My first solo(ish) trip to Paris

With all the Olympic fever over the summer I’ve been reminiscing quite a bit about Paris, and since I’ve now had way too many requests to ignore that I should share some personal travel reflections, here’s blog number one!

The pic above is from a fantastic trip to Paris last Autumn to speak at a women’s leadership conference. It was a fab conference and a fab trip. BUT, my fave Paris trip was actually my very first – which also happened to be my first ever solo(ish) trip. 

How it started

I was at university in London and spent hours planning a weekend in Paris with my then boyfriend. It had been a dream of mine to see the City of Lights and I couldn’t wait! Then, just before we were to leave, my boyfriend was invited to go hiking in Scotland with a group of guys he was keen to impress for job opportunities. Suddenly the dream trip I’d planned became a pipe dream, and if I wanted to go to Paris I’d have to go on my own. 

I’d never really gone anywhere on my own. Seriously, I didn’t even run errands on my own very often. Luckily there was another group from my uni planning to go to Paris that weekend. I didn’t really know them at all but asked if I could tag along for the journey, and they said yes! I’d still need to do quite a few things alone, but how bad could it be? It was Paris, after all! 

Unfortunately just before I was to travel I hit another stumbling block — food poisoning. It was AWFUL, but by this point I was determined (and perhaps a bit delirious LOL). I arrived at the airport, found my group and seeing them gave me confidence – this was going to be okay! Or so I thought…but I was visibly ill and the airline wouldn’t let me board the plane. 

A way forward

After what seemed like ages arguing with the unwavering airline staff, a random stranger mentioned that I could perhaps try the overnight ferry to France. One of my schoolmates, a girl I barely knew, turned to me and said ‘let’s do it!’  So she left her friends and her plane ticket and off we went on the train from London to Dover, then a ferry across the Channel and a train to Paris on the other side. Our 45-minute flight became an all-night trip, most of which I spent on the floor doubled over in pain. I wouldn’t have made it without her!

By the time we arrived in Paris my food poisoning had passed and the sun was beaming. I waved goodbye to my new friend as she left to catch up with her group, and I stepped out onto the streets of Paris. I toured the Louvre, climbed the Eiffel Tower, sipped bubbles in a jazz bar, walked along the Seine, caught up with school friends and made new ones. Magical!

Reflections

As I travelled back to London (on the plane this time!) I was filled with a new sense of confidence. Looking back on it now I’m grateful for a trip I’ll never forget, and even more for the little life lessons I learned that weekend, especially:

  • that setbacks happens – often! — but having the resilience to adapt might even lead to a better outcome than planned!
  • that sometimes it’s the kindness of complete strangers that make all the difference, and
  • while I LOVE sharing experiences with others, I’m absolutely fine on my own. In fact, sometimes time exploring alone is the most rewarding of all.

I’ve taken more adventurous solo trips since then, but that first small step was a big one. They say the more you travel, the more you find yourself – and my trip to Paris certainly proved that for me.

Paris Travel Tips

I hadn’t originally planned for Paris to be my first solo(ish) trip, but I’d recommend it! Many think of Paris as a romantic destination, and it certainly can be, but I’ve since travelled to Paris for work many, many times and find it can be just as enjoyable solo. It’s a big city, so just like in any big city it’s important to be aware of your surroundings and avoid putting yourself in a difficult situation, but in all of my trips I have personally never had an issue or felt unsafe.

I’ve also found some fun spots to enjoy on my own that I might not have found otherwise. For example:

  • There’s a lovely roof terrace on top of Galleries Lafayette! The panoramic views over Paris are fab, especially at sunset! And it’s free, assuming you’re not tempted by the shopping on the many floors below 🙂
  • There’s also a lovely courtyard café in the Petit Palais! I could sit there for hours enjoying the view of the dome and the gorgeous gardens below. It’s a nice little museum as well of course, but I’d go just for the café!
  • There are several other beautiful gardens where you can picnic or just sip a coffee and watch the world go by.  My personal fave is the Jardin du Luxembourg, which is slightly more touristy now that Emily in Paris chose to put her running route through here, but it’s still gorgeous!
  • There are five Statues of Liberty in Paris! After they made the one in New York that was a gift of friendship from France to the US, the Americans in Paris returned the favour and presented a replica to the French – and 4 more replicas have popped up as well. My fave to visit is the first one on the scenic Ile aux Cygnes, which also has some amazing views of the Eifel Tower (in fact I’m standing there in the picture at the top of this post).
  • And finally, strolling the streets of Paris never gets old! It’s a big city but very walkable. Two of my fave areas for strolling (solo or otherwise) are along the Seine and in colourful Montmartre.

Conclusion

What can I say? Solo travel is worth it, and as the old saying goes, ‘Paris is always a good idea.’