Touring by car....

[trechic]

Hi Everyone,
I have very much been enjoying my winter on Lake Atitlan, in Guatemala. It is a magnificently beautiful place and the people are fantastic! I have made many new friends here from all corners of the world...but several from France and one from Belgium ... Germany and Italy.
I have been under the weather with a sinus infection for a few days...and so I have plenty of time to do my research for my next adventure...and I am thinking of driving by myself through some region of France and doing it by stopping at B&B's along the way.
My time for doing this trip would be in the Fall....mid October to mid November.
First of all, what region should I choose??? Suggestions please!
and is this a viable plan to do so loosly without pre-booking rooms ahead of time...
AND...am I crazy to do it alone??
I always discounted this trip because I didn;t think I could navigate and read maps at the same time...
but I think I am up for the challenge.
I have read all the responses to a previous question about what are your favorite villages...
and I have that list handy, but it seems the favorites are all scattered about.
I am leaning towards Roussilon-Luberon/Provence. Any help or suggestions, are most welcomed. Unfortunately, I have no access to bookstores for guidebooks for maps in this remote part of the world. I will return to the states for the summer months to spend with my family on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and then i would like to head to France from mid october thru til I must return to the stares for the holidays. Thanks so much, Tre

[Shoesy]

Trechic - What a wonderful surprise to see you again! You sure seem adventurous. I hope your sinus condition clears up soon.

As for your trip to France, have you considered getting a GPS so that you wouldn't have to worry about navigating and reading maps? Just a thought.

[trechic]

LOL...no Shoesy...I have never used one. Would that really solve my issues?? Just like that?

[Katharine]

Trechic...

Great to hear from you. Sorry you have been under the weather, but at least you used your time wisely... ;D

I think you could do this trip alone. Granted it is always nice to have a navigator, but if you stick to Roussilon and Luberon/Provence, you should be able to get around famously. I like Chou-Chou's idea of a GPS (although the darned things seem to confound me). It is actually fun to get a little lost - you never know what you might "accidently" find.

I don't think you would have too much trouble with "loose" hotel/B&B arrangements that time of year. In bigger cities and towns you may want to reserve ahead. Avignon might be good since it is a good point for accessing parts of both regions, and you can make some nice day trips from there. Of course, I love St. Remy and Eygaliers.

It sounds like so much fun.....have a great time planning. Before you get home (to US) maybe you could access maps online to see where you want to go. I recommend actually buying Michelin maps, and we found that the orange ones you can get in France are much better than the red-cover ones you get here in the States. The orange-cover ones show gas stations and other helpful stuff.

Have a great time. Again, glad you back on forum.

Katharine

[Anne]

+1 for the GPS . You can rent a car that has one installed, then you turn it to the English version and then all you have to do is to type the name of the village that you are heading to .

Be aware that Lubéron is quite a popular destination in the spring and autumn too, so it may be wise to pre-book if you plan to stay in the most famous villages such as Gordes, Bonnieux or L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue . At least make yourself a list of possible hôtels/B&Bs for villages where you may want to stay by looking on TA .

Have fun !

[trechic]

Thank you Katherine and Anne!
That is the encouragement and advice and expertise I needed.
I found a website with all the B&Bs in France...listed by region and village..
ohhhh...it all looks just soooo beautiful.
I have narrowed down my area for touring to the Provence/Luberon area...so I am glad to know, Katherine, that you think this will be fairly easy to do alone.
Ok...I am off to go do my research...
Thank you for all of your wonderful help...
as always...
Tre