“Give yourself grace.” That is the advice I would have shared with my younger self at the beginning of this French journey. “This will come at a cost – physically, mentally, and financially. Go thoughtfully, slowly.”
I am asked almost daily about how I moved to France. I created a two-part blog post to address this question (link in bio) along with a French visa dossier e-course so that others can learn my tactics.
And while all this information is convenient and helpful, the one piece of advice I try to impart is a bit more challenging and personal: don’t make any permanent decisions at the start.
I thought I had it all figured out. My husband and I made this HUGE master list of what we wanted and narrowed our search down to Beaune, Burgundy. While my beginnings started in Paris, my first home was in Bourgogne. Thank goodness I rented the flat.
𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩.
It has taken me years to figure out how to live here “inexpensively.” As a foreigner, I long paid a premium to access services, workarounds, and find creature comforts because I lacked the language skills or resources.
The toll of stress in moving here and dealing with immigration, business formation, and other significant challenges landed me in the hospital. I tried to do too much, too fast.
It has taken me years to develop my businesses, move around France to identify where we wanted to live, purchase our home, and create the systems and resources I now have.
This is why I tend to counsel others to rent first. Give yourself time to settle in, explore, and the freedom to change your mind.
For those who are thinking of moving here, I support you and cheer you on wholeheartedly. And please listen to my future self – give yourself grace and space to make the mistakes that will inevitably be a part of your journey too.
#expat #expatlife #movetofrance #france #france🇫🇷 #thisfrenchlife
Photo credit @imrachelhine