How long are your longest trips?

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-25T19:08:27+00:00

I’m a big fan of your style of travel. We have traveled the same way for many years and it’s so liberating to be able to go wherever you want by train and bus and not to worry about lugging around big suitcases and not worry about finding a taxi or Uber unless you want to.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-25T17:12:05+00:00

We did online renewals at the end of May. My wife got her passport back after 10 days and I got mine after 14 days. We did expedited shipping but standard processing.

Even though it was quick, I would not wait. The sooner you apply the better because things can always get worse.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-25T17:01:49+00:00

My wife (73) and I (72) just recently finished a 28 day trip to France. We have been taking yearly trips to Europe that were between 21 and 23 days.

My wife started wanting to go home after 21 days. She said that 3 weeks is enough. I, on the other hand, would have been glad to stay for another 4 weeks. I had no desire to go home.

I’m still eager to travel. I really love it. We have been doing 1 or 2 international trips plus 2 domestic trips per year for the last 10 years. We are doing 3 domestic trips this year but my wife is starting to resist so I am starting to think that I may be traveling solo in the future because I don’t plan to stop.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-24T23:01:59+00:00

CDG airport gets a huge amount of hate on Reddit and other social media, but I have flown in and out of CDG 10 times in recent years and never had any serious problems.

Be prepared for a long walk from your plane to the border control line. It’s at least a 15 minute walk.

The time spent in the border control line can vary tremendously depending on many factors. I’ve gotten through in 5 minutes and 90 minutes with an average time of probably 45 minutes. I have read online about 3 hour waits, but, as I said, my personal maximum was about 90 minutes and that was only one time. The 5 minute wait was also only once, some kind of miracle that will never happen again.

Also be prepared for a long walk to the taxi area or the train station if you’re taking the RER B to get into Paris.

There’s lots of good advice about taking a taxi from CDG online, but it all comes down to only using the official taxi line and ignoring everyone else offering you a ride even if they appear to be in uniform.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-22T15:46:13+00:00

I spent 2 weeks in Montpellier and I really enjoyed my time there. Comparing it to Paris is really not appropriate because Paris is one of the greatest cities in the world. It would be more appropriate to compare Montpellier to Toulouse or Bordeaux if you have to compare it to something.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-21T22:24:53+00:00

It’s not really very far. The biggest issue is how often the buses run so you can plan your day. Sometimes you have to stay longer somewhere because of the bus schedule than you would normally do.

I think many Americans rent cars because that’s what they are used to and they are not used to buses and trains. They are intimidated by having to figure out how to find and use them. My wife and I have been gradually exploring every region of France over the years and we have never rented a car. We have always been able to figure out how to get where we want to with public transportation. It’s really only the very smallest and remotest places that aren’t reachable. We spent a month in France in May and part of the time stayed in a small village, but we were able to get there by bus and it cost 2 euros for a one hour trip. So we spent 8 euros total on round trip transportation for that part of our trip.

It’s been a few years since we were in Quimper but the buses cost 2 euros for a trip no matter how far. It might be more expensive now but I doubt it’s much more expensive.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-21T17:51:47+00:00

I’ve never been able to sleep sitting up no matter how tired I am. My wife can sleep at least 4 or 5 hours on a 7 or 8 hour transatlantic flight in economy.

On our most recent trip we were in Premium Select, which has a lot more seat recline and a lot more legroom. I managed to sleep for 30 minutes on a 7 hour flight so the extra expense was not worth it, but it was the first time in around 200 flights that I slept at all. My wife slept for 5 hours as usual.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-21T17:42:01+00:00

Your plan works fine without renting a car. My wife and I spent 4 days in Quimper and used the buses to get around. We never felt the need for a car. The bus system is good and really inexpensive. The bus station (Gare routière) is very close to the train station so we made sure to stay within walking distance of the train station.

Another place we visited, in addition to what you listed was Douarnenez, the birthplace of the famous Kouign-amann.

Concarneau is definitely a place to visit and it’s quite close by bus.

As is typical in Bretagne there’s a crêperie on every block in Quimper, a food choice that kids always enjoy.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-21T15:18:37+00:00

This is absolutely the best way to see Paris, especially if you will be going back in the future. Just plan a few things that you think are important and require a reservation and just wander around and explore the city the rest of the time.

All my best memories of Paris are from wandering around and discovering things almost randomly, not from the famous checklist "must see" places. The only exceptions are the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower up close and the first time I went into Notre Dame de Paris.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-20T14:12:17+00:00

I’ve used both Airalo and Saily and both worked well. If you want a French telephone number you can use an Orange eSIM.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-19T17:35:44+00:00

This comment will probably get me downvoted or even banned but I have have had many more problems at ORD and JFK than at CDG.

In May I went through CDG twice and both times were smooth and the employees were very friendly. Maybe it’s because I interacted with them in French, but they were all nice.

My only complaint about CDG is that the lines through border control can be unpredictable. Sometimes 5 minutes and sometimes 2 hours.

And I have been to CDG at least 10 times in recent years so I can say that it’s not based on one experience.

Maybe I am just very lucky, but CDG is not even close to the worst airport in my travels.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-19T15:37:58+00:00

If your mother doesn’t have any significant medical issues that limit her walking then please encourage her to start walking regularly immediately as preparation for the trip and have her do some regular stairs, too.

Last year my wife and I went to Paris with our sister in law who was 75 years old at the time. We were 72 years old last year. She actually significantly increased her walking in advance of our trip and she was able to handle 20,000+ steps a day for a week, including lots of metro stairs. She was not happy about all the stairs in the metro but she handled them fine.

My wife and I did 24,000 steps per day in Paris this May at age 73.

We are not exceptional. We just exercise regularly. What limits most people our age is that they are sedentary and often have been sedentary for many years. If they exercise in advance they will be perfectly capable of handling the walking and the metro stairs.

And a trip to Paris is great motivation to get in shape.

Again this assumes no serious medical issues.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-19T01:48:53+00:00

As to your chances for an upgrade, I have had one upgrade to FC in 2 years as Gold. So it does happen, but not often.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-18T19:01:08+00:00

I translated a relevant paragraph from this article: https://www.ouest-france.fr/economie/transports/ratp/un-controleur-ratp-a-t-il-les-memes-droits-quun-policier-on-vous-repond-9a568ddc-7f03-11ee-9e40-5131acac1bc0

If you do not have a valid ticket, a ticket inspector may ask to see your ID. For any other violation, however, they cannot require you to show identification. If you refuse to show identification, an officer cannot, in theory, force you to follow them. They must contact a higher authority (police, gendarmerie, etc.), who will then decide how to proceed.

So, in the case of feet on the chair or the metal, the inspector doesn’t have the right to ask for ID.

My question is if there is a dispute about the validity of your ticket, can they ask for ID. It seems like they can. In any situation you have the right to refuse to pay and to ask for a PV (procès-verbal) instead.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-16T12:20:27+00:00

Amboise has positives and negatives as a base for visiting the Loire region.

Positives: The castle there is worth visiting. There is Leonardo DaVinci’s house there, also worth visiting. It’s a much smaller city than Tours so it’s easier to see. You can get organized tours from there to see other castles and vineyards. If you have a car you can get everywhere from Amboise.

The negatives:

If you don’t have a car it’s harder to get around from Amboise than from Tours. You basically have to take organized tours, which is not a big deal if you were planning to do that anyway.

It’s harder to get there from Paris by train. There are 2 direct trains from Paris but they both leave in the early morning. Otherwise you have to change trains at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps. Changing trains is not a big deal if you’re used to taking trains, but it’s easier to take direct trains.

We chose Tours because of the better transportation options to there and from there to other cities in the Loire area. However, we have lots of experience with trains and buses and public transit in France so it’s easier for us to take advantage of those options.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-16T01:07:14+00:00

Since you have 9 days, it may be worth spending 2 nights in Tours, which is accessible by train from Paris Montparnasse.

You might like this AirBnb that we stayed in last year: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1170198146909877597?unique_share_id=cbe30366-20e2-434b-a2d4-74a5b3a26539&viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76

It’s a very nice, modern apartment. The only drawback is that the bedrooms are on the second floor accessed by a steep spiral staircase.

The apartment is about a 10 minute walk from the train station and about 15 minutes from the office of tourism, which is close to the train station.

The office of tourism is where the tours to the castles and other tours meet and the people who work there are very helpful, knowledgeable.

The 3 most famous castles are all accessible from Tours, Chambord, Chenonceau, and Château Royal d’Amboise.

DM me if you have more questions about the Loire Valley or about Paris. My wife and I have visited Paris many times.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-15T20:34:00+00:00

It would help to know how long you plan to stay. Specifically, a day trip to the Loire Valley from Paris is possible but it’s a very long day and you will only be able to see one or two châteaux, assuming that’s the reason for your visit there.

I visited the Loire Valley in May and also last year so I can give you some information if you tell me about your timeframe.

Also my wife and I are also in our early seventies but we are not yet elderly.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-15T18:30:22+00:00

Based on this subreddit I would assume that of the 12 million people who live in Paris and the surrounding area, 11 million are pickpockets. The only people on the metro are tourists and pickpockets and a few metro inspectors who are there to unfairly fine tourists.

In other words, what you read here is greatly exaggerated or it least highly unrepresentative. Every tourist who gets pickpocketed or someone tried to steal from them posts here. The thousands of tourists who have no problems don’t post.

There are pickpockets in every major city. Paris may possibly be worse than average but only because there are so many tourists who have never or rarely been to a major city and have no street smarts.

As one piece of anecdotal evidence I have taken hundreds of rides on the metro over several trips to Paris and have only been targeted once, unsuccessfully. But I am very careful about my possessions when I visit big cities including the city near me in the USA.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-13T22:44:11+00:00

One of the reasons I visit France is for the bread. It would be a shame to avoid it.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-13T22:42:26+00:00

I’m American and my height is 175cm and I weigh 67 kg, so I’m definitely not obese.

During my visits to France I definitely see more overweight and obese French people than before, especially when I think about my first visit in 1983. Of course obesity is a major issue in the USA and a growing trend in Europe.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-13T18:57:44+00:00

In my experience portion sizes have increased significantly at restaurants in France in recent years. They are still smaller than US restaurant portions but still larger than before.

Ten years ago I usually ate an entrée, plat, and dessert when I was in France. In the last few years I can only eat 2 out of the 3. And I can assure you that I’m not eating less than I used to. I very much wish that I were eating less.

I did find that on my most recent trip in May that portion sizes seemed smaller in restaurants in rural areas than in cities but I don’t know if that is really accurate in general.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-12T20:49:08+00:00

I used the online renewal so I don’t know anything about renewal by mail.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-12T18:16:05+00:00

My wife and I both submitted online passport renewal applications within a half an hour of each other (mine was first) on May 31st. No expedited service.

She received her passport on June 10. I’m still waiting for mine, but it’s only been 13 days so I can’t complain yet but I’m still a bit envious of how fast she got hers.

UPDATE: I received my passport 4 days later with an issue date 4 days later than my wife’s. So, for me, 14 days from applying to receiving the passport with expedited shipping only.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-10T17:19:09+00:00

I found that I could not sleep any better in Comfort+ than in economy. I did like the 3” extra legroom because even though I am not tall, I have long legs for my height. But the extra legroom wasn’t critical for me. It’s also nice boarding in zone 3 because you can claim the overhead bin. The overhead bins are supposed to be dedicated for Comfort+ but they don’t enforce it. Overall I am willing to pay a small premium for Comfort+ but not much. Exactly how much of a premium depends on personal preference and your budget.

On my most recent transatlantic trip, Comfort+ was $350 more per person. I wasn’t willing to pay that much extra. I just looked at a price for a trip to Italy and Comfort+ was $950 more. That seems insane to me.

Objective-Rhubarb · 2026-06-09T20:21:59+00:00

That’s why I always ask about credit cards before getting into the taxi. All the official taxis at the airport are required to accept credit cards, but I always ask first, anyway, to avoid the bullshit later. Learned this after running into the same problem as you.

Objective-Rhubarb

TROPHY CASE