Moving to France and need to furnish a new home? Start at a recyclerie — France’s thrift stores hide incredible bargains, from armoires to antique pianos.

Over the past three weeks, our inbox has split into two very different camps.

One group is worried that U.S.–Europe political relations are deteriorating and wants to know whether to postpone their move. The other has decided they want to leave the U.S. as soon as possible — because of exactly the same recent events.

If you’re an American planning to live in France, your driver’s license situation depends entirely on where you’re from back home.If your home state isn’t on the exchange list, you’ll need to take the full French driving exam — written and practical — just like every French teenager does.

When we came to France, we thought it would be for a year. I’m not sure what we would have done differently knowing what we know now — it all worked out, and we’re happy. What I can say is that for the past three years, I’ve lived without knowing exactly what comes next.

Of course, that’s always true. Even if we don’t admit it.

A better translation tool exists, it’s free, and once you try it you won’t go back

Short and sweet this week — but genuinely useful. If Google Translate is your go-to for French, it’s time to switch. We prefer DeepL, and once you try it side by side, the difference is hard to ignore.

This summer, we hosted French and American friends on the same weekend. Naturally, the conversation turned to cultural comparisons. At some point, someone asked: “If you had to sum up the difference in one sentence — what actually characterizes the French lifestyle?”

Applying for a French long-stay visa involves several moving parts. You fill out the application online, gather your paperwork, and then make an appointment with TLS — the third-party processor — to submit your documents in person. It’s a straightforward process, but lately we’ve been hearing things from clients that are worth knowing before you walk in.

Have you heard of France Services? Because when we first learned about it, our minds were genuinely blown — and we think every expat and newcomer in France should know it exists.

An apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature, seal, and official position of whoever issued or signed a public document. In plain terms: it proves the document is real. When one country receives paperwork from another, an apostille tells the receiving government or organization that they can trust it.

It has nothing to do with the language, the bureaucracy, or the driving. It’s the distance from the people you love.

What happens when you invite both cultures into the same old farmhouse for a long weekend — and what it taught us about the life we’re building here

A French couple built the town-comparison site we always wished existed — and it goes all the way down to villages of under 2,000 people

If you’ve ever spent an afternoon going down the rabbit hole of “but which part of France?”, this one’s for you. We found a tool that genuinely changes the research game, and we couldn’t wait to share it.