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How to Spend a Weekend in NYC

If you have the chance to travel, take it. Even if it’s a short opportunity. Even if it’s somewhere you’d never planned on visiting. Just do it. I recently went on a business trip with my dad to New York City, and we squeezed in a boatload of activity in our two days in The Big Apple. Here’s how to spend a weekend in NYC: Thursday afternoon After landing in LaGuardia and battling traffic (and the stupid amount of construction at the airport), we checked into our hotel off Times Square and then Ubered to Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market...

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Photo Diary: Chicago at Christmastime

Short but sweet.  I was in Chicago for less than 24 hours, but it was packed with activity and a great getaway.  And all at Christmastime (with surprisingly good weather for Chicago)! We started our night at the Skydeck in Willis Tower.  We paid $24 for each ticket and zoomed up the 103 floors in a speedy elevator.  It was a bit dizzying but worth it.  Tall buildings are neat, but they’re all pretty much the same, right?  Wrong.  I enjoyed the Skydeck more than the Empire State Building because you could look right underneath your feet.  We had...

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41 Things to Do in Columbia, MO

“Missouri, it’s not that bad.”  I’ve heard this catchphrase and seen this laptop sticker oh-so many times.  This Midwestern state doesn’t get the best rap, but I’ve grown more fond of it over the years.  From hiking trails to antique shops, Missouri has more to offer than first meets the eye. Columbia sits smack dab in the middle of Kansas City and St. Louis and is known for its student population at Mizzou.  You may just be bopping through CoMo or in town for some good ole SEC football and in need of some ideas to see the sights...

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5 Things to Do in Seattle

There’s this cult-like following of the Pacific Northwest.  Other hot vacation spots like Cabo or Florida just don’t compare to the hype surrounding PNW disciples.  At the end of July, I made my first trip to the Pacific Northwest, and I can see why all the fuss—its nature access, perfect weather and stunning views make it an ideal place to visit or live.  My brother just moved out to Seattle, and I’m a-okay making visits out to this area.  Here’s what we did on our visit: Space Needle Perhaps the most iconic symbol of Seattle, the Space Needle towers...

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Photo Diary: Chihuly Museum in Seattle

“We’ll stop by the Space Needle and this glass museum that’s highly rated.”  My mom had set the itinerary for our trip to Seattle, and while I knew we had to stop by the famed Space Needle, the OG Starbucks and the classic Pike Place Market, I’d never heard of the Chihuly Museum.  How could a glass museum be such an attraction? It ended being my favorite part of our time in Seattle.  Its bright colors and whimsical designs struck me.  Glass is ubiquitous in the home from vases to mason jars, but this museum displays glass in every...

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Photo Diary: Brunch in Soulard

You learn something new every day, including a town you’ve lived in for decades.  This week I met up for brunch with my friend Kait, and when we were deciding where to dine, I suggested City Coffeehouse and Crêperie (per usual).  But she suggested we try a new place she’d never been to in Soulard. It’s honestly crazy that I’ve never been to Soulard in all my years of living in St. Louis since I live and breathe anything French.  This historic neighborhood is St. Louis’s oldest, according to Explore St. Louis.  It was named after Frenchman Antoine Soulard...

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California Road Trip: San Francisco, Big Sur, Monterey & Stanford

West Coast, Best Coast, am I right? In some ways (weather), yes, in other ways (housing economics), probably not. But the beautiful thing about vacationing on the West Coast is that you almost exclusively enjoy the positives and need not even worry about the negatives. Such was the case with my recent adventures on the West Coast, where I left the perpetual rain and gray that has plagued the Midwest and escaped to the sun and blue of Central California. This was my first trip to the Bay Area, and my only past experience with California was with the...

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Photo Diary: Girls’ Weekend in STL

Weekend trips and gal pal time are some of my favorite things, and my weekend excursion to St. Louis with Cate satisfied both of those wishes.  There are ample things to do in St. Louis, and although I’ve grew up there, there are always new things to do and see.  This trip was no exception. After driving there on Friday afternoon (car dancing the entire way, of course), we chilled for the evening to rest up for the upcoming day.  Saturday started with brunch at Rooster in Tower Grove.  The one-hour wait felt unbelievably long, but the complimentary Kaldi’s...

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11 Things to Do in New York City

It really is like the movies: bright lights, constant energy, the hustle and bustle.  My trip to New York City was an absolute dream even though it was below freezing for the majority of my stay.  New York bleeds an attitude of fierce ambition; New Yorkers are a proud breed—and rightfully so.  The area is rich with history and brims with European influence.  Chatter of language upon language flutters through the busy streets.  The Big Apple can certainly overwhelm; you can visit this city ample times and truly do something different every time.  While there are thousands of attractions...

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

(AD) I could literally stare at my map from Trip M (AD) I could literally stare at my map from Trip Map - Push Pin Travel Maps for hours😍 (Honestly, I probably already have!) 

📍I am entirely impressed with how detailed it is, especially because my hometown of St. Louis is on the map.  I love being able to show my French friends *exactly* where I live because most maps aren’t big enough to show my mid-sized hometown of St. Louis. 

💪Although the map is plenty big – and I ordered the smallest size – it’s not excessively heavy, which makes it easy to move and install. 

🇱🇹Although their small team is based in Lithuania, they ship worldwide. They have a crazy big selection of colors and styles, and naturally, I picked the pink one. Are we surprised?

🌟As much as I love maps, a map is a map. But with Trip Map World, I can make it mine. The whole point of their maps is to personalize them, and I love that I can showcase my postcards. I love that I can grow into my Trip Map World board for years to come.

Use code KRISTIN5 for 5% off!

Link in bio has 3 ways to decorate your home with maps🗺

#tripmapworld #mytinyatlas #tapif #tapifusa #assistantdelangue #assistantsdelanuge #cartography #maps #worldmaps #worldmap #postcard #postcards #postcardlover #postcardtraveler #homedecor #homedecorideas #vivelafrance #francophile #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #map
Why is being present so hard?!🙈Double tap if yo Why is being present so hard?!🙈Double tap if you agree!

It's so easy for me to get stuck in the past or focused on the future — so much so that I made this quote my lock screen for a looooong time. It's funny how forgetful we are as humans: We long for the future, but once we're there, we crave the past.

🌍I love how travel reminds me to be present. When you've saved up, planned and dreamed about a trip for so long, OF COURSE you want to savor each moment. But it's a great lesson for our everyday life, too.

❓How do you keep yourself in the present? I like keeping a gratitude journal. Tell me in the comments!

 #blogginglife #dametravel #dametraveler #blogger #girlswhotravel #travelquotes #quotes #inspirational #bloggerunder5k #bloggerlifestyle #bloggersofinstagram #bloggervibes #bloggersgetsocial #travelblogger #instablog #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #quotable #eze #ezefr #tapif #assistantdelangue #tapifusa
Not to be dramatic or anything, but those nine day Not to be dramatic or anything, but those nine days truly changed my life😍 About 7 years ago, I was taking AP European History and heard about a summer trip to Europe with my high school. London, Paris, Florence and Rome.

Yep, we were that group of students walking around Europe with our lanyards and headsets. I got those jitters when I saw Europe in its glory for the first time. And I still do.

If you would’ve told me then that I’d move to France during a global pandemic, I’d tell you you’re complètement fou.

But here’s the thing: that trip with @EFtours stirred something inside of me, and it has yet to settle. It was a longing to see and experience the world with my own two eyes. And it inspired me to start my travel blog, to continue with my French studies, to study abroad and to move to France.

This ain't sponsored (but I sure wish it were!), and I mean with my whole heart those few days in high school set me onto this path. And for that, I am beyond grateful.

🤔What about you? Can you point to a specific moment or experience that set you on the path you're on today, all these years later? Tell me about it⬇️

@ef #eftours #efabroad #educationfirst #inspo #inspiring #efgapyear #efexplorer #completementfou #expatlife #whereicamefrom #expat #expatdiary #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder10k #francophile
One thing you rarely hear about life abroad: so mu One thing you rarely hear about life abroad: so much dang paperwork and many complicated processes🙈

💰I have several bank accounts in the U.S. and France. I'm paid in euros, but I still have recurring subscriptions on my American credit card. I'm also all about growing my savings and getting those credit card points on my American account.

What👏to👏do?👏

❌I tried sending money directly from my French bank account to my American credit card bill. It worked, but there was bigger fee. And it was only to pay off charges, not grow savings.

✅But then a friend introduced me to @TransferWise and now I am set! I can easily transfer between my different checking accounts for the lowest rates I ever did see. Plus,  I'm still able to grow my savings and investment accounts in America.

❓OK but what is it?! @TransferWise is a third-party site that transfers money between accounts from all over the world. They price compare their rates with other companies. Their site is super easy to use and explains the whole process. And the rates were crazy low and not as high as the transfer I made directly through my banks.

🔗Bop over to link in bio for the link to get a free account and the other 5 things every expat needs.

#expat #expatlife #americanabroad #americansabroad #assistantsdelangue #eslteacher #teflteacher #tefl #esl #englishteacher #americaninfrance #americansinfrance #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder1k #microinfluencer #wanderlust #tapif #tapifusa @tapifusa @assistantsdelangue #albi #albifrance #france
Have you ever had one of those “it’s a small w Have you ever had one of those “it’s a small world” moments?🌏

☀️Back in 2017, I spent a summer in Toulouse. One weekend, my friends and I went on a road trip to a slew of villages in southwestern France. They were truly some of the best days of my life: we stayed in my friend’s castle🏰(casual), we swam in the river + sunbathed, we drank wine + played games, we explored idyllic villages.

One of my favorite spots with the sweetest of nostalgic memories was in a small village called Laguépie. Population: ~600. Whenever people asked me my favorite place in France, nobody ever knew where I was talking about. It wasn’t in the magazines or travel blogs. (Ahem, it’s on mine!)

➡️Fast forward to 2020. I’m preparing to leave for France and am keeping a close eye on my teaching program’s Facebook page. An American girl posted in the group about her time in Marseille, and we began messaging. She helped me with a million and one things during my move to France, and we’ve stayed in touch and become good friends.

Earlier this month, I visited Albi to see her along with her French boyfriend, who’s from a small village. He never told me the name, but as we were sipping wine and eating saucissons, he said something about Laguépie.

“WHAT?! Did you say Laguépie? I’ve been there and fell in L O V E!” He said, no, we can’t be talking about the same place, no one ever goes to my hometown😂 But after showing him my photos, including ones the village’s castle @chateau_louvielcastel reposted, it was one and the same.

Can someone queue “Invisible String” because what a small world this is that we’re all connected. Do you have any wild stories like that? Tell me in the comments⬇️

#laguepie #laguépie #viaur #franceprofonde #lafranceprofonde #microinfluencer #tarn #garonne #occitanie #frenchvillage #vivelafrance #stmartinlaguepie #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder1k #bloggersunder10k #itsasmallworld #smallworld #jaimelafrance #patrimoine @occitanietourisme
What do you like searching for on Pinterest?📌 What do you like searching for on Pinterest?📌

✈️I love finding travel destinations + itineraries, easy recipes and decorating ideas. My guess is that you've found some blogs and ideas you love through this site. 

😍I'm even more obsessed with how @pinterest serves to grow my blog and brand.

Currently kicking myself for not getting on the Pinterest for Business train sooner because this site is truly a game changer. I went from a personal account with a wedding board and gluten-free board with recipes I’d never tried to a bustling business board with more than 400,000 monthly visitors. And most of that is not from advertising.

📈I took a free @jennakutcher webinar on how to use Pinterest for Business and saw massive growth. And the best part? You can schedule out content for an entire week in just 30 minutes to an hour. 

⏩Pinterest is my top driver of traffic, and if you want to upgrade your blog like a pro, this is where you need to invest your time, hands down.

Want to learn how you can use Pinterest to grow your blog, brand or biz? Head over to link in bio for my best blogging tips💯

#bloggergirl #blogginglife #blog #blogger #girlswhotravel #bloggingtips #bloggingadvice #getrich #sidehustle #sidegig #monetize #monetizeyourblog #bloggerunder5k #bloggerlifestyle #bloggersofinstagram #bloggervibes #bloggersgetsocial #travelblogger #instablog #monetizeyourbrand #monetizeyourpassion #cassis #france #cassisfr
Best day trips from Nice No. 4: Èze🏰 This med Best day trips from Nice No. 4: Èze🏰

This medieval village enchanted me so much so I almost teared up as we left because I just didn’t want to go. If there are castles, sea views and charm, I’m so there. And Èze checks all these boxes✅ 

😍This medieval village is a labyrinth of cobblestone and windy paths, but the steps are worth it. There are shops and restaurants along the way to the top where you get sweeping views of the Mediterranean Sea. 

🌵Once you make it to the top, you have to pay to enter the Jardin Exotique d’Èze, and I can't recommend it enough. (Be sure to ask about the combo deal that includes both the garden in Èze and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild nearby.)

🚗🛤️Distance from Nice: 30-minute drive or 15 minute train ride

Craving more photos + day trip ideas from Nice? Head over to link in bio ❤️

#nicefrance #nicefr #nice #southernfrance #eze #èze #ezefr #ezefrance #ezevillage #medievalvillage #seaside #seasidedining #seasidelunch #mediterraneansea #mediterranean #oceanviews #microinfluencer #tapif #tapifusa #assistantsdelangue #assistantdelangue #tefl #esl #eslteacher #teflteacher #teachabroad #teachabroadfrance #jardinexotique #microinfluencer
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