BREKKE FLETCHER

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CONTENT

So this one time, in the shadow of Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley, France, I slept on a converted flat-bottomed river boat, moored on the Cosson Canal. The hotel staff delivered a morning basket, artfully arranged with pastries, bread, beurre et confiture (aka butter and jam, but in French, it’s so chic). I drank from a flask of hot coffee and a bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice. As I ate and drank in my robe on the boat deck, I marveled at the fairy-tale castle, feeling like Marie Antoinette's third cousin, twice removed.

This is what France does so well, the little things and the grand. It’s full of emotion, yet completely relaxed and charming. And if there’s a better way to see France than on a completely organized-by-someone-else trip, I don't know what it is. Royalty never has to do their own legwork, research or make reservations. The royals just show up. So book this la vie en awesome itinerary from Lonely Planet Journeys, which offers a certain je ne sais quoi. It’s fit for a king or queen and is très magnifique! 

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