Is there a luxury train from Paris to French locations?
Susan Barr
A Le Grand Tour, as the venture is known, talks a good game. The plan is for a six-day 'immersion in the French wonders'. Passengers will travel a total of 2,500 miles around France, packing in a host of sites. The experience starts at Paris Gare de l'Est, which I regard as the most elegant of the capital's stations. Day one takes in Reims for lunch (and presumably some champagne), continuing to Beaune in Burgundy, where a private tour of the ancient almshouse awaits.
Day two: Avignon, with a rooftop tasting 'of the region's finest wines and produce'. On the same day, the train will reach the southwest city of Carcassonne. For the third day, the first destination is, oddly, Pau: a second-division historical city, though with a decent view of the Pyrenees. In the afternoon, the Bay of Arcachon will improve humours, with a visit to the Dubourdieu shipyards and a boat trip.
Maritime appeal continues on day four, with handsome La Rochelle in the morning and a private tour of Chenonceau, the 'Château des Dames' later on. The finale appears to happen on day five. To quote the marketing: 'Le Grand Tour ends with a spectacular journey back in time at Puy du Fou.' This is a historical theme park southeast of Nantes. The sell continues: 'Over the course of a day, history blends with legend to come alive again until nightfall, when the grand spectacle of the night shimmers under the stars.'
You might think this an unusual choice of location for the climax (presumably day six is a trundle back to Paris to offload one set of passengers and take on the next lot). But it makes sense when you learn that the trip is promoted by the Puy du Fou enterprise itself.
The plan was set out in 2022 and little appears to have happened since. I have checked putative departures up to 2028 and can see none confirmed. So while a first-class trip around France in September sounds like a grand idea, get a first-class Interrail pass instead.
Q Our flight from Venice was delayed overnight. Who is responsible for sourcing our accommodation?
Ellen Saville
A Under air passengers' rights rules, anyone whose flight is delayed overnight is entitled to be provided with a hotel room and meals commensurate with the length of the delay. In addition, the Package Travel Regulations specify: 'Where the organiser is unable to ensure the traveller's return as agreed in the package travel contract because of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, the organiser must bear the cost of necessary accommodation, if possible of equivalent category.'
Both sets of rules point to the same outcome. Often when a flight in connection with a package holiday is delayed by 24 hours, your stay at the hotel will simply be extended by a night. But the airline or holiday company (which, in your case, are basically the same entity) may move you to a different property, such as an airport hotel, if necessary.
I think it highly unlikely that you will be left to sort out the problem yourself; but if you are, pay for the extra stay and meals and present the receipts to the company.
Q We are heading to North Macedonia and Albania this summer. My wife is worried about the driving. Is it bad?
Richard V
A Your wife is right to be concerned. I have consulted the Albanian traffic accident statistics for the past decade. They are tragically high. The average death toll on the roads is more than 200 per year. Adjusted for population, that is about 2.5 times the fatality rate in the UK. In terms of road miles, the accident rate is worse still, since Albania is a small country (the size of Wales) and long journeys are commensurately rare.
While I haven't studied the North Macedonia statistics, my observation from travelling around is that driving and road standards are equally poor. The reasons: bad driving (fuelled by alcohol in one in 25 accidents, the statistics relate), inadequate policing and some dangerous roads.
Rail travel is not a viable option in either country. In these circumstances, it is wise to rely on professional drivers. In both countries, I travel longer distances by bus or minibus, and make shorter journeys by taxi. This works out better than you might imagine. On arrival at Tirana airport, coaches are usually waiting to run into the capital – or, less frequently, to Durres on the coast. Coaches or minibuses run between larger towns and cities – many minibuses run on demand, departing when full. Crossing between North Macedonia and Albania is straightforward.
For shorter journeys, you can flag down a taxi (the North Macedonian capital also has Bolt, which is similar to Uber) or take a local bus. If you plan an excursion taking in three or four locations in the day, your hotel will know some reliable drivers who will offer a fair price.
I should stress that I am a non-car owner and a poor driver, and therefore always prefer it when someone else is driving. You can enjoy the many spectacular views – and meet interesting locals.
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The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
No more meltdowns, mess or madness! 20 simple tips for surviving long family journeys
The phrases 'Are we there yet?' and 'I'm hungry' provide a soundtrack whenever I travel with my six- and three-year-old daughters. No matter how far we've gone, there's a constant stream of demands for snacks, games, entertainment, stories, songs … the list goes on. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Every summer, we travel to the Lake District, a seven-hour drive. And we regularly holiday in France, which involves long train, ferry and car journeys, so my husband and I have become skilled at managing these. Keeping all ages happy – including my mum who often comes too – is by no means an easy task. Throw in delays, hot weather and travel sickness and it's not just the kids having tantrums. So, here are my tips for surviving long trips for all ages, including those from other seasoned travellers and experts. My eldest daughter has used a Yoto – a small portable stereo with story cards – for years and loves it. They're great with headphones, but you can play the cards from the car stereo too. On a holiday around the Isle of Wight a few years ago, my 77-year-old mum, the girls and I all got into listening to Enid Blyton. RG Yoto Mini £59.99 at Yoto£60 at Argos Audiobooks accompany us on most long journeys with our children who are now nine and 19. The Harry Potter stories read by Stephen Fry are a firm favourite. We also enjoy The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher on the long Christmas trip to see the parents. Michael Pattinson, Buckinghamshire Audible membership £5.99 a month (first month free) at Audible There's a limit to how many Peppa Pig episodes or annoying conference calls I – or those sitting near us on the train – want to hear on any journey, so noise-cancelling headphones are ideal if you want to block out the sound around you. Get your kids a pair of headphones, too, so they don't disturb everyone. RG Bose QuietComfort SC headphones£189.95 at John Lewis£189 at Amazon Belkin SoundForm Mini kids wireless headphones £19.99 at Argos£27.57 at Amazon Reusable stickers have been my go-to for long car journeys since my girls were tiny, and they keep them entertained for hours. They stick to just about any surface and you can reuse them, unlike sticker packs, which only get one use. My girls usually stick them to the car windows but they're also ideal for trains (just peel them off when you leave). Rebecca Macnab-Grieve, Cambridgeshire Melissa & Doug reusable sticker pad £6.49 at Hamleys£6.49 at Amazon Always have an emergency picnic with you – this could be a baguette or crackers and some picky bits that you can eat without too much mess. This is handy on long journeys and it's also a lot cheaper than the train cafe or service station. Rachel Stirling, author and owner of The Lunchbox Mama The Filter's favourite cooler bag: Quechua 20L cooler backpack £24.99 at Decathlon£25 at Argos For more tried-and-tested picks, see our guide to the best cool boxes and bags We often consider travel pillows as something you take when flying, but they're perfect for trains and cars (passengers only) too. They prevent you arriving at your destination with a stiff neck from naps. Andy Brooker, travel expert at Kate & Tom's Go Travel neck pillow for adults £19.99 at Marks & Spencer£19.99 at John Lewis Trunki neck pillow for kids £12.99 at Boots£12.99 at Amazon In France, it's the law to have a first aid kit in the car, but we've always had one packed: someone is bound to have an accident. Keeping this somewhere handy means you can quickly grab it to tend to any bumps or scrapes. RG St John Ambulance first aid kit £14.99 at B&Q£15.60 at Amazon Agree to have it on shuffle: that way you don't get stuck listening to nursery rhymes or football podcasts for the whole journey. Who knows, you might even find some common ground in family music tastes. Georgia Dayton, co-founder of the Made by Mammas podcast Spotify premium £11.99 a month (first month free) at Spotify On a long journey you really don't want the tech to run out of battery, meaning you can't turn on your phone for the final directions to your destination, or a child's tablet dies halfway through a film. A power bank will help you to avoid these situations (as long as you remember to charge it). RG The Filter's favourite power bank for portability: Anker Nano £29.99 at Anker£18.99 at Amazon For more tried-and-tested picks, see our guide to the best power banks A seat organiser that hangs over the back of the front seats is a saviour on long car journeys. It's incredibly frustrating constantly having to turn around and pass things to kids in the back, be it snacks, games or more snacks. With these, they can reach for their own activities, food and drinks, and you don't end up with backache and/or nausea. Zoe Hardman, co-founder of the Made by Mammas podcast Car seat organiser £4.99 at B&Q£4.99 at eBay Our kids, eight and 11, are fans of the 'rainbow game', which keeps them occupied for longer than it should. They must spot a car in each colour of the rainbow while we're driving before they can shout: 'Rainbow!' Linda Winder, Oxfordshire We're fully fledged lorry spotters and whenever we're on the road we have an ongoing game of who can spot the most. Pick one company at the start of the journey and whoever spots the most is the winner. The Eddie Stobarts always get the loudest cheer. Carrie Percy, London Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion You can't go wrong with Uno, and it always comes with us on long journeys with our nine-year-old son. Piper Terrett, Norfolk Uno card game £7.20 at Marks & Spencer£5.98 at Amazon Tablets can be a godsend. We use them sparingly, downloading a few programmes and films in advance. We have one attached to the headrest, so it sits between the two front car seats and no one can control it from the back. RG Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet £59.99 for 32GB at Amazon£114.99 for 16GB at John Lewis Halfords universal tablet headrest mount £7.99 at Halfords Parenting Hell is my number-one podcast to listen to while driving, or anywhere when I'm not with my children, along with Dish and The Trawl. But if you have small ears listening, The Week Junior has a great podcast, or for really small people, the CBeebies podcast. Our favourite for all members of the family, though, is BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. RG For babies, plan your driving around their nap times where possible. Consider a mirror for rear-facing car seats so you can make eye contact and chat to them. It helps keep them calmer and reassured when they can see you. Rosey Davidson, sleep consultant, founder & CEO of Just Chill Mama Car seat mirror £12 at John Lewis You don't want to buy wasteful water bottles and takeaway coffees while you're on the move. We use our own bottles and refillable coffee cups instead. RG KeepCup insulated reusable commuter cup £31.95 at Mountain Warehouse£33.95 at Amazon Ion8 leakproof water bottle From £11.99 at Decathlon£12.99 at John Lewis Break up the journey with new toys, books or magazines the children haven't seen before. These could even be old toys they've forgotten about rather than buying something new. We usually dish them out one an hour. Amy Baker, Hertfordshire Sunscreen isn't just for outside; it's crucial when you're travelling too, as you can still get burned through train and car windows. It's also a good idea to reapply if you find yourself waiting on a platform or out on a ferry decking during the day. RG Sali Hughes' favourite sunscreen for kids: Altruist sunscreen SPF50 £5.25 at Victoria Health£11.49 for two at Amazon Bondi Sands sunscreen lotion £8.79 at Look Fantastic£8.79 at Sephora For more sunscreens, see our guide to the best SPF No one wants to be on a train without air conditioning on a hot day, but if you are, a portable fan will work wonders. Just make sure to charge it before your journey. RG Handheld and foldable desk fan £12 at John Lewis Dobble has become one of our favourite card games: all you need is a flat surface (a train table is ideal). It's best with four players but can be played with two. Each person takes it in turns to put a card down and try to spot a picture match with the previous card. We use the standard set but there are lots of variations (Minions, Disney, Marvel and more). It's addictive. RG Dobble card game £9.60 at Argos£9.60 at Amazon If you're spending a lot of time in the car, and your children are anything like mine, you'll probably be constantly cleaning up crumbs, packets, half-eaten croissants or abandoned pieces of fruit. I bought a small car bin last year, which stays in the car and everyone (adults included) has to use it. RG Halfords car bin £5.99 at Halfords Rebecca Goodman is a journalist living in Cambridgeshire. She has two daughters, six and three, and is deep in the parenting trenches, spending most of her time cleaning up crumbs, making endless snacks, and answering to never-ending demands while writing for national newspapers. She is passionate about embracing the good (and bad) aspects of life with two children
The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
Paris restaurants caught ripping off American tourists with inflated prices
Tourists visiting Paris restaurants are being charged as much as 50 per cent more than French customers, an investigation by Le Parisien has found. After several online complaints about the practice, the French newspaper conducted an experiment. It sent two journalists to the same restaurant at the same time: one in disguise as an American tourist, the other as a typical Parisien. The men both ordered a lasagne, a Coke and water. Writer Mathieu Hennequin, disguised as a tourist in a baseball cap and an Eiffel Tower t-shirt, was consistently overcharged. The French customer was offered a can of Coke, or a medium or large glass. He was charged €6.50 (£5.64). Meanwhile, Mr Hennequin was not offered the smaller option, instead paying €9.50 (£8.24) for the medium size The 'American' was also not offered a free carafe of water, unlike the French customer. He was charged a further €6 (£5.20) for a small bottle. In total, Mr Hennequin was charged €9.50 (£8.24) more than his Parisian counterpart. In another establishment Mr Hennequin was told that the service charge was not included in the final bill, which Le Parisien says is not true. The reporter said he was charged an 'almost obligatory" tip of €4 (£3.47), and that when he agreed to add a 10 per cent gratuity via the card machine, the waiter discreetly increased this to 15 per cent. In both cases, the paper found that the bill for the fake American tourist was 50 per cent more than the French customer. Franck Trouet, of GHR, a hotel and restaurant group, looked at these findings and said: 'It's a disgrace to the profession. You can't even call these people waiters. 'You should know that in France, water and bread are free. One can refuse a bottle of water. The tip is to express thanks for the service if one is very satisfied. Above all, it is not compulsory. This is not the United States.' In April, Le Parisien unearthed similar tactics during an investigation into the price of wine in the city's cafes. They found that some bistros in Paris were pouring cheap wine for tourists after they ordered more expensive, premium bottles. One of undercover sommeliers, wine merchant Marina Giuberti, found a €7.50 (£6.50) sancerre had been replaced by a cheaper sauvignon priced at €5.60 (£4.86), but she was charged the higher rate.
Times
16 hours ago
- Times
How to holiday with billionaires: no selfies or splitting the bill
Now that holiday season is here, the barefoot billionaires are flocking off on their yachts or to their villas and favourite six-star hotels. If you get invited to join them, lucky you. For the uninitiated, I will share a few unspoken rules. But first, if you get the invite, where might you be heading this year? The hot ticket for summer 2025 is an old favourite: the French Riviera. After a few years of being dismissed for being too clichéd/nouveau/Instagrammable/packed with flashy oligarchs (now banned), the Riviera is enjoying a wholesale renaissance, with private plane-loads of American billionaires (see the Peltz family with Brooklyn Beckham) chasing a bit of old-school European glamour at a very favourable exchange rate. Alarmed at being elbowed out of their traditional stamping grounds, the toffs are also striking back. They'll be holing up once again in their manicured estates around Nice and in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat — where Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has a home, and Sir Elton John is nearby on Mont Boron — and air-kissing in the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes. Down the coast they'll be settling into pastel-coloured villas around the village of Ramatuelle near St Tropez, or checking into spa hotel La Réserve Ramatuelle and snagging front-row loungers at local beach club Loulou Ramatuelle. Before any arrivals, the local staff — the ones who have a relationship with the fishermen, vegetable sellers and restaurant maître d's — will have the larders stocked and storm shutters thrown open onto olive-filled gardens with uninterrupted views of Pampelonne beach. The large yachts anchor here because they're too big for the busy marina in St Tropez. You'd never actually stay in St Tropez these days, but an afternoon ashore is still well worth it — a visit to the bijou Hermès store followed by lunch on the terrace at the three Michelin-starred La Vague d'Or, where reservations are now closed for the summer. Then everyone converges on the beach at Le Club 55, spiritual home of the barefoot billionaire. Not heading to the Côte d'Azur? I have friends who swear by Hvar in Croatia, calling it the St Tropez of the Balkans. The Laganini restaurant and bar in Palmizana on Sveti Klement, a private islet close to Hvar, has been billed 'the new Club 55'. I prefer the old one, but then Hvar is popular with the yacht crowd because it is one of the cheapest ports in the Med to refuel. They love Montenegro for the same reason. Or there's La Residencia in Deia, on Mallorca, or the Cyclades, but it won't be Mykonos this year — too much like Annabel's on a Thursday night. A yacht itinerary is more likely to include the lower-key islands of Paros, Antiparos, Naxos and foodie haven Sifnos. Bodrum and the southern coast of Turkey, once popular, are deemed simply too oligarch-y these days, as it's one of the few places sanctioned Russians can still go. For different reasons there is less interest in heading across the Atlantic this year to playgrounds such as the Hamptons. It's all Europe-looking in 2025. But not everywhere. Como is off the list thanks to the line of tourist buses that now snake around the lakes. The hills around here, in my view, used to have some of the best under-the-radar local restaurants in Italy. Now catering for hoards of picky tourists, they serve gluten-free pasta instead of their grandmother's recipe for ragu. Il Gatto Nero was everyone's secret Como tip until it was George Clooney's. • The White Lotus is nothing: this is how the super‑rich really travel Former fans of Como, like me, are heading to Copenhagen. From here you can easily access the fjords, whether by superyacht or helicopter, but it's the city's claim as the coolest and chicest in Europe that appeals. Noma, with its three Michelin stars, is a cliché and its moment has passed. Geranium is where everyone goes now — everyone who can spend upwards of £500 per head on a meal, that is. Securing a table at this 12-table, 3 Michelin-starred restaurant is not the ultimate status symbol. The real flex is a pre-service tour of the open-plan kitchen and co-ordinating calendars with chef Rasmus Kofoed, who runs private cooking lessons at his finca in Spain. The Hotel d'Angleterre is Copenhagen's answer to the Ritz in Paris. Here you can ask the concierge to send a member of staff to queue at Juno the Bakery for fresh cardamom buns brought back still warm in time for your morning coffee. And the hotel's Balthazar Champagne Bar serves vintage Dom Pérignon by the glass. Friends who like to holiday in Italy are this year heading to the Amalfi coast or Pantelleria, a windswept volcanic rock off the coast of Sicily where Giorgio Armani is patron saint. His white-domed dammuso with thick stone walls is the most distinctive on the island. There are no beaches here, which means no influencers, but you can still jump into its crystal turquoise waters from the rocks if you are at a private estate, or dive in from the deck of a yacht. But before you slip on the linen suit and board someone else's boat or enter their blissfully appointed island getaway, here are a few pointers to remember. Wherever you are invited, it is never acceptable to show up with a mountain of luggage, so take Joan Collins and her stack of monogrammed Louis Vuitton trunks off your moodboard. On yachts, hard-sided suitcases (impossible to stow) and wheeled luggage (liable to scuff interiors) are frowned upon. If you know, you know: seasoned travellers arrive with soft, worn leather holdalls. I am not a natural seafarer, but cruising the Amalfi coast during high season aboard a very large and well kitted-out boat is, I must admit, a transcendent experience. Typically, my host invites a few close friends — the inner circle — to spend a few weeks on board. Then a tender is dispatched to collect additional guests from ports en route. The stragglers may not have made the first cut but are deemed fun enough for a night or two. I am one such guest. And I'm always grateful for the privilege. My favourite itinerary is anchoring off Portofino or further south in Positano, to allow time for exploring the mainland as well as islands such as Capri (where you can make like Jackie Onassis and head to the shopping street Via Camerelle for your Van Cleef & Arpels or La Perla fix). An idyllic day in Positano involves plates of lobster linguine with lemon cream at Terrazza Celè followed by shopping at Emporio Sirenuse, the 'hotel shop' in Le Sirenuse, where Italian aesthete Carla Sersale sells ceramics, linen, raffia and perfume by local artisans, all with a stylish billionaire-friendly upgrade. Then I like to watch the sun set over aperitivos on the terrace before hopping back on board. If cabin fever strikes and you feel you must spend a night on terra firma, I would skip anything as close to the shore as Positano and brave the corkscrew drive further up the coast to Ravello and the Palazzo Avino. Ask for breakfast to be served on your private vine-covered veranda. When it comes to packing, you won't need industrial-sized suncream — on a yacht there will be copious amounts of it in all the outdoor spaces as well as in the staterooms. On my summer trips I just take a few pieces in breathable linen; an oversized silk scarf from Hermès; a large straw hat; swimwear and as many pairs of sunglasses as I can find. On a yacht, highly polished floors are a point of pride for boat crews, so guests will be barefoot on board. One pair of shoes — suede loafers by Tod's or Aurélien — should be enough for day trips. As a rule, all Mediterranean dinners — be they on a boat or in a friend's villa or a Michelin-starred restaurant — will combine fancy food with a relaxed dress code, which can be tricky to interpret. Flip-flops or slippers are fine at dinner, but show up in shorts and you will probably get struck off the guest list. A long silk slip or chinos and a shirt are perfect; no accessories needed. It's standard practice for a property manager or personal assistant to call ahead and check on guest preferences. It is also standard — or should be — for the guest to thank them politely and leave it at that. Refrain from reading out the results of your latest bloodwork confirming your microbiome prefers basmati to black rice. If you require ceremonial-grade matcha for your morning brew, bring your own. I'm exhausted by everyone's ever shifting dietary choices (oat milk was the best until it was the worst; coconut oil will give you a glow-up or clog your arteries). When I host at my weekend home in Burford, I skip the pre-arrival interrogation and quietly stock a few non-dairy and vegan options. If they're not up to scratch, I won't lose sleep over it. Since I gave up eating meat, I have sat through many meals pretending to eat rather than embarrassing my hosts. A friend who is about to host a group of writers at her home in Vilamoura in the Algarve sent me a screenshot of the pre-arrival requests made by a well-known lifestyle columnist: raw yoghurt and activated nuts at breakfast, scent-free sheets at night. Her caption to me read, 'Are we hosting Gwyneth?' The pressure of picking a present for the host with the most (and then some) is enough to put you off a holiday, free though it might be. Be reassured, your host is not looking to be compensated for meals and board. I always try to go for a clever gift — say, a monogrammed bookmark or a first edition of Liar's Poker. Years ago I made the rookie mistake of buying the most expensive wine I could afford as a gift on a weekend at a friend's India Mahdavi-designed chalet in Megève. My host made a point of graciously showing the large bottle of Bordeaux to the rest of the party, saying he would save it for when it had been properly decanted. It was only later, when I noticed his vast wine cave in the basement, that I discovered he was an enthusiast with hundreds of exquisite bottles. When, in spite of my rather lame gift, we were invited back, I baked a cake and was chuffed that it was quickly sliced up and served. While we are on the subject of holidaying in the Alps, most of the one percenters I know still wouldn't bother in the summer, even if they have the best chalet in the village, because their favourite restaurants and boutiques won't be open until ski season. You'll find those heading to the mountains at Eriro in Ehrwald, Austria. Its nine suites are booked lock, stock and barrel for months ahead by families looking to coax their digitally exhausted teenagers and own workaholic tendencies into a detox (no wi-fi is the default; the password is locked away unless otherwise agreed upon). And you pay £1,500 per night for the privilege. Or, for those who like cooler climes, there's Eleven Deplar Farm in Iceland, perched on the wild rugged slopes of the country's remote Troll Peninsula. Best known for its heliskiing, it's the spot for salmon fishing in summer. For £40,000 per night you can buy out the 13-room Scandi-chic lodge and house for up to 26 guests — a steal when you consider the cheapest room is £5,000 per night. A few summers ago, en route to a wedding in Saint-Paul de Vence, one of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera, I made an overnight stop at a friend's clifftop villa overlooking the Mediterranean. The host — scion of a venerable banking dynasty — expressed his views on discretion in a characteristically elegant manner. Alongside the jaw-dropping views and threadbare Aubusson rugs, each guest room had a handwritten note encouraging us 'to make memories, not content' and refrain from taking pictures indoors. A gentle reminder that this was, above all, a family home. Even when there's no danger of pictures being flogged to the tabloids, it's impossible to relax around someone armed with a smartphone and not afraid to use it. Resist the temptation to take a selfie with every meal served and do not facetime your cousins in Cornwall from the skylounge of someone else's yacht, panning slowly so they can 'feel like they're here'. They're not. And the next time you may not be either. Picture this: a hard-won table on the sun-dappled terrace of La Colombe d'Or in Saint-Paul de Vence laden with platters of grilled fish and jeroboams of rosé. As the meal winds down, one guest — eyes darting towards the bill — loudly insists on paying their share. Or £47.50 of it, since they 'weren't really drinking'. Don't be that person. No one in the top tax bracket is looking to be reimbursed for what they spend on a good time with friends. What they are looking for — what they will remember — is appreciation. One can express that in so many ways that don't involve using Splitwise. One of the most gracious gestures came from a cousin's boyfriend, a photographer who was relatively unknown at the time but whose work now regularly features in Vogue, who joined us for a six-star holiday in Rajasthan: think palace hotels and a private chef. He didn't pay for any of it, nor was he expected to. A few weeks later, we each received envelopes of beautiful black-and-white prints of ourselves. No one remembered whether he'd contributed to the rosé fund when he made us feel like we were in a Wes Anderson film. Whether in a castello in Tuscany or on a yacht off Montenegro, it takes meticulous planning to move a posse of guests from one highly sought hotspot to the next in peak season. Don't derail it with a casual suggestion to swing by the gelato place that keeps popping up on your Instagram feed. If you'd like to contribute a meal or outing to the schedule, clear it with your host well in advance. Make a reservation yourself and — this is crucial — pick up the tab at the end without calling attention to it. If it was your suggestion, you pay. Just make sure you can afford it: the chicest summer scene in Europe often unfolds at deceptively simple-looking beach-shack restaurants, so you may require nerves of steel — or, at the very least, a platinum credit card. I learnt this the hard way on a Balearic cruise aboard a friend's yacht when I organised lunch for the group at Juan y Andrea, a restaurant on the beach of Formentera. I was introduced to it by a cousin who was a very generous host on a previous trip. Guests can show up in swimwear; the lobster, calamari and catch of the day are spectacular — and priced per 100g. Lunch for 20 quickly outstripped my monthly mortgage, before anyone ordered champagne. Which is a neat segue into my final piece of advice. Even in the most gilded surroundings, try not to lose sight of what your friends value about you. Is it your sense of humour? Your ability to defuse tense situations? Your concern for the child who is unhappy at boarding school? Show up as funny, kind and curious and try not to fret about whether or not you can afford to return the hospitality you have been shown. Better still, show your gushing appreciation of this summer's most popular holiday flex — the historian or archaeologist, brought along with the chef and PT to give extra panache to the museum and ruins visits.
