SOLO TRAVEL: PARIS

 The long-awaited blog post about my first trip to Paris, SOLO is finally here!

Most asked question I was getting, was I nervous/scared? Hell yes! Who the heck wouldn't be scared, first trip by yourself and you're going international! ... I was extremely nervous but I knew myself well enough to know not to do some dumb shit (shout-out to Taken 1,2 and 3!).

The other question I kept getting was ... Why? Here's why I book this trip ... As you guys know if you've been following for a while now, I was going through some shit in my relationship. My heart ended up getting broken, it fucked me up mentally and emotionally. I've always had this desire in me to do something big on my own. I'm not sure what was happening in the universe BUT after that break-up the opportunities started knocking! I found my own place, moved up at my job and found a round trip to ticket to Paris for cheap and BOOK THAT BITCH REAL QUICK!

I did my research before heading down to Paris, I didn't want to go without knowing anything. I found out which districts are better to stay at, which are 1 and 2. My hotel was located in district 2 which was in the center of everything, the Louvre Museum was legit across the bridge from me, that's how close I was to everything! First thing I will suggest everyone to do is to walk everywhere or take the train. The train system in Paris is 100% better than MTA here in NYC.


HOTEL - Hôtel des 2 Continents Paris -  Very small, intimate hotel. Nothing too crazy or fancy but a  cute enough place to stay. They do have breakfast but its 12 euro per person, but in my opinion I say don't bother there are soooo many beautiful local cafes that give you more food for about the same price!

My first night there I wanted to explore the night life already, get it out of the way. I honestly didn't have a choice the time different was pretty rough. I left NY around 10pm and landed in Paris around 3:00, I was shook lol. Anywaysss, I found the cutest little dinner spot called Freddy's. The people were extremely nice, the waiter recommended some amazing dishes that were worth waiting for (the waiters do not move fast, expect longer waiting times to order your food/get it). Paris is extremely MEAT friendly, vegetarian/vegan options are VERY little!

I than met up with some amazing people that a friend of mine introduce me to via IG, I ended up going to his restaurant which ended up being a great African restaurant called O'Maki Paris ... small but very beautiful and the food!! I mean the portion were HUGE and so fucking delicious. The owner is very dope guy, so energetic and cheery. He would recommend the best places to go out and party so I highly suggest asking him about the area, his IG is here. Sorry Margi, I just made you the tour guy now for Paris ;)

I ended up going to a strip club my first night also, if you're feeling daring check out The Key Paris.

The best part about traveling alone is getting up everyday and getting to do the things YOU want to do and not have to worry about 10 other people getting ready.

One activity I'm so happy I was able to do was the lunch boat ride. I suggest every one to try this, I know it sounds like a cliche BUT, you get to see a good portion of Paris including the eiffel tower while enjoying a 3 course meal and a whole bottle of wine for yourself! I got to meet the cutest couple who's been married for 40+ years. The way this man kept looking at his wife and kissing her, I thought it was their first date! The experience was so beautiful, it really had me in tears ... I got to really appreciate love more on this boat ride. Book it a day before, it makes the process a lot easier once you're there. Marina de Paris

The Louvre museum is a MUST! It's an all-day kind of adventure, I only did it half a day because I wanted to explore Paris more. I HIGHLY recommend buying the tickets before heading there, the lines to pay can get a little crazy. There's a cafe area and Starbucks inside, trust me when I say you will be stopping there to eat/drink something. Wear comfortable shoes for this museum! Make sure you get lost a little in that museum, trust me it's beautiful inside and out! Louvre Museum

I was told about this sandwich spot called Paul's ... a great sandwich spot! The lines be out the door for this place, The french DO NOT play when it comes to their bread. I had their tuna sandwich and wow my mouth just got watery as I started typing it. They also had this one sandwich that was covered in cheese with a hot-dog inside ...  Just please check out Paul's, their breakfast is also amazing! PAUL FRANCE

I ended up doing a 30 min walk to catch the Eiffel tower at night, wow what a magical experience. Please make sure you check this beauty out at night. If you're traveling alone please take that walk ... The way Paris lights up at night is breathtaking. Another tip I will give is to make sure you buy the tickets to go up on the Eiffel ahead of time, the line ends up being 2 hours long. There's also a restaurant inside the Eiffel you can try out, it looked pretty amazing I didn't get to do it but why not have you guys try it out. EIFFEL TOWER

OTHER THINGS TO SEE
- Sacre Coeur (a beautiful Roman Catholic church, with an amazing view of Paris)
- Foundation of Louis Vuitton (Jean Michel Basquiat exhibition will be their till January 14th, 2019)
- Take you photo in front of the Arc De Triomphe
- WALK AROUND!



TIPS ON TRAVELING ALONE
- DON'T mention that you are traveling alone! Trust your judgement with this one, I did mention I was traveling alone but too a few I knew wouldn't really care. BUT don't go telling every single person you come across.
- DON'T talk to anyone who's alone.  I only made conversation with people who were in groups of 2 or more
- DO live life on the edge, do things or eat things you would've never thought of doing back home.
- DO put your phone down and enjoy the moment.
- DO make friends. The french are not rude, at least to me they weren't :)
- TRUST your instinct.
- MAKE sure to call your mom or whoever you are close to every day so that they know you are fine.


Stop waiting on your friends and BOOK THAT TICKET! Like Will Smith said "You cannot allow fear to take control of your life"

Hope this was all helpful for you guys, I did save my Paris trip on my highlight section. You can always reference back to that.