The Bottom Line
I know you've got your guidebook. In that guidebook you've got a chapter called something like "Before you Go", or "Smart Travel Tips". It's the tired boilerplate listing facts about the country that you tear out before you go--to save weight. France: Instructions for Use is that part of your guidebook written by someone who really cares about the kind of travel you are about to undertake and wants to make your introduction to the Cultural environment as interesting as possible so you can have a great vacation instead of a merely "interesting" one.
Bottom Line: If you're going to France, you need this book.
Pros
- Concise and Useful Information for Traveling in France
- Small--take it anywhere
Cons
- It might be just a tad too large to fit in your pocket where it belongs
Description
- Concise explanation of how France works; Alison Culliford has managed to make usually dry travel tips into a good read.
- Learn when to eat, when to have your aperitif, and when not to get on the autoroute.
- Yes, it really is a "Personal cultural operations manual". Read it or weep.
- Knowing in advance that the French keyboard is a bit different will not make you any less frustrated when you encounter one.
Guide Review - Review of France: Instructions for Use
Travel isn't easy. Ever. After all, the word derives from the French word "travail" meaning "work". Show up at a Barcelona restaurant at noon and you know what I mean. You'll be left pacing and fretting, stomach growling, until they open--in three hours or so if you're lucky. That's work.
If you want to get the most out of any trip, you've got to know how the locals go about doing things. Darn few cultures hold the good food back for the tourists, you know. Think what you want about the democracy of values, but you'll have an easier time and better trip if you know in advance what's expected from a "decent" person in any culture.
France: Instructions for Use is a manual for folks who want to get the most from a visit to France. You'll learn about French people and why they seem rude (but aren't) and, more importantly, why you might seem rude to them--and what you can do to change that perception. What is considered polite varies just slightly everywhere you go on earth just so people can tell who the barbarians are. Learn and prosper.
Not only will you learn how to behave for maximum acceptance, but you'll learn of the types of trains, how to buy and validate a ticket before boarding, and how to use alternative transportation. Did you know you can avoid the taxi lines in Paris when arriving by train with a first class ticket? France: Instructions for use tells you what you need to know.
I can't think of a thing that's been left out. You'll want to carry this guide with you; included are phrases to get you out of those linguistic binds travelers get into.
Rent an apartment in Paris or a house in the country and you'll have a reference for all the types of shops you'll need to set yourself up as a comfortable "pretend" resident of France.
I'm out of space. Just buy this book--especially if you're going to France.
