Meet Your Host Writers
Thank you for making Paris Inward part of your world. We look forward to meeting you at your retreat!
As writers, educators, and travelers, we’ve come to understand the significance of the journey, the meaning of exploration, and the importance of self-reflection.
Together, we offer an experience unlike any other!
Heidi Thomas
Bonjour! I am an experienced educator of 25+ years, teaching both French and English. I am also a self-published author, a travel writer, a travel advisor, yogi, and a mom. I have extensive experience leading both student and adult tours. My own international travel obsession really started when I decided to fulfill a dream to study in Florence, Montpellier, and Quebec City, ALL BY MYSELF.
In summer of 2022, I spent my time living in the South of France, truly uncovering what I am made of as a solo woman traveler. I am, perhaps, most passionate about solo women travel. This passion stems from finally coming face to face with my own fear and anxiety through travel. I want to gift you this experience to live out a dream…to show you that Paris, and all travel, IS accessible.
I am one hundred percent invested in using travel, especially to Paris, as a way to go inward. As your guide, my hope is to connect my own personal travel journey with your journey, to share moments of our own DÉRIVE, nurturing a sense of spontaneity that is guided by the landscape and architecture. After all, I’m a small town girl at heart with big international dreams.
John Mabold
I am in LOVE with Paris! As a French teacher and francophile, I feel at home in France—especially in the City of Light. In addition to being an educator, I am an artist, a travel writer, and a poet. In 2022, I published Jostled Soul, a very special collection of poems. My next project is a compilation of introspective prompts for travelers visiting Paris; I have thoughtfully curated a preview of experiential prompts for the Paris Inward retreat!
I am a slow traveler. I like to look around, and to engage all my senses. As your guide, you’ll notice that sometimes I may ask you to see without opening your eyes. To sit and be still. To listen. My hope is that you are as connected to Paris as Paris is connected to you.
I am excited to be your guide and delighted to facilitate a series of workshops that are deeply rooted in meaning. Every year, in my travels to France, I fall more and more in LOVE with Paris—only to discover another layer of myself. As travel writer Ella Maillart wrote, “only the inward journey is real.” It’s time to explore what that means.
CONTACT US
CONTACT US
Let’s talk about Paris Inward.
Virtual Office Hours
By Appointment
Email
parisinward@gmail.com