I want to take a trip to Paris... but...?

Question

I want to take a trip to Paris with me, my mom, and one of my friends. The thing is, MONEY! Okay, well, I'm not going to one of those stupid scam sites. I'm gonna get a job or something, or work my tail off aroun the house. ;-)

So, how long do you think it would take for me to earn some money, just my half of the trip?

We want to take the trip this year...

So, yeah...

Please help...

Thanks!

Can you give me any tips about Paris too?

-Danielle

Answer 1

That would depend on where you are traveling from and how long you plan to stay. It would also help to know how old you are.

EDIT: OK, I'm going to assume you'd be taking off from Portland airport and that you'd like to travel when the weather is not too cold but that you can also go sometime other than at the very height of the summer (which is the most expensive time to travel to paris). I'm also going to figure on 10 nights or 11 actual days for this trip. (wwhich would be the week and a half you're talking about).

So taking a quick look at Kayak.com I see that the airfare is going to be around $992 per person. If you watch for airfare sales and check on the internet frequently you may be able to snag a better fare. Depending on exactly where you live in Oregon you may have additional costs for getting to Portland.

Once you're in Paris you need a hotel. My favorite little hotel, which is right in the middle of Paris is the Hotel St. Andre des Arts. You can get a triple room which consists of two rooms plus a bathroom for 108 euros a night. That's about $160 a night and includes a French style breakfast (just coffee or hot chocolate and bread, butter and jam). So that would make your share (for ten nights) $534.

Now for food you can spend a lot of money but you can also do things pretty cheap. Breakfast is included at the hotel I mentioned. If you eat your main meal at noon you can take advantage of lunch specials. There are a lot of places where you can get a huge three course meal at luchtime for 10-12 euros which is from $15-$18. At dinnertime you can just get a sandwich, some pizza, a crepe or something similar with a coke for less than 10 euros ($15). So figure that you'll spend something like $30 a day for meals or around $330 for the total 11 days.

You'll need some money for sightseeing and getting around and I estimate that will cost you around $250 for the entire trip.

So when we add that all up you need (for each person) a bit more than $2100 for airfare, hotel, food, sightseeing and transportation.

Now that's a pretty large sum for a girl your age to earn this year but not something that is impossible if you planned on going in, lets say, September 2009.  That would mean making and saving $100 a month for each of the 21 months until that time.

And, starting now, you can let your mother know this is not just some whim but something you and your friend REALLY want to do. And don't just say it but prove it to you mother by doing things like learning how to speak some French, reading books about Paris, and making an itinerary of the sights you want to see.

I started taking my own daughter to France when she was a little younger than you are now. She loved it and I'm sure you will too.

Answer 2

well im in az and planning a trip 6 months in advance i can get tickets round trip for 500-600 but thats because my brother knows how to shop for them. if you wait last minute, the most ive seen round trip tickets is 1500 bucks. but again, thats in az. It also depends on what day your flights are on, some days cost hundreds more than other days of the week, so look at that too. A hotel in the heart of paris, expensive, try looking for cheap local hotels near the edge of the city. If you know someone in paris, they can help you find the cheaper local ones, its sometimes hard to find on the internet because you find the hotels that tourists mostly go to.

if you were older, i'd recommend staying in a hostel. but hotel price is what is really going to get you. If you are going for a week or more, you might want to look into getting a flat. You can pay weekly and they are more fully equipped than a hotel. sometimes cheaper. http://www.paristay.com/paris-vacation-a... some as low as 200euros a week. look for just a one bedroom, its really all you need, it will probably be like a big slumber party anyway

to cut down on price, i went grocery shopping while i was there. i made my own meals and only ate out on occasion. I also walked almost everywhere! so bring tennis shoes! you can also get a metro pass from the city.

If i were you, i'd get my passport NOW, not later. They messed up on mine and it took FOREVER to get a new one, not to mention how long it took to get the first one!

be safe, people drive crazy(but almost never drunk driving).

my favorite thing in paris is to go to a cafe on a busy street corner and watch all the people, other locals do this too. its relaxing.

Best thing you can start doing now, learning the language. The locals are more willing to help you when you really give an effort to speak thier language.

Answer 3

at 12 it will take you forever.  you aren't getting a job.

Answer 4

Well, if you are on a really really tight budget, here are my suggestions:

1) Accomodation: FREE

There are two possible ways of staying in or near Paris for free. If your mom owns her place in a desirable location, you can do a house-swap. There are specialized sites fo that. Otherwise, become house-sitters: put an ad on www.housecarers.com and you can stay at someone's place for free in exchange of watering the plants, bringing in the mail or taking care of the kitties, etc.

Otherwise: I know hotels at 71€/night for a triple room. Breakfast is 5.90 € which makes a total of 89 €/night for the 3 of you. You can also rent a studio or 1 BDR in safe neighborhoods for 400 € to 500 € /week, which makes an average of 57 € to 71 € /night for the 3 of you. Cheaper will not be in a safe neighborhood. Outside Paris you will find good, safe locations for 250 € to 350 € a week. Also, beds and breakfasts tend to be much cheaper than hotels. I can give you links for all these things later. The advantage of renting is that cooking your own food is much cheaper too than eating out. There are also camping sites outside Paris but you'd need to bring your tent and well, it's not very comfortable so I'd rule that out...

2) Weekly expenses.

GROCERIES will cost under 100 € a week for the 3 of you if you rent your own apartment. If you stay at a hotel, just follow the advice given by Rillifane. I can later advise you on the cheapest places to eat in Paris. You can easily have 3 meals/day for 25 € per person.

TRANSPORTATION: this will depend on where you will be. The more central you are, the less you will need to take the métro and a bunch of 10 métro tickets will be plenty and cost 11.10 €. If you get free accomodation in a near and safe suburb close to a métro or RER stop, then you will need a pass. Weekly passes for unlimited travel will be between 16 € and 22 €/week per person.

VISITS: most museums are free for anyone under 18. Average fares for adults are 6 to 9 euros (Eiffel Tower and boat cruises are a little more expensive). You can also decide to visit museums at times when it is reduced (one or two evenings a week) or free: the first Sunday of each month. Some museums are always free. Of course, Cathedrals and churches are free and enjoying street life and parks costs nothing. It is VERY easy to enjoy Paris while hardly spending a thing.

3) Trip: now unfortunately, this is less manageable. Air fares are very expensive and unpredictable. Since you are school students you will have to travel during school vacation which is the most expensive time to fly. From Boston I fly direct for $520 € / $538 around the New Year and for $850 /$1200 in the summer. But I come back in September when it is cheaper and you are located at the other end of the country! In the past few years, I have noticed that booking directly through the Air France website gave me the best deals whereas a few years ago it was the most expensive airline and other discount travel sites offered cheaper fares. Air France recently opened a Seattle-Paris line and have been having promotions. Check regularly (I check everyday when I am looking for a ticket). You could take a bus to Seattle. But check all airlines websites as well as FlyEurope.com, Kayak, Travelzoo, etc. Right now most July 2008 air fares seem to be around $1300-$1400 from Portland.

So as a conclusion I wouldn't worry too much about the cost of staying and visiting Paris as it can cost as little as 100 €/week/person. But the airfare is the thing to really watch. Does your mom or your friend's parents have free miles through their credit cards or anything like that?

Answer 5

What will you do when you get there? Takes money for a room, meals, transportation, a glass or two of wine and buy some junk to bring home, or do you just plan to mooch your way through?

I went a few months ago for 418.00 rt, hotel, meals, taxi... added another $1200.00 and that was for 3 days.