Charlotte is the face behind Luluescapes.com and a Senior Contributor for We Are Travel Girls.  She has lived in a lot of different countries and has traveled to many destinations in the world. In this interview we ask her about what it’s like to move to a different country, her future travel plans, her current home Paris and more! 

Hi Charlotte, thank you for your time. Can you please give our readers a short introduction about yourself? 

Thank you for doing this interview with me and allowing me to share a bit more about myself with your readers. I’m half English half French, I was born and raised in London before spending my teenage years in Ibiza. I then studied my degree in Madrid for five years, moved back to London for a few years and now it’s been two years since I’ve been living in Paris. Currently I’m working in the luxury hotel industry. In addition to being an avid traveller, I‘m a true foodie –that’s from my French side obviously, I enjoy all kinds of sports and I love discovering new cultural activities with friends.

Thank you for the introduction, let’s start this interview! You have lived in different countries. How was this for you when you grew up?

Moving to Ibiza when I was 11 was quite hard because it meant leaving the rest of my family and friends behind. Plus I didn’t speak much French or Spanish so it was rather daunting at first. But I soon got the grasp of the two languages and today I’m more than grateful to be able to speak three languages fluently. Ibiza is a beautiful island and the freedom I had there as a teenager I would not have had elsewhere. We all know each other on the island so there’s a really sense of community which I like. I mean, what can be better than going to the beach nearly everyday of the year after school?! Since then I have always enjoyed the challenge of moving to different places and meeting new people.

Which country do you see as your home, if any?

London will always be my home, because it’s where I grew up and it’s where all my family members live. Ibiza is my second home because it’s where I’ve spent every summer of my life since I was a baby and even my parents and grandparents used to go so it has a special place in my heart. And now Paris is also my home. My dad’s originally from Paris and actually lived 5 mins away from where I live today which is a small coincidence. I think each place you live in will always have a special place in your heart because of all the good memories.

Do you have friends all over the world because you move and travel so much?

Yes, I do and it’s fantastic. I love visiting my friends in different locations and it’s always a great way to get the best insider tips of a destination you’re travelling to. Plus my international friends also have friends living in different locations so it’s a small world after all.

What was your last destination? Tell us a bit about it!

The last trip I went on was a long weekend in Lisbon two weeks ago with a close friend from London. We spent a sunny weekend wandering around the little cobblestone streets and admiring the wonderful coloured buildings. The Portuguese were extremely friendly and welcoming which made our trip so much nicer. It has really made me want to go back to Portugal and visit other places.

Do you already have your next destination planned?

I generally tend to plan my trips at the last minute and there are plenty of destinations I would like to go to this summer in Europe. For the time being I know that I’m going to be spending a few days in the South of France, a good week in Ibiza of course, and a long weekend in Mallorca for a friend’s wedding.

Please list your five favorite destinations.

1. Philippines: I went in February and it was such a lovely holiday. My friend and I spent two weeks island hopping and enjoying the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen! It felt like a dream being there.
2. Lapland: I will never forget both of my trips to Lapland – once in Finland and the other time in Sweden. The landscape there is truly out of this world and the Northern Lights are so cool.
3. Venice: It’s true what people say, Venice is the most romantic place in the world. The fact that there are no cars, bikes, trains makes this city so unique.
4. Mexico: I would love to go back to the Yucatan region of Mexico and visit the places I missed last time. I loved the food, the lively atmosphere, the beaches, the centotes and the Mayan temples.
5. Turkey: It’s a vast country that has so many wonderful places to visit. I travelled a lot around Turkey and the only place I missed was Cappadocia so maybe I will have to go back someday.

Do you have a favorite place in this world? 

This is always one of the hardest questions to answer, just like what’s your favourite song… Each destination I’ve been to has been amazing in it’s own way and was special due to the occasion and the person(s) I travelled with. But some of the best memories I have and a place I know I will go back to the rest of my life is Ibiza. The beaches, small towns, our home is all so special to me.

You live in Paris. Do you have any recommendations?

Hmm… where to start. I live in the Batignolles area and it’s such a cool place to walk around if you want to avoid the touristy areas. There are some really trendy boutiques and many bars and restaurants. Some of my favourites are Les Paresseux, Les Poulettes Batignolles and Gare au Gorille. The Batignolles Square and the Parc Monceau are my favourite parks to walk around or to enjoy a picnic on a sunny day.

What is still on top of your bucketlist?

Every place I haven’t visited yet!! This summer I would love to go to Greece and to Croatia as I’ve never been. The next big trip I would love to do is a safari in Africa. This is something I’ve always dreamed of doing!

What is one of the funniest things that happened on your travels?

Most travels are full of good memories and laughters, but the one that first comes to my mind was when my best friend and I went to Kiruna. Here we went on a two day group adventure with a local Lappish man. He was rather peculiar and really direct in telling us his thoughts. He told us that he hated Spanish people in general, because they talk too much and are too loud. So, he didn’t really like my Spanish friend. He thought I was English and was really friendly to me, but then he started to curse the French by saying how arrogant they can be. My friend and I couldn’t help but laugh, because he didn’t realise I was French. I was kind of the favourite of the group who got to choose our daily activities and he would have been so disappointed if he found out. 

What is the scariest thing that ever happened during your travels?

Thankfully I’ve never really encountered any dangerous situations whilst travelling and fingers crossed it will never happen. One thing that was remotely scary for me happened when we were snorkelling in the Philippines. There we saw a thin black and white snake quite deep in the ocean and wondered what it was. Thankfully we are both petrified of snakes so we quickly swam away. When we asked our captain if it was harmful, he told us that it’s extremely harmful as apparently if it bites you, you only have eight hours to live. I’m not sure how accurate this is but if you ever see one stay away just in case.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

That’s not an easy one because I don’t even know where I see myself in one year. I might be in Paris or I might start getting itchy feet again. Who knows where I’ll move to next. Hopefully somewhere where it’s warm and sunny all year round.

Do you have anything else to add?

I’d just like to point out how important it is to travel. Not only do you get to discover new amazing places, but it really does open your mind and soul to the world. This makes you appreciate what you have in life. In my opinion, it’s the most rewarding thing in life that money can buy.

Thank you so much Charlotte. Happy travels! 

Pin this article: