How to Cope With Post-Paris Syndrome

What to do after your dream Paris vacation sadly comes to an end…

You’ve just landed home sweet home after your perfect Paris trip (maybe we even helped you plan it… 😉 ), and you haven’t even made it from the airport and the depression hits.

Believe us, we’ve been there. And for us personally…well, we decided to just move here after we couldn’t deal anymore!

For those of you that aren’t ready to make the leap and move to the City of Lights, we’re here to help you cope with that post-Paris syndrome.

Read on if you’ve got those after Paris blues…and what you can do to feel better!

You will be depressed

eiffel tower
Image: Pixabay

There’s no doubt about it, once you’ve visited Paris, it changes you! We think its a change for the better, but it also may leave you feeling a little less than satisfied about your hometown.

That’s understandable! Paris is a major metropolitan city with tons to do and to see. Not only are there literally over one hundred museums, the city is filled with streets and monuments perfect for sightseeing.

How to get past this feeling? Even though you may feel like your city or town may pale in comparison to Paris…I’m sure there has to be some redeeming qualities about where you come from. Get out and do some sightseeing of your own in your neighborhood and see what you can find!

And if you’re still feeling all “been there – done that!”, call your best friend or a family member and spend some time with them. Even if you don’t love where you live…you’re sure to have some people there that you do love!

You will crave cheese

cheese
Image: WikiCommons

France is basically the country of cheese. Seriously! With hundreds of different types to choose from, it’s hard to get bored with all of the options available. If you did Paris right, you probably sat down at a cafe to enjoy a cheese board with a yummy baguette on the side. I’m getting hungry just talking about it.

This one is pretty easy to get over, as there are cheese options available pretty much around the world. Is French cheese a rarity (or too expensive) where you live? Try testing out some local options! Shout out to Vermont and Wisconsin cheeses in the States, cheddar and stilton cheeses in England, and Halloumi in Israel!

Another option here is to check out your countries luggage restrictions, and if you’re allowed to bring back French cheese on the airplane home, load up your carry on and hope your neighbors on the plane don’t find your bag too smelly!

Your hangovers will be worse

wine
Image: Tobias Toft – Flickr

It’s pretty much common knowledge that French wine is delicious…and inexpensive! Most bottles of wine in the supermarket will not set you back much more than 10 euros (and that’s a good bottle!), and so it can be easy to go a little overboard on the vin while you’re here.

Did you also happen to notice that you woke up fresh the next morning, even after putting back a few glasses? That’s because most French wines contain little or next to no chemicals, as many winemakers here take the more traditional route when producing their products.

How to recreate this at home? Opt for an organic wine. Organic wines are lower in sulphur dioxide, one of the culprits of a bad hangover. Some of our favorites include Nativa Terra Reserva Carmenère, Lapostolle Casa Merlot, and Thirsty Earth organic Primivito…to name a few!

You will respond oui to questions and say merci

oui
Image: SigNote Cloud – Flickr

This is one of my favorite effects of visiting Paris, as I love the French language! Whether you’ve spent a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months (lucky you!) in Paris, after training yourself to respond in French to waiters…it can be a hard habit to quit!

To avoid annoying your friends and family with your new language skills, why not sign up for a course? If a French class is out of your budget, or if you find you don’t have enough time, there are tons of apps out there that can help. I recommend Doulingo!

You will watch any Paris movie you can get your hands on

Eiffel Tower
Image: skeeze – Flickr

Have any of you seen Midnight in Paris from director Woody Allen? The opening scene of this movie made me emotional the first time I left Paris…it’s filled with beautiful shots of all of the prettiest monuments in the capital, and it literally brought tears to my eyes!

There are plenty of movies about Paris out there, and if you hang with us, after the tour, we send you a hand picked list of all of our favorites! So you know what that means, don’t you?! Join us! Mention the discount code COPE when you book your tour, and enjoy 5 euros off per person on your tour!

You will immediately start planning your next Paris trip

checklist
Image: Max Pixel

One sure fire way to get over the post Paree blues is to start planning your next trip! We can help with that 🙂

We offer an hourly Concierge service which you can use to pick our Paris experts’ brains about what to do and when, get personalized restaurant recommendations and reservations, get the inside scoop on the best activities to do like wine tasting, and so on. We also offer Itinerary Planning, which is the creation of a top-to-bottom vacation plan perfectly tailored to your tastes and needs. You can learn more about both services on our Travel Services page.

Conclusion

There’s no way around it, you’ll likely be reminiscing about your Paris vacation for a while! I hope these tips and tricks will make the transition back to real life a little more bearable. And, hey, if you’re thinking about making the big jump and actually move here…you know who to ask for help! 😉

How to you cope with post-Paris syndrome? Let me know in the comments below!

Additional Paris resources

2 thoughts on “How to Cope With Post-Paris Syndrome

  • All I can say is “merci beaucoup!” for writing this article! I have to be honest…I do suffer from Depression, but when I return from Paris, I am REALLY depressed. I thought it was just me. Boy, its good to know I’m not alone! Not that I wish sadness on anyone else, mind you….
    When I return from overseas, my first step is to always sift through pictures to print, and choose the maps, tickets, etc. to put in my travel scrapbook. It’s fun to reminisce, and it helps me to keep my spirits lifted for a bit longer. Thank you again!

    • Thanks your kind words Amy! It is hard to move on after you come back from an amazing trip abroad, but thats just more inspiration to hop back on a place as soon as you can, right?! 🙂

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