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We have ten days in France, what are we going to do?

After nearly twenty years of designing itineraries for travellers in France, this is a typical question I receive daily. A few days ago I had a couple contact me from Christchurch, NZ, who had just this request for travel, along with their adult son. They are starting from Marseille and are flying out of Paris in ten days time, and they are going to be doing this in the peak of August.

This is what I love!! So I put some options together for them with each option giving them different experiences. The itinerary looked fabulous to me. Staying firstly in the Var in a gorgeous bed and breakfast surrounded by olive trees and vines near the delightful village of Cotignac, then through to the animated village of St Remy de Provence with its extraordinary Wednesday market. Then through to Burgundy to stay in the prettiest town in Europe, Beaune, before heading to the heart of Champagne in Epernay, prior to driving directly through to the Charles de Gaulle airport to fly home!

But it’s August and busy and I want them to have a pool at each address. So I thought of my friends and their hotels in France and tried to imagine the places that would best suit these travellers, and whether they had any availabilities for them. So I sent off many requests to these hotels. Anyway I made it to my office the next day, Saturday, to check on the progress of my requests hoping that for them the options would be marvellous and possible! All the hotels came back to me with ideal room configurations for this family. Apart from the rental car, the holiday was in place and all that was needed for them to get there and start the holiday.

I’m so excited with the places and hotels that have been arranged for them! What a lovely holiday they have in place! In fact I’m so thrilled I thought I’d tell you about it – as I want to explain to people how wonderful my work is! When I put a holiday together for someone, for those “clients”, the places arranged are just names of hotels and names of villages, nothing more! But I have the advantage where for me I see people sitting on a terrace with a chilled wine, I see people’s jaws drop when they see some of the places, some of their rooms, for the first time! I know just the experiences and the feelings people will have, and this makes me feel good!! So thanks to all of you for letting me have so much fun helping you!!!

In less than two weeks I am escorting a tour from Paris, through to Milan and Lake Como, to Venice and then through to Dubrovnik. I know when my tour group received their itinerary they understood where they were going, but they can not understand how extraordinary, how moving, how beautiful are the places they will see. When the tour is over they are the lucky ones too – for they just need to close their eyes and they’re back there again – tasting the food, seeing the beauty and remembering the great times. So if you’re not on this tour group with me, just follow us on this blog!

Doing what I do reminds me of Steve Jobs from Apple Computers, who said – “The only way to do great work, is to love what you do!”