I recently traveled across the Atlantic to Paris, France with my mother for a week. We were lucky enough to have a wonderful time there, and we learned some things along the way. First and foremost, it is vital to be overly prepared for the 7-hour flight. We flew at night, something that I definitely would do again, and decided to bring blankets and neck pillows. At first, I made fun of my mom and me for looking stupid carrying so much, but it was SO worth it in the end. Very comfortable, made sleep easier, all around a definite win.

Once we landed, we took an uber to our hotel and learned that you should NOT take taxis – they tend to upcharge tourists. Not sure how true that is, but we took it to heart and avoided taxis for the most part. The touristy areas of Paris - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Louvre, etc. – are all so beautiful and amazing to see, but within reason. I personally cannot stand large crowds so those weren't at the top of my list of things to see, and this brings me to my next point.

Don't plan out every second of the trip.

My mom and I decided that since we had done the big tourist attractions on a previous trip with the rest of the family, we didn't have to hit every single mark on the checklist. We took a day or so just to wander around the area of Saint Germain where we were staying, and I think that made the trip even more fun. We were able to take time and explore, and I found myself places I wouldn't have experienced otherwise.

Maddie Gaynor

We were walking back from dinner one night and crossed over the Île de la Cité, the island with Notre Dame, and saw people going into the building. We both were curious and had never been inside of the beautiful church, so I went over to ask why there were so many people going in. At first, we assumed it would be a fashion week event since that's how many of the closed events we encountered had been doing. They told us it was a concert, so we bought tickets and went to the most beautiful concert I've ever been to. I wouldn't personally choose to go there in advance, but the spontaneity of the event made it all the more special

Maddie Gaynor

I loved being able to travel like this, and spending time with my mom was such a fantastic experience. My final advice: 100% go to Paris, get macaroons, eat amazing cheese and French bread, don't walk in bad sneakers and don't forget to bring a camera charger.