France with Friends: Three Generations Return to Provence

An incredibly special Onward Travel group will set off for Provence next summer. The trip is already sold out, but the story behind it is worth sharing because this is more than just another culinary adventure in France. It’s a reunion, a homecoming, and a continuation of a travel tradition spanning more than three decades.

At the heart of this journey are three generations of women whose shared love of food, travel, and connection inspired the founding of Onward Travel. Winnie McClennen, her daughter Peggi Clauhs, and her granddaughters Kat Clauhs Dhand and Molly Crist have all played a role in building this legacy. Next year, they’ll travel together – alongside friends old and new – on a trip that traces their roots back to the early days of culinary tourism in the 1990s.

Marion far left, Peggi center, and Winnie far right

From a Farm Cottage to France

The story begins in the early 1990s, when Winnie, then living on a farm in Sellersville, PA, and already a grandmother, stumbled upon a brochure for a local cooking school. She was intrigued and called to offer her help. Winnie so excelled at and enjoyed her new part time job that when the school closed a few years later she took a leap and launched a cooking school of her own with her daughter. They named it The Cooking Cottage. She and Peggi ran classes out of a cozy cottage on the property, building a loyal base of home cooks eager to learn and taste.

From there, the adventures expanded beyond the kitchen. Shopping trips to New York City and Philadelphia turned into a daring new endeavor: an international culinary tour. The first destination? Julia Child’s home in France. That trip in 1996 was the start of something big.

Soon, The Cooking Cottage was leading international trips each year, to destinations including Italy, Greece, Spain, and, of course, France. The focus was always on authentic local experiences: cooking with market-fresh ingredients, dining at tucked-away bistros, and forging friendships along the way.

Over the years, repeat travelers became like family. “We had a lot of people who would just go with us every year, wherever we were going,” Peggi recalls. “It was a small group but fully engaged. We would see the same faces again and again.”

The Spirit of the Cooking Cottage Lives On

The Cooking Cottage closed in 2014, but its legacy lives on in Onward Travel, founded by Kat and Molly. While Onward Travels’ trips have evolved – often more active and adventurous than those early tours – the values remain the same: connection, curiosity, and delicious food in beautiful places.

Every now and then, an opportunity arises to revisit the slower-paced, cozy style of travel that characterized the Cooking Cottage days. This upcoming “France with Friends” trip is one of those moments.

It began with a request from Marion Bardman, a longtime traveler and friend of the family, who wanted to return to Provence while she still felt up for international travel. “She said, ‘I really want to do one more trip to Provence,’” Kat explains. “So Molly and I thought, well, we both want to go on that special trip with Marion. Then we asked Mom and Ta (what we call our grandmother) if they wanted to come, and they did. And that’s when I thought, let’s make this an homage to the old Cooking Cottage trips.”

Marion second from left, Winnie third from right, Peggi far right

A Multi-Generational Reunion

For Winnie, this will be her first international trip in over a decade.* “It will just be fun to go back and all be together,” she says. “It will still feel to me like a Cooking Cottage trip.”

Peggi is looking forward to seeing beloved hotels and restaurants through both nostalgic and fresh eyes. “We’re even going to a little bistro my mom and I went to decades ago,” she says. “It’s fun to go back to places and see they’re still much the same.”

For Kat and Molly, it’s a rare chance to travel together purely for the joy of it. As Onward Travel’s co-founders, they spend plenty of time on the road but usually as busy hosts, managing their groups. “Even on the rare trips we go on together, we’re never just sitting together at dinner,” Kat says. “This will be different. It’s more relaxed, and we get to enjoy it alongside Mom and Ta.”

Winnie front row third from right, Peggi front row third from left, Marion far right

Old Friends, New Faces

Though the trip honors Cooking Cottage history, it isn’t only for “alumni” or those who went on the original trip. The group will include a mix of repeat Onward travelers, friends from the Cooking Cottage era, and some who are brand new to both. Longtime friends of the family will join, along with others who’ve shared past travels but never visited Provence.

The itinerary is designed with a relaxed pace in mind, making it especially appealing to travelers who want time to soak up their surroundings, linger over meals, or simply enjoy the charm of the hotels.

Provence, Past and Present

The 2026 itinerary isn’t a recreation of that first 1996 trip, but it’s very much in the same spirit. The group will explore markets, visit vineyards, and dine at restaurants tucked away in the countryside. There will be leisurely mornings, afternoons in sun-kissed villages, and of course, plenty of time for tasty food and good conversation.

For some, like Winnie, a day or two may be best spent simply relaxing at the hotel – a choice that fits perfectly into this kind of trip. “We’re staying in places where that’s a nice thing to do,” Kat notes. “It’s about enjoying being in France, together.”

More Than a Trip

Even though the trip is sold out, if the story resonates with you, you should join the waitlist. This journey is about the threads of connection that run through a family, a business, and a community of travelers. It’s about honoring the past while savoring the present. And it’s about the simple joy of gathering friends – old and new – in a beautiful place, sharing meals, memories, and laughter.

As Peggi puts it, “It’s going to be really enjoyable. Charming hotels, great food, wonderful company. And the best part is having my mom and the girls there.”

For those who’ve traveled with the Cooking Cottage or Onward Travel before, the “France with Friends” trip might feel like coming home. And for those who haven’t, it’s a reminder of why we travel in the first place – not just to see the world, but to share it.

Join the Waitlist for France with Friends

* At the time of writing this blog post, it was to be my grandmother’s first trip abroad in over a decade. Earlier this year we lost our beloved grandfather, Pete, and last week Winnie surprised us all by signing up for a Viking Around-the-World cruise, departing in December! We are looking forward to chronicling her adventures here in this blog. Stay tuned! ~ Kat