08/26/09 by Paris-France | Blog, Tourist Tips | No Comments »
When you’re travelling it’s easy to get lost, not be able to read a map, or speak the language to ask a question.
Today’s tip is to take a digital photo of your hotel after you step out into the street, and walk to the nearest corner and take a photo of the street signs.
Take a photo of the metro sign as you go down into the metro, as there are often 4 or even 5 entrances to the same metro station in Paris, and you’ll be able to work out which one to exit from when you return later in the day.
You can use these photos to show to strangers if you’re lost, or simply to work out how to return to your hotel.
Of course you can always grab a business card from the front desk of your hotel or accommodation place, but sometimes they run out of cards, or there’s no-one at the desk, or lots of other reasons.
Using this tip will also get you speaking with locals and trying to communicate … and isn’t that why you decided to travel in the first place? To visit foreign lands and meet the locals? :-)
Have a fabulous time!
07/27/09 by Paris-France | Blog, Tourist Tips | No Comments »
I’ve been hearing about – and reading about – tourists getting ripped of by some (not all) tourist cafés.
The first thing I’d like to say is – ASK THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING BEFORE ORDERING.
Scam #1 – The recent scam I’ve heard about is if a coffee or tea is ordered, then the waiter asks if you’d like milk with that – so you say yes. What you should have asked is, “Is there an additional or extra cost for the milk?” or “How much will it cost with milk?”
I know this seems silly, but some unscrupulous cafés have been charging up to 3 euros extra for the milk.
You can avoid this by carefully reading the menu and selecting the coffee or tea WITH MILK on the menu – rather than the other item the waiter has proposed.
Scam #2 – Yes size does matter.
I’ve been told that when tourists are asking for a beer, they are offered “small or large”. Thinking that “large” is a normal large glass, the tourist is then presented with a LITRE of beer – much more than a large glass, and being charged outrageous prices.
Rather than being one of these tourist victims, you can avoid this if you simply ASK THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING BEFORE ORDERING.
After all – it’s YOUR money and you should know what you’re spending so you won’t get ripped off.
Please be aware this may only happen in a couple of venues throughout the whole of Paris’ touristy areas, but it’s always best to be cautious.
Have a great time in Paris and try a few French words every day to make your stay more enjoyable :-)
06/03/09 by Paris-France | Blog, Tourist Tips | No Comments »
Make sure your luggage tag is keeping you safe
You’ve packed your bag, got your carry-on ready, passport in hand, and you head off to the airport.
You’ve probably diligently put luggage tags on everything (I hope you have), but what exactly have you written on your tags?
In this technology-aware era, I recommend that you only put your NAME and your TWITTER NAME and/or your EMAIL NAME.
(BothTwitter and Gmail. are free.)
Once upon a time you might put your address and a phone number, but there are too many shady characters gleefully reading your tags while you have a coffee at the airport.
If you already have an email account (and doesn’t everyone these days?), you might also consider getting yourself a Twitter name at http://twitter.com – this is possibly the fastest way someone can contact you if anything happens to your luggage.
Even if you have a cellphone or a mobile phone, it’s possible you may not be travelling with them, or that the reception’s not great at your destination, or that your phone’s ‘roaming’ doesn’t work. This all makes it harder for you to be contacted.
Rethink putting your destination hotel name and phone number on your tag – this could also alert a thief at the other end, especially if you have a tag on your carry-on bag or handbag or day pack.
At least there are internet opportunities everywhere — unless you’re in the jungle, and you may not need your luggage there :-) — so you can be quickly contacted in case of emergency.
This also makes it harder for thieves to do anything with the info on your luggage tag – they can’t locate you by your address or phone number and ransack your home while you’re away.
Feel safe – only put your name and email name and/or twitter name on your luggage tag; you’ll be so glad you did.
Additional Tips
- staple or attach another tag inside each bag you have, with the same details, in case the tag on the outside is removed
- to find out more about buying the Paris-flavored laminated luggage tags with my photos on them, please contact me
- read more Travel Packing Tips about all kinds of things you might like to consider for your trip.
Have fun! Bon Voyage!
Tags: moo, moo.com, luggage tags
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