5 Fab Tips for Stress Free Travel Days (to France)!

Get the most out of your trip from the beginning, with a little planning!1. Plan in advance so you can use one of the airlines' private lounges. If you're not a high mileage flyer, check with your credit card companies. Some of them offer passes to the lounges if you've bought your ticket using their card. Some cards or airline programs offer passes to the lounges for signing up. So, before you purchase your ticket, check out the various offers.2. How to prepare so you beat Jet lag. If you're traveling from the US to Europe, start adjusting your body clock. The week before travel, start going to bed a bit earlier and waking a bit earlier. Try going to bed 10-15 minutes earlier each night. Your body clock will be set by 2 or more hours before you even leave!3. Sleep on the flight. Do whatever it takes to get some shut eye! Don't be (gulp) tempted to stay up for the airline food. For Heaven's sake, why? If you're going to Paris, you're headed to the gastronomic capital of the world. What on earth would be tempting about airline food.  Note: If your airline serves food good enough to keep you awake in anticipation of it, please write us immediately at wendy@blisstravels.com (or through our website at www.blisstravels.com) because we are going to switch and start putting ourselves and our clients on this amazing new carrier!4. When you arrive in Paris and plan to go to another part of France. Go. Immediately. The same day. That's what we do. Why not? You'll be tired anyway. Why not take a relaxing train ride to Provence on Day 1. You'll rest and grab a cat nap --and you'll be ready to go the next morning.5. If you're staying in Paris...press on! Have a cup of rocket fuel (aka Expresso) at your local cafe, and have an easy day of walking around and seeing sites. Nothing too intense. Have a nice late lunch or early dinner but DO NOT NAP. You will throw your body clock off and be up every night for a week. We find our clients are usually fairly excited and ready to go in the morning but start to slow down by about 4pm. Time for a glass of wine and some appetizers. Then a little walk. Go to bed at 8pm and you'll be fresh and happy, and be on local time the next day.(Oh, p.s. This "rocket fuel" photo brings back a lot of memories. And not just of jet lag. Sarah Miller took this photo while we were finishing lunch in Provence. We were on a fashion shoot for Nicole Miller Philadelphia wedding dresses. We spent Christmas in Paris, Provence and Chateauneuf du Pape...A winery even opened for us on Christmas Eve day! Even though we were all working, it was a pretty cool trip!For more tips contact us at wendy@blisstravels.com. Or to follow our current trip to Paris, Provence, and the Mediterranean on this blog!

7 "Musts" for the Ultimate Wine Tasting in Burgundy

Want to have the "ultimate" experience in Burgundy, tasting wines and visiting vineyards? Who doesn't! Here are some tried and true tips for ensuring your trip is over the top fabulous!1. Location, Location, Location! Experience the "terroir". Find someone to take you around and "introduce you" to the various parcels of land. You know that fabulous Chardonnay you love? The one from "Les Charmes" (perhaps). Well, visit that plot. See where it's grown. It's all about real estate. 2. Think Small! Some of the best vineyards, and best wine production in Burgundy is from small parcels of land. Just cause it's tiny and just cause you haven't heard of it means nothing. Good things often come from small packages!3. Timing is everything! Yep, that's right. The year's very important. And not just because it might be a "good" or a "bad" year. It's more complicated than that. A wine from one year might be fabulous and open immediately. A wine from another year might be fabulous (and open) 10 years later. Knowing the year of your wine and when to open that wine, is very important.4. Talk to the winemaker. You must find a wine maker to take you through his or her cellars and discuss their philosophy and methods. Nothing (and I mean nothing) beats that! If you don't have any personal connections (and let's face it, most of us don't) then find someone who does. Do you have a friend in the business? Can you join someone who's already doing this? Whatever it takes, as the saying goes, "just do it"!5. It's all about You! Trust yourself. Often people are bamboozled by the expert or the name. You're the one drinking the wine. So, you are the one who has to like it. Do a blind tasting so that you're not overly influenced by extraneous factors. You'll be surprised by how much you know and how consistent your taste really is.6. Learn to Read a Label. It's more than art. Each word has a reason, and helps you identify the wine. It includes things like vineyard, ranking, year, winemaker etc. Can you imagine how you might choose a wine if there was no label? Well, that's what you're doing when you don't know how to read the label! Information is power!7. Relax. Everyone is just too intense about wine. It's meant to be enjoyed. So, enjoy yourselfWant to learn more about our photos or a  trip to Burgundy visit www.blisstravels.com. Or contact wendy@blisstravels.com.

Tips for Your Best Ever Holidays... in Paris

Paris for the holidays! Wow! What a fabulous experience. Take our advice and follow these easy tips to make the most of your Paris adventure.1. Do pack waterproof boots or shoes --so the slushy streets don't slow you down!2. Do Make Dinner Plans for the Holidays. Even if you're not religious, many restaurants have special menus (or conversely, the "real" chef is away) during the 24th and 25th. So, plan to plan for these days. You will have a great time if you do!3. Do Choose in advance which Christmas Markets to visit. The Christmas markets are amazing! Each one of them is a bit different. Some focus on antiques. Some on food. Some on artisan products and touristy gifts...(Our personal favorite is the foie gras vendor at one of the markets--who is across from  the caviar stand! Where else in the world can you have foie gras and Sauternes or Caviar blinis while standing on a street decorated with lights, and lined with world class monuments?) Decide where you want to go and make sure you give yourself enough time to linger at each stand. Don't forget to have a glass of warm spiced wine to take the chill off!3. Do have "bad weather" plans. Have an idea of a warm cozy day, in case it rains or snows. What's your favorite small museum? What fabulous covered passageways haven't you seen? Which of the large department stores entice you? French theatre or film? Or simply bring your notebook and chill at a warm cafe and watch the world go by as you write your award winning novel.4. Do save room for the best hot chocolate in the world! Paris is full of places where you can get "real" hot chocolate, from the well known Angelina's to some of the lesser known, but top notch quality hot chocolate spots. Explore!5. Don't forget there are exciting day trips outside of Paris! If the weather permits, Champagne is wonderful over the holidays --and so appropriate!6. Do bring an extra bag rolled up in your suitcase, for all the gifts you are going to buy!For more information or to join us on one of our holiday trips, visit us at: http://www.blisstravels.com/parisgetaways.html#ParisTripor write wendy@blisstravels.com

7 Easy Steps to a Bliss-ful Vacation in France!

1. Pack Light! It's hard to be adventurous when you're bogged down. Plus, everything's smaller in France (elevators, car trunks, closets...). And, the walks are longer. You can't catch a train on the fly if you're lugging around everything you own!2.Think local! Sure, you should read some guide books or talk to a travel pro about what to see, but don't miss out on the "real" sites by keeping your head in the book. Look up! Get off the main arteries and find local haunts and authentic experiences.3. Talk it up! Find someone who has actually (and recently) been to France. Ask them where they went and what they liked and why!4. Eat authentically! Before picking a restaurant, walk the area. Don't go before 8pm (the start of the French dinner hour). Look and listen. Read menus. Avoid menus with long lists of dishes and translations into many languages. Those places are for tourists. Look for small menus, specialty places and market fresh blackboard specials. Then listen to the patrons (if there aren't any patrons, keep walking). Are many of the diners speaking French or are they tourists? The best food and the best deals are found in places that specialize in market fresh meals designed for locals.5. Drink local wines! Don't order a bottle just because you recognize the name. Once upon a time, food was local, as was wine. They matched perfectly because of this. Order what's local to match your market fresh meal. That might mean ordering a carafe of local wine or a bottle from a nearby vineyard.6. Travel "off the beaten track"! Find towns and villages that aren't on the major tour routes. Spend some time wandering through their streets, sipping a drink at the local cafe, or watching the locals play "boules". Really soak in the experience of being in France.7.Slow Down! Some Americans arrive wanting to go, go, go! They want to grab a quick sandwich at lunch so they can visit more sites, or they want to start each day at 7am so they can pack it all in. But life in France has a different rhythm. Many businesses don't open until 9-10am (especially in the countryside), and most businesses close for a couple hours during lunch. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy your time in France. Linger over your meals. Take an aimless stroll after lunch. And try to mimic the rhythm of a real French day. After all, you traveled many thousands of miles to be there!For a great selection of French travel off the beaten track trips, visit www.blisstravels.com or send me an email at wendy@blisstravels.com.