What 5 Days in Paris Taught Me
Bonjour! 👋Comme il est bon d'être à la maison!
If you have no idea what that says (yes, I used Google Translate), it means “It’s great to be home!”
ICYMI, I spent 5 days last week in the one and only Paris, France.
While Paris has certainly been a focal city in 2024 (for rightful reasons), I went for a unique purpose that, in all honesty, was very “Lucy” (so it probably won’t surprise you!)
I spent 5 days intentionally visiting Parisian Flea Markets and shopping for one-of-a-kind antiques to fill my home (and yours? 👀) 🤩
To put it simply, it was EPIC ✨see a little recap HERE.
Alas, this trip may or may not have been a little R&D and preparation for a retreat I’m planning in Fall 2025…are you picking up what I’m puttin’ down here, First name / friend? 🤗
Anywho, I’m SO grateful I had the opportunity to take this trip to start fleshing out the details for the retreat and to get real experience for what I want to take you to see/do while we’re there!
I learned a LOT over the course of a few short days, and whether you’re already jumping on the 💫 first to know Paris Retreat waitlist 💫 or you’re just a jet setter like me, here are the 3 top things that 5 days in Paris taught me:
The weather surprised me. As much traveling as I do in my current season of life, you might think I should have expected the weather to be different than I, well, expected. It was SO much chillier than I thought it would be! The big learning here is that no matter how experienced we are as travelers, sometimes we paint an “ideal image” of what it will look like (i.e. me frolicking through warm but breezy Fall days in Paris) which prevents us from preparing for reality. Has this ever happened to you, First name / friend?
Don’t get me wrong, I was looking forward to fall sweaters…but the grey skies made it feel SO much colder.
I packed everything in a carry-on and I wore my Jenni Kayne slip dress 3 different times, 3 different ways (bringing a staple item is my go-to)!
I ended up buying a pair of jeans at Mono Prix because the pair I brought got wet and very dirty at the flea market and frankly, were disgusting! 😂 I rinsed them out but they still need to be washed twice in the washing machine (not realistic when traveling abroad in most places).
Alas, I had a list of things I wanted to buy on my trip and got three of them checked off the list (a trench from Sezane, boots from Ba&sh, and ballet flats from mono prix that I can’t find a link for)!
What can I say, the weather made me to it! 😁
I’m downloading Babbel, like right now. Did I think a few years of high school French and watching some of my favorite movies set in France would really equip me to communicate with locals on my trip? Of course not. What I DID learn, however, is that I have even more room to grow in my very light knowledge of the French language. THEY TALK SOO FAST! Even if you know a few words or phrases, it sounds entirely different when it’s being spoken by the French.
There are really two learnings here:
1) I’m so grateful I had a fluent friend with me (my wonderful friend Ashley who you will be hearing more about soon), and
2) I know what to prepare for leading up to the Inspired Retreat next Fall.
If you want to have success shopping at the local flea markets and shops, either having someone with you who is fluent or being able to communicate to a certain level yourself is 1,0000000% necessary (especially to get the best deals)!
Ready for another spoiler? You don’t have to worry about this one bit if you’re coming to my retreat. I’ve got you covered (and no, I don’t mean with my own sub-par French dialect 😂)
Money prep matters. The Euro to Dollar ratio is anywhere from 10-12%, depending on who is doing the conversion. INSIDER TIP: You can get a better conversion from your bank or credit card company versus letting them do the conversion at the store where you’re shopping.
What’s most crazy is that the rate it fluctuates all the time. There were several times when I forgot that I needed to add that extra percentage to all the pricing (oops 🙊)!
As a result, a few things I bought were a bit of a shock when I looked at my credit card statement after I got home! It doesn’t seem like that much in the moment, but it’s as if the “extra” percentage is a sales tax. Another insider tip: If you spend over $100, you can get a tax refund at the airport.
Ya’ll, I mean it when I say this is only scratching the surface on everything I learned, and more importantly, it’s got me SO excited for next Fall!
My whole goal in planning Inspired Retreats is to allow you to shed any stressors about getting to shop and explore the world’s best vintage and antique markets, and just show up & enjoy!
Au revoir, mon ami!
