With so many of you traveling, you may want to consider buying travel insurance. I think there’s a separate thread in that. It covers trip cancellation due to a medical condition of a travel companion ion or family not traveling, as well as covering the cost of medical treatment while traveling.
Have a wonderful trip!
Give this a try…Ask your relatives to book your flights for you from Europe to see if it’s less expensive.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/map-happy/use-a-fake-location-to-ge_b_6315424.html
When we lived abroad, we used a non-US driver’s license to rent a car, it was a lot cheaper than if we had a US driver’s license.
Interesting idea!!! ^^^^^
And definitely on the travel insurance.
Just curious…why do you recommend NOT booking through Rail Europe???
always have Euros on you in bills and coins. get a credit card with a chip if you do not have one.
With a party larger than 2, it’s a better deal to just rent a car. Plus, a car will give you more flexibility & access than the train and allows you to stash your gear during day trips.
Continental Europe drives on the same side of the road as the U.S. You might need an international drivers license to rent one. This is easily obtained in the U.S. from the AAA (American Automobile Assoc)
http://www.wikihow.com/Apply-for-an-International-Driving-Licence
@abasket, in addition to the two transportation strikes, the baggage guys at JFK sent our communal bag to Heathrow instead of CDG! It eventually caught up with us in Vienna. 
(H had foolishly put most of his clothes in it, and we endured several days f pouring rain and howling winds in Austria before he could get a change of clothes. We really needed it to bring back stuff for S, who had been living in France for a year.) But it was a great trip.
All of you need to check the expiry date of your present passports. All countries require some minimum number of months of remaining validity (usually 6 - 9 months) for your passport, to enter the country.
France now requires the International DL (found this out before our Fall trip). You can get them from AAA.
I second the recommendation to avoid RailEurope. It sounds official, but is really just a travel agency with poor customer service. You will do much better dealing directly with the railway you are travelling on. They probably have a web site, and changes in the country can be handled at any train station.
Whenever possible, avoid booking anything (e.g., airline tix, rental car, train tix, hotel) through a third party-- it will limit your ability to make changes quickly and directly.
Use third party websites (e.g. Expedia, Kayak, Hotels.com, etc) to shop the fare, then book it DIRECTLY with the airline, car rental company, train company, hotel.
^This is clearly good advice since several of you have mentioned it - are you always likely to find the same rates at the airline website (as low of a rate?) or will they honor it if you call to book (can you even call to book anymore!!?)
My favorite source of information is tripadvisor. I go to the forums and ask all sorts of questions. Locals often answer as well as frequent travelers: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g187070-i12-France.html
My other piece of advise is to use a moneybelt and make copies of your passports and charge cards. Pickpockets can ruin a vacation.
With your mom going, you might look into a daylight flight into Heathrow (gets in around 8:30 pm or so) and then one of the discount European carriers from there over to France. When I was travelling to Europe for work several years ago, I always found I arrived in much better shape when taking the daytime flight, rather than doing the overnight.
Usually you will find the same fare. If not, call and ask-- the squeaky wheel gets the grease…
I recently went to France and found that it was cheaper to fly Air Lingus and change planes in Dublin. It saved about $400 and very easy airport to change planes in as opposed to changing planes in Heathrow which I would avoid like the plague.
This doesn’t work. A late p.m. arrival into any gateway airport in Europe does not permit time for a connection to Nice, Marseilles, etc. Your poor mom would be stuck in Heathrow overnight. London is not a cheap place for overnight accommodations.
I recently went to France and found that it was cheaper to fly Air Lingus and change planes in Dublin. It saved about $400 and very easy airport to change planes in as opposed to changing planes in Heathrow which I would avoid like the plague.<<<
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I posted a link in post 10 above. I second avoiding Heathrow just as much as CDG for their affinity for uber lack of organization and overall friendliness which is optional.
Lufthansa to Frankfurt and then to Marseilles? Nice? Frankfurt easy and efficient airport…and Lufthansa has always treated us very well…
If you get to the South of France: Personal Favorites: St. Paul de Vence. Rousillion. Menerbes. Aix. Eze. Antibes. Cannes, especially Old Town area and the Promenade. (Do not try to go to this area during the film festival May 13-24!) Nice, and Old Nice. Villefranche-sur-Mer. And Monaco is a beautiful, must see, and fun to ride train there along the water.
Do homework with respect to trains, buses, etc. Card with chip a must. If you rent car, be aware of how many and how much it holds. Some touristy spots (museums, etc.) are not open every day.
If u are into truly spectacular Roman ruins, visit:
Ponte du Gard: aqueduct
Nime: arena
Arles: arena
These are day trips from Marseilles.
I second both Lufthansa, and avoiding a connection in Heathrow.
Try to route yourself through FRA or MUC and see if that is possible. Both are extremely efficient, well-run airports.