Meet Josh,
Entrepreneur, community builder, and Dutch expat who turned isolation on the French Riviera into connection, and a thriving international community.
Joshua moved to the South of France in 2018 with his wife, chasing a better quality of life, sunshine, and a slower pace. What he didn’t expect was how isolating life abroad could feel, even in one of the most beautiful regions in the world.
In this episode, we talk about
the reality of settling into the French Riviera: navigating language barriers, adapting to a slower (very slow) pace of life, and the challenges of building genuine friendships in a place shaped by tourism and transient expat populations.
how that experience led him to create Next Locals, a community-first platform born from simple meetups over drinks, consistency, and the desire to bring like-minded people together offline
French culture, the importance of making an effort with the language, the differences between Paris and the South, and how creating a “tribe” is what truly makes a place feel like home.
🎤Song Tell Ol’ Bill - Alternate version by Bob Dylan: https://open.spotify.com/track/4UFz15tiyxEV8w70Az6GtN?si=Rxnj3klnSPiKVVxdhXxTIA
🍕Restaurant recommendations in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
La Spiaggia : https://www.laspiaggiaplage.com/
Le Bistrot de la Marine: https://lebistrotdelamarine.fr/
Next Locals website: https://nextlocals.com/
Follow for more expat stories:
📱TikTok
Credits:
Intro outro Ice tea, Not the king
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
