My name is Robert Schrader. Although France always had an elevated place on my original travel blog Leave Your Daily Hell, I held out on spinning off a site dedicated to it. “Other people have more expertise than me,” I told myself, even after I’d bought the domain. “I should just focus on Asia.”
That was pre-pandemic, of course—and to be fair, I hadn’t really explored France all that much at at point, even though I’d made half a dozen trips there. In the years since, I’ve been intentional about gaining both a broader and deeper understanding of France, from crêpe shops along the coast of Brittany, to lavender fields hidden away from the throngs of tourists in Provence. Whether you’re a newbie France traveler or a near-expert, I think you’ll want to hear my insights.
I’m excited that you’ve chosen to join me on the France Starts Here journey, which has only officially been underway for a few years, but whose true origin is much, much longer ago. Specifically sometime in the late 90s, in a French language classroom in the midwestern United States, when I saw Mont Saint-Michel looming behind the actors of a poorly-produced video. Ever since then, I knew France would be an important part of my future. And since my first trip in 2005, it’s defined my present.
France Destination Guides
Whether you simply need help choosing where to go, or want to peruse my France trip ideas and France travel advice for deeper insights, these are the best France travel guides you’ll find.
France Travel Blog
My best France travel blogs provide an up-close and personal look into the day-to-day of every trip I take to France. Here is also where you’ll find some of my best advice, include tips for business travelers to France.
Custom France Itineraries
My France blog posts are informative, but when you book a France travel planning session, you get an itinerary that recommends accommodation, transport, meals and activities—and a lot more.
Who is Robert Schrader?
I grew up in a middle-class family in the suburbs of St. Louis, so while tartare, TGV trains and most everything else related to France fascinated me, I never dreamed I’d be able to go there, let alone more times than I can count. The love affair I’ve cultivated with France has been hugely pivotal to my identity as a traveler since my first overseas trip in 2005.
Apart from France Starts Here, which I update weekly with content from all my trips to France, I’ve created sites dedicated to Thailand, Taiwan and Japan, as well as Leave Your Daily Hell, which was one of the first travel blogs on the internet when I launched it in 2009. Although France was initially one of the many destinations I covered on Leave Your Daily Hell, I decided in the early 2020s that it deserve its own home and…well, voilà!
Let’s Work Together
Are you interested in promoting a France hotel, tour company, event or destination to a growing community of energetic, intelligent travelers? Visit the Leave Your Daily Hell partners page to learn more about working with France Starts Here.
