Oct 29, 20204 min read

Paris in the Fall (on a Budget!)

A couple of years ago, Brandt and I went on our very first Europe trip together! I (Cassidy) have traveled around Europe while studying about in Europe, so it wasn't my first time in Paris! However, it was my first time doing an international trip for less than a week with such a big time change. So, first time for everything! So, I wanted to share our budget/how we found a great deal on flights, how we planned our day to day and general tips and tricks! If you are interested in a downloadable PDF file with our total cost breakdown, itinerary and restaurant/hotel reviews subscribe to our page with the comment "Paris Trip Itinerary" and we will email to you!

1. The Budget & How We Found a GREAT DEAL:

First, the budget! One thing I learned after this trip is that international travel doesn't have to be astronomical. I think one of the biggest deterrents that most people face is that European or any international travel is just way out of the scope of their budget. However, it doesn't have to be! To get all the details on how much our flights, hotel and meals cost subscribe to our page with the comment "Paris Trip Itinerary" and we will email you a PDF!

So, a lot of these things are optional, but the biggest cost was the flights and hotel. How we got such a great deal was booking with Expedia! We booked a package deal that included both our flights and the hotel. Our flights were both great flights-- flight there included one layover and flight back was a direct flight. Our hotel was amazing-- Le Lapin Blanc located just a few blocks from the Notre Dame.

2. How we Planned our Day to Day:

We used an app called Visit a City to plan which day we were going to go to which attraction. With a city like Paris, which is very large, you want to try and group things that are close to one another. Otherwise, you will end up spending a lot of time and money traveling all over the city. This app is great because it allows you to choose the attractions you want to see, and then groups them together based on how many days you're going to be there. You can also add in restaurants based on the locations as well!

If you are interested in a downloadable file with our itinerary and restaurant/hotel reviews subscribe to our page with the comment "Paris Trip Itinerary" and we will email to you!

3. Tips and Tricks

Make Reservations! This is the absolute best tip that I can give anyone traveling internationally. Do research beforehand, find restaurants with great ratings and make reservations weeks in advance. Parisian restaurants are very popular, and I saw many people while we were eating try and get a table and could not. Restaurants in Europe are not like the US-- it is not about turnover for the waiters, so you are there for hours. Because of this, there's no such thing as "waiting for a table" like in the US. Also, make reservations on your first day-- it will encourage you to keep moving with your jetlag and not just stay in the hotel all day.
How to Use the Train- you can buy tickets with a credit card or cash. I recommend buying a bundle since they are cheaper than individual tickets. To find out what train you need to get on, you can actually use google maps. If you put in your location and where you want to go, it will tell you what train station to go to and exactly what train to get on. Just make sure you pay attention to the direction that the train is going! Example, if it says to get on the 10 Gare d'Austerlitz-- make sure you get on the 10 that ends at Gare d'Austerlitz! It will tell you which stop to get off on as well!
Booking a Photoshoot- this was the BEST thing that we could have done on this trip. Though my purse got stolen during the session, I would do it again in a heartbeat. We booked through Flytographer- a website that allows you to book a photographer in travel locations all over the world! We were then paired with 3 photographers and chose Olga because we liked her portfolio the best. The cost of the shoot was the same as if we had family photos done here (if not a little less)-- so definitely recommend!
Getting cash- make sure to get cash at your local bank before you go for the best exchange rates! Don't exchange at the airport, hotel or foreign ATMs because they will have higher exchange rates or charge you a fee.