Exploring the Val de Loire.
Randy and Linda eat and drink their way through the "Garden of France"
Get out of the "Shell"
We've found that by renting an accomodation and staying away from the tourist centers we have a more accurate sense of place when we travel. On this, our 4th trip to France I'm going to try to detail how anyone can plan their own custom vacation without being trapped in what I call the "Tourism Shell". By this I mean the all-encapsulating bubble the tour industry wraps you in. Hotels, organized tours, (no matter how "authentic" an experience they advertise) and most attractions are designed to move money in a smooth flow from your wallet to theirs. Think about it. On a tour they stop at the same locations in the same order and the people at those locations are used to dealing with groups of visitors so they tailor their operation to handle groups. There is no, or very little, chance for one on one inter-personal contact in a situation like that. By going your own way you can really experience the true nature of everyday people. There is nothing stopping you from using the internet to research the data needed to give yourself a quality vacation at a fraction of the packaged tour cost. After all, who knows your budget, interests and time window better than you?
Where we're staying.
We've found VRBO.com a great place to find accomodations. You can search by price, number of bedrooms, housing type and loaction and even down to the desire for certain amenities. We filter by location, price, WiFi/internet availability, and non-smoking. For this trip we are staying in the tiny village of Troo. Here is a link for the house we rented:
There is information in profusion on the web about travel. We always look for raw information sites rather than ones who profess to "know" the best places. Do your own research and you avoid having your decision impacted by those with an agenda. Develop you own vision of what you want then go out and find it. It's there if you take the time to hunt for it. For France this site has a wealth of information which seems pretty unbiased. : http://about-france.com/index.htm
Things that come in handy
Travel light:
We take one carry-on bag each......period. Linda takes a small purse and I take my camera bag. We rent places with washer/dryers and take clothes that are multi-purpose. We don't care if we dress the same over the two weeks, and the mobility and the elimination of lost baggage delays is priceless. Anything else we might need can be purchased in France.
Learn some French
We have taken two years of private lessons, and carry a phrase book and I have a translation app on my iPad. While we are both a long way from fluent, we can survive in most common social situations, and beginning any interaction in the native tongue and going as far as you can makes a HUGE difference to those you are dealing with.
Study ahead of time
Get an idea of the history and geography of the region you are visiting. You will get more out of the experience and may learn of some overlooked gem that will make your day.
Throw away your schedule
You are on vacation. Get a general idea of what you want to see and work through at a pace which allows quality enjoyment over quantity. I have often seen a tour group arrive at a location and heard the guide detail how many minutes the group has to "enjoy" the site. No thanks.
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