France Is Calling

So, I have been trying to decide where we will go on our usual Fall vacation and going back and forth as to whether we should leave the country or not and trying not to let my FOMO get the best of me and just get on a plane to somewhere everyone else has been going. While it's a few months off still, I've landed on the perfect balance for us: Normandy, France.

Now, you may have noticed we've been to France several times. The last time we went, it was the first time we didn't include it as part of another vacation. We first visited in 2006, as part of our honeymoon. It was mostly not my favorite trip there. We visited again in 2013, again as part of a bigger trip to London, but we spent more time there than the first trip and did more interesting things. Our last trip was in 2022. If you have been around awhile, you know that we did a lot of non-touristy stuff, and then we spent 3 days at Disney, because that trip cost less altogether than a trip to Orlando would have, plus we got to sightsee around Paris. 

This trip we're going to try some new things. First up, renting a car and driving in the French countryside. I'm always nervous about driving in a different country, but more so I'm definitely afraid to drive in the big city if it's on the other side of the road. I will gladly try that out in the country or even on the highway. I won't be doing that this time, though, because France drives on the right-hand side like we do in the U.S. I also won't have to figure out how to drive in Paris, which seems like it could be scary...though I did drive in Ecuador and Quito was crazy, but we didn't die and I actually was really confident by the 3rd day.

Why Normandy? Why not? It has a ton of history, beaches, great food, Monet's garden is out there, and France just happens to be an affordable destination, even now. I'm excited to explore new areas of France and not have to rely on public transportation to go to a new town. Not that I have anything against buses and trains, but when you have limited time, you don't really want to waste it waiting on a bench. If we didn't rent a car, the train trip from Paris to Normandy would only be 2 hours, which is fine, but getting around the area might be a bit more challenging.

Normandy is an area made up of a bunch of smaller towns, so there's so much to check out, but here are just a few things I have on my list to do:

• The Bayeaux Tapestry - a 230 ft-long tapestry showing Duke William of Normandy's conquest of England.
• Notre Dame Cathedral - apparently, the one in France isn't the only one, it's just the most famous.
• Conservatoire de la Dentelle - a conservatory dedicated to the art of handmade lace.
• Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy
• Bayeaux Botanical Garden
• Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet
• Jardin de Plantes and Jardins des Simple - two gardens in Caen that showcase rare and medicinal plants.
• Caen Castle
• Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei - officially listed as one of the most beautiful towns in France.
• The Haras du Pin National Stud - known as the Versailles for horses, it encapsulates all of Normandy's horse history and culture.

And since we'll be flying and out of Paris, we're absolutely going to visit Disneyland Paris again. I love those parks and have a new plan for dining this time, too. I've been doing more research and it looks like the food in Disney Village is better than the sit-down dining in almost any of those in the parks, unless they are quick-service. I'd also like to explore, at least, the Disneyland Hotel and possibly the Disney Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel. We might be lucky enough to also be there during a festival or the start of Halloween.

If you've been to Normandy and have recommendations for things to do or where to eat, hit me up. (Same for Disneyland Paris food suggestions.)

Traveling In This Political Climate

I've been talking to a lot of people lately about how they plan on traveling in the near future while everything is so up in the air and uncertain. People are being detained at the border, even if they are US citizens, recession is probably coming and there are wars in a lot of places as well. 

So, how do we navigate these new, unprecedented times? Do we stick close to home or do we pretend that nothing is different and plan all our trips like we have just been going about life and work like everything is normal. It's not normal. 

The answer isn't simple, unfortunately. It depends on who you are and how you usually travel. A white-presenting person is going to have a lot fewer problems than someone with black or brown skin. The same goes for U.S. citizens versus those with Green Cards or naturalization. And still someone who is trans or non-binary is going to have different concerns traveling right now than traditionally gender-conforming cis people.

I look white, but also have a popular middle eastern name, so at the moment, I don't really feel comfortable going to Egypt, which is one of the places I thought about traveling this year. Luckily, I have Global Entry and PreCheck, so coming back to the country from mostly anywhere shouldn't be that big of a deal for me. I never changed my last name when I got married and I don't look threatening in any way.

Over the next month or so, I will be doing a series on traveling while the world is so uncertain and the US government kind of wants to ruin everyone's life. I hoped that the Covid pandemic was our only tumultuous once-in-a-lifetime event, but it looks like this may be another one for Americans. Luckily, most other countries know that many of us didn't vote for this administration and are still welcoming to us. 

My face when the cherry blossoms weren't blossoming, but possibly your face reading this

Also, don't worry. If this doesn't sound interesting to you, I'll still be writing about where you could be traveling on a budget, where to travel for Asian American culture/history (for AAPI History Month), packing light, Portland coffee, and I still have a bunch of reviews to get to. 

So, I want to know how you are traveling, struggling, staying home, or planning for the future right now. Tell me in the comments.

Top 10 Ways to Save On Food When You Travel

Food isn’t like souvenirs—you can’t just skip it while you’re on vacation! Eating is a must, but that doesn’t mean it has to blow your budget. The good news? There are plenty of easy ways to cut down on food costs without missing out on amazing meals. Just because you're trying to save a bit doesn’t mean you're stuck with fast food or boring sandwiches the whole trip. 

Here are my top 10 tips for making your food money go further while still enjoying some of the best bites your destination has to offer.

Ask the locals where they eat

Odds are, people who live where you’re traveling don’t eat at the fanciest restaurant in town. You know who eats there? Tourists and people celebrating their anniversaries. The “normal” people eat at affordable dining establishments that are also delicious and serve food from the local area. They are going to want to point you towards some of the city’s gems and impress you because, unlike hotel staff, they don’t get paid for recommending the crazy expensive steakhouse down the street.

Look forward to lunch

You probably aren’t always frugal. While on vacation, it’s okay to splurge sometimes. If that includes going to a top-rated restaurant that you know is spendy, make reservations for lunch instead of dinner. The food will be just as tasty, but cheaper than at dinnertime.

Split an entrée

Most restaurants serve you at least twice as much food as you can eat. Don’t be weighted down having to carry around leftovers or feel bad about food left on your plate. Share a main dish with your travel companion. Most hotels will split an entrée for no fee, but even if you have to pay for an extra plate, it only costs a few dollars, which is cheaper than paying for a whole other meal. 

Order an appetizer for a meal

Most appetizers can be plenty to fill you up and can be as little as a third of the price of an entrée. This is also a great option for you if you like to try many different dishes. Order two to three for the same price as a meal.

Hit up the food carts

Food carts can offer a huge variety of different local and international foods, but can be half the price of (or less) than dining at a sit-down restaurant. With this kind of savings, you can try fare from several carts with no regrets.

Shop the farmers market

There’s no better way to experience local cuisine and interacting with residents than a visit to the closest farmers market. You will find a variety of food, including meats, fruits, vegetables and cheeses. Purchase enough for lunch and enjoy the afternoon having a picnic in a nearby park.

Rent a vacation home or stay in a hotel with a kitchen(ette)

This is my favorite way to stretch my food budget, because there are so many options. Renting can be a great value over hotel stays if you’ll be visiting for a week or more, plus it gives you the chance to check out the local grocery store. Make many of your own meals and save considerably. I don’t often like to spend money on eating breakfast out, so I love to buy new cereals and pastries I can enjoy in my room.

Stay at a hotel that offers free breakfast

You don’t realize how much dining out can cost until you go on vacation. A reasonable breakfast can cost between $8-15 per person. If you multiply that by the number of people you’re traveling with and the number of days you’ll be staying, that number can be huge. If you find a hotel in your price range that offers free breakfast, you’ve hit a jackpot of savings.

Sign up for Groupon

If you haven't been using Groupon, what are you even waiting for? Save 40-90% off food and more, meaning you can eat for way less than you originally planned, meaning you can splurge on a fancy meal, spend that money elsewhere, or actually just stay on budget. Sign up at Groupon for the destination of your next vacation (they cover many international locations as well as the United States) and eat for less!

Don’t order off the kids’ menu

If you travel with children, you’ll notice that most kids’ menus seem to have the same small rotation of foods. Obviously, little ones don’t just live on hot dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets and PB&J sandwiches. Not only do they charge an outrageous amount for these “staples” that cost hardly anything to make, but they offer hardly any nutritional value and your kids are likely to eat only half of it before declaring they’re full. Instead, order a meal that you both will eat and share. This saves you money and might get them to eat a vegetable or two.

While there are other ways to save on dining, these have proven to be the most useful for my travels and are my first suggestions to anyone asking how to cut costs on their trip. They are easy to do and will enable you to try a bigger variety of foods, too. You’ll experience more of the city and its people, giving you a greater vacation experience.

How do you save money on dining out when you travel?