I’m usually a major planner. Like I researched our trip to Italy last September for months in advance and booked super early. But my husband, Hugh, and I just got back from a 3-day trip to Paris that we booked the week before leaving!
I had only been to Paris once, just a couple days on a work trip last spring. I was talking to a coworker one day and he shared that he saw some great Air France miles deals direct to Paris. I texted Hugh right away, “What if we went to Paris next week?” He was in! I booked the trip by the end of the day.
Booking with Miles/Points
I’m not one to follow all the credit card points forums and Facebook groups, but a coworker of mine does and shares all the tips. We got the Capital One Venture X card last year. That came with a 75,000 mile bonus and we use it on a lot of purchases. Those points add up!
I will only use miles if I’m getting at least a penny per mile, but really strive for more. I looked at direct flights from Detroit to Paris with Air France and they were only 60,000 miles plus about $400 for both of us round trip. This was almost 5 cents per mile! Our Capital One miles converted to FlyingBlue (Air France and KLM’s loyalty program) instantly and I booked about a week and a half in advance. We chose a direct flight overnight (9pm to 11am) on the way there and afternoon (2:40pm to 5:45pm) on the way back.
Next was finding a hotel. I travel a lot for work and almost always stay in Marriotts. However, European cities don’t always have a lot of good Marriott options. I looked at a couple travel blogs and decided we would try to stay right in the city center. I visited Paris on that work trip last spring, so I wanted something close to where I had stayed then if possible.
I searched the Marriott website for our dates and found some good points deals! Marriott is a little less generous with points than the airlines, but we got right around a penny per mile. We stayed at Le Roch Hotel & Spa in the 1st Arrondissement. I used Suite Night Awards to upgrade to a suite, but I would recommend this hotel even without the upgrade. We loved it.
Planning Ahead
Does it count as ahead if we book the week before? Let’s go with yes.
Like I’ve mentioned, I visited Paris briefly last spring for the first time. This trip, I wanted to refresh my memory on some things and make sure I knew options for things that didn’t apply last time like transportation to and from the airport (we took the train last time). I like to familiarize myself a little with the culture and norms in the cities we’re visiting. I always look up:
- Currency (Paris uses the euro) and how to get cash (I use my bank card at ATMs and avoid currency exchanges – our bank uses a good exchange rate and minimal fees) and my credit card policies for overseas
- Tipping culture (such a perk coming from the US – you can tip just a few euros rather than 20%!)
- Must-eat dishes and treats
- Can’t-miss tourist attractions (we don’t usually spend a lot of time touring these, but I like making sure we see them and understand their significance)
- Public transportation (I love metros) and how the tickets work (day passes vs individual rides, etc.) and which Ride Share apps are available (I make sure I’m set up with an account and payment for easy use once there)
- Outlet/power situation (you need adapters in Europe)
- General layout of the city center
- Weather and packing suggestions
I knew several of these things from last year, but needed a refresher on some.
Being major foodies, Hugh and I wanted to take advantage of the numerous Michelin starred restaurants in Paris, so that was the top priority for booking ahead. We wanted a reasonably priced tasting menu at a French restaurant that we could book a reservation for online. We used the Michelin guide’s site and booked for 8:30pm on our first night at Jacques Faussat. Other than that, we knew we’d just stop by random restaurants as we typically do on vacations.
Parlez-vous français?
I had been casually learning French on the Babbel app for a few months (I have a referral code if you’re interested!). When I was in Paris last year, I absolutely hated not being able to pronounce things around me. I felt really isolated and overwhelmed. In Italy or Spain, I was at least comfortable sounding words out, but French is a pronunciation nightmare. Once we booked, I hit it hard for like a week, so knew a teeny bit more than before.
I think it’s respectful to at least try to speak the native language in a foreign country. Yes, they usually know right away that you don’t speak it well and often respond in English, but I’ve found the effort is appreciated. I recommend learning the basics like “thank you” and “excuse me” (for when you’re pushing to the metro door) and “the check please?” – things like that.
You can also rely on apps like Google Translate to help with conversations with locals that don’t speak English (and you should never assume they do!). Our Uber driver whipped out his phone and spoke into Google Translate then showed me the translated sentence. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, we communicated!
What We Did For Two Days in Paris
Other than our dinner reservation, we really had no plans! We love walking around new cities and trying out various places to eat and drink. So that’s pretty much what we did!
We landed on Monday morning at about 11am. After getting through customs and a traffic-nightmare hour-long FreeNow ride to our hotel, we were settled and ready to explore by about 2pm. We were determined to push through without a nap.
Dinner at Jacque Faussat was great – very yummy and artful plates. The servers and chef spoke English and were welcoming, but we were a little limited in our interactions and dish descriptions. It did take FOREVER. I know European dinners are known to be leisurely, but our meal took 3 hours with our first course not arriving for like 45 minutes. Overall, we’re glad we ate here.
The second (and only full) day, we didn’t care about sleeping in. This helped with avoiding jet lag – we kind of stayed on Detroit time (sleeping until 10am and staying up until 1 or 2am). We were planning on hitting the Louvre (Hugh wanted to see the Mona Lisa), but it’s closed on Tuesdays. This is were too much spontaneity can bite you! We didn’t want to waste our precious hours in Paris waiting in lines for cathedrals or museums, so we decided to just do an audio walking tour and explore on our own.
I really love Rick Steves Audio Europe app. His Paris tour was not nearly as good as the tours for Rome and Florence, but we really enjoy each popping in an AirPod and learning about the city and monuments while walking around. We sometimes even just find a cafe or restaurant nearby instead of following the specific instructions to stand in front of the churches and buildings. This week, we learned about Notre Dame and some of the Latin Quarter while sipping wine and snacking across the Seine.
I hope I inspired you to book a last-minute adventure! Us planners can use some spontaneity in our lives. Au revoir and happy travels!
Where should we go next?
I definitely have the travel bug and was surprised how okay I was with this last minute trip! One key at rewards travel with miles/points is being flexible with your destination and dates. Where would you suggest for our next trip? Let me know in the comments or reach out! Direct flights from Detroit are a bonus 😏
