The Millennial Abroad | American living in France
Welcome to The Millennial Abroad, a travel and expat blog by an American millennial who moved to Paris for a year to be an au pair – back in 2018.
My name is Claire Naughton and while I am no longer an au pair, I am still in France! Most of my time in this country has been spent living in Strasbourg, but I have also lived in Paris and Montpellier.
I’ve always been eager to explore new places and experience new things. Now, nearly six years into my French adventure, a lot has changed, including my home base and my entire outlook on life. (Casual, I know.)
I’m currently engaged to my incredibly thoughtful, smart, and handsome Frenchie, Thibault, and yet I pride myself on being frank about the challenges we’ve encountered as an international couple. I talk a lot about what it’s been like to date a French man and am endlessly contemplative about what makes international relationships work.
On the professional side, (and in addition to operating as Founder and Head of Content for The Millennial Abroad), I am also the proud owner of a micro-entreprise (small business) in France** offering content strategy and marketing services to businesses in the expat, cross-border finance, and global mobility industry.
**In full transparency: It wasn’t always that way, though! Like many expats in France, I spent a fair amount of time in French language classes, babysitting, and doing online English tutoring to scrape by while I figured things out.
Who is the Millennial Abroad for?
This blog is a space where those who find themselves in an unexpected place can take refuge from the challenges that result from living life by the seat of your pants. Moreover, I hope this space provides you with the inspiration and resources necessary to build a sustainable and happy expat life.
Of course, by nature of the educational content I post here, it is also a place for life’s planners, particularly those who are looking for information on topics such as moving to France.
What makes The Millennial Abroad different from other travel blogs?
In a time when so much is curated and everyone is a target for an ad or a pitch or something that takes from you, I want this place to be something that gives. So, welcome to my humble online abode. I create earnestly and with the best intentions.
The first thing you to know about me is that I’ve always been a writer. I see the world as a series of chapters, plot twists, and character arcs, and I’m prone to sitting and staring off into space. (Yes, I am a Pisces sun, for anyone wondering.)
When it comes to expat and travel writing, I have a lot to say. Also, I love forging connections with those who are in a position to teach me (and my audience) about their homes or adopted homes.
Throughout this website, readers will find practical advice on living in France, moving and living abroad more broadly, and travel articles crafted to ignite your wanderlust. I also share many of my thoughts on becoming an expat who has spent more of her adult years outside the US than in it and trying to be true to yourself through it all.
When was The Millennial Abroad started?
I started this blog in May 2017 when I graduated from college and moved to Arequipa, Peru to volunteer as an after-school English teacher with Helping Overcome Obstacles Peru (HOOP).
Back then, it was called “All Roads Lead to Write,” based on the feeling that writing has always felt “right” to me.
Like most travel blogs, in the beginning, it served the hybrid function of providing me with a creative space to chronicle my experiences and share them with friends and family back in the US. It also turned out to be a rather prescient name. In the end, writing is exactly what enabled me to find my foothold as someone who lives abroad, not just travels abroad. The applications of good writing are endless, but for me have resulted in opportunities spanning marketing, communications, PR, and event planning.
As my travel experiences deepened and I became a full-fledged expat, I realized I’d outgrown my original blog name. So, after lots of experimentation, I landed on The Millennial Abroad. It’s a clean, strong name that clearly communicates the content you’ll find on this website and one that I believe resonates with my intended audience.
Where have I lived?
Although I introduce myself as an expat in France, I’ve actually lived in several other countries, too! By far the most formative have been New Zealand, where I studied abroad in Wellington, and Peru when I lived in Arequipa and backpacked around a good portion of the country.
Where have I traveled?
I find it easiest to break this list up by continents, so here we go:
Europe
| Country | Cities |
| France | Paris, Strasbourg (Alsace), Montpellier, Marseilles, Brest, Quimper (Finistère Sud), Nantes, Rennes, Mont Saint Michel, Saint Malo, Dinard, Avignon, Rheims, Nîmes |
| Spain | Barcelona, Girona, Madrid, Lanzarote |
| Belgium | Antwerp |
| The Netherlands | Amsterdam, Groningen |
| Italy | Milan |
| Germany | Berlin, Munich, Kehl, Heidelberg, Freiberg, Bad Zwischenahn |
| Switzerland | Bern, Zurich |
| Greece | Athens, Crete, Thessaloniki |
| England | London |
South America
| Country | Cities |
| Peru | Arequipa, Cusco, Ica, Huacahina, Paracas, Mancora, Puno, Cabanaconde, Huarez |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires, San Carlos de Bariloche, Northern Patagronia (Rîo Negro Provence) |
| Colombia | Medellîn, Jardîn, Salento |
North America
| Country | Cities/States |
| United States | Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, California, Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia |
| Mêxico | Tijuana |
Oceania
| Country | Cities |
| New Zealand | Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Te Anau, Wanaka, Glenorchy, Picton, Martinborough, Matamata, Coromandel |
Why do I travel?
Put very, very simply: Nothing quite puts life in perspective the way traveling does.
Contact: claire@themillennialabroad.com
