Boutique Tours to France

Bonjour friend,

How lovely of you to inquire into Confectionique’s unique Boutique tours to France! I have traveled to Paris and greater France for many years. I deeply enjoy the French people and their culture. I love sharing all my favorite French endeavors with others through friends, markets, shopping, gastronomy, outdoor venues, cultural opportunities and hideaway places. Confectionique’s Boutique Tours offers a unique opportunity to really enjoy your destination in France. Although I primarily host groups in Paris, I do and have hosted trips to Provence.  

Confectionique’s Boutique Tours offers the opportunity to plan a meaningful travel experience together. We rent a delightful apartment. Why an apartment rather than a hotel?  An apartment is a more genuine French experience, offers a relaxed way to enjoy travel, helps control cost and provides the comfort of “home” while you are away.  

Important Details:

1)      To secure your spot, I request both a deposit and Contract of Understanding to be signed. The contract simply lays out what to expect during our time together. The deposit is a fee based on your per-night stay in France during your Confectionique Boutique Tour. The money is held until after the trip is completed.

2)      The fee helps pay for the time I spend organizing our planning meetings, developing and implementing all facets of the tour to include, but not limited too; the walking tour, planning excursions, booking specialty guides and special requests, making necessary reservations, arranging transportation to and from the airport, preparing light refreshments for your arrival in France, being your host and available to you in the apartment during your stay. I will manage all tickets and reservations.

3)      We will meet 3 times to plan our trip together. Location TBD, but often held at each other’s homes. These meetings are beloved by all who participate in them.

4)      You are responsible for booking your own airline tickets. I have an agent you can work with if you prefer. I highly recommend you purchase travel insurance.

5)      You are responsible for the cost of your share of the apartment, any excursions, tours, admissions, transportation, meals, special requests (i.e., apartment chef, renting bikes, cooking classes, etc.).  Just think of this tour as a trip with girlfriends in which each person is responsible for their expenses.

6)      I host between 4-6 women and the dates and duration of travel are flexible, in September. Once we agree to travel together, dates have been selected, contract signed and your deposit has been paid, I will secure an apartment and will then request reimbursement for the cost of the apartment via PayPal or check.

7)      Finally, once we decide upon an itinerary, I will purchase all tickets in advance and then seek reimbursement from each traveler.  Again, you will submit payment via check or PayPal.  This strategy is best way to ensure we will be together.

8)      Please consider any limitations you may have. You must be in good physical walking condition. We walk an average of 10 thousand steps per day to include a lot of stairs, uneven pavement, navigating crowds and walking at night. Your health must be stable to travel in a manner that is not a burden and suits both you and your fellow travelers.

 

Little Extras: Just to reiterate, you will be paying for all your personal travel. My goal is to keep our trip small, intimate as we travel together like a small group of girlfriends. Paying all your own expenses allows you to have some decision regarding how much you pay for your trip. Historically, the cost generally runs between 4K to 6K per person depending upon many factors and length of your stay. Our planning is a democratic process. If you plan to do some activities outside the group consensus (i.e., a cooking class). I am happy to give you some ideas, but you will need to do the research, plan and submit payments on your own. If you decide to extend your travel, I will give you some pointers, but you will need to manage these arrangements on your own or with the help of an agent. The extent of our contract and time together ends with return transportation to the airport.

Cancellation Policy:  Please obtain trip insurance and study what the insurance will cover for you. Since, as a group we split expenses to save money and there are limited spots available, please leave a deposit and reserve your spot with purely good intentions, as other’s are counting on you. However, emergencies can and do happen. If you cancel 90 days or more prior to travel (your flight departure date) you will be refunded the apartment and host deposit costs (all other touring such as tickets to museums, guides, special outings cannot be refunded). If you cancel 89-30 days you will absorb the cost of the apartment (as it will be difficult to bring another person on-board and it would not be fair to ask others to pay for your portion), but would be refunded the host fee. If you cancel 29 days ahead of travel departure. There are no refunds.

Communication:  I will have a private Facebook page for communication and planning purposes. Although I will use email occasionally, please note I cannot send out special email with information that is already provided in our Facebook group. This is an unmanageable communication strategy, could result in insufficient communication and disrupts group cohesion. When you do use the private Facebook page, we would appreciate your adding any comments, ideas, photos, etc. This is a small way we can start to get to know each other, we will be sharing an apartment after all!

Group Selection:  It is certainly possible to request to travel together as an established girlfriend group, family of women, or women traveling together for a special occasion.  However, I often host women who start off as strangers only to become fast friends.

“I am interested, sign me up!  If you wish to sign up for the next tour, please contact me through email at Confectionique@confectionique.com . I will attach the Contract of Understanding with fee information. Once I have received the contract and deposit, I will reserve your spot. Once I have at least 4, but no more than 6 women registered, I will arrange our first meeting, establish our private Facebook group and secure the accommodations.

I do hope this helps answer some of your initial questions. I am certainly willing to participate in a video call if you have any other questions or concerns.

I look forward to hosting you in a future trip where the world is our oyster, all we must do is partake!

Merci et A’bientot, Anastasia