Stay Fabulous
Stay Fabulous is the travel podcast for dreamers, seekers, and design-minded travelers who crave more than just checklists and tourist traps. Hosted by Anastasiya, founder of Fabulous Vita Travel Agency and expert in curated travel through Italy, Greece, and France, each episode is a blend of insider insight, personal storytelling, and soulful advice on how to travel beautifully and live intentionally.
From navigating the chaos of Rome to finding stillness in the Cyclades or discovering hidden towns in Provence, this podcast offers practical tips, emotional takeaways, and honest reflections from someone who’s helped thousands of Americans design unforgettable journeys through Europe.
Whether you're planning your first trip to Italy or dreaming of a summer on the Amalfi Coast, Stay Fabulous is your companion for travel that feels as good as it looks.
Stay Fabulous
Planning France Like Italy? That’s Why Trips Go Wrong
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Most travelers approach France the same way they plan a trip to Italy, and that’s often where things begin to fall apart. In this episode, I will unpack one of the most common mistakes in European travel planning: assuming that France can be navigated as seamlessly by train as Italy. While Italy’s high-speed network connects cities like Rome, Florence, and Milan with ease, France operates on a fundamentally different rhythm - one that requires a more thoughtful, region-based approach.
Centered around Paris, the country’s high-speed rail system makes travel to major regions efficient, but far less intuitive when moving between them. Destinations such as Bordeaux, Lyon, and Marseille are well connected to Paris, yet rarely to each other in a way that supports a fluid, multi-stop itinerary. And once you arrive, the journey is often far from complete. In places like Aix-en-Provence, reaching the heart of the experience requires an additional layer of coordination - private transfers, taxis, or a rental car.
It is here that the second major distinction emerges. Beyond Paris, regions such as Provence, Dordogne, and the Bordeaux countryside are not built for train-based exploration. Villages, vineyards, local markets, and countryside estates are dispersed, making a car not simply a convenience, but an essential part of experiencing France as it is meant to be experienced. Without it, even the most beautifully imagined itinerary can quickly become constrained by logistics, availability, and timing.
This episode offers a refined, behind-the-scenes perspective on what truly goes into planning a seamless journey through France. From understanding the structure of the rail network to navigating the realities of car rentals, regional travel, and day-to-day logistics, you will gain the clarity needed to avoid common pitfalls and plan your trip with intention.
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0:01 Planning France Like Italy: Where Trips Go Wrong
1:40 France vs Italy Travel: Why the Systems Work Differently
3:41 Beyond the Train Station: Why Access Changes Everything
5:08 Renting a Car in France: Timing, Logistics & What Travelers Miss
11:42 Where France Itineraries Break: Logistics Most Travelers Miss
13:30 How to Plan France Properly: A Region-Based Approach
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Connect with me:
Fabulous Vita Travel Agency : https://fabulousvita.com
Youtube Channel : https://youtube.com/c/StayFabulousTL
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anastasiya.gorshkova/