A community of like-minded people on Judith Key’s podcast - My Best Friend In France

Posing in front of a door at the Amman Citadel in Jordan

Episode 144 - Travelling With Judith Keys - My Best Friend In France Podcast

My latest Winging It Travel Podcast episode features Judith Keys from the My Best Friend In France Podcast. We delve into the difficulties of an English-speaking person moving to another country, specifically France.

But it's not all about the challenges. This episode is also filled with uplifting stories and positive experiences.

Even though we concentrate on France, the topics discussed can be applied to any country you may be moving to or are considering moving to.

Judith is originally from Northern Ireland and lived in Scotland before moving to France more than ten years ago. In this episode, she explains her whole experience of moving full-time.

There was always an interest in Judith in France as his dad taught French, and there would be family holidays to France every year; nowhere else really came into the picture.

Funnily enough, Judith now lives in a little village in Providence, in the same house where she used to stay as a kid when they visited all those years ago.

Judith is super happy in France, so let’s discuss some subjects that piqued my interest.

Please feel free to listen to the full episode below.

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Judith tucking into some very fancy food there in France - photo credit - Judith Keys

A six-month sabbatical from work was the beginning of the end for Judith living in the UK.

Ah, sabbaticals, we all love them, but they are dangerous.

Freedom from work and normal life for a month, six months, or a year definitely generates interesting thoughts.

It has happened to me many a time.

Judith was living the typical capitalist dream in Edinburgh: working in a law firm, working her way up the corporate ladder, buying a house, and seemingly living how we all should.

But as we all know, that can change in a heartbeat.

Judith’s manager was going on leave to have a baby, so Judith seized the opportunity and chance to ask for a leave, too, and to her surprise, they granted her a sabbatical for six months.

Straight away, Judith visited France to visit her family, who had already migrated there, and instantly fell in love with France.

She loved the south of France and places like Marseille, Avignon, and Montpellier and knew she wanted to live in the area.

Judith had just bought a flat in Edinburgh, so she knew there was a lot of admin to handle, like selling her place and settling into her job.

Luckily, it all fell into place, and Judith put ideas into action as she began a new part of her life in France.

This is a rude awakening for many people who have dreams of doing something but don’t put any actions into place.

Ensure your dreams don’t become your master (thanks, David Goggins, for this quote).

Episode 144 Trailer with the Judith Keys from the My Best Friend In France Podcast, check out the full episode here.

My Best Friend In France Podcast Logo

Learning the French language is crucial, and Judith’s podcast will help you find a like-minded community.

Judith is a self-proclaimed French language nerd. She loves learning how to speak fluently, so much so that she does a portion of her podcast in French (subscription extension).

We all try to tell ourselves that learning the language of the country you are moving to is not that crucial, but in reality, it is.

Of course, most countries have populations who can speak English (to our advantage), but if you want to settle in and be part of the community, then learning French is critical for France.

We all know the Parisians will not help you if you don't know a few basics of French. So get learning!

Judith is fluent in French and podcasts in French too, which is impressive.

She explains that knowing French has made life much easier, and she now feels present and accepted in her community in her village in Providence.

It isn’t always easy, and part of the process is putting yourself out there to be looked at for the wrong words or being laughed at for mistakes.

But once you get acquainted with the language, things like directions, paperwork, a working environment, TV, friends etc become much easier to navigate.

Judith’s podcast is in English and is for English speakers who are moving to France or are already there. However, she has a subscription portion of her podcast that is co-hosted with a teacher friend of hers.

In this part of the podcast, they converse in French and give you ideas and tasks to complete to improve your French speaking.

If you are thinking of moving to France, Judith has you covered.

Just don’t ask her about the tax or employment laws, as she struggles with those.

The classic French lunch, the French take this seriously! Photo credit Judith Keys.

Judith lives in the quintessential village in the south of France.

A few weeks back, I saw a video of the Arles on social media, and I was amazed.

Given Arles's artistic allure, I couldn't help but wonder if Judith, living so close to this ‘artist’s dream,’ was familiar with it. Her response was intriguing. She hasn’t been!

However, someone in her family is an art curator, and Arles is the place for them, so social media was telling the truth for once! I have to visit someday.

When I imagine the idyllic French village, I can't help but wonder if that's the kind of village Judith lives in, so I had to ask.

And it turns out she does!

Her village has 300 people, and it looks dreamy based on the photo above.

Imagine getting two hours for lunch on your break, sitting with family at the table with this view and tucking into some French cheese and wine; what else do you need?

All I kept thinking about when hearing these anecdotes from Judith is that I need to visit Providence and do a road-trip there to check out what the south has to offer.

Yet another place to add to the list.

France comes with its challenges, but Judith shows us that it is possible to put those dreams into action if you are thinking about moving there full-time.

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Check out my latest YouTube episode in Jordan.

This is Part 1 of 2 of our road trip around Jordan, and I am visiting Amman, Jerash, Ajloun and the Dead Sea. We arrived from Cyprus, just over an hour away by flight, and hung around in Amman for three days, checking out the Amman Citadel and Roman Theater and wandering around Downtown. Then we picked up our hire car from the airport and headed north to see the Roman Ruins at Jerash, then west to Ajloun Castle before heading south to the Dead Sea. We finish the episode at the Dana Biosphere, which will also start the next episode.

Bring your walking shoes as Amman really gets the heart racing with its hills and steps; it is known as The City of Seven Hills, after all. We arrived during Ramadan, and we got stuck into some Iftar meals. We always planned to do a road trip, and it was great to get on the road, but here's a top tip: watch out for those speed bumps! A contrasting episode is the lush olive fields in Ajloun, which are compared to the desert-like terrain near the Dead Sea. As always, there are more awesome Roman Ruins in this one, and the Dana Biosphere was recommended to us as a place to hang out and tune into the next episode to see more!

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My Instagram promotion for my episode with Judith Keys.

Who is Judith Keys?

Join me fortnightly where I'll be talking about life, food, culture, language and living in France. I moved to France 10 years ago and went from a Corporate job in a big city straight into life in a tiny, rural French village. How did I do that? What struggles have I faced along the way? Join me and I'll share with you all of the ups and downs!

This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Spreaker and anywhere you get your podcasts!