about
City Guides
Tips and Tricks
Work with Me
shop
Search this website

travel and lifestyle blog

Protected: Magazine

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Bienvenue

Hey there, I'm Kristin, a Missouri girl living in southern France and teaching English. I love planning weekend trips, sharing my best expat tips and sipping iced coffee.

Categories

Categories

Search this website

Sort by

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

Email address:

First name:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

The French don't celebrate Thanksgiving, which mea

The French don't celebrate Thanksgiving, which means I worked a full day, BUT that doesn't mean I can't be grateful🦃 Here are a few things I'm grateful for this year:

❤️ Albeit thousands of miles away, a supportive family and our FaceTime calls together (also with my cat).

👯‍♀️ Friends — both the ones who make the effort to make my 6- or 7-hour time difference work and the amazing community of expats and Frenchies I've made in Marseille.

⛪My church family both back home and in France. Unbelievably grateful for what I've learned about my relationship with God through my time in France.

✈️The ability to easily travel to Paris for long weekends and last-minute flights to Madrid. Even though it's not perfect or exactly what I pictured, I'm living the life I dreamed of.

🤑A job to pay for my ice cream needs. No, I don't want to be an English teacher forever. I want to get back into the journalism + communications game, but for right now, I'm grateful for these gap years and the ability to provide for myself and still eat ice cream.

What are you thankful for?!

#thanksgiving #thanksgivingabroad #expat #expatgirl #expatlife #expatlifestyle #expats #expatliving #expatblog #expatblogger #paris #versailles #thankful #gratitude #reconnaissant #reconnaissante #reconnaissance #bethankful #grateful #turkeyday #happyturkeyday

I'm a crazy cat lady🙈🐈 Ask my family, ask my

I'm a crazy cat lady🙈🐈 Ask my family, ask my close pals — they'll tell you that I burst with delight when I see a cat. So keep that in mind when I tell you that this dog-themed restaurant in Madrid needs to be on your itinerary: @elperroylagalletaretiro

💃If you’re in the market for an Instagrammable restaurant, El Perro y La Galleta is calling your name.

We visited their Retiro location, which is ~obvi~ not too far from El Retiro Park.

🖼️🐶The upscale, sophisticated dining room is sprinkled with dog portraits and is sure to give you a chuckle.

🍔I ordered their burger topped with a fried egg, bacon, cheese and carmelized onions. And it lived up to the hype.

😋El Perro y La Galleta is worth a visit not only for its ambience but also quality menu, and luck for you, there are currently five locations in Madrid. Link in bio has my latest blog post with 18 things to do in Madrid😍

If you had a restaurant with the theme of any animal, what would it be? Tell me in the comments⬇️

#elretiropark #elretiro #elretiromadrid #exploremadrid #madrid #madriditinerary #madridtravel #madridguide #madridcityguide #dog #dogs #doglover #doglovers #madridspain #madrides #espana #spaintravel #spaintourism #expat #expats #expatlifestyle #expatlife #expatliving #expatslifestyle #expatblog #expatblogger

I dreamed of a life where I could casually take of

I dreamed of a life where I could casually take off to somewhere in Europe for a couple days🌟 After seeing Monte Carlo with Selena Gomez in the 8th grade, I was hooked on traipsing around Europe. And years of watching House Hunters International made me drool over the lives these people were living.

🙈And it’s crazy to say that I am living that life in Marseille, France, as an English teaching assistant. Because when my friend Robin who lives in Paris proposed a trip through Spain, I said, “Sure, why not?!” I quickly booked flights, we found an Airbnb et voilà.

Robin, her friend Riana and I explored Madrid, Spain, and had a blast rowing boats in El Retiro Park, eating empanadas at @mercadosanmiguel and analyzing art at @museoprado

I just published a blog post with 18 things to do in Madrid: where to visit, how to get into museums for free, Insta-worthy restaurants. Bop over to link in bio😍

#madrid #madridspain #madrides #espana #elretiropark #estanquegrande #ParquedeElRetiro #spain #spaintourism #jetset #jetsetter #expatlife #exploremadrid #thingstodomadrid #madridtourism #madridtravel #expatslife #expatlifestyle #expatgirl #expatblog #expatblogger #tapif #assistantsdelangue @tapifusa @assistantsdelangue @visita_madrid @madrid.explore @madridfoodguide

"Wait, are you in Paris this weekend, too?"✨ Las

"Wait, are you in Paris this weekend, too?"✨ Last weekend, on my train to Paris, I saw on Instagram that @katewells7 was exploring the City of Light.

I slid into the DMs to let her know that I'd be there, too, and we quickly made plans to meet up.

🙈Here's what's crazy: we hadn't met in person yet. We started following each other on the 'gram since before I even moved to France because I saw she'd participated in @tapifusa the year prior and I had all the questions for her about the program @assistantsdelangue

💬For over a year, we messaged over Instagram about TAPIF tips, her grad school experience and finding community in France. We exchanged postcards, she sent me a special notebook to document my cheese tastings🧀 And we FaceTimed multiple times to swap stories.

🤷‍♀️But I lived in Marseille, and she was back in America for a while before moving to Strasbourg.

And last weekend, we just so happened to be in Paris at the same time. We met up for brunch and walked up the Arc de Triomphe. There's most definitely a camaraderie among us TAPIF-ers even from completely different regions + académies, and luckily, that means always have a pal to adventure with❤️

Have you made any fun friends abroad? Tag them in the comments!

#tapif #tapifusa #arcdetriomphe #paris #parisjetaime #paristourisme #eiffeltower #assistantsdelangue #expat #expats #expatliving #expatlifestyle #expatgirl #expatlife #expatslife #expatblog #expatblogger #cultureshock #rendezvous #smallworld #instafriends #instagramfriends #nikon #adobelightroom

No one knows where I come from🧐Even among Ameri

No one knows where I come from🧐Even among Americans abroad, many don't know *too* much about St. Louis, Missouri or my university in Columbia, Missouri. "So you live in the boonies?"

"Eh no. It's a city, but it's like a suburb but it's like, uhh ..."🙈

And as small as it may seem, it's very difficult for me to not be understood. I lived 22 years in a certain way of life, in the middle of the United States, where I ate lots of Mexican food and went to to Target often, where I drove my car everywhere and dressed up for sorority socials.

And honestly, it's hard that most people in my life currently just don't get 95% of the rest of my life, of where I really come from. I have made such an incredible community here and am finding my place to belong — that's for sure — but sometimes I simply feel unknown.

That's why when I was walking along the Mediterranean on my way to meet a friend for coffee, a girl wearing a black and gold shirt caught my eye. "That's Mizzou black and gold," I thought to myself🐯

I passed her by and then quickly turned around and asked, "Pardon? Did you go to Mizzou?"

"Yeah, I did."

🤯🤯

We instantly connected, swapped numbers and made plans to get coffee. The world is pretty darn small, but also, God has been providing for me in huge ways.

Little by little, I'm finding ways to belong here in southern France: by investing in my French community and by finding other expats who have similar experiences and struggles.

Do you have any "it's a small world after all" moments? Tell me in the comments!

#expat #expatliving #expatlifestyle #expatgirl #expatslife #expatlife #mizzou #mizzourah #mizzoumade #mizzougrad #missouri #missourigirl #itsasmallworld #smallworld #itsasmallworldafterall #cultureshock #abroad #americansabroad #americansinfrance #menerbes #menérbes #vaucluse #provence #luberon

Can't stop, won't stop💪 This weekend I took a t

Can't stop, won't stop💪 This weekend I took a trip to Paris and Versailles to see my friend and fellow TAPIF-er @robinboch ❤️ On Friday, I taught in the morning and brought my suitcase to school so that I could leave immediately afterward for the train station🛤️

🎨 We explored le Musée d'Orsay and enjoyed the haunts of Monet, van Gogh, de Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas
☕ We sipped on the best hot chocolate of our lives chez @angelina_paris
✨ We watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night
🍕 I ate the best gluten-free pizza of my life @littlenonnaparis
🏰 We took a guided tour of the Château de Versailles
🏙️ I had a rendez-vous with former TAPIF-er @katewells7 and we hiked up all those steps to enjoy the views at the top of the Arc de Triomphe

I am exhausted after a packed weekend, but my heart is full for yet another trip to Paris where I was able to cross more items on my bucket list. And enjoy it all with friends!

@tapifusa @assistantsdelangue #tapif #tapifusa #assistantsdelangue #paris #jetaimeparis #parislovers #versailles #chateau #châteaudeversailles #chateaudeversailles #parisjetaime #expat #expatlife #expatlifestyle #expatslife #expatliving #expats #assistantedelangue #versaillespalace #palaceofversailles #versaillesforever

I feel like a child👶 I truly get so giddy when

I feel like a child👶 I truly get so giddy when the holiday season rolls around and I get to make my list📝 No, it’s no longer Barbies and dress up that I’m looking forward to finding under the tree👗

Instead, it’s a picnic backpack for charcuterie nights at the park and travel-themed art prints. The holiday season is the perfect time to not only treat yo’ loved ones (and yourself) but also to stock up on practical purchases, too.

🎁I’ve rounded up some of my favorite buys, wish list items and gift ideas for wanderlust lovers in my most recent blog post, but here's the highlight reel of my list:

📱 New iPhone: Mine unfortunately was snatched a few weeks ago, and I'm borrowing an old iPhone. I am dying for one of the newer iPhones with its amazing cameras. Hello blog photosssss!!

🎒Sunflora Picnic Backpack on @Amazon ($80): This insulated backpack comes with plates, wine glasses, cutting board, cutlery and a picnic blanket. It’s perfect for any charcuterie night, perhaps in the backyard or maybe in front of the Eiffel Tower?!

💁‍♀️ @athleta Leggings (from $30): I am always putting solid black yoga pants on my wishlist because they’re so practical. I can exercise in them but also wear them as leggings or under jeans if it’s cold. I am obsessed with my Athleta yoga pants, and I put the same exact pair on my wishlist again because I love them so much. @gap athletic line is also a favorite.

Still working on your list or not sure what to get your pals? I recently published a gift guide for wanderlust lovers. Link in bio🎊

Your turn! I want to know what's on your list😍 Tell me in the comments!

#giftguide #giftguides #christmaslist #alliwantforchristmas #blogger #travelchristmas #christmasgift #giftidea #giftideas #amazonfinds #amazonfind #amazonchristmas #picnicbackpack #leggings #yogapants #expat #expats #expatlifestyle #expatliving #expatslife #expatlife #ltk #ltkchristmas #ltkgiftguide #madrid #madridspain

Copyright © 2021 round trip

Theme by SheShoppes