Flying tip

Here's a great flying tip, you don't have to fly into and out of the same airport.  This is a great option if your are planning on driving when you get to your destination.  As an example, say you are flying to France and plan on spending some time in Paris, then renting a car and driving to Provence where you will end your vacation.  Instead of driving back to Paris you could choose an airport closer to where you end your vacation, in this example Marseille would be a great option.

Some things to consider:

1. Always check the pricing, it typically will not add much to your ticket price to have an "open jaw" itinerary.
2. Make sure your car rental agency is not charging you a one-way drop-off fee.

10 Things Not to Do in Paris

10 Things Not to Do in Paris - #2

Don't…
Get Starstruck At Mealtimes

Home to 66 Michelin-starred restaurants, Paris is a gourmet's paradise. But a lot of pomp and circumstance—not to mention sky-high prices—accompany most of these traditional fine-dining establishments. (The prix fixe dinner at three-star L'Arpège, for example, will set you back a staggering $480. And that's before wine!) Does the idea of half a dozen waiters hovering buzzardlike around your table sound appealing? Or how about spending as much on dinner as you did on your plane ticket? No, we didn't think so.

Instead…
Have Your Dinner À La Mode

Recently, several Michelin-starred chefs have abandoned the rigid confines of haute-cuisine restaurants to open convivial bistros that serve up simpler (yet still outstanding) meals. And the locals are just crazy about them. Yves Camdeborde's pioneering Le Comptoir du Relais, in the sixth arrondissement, is so popular that it can be hard to get a table. But once you're tucking into Camdeborde's famous foie gras terrine for a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere (the weekday dinner prix fixe is about $68), you'll understand why the place is booked months in advance. If you can't get in at dinner, try arriving by 11:45 am for lunch (reservations are not accepted, so it's first come, first serve). Christian Constant's charming Café Constant, in the seventh, is another popular option that serves impeccably prepared favorites, such as roast chicken, for a mere $20. Still hell-bent on a Michelin-star meal? Try booking at lunchtime, when many restaurants offer excellent-value prix fixe menus.

My thoughts - I agree.  My rule when traveling in Europe is that if a restaurant has a menu posted outside in English or they advertise an "American" menu they are expecting tourists and I usually move on.  I especially like dining at ethnic restaurants while in Europe.  One positive influence from the old colonial days is that you can usually find the cuisine of the colonies in the country you are visiting.  England = Indian, The Netherlands = Indonesian, France = Moroccan, Italy = Ethiopian are some good examples.

Number 3 on Wednesday.

10 Things Not to Do in Paris

10 Things Not to Do in Paris

from Concierge.com

Number 1:

Don't…

Shop On The Champs-Elysées

The Champs-Elysées may once have been the most beautiful avenue in the world, but its fortunes have risen and fallen many times over the years, and it's currently overrun with global chain stores, auto dealerships, and movie multiplexes. Aside from the über-glam Vuitton flagship, which draws label addicts in droves, you'll find yourself dodging throngs of teens as you trudge past McD's and Sephora, wondering what in God's name all the fuss is about. And whatever you do, don't succumb to hunger on this strip: The cafés prey on tourists, and a local wouldn't be caught dead in one.

Instead…
Follow In The Well-Heeled Footsteps Of Locals

Die-hard fashionistas should head straight to the designer shops of the Rue des Francs-Bourgeois in the chic Marais, while haute-couturistas should point their stilettos in the direction of the Avenue Montaigne, for the likes of Chanel, or the Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, home of trendsetting concept shop Colette (pictured). For an old-fashioned ambience, look to Paris's covered passages. Dating back to the 19th century, these were the city's first malls, and beneath their vaulted ceilings of glass and wrought iron, you'll find more unusual wares: French designers, but also antiquarian book dealers, art galleries, quirky toy shops, and more.Galerie Vivienne, just north of the Palais Royal, in the second arrondissement, is the most elegant of the lot.

My thoughts - I couldn't agree more.  And luckily in Paris there is great shopping around every corner.  So avoid the main tourist zones, get off the main streets, and look for the one unique item to bring that will always remind you of your trip to Paris.

Number 2 on Tuesday.