Lessons From France
France cannot be France without greatness. - Charles de Gaulle
Walking through narrow, angled streets, I saw buildings, most developed two centuries ago, that had witnessed turmoil and triumph. Along the way, everyday Parisians and I talked about our lives today, what we had in common, or didn't. I visited marquee landmarks, often viewing them from different angles, and discovered little-known treasures. I realized I wasn't simply visiting Paris.
I was experiencing, firsthand, what our research has been telling us about why people travel and what travel means to them.
If you’ve read TAG’s monthly articles, attended TAG webinars, or seen our posts over the year, you're likely familiar with our recent groundbreaking research on defining a travel “experience” from the traveler's point of view.
In short, travelers told us that “experience” includes activities, but that they serve as a means to what they more profoundly seek from their trips: emotional outcomes of connection, meaning, self-reflection, immersion, and making lasting memories.
In the two weeks I spent in Paris and another week in Normandy, I immersed myself in a long-desired trip to France. I went to make that dream a reality, as a belated birthday present to myself and a well-deserved getaway (“take your vacation time off!”). With my keen interest in Paris’ renowned culture and history, and its celebrated “Vive la France” vibe, how could I go wrong?
Or, as Audrey Hepburn (as Sabrina Fairchild in Sabrina) said,
“Paris is always a good idea.”
This trip challenged me to sense first-hand the travel “experience” we have been reporting on. It also opened my mind to more about the relationship between the place and the people who travel there.
Destinations provide the setting. Travelers create the experience.
Of course, I expected to visit Paris’ iconic sights and venues that I’d only read about in books or seen in films. Once there, I learned about and experienced firsthand the culture and history that shaped these notable landmarks. Why Paris (and France) is what it is today, and how it emerged from revolutions; how architect Baron Haussmann redeveloped the entire urban environment in the 1850s-1870s; France’s unique political upheavals; and two world wars on its soil.
I saw how place is unique unto itself, yet I also realized the place may be secondary to the person who goes there. The person, the traveler, brings themselves – their desires, their feelings, their values, and their own unique background to that place. They then conjoin that inner psychic with their expectations before the trip, their engagement during the trip, and their memories and stories to share with others afterward.
Streetscape, layout, lights, décor, and arrangement initially connect the traveler to the place, while the underlying stories provide that special sense of place only it has, that the traveler feels and takes home. Many people come to find these past and current chronicles, perhaps driven by personal or family history.
Each destination’s unique history, even if unpleasant, is an invaluable thread in its fabric that visitors seek.
How valuable is it to communicate that deeper sense of place in travel marketing?
History Creates Meaning
Exploring Paris today gave me insight, appreciation, and context for its history, culture, and people. Unlike many U.S. cities, notably Los Angeles, Paris’ landmarks and its commercial and residential structures aren't simply demolished when property owners want to replace them.
The city updates or reuses the same buildings, whether for the same or other purposes. Throughout the city, I saw the former and the current in one place, as they were and still are. One palace became the Louvre Art Museum, and added its ultramodern pyramid; another is Paris’ City Hall; the 100-year-old nightclub where Josephine Baker performed still stands, though as a different club; the original Moulin Rouge is still the Moulin Rouge!
As well, the city is now acknowledging its role in the horrors of World War II under Nazi (Vichy) occupation. All around are plaques and markers at schools and homes where Jewish people were expelled (most sent to death camps), and sites where the French resistance was active.
They memorialize these people and remind current and future generations never to allow such atrocities again. Being there made it visceral, heart-rending, and tangible; as visitors, we can carry these stories and pass them on to others, especially now, as World War II grows more distant in place and time.
People Create Connection
Of course, beyond the buildings and history are the people. My various person-to-person interactions across the city and in the small town of Bayeaux, Normandy, included restaurant servers, hosts serving home-based meals, tour guides, and everyday people, some local, some from far away.
While acknowledging political events and players, we put that aside, with discussions focused on what we each care about: why I was visiting and why they lived there, asking questions about one another, transcending differences, uncovering commonalities that lead us to a better understanding of one another even as we reside half a world away.
Through this blend of history and today, and through the people there, I gained a clear, strong sense of Paris’ uniqueness and appeal, which filled me with marvel and meaning.
Ultimately, my take is similar to Thomas Jefferson’s: "A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life."
Travel provides these lessons if you seek them out. This trip and what I've learned from it will stay with me for a long time. I hope retelling my experiences will inform, feel purposeful, and inspire others to travel and pursue their dreams.
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