleines
There are so many iconic French foodie experiences, it's hard to know where to begin. Surprisingly it's often the simplest ingredients executed to perfection that produce the tastes we crave long after returning from a trip to France. While many famous French confections ooze with...
Favorite Cheap High-Quality Hotels in Top European Cities
We’ve selected our favorite inexpensive accommodations in three of our favorite European destinations, London, Paris and Budapest to help you stretch your vacation budget.
When you think about the term ‘cheap accommodation’, what comes to mind? Visions of dingy shared hostel dorms with iron bunk beds and thirty people to each bathroom? Subsistence meals from all-you-can-eat buffets? Poor security and sketchy neighborhoods?
These types of lodging certainly exist, but cheap doesn’t automatically mean substandard. If you want to save stretch your budget when traveling, there are plenty of youth hostels and cheap hotels available that will give you a great stay. Here are some of our favorite top value hotels and hostels:
Paris On Our Mind – Tried and True Paris Tips
Here are some Paris travel tips that will make your journey safe, comfortable and fabulous. I’m always spouting, “When you see a super great deal – make yourself drop everything and go!” That’s exactly what happened to us last month when Linda and I had the opportunity to fly off to Paris at a fabulous promotional rate. We had a little over 2 weeks to pull our trip together, so we focused in right away. Here’s what we did:
#1 A Quick Brush Up On Our High School French
Linda found a terrific language learning program – EarWormsLearning.com. Despite the crawly name, the concept is amazing. They believe that you learn better, faster and with more recall when you learn with music. So their language lessons come with music playing in the background. We loved it and listened on our iPods all the way to Paris.
And for extra reassurance, we picked up a quick translation guide – 30 Words ($9.95). These are terrific passport sized accordion folded translations of tourist phrases that are waterproof and tear-proof – perfect for toting around.
Paris Greeters Program – Meeting The Friendly French, No Kidding
Paris Greeters, a volunteer organization of amiable Parisians who look forward to welcoming visitors to their city are changing the impression that Paris is a less than friendly city, one tour at a time, every day.
As Linda and I make our away across the city from the broad perfumed boulevards of the Champs Elysee to the gritty, lyrical lanes of the Left Bank, we are giddy with anticipation. We are about to meet a new friend that we met a few weeks ago online thanks to the Paris Greeters organization. Our Paris Greeter / guide, Laurent, has volunteered to show us his city on this particular Saturday afternoon. We’ve been in touch by email to set a time and place to meet, discussed our mutual interests, and exchanged photos so we can recognize each other outside the Metro station.
Within minutes of meeting we are talking, laughing and already appreciating the nuances of Left Bank neighborhoods and seeing French culture through new eyes. Beyond a litany of Louis’ and their royal accomplishments (how DO they keep 18 Louis straight?) we stroll by a Pierre Herme´ pastry shrine (you really can’t call it a bake shop when there are 50 people waiting in line to get in the door!); 
then on to Gelati D’Alberto where the iced delights look like rose blossoms, and of course we can’t resist ogling the decadent cheeses and fragrant produce at an open market. Oh to be a Parisian on market day! Laurent schools us on choosing restaurants to dine in, “NEVER enter a restaurant that has ‘French Cuisine’ on the sign or menu”, he admonishes, “they are just for poor unsuspecting tourist!”
World's Most Luscious Food Markets
Local food markets give a glimpse into the soul of a destination. The crops that local farmers grow and the culinary creations that food artisans produce speak to the history of the location and the traditions of its citizens. Nothing is more pleasing and engrossing than roaming among the stalls of a neighborhood farmer’s market or the grand food halls of a metropolitan city. In China I was almost afraid to look (bugs on a stick?!), in Vancouver the smells and colors were dazzling, in Hawaii I found vegetables I had never seen before in my life, and the markets in Rome and Paris were sensuous. Now that it’s harvest time around the world, don’t miss the opportunity to visit a luscious food market wherever you roam – here are some of the world’s favorites:
Americas
New York – Chelsea Market, a hub of foodie activity
San Francisco – Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, large Organics Markets, operates 3 times per week
New Orleans – Crescent City Farmers Market, Uptown and Downtown fabulous fruits
Seattle – Freemont Sunday Market – more than fruits & veggies – treasures of all description
Hawaii – Hawaii Farmers Markets Online, several gorgeous markets on every island
Vancouver – Granville Island Public Market, The ethnic diversity of Vancouver makes this market a sensory explosion
Mexico City – Mercado de la Merced, nirvana for chili pepper lovers – every color of the rainbow!
5 Fun and Surprising Outdoor Activities in Paris
Beach It In Paris – yes, Paris!
Each July and August since 2002, Paris creates its own beaches right along the banks of the River Seine (by the Pont Neuf, Notre-Dame and Pont au Change). Industrious crews bring in over 3,000 tons of sand to create an urban beach right along the city’s beloved Seine River, for all Parisians (and visitors) to soak up some rays and participate in (my favorite activity) – eye popping people watching! But it doesn’t stop with sand – we’re talking palm trees, chaise lounges, umbrellas, hammocks, wifi, games and books, grassy lawns and raised decking – a sun lovers paradise for sure! Find all the details at Paris Plage
Swim The Seine, really – no pollution involved
A number of giant swimming barges (floating swimming pools) have been anchored along the banks of the Seine creating the illusion of being able to swim in the river. Perhaps the most notable is the Josephine Baker, where a 25 meter pool can delight 375 swimmers at once. After your refreshing swim, relax in the cafe, on the sun deck, or work out in the gym facilities. Their sliding roof makes this spot perfect on any day, in any weather. Here’s where you can find all the info on the Josephine Baker Swimming Pool.