This week, I’m writing to you from Toronto, where I’ve been stranded due to intense thunderstorms in New York that have resulted in a backlog of canceled flights. I spent all of Monday sitting in the Billy Bishop airport, with its one tiny restaurant, and a horde of disgruntled travelers desperate to get back home. I’d been in town for a wedding, and many of my friends chose to rent a car or get on a train, opting to spend 8-12 hours in transit rather than wait another 48 hours for the next available flight.
In circumstances like these, traveling can be intensely frustrating. The very thing that we associate with freedom and movement can turn into a hostile prison in the time it takes for that dreaded “Delayed” sign to blink across the airline’s departure schedule. But something I’ve learned from my years of traveling is that shifting your mindset can be a lifesaver. In the past, having a few extra days unaccounted for in a strange place allowed me to do things like day trip around the South of France, have one last mouthwatering breakfast in Paris, explore lavender fields in Provence, and have a luxurious three hour lunch at one of the best restaurants in Bordeaux.
Of course, delayed travel plans do come with real logistical struggles, so we’ve got advice on that, too. Missed your train and need to rent a car in France? Check out our guide here. Need a hotel or Airbnb in Paris? We’ve got recs. Stuck in the airport? Here’s where to eat in Orly or CDG. Need a movie to pass the time in the airport? Andrea Meyer has a review of the new French film Revoir Paris.
Travel plans aside, for those who are in New York, we’ve got a party coming up for you! My colleague Caitlin has a new novel from HarperCollins, called Pete and Alice in Maine, coming out on July 4. In celebration of the release, Frenchly will be co-hosting a book launch party at agnès b. in Soho on July 11 at 6pm. We’d love to meet you in person! RSVP to this link so we can get a head count! I will be there, along with Emmanuel, Caitlin (obviously), and other members of the Frenchly/French Morning team.
If you can’t make it, you can stillcheck out the nice write-up of Pete and Alice in the Good Morning America July book picks, here.
Ciao,
Catherine Rickman, Managing Editor
Stay in touch! I’d love to hear from you: [email protected].
