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 irlines,
trains and cars. All play a role in the trip. I suppose an ocean
voyage would be nice if you have the time and money.
In our case
it became a bit more complicated. First, our group consisted of
six people. We were going for three weeks and the other two couples
for slightly less than two weeks. We planned to spend about 10 days
together as a group so Doris and Jerry made additional plans.
 Then,
Lori and Peg work for United Airlines. They were flying of passes.
Now pass flying is a bit more complicated in these days of airline
cutbacks and full planes. That meant a very close monitoring of
loads and finally a decision to go from Seattle to San Francisco
and then to Europe. So, Thom, Lori, Peg and Cliff left a day after
Doris and Jerry. They went directly to Paris.
 Not
to be out done, Doris and Jerry utilized air miles for free tickets.
That meant Northwest Airlines via Amsterdam. The trip was planned
so that we would arrive in Nice on September 19th, 2001. Oops. Osama
managed to but a bad crimp in those plans. That is why this site
is called France 2002.
911:
The events of September 11th were horrible for the entire world.
They have changed the way we live our lives. We count ourselves
fortunate that inconvenience was the only impact on this trip plan.
Yes, we lost a prepaid apartment rental in Paris. That was managed
by an American company who said too bad. Our French landlord was
most gracious and offered to reschedule our reservations without
being asked. So to for hotels in Nice and Avignon. For Doris and
Jerry it meant changing our air arrival from Nice to Amsterdam and
a train to Avignon.
Airline tickets
vary a great deal in price depending on when you by them, what kind
of perks you have and many more variables. The only way to get a
good deal is to make your reservations a long ways ahead and to
book during a sale. If you have the ability to upgrade to business
class, do it. You will feel a little less like freight in the front
of the aircraft.
There are often
really good deals to be had, so check sites like Travel and Orbit
often. As I write this page in February '03 we could fly to Paris,
train to Avignon and stay in a nice hotel in the Provence more cheaply
than we could go to Cabo San Lucas. And that is leaving from Seattle.
Another plus, the rooms are nicer and cheaper. Finally the food
and wine is much, much better. You would be in France instead of
San Diego Sur.
 Trains:
Our change of plan found us unable to book a flight directly into
Nice or Paris. We could have done so, but Doris would have had to
arrive in Nice on a different flight than Jerry. For simplicity
we decided to get off in Amsterdam
and take a tour of the city. It would add a section of new territory
for us. We checked all the possible alternatives to get from Amsterdam
to Avignon. The best deal was a Eurrail pass. It allowed us to travel
on any five days of a sixty day period. The cost for two adults
- $398.
There are lots
of ways to buy a Eurail Pass. They have to be purchased before you
go. We bought ours at Rick
Steves' agency in Edmonds, WA. They really know the ins and
outs of rail travel in Europe and will help you find just the right
ticket.
The train was
one of the best parts of the transportation package. It is a chance
to sit back, enjoy the scenery and rest up while traveling at well
over 100mph. It is fast, easy and comfortable. There are lots of
trains to everywhere so scheduling is no problem. Still it is advisable
to make a reservation as some trains do fill up.
 Automobiles:
We rented from Auto
Europe. We had a VW Passant (Intermediate - 5 passenger - 4
Door Car - MANUAL Transmission) for 13 days at a total cost of $592.74.
That included $125 for full coverage insurance and $100 in taxes.
That's only about $45 a day. It was a great car with a turbo diesel
engine. Smooth, quiet, fast. The car was nearly new with very few
kilometers on the dial. I don't think you could do as well anywhere
in the US. We have rented from Auto Europe before and find them
to the very good. Another source is
Eurocar, but that is where you will pick up your Auto Europe
car. Also, try Kemwel.
We have rented from them as well with good success. We checked them
all. There was no significant difference in price. There are other
agencies that can beat the price, but they are harder to verify
as to their reliability. We decided to stay with the one we knew.
The US companies, Hertz and Avis also rent cars in Europe, but they
were significantly more expensive.
Because there
were six of us and because we were planning on exploring the countryside
we needed two cars. This permitted the group to split up when we
did not all want to do the same thing - an essential element of
successful group travel. Driving in France is easy. The roads are
better than the US. The have toll expressways when you need to cover
distance and great side roads when you are just poking around. Oh,
did I mention the fact that French drivers are courteous and understanding
of the tourists. Only an occasional honk and hand wave.
The only real
driving challenge is in the larger cities. In Nimes there was a
lot of traffic so we tried to sneak around the back streets to avoid
the jams. This resulted in driving down some side streets that were
so narrow we had to fold back the mirrors. A bit nerve wracking
but as long as you go slowly everything works out.
Finally, if
you are going to have multiple cars, take along a set of walkie-talkies.
They saved us from getting seriously separated on a couple of occasions.
We picked up
and dropped off our cars in Avignon. The rental agency is just outside
of the train station. We could have dropped the car off anywhere
for no extra charge.
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