We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Lipko recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
My most meaningful project has been the creation of my site, WheninProvenceBlog.com. When my partner and I decided to spend part of our year in Provence, France, we found ourselves exploring lesser-known pockets of the region and discovering events and activities that weren’t widely publicized. We’d go to a wine tasting in one little village and find a small flier at the winery for an event over the weekend in a neighboring small town. And so, we’d find ourselves going to these very small, off the tourist path events and really feeling as though we were amongst locals. These were events that, even if you searched the internet, weren’t always advertised and were more shared via word of mouth. You’d run into your neighbor at the weekly market and discuss the night market one town over or the wine fête next week down the road. Don’t get me wrong, there is a certain charm in going to Provence and partaking in solely tourist-type activities, but I started When in Provence more for the travelers and even locals that want to explore Provence in a different way. The blog is an informational love letter to Provence, sharing details about experiences that aren’t always readily available from a simple Google search.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I went to school for travel journalism and had an internship where I would write about my travel experiences throughout my college years. I loved doing it, but being so young and new to the industry, the idea of freelance work was a bit intimidating. I allowed my fears to push me out of that field of work before really giving it a solid try.
I had always loved travel and more specifically France, so, after college, instead of figuring out a career path, I decided to take an internship through the French government. The internship was for an English language assistant through T.A.P.I.F (Teaching Assistant Program in France) where native English speakers are placed in French schools, working alongside the English teachers to educate the children. I was placed in a tiny town about an hour north of Paris where I worked at the town’s middle school and their neighboring trade school for high school students wanting to learn a specific craft. When I came home a year later, I not only had fallen more in love with France, I also knew I wanted to continue teaching English as a second language. The experience abroad was so rewarding, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to aid in giving children the gift of language as a career. When I finally got settled after being back in the U.S., I returned to school for a Master of Education in English, later receiving a certification to specifically teach English as a Second language.
While working with students from all over the world fulfilled the need for diversity and multiculturalism in my life, the Francophile in me felt a bit unsatiated. As covid was loosening its grip over the world, my partner and I decided we wanted to make an extraordinary life change, deciding to purchase a second home abroad in France.
The first sign that there was a need for more information for fellow Francophiles came up during the home buying process. Despite endless searches, information was limited on how to purchase a home abroad as a foreigner, especially an American. A year and what felt like a million faux pas later, we somehow managed to buy our dream home in Provence.
Our first summer there, when we finally began settling into daily life as holiday homeowners, we tried getting involved in the culture of our famed region. The internet was full of ideas and activities to do in and around Provence, but they all felt a bit put on for visitors. We had specifically chosen to buy in a small, rural town in order to get out of our comfort zone and integrate ourselves into true, French daily life. We didn’t want to just follow the typical tourist path from one overly saturated attraction to the next, checking off the usual suspects from the quintessential “best of Provence” list found on many sites. This led us to go out on our own and discover the villages around us that no one ever talked about, which then led us to discovering small events sprinkled throughout the neighboring towns and region.
At first, the events left us feeling as though we were crashing an intimate town gathering, but as time passed, with each new event and village we visited, our awkwardness dissipated, and we were beginning to really feel as if we were a part of a community. The more we found ourselves in these tiny villages, experiencing these very authentic snapshots of daily French life, the more it felt a bit unfair to keep it a secret. In some cases, the organizers were surprised about how we found our way to the event but were very happy to share their culture and experiences with foreigners, which led to my wanting to share details of how others could participate too.
By the end of our second summer, I knew I wanted to create an outlet for all of the unique and unfindable information we were gathering during our time spent in France.
When in Provence seemed like the perfect name for a blog about a person who is exploring under-the-radar activities when they happen to be in Provence! The blog started out as little, antidotal snapshots of our time in France and has swiftly moved to more of a travel/informational guide for people coming to the region or even people who live there already and are looking for activities to do that are a bit slower paced or less tourist driven.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
Because When in Provence isn’t my full-time job, I don’t have as much time to hit all the digital markets in order to promote myself or the blog. I mainly stick to Facebook and Instagram and tend to chat with a lot of travelers through those two sites. When it comes to brand loyalty, I believe it’s my kindness that keeps people coming back. I don’t let messages go unread or unanswered and am always honest about my length of knowledge about the information they are seeking. If I am someone who doesn’t know the answer to the question they are asking, I always get them in touch with someone else who may be able to help.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding part about what I do is being able to help people in some capacity and being able to do that through one of my greatest passions, writing. It could be aiding my readers on their home buying journey abroad by sharing all of the faux pas and uncomfortable situations we found ourselves in due to not knowing all of the cultural ins and outs of purchasing a home in France. It could also be helping travelers discover a completely different side of Provence that helps elevate their trip into something unique and special just for them.
Another aspect of When in Provence that is incredibly rewarding is that I now have a scrapbook-esque space that holds not only all of my partner and I’s journeys, but our memories of the events accompanied by beautiful photos taken. Kind of like a digital footprint of our adventures and with each piece I write, I can follow my growth as a person and a writer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wheninprovenceblog.com
- Instagram: @WheninProvenceBlog
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WheninProvence/
Image Credits
Rachel Lipko