About


The French Traveler, Inc. has been organizing tours for small groups of discerning travelers seeking unique experiences in France since 1997.  Our mission is to turn every trip you take with us into a journey of excitement, learning, and joy. We are honored to design itineraries in a country full of wonder and history, and feel privileged to bring inquisitive travelers of all ages who share a love for cross-cultural learning to our favorite destination. Our travelers' curiosity, spirit, and passion continually inspire us to reach for the highest standards possible.

 

For teachers of French, this means immersion workshops designed especially for you to make you better informed about the language you teach and the country you love.  Morning seminars focus on the burning issues of France society; afternoon excursions explore places of historical and cultural interest, deepening your knowledge of France today.  We speak nothing but French. Your students will appreciate your up-to-date understanding of the culture of Europe and the latest trends which the stages d’mmersion bring you; you’ll be able to remain at the top of your teaching game with both your supervisors and your students’ parents, who will respect the efforts you make to improve your own language skills and bring today’s France into your classroom.  And since each summer we hold our stage in a different city, you’ll be able to come back year after year and experience a different accent, cuisine, and historical backdrop during the tour, enhancing your own understanding of France. The members of the Advisory Board listed below serve as a sounding board to ensure the highest levels of academic excellence.  Trips conducted in French.

 

For art lovers and discerning travelers, this means discovering the plethora of art, the brilliant color, the exceptional light, the spectacular landscape, ancient ruins, Roman vesitages and the luscious cuisine of Provence.  You will understand why Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Dufy, Buffet, Van Gogh, and other artistic giants were attracted to this area and made it their home at some point in their lives. The Lure of Provence trip is conceived as a potpourri of experiences through art, cuisine, history, color, and excitement to expose you to the stunning area in and around Aix en Provence.  Trip conducted in English.

 

For women traveling together, this means exploring the riches and excitement Paris has to offer women: the incredible shopping, hair/skin/nail care, the elegance of Hermès and Chanel, quirky boutiques and vintage jewelry, shoes galore, cooking classes and wine tastings….all woven into the tapestry of magnificent architecture, resplendent history, lively cafés, and handsome tea rooms which make Paris so inviting….days filled with incredible meals and unique experiences, evening concerts and picnics on the Champs de Mars. Paris for Women: designed to be the best memory you’ve ever shared….with your roommate, mother, daughter, cousin, neighbor, best friend—Trip conducted in English.

 

For students of French seeking a unique immersion experience, this means delving into the French language and culture through your five senses.  Painting classes, aromatherapy, massage and relaxation exercises, la cuisine bio, prose and poetry readings, and walks through the Provençal countryside are activities designed to introduce you to uncovering another side of French culture that is both trendy and deeply cultural: getting in touch with yourself through your senses.  You’ll be thrilled with the unusual experiences, personally enriching and culturally enlightening, which we’ve chosen to introduce to you in the Provence: Terre des Cinq Sens program.  It’s a great workout for your French language skills, best suited for post-beginner students. Bring your dictionaries! Trip conducted in French.   

The French Traveler team prides itself on excellent customer service, dedication to each traveler’s needs, attention to detail and the ability to help you get the most from this cross-cultural experience. We speak fluent French and know the country intimately.  We arrange for meals with the local hosts and introduce you to people whom you would never be able to meet on your own. We prefer to spend time only in France, savoring one city at a time and fan out from there; you’ll unpack only once.  We take pains to discover the local fauna and flora, seek opportunities to interact with the locals, and experience what the region has to offer in the way of culture, cuisine, and sights. Many of our travelers form friendships during the trip which continue long afterwards and often involve future travel together.

The French Traveler is proud to be advised, particularly in educational matters, by the following members of the Advisory Board:  
Contact us.  We invite questions and we’d be happy to help you sort out your travel arrangements. Come and have fun with us. Challenge yourself to improve your French, revisit a favorite haunt or simply enjoy France and its riches for the first time.  It’s a sojourn you won’t regret!


Valerie Sutter
Valerie Sutter
Valerie Sutter, Founder and Director, holds a Master’s degree from the Faculté de Lettres de Lyon and another from Lesley College in Cambridge, MA.  Introduced to French in high school, Valerie fell in love with the language and culture at the tender age of 14 and never quite recovered. After majoring in French at university, she moved to France and taught English at one of France’s grandes écoles. Then on to Brazil, where for twelve years she taught French and European History at the American School of Rio de Janeiro, while directing their International Baccalaureate Program.  Back in the US once again, Valerie taught French at prestigious New England boarding schools before founding the French Traveler in 1997. 

Fluent in French and in Portuguese with a modest grasp of Spanish, Valerie is passionate about cultural acquisition and language immersion as the means of knowing and understanding another culture, another world, and most important, oneself.  She currently resides half the year in France preparing her trips and the other half in Florida, where she teaches French part-time and is an active member of her local Alliance Française.  She practices ballroom dancing in her free moments.

 



Kim Poulin
Kim Poulin
Kim Poulin, Associate of the Paris for Women program, lives her life with one foot in Chicago and the other in Paris.  With a bag always packed waiting for potential travel to break out, she is currently working to make the City of Lights her home, realizing that being in Paris part time is never quite enough.  Spending the last 30 years as a tourist and part time resident, Kim has taken on the role of flâneur--stroller—revealing a penchant for uncovering the magnificent yet simple places and moments that make Paris so magical and difficult to leave.

With never-ending excitement and perpetual curiosity, Kim has spent time sharing her discoveries with friends and family to create the most efficient and memorable visits to her favorite city.  Her knowledge of restaurants, attractions and her ability to package her knowledge so that a weeklong visit becomes a thorough introduction to the city resulted in her being hired as THE PARIS TRAVELER by the Canadian online company b5media, which later merged with planeteye.com.  Kim wrote daily posts about the new that needs to be seen and the old that should not be missed in her favorite city.

 Kim’s flair for revealing a side of Paris that few tourists have the ability to discover on their own has been incorporated into the itineraries included in the women’s trip.  Her connections and friendships cultivated over the years allow for entrée to places and events that typical tourists might not otherwise have available to them. 




Annick Deroux
Annick Deroux


Annick Deroux, Associate in the Provence: Terre des Cinq Sens Program, brings her personal background of French medicine and pharmaceutical plants to the fore.  Trained in France with a degree of Docteur en Pharmacie, Annick’s many years in the medical industry, her multiple training courses in therapeutic healing, and her varied experiences both personal and professional fuse with her interests in one of France’s growing passions: ecology and well-being. 

Annick’s special talents, gentle touch, and easy smile make this week a study in the latest techniques and thinking in French well-being.  Her proposal to bring you to the center of yourself will be done through the five senses, a sort of getting reacquainted with your inner you while steeping yourself in French language and culture.  A devoted mother of two, a lover of opera and painting, a former apicultrice and gourmet cook in her own right, Annick’s special journey is both highly personal and highly professional.  You’re in good hands.