Lucie Ruchon

What places and activities do you specialize in?

"Based both in Provence hinterlands and Marseille's old harbor, our local travel agency is dedicated to ecotourism and active travel in Southern France. We are specialists of the Southern Alps, the French Riviera, Provence hinterlands and its legendary « Mont Ventoux ». We organize self-driven trips and guided tours with our local ambassadors and guides: off-the-beaten-path but without missing the essentials! All year long we propose outdoor activities and tours around local products: black truffles and Mediterranean olives in winter, lavender in summer, southern Côte-du-Rhône wine in autumn…every month you'll have a reason to discover Southern France!"

How did you get involved in travel?

"As I was going to Spain often, I came to like foreign languages and started a Spanish and English license in which I had the chance to go to the United Kingdom for an Erasmus year. This was my first big travel experience on my own where I got to know myself better and meet new people. After this trip, I realized I wanted to blend my desire of speaking different languages and discovering amazing spots, so the tourism industry came as a click in my mind and I did got my MBA in international travel management, specializing in leisure tourism in Aix-en-Provence, in order to improve my skills in this world.

This professional choice is, of course, linked with my personal taste for adventure, new experiences, discoveries, and trips!

I am now fully involved in travel and my goal is to make you discover places in an authentic and local way to make you live the more realistic experience possible. "

Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.

"I cannot choose the more unique travel experience I had because they were all unique in different ways.

Last summer I traveled to Greece, rented a car and cheap accommodation to discover the little Island of Corfu. The only goal I had was to try snorkeling for the first time! I will always remember this activity, especially because it was at the beginning of the season so we were only 4 people going underwater and the teachers were extremely nice and receptive to us. I loved that we could enjoy this - usually overcrowded - activity on a tiny, almost deserted beach and being so close to the locals who own the snorkeling club and share their passion.

I can say that this experience definitely left a mark on me and today I am lucky to be able to repeat it again in the wonderful Calanques of Marseille or Cassis where it is possible to practice snorkeling, hiking and even climbing. Every weekend is like a short holiday when you can do at home what you did in another country! This is what I love about Provence and why you should definitely come!

On the other hand, I will never forget my year in England during my studies. It was a very enriching travel experience where I totally immersed myself in a new culture and met a lot of people from different countries.

Whether it is an activity, the kindness of local people or just a personal experience, I’m convinced that to be unforgettable, a trip has to be unique in some way. "