Welcome to the HCPeXchange.eu (HCP-X.eu) blog!
Are you a healthcare professional looking to experience “Work & Travel”? We’re here to help you make the most of it! Get ready to work, travel, and live in France.
Living abroad is much more than spending a week sightseeing in August. Take advantage of this opportunity!
Our first destination: France.
What professional and personal challenges might you face? Let’s start with the professional ones:
Work, Travel, and Live in France: Professional Challenges
This is the core of HCP eXchange! Share and exchange your perspectives on your profession.
Tell us about your impressions, ideas, and hopes:
- What are the strengths of our respective countries?
- How do you think our healthcare systems could be improved?
- What direction do you see patient care taking in the future?
- How do you see your profession evolving over the next 20 years?
- If you had to complete additional training to grow professionally, which would you choose?
- What are the best pieces of advice you’ve learned through your experience? Share them with future participants!
We’re here to discuss it all with you and can’t wait to hear your feedback and stories!
As you’ve gathered, working and living in France isn’t just about work!
To help you fully enjoy your experience, here are some personal challenges to try if you dare to embrace French-style Work & Travel.
Work, Travel, and Live in France: Personal Challenges
You probably know about baguettes, ratatouille, the Eiffel Tower, and Mont Saint-Michel. You also know that France isn’t just Paris—it’s also the Alps, the Côte d’Azur, Brittany, and so much more.
Working and traveling in France with HCPeXchange means having the opportunity to explore each of the 13 “administrative” regions of mainland France, including Corsica.
Each has its own identity, heritage, and regional specialties that form the backbone of French gastronomy.
*French administrative regions are territorial divisions established by the government for organizational (and political) purposes. The current map was redrawn in 2016, so you may find variations in regional names, especially when it comes to food culture.
Gastronomy Challenge #1: Try a few AOP French cheeses*
*AOP: Appellation d’Origine Protégée (Protected Designation of Origin)
| Region | Cheeses |
|---|---|
| Alsace et Lorraine | Munster (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with washed rind) |
| Champagne-Ardenne | Chaource (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with bloomy rind), Langres (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with washed rind) |
| Auvergne | Bleu d’Auvergne (Cow’s milk, blue-veined cheese), Cantal (Cow’s milk, pressed cheese), Fourme d’Ambert (Cow’s milk, blue-veined cheese), Fourme de Montbrison (Cow’s milk, blue-veined cheese), Saint-Nectaire (Cow’s milk, uncooked pressed cheese), Salers (Cow’s milk, pressed cheese) |
| Rhône-Alpes | Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage (Cow’s milk, blue-veined cheese), Chevrotin (Goat’s milk, soft cheese), Rigotte de Condrieu (Goat’s milk, soft cheese) |
| Savoie | Abondance (Cow’s milk, cooked pressed cheese), Beaufort (Cow’s milk, cooked pressed cheese), Reblochon (Cow’s milk, uncooked pressed cheese), Tomme de Savoie (Cow’s milk, uncooked pressed cheese) |
| Burgundy | Époisses (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with washed rind), Mâconnais (Goat’s milk, soft cheese) |
| Franche-Comté | Cancoillotte (Cow’s milk, melted cheese), Comté (Cow’s milk, cooked pressed cheese), Mont d’Or (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with washed rind), Morbier (Cow’s milk, uncooked pressed cheese), Vacherin du Haut-Doubs (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with washed rind) |
| Île-de-France | Brie de Meaux (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with bloomy rind), Brie de Melun (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with bloomy rind) |
| Normandy | Camembert de Normandie (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with bloomy rind), Livarot (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with washed rind), Neufchâtel (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with bloomy rind), Pont-l’Évêque (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with washed rind) |
| Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | Banon (Goat’s milk, soft cheese with natural rind) |
| Hauts-de-France | Maroilles (Cow’s milk, soft cheese with washed rind) |
| Occitanie | Bleu des Causses (Cow’s milk, blue-veined cheese), Cabécou (Goat’s milk, soft cheese), Laguiole (Cow’s milk, uncooked pressed cheese), Rocamadour (Goat’s milk, soft cheese), Roquefort (Sheep’s milk, blue-veined cheese) |
| Corsica | Brocciu (Sheep’s or goat’s milk, fresh cheese) |
| Centre-Val de Loire | Chavignol (Goat’s milk, soft cheese), Crottin de Chavignol (Goat’s milk, soft cheese), Pouligny-Saint-Pierre (Goat’s milk, soft cheese), Sainte-Maure de Touraine (Goat’s milk, soft cheese), Selles-sur-Cher (Goat’s milk, soft cheese), Valençay (Goat’s milk, soft cheese) |
| Languedoc-Roussillon | Pélardon(Goat’s milk, soft cheese) |
| Basque Country | Ossau-Iraty(Sheep’s milk, uncooked pressed cheese) |
Bonus challenges:
- Learn how to cook with these cheeses: Morbier for a spicier raclette, Roquefort in a pear cake to mellow its punch, Reblochon in tartiflette, Savoyard fondue (Emmental, Beaufort, Comté ± Vacherin)…
- Learn how to assemble a proper French cheese board
- A tip for health professionals: Review your notes on the “cheese effect” 😉
A tip for health professionals:
- Review your notes on the “cheese effect” 😉
- Take notes! This will help you:
Would you like more or would you like an interactive map?
Gastronomy Challenge #2: Taste the best regional dishes paired with their local drinks (in moderation of course)
| Region | Dish and Local alcohol beverages |
|---|---|
| Alsace et Lorraine | Choucroute garnie, Quiche lorraine, Baeckeoffe (meat and potato stew), Tarte flambée (Flammekueche), Spaetzle (Alsatian noodles), Riesling (white wine), Gewurztraminer (white wine) |
| Champagne-Ardenne | Andouillette de Troyes (tripe sausage), Pâté en croûte (meat pie), Tarte à la bouillie (apple tart), Pink biscuit de Reims, Ratafia (liqueur), Champagne, Marc de Champagne, Kir royal (champagne with fruit liqueur), Huîtres de la Marne |
| Auvergne | Aligot (mashed potatoes with cheese), Truffade (potatoes with cheese and bacon), Pounti (savory flan), Potée auvergnate (Auvergne stew), Tripoux (stuffed tripe), Petit salé aux lentilles (salted pork with lentils), Blanquette de veau à l’ancienne (veal stew) |
| Rhône-Alpes | Fondue savoyarde(cheese fondue), Tartiflette (potatoes with oignons, bacon and reblochon), Quenelles de brochet (pike dumplings), Bugnes lyonnaises, Gratin dauphinois, Chartreuse (herbal liqueur), Coussin de Lyon (chocolate praline), Cuisses de grenouilles, Saucisson brioché, Côtes du Rhône (red wine) |
| Savoie | Fondue savoyarde, Tartiflette (pommes de terre, lardons, oignons et reblochon), Diots au vin blanc (sausages in white wine), Crozets (Savoie pasta), Génépi (herbal liqueur), Vin de Savoie |
| Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | Bœuf bourguignon (beef stew), Coq au vin (chicken in wine), Escargots de Bourgogne (snails), Gougères (cheese puffs), Poulet Gaston Gérard (chicken with mustard and cheese), Pain d’épices dijonnais (gingerbread), Kir (apéritif) |
| Île-de-France | Hachis Parmentier (named in honour of Antoine Parmentier, apothecary), Pot-au-feu (beef stew), Brie aux truffes (truffle brie), Coquilles Saint-Jacques à la parisienne, Escargots à la bourguignonne (snails), Petits pois à la française (peas), Riz cantonnais (sisi)(fried rice), Macarons de Paris, Paris-Brest (pâtisserie), Gâteau de foies de volaille (chicken liver cake) |
| Normandie | Teurgoule (rice pudding), Tripes à la mode de Caen (tripe stew), Camembert rôti au four (baked camembert), Tarte normande aux pommes (apple tart), Pommeau (apple aperitif), cider normand, Calvados (apple brandy), Canard à la normande (duck with apples) |
| Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) | Bouillabaisse (fish stew), Ratatouille (vegetable stew), Pissaladière (onion tart), Tapenade (olive spread), Daube provençale (beef stew), Socca (chickpea pancake), Pan bagnat (sandwich), Salade niçoise (salad), Pistou (basil soup), Anchoïade (anchovy spread), Navettes de Marseille (biscuits), Panisse (chickpea fritters), Tarte tropézienne (cream tart), Vin rosé de Porquerolles (rosé wine) |
| Nord-Pas-de-Calais | Carbonnade flamande (beef stew with beer), Frites (fries), Potjevleesch (meat terrine), Waterzooi (chicken or fish stew), Flamiche aux poireaux (leek tart), Bière de garde (strong ale), Chicorée (chicory) |
| Picardie | Flamiche picarde, Ficelle picarde, Tarte au maroilles, Escargot de Picardie, Vergeoise (sucre), Chicons au gratin, Ratafia de Champagne |
| Occitanie | Cassoulet (bean and meat stew), Brandade de morue (salt cod purée), Fougasse (flatbread), Crème catalane (custard), Gâteau à la broche (spit cake), Armagnac (brandy), Grisettes de Montpellier (licorice candies) |
| Corsica | Fiadone (cheesecake), Civet de sanglier (wild boar stew), Brocciu (cheese), Canistrelli (biscuits), Agneau corse (Corsican lamb), Acciughe (marinated anchovies), Fritelli (fritters), Cannelloni à la corse (cannelloni), Figatellu (sausage), Pietra (Corsican beer), Muscat du Cap Corse (muscat wine) |
| Centre (Centre-Val de Loire) | Tarte Tatin (upside-down apple tart), Rillettes de Tours (pork spread), Pithiviers (almond pastry), Andouillette (tripe sausage), Gigot d’agneau de Pauillac (lamb leg), Chinon (red wine), Nougat de Tours (nougat) |
| Aquitaine | Magret de canard aux figues (duck breast with figs), Axoa de veau (veal stew), Garbure (cabbage soup), Canelés (pastries), Dacquoise (almond cake), Tourin (garlic soup), Piquillos farcis (stuffed peppers), Cognac (brandy), Grand vin de Bordeaux (Bordeaux wine) |
| Pays Basque | Axoa (veal or pork stew), Piperade basquaise (pepper stew), Gâteau basque (cake with pastry cream), Piment d’Espelette (Espelette pepper), Chipirons à la plancha (grilled squid), Jambon de Bayonne (Bayonne ham), Irouléguy (Basque wine) |
| Limousin | Clafoutis aux cerises (cherry flan), Pommes de terre Sarladaises (potatoes with garlic and parsley), Pâté de pommes de terre (potato pie), Millassou (apple cake), Vins de Brive (Brive wines), Vin paillé (straw wine), Pomme du Limousin (Limousin apple) |
| Poitou-Charentes | Mouclade (mussels in cream), Farci poitevin (herb pâté), Brochette de moules de bouchot (mussel skewers), Tourteau fromager (cheesecake), Cognac (brandy), Pineau des Charentes (fortified wine), Gâteau de pâte à choux (choux pastry cake) |
Unanimous favorite? The Flemish carbonnade: a hearty beef and beer stew, typically served with fries and amber beer, beloved in northern France (and Flemish Belgium).
Craving spice? Try restaurants from French overseas territories like Tahiti, Réunion, French Guiana, or Guadeloupe!
Bonus challenges:
- Learn to cook one or two of these regional recipes
- Share your best food photos and successful recipes on our social media!
And the best tip: Exercise!
Work, Travel, and Live in France: Sports Challenges
- Explore France by hiking, trekking, biking, or jogging
- Join a local gym
- Try winter sports in the Alps, Vosges, or Pyrenees: downhill skiing, cross-country, snowboarding, skating, snowshoeing…
- Try water sports like rafting, kayaking—whether in the sea or rivers
Work, Travel, and Live in France: Cultural Challenges
We welcome your suggestions and feedback—we’ll happily write more articles on these never-ending topics!
- Attend a comic opera in old Paris
- Read a book in original French and share your thoughts on our social media: Literary classics (Proust for foodies, Jules Verne for adventurers, Rousseau for philosophy lovers) or Contemporary authors (e.g., sociologist Pierre Bourdieu)
- Prefer images? Explore French and Belgian comics: Tintin, Spirou & Fantasio, Valérian & Laureline, and of course, Astérix (You might even enjoy scallop soup in the legendary Breton village of those indomitable Gauls!)
- Discover classic French films that were never translated, and watch new releases in French (VOF)
- Go see a football or rugby match with local fans
- Visit the most beautiful monuments and landmarks in your host region
- Pick your favorite local radio stations
- Build playlists of your favorite French songs
- Join a national strike… Yes, France is the undisputed champion of those!
- Learn the basics of French history. It’s more than dates—it’s about understanding today’s society through the past.
- The ultimate challenge: Understanding French humor. It can be critical, satirical, kind, political, feminist, cheeky, zany, or downright absurd. If you wanted a real challenge, learning to appreciate French humor is a big one!
We look forward to your suggestions and feedback!