travel

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This week…

… has had two main focuses (foci?): Europe, and grad school applications.

Euro-planning is going surprisingly smoothly. Flight is booked, as is our EuroStar from London to Paris, and our hotel in Paris. I’m still working on lodging in London and Provence, and the train from Paris to the South, but I’m hoping to wait until we get some of our bonus points on the AMEX card we opened a few months ago. Otherwise, I’m trying not to over-plan, but we do have a pretty decent itinerary set. I only wish we could add more (and go to Italy too!)

It’s kind of funny… everyone says that they speak English in Paris, and no one has the patience to deal with your weak American attempts at fitting in. But I have e-mailed at least two hotels in Paris, in my crappy French, and gotten perfectly nice French responses. It could be different over email, but maybe I will get to practice some French over there after all!

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As for the grad school apps, I have decided to apply for two Master’s programs that are available on-campus and online (the degree will not specify that it is online, so that is nice, for those who may stigmatize that approach.) I don’t know for sure that I will actually end up enrolling, but I’d like the option to, if I am accepted. My plan for now is to get to Japan, get settled, give job-hunting a solid shot, and then make a decision about the degree based on what I find. I don’t like the idea of paying for a degree or acquiring debt, but I also don’t like the idea of getting back to the States and wishing I had taken better advantage of that downtime to remain competitive and improve myself.

I know that when I struggled finding work in NC, it was because I was either overqualified for most positions, or underqualified due to lack of a Master’s degree. If I need to specialize, and I have free time at my disposal in Japan, that may be the time to close that gap and get out of the awkward in-between phase! Of course, Lord knows where we’ll end up in 3 years, or what my goals will be at that point… but (money aside), it can’t hurt to acquire more education, right? Plus, these particular programs will help steer my resume in the direction I would like it to go – on paper at least.

Spring EuroTrip… BOOKED 😊 It’s felt surreal for so long – I can’t believe we finally did it. No going back now! #england #france #paris #provence #travel #excited #broke

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EuroTrip 2014: An Update

I think Chuck and I have decided on how to divvy up my highly anticipated EuroTrip(s), now that I know we can’t pull off my original plan:

  • FRANCE, March 2014
  • ITALY, October 2015

It seems that Italy is the place to enjoy in the fall, when the heat of summer still lingers. It’s a more coastal, outdoorsy place than France, so I think we don’t want to “waste” Italy in early spring. Plus, October 2015 will be our 5-year wedding anniversary… and you can’t get much more romantic than a trip to Italy to celebrate 🙂

So! This means I’m currently focusing my energy on a 10-day trip to France. I think we will still include a brief visit to London at the beginning, which shouldn’t be too difficult or costly. Then we will EuroStar to Paris, then TGV to Provence, then consider a short side trip to the French Alps (Annecy) before heading back up to Paris.

Haven’t decided if we’ll explore Paris at the start, or at the finish, but that’s the plan for now!! I’d like Rosetta Stone as a (very) early birthday or Christmas present so I can learn the language, which I’ve always wanted to do anyway. I will have lots of free time in Georgia and will need something to do!

So excited.

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Bummer, dude…

I’ve come to the realization that the EuroTrip I’ve been planning is a bit ambitious, particularly in terms of finances. I just completed a very generic summation of what it would cost to carry out my wonderful itinerary, and it was over $8k. Granted, I overestimated everything just to be safe, but it pretty much only included flights, hotels, and a few of the bigger train rides. Throw in meals and museum passes and other miscellany, and we’re probably looking at around (or even over) 10 grand, if we’re not careful! 

Unfortunately, we’re not quite in the position to go on a $10k vacation. …Yet 🙂

So now I have to decide where to cut. I could eliminate some portions of both France and Italy (but still get to see both countries), or just pick one country to see a little more thoroughly, and save the other for another time. I have anxiety that we won’t ever have such a great opportunity to fly over there again (until we’re old), but I need to stop being so paranoid about that. 

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Travel Bucket List

My actual list is HUGE, but here’s what I’m thinking for the realistic, foreseeable future:

  • Boston & Nantucket, MA
  • Napa Valley, California
  • New York City (because Chuck has never been)
  • France/Italy (my current, ongoing project!)

For the slightly (ha!) more distant future… aka, “let’s see how Life goes…”

  • Greece
  • Havasu Falls, AZ
  • Germany/Prague
  • New Zealand
  • Egypt/Israel
  • Thailand (must swim with elephants!)

Throw in a few Caribbean islands for the “relaxing” sorts of vacations too – i.e., the Bahamas and Jamaica’s of the world – and I’ll be set 🙂

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Kayak just blew my mind…

There are many things to love and to hate about my “hometown” Washington, DC. One thing to love, apparently, is cheap international flights! Here I am, searching flights to London from Atlanta, and from Rome back to Atlanta, thinking it’s the best I’m going to get since ATL is a major international hub… 

But then on a whim, I plug in IAD… and HOLY COW they are almost half the price! Completely unfair! Maybe, if Chuck gets orders back to the DC area after Fort Benning, we can just do the EuroTrip after we move, and before he starts work 🙂 Flying out of DC sounds much, much gentler on the wallet… Who knew?!

Of course, Lord only knows when we’ll find out where we’ll be that time of year anyway. The planner in me is getting annoyed!