The GypsyNesters

A lot of people choose to go travelling on their own, making up around 18 percent of global bookings according to Solo Traveler. It can be an enlightening and enriching experience leaving friends and family behind and going solo, but it can also bring about feelings of trepidation. The main worry for many travelers is that they won’t be able to make friends on their adventure. Fortunately, even the shiest of people are likely to meet lifelong companions while globetrotting.

When planning a trip around the world, the best option for a solo traveler is to stay in hostels rather than hotels. Not only are these much cheaper for people on a budget, but they also provide a common ground for meeting likeminded people. But there still needs to be a way to break the ice and get the conversation going. For introverts, this can be quite a difficult stumbling block which brings about feelings of anxiety.

Having a game to play or a skill to show people can be an excellent way to get the conversation going in a relaxing way. This is why it is handy for solo travelers to take a deck of cards along with them and use these as a tool for making friends. Asking people if they want to play blackjack is one option. This is one of the most popular casino games in the world, and most people have at least a rudimentary understanding of the rules.

Before jetting off on an adventure, solo travelers could brush up on their knowledge of casino blackjack rules. This includes knowing the values of each card, the difference between a soft and a hard hand, and when players can hit, stand, or double down. You could offer to be the dealer while a few others play hands. You don’t even need to play for money, and you could opt to use matches instead of chips.

Another good card game which is useful for getting strangers to talk to one another is poker. Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of the game and, since the poker boom, knowledge of how to play is quite widespread. Playing a friendly tournament with around five other people is sure to be a hit among travelers.

If you don’t want to gamble your travel budget, you could opt to use card tricks as a way to impress people into being friends with you. There are a few simple tricks that you can learn from YouTube videos, with “The Three Travelers” being an appropriate and slick one for you to try out. There are even some tricks that can be used to hustle free drinks out of people in bars.

No matter whether you’re travelling around Europe or Asia, the people you will meet will likely be of a similar mindset to yourself. Making friends is easy, but using a deck of cards to grease the wheels can be a cool way to start things off.

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When people think of family vacations, they often think about the usual tourist trap or resort, or a road trip, but it can be so much more than that. You’ll create memories for a lifetime if you can keep everyone active, and you can keep kids of all ages engaged by ensuring there is plenty of adventure on your trip. Yet this can be a challenge when you’re traveling with your children. Here are a few tips for finding family friendly adventure on your next family vacation.

Plan Well in Advance

The first thing you’ll have to consider is the time of the year you’re intending to travel. If you have school aged children, you are often limited to traveling when your children are out of school. And so are all the other families traveling with school aged children. This means you can’t book a trip for Spring Break a few weeks in advance. If you’re going to plan a trip around school breaks, you will need to book months in advance, and the sooner, the better. This gives you the ability to lock in the cheapest tickets and accommodations, and you can choose from the lowest peak rates.

Get Your Papers in Order

Are you going to leave the country? Ensure that everyone in your family has a valid passport. In most cases, your passport must have at least one year left on it from your anticipated departure date. This protects you from potential problems, since most countries have a cutoff of six months.

Plan Around the Children’s Needs

Don’t forget that you’re going on vacation with children, not experienced adults. So, make sure that you go over the procedures if anyone needs to go on a potty break during an activity for instance. Plan for extra rest breaks at locations safe for children, whether you’re hiking or canoeing. Plan now how you’ll handle diapers and dirty clothes.

Your kids will be reluctant to drink chemically treated water or unfamiliar beverages. Take drink crystals in the flavors your kids like. The flavoring will make the boiled water or foreign tap water palatable. And it takes up less weight than trying to carry cartons of their favorite beverages. Pack familiar snacks, too, and give kids a chance to eat them when they’re accustomed to snack breaks.

Don’t forget to plan for entertainment, and expect to take regular breaks. Bring several packs of cards so that your kids aren’t dependent on devices for entertainment. Bring story books and activity books to enjoy on the plane or car ride.

Plan Kid Friendly Activities at Each Stop

Plan activities your kids will enjoy and can participate in. For example, you could sign up for a vacation at a lake resort. These are great for all types of activities, like fishing or watersports.

Paddle boarding, for instance, is something that you could do while keeping an eye on your children. You can find stand up paddle boards the whole family can use and can support you and a child. The best ones have everything you need in one package and can be deflated so you can stow it in a backpack and take it with you on your next trip, whether it is to a cabin on the lake or a seashore excursion.

Ensure that the activities you have planned include all of your children. This may mean taking the kids horseback riding over hiking, because your youngest shouldn’t be carried ten miles. Take the easy hike up the mountain when you have young children. Stop at rest stops or hotels with playgrounds so that your children can run around and play.

Choose the right activities and arrange everything your family needs so that you can enjoy your family’s next adventure. You’ll create memories for a lifetime when everything goes right.

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Paris is the city of romance and its magnificent train stations are as full of it as the Champs-Elysees. Even not counting the sweet scenes of lovers’ greetings or their tearful partings, train rides have a romance of their own. All this creates a unique atmosphere. And like everything in Paris, this spirit of love and travel is encased in stunning architectural masterpieces. Therefore, whenever you visit Paris next time, be sure to go on a tour of the most beautiful train stations located all over the city.

Gare du Nord

Gare du Nord is the most important train station in Paris and there can be no arguing the fact that it’s beautiful. Dating back to 1864, it’s a fine example of the Parisian architecture. This means that despite the fact that the station is huge and modernized, it still has elegance and beauty in a myriad of details. Be sure to study the statues on the façade.

Over 700,000 people go through this station every day, so it’s too busy to be romantic. However, it’s the place to board Eurostar trains, which can take you on multiple romantic trips to destinations like London, Switzerland, and Belgium. You can learn more about these trips from this guide by Eurostar.

Gare de Lyon

Gare de Lyon was built for the World Expo 1900 and today it’s, quite possibly, the most beautiful and romantic train station in Paris. Even if Paris is your transit destination only, you should try to visit this amazing place.

This should be easy as this is a major hub from which you can reach the majority of popular destinations in France. You can get here easily from the Charles de Gaulle Airport. If you need help with that, check this guide from Top Paris Transfer. This station is also where you can catch TGV trains that will take you to some of the most beautiful destinations in Europe, see an Oui SNCF guide for those here. For the most romantic trip from here, catch Le Train Bleu from Paris to Venice. This lovely ride has been running since 1901.

Gare Saint-Lazare

If you have the soul of an artist, you definitely must pay a visit to Gare Saint-Lazare. Both Claude Monet and Edouard Manet, renowned impressionist artists, loved this place and immortalized it in their artwork. That is the kind of romance and passion that lasts through the ages.

A walk through the Gare Saint-Lazar is akin to a walk through an art gallery, albeit a very busy one. There are paintings, murals, and statues peppered all over the place. The architecture is stunning, and there is a charming enclosed walkway, called La Galerie Marie Antoinette. It takes you to the posh Hilton Paris Opera Hotel. The Paris Opera itself as well as Palace de Madeleine are only a few steps away from the station.

Gare d’Austerlitz

When it was built in 1840, this station was called Gare d’Orleans s this is where you could travel from it. Today you can go to Orleans from this station as well, check the TrainLine guide to learn how. You can also go to many other cities of the central and southern France.

The station changed its name to commemorate the greatest win in the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Austerlitz. Despite the bloody cause behind the name, today it’s one of the most romantic stations in Paris. It’s the only one that offers great views of the Seine and the building itself is elegant and charming.

Paris has many other stations, but these stand out due to their sheer grandeur as well as charm inherent to all historical buildings in Paris. Explore the city by train to discover the beauty of every station.

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Paris is truly a magnificent city. It has a lot to offer, and it’s a perfect way to experience the French way of life and their culture. It’s a massive city and one that’s expensive, too, and if you’re going to be visiting it, it’s crucial that you plan well.

That being said, there are a couple of crucial things that you’ll want to keep in mind before you head to this French paradise. We’ll talk about them below, and you’ll be able to enjoy your stay in Paris without a worry in the world.

A Bit of Language Knowledge Won’t Hurt

You actually don’t need to be fluent in French if you want to talk to the locals in Paris. However, it does make a massive difference if you know the basics. Therefore, some French lessons won’t hurt. Make sure you know all the basic phrases, the ones you use in your everyday life and try to learn as much as possible if you want a smooth experience.

The thing with the locals is that most of them actually speak pretty good English, but they don’t want you to know that. If you start speaking English with a French person, there’s a very big chance that they will pretend they don’t know English, at all. However, if you start speaking French, they won’t mind switching into English.

Figuring Out Accommodation Can Be Finnicky

One thing that people love about Paris is the variety it offers. It’s organized in neighborhoods, known as arrondissements, and all of them will have plenty of accommodation options. From hotels to private Airbnb accommodation, you can pick and choose whatever you want.

For example, if you want high-end shops and genuine Parisian charm, the Saint-Germain neighborhood is right for you. If you want to be in the center, and close to all the tourist attractions, the first, second, third and fourth arrondissements are perfect. And if you want to experience the artsy Paris, the 18^th arrondissement near Montmartre is unparalleled.

Get Ready to Walk, a Lot

Even though there is ample public transportation, the absolute best way to enjoy Paris is to stroll through it. Getting lost is incredibly difficult. There are 20 arrondissements, and there isn’t a street sign in the city that doesn’t tell you which one you’re in.

The neighborhoods are actually organized in the shape of a snail, but counterclockwise. If you find the first one on a map, you can count to 20 when moving your finger in a circular, counterclockwise motion, to see where the rest are.

If, however, you have a reason to avoid walking, you can always resort to the metro system in Paris. It’s very simple, and it’s actually a great way to get from one place to another. There are more than 15 lines that connect the city’s underground area, and five larger lines that head out to the suburbs that surround the city. And if you’re there for a week, for a tad over 22 euros you can get a weekly pass. Just remember, the doors open by lifting the lever, not automatically. Oh, and note that the metro doesn’t work 24/7.

There’s a Market Every Day

No, we aren’t overstating things. There really is a market every day. You can get the largest array of them on Saturdays and Sundays, but there are smaller markets that have produce, and they’re open seven days a week. You can find them all over the city. Some more popular options include Place d’Aligre, Belleville and Bastille.

Keep a Bit of Cash

While most of the places you’ll be visiting, such as supermarkets or restaurants, will accept a card, it’s not a bad idea to keep a few euros in your pocket. This is especially useful when you’re visiting the markets we just spoke about, as well as when you need to make an unexpected stop in a bakery.

Eye Contact Is a Thing

This might freak you out at first, especially if where you come from this isn’t common. But people will make intense eye contact with you in Paris, and it’s going to happen to you a lot. They’ll also hold that eye contact for an uncomfortably long time. What should you do? Do it, too.

Forget About Grabbing a Cab to the Airport

Whether it’s when you’re arriving, or when you’re leaving Paris, it might be tempting to avoid public transportation and grab a taxi to the airport. However, that’s going to be a costly luxury, as it may end up costing you more than $50. You could grab a metro for about 10 euros, or if you have a weekly metro pass, go to Denfert-Rochereau and grab the airport bus. Thank us later.

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