Bonjour!
Today I’m adding a paid subscription to my Cartes Postales newsletter. The first thing to say is a massive Merci for following me thus far and secondly to issue a reassurance that the weekly free Carte will remain.
One of my reasons for launching Cartes Postales was so I could write about France, unencumbered by travel editors and their pesky briefs! Frequently, in pieces I write for large publications, I just don’t have the word count to write everything I want to about a place I’ve been and what’s been particularly memorable for me.
I love Cartes Postales but it does take time from the ugly business of bill-paying and children-feeding. It would be magnifique if you felt able to support my work by paying a subscription so I can be kept in coffee and croissants.
So, what will you get from your paid subscription?
*I’m going to archive the majority of old Cartes for paying subscribers only. I will leave 20 past ones for everyone to enjoy, but the remaining will go behind the paywall. I’ve written nearly 100 now – incroyable! – and I like to think the old ones hold a timeless value for people looking for inspo when planning a trip to France, a visit to the cinema or bookshop etc…
*I'm introducing Cartes Postales the Podcast for paid subscribers, where I'll read and record each week's Carte and include any extra bits that spring to mind about the week's topic. If, like me, you are an aural consumer, you might enjoy hearing my shonky pronunciations and often slightly nasal timbre as you walk, run, do the housework or fall asleep at night.
*Finally, and most excitingly, I’m going to introduce a BRAND NEW feature. Paid subscribers will be able to ask me for specific advice about their own French travel plans and I will collate the responses in a monthly TRES SPECIAL newsletter. I’m not offering to create whole bespoke itineraries here – but I love sharing my knowledge about France with friends who are planning to travel there and I think I’m pretty good at it. Decades of experience either living in or visiting the country and many years of writing about it for national publications… and you will be able to pick my brain for just a tiny fee!
I’m hoping this part of the newsletter will grow into a community of Francophile travel-y chit-chat. Maybe we can even set up some zoom calls in the future! (I’m getting carried away now.)
Alors, ça fait combien? I hear you ask in your best role-play French….
The monthly sub will be £5 but you can choose an annual one for £50. The money will enable me to spend more time on Cartes Postales and make exciting changes as they come up.
Many thanks and à bientôt!
Rachel
(here I am)