A week ago Thursday (March 12), I sat down with Lindsey Tramuta of Lost in Cheeseland, The New Paris, and the forthcoming The New Parisienne (out April 21) to record an episode for The New Paris podcast. We took this picture before “social distancing” was even a term in our lexicon. It was the day we woke up to the news that Tom Hanks had COVID-19 coronavirus.

That was NINE days ago. We NEVER imagined we’d be where we are today. In quarantine. Locked in our apartments. Having to have a paper attestation (permission slip) to leave the house for essential items. All for what will surely be much longer than the initial 15 days that were announced. (The world is warning us, please take it seriously and STAY HOME.)

We knew we wanted to address the virus, but I was on to talk about tourism, and specifically overtourism, which is only slightly ironic at the moment given we’re in the exact opposite situation at the moment. While I’m sure so much of the conversation sounds wildly out of date, I still stand by so much of what I had to say about the future of our cities, how we can travel in deeper and more meaningful ways, and determining our own priorities. I even got to give a shout out to my dad, his love of trains, and work on PTC (Positive Train Control).

Have a listen!

I brought my little gnome to the studio join us for the conversation as a reminder to have a fun conversation. You probably won’t even believe me, but on the way to the studio I even spotted Amélie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet!!! I swear it’s true. It seemed like fate and a sign for good things to come! (Or perhaps like in Amélie, a reminder that gnomes can help us travel vicariously for now.)

We may be stuck inside, but that means you can catch up on The New Paris podcast, and all your favorite podcasts (here are mine) and check out some new ones.

The world has vastly chanced, but life still goes on, and Lindsey’s book, The New Parisienne, comes out April 21st (stay tuned for another post on that!). For now you can pre-order it (support all authors these days!). And yes, I definitely embarrassed Lindsey at the end of the episode, but I’m a full believer in “shine theory“. More than ever I think we need to do all we can to help others shine because when others shine, we all shine.

If you’re looking for a bit of vicarious travel to Paris you can check out my Navigate Paris online to plan your future trip (sign up for lifetime access). I have blog posts planned (quarantine days fill up surprisingly fast!), but for now Instagram (@pretavoyager) is the best place to see my latest thoughts on what’s going out and what it’s like to experience it in Paris (we all look forward to the 8pm applause for medical professionals from our windows!).

I also write a weekly newsletter called Connect the Dots where I share thoughts and inspiration—something I’m reading, watching, and listening to each week. Check the archives for loads of ideas!