The Blog
Like the way we think about travel?
This is where we work it out: routes and rhythms, the ethics of a cheap flight, the right way to miss a train. If it lands, Mise en Place is the same voice once a month, and the My Life in Burgundy waitlist is open.
Browse our articles…
Confidently Wrong: The Trouble With AI Trip Planning
(7 minute read)
AI can build a trip in seconds, but it can't call a château about your dog or ask a vigneron when the harvest will fall. Why verification, and answering for it, still takes a person on the ground.
Check In, Give Back: Fairbnb.coop
(6 minute read)
How Fairbnb.coop works and whether it's worth booking: the cooperative Airbnb alternative that sends half its platform fee to a local community project you choose at checkout, with no surcharge to you and no change to what the host earns. A plain look at the model, what you get, and where it falls short.
Rail vs. Short Flights in Europe: Time, Cost & Stress Compared
(5 minute read)
Not sure whether to take the train or fly between European cities? Compare door-to-door time (airport transfers, security lines, baggage), real costs (bags, seats, station-to-hotel), and comfort factors. A simple rule of thumb: high-speed rail often wins on trips around 4–6 hours; short flights win when trains are much longer or require multiple connections.
How Far in Advance to Book Europe: Flights, Trains, Hotels & Activities
(8 minute read)
When to book a Europe trip: ideal windows for flights, hotels, high-speed trains, and timed entries, plus a copy/paste countdown from six months out to departure week. Book the hard-to-move pieces first and stay flexible.
How to Actually Read a Review
(6 minute read)
The reviews said the hike was easy. It nearly cooked us. A working method from two people who plan trips for a living: why a 4.9 can be worthless, why a two-star can be a compliment, and where reviews stop working entirely.
Call Them. They Speak English.
(6 minute read)
Find it on the app, then leave the app. Google the hotel, book on their own site, or call them, because they speak English and it is a two-minute conversation. What we put clients in instead of Airbnb, why we still sometimes end up in an Ibis, and the one platform we are still watching.
Why We Broke Up With Airbnb
(7 minute read)
A flat in London with no kitchen, a client we moved out of a beautiful beach apartment in Marseille, and the reason neither story is really the point. Why two travel planners in France route around Airbnb on principle, why abstinence isn't the argument, and where we send people instead.