So if I want to set up in France as a sole trader, working as an online freelance writer and marketing consultant, I would just register as a micro-preneur then?
So if it's just me and I have two businesses - one as a writer and online marketing consultant and running a network marketing business and also setting up an online shop + I have 2 letting apartments in my house for tourists (I've just moved here, been to the bank, got an account and also got the correct house insurance in place) but now I need to register my new French car and then get into the business system for tax and health - just starting that now as I only moved here in March.
"So if it's just me and I have two businesses"
Not possible in France, one person cannot have two "entreprises individuelles".
Under certain conditions, you can have an entreprise individuelle alongside a company, but I think but could be wrong that you have to be salaried by the company rather than non-salaried, and you wouldn't want to go there.
You can also run one business that is involved in several different activities but this is at URSSAF's discretion and usually they only approve it if the activites are in some way connected/complementary.
The reasoning behind it, or so I was told, that if you have your finger in several pies you are not fully committed to any of them. It's a very different culture from the UK where anyone has free rein to do anything they fancy to make a bit of money.
I think in your case that if the gite income is less than a certain percentage of your income, could be 50%, you're not obliged to register it as a business. You can declare the income on your annual tax declaration as non-professional rental income. But you need to look into this as things could have changed, I'm not up to date in this area and a bit vague about it in any case. Ask at urssaf or your chambre de commerce or somewhere when you arrive.