Our 2024 Trip to France
I’ve been wanting to write more about things, well, that fall outside the realm of dating and relationships. Things that I just feel compelled to share and feel FUN. From travel to recipes. At the same time, I’m feeling ready to go deeper inside my marriage, now that I have more perspective under my belt. I’ll be playing around with it all this summer….if you care to read.
While we pegged this trip as a “baby moon,” really we were just due to get out of the country. 2023 we didn’t travel much — the funds weren’t there. Ideally we’d get to Europe for a few weeks each year, so being able to do it this year made it all the more special.
I’m always so curious to hear how people plan their trips, where they spend their time, and how much they spent. So I’m sharing all those details especially since we returned to an area we know well.
On the eve of June 7th we flew to Paris. We arrived at 6 a.m. local time and took an Uber to Gare de Lyon in the center of Paris. From there we caught our train South.
We’re lazy when it comes to booking flights, so had we booked a few months earlier, I think we could have shaved off some money. We also elected to do Economy Plus, which wasn’t that much more leg room, but put us closer to the front of the plane.
Airline Tix for Two: $2650.00
Uber to Train Station in Paris: $75.00
Train Tickets South (round trip): $500.00
The trip we also invested in some new travel gear that made the flights way more enjoyable:
Updated headphones (Just a new pair for James, I’ve had my pair for 6 years!)
Travel blanket (We already had this at home)
For the train, we opted to book first class since it was only $10.00 more per ticket and gave us larger seats. It was so worth it, especially for the train there since we were exhausted from the overnight flight. We slept the whole way there.
First Stay: Tresque, France (June 8th to 13th)
On our last trip to France we discovered Holly Oaks, an olive tree grove (they produce olive oil) nestled 30 minutes west of Avignon. Avignon is the main hub train station where we get off and pick up our rental car (this is very easy to navigate). The property is stunning, not to mention an ecological wonder. The owner, Terrance, had all the original “chenes,” (think large villas) restored a few years ago. The buildings themselves are an artful blend of the original stone walls mixed with modern updates. The property has four different rental spaces and a shared outdoor space with a full outdoor kitchen (we BBQ’d here almost every night) and natural pool. Their natural pool looks like a regular pool but the water itself is like a filtered pond. I am *very* squeamish about water and find the pond to be lovely. It’s also peppered with wildlife – mainly a hundred+ very loud but very entertaining frogs. It’s the most beautiful to sit out here, listen to the frogs, be surrounded by lush, colorful plants.
Car rental: $500.00 for 11 days (We opted for the cheapest car rental, but then, for really no apparent reason, they upgraded us to a slightly larger car upon arrival. We were pleased!)
Stay at Holly Oaks: Because we are friends with the owners, they gave us a slight discount. I believe the standard cost would be roughly $200.00/ night. For our five night stay we paid roughly $725.00
When we see pictures of the South of France we think more Provence and the Luberon region, which is directly east of Avignon. While we made a day trip there, we’ve come to love the area due west as it’s less saturated with tourists and allows us to live more like the locals, which is exactly what we want on vacation/ a trip like this.
Renting cars is incredibly easy, too. You don’t need an international driver’s license and they have many automatic options (though James prefers to drive manual). Just be prepared for the gas prices to be twice as much and the French to drive *very fast* around the winding, curvy country roads.
We took day trips during our stay to the following towns: Carpentras (would skip next time), L’Isle Sur Morgue (a must see), Usez (a must see), Saint Quentin La Poterie (lovely), the Luberon region (Beautiful but heavy with tourists, still a must see).
Second Stay: Saint Cyr Sur Mer (June 13th to the 19th)
I knew when we went to France this time I wanted to get down to the coast. I happened upon a national park known for its stunning rock formations and insane blue waters by way of Instagram…naturally. This tends to be how I travel — I see a photo and land on an area. I began perusing all sorts of Airbnbs nearby and happened upon one that blew me away in Saint Cyr Sur Mer. It wasn’t the city itself that drew me, it was the Airbnb and the proximity to the area I wanted to see. Months back I excitedly showed James the rental and said “Can we stay here?!” To which he said “Sure!” (He tends to do all transportation when we travel (trains, planes, automobiles) and I do all the lodging and food.
For me, this Airbnb, as well as the surrounding area, truly made the trip. As we did in Tresque we alternated between relaxing by the pool or at home, and venturing to surrounding towns. We’re big on day trips — either to see sites, take a boat tour, or leisurely explore a town, versus packing our bags and moving to a new rental more frequently.
This also allows us to grocery shop and eat at home, too. I can’t eat out for every meal, it exhausts me. To be able to have coffee at home and not rush out, cook simple meals so we’re not always eating such heavy restaurant dishes, as well as shop at the incredible local markets and enjoy all the cheese, local produce, fruit, bread, etc. It’s just divine. It ends up saving us a hell of a lot of money, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. This felt even more important this time as I was tending to pregnancy cravings and comfort.
Our stay at “Simple Home” totaled $1500.00 for six nights, so $250.00 per night. This honestly felt like a steal given the caliber of the rental. Both Holly Oaks and Simple Home are considered guest houses, meaning, the hosts live on site. We like this, especially abroad, because it allows us to better understand the area, and in some cases, make friends! Traveling just the two of us for an extended period of time is a lot of one to one time. This helps break up the time we spend together by having other folks —who often invite us out to do things if we want — to spend time with.
We took day trips during our stay to the following towns: Marseille (big city, we ate here and were BLOWN AWAY), Cassis (stunning bougie town — we took the Calanque boat tour from here), La Lavandou (beach club vibes), Saint Cyr Sur Mer (beach club vibes but more down to earth)
Third Stay: Paris (June 19th to the 21st)
We wrapped up our stay with a quick jaunt in Paris. It helps ease the travel from the train to getting on the final plan home. It’s a city we’ve both visited multiple times (not to mention I studied abroad there), so we tend to do a lot of walking, eating, and people watching versus going deep into the very touristy sites. The only actual museum we entered this time was the Sewer Museum! It was honestly very interesting, albeit, a bit stinky (yes, it’s underground).
For this portion of the trip, we sprung for a nice hotel. I’ve found in big cities like New York, Paris, LA, etc. you really don’t get much of anything unless you spent upwards of $400. I knew we’d be tired by this point in the trip and would want to stay in a neighborhood where we could just walk out the door and explore. Our stay was $525.00/night so $1050.00 in total. We stayed at La Chambre du Marais and absolutely loved it. The service was incredible.
We ate at three restaurants in Paris we absolutely loved:
Hakata Choten Ramen (By the time we got to Paris we’d had our fill of French food. Paris being a big city, like New York, also has incredible ethnic food. I was craving ramen and gyoza hard.)
La Banquette (Blown away by the food, but especially their non-alcoholic cocktail)
Other Expenses:
Gas: $200.00
Food: $1500.00 (a mix of dining out and eating in)
Tours + Special outings (boat tour, museum fees, beach club chair rental) $160.00
Taxi back to the airport: $75.00
Vacation shopping (we snagged some new clothes, home goods, some gifts for family, things for the baby, and a lot of handmade soap): I think we loosely spent about $600
Dog/House Sitting (half the time was covered by a dog sitter, half by family): $800.00
Transportation: $4000.00
Lodging: $3275.00
Food: $1500.00
Misc: $1400.00
Total cost of trip: $10,175.00
Finally, a few fun things:
I discovered this non-alcoholic beverage while there and am now on a mission to find it in the States
We listened to an old 90s playlist on the way home and remembered how good this song is
I wore these pants endlessly on the trip — they’re now only $30!