Home is where the heart is
When the sale of their house in southwest France fell through, Nadine Maffre and her husband Julien began to seriously question where they wanted to call home.
Nadine, from Dunedin, and Frenchman Julien, moved to the small town of Saintes from New Zealand two years ago, when their son Arthur was 3.
They both wanted to work for themselves and felt there would be more opportunities in France – and they liked the idea of Arthur growing up bilingual.
Life was ‘‘ pretty idyllic’’ at first, Nadine says, as they’d allowed themselves time to ‘‘find their feet’’, but frustration at France’s excessive bureaucracy set in when they came to buy a house, set up their businesses and find a school for Arthur.
Nadine started a blog about their travels around France and beyond, Le Long Weekend, and as it earns less than 33,000 euro ($59,000) a year, she was spared the red tape of registering a business. Andre wasn’t, however, and had to hire an accountant to help him through it.
Like many travellers to France, Nadine fell for ‘‘the history, the culture and the incredibly diverse landscapes’’.
Working for themselves from home, Nadine says they have a much better work-life balance than they did in New Zealand.
‘‘In the summer school holidays, with our flexible working schedule, we can fit work in around trips to the beach or a country bike ride.’’
But she realises they mightn’t be so lucky if they had ‘‘regular jobs’’. Get away from the notorious hustle and bustle of Patong, Karon and Kata, and stay at The Slate, a four-minute walk from the beach.
The resort is designed around the tinmining history of Phuket but delivers world-class service. If you’re looking to relax, spend some time in The Nest, the spa’s private treatment room – suspended, just like a real nest. The resort offers yoga, pilates and Muay Thai kickboxing classes, as well as Thai cooking classes, market trips and language lessons.
For the most laid-back and relaxing island environment, try Santhiya Koh Yao
‘‘Even with the 35-hour working week, the French seem to work long hours. I walk past our local school in the evening and see some parents picking up their kids at 6pm or 7pm.’’
As much as they love Saintes, with its terracotta rooftops, colourful window boxes in spring, Roman ruins, and surrounding sunflower fields, they eventually decided to settle in Provence. They moved into a rental property there, in Alleins, and put in an offer on a house. It was accepted but when the buyer of their home’s mortgage fell through in July, they had to withdraw it.
And so began what Nadine calls ‘‘the summer of indecision’’.
Should they return to Saintes or rent in Provence until they could afford to buy? They owned Yai Resort & Spa, which is right on the beach.
So removed is this place that you’ll need to take a 50-minute car and speed boat transfer to get there. It’s also epic for foodies.
Got a travel question? We can help. Email your name, address and phone number to travel@stuff.co.nz with Expert in the subject line. their house in Saintes outright but would have to take on a mortgage to buy in Provence. Other possibilities were to return to New Zealand or go somewhere like Costa Rica with lower living costs.
The couple’s default response when faced with a big dilemma is to travel, so they booked a sixweek trip to the United States and New Zealand to give them the time to think things through. When Nadine realised she couldn’t even look at a picture of Provence without feeling pangs of longing, she knew it was were they were meant to be.
While she sometimes finds herself pining for New Zealand , they discovered their Provence house budget ‘‘would barely buy us a modest house in Auckland’s suburbs’’. Plus, Nadine isn’t yet ready to go back as New Hiking is good for the soul –wildflowers, majestic views and a wander where wi-fi is weak does wonders.
If you’re a solo traveller like me though, venturing into the wilderness alone can feel daunting. Luckily, group hiking holidays are growing in popularity, and the best thing about them is that you’ll meet awesome new friends.
Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu had been top of my list for a while. But I was hesitant about the crowds and I didn’t want to hike an alternative trail on my own. So when I read about up-and-coming star of the Andes, the Quarry Trail, an option on select Intrepid Travel South America itineraries, I was sold.
Some 75,000 people a year trek the Inca Trail, but only a fraction tackle the Quarry Trail. I had the soaring peaks and Zealand’s remoteness is a big turn-off. So they decided to return to their rental in Provence. It’s where their hearts are, Nadine says, so it must be home.
They have come to enjoy the slower pace of life and are able to spend more time outside than they did in New Zealand.
Life isn’t perfect: Nadine has found the French to be ‘‘pretty guarded when it comes to outsiders’’ so has only made friends with other expats – a very international bunch – and she feels it is impossible to integrate fully until you speak the language fluently, which she doesn’t yet.
Financially, they’re about the same as they were in New Zealand, despite working fewer hours.
‘‘It’s definitely possible to live on less. When we first moved over we were able to buy a house freehold, which freed us to build up our businesses without worrying how we were going to pay a mortgage.’’
Her advice to other Kiwis considering moving to France would be to work through potential problems.
‘‘Are you ready to feel isolated until you learn the language? Are you ready to miss out on time with family and friends back home? You have to have a certain level of independence and entrepreneurial spirit to make life in a new country work. Luckily, it’s normally something Kiwis have in spades.’’
If you know an expat who wants to share their story, email travel@stuff.co.nz with Expat in the subject line. archaeological sites to myself – and the eight others I was with on the three-day hike. While this trail doesn’t go to the famous Sun Gate overlooking Machu Picchu, my favourite day was reaching Inti Punku Sun Gate. This stunning archaeological complex overlooks the mountain Veronica and into the Sacred Valley.
To beat the crowds (not that the Quarry Trail ever gets crowded), May or October are good months to go.