In December 2020 I took a business trip to Eindhoven to check in with the editors of Dispatches Europe, which syndicates some of our content here at TAIP. In November 2021 I took a two-week business trip to Hungary. That … Continue reading
travel
Flying During Lockdown
While many of my planned trips this year evaporated in the spring, there were still some trips I chose to take for business and personal reasons. During a brief window in the summer when PCR tests weren’t required, I went … Continue reading
Traveling Without My French Resident Card
So in an earlier post I shared that I had been pickpocketed late last year and hence no longer had my physical four-year carte de séjour, which was perhaps the hardest-earned French document in my possession. In that same article … Continue reading
My First Flight Since Lockdown (and Ten Things I Learned)
“You are?” my European friends responded, bug-eyed, to my disclosure that I was flying to America this week. They had been watching CNN or some other similar network, in which the impression was being given that the country was burning … Continue reading
Long Lost Luggage
“But why didn’t they load it on the flight?” I was at Orly Airport, at the luggage desk for Vueling Airlines, or more properly speaking, at a desk that serviced 6 different airlines, one of which was Vueling, which if … Continue reading
Don’t Use Opodo
When I lived in the United States I unfailingly used the (now defunct) Hipmunk to search for flights. They use an “agony index” which scores layovers, price, etc. to give you the best option for your journey, not necessarily just … Continue reading
Forgetting My Passport
A huge pit formed at the very bottom of my stomach. A hot flash of embarrassment started at my chin, ducked below my eyes, and lurched forward onto my forehead, spilling down my cheeks. These physical reactions usually accompany the … Continue reading
NYC: Parisians’ Delight
I’m always curious to know what fellow Parisians think of their visits to my beloved United States. Often they have been to America, and usually, they have been to New York. Now, when most people tell me they’ve visited New … Continue reading
The Power of Old Churches
“Wow, it sounds like you’re really into churches.” My companion was to my right. Corsica was outside our window and below, to our left. He was a Spaniard and we were both headed to Romania that weekend. I, for a … Continue reading