TravelESCAPE TO PROVENCE WITH LINDA OF LIVE LOUD GIRL

WITH LINDA
OF LIVE LOUD GIRL

Linda is an interior stylist, blogger and the founder of Live Loud Girl.
She lives in Dubai with her husband and their two boys, Jack (7) and Sam (5).
From what the family packed to restaurants locals swear by, follow their adventure as they escape to beautiful Provence, South of France.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS LOVED TO TRAVEL?

Yes! Always have, always will. Traveling is inspiring. It always gives me new insights and energy to work with. And I think travelling with my kids now and exposing them to all the different cultures, foods, landscapes and people is the best way to educate them.

Traveling is inspiring. It always gives me new insights and energy to work with.

HAVE YOUR TRAVELLING HABITS CHANGED SINCE YOU’VE HAD YOUR LITTLE ONES?

Not really but we always alternate between more adventurous holidays like the Sri Lanka trip we did last year and an easy going one like this year in France. The great thing is that the boys are also more eager to go out and explore which makes our family vacations a lot of fun now.

THE DESTINATION

We spent this summer holiday in Europe. To escape the Dubai heat, we planned a long trip to see family and friends in The Netherlands. The last four weeks were spent in the south of France. As we go there often, we know the surroundings pretty well now and feel at home.

SNOOZE IN STYLE

My parents in law have a house in the Provence, lucky us. So lazing around the house and by the pool are always on the agenda. The boys can spend hours in the water and as they have come to the age where they have each other as an audience, I can relax and actually read a book on my sun bed. These lazy days remind me of how I spent my summer holidays as a child. Those summer holidays that seemed to never end…

NEIGHBOURHOOD

La Provence is beautiful. The landscape is like on the postcards: fields of lavender, towns with cobbled streets, the bakery on the corner for your fresh croissants and the sound of crickets at night. It is a real holiday destination with lots of great places around to explore and visit.

EAT LIKE A LOCAL

We love to go out for lunch. The food in France is fantastic and well priced if you go for the menu. Family favourites are Chez Serge (in Carpentras) and La Ferme Du Pezet. This last one has an amazing backdrop of vineyards. There is just nothing better than spending hours at the table and have the kids run around. That sums up a perfect day for me.

SIGHTS SEE

We did some great road trippin’ this time. There are many beautiful walks to do around this area. One of the highlights for us was a visit to Lac de Sainte – Croix. This stunning blue lake between the cliffs is a great place to splash around in, rent a boat or just enjoy nature around you. If you want to enjoy some French city life, Avignon and Isle Sur La Sorgue are beautiful places to visit with lots of shops, brocante markets and historic highlights. It is always on the agenda for me as I love to snoop around the shops to see if I can find any new products to work with back home.

La Provence is beautiful. The landscape is like on the postcards: fields of lavender, towns with cobbled streets, the bakery on the corner for your fresh croissants and the sound of crickets at night.

BEST SHOPPING?

Floshop (in Avignon) which has a beautiful collection of interior items like mirrors, vases and benches. Bonjour Minot (in Avignon) is my favourite kids clothing store with also some small interior items.

La Maison Jouvaud (in Isle sur la Sorgue) is my go-to place for a coffee and a picture perfect pastry. For fashion, I love to visit Maison Mood (in Avignon). Bring a big wallet as they have Isabel Marant and more great brands all in one lovely store.

ANY MEMORABLE STORIES THAT HAPPENED DURING THIS TRIP?

Too many to mention, but a highlight was when the boys cooked a meal together and served us in the garden. They really made such an effort!

MUST-HAVE ITEMS TO PACK?

In our suitcase this year we had lots of shorts, sneakers and Tees. And although boys will be boys and climb trees, roll in the grass and get dirty, I love dressing them in things that look cool and funky. My favourite new items were the shorts from Animal Observatory and shirt from Bobo Choses. Also, the Mini Rodini items are always a hit for me, the kids and apparently also my followers. For the boys, I ordered some new sneakers from Vans and Hummel that have been worn on a daily basis.My own suitcase will always have my workout clothes as I do try to keep up my workout routine (and work off those croissant calories) during my long and overall lazy summer. For the rest, my essentials are always jeans, white sneakers and a stripy top. You can never go wrong with that.