My pieces of advice and safety tips

Why do people go solo travel ? According to most of the surveys, people prefer solo travel because of three main reasons : to gain and feel the Freedom, to Challenge themselves, to Discover a new place and a new culture.

While you are planing your first solo travel abroad, what are the things you care about the most ? You probably want to have an unforgettable experience, learn more about the world and about yourself while escaping a tiresome routine. Therefore, you probably want to visit a place that offers you a unique journey. Trust me when I say that Paris got all that and more. There is a reason why it's one of the most famous touristic places in the world. However, the two other things that you probably care about (and if not, please do)  are: not having too much of bad surprises and feel safe.

People often idealize Paris. Some of the assumptions about this city are true : Paris is indeed a beautiful destination, it has so much to offer and the internet overflows with all kinds of suggestions related to different places you should visit. BUT it's important to bear in mind that it's also a city with a population of more than 2 Million so it's fair to say that you will find all kinds of people there. We will gradually go through things that you may not know about Paris and that will counterbalance the whole " perfect fairy tale destination “ illusion and make it a more fair representation of the french city. I hope that by the end of this article you will have enough tools to decide whether or not Paris should be the destination for your first solo trip ever.

Paris, a never-ending city

First, may I jump on that “city of 2 millions of people” fact? If you live in a little town, with few people and if you are not used to over-crowded and loud spaces, Paris might be a little overwhelming. But still, it doesn't  mean that it couldn't be a great first travel experience, you just have to take a few extra points in consideration. For example, it will be important to make some research about how to handle the stress that might overwhelm you because of this new and unusual environment. One of the ways to lessen some anxiety is to thoroughly acquaint yourself with Paris’ metro and train system beforehand. Because it's a very big city, it has a lot of metro and RER lines that seem to mingle quite chaotically at first. Thus, taking a few extra steps that will in the end help you feel less anxious about things such as your movements around the city, is always a good idea.

The other thing related to the fact that Paris is huge, is the number of arrondissements, of districts. Paris incorporates 20 districts, each one different from the other, so you may want to have a look at those beforehand. For your first stay in Paris, I would advise you to narrow your choice of districts to 1-10. These are the places with the most important museums, parks and other touristic sites and they are also considered as quite safe.

Some random facts about Paris that you may not have heard of

fact 1: related to the Metro and RER stations

One of the things that my mom found horrific when we moved to France was how dirty the metro and the RER stations were. Now, even if I found it a tiny bitsy exaggerated, I have to agree with the fact that some stations may be cleaner than the others. And let’s just tell the truth : the touristic lines, like metro 1, are more cleaner than the less “famous” once. So if you find yourself at the metro 4 station and you are a little taken aback by the strange cat pee odeur, don’t worry, it’s normal and you’ll get used to it. Personally, I just try to not pay attention to it and instead I try to focus my mind elsewhere (the music that I am listening to, the people around me...) so it won’t affect my mood.

fact 2: More public transports, less taxi

Yes, I just talked about how some metro and train stations were not perfectly clean but listen me out. Taxi is pretty expensive in Paris and often times, because of traffic, it's not the fastest way to go from point A to point B. Therefore, I advise you to favor public transports. However, if you stay late in a bar, for example, and you don't want to take any risk, Uber would be a good choice. Taxis are a good option only in the following scenario: a taxi is cheaper if you take it from the aeroport when you arrive, as they have to obey official Paris rates, so make sure to check that out !

fact 3: Be aware of the happy hours !

Speaking of staying late in a bar: sometimes having a drink can be expensive, thus make sure to check out the happy hours in bars and cafés ! Most of them offer you great discounts on drinks, like a 50 % discount. The happy hour usually starts at 17:00 and ends at 21:00. You can always search the name of the bar on Google and see its opening/closing hours and its happy hours schedule.

fact 4:  a free walking tour is actually a good idea in Paris

As it is your first solo trip ever and because Paris offers you so many places to visit, you might feel dizzy and overwhelmed because of the endless possibilities. Therefore, it might be a good idea to start your journey with a little guided tour. As you will gain experience in solo travel, you will learn how to organize your journey properly. However, for your first travel ever, a guided tour will help you adjust to the new city faster. Guided tours can be expensive, and it’s especially true for a city like Paris. Thus, Discover Walks company offers you free walking tours all around the french capital city. The tour guide will usually wait for a tip at the end of the tour but that’s it. You are free to choose the place you want to visit, at what time etc. Here is the official website of the company, check it out!

https://www.discoverwalks.com/tour/city/paris-walking-tours/

Safety

Now. As a young woman who spends a lot of her free time in Paris, I can say with no doubt that this city is pretty safe. BUT. Be aware of this magnificent " pretty “. Indeed, even if Paris in ranked one of the safest places to travel alone as a woman (https://www.mapquest.com/travel/safest-cities-in-europe-for-women-to-travel-alone/) it does not mean that there is no risk at all.

The Pickpockets

As I said earlier, many people think of Paris as the perfect fairy tale place and other people might take advantage of this sweet naivety. While you look at the sparkling Tour Eiffel at night, with your mouth and eyes wide open, someone will probably try to sneak their hand into your bag, the one that you left open after taking your camera out of it. It’s the same scenario during the day, and it’s especially true for famous and crowded places such as Les Champs Elysées, Sacré Coeur and Le Louvre. It's also true when you are in transports. If you are standing by the doors, be particularly aware when they open and close because often times people will try to grab your bag from outside or from inside and then run outside, and before you know it, the doors are closed and you can’t go after them. I didn’t see it happen often but it does happen, so stay alert.

Here are some basic rules I follow in order to make sure to be safe in transports (metros, RER, buses, tramways):

-Always have a purse with a zipper. If it’s a bag, never have it on both shoulders. The reason why? When it’s crowded, you are squeezed against people so you might not see/feel a hand opening your bag. Thus, in order to avoid that, I always have my bag on one shoulder which enables me to have my hand on it.

-Always have your bag in your hands, on your lap. I never leave it on the seat beside me and I never leave it under my seat.

-Never have too much money with you. I always have less than 30 EUR in cash and the rest is on my credit card. My credit card is protected by a card sleeve that blocks scanning. They don’t cost much and it’s a great way to feel safe and not worry if somebody is trying to scan the money off your credit card.

Scams

-transport scams :

Most of the scammers are concentrated in metro, buses, RER stations that tourists use a lot. The most common scam is a person who will try to sell you metro or RER tickets. Those are usually more expensive than the regular onces. So, make sure to always buy your metro/ RER ticket at a valid machine. You will have no difficulty finding one of those at the station and if you ever have any problem, there is usually a counter, an office, with RATP workers who will help you out. Also, if it's a long stay, you may want to purchase a Navigo special travel pass. Check out the RATP official website for more info ! https://www.ratp.fr/en/visite-paris/english/visiting-paris-and-its-surrounding-areas

-touristic sites scams :

type 1: fake petitions.

Now, this is kind of tricky. In Paris, it's normal to find a group of people who offer you to sign a petition for a good cause. However, when this kind of people approach you near a very famous touristic place, without any official signs/logo that represent the cause, it's usually a scam. If you sign the paper, they will want you to pay money and none of it will go to a charity. So be careful, do not sign anything that looks suspicious. In general, the person will not insist much, but if it’s the case, just walk away and ignore them.

type 2: the “free” gift.

Never agree to take a flower, a bracelet, a ring or other accessories from people who offer it “for free”. It's actually a scam and they will want you to pay for it afterwards. Those scams are easy to avoid, just like for the first one, say “no” and walk away.

Here are some more general pieces of advice that are relevant to any travel, not only for Paris

-Make sure to keep some friends and/or your family updated

Maybe you want to escape your family with this trip and it's not my place to say that you should or not do that. However, it might be a good idea to give at least one friend your itinerary plan or just to keep them updated every day. For example, writing a little “Hey! I am alive!” message. It's just for your own safety and in case something goes wrong, someone will be able to help you. Also, as we said before, you might feel lonely, anxious, overwhelmed or even scared during your first trip, so keeping in touch with your loved once will help you overcome some of those negative (but totally normal) feelings.

-Have a back up cash in case your bag or purse is stolen.

-Make sure to book the hotel/hostel/airbnb in a safe area, close to transports and close to at least one supermarket.

Here you go! I hope you find those tips and pieces of advice useful and clear. Share your own solo travel tips in the comments, I will be happy to read them!