Anybody have conections in Provence France

Re: Anybody have conections in Provence France

roger lance

Hotels make such arrangements......for drivers or other types of companionship.....Viva la France.

Check out some Roubo workbenches and Moxon vises while there.....it might influence you to have an opinion on them.

Re: Anybody have conections in Provence France

Keith Newton

I think I would have to play it by ear before making firm plans. France isn't being hit as hard by the coronavirus as some of it's neighbors, like Italy, but this is the early stage for this outbreak. I have a grand nephew that just got to Italy for part of his studies, and has been called home by Auburn due to the outbreak.

I would really hate to be on an airplane either coming or going if there was just one individual on the same flight coughing and or sneezing. I think the casualties with this one is 2%.

Re: Anybody have conections in Provence France

AZ in Colorado Springs

Twenty years ago I was in Cairo with a friend and the hotel concierge set us up with a great tour guide. I'd presume you could find the same kind of thing in France.

How are you booking the travel? A travel service (if you're using one) could probably add that on.

Re: Anybody have conections in Provence France

Mark Nowicki

Can you be more specific?

Number of people, ages, interests, number of days, etc.

Can you drive, do you want to?

Try fodors.com for advice, one of the members there (StCirq) is an American living in France. She can be a bit abrasive ( like you) but gives excellent advice (like you).

Another Fodors member (Maribel) plans tours, she mostly post on Spain and Portugal forums , but her website mentions France.

https://www.maribelsguides.com/

St. Cirq and more likely Maribel might know local guides.

Another resource I have using lately is Lonely Planet.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/

Since you have mentioned previously that you are frugal, private guide and driver option is expensive like heck.

Pay me enough and I will do it. (Haha)

Re: Anybody have conections in Provence France

Mark Nowicki

A quick google search:

https://www.toursbylocals.com/Provence-Tours

https://www.driverbc.com/en/private-driver/

https://www.provence-trips.com/

Sometimes the best way to find local is to search local, for example:

https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/

https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/discover/continuing-on/discovery-excursions-and-theme-outings/

expense

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

If a guide is booked through a travel agent, who in turn books through a local company who in turn hires the local guide one pays for a lot of overhead. However, when we can find a local guide the cost can be modest. We hired a local guide in Basque County for a week and the cost was half that of a week on a group tour. The guide made suggestions and we got to do whatever we wanted to.

That's a great idea, Bill...

Brad Chenoweth

My wife and I are just starting to consider/discuss a possible "bucket list" trip to Australia and/or New Zealand. Your idea merits consideration for that trip. Maybe we should include Perth, and hire Derek! Maybe he'd include a class in his shop ;>)

Brad, wishing winter would go away, in NE Ohio

Re: That's a great idea, Bill...

Mark Nowicki

If you are going to hire Derek, don't pay him a penny over $39.

https://www.dk.com/ca/book/9781465467935-dk-eyewitness-australia/

Trip to NZ

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

You don't need a guide for NZ. We spent a month there a few years ago. Rented a car, took a tent(spent 28 nights in tent) and drove just about every road on the south island, most of which are gravel, and through a sheep herd with the encouragement of the shepherd. that was interesting! People spoke English, were exceptionally friendly toward Yanks, and helpful. Guide books were sufficient.

For a typical example...arrived in Christ Church. Straight away went for a wander about and found ourselves in a park with the most spectacular Hydrangea. Wandered into a place that turned out to be a private club where they were bowling. Sat down to watch. Someone came over to see what we were up to. Visiting Yanks, oh. They insisted I join the game and told me my hiking shoes would be fine on the green. (I knew not and went bare foot ). Typical. A stop for directions could consume an hour. Spectacular scenery. It was like US in 1950.

NZ is small and you can see it all. AU huge. We haven't visited because the scale is intimidating. Would need an airplane

guides found

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

We have located two local guides. Cost per day is half what a tour group charges. Tour groups charge by the person. Our guides charge by the day whether it is one or two people.

How? Don't hold us in suspense.

Re: How? Don't hold us in suspense.

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Is anyone interested? Well, anyway........

Search every kind (hiking, touring, private etc) of guide with every association one can think of (provence, cities, regions, attractions, etc. )

Found one that does day tours of markets. Asked her about day trips to the country side. She has an Austin mini...not so good for day trips and transfers. But she has a friend that guides. Friend was busy our preferred days, but she has a friend. That friend was busy part of the preferred days but she in turn has a friend...... The final referral promptly contacted us. We provided our profile. She promptly provided a proposed itinerary. We suggested modifications. She promptly provided refined suggestions. Etc. I have a feel from the communications so far that we have a match and she lives central to where we want to visit, and in the town we most want to sped some days in. It "feels good" and that is the best one can do at a distance. I may have my French relative call and talk to her.

Thanks.

Re: Thanks.

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Just learned that one guide grew up on a dairy farm and now grows apples and pears (my kind of people) while the assistant is a history major. If the Chinese virus doesn't screw things up it's looking good.

Good for you, Bill...

Brad Chenoweth

Looks like you've found an excellent & economical solution. Hope you enjoy your trip!

Re: Markets

Hank Knight

My wife and I rented a house for two weeks in Nyons (not Lyons) several years ago with two other couples. Nyons is one of the regional centers in Northern Provence. We did day trips from our house and visited many of the nearby towns and villages. Each town has a market day where merchants set out their wares on tables in the streets. The produce is the freshest imaginable as is meat, sausage, fruit cheese, etc.; and there are many miscellaneous household goods for sale. Provence is close to the Mediterranean, so a wide variety of fresh seafood is easy to come by. My favorite thing to do while we were there was to pick a nearby town and visit it on market day. We'd check out the market and everybody would buy whatever food caught their fancy. When we returned home in the evening, we'd spread our purchases out on the table, pour a glass of wine and enjoy eclectic dinner. Great fun and the food was wonderful!

Speaking of wine, be sure to visit one our more wine co-ops in the region. The growers in the area truck their grapes to the co-op where it is be made into wine and sold. A lot of it goes to bottlers, but a lot is sold locally at the co-op. You take whatever container you have, from a half gallon plastic milk container to a 55 gallon drum. The co-op will have whatever wines are in season and available, usually five or six varieties, in huge stainless steel storage vats. Each vat is labeled and equipped with what looks like a dispenser hose from a gas pump at your local gas station. You present your container and order the variety you prefer, and the clerk fills your container from dispenser hose. The sale is metered just like any the gas pump, and you pay at the checkout counter. Very efficient. The wine is reasonably priced (inexpensive by our standards) and wonderful - no preservatives added. A lot different experience from buying wine by the bottle here in the US.

Provence is beautiful. You will love it.

Re: Markets

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I regard wine as spoiled grape juice. I am hoping this part of Europe has fresh milk. I was so hungry for fresh milk upon returning from Italy I bought a quart and drank it.

One of the towns we are staying has a large Sat/Sun antique, flea and food market....which is why we are staying in that town.

Re: Markets

kneale brownson

My dad said he did the same thing regarding milk when he returned from WWII.