Important tips for being street smart in Paris
Especially given the Olympic Games are around the corner
Is Paris a safe city? The truth is, it’s probably about as safe as any other big city.
In other words, you need to be smart when you’re here. And I suppose this will never be more true than during the big influx of visitors for the Olympics.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never really taken a dive into Paris street safety before, so this week I met up with American content creator Amanda Rollins, who shares her tips and tricks for being street smart in the City of Light.
Amanda has made a name for herself on her wildly popular social media accounts as American Fille. Among many, many other things, she tells her million-plus TikTok followers how to stay out of trouble in Paris.
She joined The Earful Tower for a chat about Paris safety and much more.
The Earful Tower podcast
Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Here’s the podcast in five key subheadings.
1) Know exactly where you’ve got your phone and wallet
2) Be careful on busy Metros
3) Be wary of anyone approaching you on the street
4) Don’t play any street games
5) Don’t carry large amounts of cash – ever
For a more in-depth explanation, click here for our blog post.
New children’s book
Speaking of the upcoming Olympics, the games have inspired our race to publish our next children’s book! If you’re new around here, I’ve written three books for kids, all illustrated by my wife Lina.
Next week we will launch pre-sales for our fourth book, via a Kickstarter campaign. The book also features animals in Paris in a playful, rhyming story - and we think you’ll love it.
There’s no link to share yet, but keep your eyes out next week. The campaign will be the cheapest way to get the book - and the only way to get the special extras (like having your name published in the book, and so on… if you’re quick!) Crowdfunding campaigns like this are crucial for us too, as they allow us to gauge the audience interest, and that way we know how many to print! Watch this space!
Below is one of Lina’s newest illustrations for the book. I don’t want to give too much away yet, but let’s just say that the animals will come out to play when the people leave Paris….
In the group, in the loop…
Meanwhile, over in the member’s corner, you’re statistically unlikely to have seen my latest offering - because I published it 11 seconds ago.
During a veritable tempest on the Ile Saint-Louis (pictured below), I sat down in a cafe with Veronique Savoie from France with Vero and she interviewed me. What makes a good podcast, what do I dislike about France, what are some big French faux pas I’ve made over the years? It was a lovely chat over a very sweet hot chocolate.
You can access the video in three ways. 1) By being a Patreon member of Vero. 2) By being a Patreon member of The Earful Tower. 3) By being a free Patreon member of The Earful Tower, where I just shared the video link together with a free extract from my PDF guide to Paris. Go on, get it for free right here. I don’t mind. But please consider signing up later as a paying member. After all, when you’re in the group, you’re in the loop.
Let’s bake some French treats
A few people have asked how I’m going to celebrate the milestone of 1,000 podcast reviews, and I’ve come up with the answer.
You perhaps know that 1,000 is mille in French, and you perhaps know that a mille-feuille is a dessert with (allegedly) a thousand layers. They’re also called Napoleons elsewhere in the world.
Well, I’m going to take The Earful Team on a cooking class to learn how to make these desserts, and we’re going to film it, photograph it, and turn it into a podcast episode.
That will come out soon, we’re doing it on Monday.
If you want to book a similar cooking class, or any French cooking class really, do what we’re doing and book it with the excellent CooknWithClass. Please use this link to book, or let them know I sent you in the little drop-down menu. Their sauce-making classes, market tours, and macaron-making courses are very popular for a reason. Add a little spice to your next Paris trip!
That’s enough for me, we have to put the final touches on our new children’s book. How exciting :)
Thanks for reading, Oliver
The above is the most interesting, informative and, yes, even fascinating interview/podcast I’ve listened to in a long time! What a duo - Oliver Gee and Amanda Rollins - two entrepreneurs who started from nothing, with only their love of Paris, their social media savvy and their marketing genius to guide them. You are both living out the dream of so many people - to live in Paris. Why? Because that is your job: to live that dream, to explore life in the world’s #1 tourist destination, and then to share your experiences with the world.
As a retired French teacher who spent forty years studying and traveling to France every summer, taking workshops/“stages” throughout every region in France, spending my junior year abroad through NYU in Paris, a starving student, then a poor teacher, photographing everything with my Nikon in Kodachrome slide film, in order to have the best quality slides to show my students, then graduating to VHC videos, then to Hi8 tapes to have to bring France to my students. Now, those hundreds of slides and videos are useless, in my closet, in the dark. Gathering dust and fading away for the past 25 years(since the internet), - I envy you both! You are doing what I spent 40 years trying to do, while I spent a fortune on airfare, train fares, camera and video equipment& development, and finally on laptop computers and digital 35mm cameras and on SONY video cameras, on hotels, etc., etc. I learned a vast amount about France and its glorious civilization, about the French and the French language(began to study it at 14 in 1968;acquired native proficiency in 1985). Never, in those 40 years, did I earn a penny from all that effort, toil, sweat and tears.
I am in AWE of you two, as well as of Veronique Savoie.
In July, 2018, on my 19th trip to France, my ViSA credit card was stolen after I had taken it out to pay for the Air France bus at Charles DeGaulle airport. I thought I had put it back carefully in my bag. The Bus took me directly to Etoile, then I went to the hotel half a block away.In my room at the hotel, when I opened my wallet to check for my money, credit cards, passport, etc., I discovered that my VISA credit card had been stolen. I had felt nor seen nothing! Those pickpocket people are masters of their trade!
Had no idea about catophiles, and the dangers of the catacombs(I’m claustrophobic). Will never go.
Brilliant, entertaining interview! Had never heard of Amanda Rollins because I’m not into Tik Tok much, but I will be from now on! I’m going to sign up now, and follow her on Instagram.
Congratulations to you both! Your synergy, kindred spirit chemistry, is electric. Please do more shows/podcasts/events together.👍💥👏🏻🤩
Ooohhhh, can’t wait for the new book! Going now to listen to Vera interview you.