Using your Smartphone to make your trip easier

Traveling with your smartphone allows you to save your pictures and share them with family, keep in touch with home, and have access to great traveling Apps. 

 

To Use your phone without surprise roaming fees :

  • Procure an International plan with your telephone service provider - this is the best option - plan for 50MB of data per day
  • or buy a prepaid SIM card upon arrival in France - your phone must be unlocked for European SIM cards for this
  • Laura, Emilie & Clélia will walk you through finding the best option for you

The team will provide how tos for the most used travel apps:

  • We will provide explanations and short videos : easy & user friendly
  • We recommend you start using WAZE (or Google Maps) GPS at home before the trip as this is the best navigation tool in France

This is a list of applications we find very useful while traveling. Based on the type of "app user" you are, we will glady make a short-list which fits YOUR needs.

 

 

 

Your France Just For You App

The Best GPS in France

  • Waze: if you use only 1 App, this is THE App to get for your French trip
  • Google Maps

Great Tools for your trip

  • Citymapper
  • Gas Now
  • Google Translate
  • The Fork
  • Tiqets (last minute tickets)
  • Uber
  • The French Weather Forecast : France Weather app
  • XE currency converter
  • Flush: to find the nearest public restrooms
  • TouchNote: to mail real postcards from your cellphone - about $3 a postcard - it takes about 5 working days to be delivered

Keep in touch

  • Whatsapp
  • Facebook
  • Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo
  • Instagram
  • Skype
  • Viber

 This way, you can use you own smartphone in France, the same way you use it at home !

FAQ

Yes. Google Maps covers France in detail, including driving directions, public‑transport routes, walking paths, and live traffic updates on major roads. 

Before you leave your accommodation’s Wi‑Fi, download the region of France you're in for offline use since cell coverage can be patchy in the countryside and inside stone villages.

Absolutely; in fact, it's our preferred GPS navigation app. Waze is popular with French drivers because it crowdsources real‑time traffic, road‑work alerts, and speed‑camera warnings.

Just be aware that France restricts precise speed‑camera locations; the app will instead show “danger zones.” Keep a car charger handy—Waze can drain your phone battery quickly.

For most travelers, a combination works best:

  • Google Maps for reliable routing, offline maps, and walking directions in towns.
  • Waze for live traffic on longer drives and alerts about accidents or slowdowns.

Tip: We preload every France Just For You itinerary into our MyFrance travel app with one‑tap links to each stop, so your chosen nav app opens with the exact GPS coordinates—no typing required.

Our Travelers’ Reviews

Linda & Michael
When we received our packet, I was amazed with all the info. Emilie put into it for our trip. We needed more time in the day for places on our daily agenda that we did not get a chance to visit. We will just have to return and finish them on the next trip to the Loire. Flo and Phil's, Les Bournais was a charming place with wonderful accommodations …
Lisa & Dave
Our 11 day trip in France planned by “ our Ladies “ at France Just For You was wonderful. There were no snafus, the lodging and activities were all more than expected, which all together created a great trip. We did well driving with the use of their excellent directions and gps coordinates that hooked up with Waze. We also were lucky to have warm …
Lynne & Jeff
In 2013 I had 2 big reasons to plan a trip to France: a new grand baby boy in Avignon, and I wanted to surprise my husband with a trip to Normandy. He absolutely loves anything and everything he can find to read or watch that is related to WWII. So, I started exploring online for a custom tour designer that could put together a great itinerary for …

Our Travelers’ Photos

Bridget & Tyler
from the US
In Monet's house kitchen in Giverny
Nathalie from Australia
...found a truffle in Provence !
Our guide with Jean's team
In the quicksands in Mont Saint Michel bay
Don with his hostess Oriana
From the US
At the hotel in Lyon
Gary, Barbara, Lori and Ron
from the US
After a cooking class in Provence
Darlene & Howard
from the US
At Emilie's parents with Jeanne & Pauline (our daughters)
Teresa & Jim
From Australia
In the Basque Country
Ruth & Mary-Ann
From the US
In front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Kate & Jake
from the US
On their honeymoon in front of Chenonceau castle
..& the Oyster Guy !
in Biarritz Food Market with Maureen & Roy
Cassandra and Justin
Cassandra & Justin
in Gordes, Provence
Steffi & Jeff
in Chenonceau castle....romantic !

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