As an American journalist who makes a living (such as it is) as a freelance Travel, Food and Lifestyles reporter based in France, I love sharing my words with as many readers as I can. And when a major U.S. radio station—one with a 50,000-watt signal that not only reaches 38 U.S. states and Canada but also is streamed live worldwide—recently asked me to talk about one of my articles on the air, I was both flattered and thrilled.

Last week, CNN.com published my Travel feature on “7 Ways to Go Local When Traveling,” and soon after I got a call from a producer at WGN Radio, the perpetual No. 1 station in my Chicago home town. I was invited to chat with the station’s overnight host, Bill Leff, about how to live as the Romans do (and the Londoners and Parisians and Athenians) when on vacation—and about my expat adventures over here in France.

What was supposed to be a 20-minute interview turned into an hour-long chat about everything from renting a “holiday flat” to taxi-driver restaurant advice to the audacity of a Baptist church in Rome. And what fun it was, thanks to Bill—an engaging and quick-witted actor, writer and comedian who kept me on my toes. Besides, I’ve been seriously homesick the past several weeks, missing my family, my “dog sister,” my downtown Chicago church, White Castle burgers and Pepe’s Tacos. It was great, even for a short while, to be connected to Chi-town thanks to reliable, over-the-pond technology.

We reporters generally hate being interviewed (control freaks, WE like to be the ones posing the questions, thank you very much), but Bill’s thoughtful approach made me forget that rather than merely having a dialogue, he and I were actually speaking to thousands of listeners. Very humbling, indeed.

So here’s my shameless self-promotion pitch—when you’ve got a few spare minutes (or heck, nearly an hour), check out my WGN Radio interview. See if you pick up a travel tip or two about experiencing the world on its own terms, no matter where in the world you happen to go.