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Listener Feedback

What Podcast Listeners Say About Join Us

Place your mouse over the photos to read what our listeners have to say about the Join Us in France Travel Podcast.

Please Share Your Feedback Too!

Email annie@joinusinfrance.com

Suzanne Danner Praise for the Show

Suzanne Danner from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Dear Annie, I really want you to know just how much I have enjoyed and appreciated your podcasts. Last November I visited France for 2 weeks (Paris and Alsace) with my best friend Tracey when we turned 50years old. Before leaving we discovered your podcast and listened to all of your shows. They highly influenced our choices and experience. We left just days after the terrorist attack so we were a quite nervous but were determined to go. We had an amazing time. I love France. We leave again in 3 weeks so in our preparation for the trip we ...
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Muriel Craft at a chateau near Bordeaux

Janie Craft from Phelan, California

I can not even articulate how much your podcasts have made my trip to Paris unforgettable. I am continually running through my thoughts what I have heard as I am going through my day. I attended a concert tonight at the Sainte-Chapelle recommend on one of your podcasts. It was magnificent! Thank you again ladies for your commitment and hard work to help us all fall in love with France! ...
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Pat Crosswhite praise for Join Us in France Travel Podcast

Pat Crosswhite frpm Holly Springs, NC

We just returned from France May 10-20th – with another couple, we visited Paris for 5 days and then to Caen,/Normandy beaches/WWII museums, a stop in Bayeux to see the tapestry, and also Rouen and Giverny. Had a FANTASTIC time. Once again, I want to thank you for your excellent podcast – it was a big help and gave me a lot of confidence as I toured France. In an episode you talked about the French approach to travel - be in the moment and don't make it a competition to see everything. This helped me relax as I planned and anticipated ...
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Rhonda and family in Paris

Rhonda Lahnakosky from Toronto, Canada

Wow!!! What an amazing podcast! We are Canadian and will soon be coming to France for about 20 days. I am so excited I found your podcast before I left. Since yesterday I have listened to 4 of them and plan to listen to a lot more. MERCI MERCI MERCI!! ...
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Tom Claiborn from TX

Tom Claiborn from Texas, USA

Our two-month visit to southern France has been "magnifique"! Annie and Elyse, your podcast greatly enriched our trip with explanations and suggestions. Merci ...
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Patricia Cavalcanti and family

Patrícia Cavalcanti from Brazil

I'm from Brazil and I went to Paris last January/february with my family (husband and sons). I listened to your podcasts about Paris before travelling and I loved them. I knew about the Clunny museum through them and we visited and loved it, it's great. Thank you for all the valluable information about France. I still continue listening to them to remember the trip and learn more and more about France. And to improve my English too! ...
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Praise for Join Us in France from Stephanie Campbell

Stephanie London Campbell from New Brunswick, Canada

Hi all! I just got back a few days ago from a whirlwind 17 days in lovely France. It was my third time visiting France, but really the first time in the countryside. I was travelling with three girlfriends, and main intent was a one-week self-guided hiking tour throughout the Bordeaux region. Your podcasts were invaluable to me while preparing for this trip! I downloaded them and listened to them while hiking many, many times. Thank you so much ...
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Praise for Join Us in France from Susan Crump. Susan by the sea.

Susan Crump from Kentuky, USA

Kudos to Annie and Elyse - yesterday I thoroughly enjoyed episode 146 Millau Viaduct on my morning commute. I loved all the information on Roquefort cheese and all the information on the viaduct and the area. You never disappoint the listener! ...
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Praise for Join Us in France from Carri Walter

Carri Walter from Troy, Ohio

Bonjour, Annie. I just got back from my dream trip to Europe, which included 10 days in France (three days in Chamonix, three days in Beaune, and four days in Paris). Your podcast was one of my primary planning tools, and I can't thank you enough for the help that you provided. Our trip was perfect. We lucked into perfect weather, but we felt like we planned just enough, and not too much, to really get the best out of each place we visited. I credit what I learned from listening to you and Elyse and your many wonderful guests ...
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0 Replies to “Listener Feedback”

  2. Je pense que un sujet très intéressant:
    Internet availability for travelers. Getting cell phone service when in France.
    Merci beaucoup.
    John

    2. Dear Annie
      I hope that this is the method that you wanted me to send you a suggestion.
      A few years ago my husband and I decided to take the Train in France. We were in our 70s and still wanted to see more of the country. There is a special seniors ‘open’ ticket that you can
      buy. I think it is necessary to apply for this in your own country.
      However, it allows you to plan to visit the cities that you want most to see, and stay for however long you wish. You must reserve your seats ahead of time.
      We picked 4 cities, stayed in each for 2 nights. It was easy to find good hotels in these cities that were central and we booked them ahead of time. We also booked hotels in Paris for 2 days on either end of this trip which was great. We decided to book 2 different hotels, in different parts of the city.
      This way we didn’t need to rent a car or worry about parking.
      Hope many seniors will plan a sightseeing trip in France this way
      Dede

      1. That’s perfect Dede, thank you! The train is an excellent way to get around in France. At some point I’ll do an episode about taking the train, not that it’s rocket science or anything, but some aspects of it can be surprising to foreign visitors. Booking in advance is a must, that alone is a great tip, thank you!

  3. Thank you so much for your podcast. I’ve started planning on a trip to France and I have gotten a lot of very useful information. I haven’t decided if I’m going with a tour group or not. I am going by myself, so I am leaning towards going with a tour group. I have always dreamed of retiring in France and my trip should help with making that decision.

    Thanks again
    Steven Williams

    1. Bonjour Steven and welcome to Join Us in France! I think a group is a nice option for single travelers, especially if you can find a group of people with similar interests. Have a wonderful trip!

      Annie

  4. Am overjoyed that I found your delightful podcasts as we prepare to travel to Paris. It will only be our second visit in 15 years. Your “chats” are so informative and full of interesting facts and important information. Have only finished the first 6 and am hoping you will have more before I reach #12! We will be taking a river cruise and hope to see and learn more “beyond Paris”! Thank you for a wonderful introduction!

    1. Bonjour Pat and welcome to Join Us in France! I’m not sure if Elyse and I can keep up with you but we’ll try 😉

      I’ve never been been on a river cruise, I think I would enjoy that. Let us know how it went!

      Annie

  5. Love this podcast. As some one who is studying up on everything France due to a potential move, I especially appreciated the episode on food. It touched on the topic of food at home, as well as the average expense. This was very important to me. Thank you!
    À la prochaine!

    1. Bonjour Jeremy and welcome to Join Us in France! Glad you’re finding the podcasts helpful, and good luck with your move plans, it’s not easy I must warn you, but lots of Americans manage it (well over a million Americans in France alone!) A bientôt !

  6. Thank you for your wonderful podcast. I discovered the podcast two weeks ago and look forward to them every week. I hope you can do a discussion on France’s rich musical history.
    A listener in Sacramento California

    1. Hello Richard and welcome to Join Us in France! I’d love to talk about Fauré and other musical geniuses some day, thank you for the suggestion, I’ll look into it!

  7. For years Rick Steves has been my favorite travel podcast. That’s changed after listening to your. entertaining, informative and insightful podcast on traveling in France. Meet you in France is now the travel podcast I enjoy most. keep up the terrific work, you are joy to listen to and learn from,

    Here are two ideas for future shows – 1) your favorite books written in English about France 2) farmers and other street markets in Paris and elsewhere

    Denis De Pape
    Winnipeg, Canada

  8. Hi there,
    My wife and I are just returning home after a two week vacation in France; we spent the first 3 days in the Dordogne; and then drove down through Albi, where we spent a full day touring the city; and then went further south to visit some of the Cathar castles (Chateau de Lastours, Monsegur, Peyperetuse and Queribus), as well as a quick trip to Carcassonne; and then flying to Paris for the final 4 days. I stumbled on your podcast as I was researching Albi and Carcassonne and it was an excellent tutorial in preparation.

    I knew very little about Albi and Carcassonne so it was a great teaser as we drove South through the Turn region and into the Languedoc. Your description of Albi was fantastic, particularly the interior of the Cathedral.

    Your description of Carcassonne was also spot on – and it also gave me the first indications – which bore out – that it is a stop to be missed. Unlike other UNESCO World Heritage sites that I’ve visited (among them Avignon, Al Humbra, and now Albi), I found Carcassonne a tragic example of what happens in pursuit of the tourist dollar. There has been no respect shown to the original atmosphere of the city, lost as it is in cheap tourist shops that occupy every building. My wife and I made a hasty retreat in favour of some of the other more picturesque and serene sites in the area.

    But having said that, your podcast was fantastic in prepping us for both. And you also gave me some new ideas for visiting parts of Paris that I hadn’t thought of – covered walkways, as an example.

    So this is certainly a podcast I will look forward to listening to in the future as I look for new inspiration for future visits. Oh, and you mentioned your thoughts on doing a podcast on Catharism. . . I think that would be a great idea.

    Thanks for all your hard work and research.

  9. Hi.

    In your introduction page, you said that this is not a website to learn French but it is a fantastic way for me to learn English!!!!

    Some time ago I realized that listening podcats is a great method to learn English. And combining it with a topic that I like a lot such as traveling is a explosive mix.

    I think you are doing a great job. Please keep going…

      1. Hi again.

        I am Spanish but currently living and working in UK. So my mother tongue (and the one I master) is Spanish.

        Fight with English is my day by day challenge and podcast are helping to gain more listening skills and fluency speaking…

        1. That’s funny, I struggle with Spanish! Every time I go to Spain I promise myself that I’ll study Spanish for next time, and I do two lessons and quit. Spaniards are really patient with my limited vacation Spanish thankfully.

  10. Hello Friends! I listen to your podcasts when I settle for the night.We have been to France (we live in Waterloo Ontraio
    Canada) and I would like to hear a podcast about Lyon which
    we visited before and after a cruise down the Rhone river.
    Liked it a lot. Also, we spent 2 weeks in Nice. Rented an apt.
    and got to know Nice and surrounding cities and towns.
    Could write my own podcast! Keep up the good work! Geralda

  11. Stimulating and insightful. A true inside view of the country, the places, and the people.
    Do not shorten the length of any of the episodes. Let your natural interest and energy take you and the listener on the journey.
    Keep up the good work!

  12. Bonjour. I learned about your wonderful series of podcasts while researching information about a river cruise in Bordeaux. I recently returned from 17 days in France that included 7 days in Paris. Your podcasts were so helpful in that they provided details on sites such as areas not to be missed such as the pocket park by the Cluny and the Cluny itself. We were able to use your information to walk the wonderful neighborhoods of the Latin Quarter and Marais. We were amazed that the warm reception that we always received when greeting anyone with Bonjour. Listening was both fun and informative. Merci for the wonderful work that your produced.

    1. Hello Pat and welcome to Join Us in France! So glad the podcast has been helpful to you. It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation in France, 17 days is a good long time, it’s great! We’d love it if you’d help us spread the word by sharing favorite episodes on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest, whichever is your social network of choice. Thanks!

  13. I am a travel podcast junkie and I’ve recently discovered your broadcasts. I use your and Rick Steves’ podcasts as exercise buddies. I am trying to teach myself the basics of the French language, but the pronunciation is so foreign to me as a native English speaker. I’ve been studying Italian for many years, so I think that my French pronunciation is coming out with an Italo-English accent. Could you possibly include some basic French terms/pronunciations with your podcasts.
    thanks….Cindy in NJ

    1. Hello Cindy and welcome to Join Us in France! Glad you found us! Our podcast is really not geared towards teaching French, we can include a word here and there (as we have been doing), but it takes a lot more than that to make progress. For learning French I recommend Lawless French. Did you happen to listen to episode 30 on survival French?

  14. My girlfriend and I love your podcasts. We listen to them at work. We were in Paris in July and are going back in May 2015 for 10 days. We listen to them 2 and 3 times. Best on iTunes. Keep up the good work!

  15. I’ve loving the podcast. It has been very helpful as I plan my family (spouse, girls aged 9 and 5) trip to France in June-July 2015. We are splitting time between the Loire, Dordogne, Provence, and the Alps over the course of a month (likely a once in a lifetime trip). Could you consider doing a show about family travel in France? Here’s a couple of topics that I’d love to learn more about:

    1. What do French families do on vacation? What are some nice kid-focussed activities that we might want to do to break up the site-seeing that would not show up in a guidebook?

    2. How do French families handle long drives? Take the ride from the Loire to the Dordogne as an example. How often are there opportunities for the kids to have a bathroom break? Are there ‘rest stops’ like in the US?

    3. Everything I’ve read says that you shouldn’t keep anything in your car while it is parked. I assume that means opportunities to sight see during ‘travel days’ is limited. Are there exceptions to this?

    Thanks and Happy New Year!

    -Matt from Somerville, MA

    1. Hello Angel! Sorry to hear you’re having trouble listening to the show. Downloading from the website was never an option, so I suspect something else is going wrong. Do you use an App to listen to the show? Which one?

  17. Very sad that Elyse has left the show. Hopefully she will come back and that nothing has happened between the two of you. I always loved to hear Elyse she has so much insight and knowledge into the history of France and so forth.

  18. Hi,

    I think it would be great to include some more french in your podcast. You could introduce us to some common phrases or a phrase maybe we wouldn’t learn in a French class. Maybe at the end or beginning of each podcast you could have a phrase or word of the week and then you could mix in a french phrase here and there throughout the podcast to help familiarize us with the language.

    1. Fair point, that seems easy enough to do. Sprinkle a little French here and there with the guest or in the intro. Recently you got some French AND Provençal too, is that what gave you the idea?

  19. Just heard my first podcast about Arles in Provence. I thought it was pretty good. I am especially interested because my wife an I are moving to Haute Savoie in October, probably in Veigy Foncenex and your podcasts will help us familiarize ourselves with the whole country.
    So I am very excited to continue listening as well moving to France later in the year.

  20. You can thank the Amatuere Traveler Podcast for us finding your podcast.
    This is great information just before our second visit to Paris!

  21. Bonjour! I just found your Podcast last week and am loving it so far! Looking forward to the many, many episodes to enjoy on my commute to work everyday. I was wondering if you might be able to do an episode about the Parisian flea markets. On our trip to Paris last year trip we did a quick visit to the Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen, but I imagine there is way more to it than we had time to see. Would love some more information so that I can visit again on my next trip! Thanks so much!

  22. I love love love this podcast! It is very useful and I’m really digging the historical and practical information you all talk about.

    Anywho, I was wondering if you can cover the difference between cafes/restaurants/brasseries/salons de thé/etc food establishments in Paris and how to approach them.

    I am intimidated when I go to restaurants in Paris! Do I see a host to be seated at lunch? Dinner? Do I sit down anywhere? Is there different protocol for cafes with table settings and those without? My Parisian friends have not been helpful when answering my questions. They just shrug and go ‘Eh. Ça dépend.’

    Thanks,

    Shelley

  23. I just discovered your podcast. It’s wonderful and I plan to listen to every single episode as soon as possible!! My husband & I have traveled in many parts of France and, this fall, will spend time in Sete and Marseillan. We would love to hear something about that area. We will also return to Basque country, which we’ve visited twice before and love. I see you have shows about that region.

    By the way, I would love your website much more if the latest episode did NOT start playing every time i go to a different page! (The first time, I couldn’t find where the sound was coming from and had to quit the site.)

    1. Hello Toni, thanks for the kind words. And thank you also for your comment on the player. Surprisingly, you’re the first person to bring this up. I don’t the auto-play all that much, but, believe it or not, without it most people don’t ever realize that they are on a podcast page! I have placed the player high on so it’s easy to find and pause. But I take your point and will try to figure out a way to improve on this, I don’t love it either!

      1. My husband has started listening to your podcasts, too. Most recently, he enjoyed those on Sainte-Chapelle and all three on Notre Dame. This morning, he told me that as soon as he retires — soon, I hope! — we are going to spend a MONTH in Paris! (We live in Vermont.) He wants to go back to all the places we’ve visited in the past and see the ones we’ve missed.

        1. Very nice! And if he likes the early ones where we really weren’t sure what we were doing, he’ll probably like the rest of them too. How about a month in Paris one year and a month in Provence the next?

          1. Oh yes! That would be wonderful. (We were in Provence for a few days last fall — on our way to the Ardeche and then the Dordogne. Cave touring.) We love the Rhone Valley — and the wines. Gigondas is my favorite. And the Tavel rosé. . . . We are also fans of Malbec from Cahors. Oh, did I mention that we like French wine? 🙂

      2. I forgot to say (in my reply) that I know how to manage the sound now! At one time yesterday, I had four different podcasts playing at once! 🙂

        1. Yes, I need to tweak the player situation. My husband told me take the auto-play off, you’ll drive people away! I checked the numbers and, with a couple of months hindsight, the opposite happened. People stay on the site longer because they listen. But I think I can make it better so I’ll try.

  25. Annie you asked for pictures of us. Where do we leave it. I just downloaded a picture from facebook that my cousin posted of the lupins in Big Sur (down Hwy 1 from Monterey). Wanted to share

    Vijay

  26. Hello Annie & Elise! I love the podcast. I have been listening since you started- which was a few months before our second trip to Paris. And since, I like to go back and listen and remember the places we saw and what I thought about them.

    I am in the Air Force and we now live in Germany. I wonder if there is interest in more episodes on eastern France? I have re-listened to episodes 18 & 25. If you can manage it, I’d love to hear about Colmar, Nancy, or maybe how French culture is impacted by Germany, Lux, and Switzerland? (Or the other way around…)

    Anyway, it’s a great show you have, eastern France or not! : )

  27. Just found your podcasts last week and have already listened to many of them. I enjoy your conversations and information very much! You have covered a wide variety of topics and I am sure have many more in the works!

    We are preparing for three weeks in France and Switzerland with our two children this summer. Both of my children speak French and my husband and I do not so they will be leading us through the country – talk about a roll reversal! We are looking forward to exploring many of the places you discussed on your program. Many thanks to you and Elyse.

  28. BONJOUR INDEED!!!

    I am so glad I have found your Podcast to listen to on my daily commute to work each day. I travel just over an hour in Sydney Australia and find your Podcasts fill up most the time and make the drive go relatively quick. Thankyou!

    I have been to France once and had an absolute blast!!! I am currently planning my next visit in 2017.
    One thing we did that I will without doubt do again and have recommended to so many people is the self driven Barges through the Canals.

    Listening to your Podcast about the Canal Du Midi took me back to my time spent on the barge floating through all the villages, stopping whenever we pleased, drinking wine on the deck while the sun set. THE BEST!!!!

    Was great to hear all the history and story behind the massive effort that went in to making it all happen.

    Thank you Pierre-Paul Riquet, we owe you one!

    Ash

  29. Hi, I was very surprised about your Episode about Canal St. Martin & your disappontment. I thought, it was a very interesting experience. But it is better to start at the Musee Orsay and go to Park Vilette. And the attraction for the Parisiens and Blogger is to sit at the Quai oder the bridges in the warm summerevenings & drink wine and eat, like a picnick. I loved it!
    Please excuse my bad english

    1. Your English is fine! Thank you for your comment. You are correct, there is a right way and a wrong way to visit this place. I also think that with the new migrant housing that Anne Hidalgo has announced early Sept 2016 soon after this episode was published (Anne Hidalgo is the Mayor of Paris for those who don’t know) things will get better.

  30. I just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed your podcast. I wish I had found it before my family and I traveled to Paris last year. I guess we will just have to plan another trip soon so that I can use all of your tips!

    1. Thank you so much Tracy, and welcome to Join Us in France! If you are not already there, I encourage you to request to join the Join Us in France Closed Group on Facebook. I think you will find it a good addition to the podcast.

  31. Annie has a unique voice to introduce english speaking people to France. She is French, lives in France now and she has lived in England and the US as well. She is highly qualified to understand a foreigner’s point of view and interests. Having said that, she is also entertaining and delightful to listen too. I really enjoy this insider’s view of France. We visited Paris and the Loire Valley in September of 2016 and I can’t wait to go back. Thanks again, Beth

    PS love the subliminal messages.

  32. I am so grateful for this podcast. It was so valuable and helpful during our 2 week trip to France. We were able to learn some background knowledge regarding the monuments and other historical facts for the different places we traveled. We were so well prepared in every way by listening to all to all the great podcasts. We toured Paris, Normandy, Mont Saint Michel, LaBoule, Guerande, Nantes, and Chartres. Every place had something different to offer and created for memorable experiences. We traveled with our two teenage children, ages 13 and 15 who also had a great time.

    Two additional suggestions we felt were absolutely necessary are a GPS if you are driving a car. The paper maps do not have all the roads listed (especially the smaller ones when out in Normandy or the country). I can’t even imagine how difficult it would have been without a GPS. The GPS was also helpful walking around Paris to avoid getting lost and will even help you navigate the metro and train stations. One other thing we found helpful was Google Translate which saved us many times when communication was difficult. So if at all possible, get a data plan while overseas that will allow you to use your phone as needed. Getting connected to free Wifi wasn’t always available, easy or convenient.

    Thank you so much Annie! This was a GREAT podcast and I”m telling everyone I know about it!

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