THE PARIS PIVOT TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
A slow travel experience,
designed to engage your mind and rejuvenate your soul.
Paris, France: September 21-28th 2024
Immerse yourself in the City of Light.
Discover Paris, rekindle your own spark, and design your next chapter.
THE PARIS PIVOT
7 DAYS | 8 NIGHTS
Explore beautiful Parisian neighborhoods, walk in the footsteps of some of the most renowned artists and creatives in French history, and experience the local side of Paris. Day-trip to Claude Monet’s house & gardens, sip champagne in the centuries-old champagne caves, and cruise along the Seine. All with the time and space to reconnect with you and envision your next chapter… Bon voyage!
ABOUT THE PARIS PIVOT
a slow travel experience
Charlotte to Paris x Career Maven Consulting
Explore the Paris you’ve dreamed of: gorgeous architecture, hidden courtyards & passageways, dynamic & vibrant neighborhoods, incredible history, delicious food, and of course some of the most “bucket list”-worthy landmarks and museums in the world.
Lauren Gibson, artist and slow travel enthusiast, will guide you through her beloved Paris, with a perfectly balanced itinerary of solo time and daily group experiences.
In between glasses of wine and strolls through Parisian streets, reconnect with yourself: Tiffany Waddell Tate, business owner and career & leadership expert, will gracefully guide us as we reflect and envision our life’s design. With ease and authenticity, engage in group dialogue and one-on-one coffee chats with Tiffany to clarify your professional, creative and personal vision for your one “wild and precious life.”
The Perfect Balance of Group Travel & Solo Experiences
Our small group of travelers will connect for 1-2 group experiences each day, including:
Neighborhood Walking Tours to explore some of Paris’ most stunning neighborhoods.
A day trip to Champagne: cellar tours and tastings at two Champagne houses in Reims, France.
A day trip to Giverny, France, to visit impressionist painter Claude Monet’s house and gardens.
Culture & art experiences, including a private guided tour of the Musée d’Orsay and a visit to the Musée de l’Orangerie to see Claude Monet’s incredible Water Lilies series.
A historic tour of the Marais, an incredibly gorgeous neighborhood steeped in layers of Parisian history.
A sightseeing boat cruise along the Seine River.
Guided conversations with Tiffany Waddell Tate on life design: goal-setting, creating ease and clarity in your next chapter.
A Paris metro “how-to” tour and pre-loaded metro card.
Welcome and farewell dinners at two incredible restaurants on the Left Bank of Paris.
Breakfast and Lunch for 7 days (Sunday, Sept 22 - Saturday, Sept 28) are included.
An optional Seine Dinner Cruise, a fine dining experience with five courses and wine pairings along the Seine River (trip add-on).
Outside of the daily group experiences, your time is your own.
To help guide your solo exploration of Paris, Lauren Gibson will create a custom Paris guidebook just for you. This PDF guidebook will be tailored specifically to your preferences and interests, which you can follow as much as you’d like while out and about in Paris.
You’ll also receive a Paris Pivot journal, designed by Tiffany Waddell Tate, to reflect on your time in Paris and envision your next chapter. Tiffany will also schedule a 1:1 coffee chat/coaching session on career or life design with each traveler.
You’ll receive a set of edited digital photographs by Lauren Gibson (group and solo shots) after the trip, too!
TRIP DATES
DATES: September 21, 2024 - September 28, 2024
TRIP DURATION: 7 days, 8 nights
GROUP SIZE: up to 8 travelers
TRIP LEADERS: Lauren Gibson & Tiffany Waddell Tate
TRIP PRICING
USD $5,500 per person
+
ACCOMMODATIONS:
starting at €235/night with our partner hotel, Bonsoir Madame*
OPTIONAL: Add-on a Seine Dinner Cruise: an exquisite five-course dinner with wine pairing, as we ride along the Seine: USD $350 per person.
Trip registration closes on May 31, 2024.
Paris Pivot Trip Payment Plans are available, with final payment due 60 days prior to trip start date.
*Travelers will book accommodations directly with Hotel Bonsoir Madame, using a special Paris Pivot discount code for an exclusive booking rate. Code and booking instructions will be sent to travelers upon trip registration.
We encourage you to book a call with us prior to registering for the trip!
Click the button below to book a quick 15-30 minute chat.
Ready to come to Paris with us? Click Add to Cart to submit your Registration!
THE ITINERARY
*The dates of each scheduled activity are subject to slight adjustments.
ARRIVAL DAY: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21
Welcome Dinner
Morning & Afternoon: arrival in Paris, solo time
Early Evening: Meet up with your co-hosts and fellow travelers for a Welcome Dinner at a fantastic Parisian brasserie, tucked along a cobblestoned passageway in the heart of Saint-Germain des Prés on the Left Bank of Paris.
Meals included: Dinner
DAY ONE: SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22
Welcome to Paris! Neighborhood Walking Tours
Mid-Morning: After a breakfast of coffee and croissants, Lauren will guide you on a tour of our “home base” neighborhood: Saint-Germain des Prés, a gorgeous pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with plenty of charming, winding streets, Parisian cafés, old shops and courtyards, and beautiful architecture. Following our walking tour, we will enjoy a group lunch at a traditional Breton crêperie. During our meal, Tiffany will facilitate a light conversation about how to make the most of your solo time in Paris.
Afternoon: After lunch, Lauren will introduce you to the Paris metro, so that you understand how to navigate the metro on your own during your solo exploration of Paris. We will hop on the metro for a short ride to Île de la Cité, one of the two islands in central Paris, and best known as the home of Notre Dame. We will finish our group time together with a late afternoon Seine River Sightseeing Boat Cruise.
Evening: solo time
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY TWO: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23
Day Trip to Giverny
Morning: We will ride the metro together to Gare Saint-Lazare, one of Paris’ train stations, where we will depart for our day trip to Giverny. After an hour train ride, we will arrive in the town of Vernon, we will take a short bus ride to the tiny commune of Giverny.
You will have the morning to yourself and at your own pace, wandering through Claude Monet’s House & Gardens, including the stunning ponds where he painted his Water Lilies (Nymphéas) and visiting the charming home in which he lived for 40 years.
Afternoon: We will enjoy a lovely lunch around the corner from Monet’s home, before catching the afternoon bus back to Vernon. Travelers will have a little time to explore the surrounding streets of Vernon before boarding our return train back to Paris.
Evening: solo time
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY THREE: TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24
The Marais
Morning: We will metro to the Marais for coffee and a light breakfast at one of Lauren’s favorite coffee shops in Paris. Then we’ll head to the Place des Vosges for a historic walking tour of the neighborhood with Paris art historian, professor and tour guide, Stephanie Nadalo. The Marais neighborhood is filled with beautiful old buildings, curving streets, pocket gardens, small museums, art galleries, restaurants and cocktail bars. We will enjoy a group lunch in the Marais before going our separate ways for the rest of the day.
Afternoon & Evening: solo time
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY FOUR: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25
Montmartre & The Tuileries
Morning: We will spend a beautiful morning walking through the charming hilltop neighborhood of Montmartre. We will wander through beautiful cobblestoned streets and lovely pocket parks before visiting the Sacré-Coeur basilica, which has incredible vista overlooking the city of Paris below.
Afternoon: We will enjoy lunch in Montmartre and a guided conversation on life design and vision with Tiffany. After lunch, we will metro as a group to the Tuileries Gardens, an iconic French-style garden spanning over 50 acres from the Place de la Concorde to the Louvre. We will visit the Musée de l’Orangerie, set at the edge of the gardens. This small museum is the home to Monet’s famous Water Lilies (Nymphéas) series. Travelers will be able to explore at their own speed, as the rest of the day is on your own.
Late Afternoon & Evening: on your own or optional five-course Seine Dinner Cruise! (trip add-on)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Optional Trip Add On: Dinner Cruise along the Seine: a five-course meal with wine pairing.
We will enjoy a two-hour cruise along the Seine River, complete with gorgeous views of Paris at night. Eiffel Tower sparkles included :)
DAY FIVE: THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26
The Musée d’Orsay
Morning: solo time
Late Afternoon & Evening: We will meet for a late lunch on the Left Bank and a stroll through the 7th arrondissement before a short walk to the Musée d’Orsay.
A familiar face, art historian Stephanie Nadalo, will be our guide for an incredible tour of one of Paris' most famous and beautiful museums. Set alongside the Seine on a gorgeous stretch of the Left Bank, the Orsay is completely devoted only to 19th and 20th century European art. In addition to the stunning art collection, the architecture of the museum itself is beautiful, retaining hints of its previous life as a train station.
Dinner: on your own
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY SIX: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27
Day Trip to Champagne
Morning & Afternoon: We will metro to another Paris train station, Gare du Nord, for our second day trip, this one to the city of Reims in the Champagne region. After our 45-minute speed train ride to Reims, we will enjoy tours and tastings at two champagne houses. Each tour includes a champagne tasting and visits to their chalk cellars (a UNESCO World Heritage site), where the champagne is kept cool. We’ll enjoy a quick, casual lunch in between tours. On our way back to the train station, we will walk through the charming “Centre Ville” (town center) of Reims before our train journey back to Paris.
Evening: solo time
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY SEVEN: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28
The Rue de Rivoli & Farewell Dinner
Mid-Morning: Join Lauren & Tiffany for breakfast and coffee at a delicious boulangerie just a block from the Louvre. We’ll walk along the famous Rue de Rivoli, stopping in a stunning art deco department store, the gorgeous Palais Royal garden, and popping into a couple of covered passages along the way. After a lovely lunch at a French restaurant near the Palais Royal, we’ll go our separate ways until dinnertime.
Afternoon: solo time
Evening: We will meet again for a sunset walk along the Pont des Arts bridge overlooking the Seine River, before enjoying a farewell dinner at a gorgeous French restaurant tucked just two blocks away from the Seine.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATIONS
We’ve partnered with Hôtel Bonsoir Madame to offer Paris Pivot travelers an exclusive discount code on your stay in the City of Light.
Hôtel Bonsoir Madame (4 star hotel)
65 Rue Madame
75006 Paris, France
www.bonsoirmadame.paris
Neighborhood: Luxembourg Gardens, 6th arrondissement (the Left Bank)
Hôtel Bonsoir Madame is a beautiful, chic boutique hotel in the 6th arrondissement - one of Lauren’s absolute favorites in Paris. The hotel features modern, beautifully decorated rooms.
At booking, you’ll have your choice of room size (based on room availability at the hotel), ranging from the smallest (classic room) up to a rooftop terrace. Regardless of your room selection, you’ll find that each room is beautifully decorated in a modern Parisian style with rich colors and has lovely views overlooking the streets below. Their refillable water system and large mini fridge are lovely modern touches (and perfect for a week-long stay!). The property also has a gym, which is not very typical in central Paris. You’ll love their large breakfast room and sitting area… not to mention the 1 minute walk to the gates of the incredible Luxembourg Gardens.
Travelers should book for 8 nights:
Saturday, September 21 - Sunday September 29.
Room pricing starts at approximately €235/night for a Classic Room (with Paris Pivot discount code). Room pricing and availability of rooms are managed solely by Hôtel Bonsoir Madame.
Travelers will receive booking instructions and the discount code upon registration. *Please note that bookings at Hôtel Bonsoir Madame are based on the hotel’s availability, and travelers are encouraged to complete their hotel booking as soon as possible if they wish to stay at this hotel.
Want to stay elsewhere in Paris? Lauren can provide travelers with specific hotel recommendations in the same neighborhood (the 6th arrondissement), as well as hotels in other nearby neighborhoods with easy access to the 6th by foot or by metro.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
The Paris Pivot Trip Fee Includes:
Four Neighborhood Walking Tours led by Lauren Gibson: Saint Germain des Prés, Île de la Cité, Montmartre, and the Rue de Rivoli/Palais Royal.
Two facilitated group lunch workshops on goal setting and designing your next chapter, led by Tiffany Waddell Tate.
A historic neighborhood walking tour of the Marais, led by Art Historian Stephanie Nadalo.
Entry ticket and a private guided tour of the Musée d’Orsay art museum, led by Art Historian Stephanie Nadalo.
Entry ticket to the Musée de l’Orangerie art museum.
Ticket for a one-hour Seine River sightseeing boat cruise.
Giverny Day Trip: round-trip train tickets (Paris-Vernon), local bus tickets (Vernon-Giverny), and entry ticket to Claude Monet’s House & Gardens.
Champagne Day Trip: round-trip train tickets (Paris-Reims), local bus tickets, and tickets to two champagne houses (each ticket includes a tour of the champagne cellar/cave and champagne tasting at each champagne house).
A custom Paris guidebook, designed by Lauren Gibson especially for you. This beautiful customized PDF guidebook is for you to use during your solo time each day.
A Paris metro card, pre-loaded with ten metro rides.
A Paris Pivot trip journal with prompts and free space, designed by Tiffany Waddell Tate.
A 1:1 coaching session on life/career design with Tiffany Waddell Tate.
A collection of edited photographs (a combination of group and individual shots) by Lauren Gibson, delivered 4-6 weeks after the close of the trip.
The following meals are included in your trip fee:
Welcome Dinner at a Parisian brasserie (Saturday evening, September 21).
7 Parisian-style Breakfasts of coffee and croissants/tartines or similar (Sunday Sept 22 - Saturday Sept 28).
7 Lunches (Sunday Sept 22 - Saturday Sept 28).
Farewell Dinner at a Parisian restaurant (Saturday evening, September 28).
Trip Rate: $5,500 USD
Optional Trip Add on: Seine River Dinner Cruise: a five-course dinner with wine pairing, enjoyed aboard a gorgeous small boat with stunning views, as we ride along the Seine River (Eiffel Tower sparkles included!): $350 USD
The following items are not included in the Paris Pivot Trip Fee:
Airfare
Local transportation beyond the items specifically mentioned above (e.g. airport transit via taxi or metro is not included)
Travel insurance - strongly recommended
Food and drink beyond the items specifically mentioned above.
Any additional travel experiences (tickets to other museums or landmarks, souvenirs, etc)
Accommodations are not included. However, travelers will be provided with instructions and a discount code for Hôtel Bonsoir Madame. Travelers are responsible for booking. Room availability/reservations are managed by Hôtel Bonsoir Madame.
We encourage you to book a call with us prior to registering for the trip!
Click the button below to book a quick 15-30 minute chat.
Ready to come to Paris with us? Add to Cart to submit your Registration!
TRIP LEADERS
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Lauren Gibson | Artist (Photographer) & Slow Travel Enthusiast
Creator & Founder of Charlotte to Paris
Lauren is the artist behind the photographs and the creator & designer behind the travel plans here at Charlotte to Paris. Lauren lives in Charlotte, North Carolina - she’s a mom, an artist, and does some project management contracting work too. She loves travel, urban/street photography, long walks and flat whites.
Lauren briefly studied film photography in college as an art minor, and found her connection to digital photography when she started traveling for work in 2016. Drawn to urban landscapes and street photography, Lauren is passionate about appreciating and capturing the beauty of exploring an unfamiliar place.
In 2019, she started Charlotte to Paris to give people another way to see Paris: in the context of the neighborhood-based travel, blending famous sites with lesser-known spots and local gems.
Lauren’s photography print shop features vibrant, wanderlust-filled images from Paris and the South of France. With few images of famous monuments, her artwork evokes bright, everyday beauty: reminding viewers of what it feels like to travel and explore.
Instagram: @charlotte.to.paris
View Lauren’s Artist Portfolio
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Tiffany Waddell Tate | Career & Leadership Expert
Founder of Career Maven Consulting
Tiffanyis a leadership coach & talent development consultant with deep experience helping individuals and companies reimagine the future of work through 1:1 career & leadership coaching, digital education, and training & development for organizations and teams. As a coach, Tate believes deeply in the power & edge of harnessing strengths to do good work while shifting organizational culture to retain top talent.
As an in-demand coach, consultant, speaker and thought leader, she has been featured on Forbes, Well + Good, The Everymom, The Muse and a variety of podcasts. She is a master in coaching professionals to learn, lead, and grow at work.
Tiffany is a Double Deac, having earned her BA and MA from Wake Forest University, and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Diversity Educator, and MBTI Certified.
Tiffany serves on the board of Reach Women’s Network, an organization that seeks to advance economic development and promote gender equality, and the advisory board of the Black Philanthropy Initiative of the Winston Salem Foundation, an initiative that promotes equity in education and economic development for the Black community.
Instagram @tiffanywaddelltate
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanywaddelltate
Website: www.careermavenconsulting.com
Featuring: Stephanie Nadalo
Art Historian, Professor and Professional Parisian Tour Guide
Stephanie Nadalo will be our tour guide for the Historic Marais Walking Tour and the Private Tour of the Musée d’Orsay.
Stephanie Nadalo is an art historian, museum guide and passionate Parisienne. Originally from the United States, she completed her PhD at Northwestern University in Chicago and lived in Italy for several years before settling in France a decade ago. When she is not teaching art history classes at Parsons Paris, she adores helping visitors discover the cultural gems in and around Paris.
Instagram: @postmodernclio
We encourage you to book a call with us prior to registering for the trip!
Click the button below to book a quick 15-30 minute chat.
Ready to come to Paris with us? Add to Cart to submit your Registration!
See you in Paris!
Headshots of Lauren Gibson are by Katie Donnelly Photography (2022)