• about
  • City Guides
    • Europe
      • Czechia
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Scotland
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
    • Canada
    • Caribbean
    • Middle East
    • New Zealand
    • USA
      • Atlanta
      • Chicago
      • COMO
      • Dallas
      • Destin
      • Kansas City
      • Los Angeles
      • NYC
      • Orlando
      • San Francisco
      • Seattle
      • St. Louis
      • Waco
      • South America
  • Tips + Tricks
  • Lifestyle
    • Blogging
  • shop

round trip travel and lifestyle blog

How to Make a House a Home While Living Abroad

June 7, 2017
Pin16
Share
Share
Tweet
16 Shares

The expat life looks glamorous with its exotic culture and foreign foods, but there’s something to say for familiarity and known.  Living abroad may include a host of new experiences and exciting adventures, but it’s important to create a “homey” space in your apartment or house while living abroad for any amount of time. Here are my best tips:

This post includes affiliate links, and I earn a small commission from items purchased through these links.  All opinions are my own.

how to make a house a home while living abroad.png

1. Choose a focal point.

I chose to pack a vintage poster of Paris and placed it in the middle of my wall arrangement.  Yes, it took up some room in my suitcase, but these walls are so drab!  Think about bringing a large poster, some type of wall decor or even a tapestry.

2. Pack photos.

Life abroad is fabulous, but sometimes you’ll miss home.  Be sure to pack pictures of your family and friends as well as snapshots from other trips.  I packed pictures from my trip to Los Angeles, which add a nice pop of color to the walls with its bright blue ocean.

3. Get fancy with postcards, greeting cards or other artwork.

Add texture and dimension to your wall arrangement by including more than just photos.  I packed several Paris-themed postcards I purchased in Epcot’s France, which add some sophistication and variation.  Inspired by Cate of Habit & Heart’s physical inspo board (learn how to create a digital one here), I put some artsy greeting cards in my bag to spice up my wall as well.How to Make a House a Home Travel Art Map

4. Don’t forget logistics.

It’s no use to pack all these goodies and have no way to hang them.  Although I could’ve purchased sticky tack and push pins here in France, I opted to buy them in the U.S. and pack them to simplify life.How to Make a House a Home Travel Photo

5. Pack other memorabilia for the rest of the room.

While your wall decor may be the focus of your room, don’t forget to pack reading material like magazines and books in your native language when you need a break from all things foreign.  (The time will come!)  I even packed a frame with a quote to place on my desk.  Even though a frame takes up space and can break in transit, it makes my tiny flat more like home.

Embrace the foreign and fancy things abroad, but also remember that piece of your heart called home.  Happy decorating!

Author Signature

Share with a friend & save for a future adventure!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Pin16
Share
Share
Tweet
16 Shares
0
5 Comments

My Fave Finds

Previous Round Trip Roundup: MAY
Next Why Living Abroad Isn’t Perfect

Related Posts

DIY Travel Bulletin Board

How I Got into France as an American During Covid

Photo Diary: Dallas Farmers Market

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. sandy says

    August 31, 2017 at 10:01 pm

    My husband and I will be moving to a new house next year. I’m glad to read through you post so I can put up a travel-inspired wall on our living room! Keep writing!

    Reply
    • roundtriptravel says

      August 31, 2017 at 10:15 pm

      Hi Sandy! What a great excuse to redecorate and find some new things!! Here’s another post on displaying travel memories (https://roundtrip.blog/2017/04/19/12-best-ways-to-keep-your-travel-memories/) and if you look at my site’s sidebar, you can score 25 free square prints for decorating–woo! I’d love to see your finished travel wall–feel free to tweet it at me. Happy traveling & decorating 🌟🌟

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Make a Killer Summer Bucket List (+ Giveaway!) – round trip says:
    May 9, 2018 at 11:01 am

    […] you already have and spice it up.  This summer I’m moving into a new house, and I’m itching to make it my new home.  I plan to pin up the maps, prints and canvases I’ve accumulated over the years to make it my […]

    Reply
  2. Room Tour of a World Traveler – round trip says:
    June 6, 2018 at 11:02 am

    […] a quaint glow. If you’re moving abroad and have limited packing space, there are still plenty of ways to make your house a home. Decorating a new space is exciting and draining, but putting in the time to make it yours will […]

    Reply
  3. 8 Things I Learned in 2018 – round trip says:
    December 26, 2018 at 9:33 am

    […] I still love my Moroccan Wedding Quilt.  But beyond being proud of the space I live in, making a house a home is crucial.  After living in a dorm and a sorority house, having a home evokes a sense of security […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Bonjour

Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
learn more about my story

Ad

Top Posts & Pages

  • 50 Most Used French Verbs to Know + Free Flashcards
  • The Beginner’s Guide to Universal Studios
  • 12 More Things to Do in St. Louis
  • 7 Best Destin Restaurants
  • bonjour

About

Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
learn more about my story

Want free access to my 30-minute travel budgeting course?

Hi, it's been a minute, and I'd love to reintroduc Hi, it's been a minute, and I'd love to reintroduce myself👋

🇺🇸I'm a Missouri girl living in southern France where I teach English to French kiddos and update my blog, Round Trip. I moved here in the height of Covid last fall, and boy, do I have some STORIES that I dish in my brand new magazine (keep scrolling for the dirty deets)

🐝I majored in magazine editing and would love to talk your ear off about the Oxford comma. Oh, and I won the school spelling bee in 7th grade. Yep, I peaked😂

💃I'm a middle child, and I don't let my family forget that. I've always loved the attention, and I suppose that manifests in my addiction to glitter and leopard print.

📖This week I launched Round Trip: The Magazine, a 20-page print + digital experience. It’s jam-packed with articles about how I moved to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to add to your bucket list and how I saved $7,000 to move abroad. I spill the tea on how travel and life abroad has taught me the best lessons about insecurity and confidence, heartbreak and love👀

So very nice to meet you! Bop over to link in bio to check out this week's magazine launch❤️

#introducingme #introduction #magazine #roundtripthemag #aboutme #demoi #frioulmarseille #glamourgirl #glittergirl #leopard #entrepreneur #enneagram3 #enneagram3w4 #enneagram4 #microinfluencer #americansinfrance #americansabroad #frioul #frioulisland #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder10k #marseille #marseillemaville
(giveaway) What's a magazine launch week without a (giveaway) What's a magazine launch week without a giveaway?!💥 I recently announced my latest project, Round Trip: The Magazine. This 20-page physical + digital magazine is jam-packed with articles on how I made the move to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to visit, how I saved thousands of dollars to travel and the lessons I've learned through travel. And lots, lots more!

🎉Here's how to enter my giveaway (it takes 30 seconds!):
1️⃣Like this post
2️⃣Follow moi @round.trip
3️⃣Tag a pal who's missing travel like CRAZY

BONUS: Share this post to your story and tag me to get an additional two entries.

This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with Instagram in any way. Winner will be selected at random and notified via DM. No purchase necessary. Flat lay design by the wonderfully talented @mariiela_garciia

#giveaway #magazine #blogger #blogmagazine #roundtripthemag #contest #giveaways #freestuff #magazines #flatlay #mockup #graphicdesign #graphicdesignismypassion #launchweek #entrepreneur #entrepreneurs #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder2k #bloggers5k #bloggersunder10k #enneagram3 #americansabroad #americansinfrance #imisstravel #missingtravel #assistantsdelangue #tapif
😳Here’s a little secret for you: I was terrif 😳Here’s a little secret for you: I was terrified I would fall flat on my face. Now I’m happy and loving every second of life in France, but let’s rewind the clock back to one year ago, shall we?

⏰I was a mess. Last spring, it’d already been several months since I submitted my application to teach English in France. My heart was set on living abroad. And it was shattered as headlines and exclamation points littered the world with this virus called Covid.

🙈Between March and August, I might as well have had the words “I don’t know” tattooed on my forehead. My heart was constantly in flux: do I keep fighting for a dream that exists only in abstract? Or do I give up my dream to move abroad because life is too complicated or rather it’s just not possible?

🍳I had put all my eggs in one basket. I’d told everyone that the plan was to move to France, and now all of life’s questions could be summed up in a slew of question marks. I feared embarrassment and failure. But more than anything, I had long dreamed of living in France. It wasn’t only a question of pride but of passion.

⏩Fast forward to today: I’ve been living in France for six months, and although it’s not always perfect, I’m in love with my life here. Sincerely. I take walks around my neighborhood, look around and constantly say to myself, “Is this seriously my life?”

❓I get a lot of questions about my life in France. And for this reason along with the journey to get here, I decided to create something. This week, I'm launching Round Trip: The Magazine. It’s a 20+ page magazine (digital or physical — you pick!) filled with stories, travel tips, language learning ideas, bucket list destinations and beyond. Plus, a password-protected online portal with bonus content.

🎊And it's available now — link in bio!

#lacorniche #marseille #marseillecity #roundtripthemag #marseillefr #mediterraneansea #magazine #entrepreneur #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #france
(big news!) ☎️Travel called — it wants you b (big news!) ☎️Travel called — it wants you back. The cabin fever is real as we’ve been cooped up in our homes for the past however many months. Whether you’re booking a flight ASAP or wanting to play it safe for a while, many of us have been daydreaming about travel. We miss the thrill of takeoff, the exhilaration of exploration, the elation of discovery.

✈️That's why TODAY I’m launching Round Trip: The Magazine, a 20+ page physical + digital experience. It’s jam-packed with articles about how I moved to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to add to your bucket list and how I saved $7,000 to move abroad.

❤️My heart in creating this magazine is to provide a more immersive, intimate experience than my blog posts and Instagram stories. 

🍵It’s more than just the practical tips but also the raw + real, juicy deets. I spill the tea on how travel and life abroad has taught me the best lessons about insecurity and confidence, heartbreak and love.

I’ve spent HOURS pouring my heart into these pages, and I’m confident these words will not only help you plan your future trips but also inspire you to chase your passions harder.

Today the pre-sale (and sale price!) is available to my email subscribers. Not on the list? Comment 💥and I'll add you to the list. Allez-y !

#lacorniche #magazine #blogger #bloggervibes #roundtrip #roundtripthemag #marseille #marseillefr #marseillecity #marseillefrance #mediterranean #mediterraneansea #selfpublished #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder10k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder2k #entrepreneur #france #vivelafrance
Sometimes I just don’t believe my life🙈 Toda Sometimes I just don’t believe my life🙈

Today we took a casual 20ish minute boat ride to a nearby island I can see from my backyard. We hiked up to the ancient fort and danced to music mere feet from ruins — all with views of the Mediterranean Sea and Marseille in all her sunny glory.

I think back to a year ago when my life felt heavy and full of question marks. I think of all the hoops I jumped through and all the doors God opened for me to be here. I think of the daily prayers for answers, long walks to let out the stress and the anxious tears.

And friends, it was all worth it. What a beautiful thing reflection is! What an amazing thing it is to see the pain that was and the joy that is! 

The months leading up to moving to France were absolute mayhem, but oh, I am so beyond glad I didn’t quit when it was hard. Because I am in absolute love with my life in southern France☀️
Been kinda quiet on the socials as of late👀I've Been kinda quiet on the socials as of late👀I've been soaking up the Marseille sunshine with long walks, picnics and the not-so occasional ice cream😋

💪I've also been hard at work. For the past two months, I've been creating my latest project, Round Trip: The Magazine. I've sent out surveys, edited and workshopped this piece for hours upon hours. And I am delighted to say I am all set to launch in APRIL!!

🤔What is this so-called magazine, and why should I care? Alas, in September, I moved to France to teach English — yes, in the middle of a pandemic. It's been quite the wild ride, and along the way, I've been getting lots of questions about my journey here.

I also wanted to take my blog to the next level. As much as I love sharing my travel tips + life abroad peeks on my blog and social channels, I longed to provide a more immersive, intimate experience. Ya know, like a coffee date with your best gal pal?☕

Given that I have a degree in magazine editing, I thought it only fitting to answer the questions, share my stories and dish all the dirty deets in magazine format. And I am sooo stoked for next month's launch!! Want to be first to hear when this magazine drops and to get the pre-sale price? Comment with ⭐and I'll add you to my insiders list.

#microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #marseille #marseillecity #lacorniche #faussemonnaie #malmousque  #lepetitnice #ansedelafaussemonnaie #mediterraneansea #mediterranean #blueskies #southernfrance #jaimelafrance #vivelafrance #france #francetravel #americansabroad #americansinfrance #americaninfrance #expatlife #americanabroad
🍷😋Best eats + sips in BORDEAUX: 🍦@glace 🍷😋Best eats + sips in BORDEAUX: 

🍦@glaceriedumas_bordeaux Tori and I stayed in Bordeaux for two nights, and we visited Glacerie Dumas twice. Long story short: it was delightful. The first night I ordered ice cream macaron sandwiches. And the second night I ordered their chocolate ice cream topped with chantilly. 

🍜@padang8padang I am always in search of a good bowl of pad thai, and this fit just the bill. My pad thai packed flavor, and I was so bummed that my tummy wasn’t big enough to finish the whole bowl. Reasonably priced and steps away from a darling square. 

🍔@cafekokomo Located in a bubbly square, Café Kokomo serves up burgers, fries, lemonade and more of your American favorites. The best part of all (okay, close) is that they handed out those gummy Krabby Patty candies with our order. AMAZE.

🍇L’Oenothèque: Tor and I decided to make our wine tasting at our Airbnb. We found a wine shop right across from Église Notre Dame de Bordeaux. The kind shopkeeper helped us pick out a selection of regional wines for our charcuterie night, and she even pointed to where they came from on her map of Bordeaux. The shop isn't super active online, so here's the address: 1 Place du Chapelet

What are you craving for your trip to Bordeaux? Save this post for your next trip to southwestern France. Link in bio has more Bordeaux food + activity recs❗

#padangpadangfr #padangpadang #padangpadangbordeaux #glaceriedumas #glaceriedumasbordeaux #glaceriedumasfr #bordeauxeats #bordeauxrestau #eatbordeaux #macaron #icecream #bordeauxdessert #thingstodobordeaux #bordeauxcityguide #bordeauxmaville #cafekokomo #cafekokomobordeaux #LOenothèque #Oenothèque #bordeauxwine #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #bordeauxfr
Copyright © 2021 round trip
Theme by SheShoppes
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.