If there’s anything you need to know about me, it is that I really love traveling. I feel fortunate to have been to Europe already in my lifetime and have immersed myself in different, but pleasant cultures other than my own. Although I have equally loved all the places I have been to, and have learned so much from them, ultimately my family’s trip to Paris in the summer of 2013 is the one I reflect on the most. Paris is romanticized, yet as a child, I wasn’t as conscious of the reality of life as a tourist versus an actual citizen or inhabitant. I fell hard for the city, despite that naivety, and since leaving, I have never forgotten the feelings that trip ignited in me. I have aspirations of going abroad there again to expand my language skills and understanding of the culture. Wholeheartedly, my biggest dream would be to eventually live in France or elsewhere in Europe.
It’s out there, I know, but some unlikely inspirations have kept me in tune with not only my dream, but love for French culture, language, and traveling. I go through my phases of watching creators, and unsubscribing if my interest wanes, but I am a truly dedicated viewer of these following abroad content creators. Once I tell you about them, I think you will be too.
Damon Dominique
Damon is the epitome of everything you could want from a creator and more. With a seamless aesthetic consistent through his weekly videos, Damon is delightful and humorous. His channel is focused on life in France, particularly being an American in France. Damon is fluent in several languages, but is passionate about French language learning, recently launching a learning course. He highlights the realistic struggles of being an American in Paris. All in a highly humorous, but insightful tone.
Damon’s honesty and humor in the struggles of being a foreigner abroad are what make his content so rewarding and addicting. In a recent interview with Frenchly, he said, “I think people enjoy watching some of my videos because it’s comforting to know that even if you’re living in one of the greatest cities in the world, the struggle is real…no matter where you are – and even when you’re not struggling-struggling (I’m living in a beautiful neighborhood, with the job of my dreams), you’re still struggling in some aspect. I think it’s comforting for people, not to bask in your misery, but to know that no matter how close you are to your so-called dream life, there will always be something that isn’t exactly working out. This isn’t discouraging, it’s empowering.”
There is an assortment of lighthearted, realistic content on Damon’s YouTube channel, but one of the best series he’s done is his Red Wine Talks. He has a guest, typically one of his friends, and they drink wine while talking about relevant topics, like creativity, social media, heartbreak, etc. What I love about this series is that it is so authentic and laid back. It’s just people having truly intelligent, thoughtful conversations. I can’t accurately describe the feel of them. They’re just so fun and refreshing!
The Purple Palace
Shayna Klee is a visual artist and filmmaker who provides an enjoyable, daydreamy insight into a daily Paris lifestyle. She is currently an art student, and she often details on her YouTube channel her artistic processes. There is a laid-back approach to most of her videos, usually sit down and quick glimpses of her day. However, there is still a great amount of personality and thoughtfulness within them. I like to describe her videos as diaries and look into the genuinity of being soulful and true to your purpose as a human. There’s something so refreshing about her perspectives and artistic passions; I feel like I’m constantly reconnecting with deeper, creative parts of myself in watching her vlogs and projects.
She does some of her videos half, or fully, in French with English subtitles which is really wonderful if you’re interested in her lifestyle as well as are looking to learn the language.
Kiana Tiese
Kiana makes both TikTok and YouTube videos. She produces content about lifestyle in Paris, like fashion, food, as well as French language learning tips. She additionally talks about experiences with being a Black woman and American in Paris, highlighting some specific instances where she has been racially profiled. “I would love to be just like my other creators in my social circle just talking about pain au chocolat, and the Eiffel Tower, and oh my god Paris, but I have to make videos like this now, cause I’m living this and this is real,” she said in a recent video on these incidents. Thoughtful and well-spoken, Kiana’s content provides a very realistic perspective of Parisian culture, and the insight of being a Black woman abroad, examining privileges, and French not being your first language.
I really love her content and authenticity; I only check my following tab on TikTok for her videos! She posts more frequently on TikTok (@kianatiese), but be sure to check out her YouTube as well.
Nathaniel Drew
Widely accomplished across many fronts, mostly on YouTube, but also in hosting a language learning course on Bright Trip, and streaming on Twitch, Nathaniel Drew is a content creator who focuses on producing videos and having conversations surrounding mental clarity. His videos are seamless in their presentation, with a lot of thoughtful consideration of the words and clips used. Some of his videos like, “Speaking 5+ Languages with my Polyglot Grandma” and “I Tried Picasso’s (Incredible) Daily Routine: What I Learned” have amassed millions of views, showing the content you can expect from him.
He too is masterful in several languages and has lived in a variety of places before Paris. The insights that Nathaniel brings to the table are not to be understated, and I feel truly at peace watching his videos.
Cecily’s Perspective
A curious nomad, Cecily is an American who has lived in a few places, but now resides in Paris. She has lifestyle videos, balanced with real-time learning French with her, and she showcases her experience with traveling abroad as a young person. She also touches upon more locational-based things throughout her day, like vlogging Parisian thrift trips and spending a weekend in a French castle.
She does updates on her language journey with French as well as sit down Q&A vlogs. Her videos are the right amount of laid back, as well as informative so that you immediately grow to love her. As always, her perspectives with living in Europe, but still being so young and continuing to think globally
are thoughtful and neat. Once it’s safe to, she said she plans to travel more places, so now is a good time to follow her and see where her journey goes!
These are all Paris-based content creators, of course, but there are a ton of other vloggers, TikTokers, and Instagrammers abroad in other places. If you’re willing to seek them out, you’ll find them.
At this point, I probably consume content on my social media platforms the most from people in other countries than the United States. It took me a long while to find creators that I felt were conscious of the larger picture of things, in having the opportunities and desires to be abroad, as well as are respecting the cultures they are not native to. They don’t overly glamorize the experience of living in Paris, which is a big factor that pulled me into their videos. I try to balance my content consumption of abroad creators that are native speakers and Americans because I believe both perspectives are relevant in my learning experience and personal enjoyment as a viewer. I encourage you to consider this, if you are incentivized to discover other creators abroad, and hope you enjoy these as well!