CNN
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Growing up in California, Melissa Regan envisioned eventually moving to New York, working in finance, and enjoying “big city life.”
But after enrolling for a semester in Vienna, Austria, and “accidentally” ending up studying abroad in France in 1999, Melissa Regan found herself living permanently in another metropolis: Paris.
“It was clearly my destiny to come here,” Regan told CNN Travel. “But I can't say it was planned.”
France wasn't necessarily one of Regan's favorite places, although she had visited the French capital twice when she was younger.
However, during a “life-changing” semester in the south of France, she developed an appreciation for French culture and “my eyes were opened in a way that changed my life.”
“In the United States, especially back then, when you went to have coffee with someone, they were there and they pretty much ignored you,” she says. “Because they’re thinking about the next appointment, the next engagement.
“And in France, when I went for coffee, it was like the world stopped for hours.”
Upon returning to the United States, Regan enrolled in an international MBA program that allowed him to spend a full year in France.
After graduating, Regan was offered an internship with a Paris-based company in 2022, giving her the opportunity to live in the French capital.
“I thought that was amazing,” she says. “And that would be a foolish opportunity to pass by.”
As she adjusted to life in Paris, Regan became fascinated with the city's vibrant culture, especially its restaurants and museums, and “how much fun you could have there.”
She said she originally envisioned living and working in a European city for a year or two.
But her fate seemed sealed when Regan fell in love with a Frenchman named Julien, whom she married in 2007.
“I had already lived in Paris for three years,” she added. “So, I was definitely enjoying my life. And at that point, I had a group of friends.
“So meeting him didn't change everything either. But he became an important factor in me and I was no longer thinking about returning to America.”
Provided by Melissa Regan
Entrepreneur with husband Julian and sons Theodore and Jefferson.
She and her husband had two sons, Theodore and Jefferson.
Regan was very impressed with the care she received during her birth, explaining that in this country, new mothers are usually hospitalized for several days.
She feels blessed to be able to raise her children in France because of the “great quality of life” and stressed that despite working “very hard,” she still has dinner at home with her family every night.
“We take a school vacation every six weeks,” she explains. “So every six weeks, kids are off school for two to three weeks.
“And in the meantime, it's culturally accepted to take time off. It's normal.”
She went on to explain that her children feel safer in France than in the United States because “we don't have the same problems with guns.”
“From the age of 10 or 11, they [kids] He starts going to school on his own,” Regan added. “And it’s just a cultural norm.
“So as a parent of a relatively young child, my quality of life is much better.”
Despite Paris being ranked as one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, Regan said she also found France more affordable for her family.
She attributes this, at least in part, to France's healthcare system, which provides universal insurance to all legal residents.
“There are social systems and there are private health services provided by companies,” she says. “So you don't have to feel the same level of stress.”
Regan recently spent about five weeks in the United States and admitted she was surprised by the rise in prices.
Provided by Melissa Regan
Regan and her sons in their Paris apartment.
“For example, I was really shocked by the inflation-induced price increases for groceries,” she says. “Here [in Paris,] There were price increases due to inflation, but they were not as dramatic. ”
Regan has lived in Paris for more than 20 years, but admits it took a long time for the city to feel completely like home.
“I think it took me two years to really love the life I have now,” she says. “I think it took me eight years to really feel like this was home.
“And now I can't imagine wanting to live my life anywhere else.”
Regan has seen Paris go through many changes over the years and feels the city has become “more and more foreign” and “more cosmopolitan.”
“Twenty years ago, if you didn't speak French, it would have been really difficult to live here,” she says. “And now that has changed.”
Regan had taken several months of intensive French courses before arriving in France, but admits it took a while before she felt like she was a relatively competent French speaker. Masu.
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She recalls how she struggled as she was often the only person speaking English at large dinner parties.
However, she feels that is not the case now, as there are far more people in the city who speak other languages.
“I think it's gotten a lot easier. [to relocate to Paris],” she says.
Regan originally came to France on a student visa before obtaining a work visa. After she married a Frenchman, she became eligible for a French residence permit, a carte de séjour, which was renewed every 10 years.
She is currently eligible for French citizenship, but the process has not yet begun.
“This is a huge administrative task,” she explains. “And every year I feel like I have a different priority.”
Regan currently runs a real estate agency based in Paris, providing real estate services to overseas clients.
“I think what I'm very proud of is that we're really helping people,” she said, noting that many newcomers struggle with France's “slow administrative procedures.” It said it was seeking advice to pinpoint “which areas are the safest and which are safest”. Arranged for foreigners. ”
She often advises people interested in moving to Paris to do as much research as possible before coming and prepare the necessary documents well in advance.
Provided by Melissa Regan
“I'm a big believer that things always work out the way they're supposed to,” Regan says.
The Netflix series Emily in Paris, about an American marketing executive who moves to Paris for a new job, has put Paris back in the spotlight in recent years, with many fans of the show gathered in the capital. Reenact some of the experience depicted.
Regan noted that the show likely helped attract newcomers, but stressed that “Paris is always at the top of the list.”
“Twenty-five years ago, when I was still in my twenties, I dreamed of coming here even before 'Emily in Paris' was released,” she says.
“So I think it's opened up that opportunity to a wider audience that probably wouldn't necessarily have had the opportunity to travel overseas before.”
Regan regularly returns to the U.S. to visit family and prefers a more casual approach, as spending the day “rolling out of bed sweating and putting on a hat” is somewhat frowned upon in Paris. He said he enjoys the opportunity to dress up.
“It's definitely a little more formal here,” she says, noting that while most of her friends in Paris get their hair and nails done before going on vacation, she does “the opposite” when she returns to the United States. did.
“I take off my nail polish. I don't wear makeup. I feel a little more relaxed.”
Although Regan still has strong ties to America, she cannot imagine herself ever returning and feels like she ended up where she was supposed to be.
“I'm very aware of where I am,” she says. “I'm a big believer that things always work out the way they're supposed to.
“The last 25 years have been a whirlwind. There have been ups and downs, but it's been incredible…Personally, I feel very blessed.”
Asked if she considers herself a Parisian now, Regan said she didn't know if she could “self-declare” that, but that she felt closer to one “by adoption.”
