It was an unforgettable holiday, and I’ve returned invigorated and excited for the future. Here’s why.
The plan?
A week in the South of France with my partner, where we planned to:
- Hire a car, drive and get lost
- Meet new people
- See new things
- Try new food
- Watch my favourite rugby team
- Pop THE question (casual)
This plan, a plan, for the first time ever, went to plan. Hooray.
Beautiful village of Nerac
I was going with a hidden purpose (to propose), but other than that, it was another example of an enriching trip away. I like my life in the UK so travelling for me isn’t about escape, it’s about growing as a person and making memories. It’s also about having fun with friends and family; no laptops, no constant use of phones (until we get lost) and no TV. Living in the moment, and enjoying it.
In France we lived in the moment and embraced the culture. Too many baguettes, several daily croissants and lots of wine. But we enjoyed every minute of it.
The French encourage quality time with family and friends. With the shut down of businesses at lunch, and our temporary French life, we felt better for it. Evening meals full of laughter and discussion went on long into the night. Back in England we wolf down an evening meal whilst writing emails. Okay, there’s less free time here, but if we cannot find time to enjoy a good meal and chat, something is wrong.
A unique guest experience
We stayed 4 nights in France at Moulin de Bapaumes, a well run river retreat, once home to King Henry IV. The owners, Daniel and Rene, have a passion for hosting like no other. They provided a warm, unique and personalised experience. This (and of course the proposal) helped make this an unforgettable trip. In our short time in Nerac, we went to dinner parties, lunches, and drinks with our new found friends. The ‘Bapaumes’ owners were high flying professionals, but dedicate their time to sharing their home now. Their passion is to ensure guests have an amazing time and it was endearing. A shift from a ‘guaranteed good night sleep’ to a guaranteed unique experience. Something independent hotels and BnB’s do very well.
The ever peaceful Moulin de Bapaumes
As an independent business, Online Travel Agents (OTAs) are vital to their success. The likes of Booking.com help drive traffic and push awareness, but BnB owners pay a hefty price for this. Customers often find accommodation direct, then book via an OTA like booking.com. It’s a slicker digital experience from a trusted provider, so it’s easy to see why.
5 travel tips to get more out of your trip
Tip 1 — Try to book direct.
It puts more money in the pocket of the ‘independents’, which allows them to give back to you. Daniel and Rene put on a 4 course meal with wine pairings as a thank you for booking direct. And for being good company too, of course!
Tip 2 — Go where the locals go.
Tripadvisor is excellent and we always see which restaurants have the best ratings. But asking locals where they recommend can work better. We discovered a restaurant built into a cave this way, and it served stunning local cuisine. That’s the benefit of local knowledge.
Tip 3 — Be social.
As a chatty guy I make a point of speaking to strangers on a regular basis. In France we made a lot of friends and hearing their stories and plans helped enrich me. Holidaying for experience rather than escape enabled these situations to arise. This slight change in mindset opens doors and opportunities.
Tip 4 — Invest in your website.
If you are an independant BnB owner, your website needs to be credible, inspiring and work on devices. It also needs to be a good user experience. Users often start their research on mobiles, and if your website looks bad, you may fail at the first hurdle. You’re then more likely to end up paying OTA’s 10–18% commission on each sale.
Tip 5 — Seek inspiration.
Travel brands can be poor at inspiring users, relying on users already knowing where they want to go. Which is often not the case. Invest time trawling forums and social platforms like Pinterest. You might find a gem of a place that isn’t quite mainstream yet.
At 3Sixty we are exploring a way to matchmake customers to unique experiences. Exactly like the one we had, without such a heavy referral overhead. Watch this space.
Our French holiday has reinforced 3Sixty’s approach to putting family and friends first. We operate flexible working hours, which is important for those with young families. We also made a commitment to ourselves and the team; to work with clients we like and care about. We spend so much of our time at work, it needs to be as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. Lots of this depends on the environment you create, the relationships we have, and the work we produce.
On a personal level, I feel totally refreshed and excited about the future. Both with 3Sixty and a future wife.
The big moment
I managed to sneak the ring past airport security and keep it hidden for a few days without Lisa suspecting a thing. I had sneakily arranged for expat photographer Colin Usher to pose as a tour guide, to take us to some lovely local spots and capture the big moment. Colin moved out to France a few years back to set up www.studiofaire.co.uk which is definitely worth a look.
Whilst I am sure Colin didn’t appreciate my testing questions about the history of the various places, (he wasn’t a tour guide after all) he did do a fantastic job of capturing the moment.