Thinking about moving to France? This isn't a quick collection of tips, a downloadable checklist, or information you could piece together from the internet.
Get Frenched is a 357-page, full-color, actionable guide to moving to France, building a life here, and understanding what it actually costs-including the real numbers from our own move.
My partner and I spent a year exploring France before deciding where to live and eventually buying a home in a small village in the Loire Valley. Along the way, we dealt firsthand with the decisions, bureaucracy, expenses, mistakes, surprises, and occasional absurdities that come with starting over in another country.
I wrote Get Frenched to put what we learned in one place: what you need to know before you move, how to actually make the move, and-just as importantly-how to build a life here once you arrive.
Getting to France is the easy part. Making it work is another story.
You can get the visa, sell the house, pack your belongings, and board the plane. But what happens when the excitement of arriving in France wears off and you realize you're not on vacation anymore?
How do you build a life in a country where you barely speak the language, the culture is different, and even the simplest tasks can turn into an adventure? How do you find your place, make friends, become part of a community, and create a life that makes you genuinely happy?
Most moving-to-France advice stops once you get here. This book doesn't.
Before you move, we'll explore the emotional and practical decisions that come with leaving your old life behind. What are you hoping to find? What are you prepared to give up? And what kind of life do you really want?
Making the move, we'll tackle the practical details: visas, finances, healthcare, banking, housing, and everything else you need to get yourself to France.
Once you're here, we'll get into the part that matters most: learning to live in France rather than simply residing here. Finding your place, adapting to a different culture, navigating everyday life, building relationships, and discovering how to make this new country feel like home.
Along the way, I'll share what we did, what worked, what didn't, and what we learned from the mistakes, surprises, and occasional absurdities of starting over in France.
This isn't a fantasy about sipping wine in Provence. Though I love that wine.
It's practical guidance, firsthand experience, and a realistic look at what it takes to turn the dream of living in France into a life you actually enjoy.
Updated for Autumn 2026
This revised edition includes updated information on French visas, residency procedures, healthcare requirements, and European border-entry systems, including ETIAS and EES. It also reflects what we've learned from more than three years of living in France.
Moving to France changes your address. Learning how to live here can change your life.
That's what Get Frenched is really about.