Moving to or long stay travel in France with school age kids while working freelance or remote. We're an American family doing just that in Southwest France, and our channel offers ideas and inspiration on how you can too. We cover tips on living the French village lifestyle, adapting to the culture, logistical lifesavers (all the "how" questions to make it happen) and hidden travel gems of France beyond Paris so you can experience it like a local! We're so happy you're here!
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it's incredible how much cheaper the houses are compared to the Paris region. I'd love to taste that Framboise liquor with you. Not sure if it's still any good but would be worth a try 😉
Yeah, love your channel but let's not use superlatives like "Best. It departs from your normally balanced approach. We sold our home in California and purchased a fantastic home in Normandy on over an acre for $135K, two miles from town with all the amenities. We're an hour from Rennes International Airport, 35 minutes from the ocean and Mont Saint Michel. Four seasons without the water restrictions that the southwest of France is usually under. We're surrounded by all of the people, places, and things that make France wonderful for all of us. We did our due diligence on where we thought was "best" for us and landed here. Any of the "proof" you've suggested with Costs, Weather, Location and Nature can be applied to many areas of France. Glad you found a place to land that worked for your needs.
You have understood the French way of life. Of course, FRANCE is not focused on efficiency and money making as in the US, but the overall quality of life is better I think. What's the worth of being efficient and making money if you don't enjoy at the same time?
My goodness. We're paying more than your total budget just in just our house payment in Denver 😭. Once you add in our healthcare cost for a family of 4 it definitely becomes a joke. I was surprised at the cost of housing even in the big cities. Denver is by no means as big and popular as Paris, and not as nice as Bordeaux, yet we are paying $4,065/mo for a 3/2. I've found we could live in a slightly smaller place, but still 3 bedrooms, in a nice area of Paris for less than that... And that's for short term rentals that include all utilities!! Fortunately I have a job that I can easily do in France at a company in the EU making similar to what I'm making now, or continue to work for my US company remotely, which I will definitely do in the short term. I've been binging your videos, thanks for all the tips and motivation to make our move to France more of a reality!
Oh my goodness, the more videos I watch and the more I read, the more I am certain I want to move to France. It's been an idea of mine for quite some time. I've been putting in consistent work to learn French and doing research on what it's like to live there. This whole video was helpful, but you mentioned 2 things that I just love. 1.) The Pharmacies: they are owned by the local pharmacist and they can only own one. No more pharmacy chains! 2.) La Poste: I don't need the senior services, yet anyways haha, but the fact that they offer this for 20 euros is fantastic and just another way that France makes sure to provide services that take care of its citizens. I love it.
Unfortunately many post offices in small villages have been closed by the government because of their cost and people send less and less letters a sending colis is more expensive than by relay colis. I would say that you must check where are the gas stations and banks. Sometime you must drive 20 km or more🇫🇷❤
Just tried to make an appointment with a dermatologist here in the U.S., it was 4 months out. My primary warned me in advance that it would rake a while. Oh, and trying to get an appointment with my primary is almost as difficult, and because it is i often just take whatever appt. i can get with whomever it is that is available, not ideal.. but that’s the way it is. Dental is even worse. And regarding paperwork, yup, filling out the same paperwork over and over and over. So the French should be thankful - because if they think they got wait issues cone here to the northern U.S. and I’ll show them wait times.
Bonjour J aime beaucoup la façon dont vous décrivez votre installation en France et comment vous en parler. Je pense que nous vivons dans le même département. Je suis très heureux pour vous
You can eat quite a few stuff with your hands. Fries, burger, they're ok. Pizza too. It's not the most common thing, but it's not crazy either. At least in Paris. Fastfood let you choose ice or no ice but yeah, this isn't the US icemania. Origin of food is also for environmental (identify what used little gas) and political (support your local organic or at least caring farmer who will risk his own name on his product) reasons. It's actually being amped up as of late, also some people want to know if those chickens ever ran in their life etc. On the top of it there also is the hallal stuff (and kosher but only in few places). Butter: you may want to change area to Bretagne although here it's only salted butter. But having butter on the table is still a must in many homes there. Or you know, you can pretend you're Breton and do that at home ^^. Final cut (obviously from a French angle but I've been quite a few time in the US): kind of agree? Americans are second to none when it comes to service and being convenient. Being able to go out and get what you need any day, at any time (and having parking space right in front of the place) is certainly cool but of course everything is a trade off. In French mid sized (or small) city the limited opening days and hours can be really annoying even for a French urbanite. But yeah the "lunch is an actual break" is core to French pacing and when going to the US, while the meal aren't *that* different (at least if you're going out with friends) sometimes it feels like "oh we can't stay and take our time, no we have to move to that other loud place where no conversation happens, we drink too much but OTOH there is a cool live band so there is that". Again, the difference isn't that stark but yes, I care about the break, about cooking and knowing what I am cooking, and about Apero on a terrasse.
Okay, another great down-to-earth video that makes me want to be your friends. Truth be told, we’ve had our sights on Portugal for a couple years as retirement destination, have visited three times, have done a good amount of scouting, have developed a very good network of local and expat contacts, know the visa process, have started learning Portuguese, etc., but have recently started giving France more serious consideration. French was my first foreign language (the second is Japanese) and I actually did study abroad in Poitiers as an undergraduate, so getting my spoken French back up to functional quasi-fluency shouldn’t take too long (reading is fine). Similar for my wife. Also, the tax regime for retirement income for US citizens in France is better than in Portugal and there is more flexibility with the long stay visa for us to split time with the U.S. (which my wife insists on although I wouldn’t mind all year in France). As for where in France, most likely the southwest as in your case, but we might gravitate to a city or closer to one (Toulouse or Bordeaux). (btw, I appreciated the mention of Boulder, my birthplace!)
Bonjour, je trouve que vous êtes une famille vraiment formidable et avec beaucoup de courage d'avoir quitté votre pays L'Amérique pour venir en France. Vous êtes bien entendu les bienvenus en France. Je vous souhaite beaucoup de bonheur et de Chance dans notre pays la France. Moi je je que chaque pays a son charme, je suis certain que en Amérique c'est aussi magnifique. Soyez heureux en famille. Mathias ❤️ ❤️
Je suis belge et je déteste prendre la nourriture avec les doigts. On ne sait pas toujours où ont traînés ces doigts, ça dégouline, c'est gras ou collant.., c'est juste pas agréable ni civilisé 😉
Well, you didn’t say anything about why to move to France that I already didn’t know, but I really like the way you said it. You come across as straightforward, down-to-earth, and authentic. Thank you! You convinced me to subscribe without even trying to.
Hello, great video and I was wondering if I should use a company that provides the process of applying for the Visa? I’ve seen many video about this. What’s your opinion on this process? Thanks Again Coco
Like most things, it depends on the price. Applying for a visitor visa is a fairly simple process. If you have the criteria and documentation required for the visa type you are applying for, the application process will only take a few minutes and you can do it in stages using our videos as guidance. Some business or investment related visas may be a bit more complicated and may require more planning, analysis and documentation. Although even for these, its the documentation part that is more complicated, the application is still relatively quick and simple.
One thing you should tell your compatriots is that Eymet is considered the capital of "Dordogneshire", an area of Périgord where British retirees are settling in droves. As a result, the locals (traders, craftsmen, etc.) are very accustomed to English-speaking residents. But this is not the case in other French countryside, particularly in the central regions, where many residents still do not master English and where it is difficult to live if you do not speak a little French. Apart from that, your house is very pretty, the garden and the view are magnificent.
Le bicarbonate alimentaire se trouve à côté du sel dans les magasins type Leclerc, Auchan, Intermarché etc. Facile à trouver quand on sait où chercher 😊
A pet peeve of mine are the Z-struts on shutters that have been put on wrong. The bottom of the Z should be next to the hinge (correct on the shutter between the two of you, but wrong on the shutter on your left).
Pourquoi donner de fausses informations!? Vous trouverez partout en France des locuteurs anglais pour vous faire comprendre. L'anglais est étudié au moins jusqu'à 16 ans parchaque élève.
Personally, I use 2 types of butter: farm butter that I buy directly from the producer on the market for breakfast toast (and which is rather expensive), and classic supermarket butter for cooking (white sauces , pie crust dough, etc.). However, both are organic and salty (because even if I am not Breton and I don't want to upset the Normans, I clearly prefer salted butter).
The hardest step is the first step, you lean your body forward and when you are about to go off balance, you quickly shoot out the other foot. Voilà! Piece of cake, go and repeat! Cheers mate. Harera
I have a suggestion, for your next French vacation please go visit the American cemetery near Omaha Beach. Because without the US forces, you would be learning German....oh and don't forget to apply to relinquish your American citizenship.
And of note, without the French support in the Revolutionary war, we Americans might still be paying taxes to the King of England. We have had many French people express their appreciation personally for America's role in WWII in France, and it always moves us. Especially since both our grandfathers served. We appreciate the long-term friendship and support of our two countries. 🇨🇵🇱🇷♥️ Thanks for watching!
When you took a trip to Strasbourg, you mentioned the transportation costs, but was that for each person or for all three of you? P.S. The music is distracting.
It's gorgeous ! It was probably built in the later half of the 18th century, like you said. It must be hell to warm in winter but rather cool in summer.
It s pleasant to see that you apreciate the French food culture because it's so important for us. We would be so sad if we had to give up this tradition because of modern life.
If you want butter in a restaurant you can always ask for and they will bring you. It s also common in France tu put a piece of butter on your steak or on your vegetable . So don t hesitate to ask. Concerning the taste of butter France is Nr one I think
We are happy to see Americans recognizing the interest of the French Social system which sometimes is abusively seen as socialism or communism. In fact, the French healthcare system with all treatments covered is a smart ststem which finally is less expensive than in the USA because people are treated on time or even preventively, which avoid further complication. It s also based on solidarity. The only problem is when people abuse of it.
