I have reservations on American to arrive at CDG on the first strike day of April 13. My return flight on American is the first strike day of May 3. Some of my planned day trips out of Paris were by train. What would your thoughts? Would you go and risk delays or cancellations or cancel the trip?
Posted by
Lewiston, Idaho, USA
2092 posts
Me, cancel a trip to France? NEVER!
David, because we have the scheduled dates of the strikes, we are able to shuffle our travel dates now and then hope that the strikes are on days previously planned and don't change! For a trip I'm planning for friends, instead of taking the trains, I've arranged a tour. It's more expensive of course but they will get to see the region they dreamed of.
Of course the strike days can change but we can hope for the best.
One year a strike of the trains was announced the day before so I just reserved a rental car just in case our train was canceled. Turned out we didn't need the car from Nice to Marseille but had to take a taxi to Aix en Provence. (We could have taken a bus but preferred a taxi for the 4 of us that time.)
My philosophy is to be adaptable and flexible which really helps for most trips!
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10605 posts
Absolutely the last thing I would do is cancel the trip. You can take a taxi or shuttle service to get you back and forth from the airport if necessary. I will be in Paris in June. I have noted the strike days and will plan my day trips out of town to work around the strike.
Posted by
OP
Fremont, CA
28 posts
"My philosophy is to be adaptable and flexible"
I have made 17 trips to Europe traveling to 61 cities in 10 countries since 2005. You have to believe I have encountered many disruptions to deal around. I could deal around the strike days but my concern is the air controllers situation at the time of my flight home May 3. A cancellation of my American flight home could end up a very costly solution.
I wanted to visit Cologne but could not arrange satisfactory flight arrangement thus I abandoned the visit to Cologne.Then for my last week in Italy before returning to Paris for the trip home I must contacted every hotel in Florence and Pisa in Rick Steves's guidebook only to be advised they had no vacancy. I settled for a lesser satisfactory solution.
All these already know possible disruptions, with the possibilities of more, have raised my anxieties and frustrations to the point is the trip worth it at this time. I guess this is why I asked the question of others' thoughts on whether to cancel. I simply need some clear thinking on the matter that I am not doing for myself.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Every strike will have a workaround. It might not be as convenient - a different train time, driving, taking a bus, etc. - but there is always a way. I've found things that go wrong often become my best travel memories; maybe because my brain has to work a little harder and I have more interaction with locals? Maybe I'm just proud of myself when I reach my goal?
Don't quit, revel in the opportunity to learn more about French culture. Working around difficulties is somewhat of an art in France. There will be lots of people in the same boat as you and a camaraderie between all the people who have to work around the inconvenience. If nothing else, an automatic topic for conversation.
I should add, I'll be there in June but I'll try to work around the planned strike schedule: https://www.thelocal.fr/20180330/french-rail-strikes-here-are-the-37-days-to-avoid-travelling-by-train
Posted by
3442 posts
My thoughts: This doesn't sound like your one and only trip to Europe - if you're on the fence enough that you're asking people for their thoughts, maybe you should re-schedule, if not cancel, your trip.
OTOH - You're flying on American, so your flights shouldn't be affected. Maybe go anyway and change your day trips to small-group tours via mini-van.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
I have made 17 trips to Europe traveling to 61 cities in 10 countries
since 2005. You have to believe I have encountered many disruptions to
deal around.
So what is different this time around? As far as your comment about a prior trip and contacting hotels in Rick's books for vacancies, my advice would be to really expand your resources. Don't get stuck in the narrow lodging choices in a single guidebook. Unless something extraordinary is going on (like a special event), there will always be many choices for lodging in medium-large cities (just look on www.booking.com and the like and have some Plan B places already picked out; you can book ahead of time and cancel if it looks like your flight will proceed as expected). I think the ability to deal with this really depends on how resourceful and easy going you can choose to be about the situation. It sounds like you're so annoyed already that it may be best to pass...but I would just sleep on it for a while and see if your outlook improves.
Posted by
3442 posts
My thoughts: This doesn't sound like your one and only trip to Europe - if you're on the fence enough that you're asking people for their thoughts, maybe you should re-schedule, if not cancel, your trip.
OTOH - You're flying on American, so your flights shouldn't be affected. Maybe go anyway and change your day trips to small-group tours via mini-van.