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My Weekend Trip to Bordeaux, France

Butterflies in your stomach, your heart racing? Ah yes, the feeling of being smitten. I recently visited Bordeaux for the first time, and this is exactly how I felt: undeniably enchanted by this vibrant city. My college friend Tori and I did a girls’ weekend during our vacances scolaires, and it was just the break I needed. We ate well, we drank well, we laughed well in Bordeaux. You know those destinations that you visit and you say to yourself, One and done, no need to return. Well, my trip to Bordeaux was not one of those. I am...

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Best Day Trips from Nice

Taking a road trip through southern France comes with its challenges. The roads are narrow and windy. You have to pay for the rental car, which is astronomically more expensive if you’re under age 25. You have to figure out paying for parking or finding free options — way harder than it sounds. But as much stress as the rental car brought Mal and I on our French Riviera trip, we still say it was worth it. So many places on our itinerary cannot be reached by train. And having a car made it easier to go by our...

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Top Things to Do in Nice and Monte Carlo

What is a trip to the French Riviera without a stay in Nice and Monte Carlo? These two gems on the Côte d’Azur boast deep blue ocean views, city hustle and bustle, and old France charm. Mallory and I took a week-long vacation through the Riviera, including stops in St. Tropez and Cannes. And Nice stands out in my mind for its labyrinth of Vieille Ville and Monte Carlo for its glitz and glam. I’d love to share the top things to do in Nice and Monte Carlo for your upcoming French Riviera adventure. This post includes affiliate links,...

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Top Things to do Near Gorges du Verdon + Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Social media can introduce us to the most beautiful places. Years ago, I pinned a post from The Blonde Abroad about her trip to Gorges du Verdon. And when I saw the awe-inspiring blue water in her photos, I knew I had to see it for myself. So when Mal and I were planning our vacation throughout southern France, we knew we had to add this stop to our vacation. Here are the top things to do near Gorges du Verdon, including Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. About the Area The Gorges du Verdon touch both the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Var départments — the...

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12 Things to Do in St. Tropez

I’d heard about the glitz and the glamour of St. Tropez, but I had to see it for myself. This ritzy vacation town is nestled on the Côte d’Azur and is known for its exclusivity. I don’t know if I was “just like Leo in St. Tropez,” as Taylor Swift croons on her Lover album, but I sure enjoyed my visit, especially the views. Here are 12 things to do in St. Tropez. Or as the cool kids call it “St. Trop.” How to Get to St. Tropez France’s public transportation system astounds me. It’s wild how many places...

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11 Things to Do in Cannes + Day Trip to Antibes

Known for its annual Cannes Film Festival, this southern France gem is more than this one event in May. Mallory and I embarked on a road trip along the Côte d’Azur, and Cannes ended up being one of my favorite spots. Its gorgeous Mediterranean Sea views and classic architecture are sure to make you swoon. Here are 11 things to do in Cannes, plus a day trip to Antibes nearby. This post includes an affiliate link, which means I may earn a kickback from included links. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps me run my...

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How I Got into France as an American During Covid

When I submitted my application to teach English in France for a year, Covid wasn’t even a headline. In January 2020, I turned in the last recommendations, documents and transcripts. And I waited until what was supposed to be “early April.” Alas, February brought headlines of this mysterious virus, March ushered in global panic, and April introduced a new way of living. I became anxious that this pest of a virus would interfere my post-graduation plans. And I worried a lot about it. And the toughest part? There was nothing anyone could say, recommend or even predict. Should I...

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How I Applied for My TAPIF Visa to France

When people would ask me about my “trip” to France, I often chuckled. Because a trip suggests short-term for the purpose of sightseeing. And because it’s entirely easier to take a trip than it is to move abroad for work. Most trips don’t include health insurance coverage, salary, rent or visas — the last of which truly distinguishes between vacationing and moving abroad. I want to start off by saying every experience and every country’s process is different. And it even varies by what type of visa you’re applying for — and they are many. Although there are a...

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13 Best Books Set in France

Once I graduated from college, I had lots of time to myself again. Although I miss the late night girl talk, meetings at 8 p.m., working out in the middle of the day, and rolling out of bed for class — ok, wow that’s a lot — I’m also really enjoying this calmer pace of post-grad life. I’ve been using this time to explore my own hobbies: blogging, exercise and reading. As a girl, I always loved D.E.A.R. time at school, but when life got busy, that was one of the first things to go. But now that I...

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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!
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A staycation truly isn’t the worst thing when yo A staycation truly isn’t the worst thing when you live in southern France🙈😂

☀️This weekend I had a college friend come visit me in Marseille. I showed her some of my favorite spots for walking, biking and obviously ice cream-eating🍦 We hiked to one of my favorite spots, la calanque de Sugiton. Can’t recommend it enough!

⛴And together we explored some spots I’d never been to either. We took a boat to a nearby island, it’s casual💁🏼‍♀️ And we tried an Asian food spot I’d passed countless times but hadn’t gotten around to trying. It was life-changing tbh😋

I’ve had lots of people ask me, what are you doing with your 2-week vacation in February? And I said, hanging near home. And that ain’t a bad thing! The past week of nearby exploring, sleeping in, submitting my taxes (super sexy right?), taking walks along the beach and living life *even* more slowly — this is exactly what I needed🥰
Let's talk crushes😍Ever been somewhere that giv Let's talk crushes😍Ever been somewhere that gives you butterflies in your tummy and a warm sensation in your heart? Truly all the signs of a crush, but it's a place, not a person.

🛤️This weekend I visited Bordeaux for the first time, and let me tell you, I am ~CrUsHiNg~ This charming city sported a vibrant attitude, and its cobblestone streets leaked hints of modernity and irreverence. @ToriHantak and I strolled the streets, and we just looked at each other and said, "I am in love with this place."

💗From the kindest wine shop owner who was eager to chat about our move to France to the cute, old man at the boucherie who jokingly invited himself to our charcuterie night, Tor and I were smitten.

🍷We drank wine in our jammies, ate ice cream in a bubbly square and sauntered along La Garonne. For a few moments, life felt normal. Two young twenty-something gal pals running around southern France, giggling endlessly and getting impromptu piercings.

💟Ever have those moments in crush-worthy places that send you into an enchanting trance? I will cherish this dreamy Bordeaux weekend with a sweet college friend.
__
#bordeaux #bordeauxcity #bordeauxfr #bordeauxfrance #bordeauxwine #citycrush #countrycrush #francophile #francophone #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #tapif #tapifusa #assistantsdelangue #assistantdelangue #teflteacher #chaseyourpassion #doyourthing #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #vivelafrance #franceprofonde #lafrance #crushing #crushinghard #loveisintheair
Do we have any adrenaline junkies here?🙋The one Do we have any adrenaline junkies here?🙋The one who loved the thrill of the high diving board growing up? The human who loves being thrown every which way on a rollercoaster? The person who wants to skydiving for their birthday?

💥Sometimes I like that adrenaline rush, but when it really comes down to it, I like being comfortable. It's so much easier to stay in the familiar: the same routine, town, friends, furniture arrangement.

😐It's really hard to step outside your comfort zone and do something hard, even if you know it's good for you. But that's where growth and discovery happen!

Last year, I moved to France to teach English. Yes, during a global pandemic🙈 

😶The months of waiting and preparing were tough. Would I still get to go? Would my dream of living in France come true? Would I be able to make friends in a pandemic? Was I crazy to move 4,000 miles from home during a pandemic?

And when I finally boarded my flight, I still wasn't sure how it would turn out. It could've been une catastrophe, truly. But even with the bumps and bruises, I have reaped a much bigger reward than if I'd stayed in the comfortable + familiar.

⭐It ain't perfect, but I'm living my dream. And that is worth the leap of faith!

 #blogginglife #dametravel #dametraveler #blogger #girlswhotravel #travelquotes #quotes #inspirational #bloggerunder5k #bloggerlifestyle #bloggersofinstagram #bloggervibes #bloggersgetsocial #travelblogger #instablog #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #quotable #antibes #antibesfr #francetravel #france #tapif #assistantdelangue #tapifusa
One year ago, @torihantak and I were in a freezing One year ago, @torihantak and I were in a freezing cold queue line to get into crowded, sweaty bar👀 Just a few weeks before the world turned upside down.

We’d taken several French classes together and recently submitted our TAPIF applications to teach English in France.

We dreamed that night with our fun French exchange pal @manon_salgues about all the amazing adventures we’d have in Europe together over our hard apple ciders and vodka Sprites.

Wow, a lot can change in a year🙈 A year later, Tori and I find ourselves in Bordeaux eating ice cream, eating charcuterie + cheese, and soaking up the southern French sun. 

Sure, this year hasn’t looked the way we expected, but what a sweet privilege it is to look back and see how our leap of faith has allowed us to follow our dreams.

Je suis trop reconnaissante pour les amis comme Tori avec qui je peux rêver et vivre la vie française✨
Say YES more💯A few weeks ago, I was bopping aro Say YES more💯A few weeks ago, I was bopping around LinkedIn, which isn't too typical these days. I happened to notice that there was a connection recommendation for a girl I went to high school with. I didn't know her too well in high school — I can't recall any specific conversation or even a certain class we had together — but her title was English Teaching Assistant.

🤔Intrigued, I popped onto her profile and saw she too was doing the #TAPIF program. I slid into the LinkedIn DMs and said, hey it's been a minute, but I think we're doing the same thing!

💬We quickly connected on WhatsApp and decided to meet up in Lyon this past weekend. We drank good wine, ate amazing Thai food, saw the sights and froze our lil booties off in the snow.

🌎Quel petit monde ! The world is a lot smaller than we give it credit for. Don't be afraid to say yes and to slide into someone's LinkedIn DMs because you might just make a new friend, or rather reconnect with an old acquaintance.

#lyon #lyonfrance #lyonfr #slakecoffee #slake #france #quelpetitmonde #smallworld #itsasmallworld #blogeuse #dametraveler #snow #assistantsdelangue #assistantdelangue #tapifusa #highschool #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #sayyes #americansabroad #americanabroad #americansinfrance #americaninfrance #ouioui
How has travel grown you as a human?🌏 Travel h How has travel grown you as a human?🌏

Travel has introduced me to people from literally all over the world. I think about the summer I spent in Toulouse, France, where I lived in a « foyer » , which is basically a long-term hostel.

🇺🇸I was the only American. It was hard at times when it came to feeling at home, language and culture wise. But it was unbelievably cool to have neighbors from all👏over👏the👏world👏

I lived, dined and block partied with people from Poland, Syria, Uzbekistan, China, Spain, Germany, Comoros, Guinea — the list goes on and ON!

It helped me understand that my way of life was not everybody's way of life. And that's not a bad thing! It was so special to make friends from all over the world, and that experience gave me perspective. Stepping out of your comfort zones through travel + cultural immersion is truly one of the best ways to grow💯

 #blogginglife #dametravel #dametraveler #blogger #girlswhotravel #travelquotes #quotes #inspirational #bloggerunder5k #bloggerlifestyle #bloggersofinstagram #bloggervibes #bloggersgetsocial #travelblogger #instablog #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #quotable #nice #nicefr #francetravel #tapif #assistantdelangue #tapifusa
Home decor pro tip: Repurpose what you already hav Home decor pro tip: Repurpose what you already have💯

🌴When I traveled to Nice, I picked up a map of my French department, and it just sat in my armoire for months. I just didn’t know what to do with it, until I got my shelf. 

🗺️I had this inkling of an idea to put the map behind the open shelf. And I immediately fell in love with its muted yet classy touch to my shelf. I simply taped my map to the back of the shelf; consider layering another if it’s not long enough. Subtle yet chic (*queue the track of the Grinch saying "ooh, ahh, mmm" iykyk)

✅Styling tip: Pick a road map, any road map. And simply use clear tape to create a backdrop for your open bookshelf.

Link in bio has other ways to decorate your home with maps + where you can find similar shelves to create this look✨

#homedesign #homedecor #wanderlustinspo #interiordesign #shelfdesign #shelfideas #maps #map #roadmap #roadmaps #designidea #designideas #bedroom #bedroominspo #livingroom #livingroominspo #globe #traveladdict #travelhome #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k
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