Guided Tours to France

Kindred Voyages: travel abroad like a welcomed friend

Motivated by a desire to share the love of France, her native country, MayaJoëlle started Kindred Voyages in 2009.

These trips provide the traveler with an opportunity to co-create spontaneous magical experiences while expanding communities and relationships overseas.

Kindred Voyages and La Cuisine will be combining forces for a first trip to France together in June 2025.

See previous trips below, and stay tuned for more trips to both France and eventually Taiwan and China as well.

Available Trips to France

Provence - Luberon

* Give yourself an unforgettable, meaningful, and transformative experience

* Delight in the flavors, scents, sights, and sounds of this magical region

* Share moments of joy, laughter, awe, discovery, sacredness, silliness with other Kindred Voyagers

To see full details on this trip, including pricing, accommodation, transport, food, and activities, download the pdf file HERE.

See photo gallery HERE.

Provence - Le Var

* Breathe deeply, dance, run freely through the fields of lavender

* Marvel at les Gorges du Verdon, unique in Europe, known as the Grand Canyon of France

* Let yourself wander through charming medieval perched villages dating from 12th century

* Swim in the turquoise waters of the Lac de St Croix

To see full details on this trip, including pricing, accommodation, transport, food, and activities, download the pdf file HERE.

See photo gallery HERE.

Dordogne

* Explore 50,000 years of history, caves, and some of the 1001 Castles of Perigord Noir

* Immerse yourself in a region where, without interruption, man has been present for 400,000 years

To see full details on this trip, including pricing, accommodation, transport, food, and activities, download the pdf file HERE.

See photo gallery HERE.

Alsace

* Experience medieval village life with locals

* Share food and laughter with new friends 

 * Speak French, English, gibberish

To see full details on this trip, including pricing, accommodation, transport, food, and activities, download the pdf file HERE.

See photo gallery HERE.

Are These Trips For You?

  • You like to interact with the locals

  • You wish to let yourself be immersed in the local way of living

  • You look forward to visiting a variety of sites to be savored as experience rather than agenda —a village, an open-air market, a cave, a gorge, a museum, the Riviera

  • You desire to be gently guided, not led

  • You enjoy people’s company, communities, the energy of a group, yet have a need for time alone so you can follow your own rhythm

  • You’d rather travel in a very small group to deepen your experience

  • You do not want to pack and unpack again and again to meet a schedule, or run from place to place to see all of Europe in 7 days

  • You prefer French traditional villages to larger cities

  • You treasure the enjoyment of slower travel

  • You want to savor each moment, feeling a sense of timelessness

  • You are open to some spontaneous discoveries as well as some planned ones

  • You may need help with the language barrier or welcome the opportunity to speak French

  • You do not feel like traveling solo, and large scale organized travel is not your thing

Kindred Voyages can be tailored to your own group of family and friends

You know you are a Kindred Voyager if:

Videos from Voyages in France

Nous nous voyageons pas pour échapper à la vie, mais pour que la vie ne nous échappe pas.

(We do not travel to escape life, but so that life does not escape us.)

Kind Words for Kindred Voyages

  • We had an amazing sensorial experience immersed in all the sights, sounds, tastes, feel, and smell of France. It was beyond any clichés or post card picture facsimiles. The best way to briefly describe our two week Kindred Voyages journey is to compare it to a wonderful French meal where the setting, aperitif, bread, cheese, meats, vegetables, sauce, wine, language, conversation, culture, and friendship combined to become more than the sum of each. It all blended into an experience of Joy. France so permeated our senses and being that we now carry a bit of it in our hearts. One person brought all these vital elements together, MayaJoëlle. In the same way she puts ingredients together to lovingly prepare one of her wonderful home cooked meals, MayaJoëlle deftly puts people and experiences together and, Voilà! C’est magic! She makes moments, memories, relationships, and joy happen. It is her gift and her passion. Merci Beaucoup Kindred Voyages!

    —Jeff McKibben, Asheville, NC Alsace 2017

  • “Kindred Voyages” is not just a clever name for a touring business. The moment we met our guide, MayaJoëlle, I felt a comfortable sense of the familiar, a “kindred” spirit” welcoming us with a gracious smile and a warm heart. And our voyage was no ordinary tour. From the pre-travel meeting where we explored our personal desires for our trip, to our last night at a quaint restaurant in the countryside in Dordogne, with it’s delectably authentic multi-course French meal, MayaJoëlle struck a wonderful balance of offering just enough structure and flexibility for us to experience what was important to us, and rest when we needed. Her passion for France; the food, the charm, the language, the beauty, the ancient history imbued each meal and adventure with almost a childlike sense of wonder and pleasure. I can’t imagine getting acquainted with the French appetites and sensibilities with anyone more appropriate than MayaJoëlle. She so beautifully embodies them!

    —Mary Davis, Asheville, NC Dordogne 2011 mary-davis.com

  • Thank you for a trip full of miracles. Every day was full of pleasure, discovery, surprise, and warm connection within our group and with the people we met. With grace and great love, you supported each of us in fulfilling our intentions for the trip. All the while we enjoyed wonderful meals, great conversation (I’m now dreaming in French, as you suggested might happen), and generous fellowship. It’s been a privilege to travel with you. Anyone would be lucky to do so.

    —Lisa Sarasohn, Asheville, NC Dordogne 2010 corewellbeing.net

  • Thank you for this truly wonderful adventure. So many discoveries: France, the caves, the castles, the villages, and the discovery of a new “family” whom you nurtured and pampered with your dedication beyond measure. I will always remember fondly this street, this home, so welcoming and so full of history.

    —Denise Odell, Asheville NC Dordogne 2010

  • I traveled in France with a small group led by MayaJoëlle during the summer of 2009. We spent two weeks in a lovely villa in Aups-en-Provence, in the Var region, becoming part of the community, taking day trips to beautiful medieval villages, going to the marchés (open air markets), meeting local people, dining out and cooking our own wonderful French food. MayaJoëlle was the perfect facilitator. Her love for and knowledge of the area and the culture, and her tireless enthusiasm for sharing the best of it with us made for a most memorable experience.

    —Rachelle Rogers, Asheville, NC Var Provence 2009 serendipitydigitaldesign.com

  • My first trip to France and it was not only enjoyable but I learned so much. MayaJoëlle explained things and really helped me to feel comfortable in a new country even though I didn’t speak french. She is so delightfully friendly and eager to share information that is was the best trip ever.

    —Karen Noel, Asheville, NC Var Provence 2009 karennoelart.com