Hello!! I am sooooooo excited to introduce the Faraway Places podcast, a podcast about travel in Paris, France, Europe, and specifically solo female travel! It is an amazing opportunity to hear how weird my voice is and also my genetic inability to say the letters “an” without adding an R to the middle! Today: 10 strategies/worldviews I use to stay safe while traveling as a solo female traveler — plus, a question — hurrah!!!! — from newsletter reader Sarah, who asked about the best hostel in Paris. The tl;dr of it: 1. Keep some extra cash on hand (even if our new and basically cashless society) 2. Explore new neighborhoods very slowly 3. See new places with locals through guided tours or Airbnb Experiences 4. Single rooms in hostels offer a budget rate and a hostel’s community 5. Stay in a hotel rather than an Airbnb if there’s any chance of checking in late at night 5A. In order of preference for airport transport to cities: public transport, hotel car service, Uber, cabs 6. Exercise …

Hello! Here are the books that are up for grabs — they are available unless they have a CLAIMED next to them. They’re linked to their Amazon listings in case you want to get a better description of them than the sparse ones I have provided below. Instructions for claiming them are in my newsletter. For now US addresses only please, otherwise the shipping costs > the book themselves. The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature by David Suzuki I had very high hopes for myself when I bought this, but they have been dashed. (Paperback, like new) JGV: A Life in 12 Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten This looks like a very sweet book by the famous chef. (Hardcover, like new) Mother Grains by Roxana Jullapat Recipes to do with barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rye, sorghum and more grains. Can you tell I don’t cook? (Hardcover, like new) American Cookie by Anne Byrn “The Snaps, Drops, Jumbles, Tea Cakes, Bars & Brownies That We Have Loved for Generations”: We have two copies. (Paperback, very …