I’m excited to help you have the best time on your vacation in France and share all the resources to ensure you have a wonderful trip.

And if you’re moving to France, then I have plenty of goodies for you too. All of which I’ve used myself and have experienced as an English-speaking Expat living in France.

TRAVEL RESOURCES

Accommodation

BOOKING.COM – It’s a household name and it’s never let me down. Booking.com is my ‘go-to’ when booking accommodation in France. And the Genius discount is a bonus too.

EXPEDIA UK – Well known in the UK Expedia has a huge selection of hotels, cruises and flights.

TRIPADVISOR – You’ll always get peace of mind by looking on Tripadvisor and checking out the reviews before you book.

VRBO – If it’s more a home-from-home you’re looking for VRBO is often cheaper than AIRBNB

Flights

WAYAWAY – Who doesn’t want cashback on flights? One of the many reasons I love WayAway. It will always find you the best deals without any hidden fees.

Getting Around France

DISCOVER CARS – Sometimes you need more flexibility when you’re travelling and Discover Cars is the best car rental company globally.

TRAINLINE – If you’re using public transport then the easiest App to use is Trainline as they operate throughout Europe.

Tours & Wine Tasting

VIATOR – I’ve lost count of the number of trips I’ve booked through Viator. The choice is amazing and I’ve never been on a bad tour yet.

GETYOURGUIDE – Another great tour company is GetYourGuide which tend to be popular with Europeans. Again, I’ve done some tours with them and have always been happy.

Staying Connected – WiFi & Sims

EUROPEAN SM – If you’re travelling in Europe you’re going to need a European sim and I’ve used the one offered by Bouygues Telecom before I lived in France. I also use Bouygues now for my WiFi and cell contract.

SOLIS WIFI – Get unlimited data globally, as well as in France, with a Solis Hotspot and Power Bank. It even works in rural areas, I know because I relied on it for a while before our area got fibre.

Holiday French

MY FRENCH BOOSTER – if you want to brush up on your holiday French this quick and easy online course, taught by Virginie, a French teacher for Expats, is the perfect thing. It’s the best way to get ready for your trip with all the phrases you need. Plus, you get a special discount for being a blog subscriber.

Travel Insurance

SAFETY WING – 🇺🇸 🇨🇦Travel Insurance US & Canada I use Safety Wing.

GLOBELINK – 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 Travel Insurance UK and Europe I use Globelink.

EXPAT RESOURCES

Visas and Insurance

VISA APPLICATION – Understanding what you can and can’t do, which visa is best for you and all the steps involved can be confusing. We highly recommend getting help to make it a smoother process. For top tips on the visa application process, this blog post will help.

For a chat with our recommended visa consultants at FAB Insurance click here >>>

INSURANCE – for most visas, you will require medical insurance as part of your visa application For this and top-up Health Insurance we recommend Fabien at FAB Insurance. Their team speak English and will guide you through everything you might need.

Bank Accounts

WISE BANK – Once I moved to France I found I wanted a way to transfer money quickly and easily PLUS transact in multiple currencies. And that’s where Wise came in.

Not only can I do money transfers but I can use it for all my banking. It’s a borderless bank account.

MONEYTRANSFER.COM – If you’re buying a property in France you’ll need a way to transfer the money to make the purchase. I’ve used MoneyTransfer.com myself and always had a great experience. The rates are good and the service is excellent.

Learning French

FRENCH TODAY – You can’t live in France and not learn French because you’ll miss out on so much.

I tried a few different ways to learn the language and LOVED the way FrenchToday.com teach French in the way people actually speak it.

Camille has done a wonderful job and I wouldn’t have stuck with it if it wasn’t for FrenchToday.

Watching US & UK TV

STREAM VPN – As much as I try to watch French TV to help me integrate and improve my French there are certain shows I just can’t do without whether on Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, BBC or ITV.

I discovered Stream VPN about three years ago and loved it. Why? Because it is so easy and simple to set up. If you have an Amazon stick you simply download their App onto the stick, pick which country you want to be in, such as the US or UK, and then click connect. It’s that quick.

You can then watch any of your favourite TV programs and with 12 countries to choose from including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, you’re all set. GET STREAM VPN HERE >>>

EXPRESS VPN – Another great service I’ve used is Express VPN. They offer a 30-day free trial and you can use it on any of your devices with up to five running simultaneously.

English Speaking Business Directory

EnglishSpoken.com – if you’re moving to France and are scratching your head about where to find a good plumber, get a website designed or maybe an architect, EnglishSpoken.com is the answer.

They are a leading online directory of English speaking businesses in France with everything from English speaking trades to English speaking banks and insurance offices.

International Mailboxes

TRAVELING MAILBOX – the way to view your mail online from anywhere in the world. Travelingmailbox.com is the perfect way to continue to receive your mail as an Expat living in France. They provide you with a US mailing address and will forward mail, deposit checks and scan mail.

Real Estate Agents

For many people when buying a house here in France it’s important to have people that speak English.

TIC RUFFEC – covering the Charente, Deux Sèvres and Vienne I know them personally and can highly recommend them.

BEAUX VILLAGES – covering all of France I again know some of the more local agents, particularly in Verteuil.

FrenchPropertyPortal.com – if you’re looking for a national service with everything from homes, houses, apartments, chateaux, gites, land and businesses for sale throughout the whole of France, take a look at FrenchPropertyPortal.com. You’ll find everything you could need!

LEGGETT IMMOBILIER – Leggetts are national and we purchased our property using the franchise in Mansle and had excellent service.

Business Tools and Services

Pinterest for Bloggers – I outsource the management of my Pinterest account to a fantastic Pinterest Manager, Summer Williams.