Travel Agent Referral for France
- Thread starter Cacia
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Natasha
Contributor
Hi Catherine:
I don't think I can even count how many people we sent to France and Europe last year. What's your question? Maybe I can help informally..or in a PM.
OP
- Messages
- 63,269
- Reaction score
- 16,548
Thanks!
I'll Pm you in am.
Basically, I have 200,000 Am X miles and I'm finding them useless (You must now buy a "full fare ticket" in order to even be eligible for an upgrade. (and that is bigs fees in addition to double miles for the international leg) I really just want to get rid of them altogether...and I can't. Hotels?
So, if they are unusuable, then I'd like a package that includes Paris Hotel before we go on to Provence on that high speed train.
I'm wondering if there are any agents that specialize in France and buy blocks of seats or if I have to piece this whole jigsaw together myself.
Thanks for any advice that comes to mind!
I'll Pm you in am.
Basically, I have 200,000 Am X miles and I'm finding them useless (You must now buy a "full fare ticket" in order to even be eligible for an upgrade. (and that is bigs fees in addition to double miles for the international leg) I really just want to get rid of them altogether...and I can't. Hotels?
So, if they are unusuable, then I'd like a package that includes Paris Hotel before we go on to Provence on that high speed train.
I'm wondering if there are any agents that specialize in France and buy blocks of seats or if I have to piece this whole jigsaw together myself.
Thanks for any advice that comes to mind!
Natasha
Contributor
What you're asking for is called a "FIT" in our business. It's Foreign Independent Travel.
Most tour operators do it. Which means any travel agent can do it. They don't have to be a specialist in France.
Your best bet is to call American Vacations, or go down to your local travel agency and give them the scoop. You can tell them the price range you're hoping to stay in for the hotels and they can book the train for you. Or go to~~ American Airlines Vacations - All Inclusive Vacation Packages, Beach Vacation Packages, Family Vacation Packages
Have fun!
Most tour operators do it. Which means any travel agent can do it. They don't have to be a specialist in France.
Your best bet is to call American Vacations, or go down to your local travel agency and give them the scoop. You can tell them the price range you're hoping to stay in for the hotels and they can book the train for you. Or go to~~ American Airlines Vacations - All Inclusive Vacation Packages, Beach Vacation Packages, Family Vacation Packages
Have fun!
Spratman
Contributor
Yeah, good luck! I was in Paris late January, and the Euro was .59 to the dollar. It has got to be horrendous now to travel in Europe. 
OP
- Messages
- 63,269
- Reaction score
- 16,548
Well, I bought tickets from HNL to NewYork for 400 dollars (Cont) and then on to paris on miles (Am X) and we have a free villa (houseswap, they just used mine for a week for a wedding) and they are leaving us their Puegot at the
So...how expensive can it be? We are going to ride our bikes through the vinyards, etc.
My biggest issue now is to figure the trains out, the village Lourmarin? something like that...is an 8 hr drive from Paris. The high speed train is ridiculous, 2.5 hrs or something.
We don't speak ANY French, so that could make it challenging. Know anything about translators? I think my Garmin Nuvi has a French map download available.
Also, shipping our cycles is ending up to be a challenge. (as in more than our bodies!) IDEAS? I'm almost ready to disassemble them and carry bags of parts, he he.
Spratman, we are twisted enough to take the weak dollar as a challenge---my French bike was a great deal, for some odd reason. LOOK 555. Money magizine voted it number one value for carbon fibre road bikes. It was made in France...I know the dollar is weak, so how could this happen? Obviously, American companies are now having some trouble up against France, at least where bikes are concerned.
Natasha, thanks for the links, I'll check them as we still need to find a hotel in Paris. Grazie just came from there and he gave me some tips too.
ya'll are the best.
I want to hear the buzz about Sarkozy...
I hope the Euro is easier than the Franc. Those baby coins for the bathrooms made me crazy.
Natasha
Contributor
I've only been to France twice, and only had one year of French 6 of Spanish.
Between the two..I got by. But when I went to Germany and didn't know a word of German, I was having a lot harder time. I would never go without at least a French to English book if you don't want to spend a lot of money on the translator.
The villa is free in the '8 hour away' town..that's why you're heading there?
Can't you rent bikes instead of schlepping yours?
Seems like you shold try to make your life as easy as possible.
The Euro is easy to figure out. You give them 300.00 US dollars and get back 200.00 Euro..at least that's what happend to me in Dec 07.
Between the two..I got by. But when I went to Germany and didn't know a word of German, I was having a lot harder time. I would never go without at least a French to English book if you don't want to spend a lot of money on the translator.
The villa is free in the '8 hour away' town..that's why you're heading there?
Can't you rent bikes instead of schlepping yours?
Seems like you shold try to make your life as easy as possible.
The Euro is easy to figure out. You give them 300.00 US dollars and get back 200.00 Euro..at least that's what happend to me in Dec 07.
OP
- Messages
- 63,269
- Reaction score
- 16,548
Yes, they wanted to come here and we wanted to go there. (I have to say, it was very positive so far)
We will buy groceries (and lots of wine), the train tickets and several nights in Paris.
Last time I just used a CC with the zero origination fee, I wonder if that is still the best way.
Probably, we just really want our bikes.
Fed Ex wants 650 dollars to ship them round trip. The wheels come off and would fit in a garmet bag and then you could box the frames (they are very light) But...JB is getting fed up with my packing.
redrover
Guest
Bike shipping: how about look on a triathlon web forum? Im at FedEx every day and ya oughtta see it there around Ironman time, its definitely the two plane time of year. Very rare to see one not in a hard shell case. They must talk about this stuff.
Ive a friend that was hauling his bike back and forth to the mainland several times a year. Cant remember the name of the event, something where everybody takes off at once from the top of a mountain and whoever lives long enough to get to the bottom with the majority of the bike first wins.
Anyway, check out France Customs. A year ago Canada made him pay duties and taxes to bring his bike in and the US made him pay to take it back home. He had all the paperwork proving hed already paid them when he bought the bike in Canada 3 months before. His SO is my boss and we are international shippers, there was not one dammed thing we could do about it and Ill tell ya, we sure tried our entire bag of insider tricks. The word around the races was getting the bikes in and out of foreign countries severely limits the long distance competitors.
With his bike being rather robust not to mention uniquely technical only kind custom built, that bike cost more to get in and out of the country than ship. I dont know how France feels about bikes in particular, but France is near the top of my short list of really PITA countries for Customs and Id take a look at that. (I need a Certificate of Origin for a T-Shirt into Sweden for example.)
Ive got custom rates with many carriers. If you like I will run some quotes and see if I can help with the shipping cost. PM me the dimensions and weight of each case, list any items included in addition to bicycle, country of manufacture and the destination city and postal code if youre interested.
Catherine
Are the bikes a problem on the flights? The Airlines used to take them as Sports equipment at no charge, see below.
However once you are at CDG, getting them to your hotel will be a pain.
taxi-paris.org : Taxi Centrale de réservation, en Ile de France, réserver son taxi en ligne
might be able to help, they have minivans that should have enough room to take the bikes, there email address is taxi@taxi-paris.org to ask.
As for a hotel in Paris there are a million to choose from at all possible budgets. It is years since I stayed there so I cannot recommend any.
SNCF is as good as any for booking rail tickets. You might be able to get cheaper via a travel agent but I have not tried. There are places for the bikes on the trains so that should be Ok.
Then there is the problem of getting the bikes from the TGV station to your final destination. It’s about 25 miles to Lourmarin from Aix en Provence, so a fair ride. Will the Peugot take the bikes, it depends on which model, if it is a hatch back then they might stick out a little but nothing to worry about, just take some string to rope them in. Remember driving in France is different. The laws are only guidelines so if you are confident anything goes.
From the Continental Web site.
Continental Airlines accepts a non-motorized bicycle with single seat or up to two non-motorized bicycles packed in one case as checked baggage. The following are bicycle restrictions:
Continental Airlines - Sports Equipment
Are the bikes a problem on the flights? The Airlines used to take them as Sports equipment at no charge, see below.
However once you are at CDG, getting them to your hotel will be a pain.
taxi-paris.org : Taxi Centrale de réservation, en Ile de France, réserver son taxi en ligne
might be able to help, they have minivans that should have enough room to take the bikes, there email address is taxi@taxi-paris.org to ask.
As for a hotel in Paris there are a million to choose from at all possible budgets. It is years since I stayed there so I cannot recommend any.
SNCF is as good as any for booking rail tickets. You might be able to get cheaper via a travel agent but I have not tried. There are places for the bikes on the trains so that should be Ok.
Then there is the problem of getting the bikes from the TGV station to your final destination. It’s about 25 miles to Lourmarin from Aix en Provence, so a fair ride. Will the Peugot take the bikes, it depends on which model, if it is a hatch back then they might stick out a little but nothing to worry about, just take some string to rope them in. Remember driving in France is different. The laws are only guidelines so if you are confident anything goes.
From the Continental Web site.
Continental Airlines accepts a non-motorized bicycle with single seat or up to two non-motorized bicycles packed in one case as checked baggage. The following are bicycle restrictions:
Continental Airlines - Sports Equipment
Similar threads
