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…
Take the Blue Bike
(6 minute read)
Three days and sixty kilometers on a Vélib'. What the passes actually cost in 2026, why the electric bike is the whole point, the per-trip minutes trap that catches everyone, and what a backwards saddle is trying to tell you. From people who live here.
Less Luggage, More Europe: The Multi-City Europe Packing Guide
(8 minute read)
Packing for a multi-city Europe trip is different from packing for a single stop. This guide covers how to pack light, choose the right luggage, build a simple travel wardrobe, plan laundry, and handle trains, cobblestones, and changing weather with less stress.
How to Choose Your European Home Base: Neighborhoods That Work
(6 minute read)
A practical guide to choosing the right neighborhood for your Europe trip. Learn how to balance quiet nights, walkability, transit access, daily essentials, and smoother transfer days when booking hotels or apartments.
Museum Audio Guides: A Field Guide to the Voices, the Drama, and the Unexpected ASMR
(7 minute read)
Explore museum audio guides beyond basics: narrator styles, pacing, dramatizations, whisper tracks, and surprising sensory appeal (yes, ASMR moments). Learn how to choose guides for art, history, and niche exhibits so your museum visit feels richer, clearer, and more enjoyable.
Two-Base Europe Trips: Fewer Hotel Moves, Better Vacations
(5 minute read)
The case for a two-base trip: pick two smart home bases, connect them by fast train, fly open-jaw, and add easy day-trips, so you pack once, move less, and spend the savings on better rooms. Includes six 10-to-12-day templates (Paris and Provence, London and Paris, Rome and Florence, and more) and a simple day-by-day rhythm.
Why Travel Makes You Feel More Like Yourself
(6 minute read)
Travel is sold on what you'll see, but the real gift is what it does to you while you're looking: the permission to slow down, the presence you can't fake, the strangers who become the trip, and the quiet confidence of handling yourself somewhere new. A traveler's case for the slower kind of trip.
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.
Carry-On Only? Here’s How to Pack for 10 Days Like a Minimalist
(8 minute read)
Pack 10 days in Europe with one carry-on: pick the right bag, build a capsule wardrobe, master packing cubes, and plan a mid-trip wash. Includes copy/paste packing lists for spring, summer, and rainy shoulder season.
7 Reasons You Should Never Go Abroad (Unless You Like Joy)
(7 minute read)
A tongue-in-cheek case against travel: airports, jet lag, strange food, scams, and crowds, and the true stories that prove every "disaster" abroad is really the best part.
A Totally Subjective Guide to French Pastries That Could Ruin You (In a Good Way)
(6 minute read)
A biased, bakery-fed love letter to France's best pastries, from croissants and chou à la crème to gougères and the humble chausson aux pommes, written from a village in Burgundy.
The Ground Rules: Europe’s Coffee Culture
(4 minute read)
A country-by-country guide to Europe's coffee rituals, from Italian espresso rules to Swedish fika and French café life. What to order, when, and where to linger.
Where to Stay in London by Neighborhood (and Why It Matters)
(8 minute read)
A neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to where to stay in London, from a family who always bases in Dalston: who each area suits, the trade-offs, and how to choose.
Slow Travel Isn't About Time
(6 minute read)
I remember nothing from the Paris tour bus and everything from the two slow moments around it. Why slow travel is a way of paying attention, not a luxury of time.
Sundays, Siestas, and Strikes: Navigating Europe’s Surprises
(5 minute read)
When shops close, why Sundays and evenings catch you out, how strikes actually work, and whether to tip in France, from an American who lives there.
Do Not Disturb: It’s August in France
(4 minute read)
An American who moved to France on what actually closes in August, what stays open, the crowd surprise nobody expects, and why you should still come. Plan around it instead of canceling.
Manual Labor: The Real Rules of Driving in France
(5 minute read)
My 1992 Peugeot is banned from central Lyon. How France's low-emission zones, autoroute tolls, speed cameras, and the priorité à droite rule really work, from someone who drives here every day.
Cruise Ships Suck.
(6 minute read)
Cruise ships emptied thousands of people into Split every day of our week there. They took photos, filled the tours, left their garbage, and sailed at four. Here is what they missed, why no operator is doing this responsibly, and why we won't plan around it.
You Will Never Blend In
(7 minute read)
You will be spotted in your first sentence, and it costs you nothing. What actually matters: the bonjour rule, when la bise happens (rarely, to travelers), the single principle behind cutting cheese, and why the French correct you with their face.
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.
What We Stand For
(4 minute read)
How a two-person travel agency in Burgundy actually works: how we're paid, why we push trains over planes, and why we won't send you where you're not wanted.