Paris

Expect the unexpected. Just think if someone had asked the same question last week. Would anyone (other than an ISIS sympathizer) have answered that you should be prepared for horrible terrorist attacks all over the city?

Marte,

Keep reading the threads here and under "France" in the Forum. People are posting updates and their personal experiences. I would first call or go to your airline's web site to check on any flight cancellations. No one can really say at this point what conditions will be like in Paris itself but I would expect business as usual but with a real sense of heightened security. I might leave the backpack at home if you were planning on using one. Hope you have a good trip!

marte,

I agree with the other posts that you should expect a greatly heightened security presence in Paris, especially considering that a huge environmental conference gets under way there in a week or so, which will be attended by many world leaders. Some of the usual tourist sites may remain closed for a day or so, but will probably re-open soon (again with more security). Kim (Paris) will be able to provide more detailed information on that. If you were planning to use a daypack when visiting the sights, you may want to consider an alternative to that.

I don't think anyone can offer anything other than speculation. Paris is a big city so the probability of any one spot being hit is extremely low. All of the recent attacks were well outside of the main tourist areas. If I was going I would expect to see more security and perhaps random id checks especially in potentially crowded areas - subways, train stations, etc. This is the one time I would make certain to always carry my passport. If I was forecasting anything, it would be pretty quiet.

Marte,

You may want to enroll in the 'Smart Traveler Enrollment Program'(STEP),
offered by the U.S. Department of State: https://step.state.gov/step/

Excerpt from above website:

Benefits of enrolling in STEP

• Receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country, helping you make informed
  
  decisions about your travel plans.

• Help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency.

• Help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency.

As Ken & others have mentioned, there is definitely heightened security presence in Paris.

This reminds me of the trip I'd planned for Sept. 2001. After 911, I was ready to cancel our trip, however, my brother (who works at LAX) dissuaded me from doing so by explaining that security was heightened at all airports & that it was actually the best time to travel. He also said this; "if the terrorists have other plans to attack, they will not use the same tactic"
So...We ended up going on our trip and we actually felt reassured about the extra security.

Definitely expect to see a great deal more security in places with large crowds and anything to do with transportation. Which is a good thing. Some attractions may be closed, but life will go on and adaptability will be the key to having a good trip. As Frank mentioned, make certain to always carry your passport.

Hi,

I have no answer for you. We were in the same boat as Priscilla in 2001. We had tickets to fly out of NJ to Munich the first week of October and hemmed and hawed what we should do. We went and everything went well.

Paul