Your Pre-Move Trip to Paris
You wouldn’t move into a neighborhood without checking it out first, right? The same rule applies to moving to Paris. I suggest you take a pre-move trip to Paris to make sure life as an expat is for you.
You have to be comfortable being a fish out of water to live in a foreign country. You can’t be easily frazzled or intimidated, or impatient.
While no vacation can prepare you for actually living anywhere, if you spend enough time trying to do some routine things in Paris, you can get the flavor of what life might be like. I suggest you spend 5-7 days, and try to time your trip so you can see what both weekdays and weekends are like. If it’s your first time to Paris, you’ll want to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and all the must-see sights, which is fine. But be sure to schedule some time for the reconnaissance you’re there to do. Here’s what you should do on your pre-move trip.
Get the lay of the land. The way I like to do this is with a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of the city. You cover lots of ground ABOVE ground, so you can see the main attractions (and the sketchy or undesirable aspects) of various parts of town. Plus, once you’ve seen most of the city above ground, you’ll have a better sense of how to get around below ground on the Metro.
Explore different neighborhoods, particularly the ones farther away from city center. (They’ll be cheaper to rent an apartment in). Take the Metro to neighborhoods you find interesting, and spend some time walking around and getting a feel for them.
Speaking of walking, Europeans walk a lot. Think about if you can adjust to being a walker, train commuter or city cyclist a way of life. Walking through Metro stations and up and down stairs, cramming onto a crowded bus – these are the normal things required to get around in this city.
Decide if you like the culture and customs. For example, do you find people bringing their dogs into the restaurants (yes, INTO the restaurants) to be charming or horrifying? Do you find the nonchalance of customer service staff infuriating, or can you say “c’est la vie” and laugh it off? Are you willing to dress business casual (or dressier) every day? Can you leave your American expectations and assumptions behind?
See if you can live with the climate. Paris is beautiful, but it also known to be rainy and drab for weeks on end – particularly in the winter and spring. The summers can be hot, but then again, “hot” is relative. If you like to keep the AC at a crisp 68 degrees F at all times, you may have a problem in Paris come July and August – especially when you find yourself on a hot, stuffy Metro train, or if you don’t have air conditioning in your apartment.
While you’re on your trip, talk to people. Test out your French if you know any. If you don’t, see if you can manage to effectively communicate with people without in English, or if you’re easily frustrated by the language barrier. Are French speakers responsive to you when you say, “Parlez-vous anglais?” And when people can’t or aren’t willing to switch over to English for you, can you handle it graciously without taking it personally?
See how you adjust to the change from your normal routine. In Paris, you’ll be largely cut off from your family and friends, aside from occasional phone calls or emails. You’ll be disconnected from U.S. media. Can you live without your favorite shows, your 24-hour news channels, etc.?
Do some routine things you would do if you were really living in Paris. Go to the grocery store and try to shop for basic things. Practice ordering at a restaurant. Go to the post office and mail something. You’ll be permanently out of your normal comfort zone when you live in Paris, so you might as well get used to it and get the hang of running your everyday errands.
Figure out what you want to do once you’re living in Paris. The Eiffel Tower is great, but you won’t go there every day. Keep your eyes open for places you want to go and activities you might want to get involved in when you live there for a longer duration.
Notice what items you left at home that you wish you’d brought with you. This will be the start of your Paris packing list. Are you missing your favorite pillow? Wish you had a certain brand of mouthwash? Take note. There are certain things that will be cheaper for you to bring with you, or not available at all in Paris.
Taking a trip to visit before <b>moving to Paris</b> will go a long way toward preparing you to make the transition.
