Totally agree. I was about to react the same way. The comment in question was certainly long and tough to get through, but it didn’t seem ill-intentioned.
Thank you for finding the right words to say what I’d felt myself. Best regards.
And also kudos for your photo at the Chile-Argentina border—it’s absolutely stunning!!!
We all have the right and THE DUTY to express ourselves freely, as long as your JUDGMENTS don’t concern us.......so why don’t you put down your backpack for a bit....it seems heavy to carry...!!! probably the weight of your Stupidity.
How to say everything and its opposite....
It’s too bad the proposition was interesting and Sylveanna’s response just as much....in the end, you weren’t looking for answers to your questions....
😉 Maybe the professorial tone didn’t sit well with her, and the childish advice too? (in the PS/)
Re-examining the original post and the idea of "elsewhere" as a dream or desire compared to the daily struggles in France (as shown by the constant polls on French morale, which keep seesawing).
She’s not the only one who feels better when traveling (elsewhere), especially since coming back is inevitable (life’s obligations).
Regarding the proposal, what’s your contribution to the topic besides rehashing and undoing things?
I’m extremely shocked by your tone. I must’ve touched a nerve without even meaning to—believe me, if I’d wanted to hurt you, you’d be in a lot more pain.
Where exactly did you read any "judgments"? As for my nerves, they’ve been calm for quite a while now, so maybe look in the mirror first.
That you don’t like what I write is one thing, but that you’re being dishonest *and* rude is another. I won’t tolerate you speaking to me like this. For your information, I took the time to offer you a different perspective since you *asked* for opinions. Most adults take what they like and leave the rest.
You just answered your own discontent. What have your "elsewheres" taught you? Clearly, not much...
Try the psychiatric hospital
Good riddance, and stay far away, please :)))
Vivre pleinement, c'est rester libre de ses choix.
As soon as I return to France, I tell myself, "it's better elsewhere."
Where we went, I feel a kind of lightness in living, fewer restrictions, less pressure, less sadness, and I catch myself dreaming of somewhere else—living elsewhere, a simpler, more authentic life, with colors, color everywhere: markets, clothes, homes, and so on...!!! Meeting souls, real, gentle, kind people, and letting go completely of all this modernism, this technological excess, the indifference toward others, confinement, the racism against the elderly in France, against the poor, the weak, the beautiful, the handsome, etc... etc... fleeing the news, politics, jealousy, meanness, stupidity, greed. And in my moments of clarity, I tell myself that in the end, there are pros and cons in every country, every city, and that the best of all worlds may not be down here, and then I also tell myself that you have to know how to COME BACK in order to LEAVE better, but still...!!! IS IT REALLY BETTER ELSEWHERE?😏😏😏
Okay, there we go with the usual clichés again 😠😠.
Why do we always want to generalize so much and take the worst behaviors of a few to make them a universal truth?
Not all French people are like this or that!
Why this masochistic attitude of always wanting to put down our beautiful France? Sure, it’s not perfect, just like every other country.
To bounce back on the debate between Aveyron and Kedor about the status of women, sure, it might still be more enviable elsewhere. But in most countries, that’s not the case.
Kedor only supports his arguments by citing cases where it’s better. And he takes the example of a "business woman" greedy for money who works herself to death. That’s hardly representative of French women 😠.
Tell us about Saudi Arabia, for example...
About the practice of female genital mutilation, forced marriages, "honor" crimes where you’re burned alive or have acid thrown at you...
So yes, women are still much better off in France than in many other countries in the world 😎
😉 I get your point, but that wasn’t the original intent.
You’re drawing a parallel between a conversation about "women" and the original post to ultimately say that France isn’t so bad.
I agree! But! But! It depends on who you are.
For many different reasons—unrelated to women, referring back to the original post—it can be really tough to live in France right now, just like in much of Europe (and of course, this depends on a lot of factors).
What bothers me is that some people are struggling while others spend their time badmouthing those who are barely keeping their heads above water financially or mentally day in, day out.
France is beautiful, but it can be tough in everyday life—work, environment, and so on...
Right now, it’s hard to ignore the difficulties without burying your head in the sand (the vibe is pretty tense).
That said, living in Paris, I realize that for some, all of this goes right over their heads, and they live, I’d say, in a "party" bubble.
I agree with you that life is tough in France for some people. As I said, not everything is perfect in France.
Here too, the distribution of wealth needs to be rethought.
But we still have (for how much longer?) a social system that softens things a bit.
On the other hand, people can still be happy here, and not everyone spends their days obsessing over how miserable it is to live in France.
So I wanted to show that on this topic, like many others, a much more nuanced view is needed...
The debate about the role of women runs parallel but has similarities.
😉The social system softens things for you or others..........For me, it doesn’t (I’m not getting into the forum debate—I don’t want to do that in writing here).
So if you think this lacks nuance, the possibility for exchange is limited—the line’s already been crossed (because their opinion was pretty nuanced, and mine was too in response). I’ll quote you on the value judgment that won’t lead to dialogue: "........not everyone spends their days overanalyzing the misery of living in France..."
🏴☠️For women in France, I wouldn’t even try to compare with countries that have barbaric or restrictive practices—but even in France, it’s not easy for women to live freely in many places, whether it’s about daily speech or clothing (yeah, sure, it’s always worse elsewhere). Here again, I’m not going to pull out stats on the number of women reporting rapes or the many who die from domestic violence every year, or other cheerful, recurring issues in the suburbs of big cities.
It’s not black and white—it’s full of nuance, really. Observe, acknowledge, and maybe help things move toward something better.
So if you feel it lacks nuance, the possibility for discussion is limited, the threshold has already been reached (since their opinion was quite nuanced and so was mine in response). I’m quoting you on the value judgment that won’t lead to any dialogue: "........not everyone spends their days overanalyzing the misery of living in France..."
The idea of nuance wasn’t aimed at your message. 😉
I still maintain that the original post lacks nuance. On one side, everything is great elsewhere. On the other, nothing works in France . Only the final sentence adds a hint of nuance. But the bulk of the message still leans toward everything being rosy abroad and pitch-black here.
Same goes for Kedor’s reasoning—they only cite what supports their argument. I counter with other contradictory examples. QED.
In any case, nothing is ever black or white; this Manichean view is far too simplistic.
So I’ll say it again: France isn’t perfect, I’m the first to admit it, but it’s still not that bad when you look elsewhere. 😎
I wasn’t wrong after all about what I sensed regarding your first ramblings...
I never asked for anyone’s OPINION or advice—REREAD the original idea carefully... which, up to now, hasn’t caused any problems for anyone.
On the contrary.... check the history and learn......!!!!! The "ELSEWHERE" that may not be familiar to you gives me a taste of freedom, curiosity, opens doors, and broadens the mind—we keep growing instead of just sticking to what we know and what’s certain. But that must be beyond you....!!! Grab your little backpack and explore our beautiful France.... and don’t think you have to dictate to others what they’ve already learned or done. I think you’re on the wrong FORUM—"travelers’ thoughts and philosophical reflections!!!" You’re a troublemaker looking for controversy. REREAD YOURSELF.... there’s nothing more foolish than someone who thinks they know but doesn’t.... BOOM! As for the psychiatric asylum—"very worrying that you used such a word! You must know about it...!" To conclude, calm your nerves, and if you’re shocked, too bad for your ego. I find it a shame that your attitude has polluted such a great starting idea for all travelers. I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU. A thousand apologies to everyone reading this. Jupiteria.
But yes, but yes... it's back-to-school time!!! My Chilean friend, I'd love to set my suitcases down again in San Pedro, or even in the Elqui Valley—there’s so much to say...
and to dream about... by the shore of a lake.
Best regards, Jupiteria
Your response matches your subjective "interpretations" about France and the "rainbow" world elsewhere...
Rambling? Yet another interpretation that’s yours alone.
“There are none so blind as those who will not see.” And if I had to take back anything from my first comment, it’d be the part that was aimed personally at you—suggesting you discover France differently because you’ve got to be able to see things as they are, not as you’d like them to be. Your frustrations have left you with some serious scars. Settle down somewhere for good and live with the locals’ problems—the ones you’ve clearly missed. Between dictatorships, corruption, individualism out of necessity, "human" relationships (mostly within the same family or friend group) that let them get by (or even survive) by helping each other, in societies where you can die on the side of the road for lack of money or connections.
Meanwhile, back home (?), those "idiot" French people will keep working to fund the retirement of folks who’ve found their "paradise" abroad, mostly because their purchasing power is way above the local average—not because they suddenly felt a deep connection to the people. Without generalizing too much, there *are* a few genuine expats drawn to a country, whether they’re working or not, but those people never bite the hand that feeds them. They’re too aware of the realities for that.
That said, I’ll admit I was wrong about the point of this discussion. Keep stewing in your mental ruminations—who knows, maybe one day they’ll open your mind.
You can always scream, stomp your feet because I’m getting under your skin—I just find you kind of pathetic, to put it politely.
Vivre pleinement, c'est rester libre de ses choix.
Okay, I'm tapping out of this discussion—its subject should’ve been: *Tell me about elsewhere, give me reasons to leave, I can’t take my fellow countrymen anymore.*
You’ve completely lost it...... Oh help.....!!!! Stop convincing yourself that you’re the only one who knows, who can do, who understands....
You’re "off-topic," and you’re teaching us NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that’s useful, intelligent, or helps move the conversation forward on a topic you’ve UNDERSTOOD NOTHING about! You’re stuck in moralizing judgment, stating the obvious, and a narrow-mindedness I don’t agree with, that’s all. I won’t respond to your messages anymore—"you’re not worth the time"—and also out of respect for those who actually wanted to share their thoughts on the original topic. THE END.
As soon as I return to France, I tell myself, "it's better elsewhere."
Where we went, I feel a kind of lightness in living, less restriction, less pressure, less sadness, and I catch myself dreaming of somewhere else—going to live somewhere else, a simpler life, more authentic, with colors, color everywhere, markets, clothes, homes, etc.!!! Meeting souls, real, gentle, kind people.
I’ve written this many times—it’s having a tourist’s view of things...
The average tourist, and I’m part of that group, only sees a fraction of reality.
I was in Romania, and it was wonderful to stay in 3-4 star hotels for just a few dozen euros, while the average person earns barely 200 € a month.
So for the next country you visit, I challenge you to live like the locals—don’t do a fully organized "tourist tour." Like the average Mexican or Indian who wakes up early, takes the bus to work in a factory for 10 hours a day for a poverty-level wage, and trust me, you’ll see that elsewhere isn’t better than France.
It's true, we think the grass is greener elsewhere, but I actually believe it's because we don't know our own country well enough. I thought I knew everything about France, and I dreamed of other places. I ended up with the mirage of the Vahine, white sandy beaches, coconut trees—you know, those idealized postcard images? But there's another truth behind them. It's not in a few days, or even several months or a year, that you can discover this truth.
I've been living in Tahiti for over thirty years. Paradise? Yes, for tourists, and the wealthy (at one time, for the military too), but the reality goes far beyond that.
Now I look at France through the internet, and I realize I was completely wrong. I miss my France, and I dream of it.
My blog is very revealing—I express myself as best I can. I'd love to see it again, but will I ever be able to?
Thanks for this testimony... Actually, this thread is about that recurring philosophical theme: the existential search for happiness...
As soon as I return to France, I tell myself, "it's better elsewhere."
Where we went, I feel a kind of lightness in living, fewer restrictions, less pressure, less sadness, and I catch myself dreaming of somewhere else—going to live somewhere else, a simpler life, more authentic, with colors, color everywhere, markets, clothes, homes, and so on!!! Meeting souls, real people, kind and gentle.
I’ve written it many times—it’s having a tourist’s view of things...
Or an expat’s perspective, detached from the burdens of family and/or social obligations of the place they’ve landed, enjoying a privileged status thanks to their origins, their staggering resources (compared to those of the local population), their connections with the most well-off members of the community, etc.
or an expat’s perspective, detached from the burdens of family and/or social obligations of the place they’ve landed, enjoying a privileged status due to their origins, their staggering resources (compared to the local population), their connections with the most well-off members of the community, etc.
By writing this, you prove you don’t know the reality of expatriation, which very often looks more like immigration. You’re describing the reality of an extreme minority of expats.
Totally agree!
Some people have a completely wrong idea of what an expat is.
There are a thousand and one reasons why someone might move abroad, and the political climate in France over the past few years has led many French people to believe that money is the main reason.
There are 2 million French expats, and the proportion of "rich" people is roughly the same as that of French people living in France.
We should avoid lumping everyone together and treating expats in Luxembourg, Andorra, Monaco, or near the Swiss border the same as most expats who post on this forum. For the latter, the reasons for moving abroad are often sentimental (for the country or a person), they live with their families, and at the same pace as the locals.
Not to mention the torture of missing camembert... 😐
On ne voyage pas pour chercher son destin mais pour fuir l’endroit d’où on est parti. (Miguel de Unamuno)
L'homme est un dieu quand il rêve, et un mendiant quand il réfléchit (Friedrich Holderlin)
Like a local family, but not at the same income level as the MAJORITY of other locals...
In eight months, I only met one poor person (in poor countries), and he was the only one, by the way, who was happy to talk to French people without trying to squeeze money out of them in one way or another.
And quite a few of those speaking up here are certainly not the most objective, as their interests are closely tied to the arrival of tourists.
Let’s give credit where credit is due...
But you’re right, let’s avoid generalizing.
Give up camembert? Not possible for me lol You’re really brave ;)
Vivre pleinement, c'est rester libre de ses choix.
or an expat’s perspective, detached from the burdens of family and/or social obligations of the place they’ve landed, enjoying a privileged status due to their origins, their staggering resources (compared to the local population), their connections with the most well-off members of the community, etc.
By writing this, you prove you don’t know the reality of expatriation, which very often resembles immigration more than anything else.
You’re describing the reality of an extreme minority of expats.
Indeed, I’m describing the minority of (very) well-off expats, detached from the everyday struggles of the locals in the country they’ve landed in, who take the liberty of badmouthing their home country under the pretext that things didn’t go their way. It’s a minority, but unfortunately, it’s a sizable one.
I’ve met them on 3 continents (Africa, America, Asia), and it’s clear that some of them post on this forum... 😉
That said, I’ve also fortunately met plenty of others who are much more pleasant. 😎
or an expat’s perspective, detached from the burdens of family and/or social obligations of the place they’ve landed, enjoying a privileged status due to their origins, their staggering resources (compared to those of the local population), their connections with the most well-off members of the community, etc.
By writing that, you prove you don’t know the reality of expatriation, which very often resembles immigration more than anything else.
You’re describing the reality of an extreme minority of expats.
Indeed, I’m describing the minority of (very) well-off expats, detached from the everyday struggles of the locals in the country they’ve landed in, who take the liberty of badmouthing their home country under the pretext that things didn’t go their way. It’s a minority, but unfortunately, it’s a sizable one.
I’ve met them on 3 continents (Africa, America, Asia), and it’s clear that some of them post on this forum... 😉
That said, I’ve also fortunately met plenty of others who are much more pleasant. 😎
🙂 Completely agree.
I’ve also come across these so-called "privileged" expats, who are insufferable to interact with and can’t stop slagging off France (and I say this knowing it’s really not easy for part of the population to feel good in France right now). The most fitting word to describe them is: arrogance (in their words and behavior).
Hello Sylvia, What wisdom projected through this masterful philosophy lesson.
Even though you were relevant in many ways, I must say you somewhat overwhelmed me because, in the end (?...), only TRAVEL (note the conditional tense, as I don’t want to be overbearing or come off as preachy) should matter—this "elsewhere" that’s better and more beautiful, etc., which each of us must craft based on what we’ve felt here or there through the SHARING we’ve done with all the unexpected encounters that have peppered our journeys.
Actually, sharing along the adventure—whether geographic or human... maybe both at once—far away or just outside your door, everything should boil down to these simple notions, sprinkled, however, with a little curiosity of the eye, the ear, and... the heart.
Rest assured, I appreciated some of your sharp remarks about a few forum members’ somewhat saccharine posts that I stumble upon and that often leave me grumpy, even though I’m naturally cheerful and sociable.
Traveler’s regards, and see you soon, maybe?
Best,
VIETALIER.
Cela dépend de l'humeur du moment et va de Jean-Claude à Viet à lier.
Dear Greensnow,
There’s another small group of wealthy expats—or should I say clueless ones—who spit and vomit on the customs and people of the country they happen to be visiting. Here, I’d be more realistic than you in pointing out not just arrogance, but outright rudeness and stupidity they can’t seem to shake, like they fell into it as kids and never climbed out!
The same goes for some travelers. On a flight bringing me back from Hà Nội, I overheard two people who’d just returned exchanging their impressions:
Vietnam?... It’s noisy, it’s dirty, and it stinks!
They’d spent a whole month forming these sweeping judgments and were talking loudly enough for their seat neighbors to hear. I made sure to tell them exactly what I thought of their basement-level intelligence before moving to another row of seats.
Best from Vietalier
Cela dépend de l'humeur du moment et va de Jean-Claude à Viet à lier.
On one hand, everything is great elsewhere. On the other hand, in France, nothing works anymore Only the final sentence adds a hint of nuance. But the main message still leans toward everything being rosy abroad and everything being bleak here.
Could someone explain to me why nothing works in France anymore?
Open your eyes, my dear Mathews! Here, it's impossible to have an intelligent government—one that thinks FRENCH—because voters spend their time toppling the right to put the left in power, only to quickly grow tired of them, and then they do the same thing in reverse the next time around!!!!!!!!
Things will be a little brighter and a little less bleak here when the French prioritize the country over their petty careerist or other self-serving calculations, even though we all know that divide-and-conquer keeps those in power, well, in power!
Now, when it comes to travel and tourism, our country is just as wonderful as anywhere else: take a stroll around Salers in the Cantal region, go mushroom picking in Lozère at the first autumn rains, paddle down the Tarn Gorges from Sainte-Enimie in a kayak and savor a delicious Pélardon, an extraordinary local goat cheese. And for those who love the mountains, the Alps and the Pyrenees will give you plenty of reasons to see France in a rosy light...
That said, some prefer to travel without leaving home, stuck between a computer, books, a pastis, and a big purring cat—why not? There’s room for all tastes!
Alright, I’ve teased you enough and wish you a good night (it’s almost midnight!).
Best regards — Vietalier.
Cela dépend de l'humeur du moment et va de Jean-Claude à Viet à lier.
Open your eyes, my dear Mathews! Here, it’s impossible to have an intelligent government, that thinks FRENCH, because voters spend their time tearing down the right to put the left in place—only to quickly grow tired of them, and the next time they do the same thing in reverse!!!!!!!!
Here, things will be a little rosier and a little less bleak when the French think of the Country first, before sharpening their little careerist or other self-serving schemes, even though we all know that divide and conquer works!
Seriously: do you really think it’s better or even different *elsewhere*? 🤪
I don’t consider myself an expat, but rather a wanderer—I wanted to see elsewhere out of curiosity, to check if the sky was bluer, the grass greener, and if the birds sang better.
I *am* elsewhere now, and I still end up "eating angry cow" (it’s not just the expats who live abroad), and I watch France from afar.
Today, my kids are grown, and they dream of "elsewhere" (France, why not?), but their country is here (my elsewhere).
The truth is, the French are eternal complainers—that’s how you recognize them. Elsewhere (and it’s not just about the beret, the baguette, the *calvados*, or the bottle of wine), it’s also, and above all, their big mouths.
So today, as I look at the French here and elsewhere, I think to myself on my 71st birthday:
France smells so good, even from elsewhere.
les voyages forme la jeunesse, la preuve j'ai 20 ans (dans ma tête )
Open your eyes, my dear Mathews! Here, it’s impossible to have an intelligent government, that thinks FRENCH, because voters spend their time tearing down the right to put the left in power—only to quickly grow tired of them, and the next time they do the same in reverse!!!!!!!!
I get that, but whether the government is right-wing or left-wing, I couldn’t care less...
it’s not them who’ll give me a job or influence my career and life choices...
If I wake up in a bad mood tomorrow, it’s not Hollande’s or Ayrault’s fault, after all.
When I lived in Canada and was in a bad mood, I didn’t blame Mr. Charest or Harper either...
Here, things will be a bit more positive and a bit less bleak when the French think of the Country first, before sharpening their little careerist or other kinds of calculations, even though we all know that dividing helps to rule!
So, according to you, this mindset in the political world is specifically French?!!
In other European countries or elsewhere, it’s completely different?
Hello Djalma, Of course not! But with that very French touch, and when you're forced to put up with it, it becomes oppressive and turns dark gray, even black.
Elsewhere, things aren’t well-coordinated between leaders and citizens either, but it’s not *my* home!
There you go, dear Jean-Michel—I’ll stop here to avoid a pointless debate. Wishing you beautiful autumn days between Opède le Vieux and Roussillon in Vaucluse.
Best regards — Vietalier
Cela dépend de l'humeur du moment et va de Jean-Claude à Viet à lier.
So, in your opinion, this mindset in the political world is specifically French?!!
In other European countries or elsewhere, it’s completely different?
Leaving politics aside, it’s hard to ignore that foreign tourists don’t find our grass—or at least our people—any greener than back home. Isn’t our reputation for gloominess and deep inhospitality pretty strong among foreign travelers? 😉
Our reputation for gloominess and deep inhospitality is still quite strong among foreign tourists, isn't it?
Oh really? For what reasons are we by far the most visited country in the world, way ahead of the US, Spain, Italy, etc.? Just for the beautiful landscapes? Thank goodness we’re so gloomy and inhospitable—otherwise, we’d be swamped with foreign tourists we couldn’t handle!
Our reputation for being gloomy and deeply inhospitable is still pretty strong among foreign tourists, isn't it?
Oh really? Then how come we’re way ahead of the US, Spain, Italy, etc. as one of the world’s most visited countries? Just for the pretty landscapes? Thank goodness we’re so gloomy and inhospitable—otherwise, we’d be swamped with foreign tourists we couldn’t handle!
That’s what it seemed like to me—our reputation as complainers, the slogan "France would be amazing without the French." The attraction is the variety of beautiful, moderate landscapes, the temperate climate, and the ultra-rich culture, right? I’m saying this without any aggression—if it bothered me that much, I’d have left for good by now 😉
Just yesterday, I had the chance to get confirmation of my thoughts from a foreigner who visited France and not JUST PARIS.
He was very well received in the countryside and very poorly received in Paris!
Like most tourists, Parisians (with a few exceptions) have the annoying habit of generalizing their own stupidity and inability to be friendly and open to others to the entire country, starting with their own fellow citizens.
The same people, arrogant enough to ignore you on vacation just because you're French (they’ve got their noses stuck in the *lovely planet* but call themselves backpackers!), are the ones who lecture you about open-mindedness.
Most of them have never even left the Île-de-France region, yet they judge the whole country, the people, and tell you that elsewhere is better—without knowing the difference between "kindness" because they’re spending money and genuinely selfless kindness. The latter is much rarer and is often found in the countryside, elsewhere too, where there’s no mass tourism.
Best regards :)
Vivre pleinement, c'est rester libre de ses choix.
Yes, what you're saying is very true most of the time, even if there are always exceptions. Not all Parisians and other "capital-dwellers" (in the sense of "living in capital cities," but often in another sense too 😉) are like that, but a good number of them are often very arrogant, even contemptuous toward "provincials," while they’re surprised when some people give them the same treatment in return.
City-dwellers treating "country folks" like "peasants" and other terms as if it were an insult—this happens in France and elsewhere often.
Just a reminder that "peasants" isn’t an insult; it’s a "job—way of life" in general, and without them, most city people wouldn’t survive long. After all, they’re the ones who "traditionally" grow crops, grains, or raise animals that many will only ever see in plastic packets on their plates (it’s much easier to turn a blind eye). Meanwhile, these city folks often "get rich" with jobs in the "service sector," which are often useless or non-essential, sometimes harmful to the earth, and other urban frivolities that are far less vital than food, mountain water, and so on.
This "Parisianism" or "capital-centrism," where people think France is just the Eiffel Tower (that pile of scrap metal ruining the landscape, just like the city itself) and that the rest of the country is just fields, cows, and, of course, the beaches where they flock to roast every summer, plus the ski resorts where they go to "get their butts dragged" in winter!
Je porte plainte contre le "monde moderne", c’est lui le monstre. Il détruit notre terre, il piétine l’âme des hommes."
Si tu n'as pas d'amour, embrasse la liberté
Parisians (with a few exceptions) have the annoying habit of projecting their own stupidity and inability to be friendly and open to others onto the whole of France—starting with their own fellow citizens.
So? Weren’t we talking about how foreigners are perceived?
I don’t see how you were targeted.
That said, the person in question really appreciated the hospitality of the North.
When a French person tells me that France is this, that the French are that, I ask them what they actually know about France... Most of the time, it’s those who’ve never left their little "bubble" and keep looking elsewhere with rose-tinted glasses—or worse. :)
In the eight months I’ve been traveling, I’ve seen foreign tourists who were way worse than the French. But it’s likely that those who like them the least are also the ones who love money the most.
Some nationalities couldn’t care less about the locals, and the locals return the favor. Everyone gets what they want—money... QED.
Okay, I think we’re getting a bit off-topic, but since the thread was already wrapping up, no big deal. ;)
Vivre pleinement, c'est rester libre de ses choix.
Just yesterday, I had the chance to get confirmation of what I think from a foreigner who visited France and not JUST PARIS.
He was very well received in the countryside and very poorly received in Paris!
And there are foreigners who are well received in PARIS and poorly in the provinces... what exactly do you want to prove?
Just like most tourists, Parisians (with a few exceptions) have the annoying habit of generalizing their own stupidity and inability to be friendly and open to others to the whole of France, starting with their own fellow citizens.
I think you’d do well to watch the plank in your own eye... generally, when I meet French people who are nice or jerks, I don’t focus on where they’re from.
Your comment is stupid and tinged with real animosity toward Parisians....
The same people, by the way—arrogant, who ignore you on vacation just because you’re French (they’ve got their noses stuck in the Lovely Planet but they’re backpackers!)—are the ones who lecture you about open-mindedness.
Most of them have never even left the Île-de-France region, yet they judge the whole country, the people, and explain to you that elsewhere is better without knowing the difference between "kindness" because they spend money and genuinely selfless kindness. The latter, much rarer, is often found in the countryside elsewhere too, where there’s no mass tourism.
Honestly, your rant against Parisians doesn’t make me want to talk to you either! Are you sure you’re not from Île-de-France yourself?🤪
What aggression....
As for the selfless kindness of the countryside... my farmer friends are still laughing about it!!!!😏
"Parisian blockheads"?
Anyway, your profile pic really shows you're one of the bovines!
Admitting your "redneck" (or "beefy") sides is already something 😉
(My apologies to bovines, against whom I have absolutely nothing—in fact, as a vegetarian, I wouldn’t want to compare humans to them, that’d be disrespectful to bovines )
Je porte plainte contre le "monde moderne", c’est lui le monstre. Il détruit notre terre, il piétine l’âme des hommes."
Si tu n'as pas d'amour, embrasse la liberté
I have some amazing Parisian friends whom I adore, and they’re the first to admit that in Paris, the mentality is generally "everyone for themselves"—to put it politely.
Unfortunately, nice Parisians are pretty rare (though I’ll admit they’re not the only ones).
It’s a fact, whether you like it or not, that most tourists go to Paris and base their judgment of France on that alone.
And whether you like it or not, it seems pretty bad-faith to ignore that the jerks who keep harping on about how the French have every flaw in the book are also Parisian journalists.
When you’re in the countryside and ask for directions, you’ll easily find someone to guide you. Try that in Paris, but be *very* patient...
I’m not trying to prove anything, and I don’t hold any animosity toward Parisians (only since I’ve traveled beyond our borders). If I went by the people I meet in the provinces, though, I’d definitely have some—no doubt about it. I don’t like jerks, and I don’t care if they don’t like me back.
Having said that, few people from the provinces like Parisians much—they’re so arrogant, acting like they’re the center of the universe.
I’m just tired of hearing nonstop that the French have every flaw imaginable and realizing that a bunch of people repeat it like parrots because they’ve been brainwashed. Yet when I share tons of anecdotes proving the opposite (like we easily do for other countries), suddenly they remember that *they* too have had positive experiences in France.
So why my fixation on Parisians? Because it’s often from the capital that these rants about the French originate.
In short, they’re describing their own world and their own behavior. It’s often the French I’ve met off the beaten path—the locals appreciate them, no matter what’s said back home. And when I look at other nationalities (the ones who don’t like us?!), who are disrespectful, drunk from morning to night, and couldn’t care less about the locals (or anyone else), it makes me chuckle that *those* people judge *us*.
I have plenty of flaws, and I own them—I don’t deny them. I grumble like a good Frenchwoman when someone tries to scam me or pull the wool over my eyes.
But I keep my word and respect people wherever I go, and in return, people treat me well. It’s also a reality that it’s in the countryside where you meet far more honest people, often far removed from tourism and its corruptions.
If your farmer friends laugh about it, I’d say this: mine are rough around the edges but big-hearted. As they say, "birds of a feather flock together" :)) You keep your friends, and I’ll keep mine :)
Vivre pleinement, c'est rester libre de ses choix.
City calves or country calves,
you can spot the former by their suit and tie or their perfectly ironed skirt and their startled bourgeois air, their iPhone and their rushed demeanor as if they were off to a meeting with the prime minister (of human stupidity ), their urban sheep-like behavior, and their "grazing" toward their bosses and other social circles, not to mention their disdain for the country calves and other field horses, who graze peacefully on tender grass, drink fresh stream water, and watch polluting, rushed Parisian cars go by;
Who goes further in life? It’s relative,
but one thing’s for sure—they both end up six feet under, and the meadow calves don’t destroy the earth like the former do.
Je porte plainte contre le "monde moderne", c’est lui le monstre. Il détruit notre terre, il piétine l’âme des hommes."
Si tu n'as pas d'amour, embrasse la liberté
Je m'appelle Rabah et j'ai 22 ans. Je suis actuellement en pleine recherche sur le sentiment de nostalgie qu'on éprouve au pays d'origine.Je recherche des…
En voyage, êtes-vous sensibles aux odeurs? Sans avoir le sens olfactif aussi développé que celui de Jean-Baptiste GRENOUILLE! (personnage principal du fameux…
La rubrique « Pensées, réflexions de voyageurs est en basses eaux, les Matthews et les Rhume n’ont plus rien à se mettre sous la dent. Est ce que mon sujet va…
Ou seriez vous si vous pourriez etre ailleurs que devant votre écran d'ordinateur a lire ce message sur ce forum??? Moi je serai sans doute très très loin...…
J ai connu un âge d or des voyages en pays etrangers. En gros des annees 1980 aux annees 2000. avant c était les avions pour les privilégiés, des zones…
Qui voudras me décrire en qq lignes le meilleur et le pire souvenir de ses voyages...
En ce qui me concerne c'est la contemplation du TAJ MAHAL au petit matin et une attaque de chiens en haut d'un col en GRECE en rentrant d'ISTANBUL.
MERCI CHIL
"It seems to me that poverty would be less painful in the sun" wrote Aznavour...
Not sure...😕 Who can prove that people in hot countries are happier than others?
What do you think?
Is it better to live in Montpellier than in Lille?
Are the Pygmies happier than the Inuit?
Are Canadians less happy than the people of Louisiana?
Are there more French expats in hot countries?
And your travels? Do you choose your destinations based on the climate?
Do you rejoice when a bit of sunshine appears?
Hi everyone, just this once I’m not posting for a travel story, but to share a thought for Venezuela.
If you didn’t know—since it’s not making headlines—the country was hit by two 7.5-magnitude earthquakes last week. Over 2,200 people have died, more than 50,000 are missing, and some coastal towns have been completely destroyed.
Maybe when the scale of the humanitarian crisis becomes clear, our media will cover it a bit more... especially since earthquakes with this many casualties usually make the front page, but there’s been nothing in France.
So here’s a thought for this country, which, whatever you think of its politics, is a true jewel of South America, both for its landscapes and its people.
hi there
I’d like to invite you to discover my coastal province in central Vietnam: Quang Ngai.
This year, my province has really improved its infrastructure—mountains, countryside, and sea are all authentic here.
No harassers or thieves, and no Russians either.
A local lunch costs around 1 €.
A *** hotel room is about 25 €, and you can find hotels right on My Khe Beach.
We have a specialty: *banh xeo*—10 crepes for just 1.5 €.
You can rent motorbikes to explore the province and maybe visit the many ethnic minorities.
I live here—I’m not selling anything, but I can help if needed (my father-in-law is a traditional Vietnamese doctor and he’s very skilled).
Hi everyone! 😉
I’m Typhaine, 35 years old. Five years ago, I left France for a solo round-the-world trip—no planes, just a van, hitchhiking, cycling, and even a canoe in the Amazon! Today, I work as a naturalist guide in Argentine Patagonia.
Wherever I go, my compass stays the same: observing and photographing wildlife, which I deeply admire and respect.
My project: I’d love to share this experience through a sustainable, authentic, and immersive nature tourism initiative. But to build something meaningful, I need to understand how other nature enthusiasts experience their own adventures.
If you:
Are over 20 years old
Have a true passion for Nature
Have already taken at least one trip lasting more than 3 nights (in your country or abroad) in your life
Promise: I’m not selling anything, this isn’t marketing. Your answers are 100% anonymous and will only help me shape this wild project.
A huge thank you to everyone for your help and kindness! Looking forward to chatting in this thread 😛
(Dear admins, this is purely a collaborative effort for my project study, with no commercial purpose. Thank you so much for your support!)
Photo: Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), female on the left and her cub on the right. Photo taken by me in Alaska, Denali National Park.
It’s something we often notice in this forum—and many others—this behavioral shift.
A long-time member, or even a new one, asks a question.
They get one or more answers, some brief, some detailed, and then... nothing???
Not even a simple thank you!!!
From what I’ve gathered, if the answers don’t align with what they wanted to hear, it seems natural for the asker to just disappear!! 😕
Unless—(and I fear this is the case)—basic politeness is no longer part of our society????
I spent 3 weeks in Bali last summer (+ 3 nights on Gili Meno and a day trip to Kawah Ijen in Java). So I wanted to see what ChatGPT could suggest for comparison...
Here’s the prompt I gave:
"You’re a local expert guide for Bali.
- Plan a 20-day itinerary for Bali with a side trip to Gili Meno and a day trip to Kawah Ijen in Java without staying overnight.
- I’m traveling with my wife, and I love visiting historical sites, hiking, relaxing at the beach, snorkeling, and exploring rice terraces...
- For the duration of the stay, I don’t want more than 8 places to sleep, and I’d like to stay at least 2 days at each stop to avoid unpacking too often. Except for the last night, where I’m okay with just one night near the airport.
- I prefer neighborhoods that are walkable and try to avoid typical tourist traps, though I don’t want to miss the must-see spots. So suggest a mix of iconic sites and hidden gems.
- Recommend hotels or guesthouses with a budget of 50 to 100 € per night, including breakfast. Make suggestions in areas popular with travelers, specifying the vibe (I prefer quiet), and consider safety and proximity to attractions.
- For lunch and dinner, suggest two to three restaurants that are well-rated by customers.
- Give me a day-by-day program with details on travel times, visiting times for each point of interest, and recommendations for transportation (taxi, train, bike, etc.).
Estimate the total cost of the trip, including accommodations, food, transportation, and activities, and suggest two tips for saving money in each category.
- Don’t make anything up—be realistic about travel times, take into account the opening dates and hours of sites, and give me the entry fees for places to visit.
- Ask me all the questions until you’re 95% sure you understand what’s being asked. Don’t generate your response until you’ve understood."
The AI asked for a few clarifications:
"Great request—I can build you a really optimized and enjoyable itinerary, but to be 95% sure I hit the mark, I need a few key clarifications (this will really influence the pace, areas, and accommodations)."
In the end, it proposed a program very close to what we actually did.
I’ll skip its accommodation and restaurant suggestions...
Its proposal:
"Ubud (4 nights) => we did 5 nights
Sidemen (2 nights)
Amed (3 nights) => we’d planned 2 nights
Gili Meno (3 nights) => we did Gili between Sidemen and Amed
Munduk (3 nights) => we did 2 nights before Pemuteran
Pemuteran (3 nights) with Ijen => we did 4 nights
Sanur (2 nights + 1 last night) => we chose Jatiluwih instead of Sanur
It suggested "activities" (and accommodations too):
IN UBUD:
- Walk around central Ubud (1–2h)
- Campuhan Ridge Walk
- Tegalalang Rice Terrace
- Tirta Empul
- Gunung Kawi
- Massage / market / slow café
IN SIDEMEN:
- Rice terrace hike (2–3h)
- Cooking class
IN AMED:
- Snorkeling
- Japanese Shipwreck
- Beach + relaxation
- Volcano sunset
ON GILI:
- Snorkeling at Gili Meno Turtle Point, Nest Underwater Statues
IN MUNDUK:
- Jungle & waterfall hike - Munduk Waterfall + Melanting Waterfall
- Loop: 3–4h (perfect for your level)
- Ulun Danu Bratan Temple
- Twin Lakes
IN PEMUTERAN
- Snorkeling: Menjangan Island
For Kawah Ijen, it detailed the day well:
👍 from Pemuteran = best possible option
12 PM: leave hotel (we left at 10 PM)
1 PM: ferry
3 PM: arrival in Java + transfer
11 PM: start ascent
2 AM–6 AM: volcano
Return to Bali around 11 AM–12 PM (we got back at 4 PM)
👍 still very intense, but doable with an agency
💰 ~80–120 €/person all-inclusive
IN SANUR:
- Relaxation
- Quiet beach
- Proximity to airport (30 min)"
I’ve kept the habit of blowing my nose in the sink and then washing my hands—a custom I picked up in India. Sometimes, non-travelers are shocked when they catch me in the act... 🤪
Also, when I run out of toilet paper, it doesn’t bother me—unless I’ve got company over... 🤪
Just got back from walking a friend’s dog (while they’re on vacation), wearing a djellaba and Tibetan boots... 😏😏😏 Oh, for sure, if I’d run into locals, I probably would’ve shocked them? 😏
Anyway, as long as I’m not spitting on the floor at a restaurant or squatting on the side of a highway with a water bottle in hand...
After taking a little trip around the world, I came back a few months ago with an idea in mind.
I mostly do diving, and I love observing animals in their natural habitat without disturbing them.
During the trip, I realized it was quite complicated to know where and when to see certain species.
For example:
where to dive with sharks or manta rays
where you might get a chance to swim with whales
I even discovered thresher sharks during my trip… I didn’t even know this species existed before, even though they’re incredible to see.
We spent a ton of time searching for info all over the place, especially on social media, without ever getting a clear picture.
So I started putting all this together on my own, in the form of a map, to make it easier to visualize where to go depending on the seasons.
I recently put a first version online (it’s called Fauneya).
There are probably mistakes, inconsistencies, or things to improve, and that’s partly why I’m posting here.
I’d really love to know how you all go about planning this kind of trip.
As part of my Master’s thesis, I’m currently conducting a public survey on a topic that concerns all of us when planning a trip: artificial intelligence and the role of human contact in travel planning.
These days, we’re using more and more digital tools to find ideas, compare options, and book trips... but is the role of human advisors still essential? At what moments? And for what types of trips?
The survey is anonymous and takes about 7 minutes.
It’s aimed at anyone who travels (or has traveled) for leisure, whether you plan everything yourself or go through an agency.
While browsing the forum to gather info for my upcoming trip to Thailand, I often see the terms "traveler," "great traveler," and also "tourist"—so what’s the nuance for you?
I've traveled quite a bit in Vietnam over the past few years—from the southern delta to bustling cities and even some small islands—but what really sticks with me is the north, the high mountains.
Up there, there's something different—maybe slower, more raw. The morning markets with ethnic groups, women in traditional clothes, the colors...
The stilt houses, kids following you and laughing for no reason, the terraced rice fields—it almost feels unreal at times, so vast and quiet, yet so human and simple.
You often hear that Sapa has become too touristy, and that's partly true, especially in the center. But as soon as you move a little farther away, everything changes quickly. The landscapes open up, encounters feel more natural, and you rediscover something truly authentic.
I think it's that contrast that struck me—the difference between what you imagine before going and what you actually discover when you take the time.
And you—what memory do you hold onto from Vietnam? A particular place that touched you more than others?
Hello,
We’re finalizing the plans for our upcoming trip to China in May 2025. The second-to-last stop will be in Zhangjiajie, where we’ve planned to stay for 2 full days before heading to Shanghai.
We’re traveling solo using local transport and have arranged to stay in the city of Zhangjiajie.
We’ve seen that there’s a lot to see:
Tianmen Mountain, the Grand Canyon and the glass bridge, Zhangjiajie National Park, and that the sites are quite far apart with fairly expensive entry fees.
We’re thinking of dedicating one day to the national park and the Grand Canyon (glass bridge) and one day to Tianmen Mountain.
But we’re not sure if this plan is realistic—any thoughts would be much appreciated!
I should be serving a warming drink to the participants in the discussion about gardens and parks that provide us with beautiful photos, I could mention the delicious buttery scent wafting from bakeries in the thread about returning to France, but my heart, its powerful pulse that nourishes my entire being, is elsewhere.
Dasht-e Lut, Yazd, Esfahan, Bam, Kerman, Qeshm, Hormuz—a melody, a prayer at the heart of desire.
A dream, an unattainable fantasy? No. Not anymore.
A very serious Italian travel agency is organizing this trip for 6 people this winter. I’m signed up, I’m going, I’m living. Maybe.
"But you’re completely crazy!!!!"
I know... I know that every civilization, every society has a vital need to create scapegoats to define and justify itself, pathetically. And Iran is one of them, top of the list. I laugh or sigh, and it doesn’t bother me.
But that unchanging red, deep red and garnet, so beautiful in itself, in all the Western chancelleries repeats, whispers, shouts: don’t go, don’t go, don’t go, you’re putting yourself in danger and we can’t do anything for you. You’ll be turned into mere bargaining chips, into arguments for endless negotiations. Fear must be instilled, its power absolutely preserved, no concessions made to the enemy. The information (how many French hostages, real or fake, compared to the number of travelers?) is always lacking.
Traveling becomes a merciless confrontation between desire, the vital pulse, and anxiety, its ghosts.
Hi everyone, here’s our itinerary. Arriving on the evening of December 13th. Departing on January 7th.
Thanks in advance for your tips and valuable feedback.
Manila – 1 night
Coron – 4 nights
Coron to El Nido cruise – 2 nights
El Nido – 4 nights
Port Barton – 5 nights
Flight from Puerto Princesa to Vigan
Vigan – 2 nights
Sagada – 2 nights
Banaue – 2 nights
Bagabag – 1 night
Manila – 1 night
I’ve only booked the flight to Manila and the Manila/Coron flight so far. Is it possible to book boat trips, accommodations, and the Puerto Princesa flight last-minute?
Really disappointed with Costa Rica! Pura vida? The scam of the century!
(Costa Rica pure emptiness).
The country where animals are free and people are in cages.
3 weeks in December in this country and never again. Imagine the trailer of a movie that seems interesting, and when you go see it, you realize it’s a flop and the best moments were in the trailer.
Well, that’s exactly how we felt with Costa Rica pure emptiness.
My wife and I have traveled quite a bit and didn’t expect to be so wrong about a place.
On the main routes, we visited:
San José
Alajuela
Limón, Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo (Caribbean side)
Jaco, Quepos, Manuel Antonio (Pacific side)
And a few short stops in intermediate towns.
Our dissatisfaction grew gradually like this:
When we arrived at the hotel, the taxi dropped us off on a small street in front of a white metal gate with ground-floor windows barred. We looked at it skeptically, but the sign matched.
He approached the gate, rang the bell, the buzzer sounded, and the door opened slightly. The hotel wasn’t bad for the price, a 10-minute walk from downtown, but with a "Fleury-Mérogis" vibe guaranteed.
So far, so good.
After showering and regaining our bearings, we headed downtown.
What started to unsettle us on the way was seeing houses with bars on the ground-floor windows and even on the second floor.
At first, we thought the hotel’s neighborhood wasn’t great.
Downtown San José:
It’s a generic city, not very exotic, with a pedestrian street and a small mercado where you can eat local food without frills. Very few tourists—if any—which let you blend in with the locals. We had lunch and struggled to make ourselves understood because, aside from one or two shops, English wasn’t spoken.
On the way back to the hotel, we took a different route, and while chatting and strolling, my wife pointed out a beautiful two-story white house completely barricaded like Fort Knox.
From that moment, we started noticing the facades of houses and buildings, and wow, it was creepy—most looked like prisons, some even with barbed wire.
Though put off, we told ourselves it was probably a big-city thing and the rest of the country couldn’t be like this.
So far, so good.
We relaxed at the hotel and had a drink at the bar. Night falls early, around 5:30 PM. By 7:30 PM, we headed back downtown for dinner. A bit unsettling for a capital—downtown was almost deserted, and aside from fast-food chains, very few restaurants were open, with hardly anyone on the streets.
Bars with security guards out front.
I won’t say we felt unsafe that night, but once it got dark, we realized the bars on the windows weren’t for nothing. First day in, and our impression was already mixed.
The next day, we explored the city and surroundings, and our feelings didn’t change.
So far, so good.
Off to Cahuita by bus—4 hours of travel.
The landscapes are very green but quickly become monotonous. The road runs alongside the forest and passes through a few towns and villages, and even in the countryside, there were just as many prison-like houses.
The bus dropped us off at Cahuita’s terminal station—only four of us got off. It’s a village, or rather, a small town. Cahuita is basically one straight road and a perpendicular one, and honestly, doubt started to creep in.
A few restaurants that add 13% tax and 10% service charge—so 23% extra. We dropped our stuff at the hotel and went to explore. In 20 minutes, we’d seen it all. We had lunch and planned to check out the famous park.
Entry is by donation—well, the "entry" is a joke. There’s a path along the forest by the sea, and that’s it.
Nothing’s going right anymore.
We thought it was a total scam, but since we hadn’t gone far, we decided to come back the next day to explore further.
We returned to the hotel, relaxed, and around 8:00 PM, we went out for dinner. Only two restaurants were open, and the streets were deserted.
Creepy!
The next day, we explored the so-called park more thoroughly and really got it.
A path along the forest by the sea—2 hours there and 2 hours back, where you see animals that feel like showing their faces.
A total joke—"all that for this?"
The beach was full of wood debris and coconut husks. We wondered if the photos online were edited because the sea, very rough, wasn’t the azure blue we’d seen in pictures.
But calling this a park is a joke—it’s like a new concept.
When we thought about the reviews online, we started to suspect that professionals with interests in the country were monitoring and countering any negative feedback that could harm their business.
Too bad we didn’t check the negative reviews beforehand—we did while we were there, and it helped. We wondered if we’d become too demanding after all our travels, but no—when something’s bad, it’s bad.
Manuel Antonio’s park is even more ridiculous—there’s a short path along the sea for about 500 meters, and then nothing. You have to climb through mud and hack your way through the forest. We ended up barefoot because the mud was up to our calves. All that to see a raccoon and a few parrots flying overhead.
We didn’t expect Noah’s Ark, but we’ve seen more animals in Bali, Mexico, and Thailand while visiting temples or just walking around than in these so-called parks!
Puerto Viejo, not far from Cahuita and supposedly livelier—well, it couldn’t be worse!
According to Lonely Planet, it had a Caribbean vibe and wild nights, but maybe that was a long time ago. The good reggae music playing everywhere isn’t enough.
In the evening, Puerto Viejo was a bit livelier than Cahuita, but that’s not saying much. Very few tourists—if any—no night market, just two or three shops open selling $20 T-shirts. Same vibe as San José.
No big deal—we enjoyed the beach and the sun, which was reliable.
Our itinerary was supposed to include Tortuguero Park, but after talking to other travelers who’d just been, we changed our minds, knowing we’d be visiting Manuel Antonio Park on the Pacific side.
To get back to the Pacific side, you have to take the bus and go through San José again—5 hours this time—then switch bus terminals and another 4.5 hours to Quepos.
A stopover town to get to Manuel Antonio’s beach and park!
A town just like the others we’d seen—deserted as soon as the sun sets, and not exactly bustling during the day either. (Where are all the tourists?)
Still as many bars on the windows and that feeling of being in the wrong place.
7 km later: Manuel Antonio beach and park.
The beach is very beautiful and quite large, but don’t expect turquoise blue water—the waves stir up the sand, giving the water a brownish color.
Along the beach, shops and restaurants for about 300 meters, and then nothing. At night, after sunset, the town shuts down too.
Manuel Antonio Park is highly praised for its wildlife, so we were eager to see it. When you express dissatisfaction with Cahuita or Manzanillo parks, the response is always, "But you should’ve gone to Monteverde or Manuel Antonio!" No matter what you do or say, they’ll tell you, "You should’ve gone there or here."
Back to our famous park—entry was about $16, and contrary to what we’d heard, it wasn’t crowded!
Guides at the entrance with spotting scopes offered their services for about $30.
The park: a mix of boardwalk and dirt paths through the forest, sometimes running alongside beautiful coves and beaches.
As soon as we entered, a crowd was taking photos of a deer eating leaves.
A little further on, a guide with a group of five stopped. The guide raised his arm and set up his spotting scope! He showed them, about 100 meters away, a hummingbird perched on a branch. Some, looking through the scope, exclaimed, "Oh my God! Amazing! Incredible!"
For a moment, we thought they’d discovered a unicorn or were in Jurassic Park and had just crossed paths with a T-Rex!
The concept is comical—looking at a bird or another animal through a spotting scope because it’s too far away. Isn’t that what TV is for?
For our part, we saw monkeys, ants, an armadillo, an iguana, and the backside of a sloth climbing a tree. Amazing, incredible!
We stayed a few days in Manuel Antonio to enjoy the beach, changing hotels often because prices varied wildly from one day to the next for shameful services. On top of that, they’d quote a price in dollars and convert it at their discretion—thieves!
Alajuela, a city near the airport, has a two-story mall and a local market downtown! No interest except its proximity to the airport.
What we liked:
The climate and, in hindsight, San José—the most authentic city we visited.
What we didn’t like, in addition to what we’ve already mentioned:
Costa Ricans aren’t very friendly or communicative. English is barely spoken, not even by doctors at Quepos Hospital, where my wife ended up with food poisoning (thanks, Google Translate). The widespread obesity among Costa Ricans, who eat like Americans. The insecurity. The eco-hipsters who leave their $150 lodges in minivans with guides to visit parks and other sites, then return to barricade themselves in their fortresses at nightfall (oh my God, amazing, incredible). The blue signs at the entrance of towns that accept this payment method: "We accept American Express." Parking lots that become paid just because a guy is watching your car. Prices displayed in dollars. The cost of living (hotels, restaurants, taxes). Landscapes that are too green and not flowery enough. Beaches—nothing exceptional. Pollution in cities where big American trucks rule. Sewage dumped directly into the sea. Aside from the jungle, there’s nothing to visit—no ruins, monuments, or anything worth seeing.
In short, my wife and I think the hype about this supposedly eco-friendly country is overrated. It’s just the trendy destination of the moment. There are much better, cheaper, and more authentic places.
In hindsight, we keep the good memories and our beautiful photos, but if we had to do it over...
Before signing off, a little message to those who don’t like hearing opinions different from theirs:
Well, some things aren’t up for debate. And to those who’d have us believe that in 3 weeks, we don’t have the right to criticize a country or express our feelings—how can you praise it in so little time? What a scam. Costa Rica is a money pit. Pura vida? Pure cosmic emptiness.
If you like spending your evenings barricaded in your cozy hotel after dark, this country is for you.
For everyone else: run!
Hello,
Since the war between Russia and Ukraine, nothing is simple anymore for traveling to Belarus due to sanctions.
No more direct flights from the EU to Minsk.
Driving is a huge hassle, especially crossing through Poland at the only open border in Brest—you can wait 2, 3, or even 4 days just to get through by car.
The least painful driving option is to come via Lithuania and cross at the only open border, with a minimum wait time of 8 hours, sometimes up to 20 hours or more!!
Controls are very strict and annoying on both the Lithuanian and Belarusian sides. Avoid bringing alcohol, food, or cigarettes—everything will end up in the trash, especially when leaving Belarus for Vilnius, where the Lithuanians are tough, even with EU citizens.
The joy I once knew when visiting my wife in Minsk is sadly over—it’s now a real ordeal.
The fastest solution is to fly. My wife travels to France by taking a bus to Kaunas in Lithuania, where you can catch a flight (though not daily) to Paris Beauvais or Charleroi in Belgium with Ryanair, for example.
For the return trip, it’s the same: a flight to Kaunas and then a direct bus from the airport to Minsk.
The bus crossing is quicker than driving—the 250 km journey, including border checks, takes about 6 to 8 hours for buses leaving Lithuania around midnight, but controls are still strict at the border.
The biggest challenge is finding flight schedules that align with the bus routes between the two countries, given the unpredictable border crossing times.
Now, my wife travels via Charleroi in Belgium (near Brussels), and you can take a train to Paris. Alternatively, you can fly into Beauvais and take a bus to Paris (Porte Maillot).
For those driving, note that EU insurance and assistance policies no longer work in Belarus or Russia. You’ll need to get local insurance, usually limited to third-party liability (I don’t think full coverage exists?), as well as mandatory medical insurance. This is available at the border.
You now have to pay highway tolls—no more BELTOLL boxes. Instead, you pay a flat fee for the duration of your stay. Stop at the first gas station after crossing from Lithuania to fill up on fuel and cigarettes.
From what I know, Lithuania bans carrying more than 60 € in cash, but there’s no limit for USD (though it’s capped at $10,000??).
With a Visa card, you can now withdraw 1,000 rubles per week (about 270 €)—two months ago, it was only 500 rubles!!
For now, you can still pay by card in shops and gas stations.
However, major retailers like KORONA (which may be Russian-owned??) no longer accept foreign Visa cards.
Unfortunately, the additional sanctions announced by the U.S. on August 5, 2025, against Russia—and possibly Belarus—aren’t promising for the future.
After 20 years of visiting Belarus, I’m truly saddened to see the joy of living in this country with my wonderful wife turn into such a bleak situation, all because of human folly.
Hi everyone!
I’m putting together our travel itinerary for Veneto at the end of April. And the more I look and research potential sites to visit, the more I find!
We’ll only be there for a week—my family and I—including 3 days in Venice. So we have to make some choices...
I plan to rent a car when we arrive in Venice and head straight to Bergamo, which would be our first stop. We’d leave the car at the airport when we return to Venice so we can explore the city at our leisure.
What do you think:
1 night in Bergamo (a 2h15 drive from Venice airport),
1 night in Garda,
1 night in Verona,
1 in Padua, and
3 in Venice—would that be doable?
Thanks in advance for your tips and experiences! :)
Now that the curtain has fallen on the past year, it’s time to see what’s happening around here.
It seems pretty quiet, but I’ll read more in detail later.
First, I need to tell you all an anecdote.
My eldest little girl, in her third year of law school, was really scared she wouldn’t pass the year.
I told her:
“Trust yourself, you’ve worked so hard, and worst case, if you fail, you’ll just redo the year.”
“But I don’t think I’ll make it—they changed the rules, and if I mess up even one unit, I have to start all over.”
I knew her grades weren’t exactly stellar, and with what I was about to say, I wasn’t taking much of a risk.
“Here’s the deal, sweetheart: if you pass, I promise I’ll take you to India, just the two of us.”
I have to admit, India is a country I’ve talked about so much to all my grandchildren that in their minds, it’s become a magical, mythical place (hmm).
July had barely begun when my phone rang, her name flashing on the screen.
“Mamido, I did it!”
My promise came rushing back—oh no, oh no, oh no!
“Congratulations, sweetheart!”
A little shyly, she said:
“Is the India trip still on?”
And me, replying:
“Of course it is!”
And that’s that—a promise is a promise, or you risk losing that precious trust that keeps hearts warm and at peace.
We’re leaving in February. Only 8 days—yikes, the carbon footprint!
But we can’t miss her tutorials, or she’ll be kicked out.
Personally, that works just fine for me.
Going to India has become a challenge for me. It’s far, it’s exhausting, I sweat, I hate mosquitoes, the spices bother my mouth when I used to love them. There’s noise all the time—at night, the dogs bark nonstop, and we almost get run over. I’ll get lost in the streets because my sense of direction has vanished. I don’t like rice anymore. All that chaos and those cultural differences that once enchanted me now just overwhelm me.
But I promised.
The upside—and it’s a big one—Raman, the same driver I’ve had forever, will be at the airport with a sign with our names. We’ll stop at the same little shop for chai (or tea, plain and simple) with that aroma that intoxicates me, halfway through the trip.
It’ll be a tiny trip—staying with friends, I’ll show her a few places I love: Chidambaram, Mamallapuram, and the clinic where I worked. Then we’ll head back.
My little girl will go home to her parents.
As for me, I’ll leave right away for our Scottish island with Homme for our chilly winter.
How can you love a country so much you want to live there, then suddenly reject it, no longer able to appreciate what once made it special?
That’s the mystery of love, I guess.
I’ve visited the U.S. four times myself, including two long road trips. The last one was just this past August...
I won’t be going back. I already felt guilty last August, but recent policies have finally convinced me: the humiliation of Zelensky, authoritarian excesses, Gestapo-like methods for detaining people of foreign origin, the murder of innocent people (a mother shot dead), corruption, insane "tariffs," skyrocketing healthcare costs for Americans, the abduction of foreign figures to secure oil, the requirement to disclose social media accounts, and now... threats and blackmail to forcibly take Greenland—a region that belongs to Denmark and thus the European Union!
The reality is that simply posting this could get me denied entry to the U.S.!
In this context, I just can’t keep spending money there. I loved my trips, but there are so many other countries with stunning landscapes to explore.
So I get why you’d want to travel there. I did, and I loved it. But once a country no longer respects any of the values that made us love it, why go?
How can we even consider traveling to a country that threatens to take one of our territories by force?
Hello everyone,
Controversial topic? Not necessarily—maybe just a reflection on a world to come.
I spent the last 15 days of August on a cruise in Greenland, from Kangerlussuaq to Tasiilaq.
I was utterly amazed by this unique world of rock and ice, the little houses in every color, a simple life that’s also complicated by isolation and climate, among other things...
I carry in my heart the kindness of the people I met, the raw and gentle majesty of the icebergs, the colors of the sky...
So, I can’t even imagine a massive presence of raw material prospectors, heavy machinery requiring roads to be built—if that’s even possible—changing their way of life... putting sled dogs out to pasture!
Do fast food and Greenland’s northern lights really mix?
I wouldn’t trade my memories for an ESTA!
All opinions are respectable, which is why this isn’t a controversy—but I’m sorry, I have a soft spot for *my* Greenland.
We’re a couple aged 58 and 63. We’ve just returned from a wonderful trip to South India in Tamil Nadu and a few days in Kerala. We traveled with a local French-speaking guide and his friend, the driver. They both live in Pondicherry. We spent 3 weeks with them in the most authentic way!
We covered just over 2,500 km and visited not only temples but also archaeological sites, museums, and small artisanal businesses making tiles, tea, sculptures, bronze, and silk spinning. We were lucky enough to visit a public school, attend a wedding, and even a death announcement in a small countryside village. We were fully immersed in the culture, food, noise, and colors—it was incredible!
The hotels and guesthouses we chose were very clean and mostly quiet. We’re returning from India with amazing discoveries!
We’re happy to share more info if you’d like!
M-Claire and Jean
This catchy and somewhat mysterious title comes from several questions I’ve been asking myself.
VF has been back open for a reasonable number of weeks and months now.
The number of visitors overall matches past averages, but the number of members online in the last 24 hours seems relatively lower than what we used to see.
Yet, to my surprise, I’m seeing fewer travel journals, way fewer messages, and way fewer questions.
I don’t see many new registered users online, and I notice a number of members who are logged in but either aren’t participating or have stopped participating.
Something’s not adding up for me because, in my opinion, VF is still appealing, and I don’t see which other sites could really compete.
Was there a real break between pre- and post-Covid?
Does it just take more time for some people to discover the site or learn that it’s active again?
Do people now prefer quick consumption on sites like FB or others I’m not familiar with?
Where have the site’s old-timers gone, and what are they doing with their time now?
What’s really going on here?
This isn’t exactly a traveler’s question... I’d like to know who handles the technical side of this forum?
I run a similar forum on a different topic (unrecognized children), and we’re dealing with a few technical issues that are slowly killing our forum... so I’d have one or two questions to ask 😊.
Also, I was wondering who created this forum... who the administrators or moderators are, etc.
I think this forum is great. Much better than Facebook, which I’ve been using since it shut down (so I’m happy to see it’s working again...)
Hi there, I’ve been traveling for 18 years now, at least 6 months a year, and as the years go by, I actually enjoy coming back to France more and more—a feeling I struggled with at first. I mean, we always think the grass is greener elsewhere.
But in the end, I find meaning in that saying about how there’s no place like home. I still love traveling just as much, but now my trips are shorter, and I enjoy spending more time in our beautiful country, even though I don’t hesitate to criticize it.
How about you? How do you handle coming back from your travels?
A few years ago, I went with a group of friends to lend a hand at a small rural school near Thiès, Senegal.
It was a relaxed but hardworking atmosphere—hands in the mortar, laughter, exchanges, and everything that a COOPERATION project can bring.
Today, the little project is flying on its own.
Wanting to explore Senegal’s riches, we set off for some tourism in the Siné Saloum. One girl in our group fell ill (a malaria attack), and we decided to take her to see a doctor at a large tourist complex nearby. Despite her condition, we had to "show our credentials" (if I may say so) just to get in. She was treated and has been fine since.
This "stop" at a Club Med-style resort with a Teutonic twist—resembling Le Grau-du-Roi but fancier—was a horror show for us: pools, massive artificial basins dyed blue, pink, or green (!!!!), animators shouting around wet T-shirt contests or coconut tree climbing, and sunburned (or sun-pinked) *toubabs*.
The entire hotel was surrounded by a huge wall, behind which a small souvenir-seller slum had sprung up, worthy of Dakar’s outer neighborhoods.
On leaving, we saw a minibus of guests returning from an "excursion," loaded with masks, fabrics, and djembés—African souvenirs?
Maybe those will be *theirs*?
What impression did the kids clustered at the hotel gates get?
What about the Black servers in "traditional African costumes," serving cocktails and ice cream nonstop?
For me, who experienced Africa very young and in the bush, this remains a haunting image.
On VF, this kind of vacation doesn’t seem to be the norm among users, and that’s exactly why I signed up.
Have you ever experienced this kind of interstellar travel?
Do you understand the Martians?
Are their motivations peaceful?
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