How do you prefer to travel? With an itinerary or without?
Some love to travel alone, others 'off the beaten Path', some with jam-packed itineraries, whilst others adore to be free spirits. Are you one of these or do you have other travel preferences?
Over the years I’ve planned many a trip, short ones, long ones, exciting ones, and other trips that just had to be made - commitments/necessities. And like you, I’ve seen many articles about how others travel: some like me others different.
Some people, it seems plan every, moment, yes, every moment, even going so far as having an itinerary – and having it on a spreadsheet!
Now to me, even imagining that I could stick to an itinerary of that type is inconceivable. And what’s more, I can’t see that I would enjoy travelling like that at all. But for others, an itinerary gives them comfort – it’s important to them, and it provides certainty, security, and more.
Michelle Richmond of The Wandering Writer on Substack expresses my sentiment so clearly:
“So much of my writing happens when I leave home. Something about walking unfamiliar streets, sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, seeing and tasting and smelling unfamiliar things, wakes me up, shakes me out of the creative slumber that too often accompanies routine. Wandering induces wondering, which is a beautiful state of being.”
I love to travel, sometimes with my husband, and I also love to travel alone as often as possible. Being alone is freeing for me, in the way, that I just observe, and ponder, and I am inspired by my surroundings. I’m at my most creative when alone and when travelling, always without an itinerary.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do always have some plans in place, I have a couple of restaurants booked and appointments to do interviews for MyFrenchLife Magazine. So there is usually a little structure, but mostly, I go with the flow. I’m certainly a flâneur, and not only in #Paris or #France. To flâner is my style of living – it’s my preferred way of moving through life, even when doing my chores at home.
The two articles featured below
- ‘Paris will have to wait…’ and
- ‘France off the beaten path: Hiking les Cévennes - Part 3’.
contain discussion about different types of travel planning and different travel preferences. Please share your thoughts on these. How do you prefer to travel?
Recently published articles: MyFrenchLife™ Magazine
Paris will have to wait … by Michelle Mason
Paris will have to wait... It took me over 30 years to get to Paris, but it was worth the wait. Learn about how Michelle travelled to Paris – eventually.
France off the beaten path: Hiking less Cévennes - Part 3 - by Craig Healey
Hiking les Cévennes: Off the beaten path produced stunning rural vistas, vibrant food & wine culture far beyond our expectations. Read more.
Fun on Substack: Snippets, ponderings, and miscellaneous bits & pieces
If Substack is new to you here’s my primer.
Here’s where you can join in and ask questions, respond to questions that interest you, or just read and click ‘like’ from time to time… but really once you’re there I’m sure that you’ll have things to share :)
1. It’s time to say bonjour – our first chat thread on Substack where readers are saying hi – please pop in and introduce yourself - I’d love to chat with you too, I’m meeting such interesting people - tell me where you’re from and what you love about France :)
2. Your travel preferences: our discussion about preferences for itineraries or not, alone? ‘off the beaten path’ or whatever – How do you prefer to travel? - please pop in and share your travel style preferences and interact with me and others.
3. Don’t miss substack notes: these are my snippets, ponderings… ‘Notes’ is a new feature on Substack, and writers are experimenting with how to use them. I love experimentation – do you? And I’m having fun sharing bits and bobs – have a look.
Here is one you may enjoy! I had fun writing and pondering about it:
“Pondering . Observation . Thoughts .
Admission: I’m a people watcher are you?”
If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them below.
Here’s what’s happening in France – a collection from around the media world
Time to read up on the 2024 Olympic celebrations in Paris
Are you planning to be in Paris at that time? What would be the pros and cons from your perspective? More here.
A practical guide to Accommodation in Paris beyond hotels - you may know of some of these, but it is a great reminder.
The best Terraces in Paris - fabulous list
Dans la liste des petites extases de printemps figure en haute place le premier apéro en terrasse. Quand la température de l'air est aussi parfaite que celle du verre. Quand la chaise est placée face au rayon de soleil, à côté d'une table d'où s'échappent quelques potins. Pour trouver le spot parfait, tour de piste des meilleures terrasses parisiennes.
High on the list of little spring ecstasies is the first aperitif on the terrace. When the temperature of the air is as perfect as that of the glass. When the chair is placed facing the sunbeam, next to a table from which a few gossip escapes. To find the perfect spot, take a tour of the best Parisian terraces.
How/Where to book for a big group in Paris - a great list
Observations from Paris - by Our Built Environment
Did you know that MyFrenchLife Community has a French Book Club which we refer to as #Bookchat?
If you’d like to join and read with us, please leave a comment below. We will soon be announcing our next read, and it would be great to know that you’ll be reading with us by then.
Here you can read more about our beginnings and how things work in our French Book Club. You can also visit our site on Goodreads to review the books we’ve read to date.
Warm Regards
Jacqueline Dubois Pasquier - #Bookchat - French Book Club Convenor &
Judy MacMahon - Fondatrice
Jacqueline Dubois - Book Club Convenor
“Merci mille fois... for being such a loyal reader of le Bulletin & my weekly Missives featured in each newsletter, where I follow my curiosity wherever it takes me…” Judy MacMahon
The fact that we all have so much in common as Francophiles is one of the things I enjoy about this community and I refer to this as the 'French Thread' which connects us:
I see it as an endless thread of red silk connecting Francophiles globally.
- see the MyFrenchLife logo
- the 'M' is made of silk thread.
Please send me a message at any time, I love hearing from you - rants, suggestions, creative ideas, collaborations, and opposing views are all welcome!
I'm grateful that you read 'le Bulletin', please know that I really enjoy putting these together for you weekly...
I hope that you are well!
À Bientôt
Judy x
PS: I would greatly appreciate it if you'd message me and tell me what you enjoy about 'le Bulletin' and why you might be inclined to refer it to a friend.
PPS: Please consider upgrading your subscription to a paid subscription. It would help me enormously as I work on this huge global project of helping Francophiles experience France beyond the cliché.
PPS: Don’t forget to check on ‘NOTES’ here on le Bulletin on Substack, I’ve been filling it with whimsy, ponderings, and francophile wonders… just waiting for you to find it.
Merci mille fois !
I like to travel alone. I book accommodation and a few concerts in advance. Maybe a restaurant...Last time my husband decided to come for a week. However, he doesn't like to walk as much as me and isn't interested to go to galleries or museums, etc, so I feel quite restricted.
My husband is the spreadsheet guy and I am the wanderer. The good thing about our trips is we don't miss anything - he does the research in advance and with my wandering and insistence on changing the schedule, we know what we may be missing. One of my girlfriends asked me to join her on a tour that was very rigid, one of those where you pack your suitcase and leave it outside your door to be picked up and loaded so the bus can leave on time. Zero time to do your own thing, every meal included, every hotel prearranged and paid for. When I told her I would feel like a prisoner she laughed hysterically and told me that was why she had joined the military! She preferred to have her everyday life dictated to her, to open her closet with no need to choose because she wore a uniform. Meals in the mess hall. How in god's name we became such good friends is a mystery to me.