Whitney in Paris
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Going to Paris? 🇫🇷You are about to pay the American tax 🇺🇸
Nobody calls it that. It is on no menu, no sign and no receipt.
- The waiter brings a bottle of water you never asked for.
- You tip twenty percent, and the service was already in the bill.
- A man says "taxi?" at the airport, and you say yes.
- The booth says no commission, so you change your money there.
- You sit on the terrace, and the same coffee costs more than at the counter.
Nobody is stealing from you. There are simply two prices, and you will be given the second one.
50 Things Americans Overpay for in Paris, and How to Pay What Parisians Pay
Seven years of paying too much, written down so you do not have to repeat any of it.
- Water, the two words that bring a free jug instead of a bottle.
- Tipping, what is already paid, and what a few coins actually mean here.
- Taxis, where the real line is, and who the men near the bags are.
- Money, the booths, the machines, and the screen that asks for dollars.
- Cafes, the three prices for one coffee, and the one you should pay.
- And 45 more, each with what to do instead.
The book is in seven parts. Here is what is in each one.
The seven parts
- Money. Exchange booths, cash machines, and the screen that offers to charge you in dollars.
- Eating out. Water, the bill, what service already covers, and the three prices of one coffee.
- Getting around. The airport, the real taxi line, the apps that get slow and pricey, the metro.
- Shops and markets. Paying, exchanging, tasting, and the bill nobody wants at eight in the morning.
- The street. The bracelet, the petition, the friendly question, and what ends each one.
- Where you sleep. Beds, air conditioning, and the words that make the front desk help you.
- Already free. What Paris gives away that Americans quietly pay for.
$9 once
Yours straight away, and yours to keep.
Read it on your phone in the taxi line, or print it before you fly. No account, no password, nothing to install.