48 Hours in Paris - The Free Itinerary

We're excited to share this with you all!

I wrote a little story about nearly missing my flight to Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. Ironically, it was the story that missed its departure date and it never made it into the newsletter - my trip through the US was a whirlwind - but don't worry, we've included it below for your reading pleasure.

I have something else for you first - something we haven't shared publicly yet and, if you're coming to Paris anytime soon, I thought you might enjoy.

If you've been following me for a while now, you might know that my strengths in sharing Paris tend to revolve around Paris off the beaten path. There's so much of this city to enjoy, I often don't even know where to begin.

But that doesn't mean that we want to leave newbies in the dust - the big sites of Paris are almost all worth seeing and you can do them like a local. So if it's your first time visiting Paris, or you'd like to hit the highlights on your return trip, we've packaged them all into a 48 hour itinerary organized to ensure you also get great food, drinks, and coffee along the way. Definitely a challenge in areas around monuments like the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe - but we have you covered.

Head on over to https://parisinmypocket.com/paris-itineraries/48-hours-in-paris and you can get a copy delivered to your email account right away. And feel free to share it with anyone you know who's visiting Paris in the near future! Whether for a visit or hoping to escape for the rest of their lives. We can't wait to get you off to a running start.

And now, onto the missed flight story from two weeks ago:

My main plan was to get to San Diego to see my family for a quick visit. I haven't been back in the States for over a year, and haven't been to California in almost two!

But I had to make a little detour because one of my oldest childhood friends was turning 40, making him both literally and figuratively one of my oldest childhood friends, and celebrating with a week in Vegas. His wife asked if I could come surprise him, and of course I said yes. But I almost didn't manage.

I spent one night in San Diego, packed my stuff away at my sister's, and the next morning my brother-in-law dropped me off at the airport. I left my passports behind because I've seen enough movies about Las Vegas that I figured I'd keep those in a safe place. It was all smooth sailing, even my brief shock at the massive security line mitigated by a clear lane through TSA pre-check. I walked up, pulled out my wallet, and that's when the problems started.

I was so focused on how to travel internationally with two passports, making sure not to use the wrong one at the wrong border, that I forgot I'd be flying domestic once I got here. I assumed I had my driver's license on me because, in my brain, it's always in my wallet. But of course it isn't. I never drive in Paris, why would I carry it?

I pulled out my French national ID card, hopeful it could save me. Unfortunately, ça ne passe pas.

I was updating my brother-in-law, Kevin, through all of this. He said he could come back with my passport. There was an hour until my flight took off. He saw a wreck on the other side of the highway, the route he would have to use to come back.

I waited and watched that long security line inch past, dwindle, then grow again. I refrained from texting my friends meeting me in Vegas, not wanting to spark any unnecessary anxieties. 30 minutes until gate closes.

Kevin found the passport. He had an alternate route back. It seemed everyone was using that alternate route. 20 minutes until gate closes.

And then he was pulling in. I grabbed my passport through the window, shouted my thanks, and ran to security. The ladies in front of me had apparently never put their bags through an X Ray Machine before. 15 minutes until gate closes.

I finally asked if I could throw my bag in ahead of them, apologizing for being "in a rush" when everyone has a flight to catch. The metal detector dinged, but they waved me on. My bag popped out the other side, and I snatched it up. Ten minutes until gate closes.

But it turned out to be the smallest of terminals, and there were still ten people in line. Plenty of time to spare. I boarded, took my middle seat (Spirit Airlines experience to the fullest), and had a nice chat with my single serving friends all the way through security at Las Vegas' airport.

The surprise was a success, but the real moral of the story here is that if you're lucky enough to have a good brother-in-law like Kevin, make sure you let them know it (and maybe write a newsletter about them after).

And finally, a very happy birthday to this stud: