Jackie Grandchamps, PhD; Founder and Owner
“I wanted to make my dream come true by sharing my love of traveling and giving people the opportunity to really experience a different culture. Instead of the traditional ‘tourist’ sightseeing trips, I wanted to immerse very small groups of people in the culture, and make them experience another way of life. That’s how French Escapade was born in 2003.
I was then approached by art teachers who wanted such an experience incorporated in a painting workshop so that their students could discover a different culture and paint on the same tour. Our first painting tour took place in 2005.
I have welcomed about 100 teachers, 2,000 guests, and run more than 200 tours. When traveling with French Escapade, you are not a tourist, you are our guest. That is why I have made over many new friends since 2003.”
With a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Jacqueline Grandchamps came from Belgium to the United States in 1995 to conduct cancer research at Stanford University. But her heart has always been in traveling — in Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia. She created French Escapade with Valerie Sans in 2003 and now splits her time between living in the San Francisco Bay Area and leading the tours in Europe.
Her passions: socializing/ dancing/ gardening