New Yorker's Guide to Paris: Outsourcing 101

Image Source: Evening Herald

One of my main concerns moving from NYC to Paris was getting the same conveniences that I was used to back home…like you literally can get anything in one click (I’m talking about you TaskRabbit). I guess, here, they are called luxuries, but to me, they are just the little things you need to get through the day. So, whether you are a newbie to Paris or a veteran, here are some door to door services you need in your life or didn’t even know you needed. As always, all my reccos are English friendly and digital, all with the sole purpose of making your life easier by waving your magic wand, aka your smart phone!

Why cook if you don’t have to?

When I first moved here in 2016, “emporter” or take out was just starting to become a thing. Luckily for me, this has caught on and there are more restaurants available on delivery sites. There are a few out there, but my drug of choice is deliveroo. They have the best customer service and easiest interface IMHO and their weather graphics are super cute especially when there is a snowstorm in Paris. To me, they are Paris’s version of seamless web and fret not, little traveler, you can use them in over 84 countries including the UK, Italy and Germany!

I will say the only thing restaurants are lacking in Paris is the ability to deliver hot liquids — i.e. soup and hot beverages. My only luck has been with Asian restaurants, but if any of you crack this nut, please give me a holler!

Pro-Tip: If you have a craving while on business travel or vacation, you can order deliveroo straight to your hotel room. Much better than room service if you feel like eating in!

Save your arm strength for the gym

Another godsend that most expats don’t realize they have here is Amazon Prime Now. This truly was my savior once I discovered it. Instead of scheduling different trips to get my bottled water, a month’s supply now gets delivered to my apartment in my selected 2 hour window on the same day. I always had amazon prime living here, but why wait days when you can have it in 2 hours? It has been life-changing as now I have all my household items delivered to my door, which saves me time on grocery shopping and money on my chiropractor bill. The best part is that I can place the order from my phone while doing other things like getting a mani/pedi or during my uber ride home. IMHO, life is all about efficiency.

Pro-Tip: Don’t fall into the trap of ordering more than you need to. There is a 40€ minimum for free delivery, but depending on how close you are to that thresh it may make more sense to just pay the minimal delivery fee.

Get Pampered

Sometimes you don’t want to leave your house and for these occasions you must have a team ready to go in your arsenal. Tough day? No worries, use Urban Massage to get a massage therapist right to your door. You can choose anything you want on their app — language preference, gender, massage type and length of massage. All therapists have profiles and star ratings, making it Tinder + for massages! They also now have osteopaths on their app so that is an added bonus if you prefer more of the alignment technique vs traditional massage. And if you are in need of a mani/pedi and don’t feel like heading to a nail salon, they’ve got you covered there as well. Their prices are competitive and sometimes lower than salons, so it begs the question why should you ever leave your house? Now all they need to add is on-demand hair and they have truly reached the ultimate trifecta! As an added bonus, here’s a little gift to get 20% off your first booking.

Pro-Tip: Book a mani/pedi/massage all in one night. I mean, why have a spa day, when you can have a spa night without leaving your home?

Butler Service

One of the most arduous tasks for me used to be getting my dry cleaning to and from my apartment. Yes, I know, #firstworldproblems. Luckily my life was made a little bit easier because of zipjet. They basically collect your clothes and bring them back brand spanking new. The best part is you control everything from the time they pick it up to when you want them to return it. Made a mistake or your schedule has changed? No problem — you can reschedule times easily from their app! You can do basic turnaround service (2 days) or do express service (1 day) depending on your needs. And if you are feeling super lazy and don’t want to do your own normal laundry, you can outsource that as well since they provide laundry service as part of their wheelhouse. Now who said you couldn’t have everything?

Pro-Tip: Want 10€ on your first order? Subscribe here and we will send you a code.

Hey Alexa, Clean my apartment!

With a busy lifestyle, cleaning your apartment to the standards you like it clean can be a headache, especially if you like everything done to American standards. When I first moved here, I went through recommendations of friends because I wanted someone I trusted cleaning my apartment. Though I trusted my cleaning lady, she wasn’t the best and language was tough, so there was a lot of google translating going on. Now that I am in a new apartment I found a cleaning service that actually meets my standards of cleaning called Spic and Span. Not only do they speak English, but you know what you are getting and can customize your clean easily on their website. Their prices are slightly higher than what you would pay out of pocket to independent cleaning ladies, but the peace of mind, reliability and level of service truly is priceless. Also, if you have paid NY prices like I have, this is TRULY a bargain!

Pro-Tip: The rate is lower if you do a subscription service, but you can always do one test service at 24.90€/hour if you don’t want to commit just yet.

Driving Miss Daisy

Paris is such a beautiful city, but sometimes you can’t walk everywhere you need to. Though I am a native New Yorker, the metro here is pretty gross and bus service is irregular, so I highly recommend the use of ridesharing apps. There are taxis, but you can get ripped off pretty easily especially if you don’t speak fluent French. Unfortunately, they do target tourists here. With ridesharing apps, you get your fixed price, the destination is set, so you don’t have to verbally communicate if you don’t want to and if something happens, there is a digital record of your journey. My two favorite are Uber and Bolt (the artist formerly known as taxify). They both have green options, luxury options and van options, which are helpful if you are moving stuff. Get 5€ off your first Uber ride using this code: hgo6y OR 7€ off your first Bolt ride using this code: F3URC.

Pro-Tip: Price or time compare on both apps and see which one best works for you vs just hailing a car using voice command. May save you from a sneaky surge charge!

So, there you have it — how to have your NYC niceties in a pinch. Sign up here to get our next piece, Paris Wellness Confidential, as soon as it’s hot off the presses!