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Everything you always wanted to know about France |
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This is the 95th newsletter I have sent out about life, living in France and our personal experiences over the last 16 years bringing up our family.
The aim of this newsletter is to share experiences about living in France and to give information about living or visiting France. There are over 1,000 articles in our archives at... http://francevoila.com/archives/ France Voila Archives We moved to the south of France 16 years ago, our family has grown up in France and my Mother has come to live with us in our new home in Montblanc - not the slippery tall place half in Toblerone country, but a thriving village in Languedoc near the Mediterranean. Although we moved over three months ago - I have not had time to explore our village yet, a couple a walks along the river, twice to the bar and that's about it so far. Our website... http://rentalsfrance.com/ RentalsFrance.com ..offers holiday villa and gite rentals in most parts of France, established in 1998 we are one of the most prominent and successful villa rentals sites on the Internet - and aim to stay that way. Do browse through our websites and please use the advertising links. ======= In this newsletter... 1. Don't Buy Euro From Your bank - be a Currency Trader 2. More French Please We're british 3. A 24/7 Emergency help Line In 5 Languages 4. Property Rule Number One 5. At What Age Can I Drive In France 6. Low Cost Airline Planner 7. Is It Cheaper To pay Taxes In France Or Britain 8. Life Is But A Dream ======= 1. Don't Buy euro From Your Bank - Be a Currency Trader And definitely do not buy any currency from the foreign exchange shops in the high road or through travel agents. With a little care the rate of exchange you can get can be much better. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/126 Best Currency Deals ======= 2. More French Please We're British Helena, the "French Mistress" feature writer in the Sunday Times is my perfect idea of a French Mistress - except she is Swedish/Italian, brought up in England and living in France. Helena's book - More French Please We're British - is an absolutely essential read for anyone visiting or living in France, or thinking of it. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/125 Best Book 3. A 24/7 Emergency Help Line in Five Languages Imagine, you are traveling through a country where you don't speak the language. You have a problem, someone is lost, you are stopped by the police, miss your passport or want to change your room. Even just book a good restaurant or buy a bunch of flowers. Yous pick up a telepphone - then what? What if you could call someone (like on "Millionaire") who is fluent in the language and tell them your problem and then ask them to help or translate. What if this service, for an unrestricted time call costs less than the price of a couple of cups of coffee. Well, this service exists. I came across this brilliant and valuable sevice at a trade travel exhibition in London this month. The team speak five langages - English, Spanish, French, German and Dutch. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/124 European help-Line 4. Property Rule Number One Hello Tony You said about buying property in France in a recent newsletter "nothing beats hard work, dedicated research and a lot of luck." Could you list the most important things a person can do to achieve the ideals set out by you, bearing in mind that I am sitting in Cork. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/123 Rule Number One 5. At What Age Can I Drive in France Tony I am a British citizen and will hopefully soon have my full driving license once I have taken my test. I would like to be able to drive in France when I go there on holiday. I will still only be 17 when I get my license and it appears that the required driving age in France is 18. Will this be a problem if I wanted to rent a car in France, or drive my own car there before I turn 18? To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/122 At What Age can I drive 6. Low Cost Airline Route Planner Tom, a reader, sent this really useful site === Tony For low-cost airline routes in Europe you should look at http://cheap0.com - I used it recently on a trip around Europe, it lists all of the routes in a nicely searchable format, and includes maps. Might be useful for your users. Tom ======= 7. Is it Cheaper to pay taxes in France or Britain I often say ask five experts and get six diferent answers - this is my understanding from the "experts" === Tony I have a mobile home in France. I am renting it out from Britain. Do I need to declare and register in France or Britain and pay the taxes in Bitain or France? Would it be cheaper financially to pay taxes in France or Britain? Mark To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/120 Are taxes Lower 8. Life Is But A Dream Why do hundreds of thousands of British, American, and people from just about every other country in the world, buy homes and come to stay and live in France, and others dream about a life in a "typical" French village? OK, superficial books like "A Year In Provence" - written over a generation ago - have fuelled the dream of a happy idyll in France, but what has fixed in the, mainly British, psyche the image of a rustic dream of contented peasants living in peace with simple values in never-ending sunshine ? Television "pot-boilers" - like A Place in The Sun - fuel the British obsession with property prices and the urge to own, for a while, some mud and stones to be able to discuss the spiralling increase in their property values. To escape a culture of Speed Cameras, Blair/Bush, overcooked pub food, grey skies, fish and chips from your local Croation/Indian/Chinese chippy or just to get away from a surfeit of Cream Eggs for the benefit of your health are some good reasons to cross the Channel. The reality of life in France is good, but not a dream. I try to reply to all mail and this is a recent exchange with a reader about property and life in France. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/119 Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Thank you for reading this far - do please visit the advertising links - it keeps this newsletter going - write to me if there is anything I can help with - I really do try to reply to everyone. ======= |
