I think enough time has now passed for me to be able to describe my recent experience passing through the Paris airport.

Just kidding. Really.

It wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated- Paris seems to have discovered the magic of signs to point passengers in the correct direction, which they were apparently not fans of when I was there with my mom 10 years ago. Of course, on that trip I also had to rent a car and navigate the Periphèrique of Paris to get to Burgundy, and on the trip a year before that I did the same thing WITH TWO KIDS AND A DOG, so it’s entirely possible that I was conflating the stressful nature of those experiences with the stress levels of the airport itself. And having been through there three times over the last three months at this point, I feel confident saying that it is no more frightening than, say, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta. I mean, have you done the three mile hike that is required to get to passport control when returning from overseas? They have to post people not only to direct you to the right place but also to encourage you not to give up and just lay down on the floor whimpering…

In any case, here’s what you need to remember in Charles de Gaulle when you are connecting to your flight to Marseille:

Give yourself enough time.

When you allow enough time to navigate the place, the fact that you feel like you might be walking in circles won’t be so upsetting. Just keep looking for the word “Correspondance”, which means connecting flights, and also look for screens to verify which gate you are headed to.

I promise you’ll get there. Then you’ll be on that plane headed to southern France, and when, an hour and a half later, you see the sparkling Mediterranean below you you’ll forget all about the ever so minor annoyances of air travel. I’ll be waiting to pick you up and whisk you to our lovely accommodations, and after a good meal and a good night’s rest you’ll be right as rain.

And ready to begin enjoying every last second of our time together in one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Look! They’ve got signs, and they’re bright yellow with arrows!

The word you’re looking for is “Correspondances.”

Find your flight that you’re transferring to and then muddle your way to the gate you need. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself going through customs at odd points on the journey through the airport.

Et voilà.