burner phone in Paris

I would anticipate spending 30 to 40 euros for a simple phone and a pre-paid SIM card. Here are some phone+prepaid card offers from Orange. Orange boutiques are ubiquitous in most larger cities in France, and you also could stop by competitors' stores (SFR, Bouygues, Free) as I suspect they would offer similar deals. You'll need your passport.

Your meeting with the 80-year-old banker sounds fascinating. I, too, would be curious what role a child, who would have been about age 7 when the war ended, might have played in the French Resistance.

You are right, Bob. I hadn't done the math. I re checked with the person whose father knew this gentleman, and he's in his 90's. He was a teenager during the war, as my Mother was in Germany. It will be interesting to get the perspective of a young person (at the time). Thank you for your phone suggestions. I may just give it a pass, and do without.

I figured so. I was just doing a little teasing. My wife and I live in a small town in Bourgogne and there are a lot of elderly people here. I've long wondered what their experiences were during the war but I'm aware it's not something to casually ask about.

As with many French towns, there are plaques scattered around town commemorating a battle or something the Resistance did. Just outside town, there was a battle (and currently a memorial) at a railroad bridge across a canal. There was a larger battle at the town's train station, with 29 names listed on the plaque.

susie,

You could also consider a basic, inexpensive phones from one of the travel phone firms such as.....

• https://www.cellularabroad.com/
• https://personal.iroam.com/default.aspx
• https://www.mobal.com/

That way you'd have a working phone as soon as you step off the plane. Check each of those websites to see if that will work for you.

Thanks for the suggestions, Ken. I think I waited a wee bit too long to organize this. I'm just use the hotel phone or a pay phone if needed. I will have my iPod with me, so I can e-mail if necessary.

"burner phone"

Sounds like you are working for some spy agency and need to stay hidden.

I prefer the term "disposable". :-)

If we are talking preferences I prefer to use neither term - burner or disposable.

I'm afraid the disposable culture has got a strong foothold in our society but it is important to consider the consequences of using items once and then disposing of them or burning them.

Modern electronics, specifically mobile phones contain a whole array of hard to recycle and poisonous to the environment heavy metals and rare earths, and the battery especially if it is a recent Lithium battery is both a fire hazard if punctured or bent and full of Lithium - something which should never wind up in an incinerator or a landfill.

I don't want to be pedantic but I do want us to consider the consequences of our actions.

Do they have roadside public phones? I don’t recall seeing any in Paris. Here in the States it’s very hard to find a public phone in a city. Maybe there are phones in an airport or train station. However, I remember asking somebody if they could lend me a (cell) phone to make a local call when we lost our cell phone in Amsterdam train station. We were lucky that someone spoke English and were nice enough to make the call for us ( it was to our hotel). We couldn’t find any public phone booths there.

Temporary, recyclable, loaner, rental, many terms could be used.

And yes, I hope anyone who has a "burner" will recycle it properly and not just dump it in the nearest refuse bin when done like they show on TV.

Susie,

Despite the short time before departure, you could possibly still get a travel phone via FedEx. I believe iRoam is located in Toronto, so that's one possibility. Phone their toll free number and ask them.

If that won't work, stop at a mobile phone shop close to your hotel when you arrive, and buy an inexpensive basic phone. Phone shops are ubiquitous in Europe and the hotel staff can direct you to the closest one. If you decide to do this, take your Passport as you may have to register in order to buy a phone.

Using an iPod is certainly one option but I've found the quality of WiFi to be "erratic" in some hotels, and not something I like to depend on.

Bon Voyage!

Ha ha! I watched the TV series "Wired" a few years ago and the cops used the term burner phone a lot. Here I thought I was so cool...but quite likely a little more dorky than I planned. I am so incredibly uncool when it comes to any electronics (and I'm not even a senior yet!).
I have a shuttle driver picking me up at the airport to take me the the hotel. The confirmation came with ample instructions to call the driver when I deplane. It said to use a payphone at the airport, and if that didn't work, to use a phone at the information booth. For the few remaining calls during the week, I'll just use the phone at the hotel.

I don't see a reason to order a phone ahead of time. When you arrive in Paris, you can go to any of the boutique stores, kiosks and/or places in department stores and tell them what you want. Before I had my current smart phone, I'd pick up a cheap phone and SIM card, with some minutes for roughly 25 euro. It's probably a little more now. I've only used two companies in France, Orange and SFR (or SRF?). You may be able to find something at the airport when you arrive. Always have it set up and usable before you pay and leave the store. Once you've paid, customer service can be hard to find.