For a long time I have been considering a trip to include London and Paris. However, what is holding me back is my fear of being in a foreign city with limited knowledge of the language or currency. I realize people do this everyday but, I worry that I might find myself staying close to the hotel because I would be afraid to venture too far or be confused by the transit system. I would really appreciate it if someone could alleviate my fear so I can finally experience this beautiful city.
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Your fears are unwarranted, but if what it takes to overcome them is some %26quot;guidance%26quot;, I suggest you book yourself on a guided package %26quot;bus%26quot; tour. That way you have the camaraderie of a group, plus a group leader. Most of your itinerary will be pre-planned, which means your sightseeing, shopping, dining choices will all be presented to you in a schedule.
You will likely pay extra for this convenience, and the dining likely will be less than you could have gotten on your own...but for the less-experienced traveler, this is a good way to build your experience and become more travel-savvy. My guess is you%26#39;ll quickly see that you could have done this yourself without a tour and a guide, but for the most timid traveler, this makes plenty of sense.
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I know I will get a lot of opposition for saying this, but a fully escorted tour would solve this problem. You would not have to worry about the hotel bookings. You would be with a friendly group of travelers and have an expert tour guide to answer your questions.
I have been to Europe 13 times. The first time was to London when my brother had an apartment there. The next was a multi-country guided tour of western Europe. That made it easy for me to come back on my own. I also took a fully escorted tour of Italy, but the next time I would try to do it on my own.
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Sure, take a tour. Much better that than not going at all. My parents would never have seen any of Europe without a tour. They went and loved it. Lots of reputable tour co%26#39;s around.
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I did a guided tour that included Paris last year and loved it. We stayed on our own after the tour ended and I did find it a bit difficult. However, the experience has given me the confidence to go back next year independently!
It was a fantastic introduction and a very easy way to see the main highlights.
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I think the above is very good advice. An unexperienced traveler would naturally have qualms about being in a strange place. There are excellent tours available. Likely you will realize that it was not so daunting after all and you could have done it on your own and next time you will. Enjoy your trip!
Nana
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I agree with all the others, a tour might work well for you. I have never taken one, but my mother is like you and swears by Tauck. They cost a bit more than most tour companies, but she loves that they stay at very nice hotels, and not out in the boonies. We took her to France last year and I realized how out of her comfort zone she was. She was with us, so it was ok, but otherwise I could tell a tour would be the only way she would enjoy herself.
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I agree with the previous posters who suggested you take an escorted tour. I did this after high school and then realized which cities I%26#39;d like to revisit and that%26#39;s what I%26#39;ve done. Of courese, escorted tours have both good and bad points, but the good outweigh the bad in my opinion.
You can also travel independently. Once you get to your destination you can have your hotel book sightseeing bus tours if you are not confident about sightseeing on your own.
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I don’t think you’ll have a language problem in London, least I hope not : ) But I know exactly what you are feeling as I felt the same way on my first trip to Europe, even still, I would never go with a tour group. I would hire a personal guide to help me get my feet wet so to speak. After you have been shown around and start to feel comfortable you will realize you had nothing to fear at all and get confidence to do things on your own. Part of traveling is sometimes going outside of our comfort zone yes? Make sure you choose a Hotel close to everything you want to see so as to minimize having to use public transportation; also, make detailed plans for your days which will give you the motivation to get out and explore. Once you are there and walking around most likely you will wonder why you were so worried to begin with. Also, don’t look at it as a language barrier, it’s a language challenge.
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Hi RIB, from a former Bramptonian I%26#39;d also suggest a tour for your first taste of these wonderful cities. Not entirely sure from reading your previous posts whether perhaps you%26#39;ve already tried London before but, regardless, there%26#39;s some great tour companies out there. I, after much research, reached the conclusion that the RSteves tours are not a bad bang for your buck (plus, our kind of travel -not fancy) and I believe he does a combo London/Paris tour over about 8-10 days. We considered his 21 day tour of %26#39;most of Europe%26#39; but then decided, and followed through, on a self-guided 4 week tour of England/Holland/Paris/Rome/Venice on our own this past spring. Enjoyed it thoroughly, my wife%26#39;s first time to Europe, but our decision on %26#39;tour%26#39; versus %26#39;on our own%26#39; was based on my many business trips across the pond over the years plus living in Holland for three years; a different scenario than you. Send away/pick-up a few guided tour booklets (RSteves%26#39; is excellent with lots of info) do your comparisons and leave Rosetown for a wonderful experience. Once you let someone else take you on a whirlwind tour of these two fantastic cities and whet your appetite you%26#39;ll be primed to head out on your own the next time -and there will be a next time! Both cities are safe, language in Paris is not a big issue, it%26#39;s easier to get all over London/Paris than it is to get from Brampton to Toronto by public transit and, with planning, it%26#39;s almost as cheap to stay in London or Paris than TO.
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I think the others have given you some good advice but I am going to take a different point of view. I have read your post very carefully and want to respond to the specific concerns you mentioned. I suggest that you do some research before you take your trip. Go on line and get the London tube and Paris metro and bus maps. Figure out which sites you want to see and how you would get there. Take some time to browse through the TA forum topics.
Many travelers go to Paris without knowing any more than a few words in French. You can certainly manage to learn, %26quot;Bonjour, madame/monsieur%26quot; and a few other pleasantries. Maybe take a beginner French class this fall.
Now the currencies -- just 2. Go on www.xe.com for a few days and start converting prices for hotels, restaurants, etc. that you might be considering just to get a feel for the value of the Canadian dollar.
I think the more you educate yourself while you are at home, the more comfortable you will be in doing things on your own when you get there. For many of us, much of the joy of traveling is in the planning. I, for one, cannot imagine sitting on a tour bus day after day when I know exhilaration of just walking around the impossibly beautiful Paris.
Bonne courage!
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