Hate me if you must, but I travel to Paris once or twice a year for work and for pleasure every so often, when I can swing it. The shopping, the light, the food, museums, the architecture, blah blah blah, everyone likes Paris, but for me, there is one unpleasant facet to every trip- not knowing French. Yes, I took five years in school, yes, I have been visiting for years, but yes, I cringe and grimace my way through every interaction. Having struggled through my junior high and high school French classes (once my teacher asked jokingly in French if I was on drugs and I promptly answered “Oui!”) I have never considered myself to have an aptitude for languages, but the awkward entitlement of repeatedly visiting a country without more than “merci” haunted every trip. So, when my friend Emily (does everyone have that friend who always has the freshest ideas leaving you wondering both, why didn’t I think of that? and why don’t we start a company together?) told me how much she was loving the Pimsleur Method, I hoarded my audible credits, purchased French Level 1 (30 lessons!) and got started.

As I rounded hour-two of my deep dive into apartment research for our upcoming vacation, I realized: this is the fifth Milo Baughman style table I’ve seen on Airbnb Paris! Though the site provides a wide variety of different home sensibilities, prices, and arrondissement, I began playing a game at spotting the common threads.  Sate your wanderlust with these seven must-have Parisian apartment essentials.

From left to right: Built-in Plywood Bed, Gallery Wall and Puddled Drapes, Linen Dream, Attic Library, Beams and Plants, Seriously Stunning Entry, The Aforementioned Table, A Well Crafted Collection, Chic Shelfie

We’re planning a quick stop in Paris on our way to Amsterdam this Fall, and after staying in some amazing Airbnb homes on our trip to the San Juan Islands and Seattle last year, we decided to book an apartment and live like les locals. Even if you’re not thinking about Paris for your next vacation, I highly recommend browsing the apartment rentals for interior design inspiration, (it will certainly lend a little très chic to your next Le Netflix binge).

This week I have been planning our last minute getaway to Napa Valley, so much planning goes into each of our trips, but none more than last year’s trip to Thailand.  As I wrote in last week’s post reviewing our two beachside resorts, one budget, and one luxe, my mind kept wandering to the shoulda-woulda-coulda of our vacation.

So much planning went into our trip (over a year ago now!) to Railay Beach in the Krabi region of Thailand. Our three city trip clocked in at ten days, so it was a necessity to balance global luxury and quirky must-haves (i.e., budget friendly and Instagram enviable). Luckily, with its constant flow of wander lusting backpackers, Thailand, and Krabi in particular, have accommodations at all price points.  We spent three nights in a mosquito net draped, textile rich, beachside treehouse and the next two in a meandering luxury resort. Read on for all the details.

We arrived at Pelindaba Lavender Farm about three weeks before “peak purple”, but instead of mourning missing the intense grape-y glow I’ve seen in oh-so-many Instagram posts, we were able to wander the property virtually alone.

more, more, more to follow!