For when France seems too far away. Shop for inspiring images of France and discover travel tips, packing advice, recipes, book reviews and more.
For when France seems too far away. Shop for inspiring images of France and discover travel tips, packing advice, recipes, book reviews and more.

About Distant Francophile

You absolutely can’t wait for your next trip – or your first trip – to France. And in the meantime, you’d love to bring a little bit of the French lifestyle in your everyday world.

It would be fabulous if you could dress with the effortless class and nonchalance of a Parisian. Or share the flavours of the South of France with your friends at your next dinner party.

And sometimes you wish you could get just a little more French inspiration into your life.

But despite all your Googling, you’re not sure that you’ve quite nailed your francophile vision…

If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place.

I know that everyone can bring French elegance and inspiration to their life, no matter where they happen to live in the world. They only need to learn a secret or two to be on their way.

When you join the Distant Francophile community, you’ll have access to the secrets that allow you to bring the best of the French lifestyle into your everyday life. I’m talking about things like style advice, recipes and book reviews. And you’ll also receive regular doses of French inspiration, as well as travel and packing tips galore.

 

Hi, I’m Janelle.

I’d always had a passing interest in France. But this interest grew into a full blown obsession after spending October 2008 in Paris and Provence with my husband Scott and our son Cal. We fell in love with the people, the culture, the architecture, the food, the wine… basically, we fell in love with everything about the place.

From that very first trip, Scott and I were confirmed francophiles and have chosen to brave the 24 hour flight from Melbourne, Australia to France many, many times. We try to visit at least annually, if not more regularly. Cal still travels with us every now and then.

Apart from the amazing travel experiences, all of these visits have given me stacks of practical experience when it comes to things like planning and packing for our trips.

And over the years, I also became absolutely fascinated with understanding how French women could be so chic.

But in the early days, I realised I was clueless when it came to style, let alone French flair. I had no idea how French women put themselves together so effortlessly. And I was desperate for just a little bit of the inherent style confidence that I saw time and time again on French streets. Somehow I understood that if I could develop confidence in the style space, it would impact my confidence in every area of my life.

I decided to throw myself at the problem and enrolled in styling courses in both Australia and London, qualifying as a certified Style Coach™.

But you know what? My biggest learnings came from studying French women and applying what I’ve I learned in my own life.

The Distant Francophile Community

In 2014, I decided to create Distant Francophile so I could share everything I’d learned about travelling to France, French culture and style – as well as Scott’s amazing photography – with the world.

Since then I’ve made amazing connections with francophiles all around the globe. And I’ve been honoured to be featured on many websites including My French Life™ and A French Collection.

Every week (or two) I share new content related to French style, travel and packing tips and France itself.  Make sure you fill in your details below so you never miss out on a dose of French inspiration.

And in 2022, we opened our fine art photography shop. Hanging gorgeous images of France on your walls is a perfect way to bring a little piece of France into everyday life.

Finally, one of my favourite things in the world is hearing from the Distant Francophile community. You can email me at janelle@distantfrancophile.com or we can connect on Facebook or Instagram.

And I’d absolutely love for you to join me as I explore French flavours, elegance, style and inspiration – all you need to do is enter your details in the form below.

Until next time – au revoir.

Photographs of Scott Gould and Janelle Wehsack Gould together taken by Carla Coulson, 2015. All other photographs on this website have been taken by Scott Gould or Janelle Wehsack Gould, unless otherwise noted.