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In this podcast you’ll hear conversations about France. Most episodes feature regular people who review their trip with no-nonsense feedback from the host of the podcast, Annie Sargent. Annie is a French native who lived in the UK and the US for many years and is now on a quest to re-discover her own country.
Some episodes feature tour guides or historians who help us understand major turns in French history. We love to talk about French food and wine also. We invite you to pull up a chair, listen, and participate by sharing your own experiences if you’d like.
What You’ll Gain by Listening to Join Us in France
- Use your ears to plan your trip to France and find the experiences that will delight you in France.
- Learn how France ticks so you can have a great time anywhere in France.
- Learn how to find quality anywhere in France.
- On the podcast you will hear from people like you who are seeking great experiences in France.
- Not sure how to listen to this podcast? Read this!
- View all episodes of this podcast.
Show Production
Annie and Elyse launched the show in Feb 2014. For most of the first year, the shows were conversations between the two of them, places where Elyse had guided groups or places Annie had visited recently. Then Elyse, who had been very generous with her time, became less available and the show had to change format, but Elyse still comes on the show about once a month, as her time permits.
Annie invites various guests on the show, most of them are listeners who enjoy the show and have tips they want to share. We are immensely grateful to them, we couldn’t do the show without them! A few shows are also solo episodes by Annie on topics having to do with French culture, food, wine, places and attractions. If it catches our interest, we hope it will also catch yours!
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These podcasts are a wonderful resource for anyone planning a trip to France.
They are fun and full of great information to help you get the most out of your trip.
Elyse and Annie have a great rapport and we look forward to listening to each episode.
Thank you Randy and Deen, and welcome to Join Us in France! You’re absolutely right, visitors who make the effort to prepare their trips get a lot more out of them. We might think it’s easier to show up and look around for a few minutes and go home, but those who do that won’t understand what they’re looking at and will promptly forget it too. So thumbs up for prepared travellers!
I’m thrilled to have found your podcast! Like Elyse I studied French in school through college with the hope of living in France some day … Well marriage, a family and now an illness that has left me home bound for the past seven years has eluded that dream. But your podcast brings France to me with your engaging and descriptive conversations – I visualize it all!
Hello Diane and welcome to Join Us in France! May I ask how you found us? I am glad you’re enjoying the podcast 🙂
I’ve been trying to give you a rating, but can’t figure out how to do it. But don’t quit! Your podcasts are wonderful–informative and very entertaining. Great combination. How about an episode on Aigues-Mortes?
Hello Mary and welcome to Join Us in France! Here are some tips on how to write a review in iTunes:
1. Open the iTunes application, click on the home button (it looks like a small house), sign in to iTunes (you need an account to write a review).
2. In the search box (on my version it’s on the top right) enter Join Us in France,
3. Click on the Join Us in France logo (picture with Eiffel Tower in the middle).
4. To the right of the logo there are three tabs: Details, Ratings and Reviews, and Related. Click on Ratings and Reviews.
5. Here you see all the reviews submitted by people who live in your country. There is a small grey button that says “Write a Review”, click on that and fill out the boxes.
Thank you so much for doing that, it’s more convoluted that it should be!
You’re podcasts are great! I found you through the Amateur Traveler and have listened to several episodes. I am reliving several trips as I listen. I hope to travel to Lyon and Dijon this fall—maybe you can add an episode with some thoughts on this area?
Thanks! Keep up the great work!
I also heard you both on Amateur Traveller and subscribed to your podcasts. I am going on two river cruises back to back in Sept and have gotten a lot of useful information from your podcasts. Have been in France before and seen a lot of Paris but this gives info about more than the usual tourist sites. THANKS! Don’t quit.
Hello Geri and welcome to Join Us in France! Thank you for the kind words and have fun on your river cruises! I love ocean cruises, one of these days I should try a river cruise 🙂
Hi Elyse and Annie,
I love your insights into France, and your easy and relaxed rapport that flows between you both, even when disagreeing.
Are you planning on doing some podcasts on the other arrondissemonts of Paris?
Yes please do accommodation alternatives for people wanting to stay maybe a month or so in Paris, such as apartments and how to navigate that successfully.
Hello George and welcome to Join Us in France! Thank you for the kind words 🙂 We will certainly podcast more about other places in Paris, lots and lots to see and talk about! For people who want to stay 1+ month anywhere in France I usually recommend a Gîte (really good for rural stays) but a new great option now is Air B & B. I’ve had both experiences with both, you do have to spend a lot of time reading reviews and making sure you find a good match, but those are two good options. May I ask you how you heard about the show?
Hi Annie and Elise,
My husband and I are planning our dream vacation to Paris from July 16 – 30. We rented a 2 bedroom apartment in The Marais through Airbnb and have been using your Podcast to prepare. Will Elise be giving tours in Paris at this time? If so, we would like to sign up. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us.
Sincerely,
Renee Snow
Hello Renee,
Elyse typically does not offer tours in Paris unless it’s a big group. Maybe some day we’ll have tours, but not just yet!
france is nice place and friendly people
Thank you, we like to think so!
Just found your podcast about 10 days ago and have already listened to a few of them and will support your program. We are moving to France later this year (near Geneva but in France), are semi retired grandparents chasing our grandchildren, don’t even speak french… although we hope to learn, and it is a great help to find out about the different areas in France we can visit, the food, the culture, etc. Your podcasts have been the easiest to listen to, the most informative and specific. In fact we are already planning trips based on your podcasts! Keep up the good work.
Hello and welcome to Join Us in France! Moving to France is a great adventure, you will love it and hate it at different times of the day! How did you find out about the podcast?
itunes! I was looking for information about France, what to do, the language, the culture, etc. Your program fit the bill. And I will use your podcasts to discover France, taste the food, understand the regional differences and, hopefully, let some Frenchness rub off!
thanks
My husband and I have a business conference in Paris July 5-12, staying near the Eiffel Tower. I listened to Episode 32 ‘Vacation in France’ and am a bit discouraged, because I hate crowds! Aaaah! We’re actually staying through Bastille Day until the 17th…any tips on how to enjoy Paris in July? I do speak a smattering of French. We have a reservation at a nice hotel in the Opera district July 13-17. I’ll take any advice you’ve got!! In town or out of town…
Hello Lisa and welcome to the show! There are lots of places with no crowds in Paris. For instance you could enjoy free museums in Paris where the crowds are small.
I am an American and wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your podcast. I love France and have been there on vacation 6 times. Your podcasts always make me want to go back soon.
Hi Annie and Elise
I am visiting Paris in the first week of September this year and would love to hear if you have any tips about Mont Saint Michel
and the surrounding area
thanks so much
I love your Podcast and am going to listen to all of them with a notebook in hand before we go
Ah yes, Bretagne is definitely an area that we need to talk about more. Soon I hope!
We just got back from a three week trip to France, starting out in Sancerre and driving through the Dordogne and Lot valleys and ending up in Carcassone. Then we flew to Paris where we spent four days.
Your podcasts, which I have been listening to regularly in preparation for our trip , were invaluable. It helped in planning our itinerary, things not to miss, and historical context of much that we saw.
Thank you ladies and keep up the great work,,
Bravo!
Robin
Kupfer
Thank you Robin, I love hearing that!
Dear Annie and Elysse,
I know you’re not in Paris, but sending well wishes to you during this horrible time in Paris. I hope that all of your family and friends are safe.
Warmest wishes,
Susan
do you have a podcast on toulouse?
Bonjour Marilyn! Yes, we do. Start with episode 31, then 69, 72 and 76. Are you coming to visit our fair city?
Bonjour! I found your podcasts by accident and I am so excited . My 18 year old son and I are traveling to France in June as a graduation gift for taking 4 years of French in high school. I plan to rent a car to drive through the Dordogne valley, I listened to Annie’s husband provide wonderful detail to prepare for driving in France. Then, listened so more information about French etiquette, things to do, etc. Definitely brings some peace of mind. I feel as if I found a great friend to provide all sorts of help assistance for our trip. I just wanted to say “Merci”! Thank you for putting this information together. Very helpful!
Bonjour Annie!
I have been listening to your podcast obsessively over the last few weeks in preparation for my upcoming trip! I will be traveling the eastern and southern parts of France with my boyfriend for two weeks in June. I have gathered many tips from you on Chamonix, Carcassonne, and Provence, but I am left wanting more! In your episode about Strasbourg, it was mentioned that Colmar is lovely. We will be spending three nights there and would love suggestions of what to do and see.
I also think that an episode on the best hikes in France would be a hit. I want to hike in the Alps, the Calanques, and Verdon Gorge to be sure, but that is about all I know.
Lastly, are there any nice, tucked away places I should consider visiting? When I traveled to Ireland two summers ago, I managed to find a hidden glen where there were no other people and it was nice having a peaceful moment in my whirlwind of a trip…Not to mention it was beautiful!
I also noticed you asked for Pinterest assistance in your episode on gifts. I’m happy to help if I am needed. Thank you!
Hello Katie, yes, please Pinterest help! I truly don’t understand the platform, so I can’t even tell you what I need to ask for. Can we discuss via email? Colmar is on the list of places we want to talk about, but it’ll take a while to get to it. I LOVE the hikes idea, when you come back from your hikes let’s do a trip report on those! France is full of tucked away places. One great way to select where to try is look at the list of Plus beaux villages de France. I’ve never visited one that wasn’t great and they are all over the country (with higher concentrations in the south, what does that tell you?!) Have fun with your trip planning!
I signed up for your newsletter (several attempts) but have not received anything in my inbox. I am new to the podcast and have already plowed through about twenty episodes. I love it.
I follow on facebook too, but would love to get your announcements in e-mail.
Thank you,
Brenda
P.S. I spent the month of May 2015 in Paris. One big highlight of that trip was visiting Vaux-Le-Vicomte on a Tuesday morning. There were about 12 others therer that day so it seemed like we had the place to ourselves.
Hello Brenda and welcome to Join Us in France! I am so glad you are enjoying the show, and thank you for reaching out. I checked and you are subscribed to the newsletter, you’re not getting anything because I haven’t been sending anything out the last many weeks. The good news is that I have been cutting back on how much time I spend on the Join Us Facebook page, so there’s hope for the newsletter. Thank you for the tip on Vaux-le-Vicomte, it is absolutely true that any time you get away from the super famous sites (not that Vaux-le-Vicomte isn’t famous!) you feel like you’re the only ones there. Listeners, follow Brenda’s good example, get away from Paris, the rest of France is beautiful too!
Dear Annie
On your podcast about Pont du Gard you mention a travel guide to this site that you would sell on Kindle. Unfortunately I don’t find it on Amazon nor on your website. Could you share a link to this publication? I will be visiting this site this summer.
Are there any other guides published?
Thank you for your work. I enjoy your shows.
Thank you Francisco. Unfortunately, I never completed the book. I fully intend to do so, your message is an encouragement to me to get it done! If you have any specific questions please ask on the Join Us in France Closed Group on Facebook, lots of great tips there!