We’ve started posting on Instagram! If you’d like to see more of our day to day in the French countryside you can follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/baguetteboundfamily?igsh=YjlkdG8zZDdtbXR6
We envisioned a walkable, urban European life. We ended up in a tiny wine-growing commune. What happened?!?
About Us:
We are an American family of 3 who moved to France for an extended stay adventure in 2022.
We wanted to experience Europe as more than rushed tourists on a 10-day vacation. To dive into the culture, learn a new language, experience daily life, and truly know what it was like to work and live somewhere other than the US.
In France, we set up a business, enrolled in a middle school, found housing, and even got our cat a European passport!
While preparing to leave for France, the information we found about staying in France for longer than a short vacation was directed at college students, young & single digital nomads, or British retirees. Where was the information for families or Americans like us?
With three years under our belts in France, we created Baguette Bound to pass on what we have learned. We hope to make it easier and inspire other families who are interested in experiencing a long stay or moving to France. Stay tuned for more information on French culture, adjusting and the logistics of moving across the world.
Contact us or follow our journey @ https://baguettebound.com/
PLEASE NOTE: While we love hearing from viewers, we do not give personalized advice on moving to France by email.
If you’d like counsel specific to your situation, you can find ways to work with us on our website www.baguettebound.com
#LifeInFrance #baguettebound #americansinfrance #movetofrance #AmericanAbroad #francevisa #frenchliving
22 Comments
No, the neighbour was thinking "I can't bear to watch these crazy Americans cut their grass with scissors in the midday sun for a moment longer!" 😁😁
Je suis très heureux que vous ayez trouvés un bon équilibre ! Venez visiter la Normandie maintenant ^^ (il ne pleut pas tant que ça ! Ces les lobbies Bretons qui ont inventés cela 🙂
haha 6.42min the sound was soo good and soo strong I had a panic attack believing someone was entering my home.
Hey as a french just be aware that Vines fileds and cultures need a high amount of pesticides usually. A lot of them a turning organic but even organic vine culture need some questionnable products. So just keep in mind that the more you are close to vine cultures the more you are exposed to water and air pollution from those cultures. Thats sad but I tought you needed the information to choose your lifestyle accordingly.
7:40 where optic fiber is available you can get 2 gigs down one gig up for 25€/month
I feel like some of this knowledge about proximity would have been very evident from Google mapping the town and then the rental house. You assumed a lot of things I wouldn’t have and would have been easily solved with some pretty basic research, and asking a few simple questions about your rental.
That’s the lesson for people watching this, if it isn’t obvious to people: do your research, assume nothing.
I love that your experience was so real and challenging but you learned a lot. Thank you for sharing!
In 2016, my husband’s company gave him a 2 year contract in France. We were offered 3 places to live-Paris, Rennes and a place I cannot remember. We decided on Rennes. We loved it. When offer to stay came, we decided we didn’t want to stay in Rennes. We wanted more sun and more wine, so we found a lovely house in a village of 800-Gensac. It’s a very different life but we love it!
Curious, why with the plan to move to France for a couple decades? You didn’t learn a little French. 😢
Hi — How do you differentiate a “commune” from a “village” — are the terms interchangeable? Wonderful episode — I’m a small town person considering a move to France, so this info was very useful and reassuring. Merci!
Just want to thank you so much for your videos and help with the tt lease I have coming up next month picking up in Nice and heading west. I know I want a smaller quieter village life. Hope I have similar happy accident luck finding one!
Something I was curious about was what logic would you use now finding the right spot vs then?
(ie not assuming incremental distance from the city center would mean more options while still feeling city-adjacent)
Very moving. I think your positive interactions with people also stems from your positive attitudes. Thanks for sharing !
Lovely. I live in Montmorillon, and am Irish. I adore it here. Don't forget to repay the kindnesses shown to you, I probably don't even need to say it!!
On country kindness, not in France but in the UK – a small parcel for me with an incomplete address had been misdelivered to a house in our village area. The doorbell rang yesterday morning – an elderly gentleman had been calling on house after house in the area trying to find the correct recipient.
The neighbour story is very touching ! ❤
Did you stay in the same village?
This was great! I'm Aussie, half Spanish and looking to have a year abroad with hubby and the kids, before the kids won't hang out with us anymore haha. ❤
I really appreciated this. We may be too old to move – but I dream. Last fall I stayed in a tiny village with NO shops, a baguette machine 70 steps from my door, and lots of time to think, paint, dream, read. I know it is very cold now…so while I'm glad I don't live there 12 months a year– I made a contact with the hostess (next-door) and had a life changing experience!
Who wouldn’t love you guys! You all inspire me. Leaving for France in May.
Love the way Americans from the South say Firaaaanaance with nasal overtones…
Still bit upset with foreigner buying space in our cities whereas we have général housing crisis with people doing less than 25-30k€ and city flat worth between 300k to 1m, most of house are 200-400k. meaning cities are for écolo bobo, ecologist and bourgeois, suburbs arent cheap either and we have concurrence in low budget with massive uncontroled migrants, high divorce rate, long live of elder so less house rotation, by exemple social rent flat have 5y waiting list and million live inside…
So end of critic, french dream to own house..campaign are more for retired cheaper but jobless, more bring and distant of service.
Depending of wealthy retired keep mainhouse for stay close of family friends, leave for countryside or have 2nd 3rd house flat…since spéculation triple value in 30years near city…its easy to sell and why not buy a flat and a house in campaign…allowing mobility anv lifestyle…if you own multiple house flat you are also forced to rent few weeks per year for bills.
I'must say early retired would go away, medium retired keep proximity, long retired want stay close of service..,m'y father choose selfish, he go very south we rarely visit, h3 didn't rise greatkids, hé also try corse, but too far of service at 45min..so now hé bought flat in south coast big city hé live in country and city less than 200km dépend of meteo mood.