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…
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.
How to Eat Well in Europe on a Budget
(6 minute read)
Eat like a local without wrecking your budget: when to eat, why lunch is the smart splurge, how to spot a tourist menu, and the small bill traps that add up.
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.
When to Go Where: A Month-by-Month Guide to Europe
(8 minute read)
When to visit Europe, month by month: Alpine ski season, spring tulips, harvest wine, Christmas markets, matched to weather and crowds by people who live here.
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.
An Incomplete and Biased Guide to French Toilets
(6 minute read)
What toilets in France actually cost, why Paris street toilets are free and fully accessible, what a squat toilet really demands of you, and why the staircase, not the fixture, is the real problem. Written by someone who lives here.
The Corsica Trip We'd Never Plan for You
(17 minute read)
August 2022: an overnight ferry we were too cheap to sleep on, a village festival we found on a wall, and a hike we began at 11:30 in August. The founding trip of our agency, and why we'd redo half of it.
Knead to Know: Somebody Has to Get the Bread
(7 minute read)
There are no shops in our village, so somebody drives to the boulangerie every morning, and it is usually me. Two years of getting it wrong: the salt-free Italian loaf, the Thursday closure I never remember, the tradition versus the ordinary baguette, and the flour sack that feeds horses.
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.
The Best Thing We Ever Did in Paris Was Have No Plan
(7 minute read)
Two travel planners argue against the Paris itinerary. Aimless walking that takes twenty minutes to stop feeling like a waste, the café as a pause rather than a destination, and the night a shopkeeper in the 20th locked up at midnight and took us dancing. Plus what spontaneity costs.
Can I Go?
(11 minute read)
Jonas's story, in his words. A conversion van in Texas, years in the back of band vans, an accidental career building sets for Broadway and the Rolling Stones, and the three words that kept opening doors: can I go? How a musician from Dallas ended up planning trips from a village in Burgundy.
Becoming Tripologiste
(9 minute read)
Paul's story, in his words. A Burgundian childhood spent half in Texas, a cycling pilgrimage retracing his grandfather's route, an unplanned week in Corsica that changed how we plan everything, and the first clients who turned a passion into a company. Where leaving space for magic came from.