5 Unexpected Things to Do in Paris and 3 Hidden Gems in France with Paige McClanahan

Zero To Travel Podcast

Jason Moore

Society & Culture, Business, Entrepreneurship, Places & Travel

4.6 • 866 Ratings

🗓️ 29 July 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What does it really mean to get beyond the clichés in Paris? Paige McClanahan is a journalist and author of The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel. She’s spent years reporting for The New York Times and has lived in France for seven years. Her work explores tourism’s power to shape communities and how we can all travel more consciously. In this episode, Paige shares five unexpected and meaningful things to do in Paris that you’re not likely to find in a guidebook. We also talk about three offbeat places in France that are worth exploring if you want to go beyond the usual stops. You’ll learn how small things like saying “bonjour” can shift your whole experience, and how curiosity can lead you into everything from revolutionary history to North African hammams to street art scavenger hunts. Paige brings that perfect mix of local insight and traveler perspective that makes these suggestions feel not just interesting, but personal and lived-in. What are the most unexpected places you’ve discovered while traveling, and what made them stand out to you? I’d love to hear about them, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why Paige’s favorite Paris park feels like a secret escape in the city How a hammam visit near the Grand Mosque can open your eyes to Arab culture in France Why “bonjour” and “au revoir” might be the most important words you say in Paris How to explore the French Revolution using a free app on your phone Advice to uncover Black history in Paris through immersive tours Tips for engaging with France’s diversity and colonial history through travel How to join a real-life street art scavenger hunt across Paris Where to go in the French Alps besides Chamonix What makes La Rochelle an underrated coastal gem Why Lille is a culture-rich city most tourists skip And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Paige McClanahan on Instagram Paige’s website and The New Tourist book Parc des Buttes-Chaumont Rosa Bonheur Bar Grande Mosquée de Paris Parcours Révolution App Black Paris Tours (Ricky Stevenson) Le Paris Noir Tour (Kevi Donat) Flash Invaders street art app Want More? How To Be a “New Tourist,” the Powers and Perils of Tourism, Embracing Tourist Traps, and the Impact of Travel With Paige McClanahan 3 Travel Trends You Should Know w/ Paige McClanahan How To Explore Paris Like a Local, Working on Hospital Ships, and Becoming an Expat on a Mystery Visa With Jay Swanson Thanks To Our Sponsors Apple Card – Earn 3% back on the Apple products and services you love with Apple Card. Moon Travel Guides – Use code ‘ZERO’ for 20% off your order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Did you know, Apple Card is designed to help you pay off your balance faster with smart payment suggestions, and because fees don't help you, Apple Card doesn't have any. So if your credit card isn't Apple Card, maybe it should be.
0:14.3	Subject to credit approval, Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch, variable APRs range from 18.24% to 28.49% based on creditworthiness.
0:25.8	Rates as of July 1st, 2025, terms and more at applecard.com.
0:32.1	Take a deeper look at the destinations that we're visiting as tourists and to always make sure that we see
0:38.3	these places, that we remember that these places are other people's homes. And looking beyond the
0:43.7	kind of traditional narratives, looking beyond the cliches to get at some of the deeper,
0:47.9	richer and more meaningful stories and activities and sites that you can explore in the city. So yeah, that's when I was coming up
0:57.0	with my list of five things. That's where I'm coming from. That is today's guest, Travel Journalist,
1:01.6	Paige McClanahan, here to share her top five unexpected things to do in Paris. Page is the author
1:08.6	of The New Tourist, waking up to to the Powers and Perils of Travel.
1:12.2	She has been a journalist for the New York Times, and her thought leadership on sustainable
1:16.3	and ethical travel has led to several TV and radio appearances on the likes of the BBC
1:22.5	World Service, ABC News, NPR, and many others. In this episode, you'll discover one of Paris's secret neighborhoods worth
1:30.8	spending time in and how to spend the perfect day there.
1:34.8	You're going to experience authentic North African culture without leaving Paris.
1:39.0	Hear about three incredible destinations in France worth visiting, including a lovely alternative to the overcrowded
1:45.6	French Riviera. You'll get tips for traveling in France like this. Two words, honestly,
1:52.8	Bonjour and au revoir. Okay. And it's even more than pleasing thank you. You need to say hello
2:00.1	and goodbye.
2:01.7	And I see that so often is like I'm in a cafe or I'm in a shop or something.
2:06.1	And there's an Anglophone, whether American or British or Canadian news, an English speaker in front of me in line at a bakery.
2:15.8	And they just walk up and they're like, can I have a baguette, please, or whatever, you know, can I have a croissant? And it's like, oh, the person might say, bonjour. And then they say, can I have a croissant? And you're like, oh, no, okay, if someone says, bonjour to you and you don't say bonjour back, that is a big, big, big, big no-no.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jason Moore, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jason Moore and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.