Making a list, checking it twice

Passport: check.  Money: check.  Done!  Well, maybe there are a few more considerations before departure.

Packing

I line all my clothes on the guest room bed and then cull.  I'm brutal and refuse to bring two T-shirts the same colour.  What I bring for a two-month stay is not very different than for a week.  With a washing machine in the rental home, I don’t need stacks of clothes to last the entire two months without doing laundry!  I just make sure I have appropriate clothes for a change of seasons and lots of layers.  I love scarves since they are so versatile.  I have three pairs of shoes: dress sandals, walking sandals, and a closed walking shoe.  Slippers for inside the house since some homes have stone or tile floors. A short hooded raincoat. 

Rather than stocking up on toiletries, toothpaste and shampoo, I just buy all my needs in France.  Soaps and body lotions are wonderful in France and the selection is incredible.  I particularly like “Le Petit Marseillais”.  I do bring anything I can’t live without or don’t want to buy in duplicate, like some make-up items.  I do bring travel size toothpaste and hand cream to have on hand during my flight.  Most rentals have a hair blower, but it's wise to check.

The biggest suitcase space (mostly in my carry-on) is reserved for my “techie” needs: laptop, iPad, Kobo, camera, and all the rechargers and batteries that accompany each.  If the appliance has a built-in converter, then all I need is an adapter that fits into the French outlets. 

Clothes and costume jewelry all go in the main suitcase.  Medication, documents, camera and a change of clothes go in the carry-on or purse.

I always check my passport to make sure it is valid and will not expire within six months of my return.  My current passport is good for 10 years, so I can easily assume the expiry date is years away.

 

Are you covered?

All important: adequate travel insurance; pertinent reports concerning personal medical conditions; enough medication to cover time away.  Health insurance and interruption insurance are things we never travel without. Perhaps the experience of Karl needing eye surgery in Italy for an unexpected retinal detachment has sensitized us to the importance of good insurance.  For that episode, we were covered 100% and didn’t have to spend a single penny of our own for accommodation, meals, hospital expenses, cancellation and interruption of part of our cruise, etc.  But that’s another story! 

Lack of language proficiency may become a barrier to communication. During an emergency, even “bonjour” and “merci” may seem very foreign when trying to speak under stress.  You may not be able to explain what you have, but if you carry a recent report of your condition from your family doctor, the attending doctor could probably read the report and understand. 

Be sure to carry enough medication with you for the duration of your trip.  This may require getting prescriptions filled well ahead of your departure.  If you are taking medication at the same time each day, you will have to transition to the time change.  I take a medication at noon every day.  Since there is a 9 hour difference between Vancouver and France, I start taking my meds one hour later each day for 9 days, and when I arrive in France, I am still taking my meds at lunch time, and continue with my well-established habit.  This works for me, but consult your doctor to see if this is a good way for you to transition.

 

Communicating with loved ones back home

Life goes on while travelling, so I note any birthdays or special occasions that I would like to mark during my absence.  E-cards are easy, but a post-card from France is more special.  You must account for longer mail transit.  Bring your address book!  To keep in touch with folks back home, I rely mostly on email and Skype, but a quick change of the SIM card in an unlocked mobile phone will allow you to enjoy the same phone services you have back home.  This year we are relying on Skype and leaving the mobile phone at home.  Some of the rented homes have phone plans that offer free calls to North America.  What a bonus!

 

Money

Karl starts monitoring the Euro quite a few months before departure.  When the rate seems good, he places an order to buy the cash we need.  He sometimes makes a few orders to average out a good exchange rate.  When withdrawing our Euros, small denominations are preferable.  The 100 Euro bills are reserved for paying our rent, but the lower denominations are preferable for day to day expenses.  We also bring a couple of credit cards. 

In order to pay all our bills while we’re gone, we’ve got most of them on automatic withdrawal.  We also have internet banking.  Don’t do what we did one year.  I had photocopied my driver’s licence and my credit cards to have a record of everything in case I lost them.  Unfortunately, I tucked the photocopies safely in my bag and left the originals in the photocopier!  A friend had to courier them to France at great expense.

 

Home Front

Leaving the house for such a long time is a concern.  There are indoor flowers to water, mail to be picked up, lawns and garden to tend, and insurance policies that require regular walk-throughs.  Having someone in the house is ideal in terms of security since the house looks lived-in.  Over the years we have had house-keepers come weekly, neighbours help with plants, and even a relative stay in the house for part of the time.  The best scenario is to have a dependable, mature, full-time house-sitter. 

I think all the bases are covered!