Two parts -
I have a teenager on first solo trip from Washington, DC to Biarritz. Best solution seems to be with a single stop and change at CDG to Orly.
Assuming that is true, the easiest plan aeems to be Air France Bus from CDG to Orly.
Is there any help to do this, or just have to look for signs?
I%26#39;m assuming this will be on Air France - so arriving and departing from Terminal 2 at CDG - which actually makes it harder to describe it ahead of time to the kid because of multiple Terminal 2 buildings?
Any suggestions to reduce my anxiety? Thanks
|||
How old is your teen? I do not find CDG easy to maneuver within and I am a seasoned traveler. I don%26#39;t think I would endeavor to have my teen, blurry eyed from lack of sleep, gather luggage, clear passport control and customs, locate the Air France bus then head to Orly only to check in and board another flight. Are you able to arrange help directly through Air France? That may be your best bet. I don%26#39;t want to add to your anxiety, but unless your child is a seasoned international traveler close to the age of 18 or 19, I would not do this. Do you have any other flight alternatives that do not change airports? Moms
|||
I agree with momstravel. If you son is younger than 18 or 19, there are too many unknown problems which can arise.
Outside of a taxi, the AF bus is indeed the easiest way to reach ORY.
Make sure your son knows if he is going to Orly Ouest or Orly Sud.
|||
If your teenager is old enough and bright enough to travel to France on their own...then one would presume that they%26#39;re old enough and bright enough to figure out the remarkably simple and direct #3 Les CARS AIR FRANCE Coach route from their CDG arrival terminal to their departure terminal at ORLY (Sud? or Ouest?).
If they can%26#39;t figure something as simple as this out....then they probably shouldn%26#39;t be traveling alone.
#3--Les CARS AIR FRANCE Coach Route--
http://www.airfrance.com/double6/passage2.nsf/(LookupPublishedWeb)/en-EXCDG-CarsAF?OpenDocument#
|||
Does teenager speak french?? If not , then I think you are not doing the right thing at all.
Seriously, I can only hope teenager is at least 18, and is a seasoned traveller, and do NOT assume there are helpful ENGLISH speaking people around to help son.
|||
I must disagree with all the pessimists here :-)
Although I%26#39;m not a teenager, I went alone to Paris last summer and everything went just fine. There are a lot of clear signs and a lot of people who were willing to help and DID speak English in CDG.
My advice it to become familiar with CDG using the great site http://www.easycdg.com
Also – according to easycdg.com/pages/airlines_directorypag.html it seems that Air France from Washington arrives at terminal 2E.
Please check easycdg.com/pages/cdg_airport_access_by_air_… for the location of Air France coach line #3 on terminal 2E.
Just print the maps and I%26#39;m sure that everything will be just fine!
|||
Hi --
My kid managed Italy, France and Germany on her own when she was not yet 16. As she said, she was old enough and smart enough to have graduated high school, so she should be able to read some signs and follow directions. She did indeed manage all the signs and directions in three different languages, so your teen should be able to manage, too.
The trick in this situation is not to micromanage everything. It%26#39;s a case of less is more. Let him do some of his own research so he can be confident that he understands what the drill will be, even if you already know it all. If he%26#39;s confident that he can manage everything, he will do exactly that.
Your only problem will be adjusting to the much more mature kid who gets off the plane when he comes home.
|||
With or without ANY French at all...I%26#39;m not sure there%26#39;s all that much to figure out to get from Luggage Collection and the French Customs controlled exit, out to the curb in front of the CDG #2 Arrival terminal building...to the sign that reads %26#39;..Les CARS AIR FRANCE..%26#39; and onto to the bus going to %26#39;..#3--Aeroport ORLY..%26#39;....nor finding someone who speaks English in or around the Arrival/Departure terminal buildings of major international airports like CDG or ORY...if it became necessary. At worst...they could PRINT OUT and carry the details page for the %26#39;..#3--Les CARS AIR FRANCE--Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport-Paris Orly Airport..%26#39; route to point at and affect a plantive look??
|||
Funny enough, I did almost this exact same trip at the age of 16 (I started in Toronto rather than DC).
It was my first solo trip to France (though not my first trip to France or my first solo trip) and I had no problems in doing the transfer. I don%26#39;t think I flew in with Air France (I think it would have been Air Canada), but I just followed the signs/other people to customs and luggage and then followed signs to the transfer bus. It was way too long ago (with too much traveling in between) for me to remember exact details but it was quite painless.
You know your teen best, but it is doable and probably easier than transferring to Paris and taking the TGV.
|||
WOW BCtraveller ,, Your FIFTEEN year old child had alread graduated high school, that is amazing, they must be really smart, since at 15 kids are normally in grade ten. And you let your 15 yr old travel all over Europe like that by themself.. Amazing,, you must have a super kid and you must have ice in your viens,, since most of us would not think a 15 yr old was quite old enough to travel all by themselves around all those countries.
I guess your child has their doctorate by now.
Some times its just unbelievable what I learn on these sites.
|||
KDKsail, I won%26#39;t disagree with your points completely,, but gee, all you need is one wildcat strike( like those never happen) or one little thing to be different then the %26quot;plan%26quot; and without any language I think most teens( and adults) would find a bit stressful. Definately some people are better at this sort of situation then others. OP should know their child well enough to know which type of travellor they are ...just like BCtravellors, who has an extrodinary kid who could travel alone through three different countries at 15..
No comments:
Post a Comment