Electronics

A few months before our first trip in 2007, Michelle bought the family's first digital camera. That was the only electronic item we brought on the trip. It was a fantastic addition to our travel experience, too. It took great photos and more than paid for itself on that very first trip. In 2008, with the prospect of a lot of time spent in transit, I bought a little iPod Nano so that the children would have access to some movies to watch and help pass the time. Annie also got her own camera. In 2009, we had three iPods so each child could watch their own thing. During longer drives in the little rental car, this was a life saver. Shelby got her own camera and so did I. The number of electronic items now numbered seven, with three battery chargers to keep them running. Still, all of them were pocket size and presented no difficulty in packing.

What we didn't have up to this point was any connectivity to the Internet or telephone. As we looked forward to our trip this year we have made a number of changes. Annie got an iPod Touch for Christmas and we all had a chance to play around with it's connectivity to the Internet. Liking what we saw, Michelle and I picked up our own (for half price, used on eBay), so now we all have our own personal media devices. We will have the ability to use email to contact our lodgings with arrival time information, use the Internet for travel information, and use "apps" to play games and track weather and currency exchange rates. We also have the ability to phone if necessary with Skype, though we will prefer to email.

The only drawback to the iPods is that their memory capacity is limited. This isn't much of an issue for a short trip. But after a couple of weeks, it would be nice to be able to change the content - movies, music, photos, etc. - to refresh it's usefulness. To do that, you need a computer. Having a computer would also enable us to download and manipulate our photos and movie clips as we go. It also makes it possible to experiment with blogging for the first time, giving others the opportunity to follow our progress through Central Europe.

What kind of computer would work best? The latest trend in on-the-go computing is "netbooks" which are essentially mini-laptops made smaller by eliminating the CD/DVD drive and using a smaller keyboard and screen. Many people love them. Unfortunately, we are a family of Mac users. As much as we would like to be able to enjoy the experience of using these cheap windows computers, we can't. We have tried and it is just not worth the headaches for us. We had high hopes for the newly-introduced Apple iPad. But coming out so soon before our trip, I was not comfortable with being able to get used to it in time, or trust it's versatility. Buying a full-size Macbook would have cost more than I was willing to pay, would have been heavier to carry than I preferred, and would have presented a real theft risk. Ultimately, I wound up buying a used Macbook Air on eBay. This is the ultra-thin, lightweight laptop made for travel that still has a full size keyboard and screen. The price was right so it is less of a theft risk, ideally compatible with our iPods and cameras, and very easy to pack.

So what about the "travel light" travel mentality while carrying around all these electronics? Well, without them, we would be traveling with a thick atlas for driving, four guide books, and a thick folder full of documents printed from our home computer. Those items alone would take up more space and add more weight to our bags than all of these small electronic items put together. It will also add an extraordinary level of convenience in the access of information over such an extended, transition-filled trip.

It remains to be seen whether or not all these items add to our overall travel experience, or detracts from it. It needs to be acknowledged that there is a certain value to being completely disconnected from the rest of the world while traveling to a foreign country. Being away from the constant flow of information, news, and contact with others helps focus your attention on the present and become enveloped in the culture. It will be our challenge to maintain a proper balance and use the electronics only to the extent that they serve as an asset, and not as a distraction...

Packing

One of the most tension-filled moments of any trip occurs when you stand in front of the luggage carousel waiting for your bags to drop. Your mind can't help but run through the steps necessary in the unlikely event that your bag is lost and you are left with little more than the clothes on your back. Spending the first 40 minutes at your destination staring at a luggage carousel is no treat either.

So we have made it our goal to check no bags on our trips. We carry everything we need with a combination of backpacks and day bags. Our trip can begin the moment we walk off the plane. Whether we are gone for 7 days or 70, the packing list is the same. We launder clothes whenever it is convenient. As long as you do a little every couple of days, it never becomes too big a task to be bothersome. We make it a point to stay in places that offer laundry facilities. Many small items can even be washed out in a sink before you go to bed. Every member of our family has their own backpack and day bag. They are responsible for keeping track of their own things and for carrying them as we transition from one location to another.

Some ultra-light travelers only take 2-3 days worth of clothes with them and they wash the clothes they wear every night. We're not that dedicated. It is good to have some clothing choices, including a warmer outfit for when the weather goes through a cold spell. But we have found that 7 days worth of outfits is enough. You can also cut weight by avoiding bulky, heavy clothes like sweaters and jeans.

Non-clothing items are an entirely different issue. It is always a challenge to smartly choose and pack all of those body and hair-care items you might think are absolutely essential. Suffice it to say you would be very wise to have a low-maintenance hair style and to realize that other countries have grocery and drug stores, too. They sell many similar products you expect to see at home & finding them and reading the labels in a different language is part of the adventure.

It is still a good idea to travel with a small sewing kit to repair clothing problems. Likewise, a bare minimum of first aid supplies are a must, including band aids of various sizes and alcohol wipes. Some laundry soap and a 2-gallon zip-lock baggie together can serve as a hand-held washing machine in a pinch. It is always useful to have a few smaller baggies handy, too. Small and light accessories like paper clips and rubber bands can be useful, and are harmless to toss into a "little stuff" kit. Keep all of these things as lightweight as possible, organized, and separate so specific items can be found easily.

This summer will be the third consecutive year we have taken IcelandAir to Europe and their carry on bag restrictions are rather severe. A 6 kilogram or 13 pound weight limit is imposed on bags that go into the overhead compartment, as well as standard size restrictions. This is a bare minimum for six days worth of light adult clothing in a very light bag (remember, you are wearing the 7th day). It is unlikely that you would have room within that weight limit for anything else. However, IcelandAir also allows a small day bag that will fit under the seat. This bag has no weight limit, so it is a good place to "hide" heavy non-clothing items like liquids, snacks and electronics (or even an extra pair of shoes). Once you check in at the airport, you can transfer some of those items back into your overhead bag, since it will not be weighed again.

Many people bring books with them to pass the time reading. If you do, only bring inexpensive copies that you will be willing to leave behind. It is silly to bring several pounds of books that will become useless dead weight once you finish reading them. Recently, more and more people have turned to "ebook" sources like Kindle and the new iPad to deal with this issue. This serves as a nice segue into a packing issue that requires special attention; electronics....

Central Europe, 2010

So how did that crazy-looking itinerary you see in the map at the top of the page come to be? It was the result of a common European trip planning affliction known as the "As long as we are already this close we might as well also see..." syndrome. To begin with, we wanted to delay going to Italy for another year or two so that the children would be a little older and even more likely to remember it in detail. Since we had already been to France and Switzerland the year before, it seemed like Germany was a logical country to focus on next. But we thought it would be fun to see some of the places near Germany as well and not focus on it as exclusively as we did France. This makes sense both historically and culturally as the area's borders were constantly in flux in centuries past.

The particular spelling of our oldest daughter's name - Anneliese - came from a newspaper story we read about Anne Frank years ago. So we definitely had to spend a couple of days in Amsterdam, both to see the amazing city and the Anne Frank house in particular. It is also an airport served by IcelandAir, so we decided to begin our trip by flying into Amsterdam. Naturally, as long as we were in that corner of mainland Europe, we might as well swing through Belgium and Luxembourg as well and get the full "Benelux" experience.

In reading about Germany, it became apparent that the highlights we wanted to see were located between the Rhine & Mosel rivers in the west and Munich in the south, connected by the "Romanic Road" and the photogenic Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria. We felt awkward about not including Berlin, but is was not near anything else we wanted to see and while it's history would resonate with the adults, I'm not sure how well the children would appreciate the significance of the city.

Since the Neuschwanstein castle is only a 2-hour drive from Liechtenstein, we had to plan a day-trip there. I know it's silly, since there is little of note to see. But it's a pretty drive through the alps and I can still remember being about 10 years old, pouring over maps, and being struck by those two tiny countries in Europe with the funny names that both started with "L". Austria is right there, just over the mountains, and our family has seen The Sound Of Music numerous times, so we had to visit Salzburg.

The sensible thing at this point would have been to hop up to Munich next and fly home from there (also served by IcelandAir in a convenient "open-jaw" flight plan), making a perfectly nice 3-week trip. Being a music person though, how could I not go to Vienna? Once that far to the east, I couldn't help but wonder what else was nearby.

On a whim, I picked up a guide book on Budapest from the library one day months ago (knowing absolutely nothing about it before this) and was blown away by what I read. I had to see this city. This opened the doors to what used to be considered Eastern Europe (now more likely to be called Central Europe). The magic of overnight train travel meant that we could stay up late on our last night in Budapest and wake up early in Krakow to see Poland's most elegant city. While there, we will be able to visit Auschwitz/Birkenau and connect the Nazi sights we will see in Germany with the end result for the Jewish people. Another overnight train will get us into Prague for a visit, and back in the right direction to return home. A short stop in the rural Czech town of Cesky Krumlov will give us a chance to canoe and decompress from all the city experiences. Then we return to Munich for our flight home.

This is the most transitions we have done from one place to another and would be absurd on a three, or even four week trip. But we were able to take advantage of good prices on airfare, lodging (many hostels and low-cost B&B's), and cheaper food, to afford to extend the trip to five weeks. We have managed to mitigate the fact that we will sleep in so many different places by never staying just one night in any location. We have one 5-night cottage rental, another 4-night stay and several threes & twos. It will be a challenge compared with our relatively sedate stay in France. But it will also be good to change things up a little and not allow two trips to ever look the same.

So here is the itinerary in full;

• 3 nights & 2 1/2 days in Amsterdam, train to Cologne, Germany to see the cathedral and pick up our car.
• Quick stop in Brussles, 2 nights & 1 full day in Bruges, Belgium.
• Quick stop in Luxembourg City, 3 nights and 2 full days in Bacharach, Germany to see the Rhine and Mosel river valleys.
• 2 nights in Rothenburg with the day between spent in Nürnberg
• 5 nights in Füssen to see the castles, hike and relax
• 2 nights in Salzburg & nearby. Return car & start taking trains.
• Quick stop to see the abbey in Melk, then 3 nights and 2 1/2 days in Vienna
• Quick stop in Bratislava, then 4 nights in Budapest with a day trip to Eger
• (night train) 2 nights and 3 full days in Krakow
• (night train) 2 nights and 2 1/2 days in Prague
• 2 nights and 1 1/2 days in Cesky Krumlov
• 2 nights and 2 full days in Munich

The sheer number of stops suggests too busy a schedule, but staying multiple nights in each place makes it much more plausible, I think....I hope....

Guide Books & Rick Steves

I'm one of those people who hates to read instruc-tions. I would rather figure things out myself. But planning a trip to Europe involved too many things I knew nothing about. So I began by scanning through the Frommers and Fodors guide books from our public library. I chose those simply because I had heard of them before. The results were informative, but dull. Whenever I needed more precise information, they didn't have it. The layouts were not engaging. Reading them did not make me want to visit the area more.

One drawback most guide books have is an unwillingness to pass judgement on anything mentioned in the book. They want to be an encyclopedia of information, so they cover everything without judgement. But judgement is exactly what I need when faced with a seemingly infinite number of choices. I can always choose to ignore or disagree with that judgement, based on other information I might have. If you were someone from France reading a guide book on the USA, would you expect the chapter on Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma to be as thick as the chapter on New England or California? Of course not. Yet that is exactly the type of thing you find in an effort at even handedness.

Then I discovered Rick Steves. It was exactly what I needed. The European travel writer/guru and PBS mainstay has made it his goal to make European travel less daunting to Americans. His guide books are full of personal anecdotes, secret tourist treasures and yes, judgement. He acknowledges that there are certain sights that everyone wants to see and he gives precise instructions on the best way to see those sights. But he also directs you to less common sights he found rewarding. He provides priceless tips on transportation connections, restaurants, lodging and entertainment - all from the perspective of a person who has actually ridden the same rails or driven the same road, eaten the same food, seen the same rooms and the same shows he is recommending to his readers.

As a practical matter, it is simply not possible to include that kind of detailed information about every corner of a country. To solve that problem, Rick Steves does the obvious; he ignores the areas of a country tourists are unlikely to visit. You can be critical of that kind of brutal editing. But it is entirely practical. If you have reason to visit areas not covered in his books, there are other guide books to read, and he encourages you to do so. We have, as well. But Rick's books are priceless for 90% of places we want to visit.

But more than just a repository for practical information, Rick's books are infused with his travel philosophy - to travel cheaply and efficiently - to experience one culture at a time and to do that by visiting both urban and rural areas - to pack lightly and smartly - to interact with the locals, learn a bit of the language, and try some local food - to embrace differences and understand that there are over 6 billion equally valuable human beings in the world - that, while they may admire Americans, most of them do not wish to be Americans. More than anything, travel is life intensified - addictive in a way that is entirely healthy.

However, there are times when you need to find out more about an area Rick's books don't cover, or just want a second opinion. For those times, I would highly recommend the Lonely Planet series. These have the broadest and most detailed information I have found of any conventional guide book series. They are geared toward budget travelers and also include a bit of judgement when it comes to the quality of some attractions, restaurants, lodging and transportation choices.

Whichever book series you choose, use it as a springboard for further research on your own and over the internet. There are so many online sources out there any attempt to list them all would be dizzying. Just start doing web searches. Read reviews and discussion boards (including Rick Steves' own at http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm), see photos and other travelers' blogs and online photos. Look for books from your local library including personal accounts of travel to the places you are interested in and histories of that area, as well as works of fiction set in that location. Everything adds depth to your understanding of an area, and for me at least, is almost half the fun of going at all...

Expenses, part 3

Does $1,000 seem like a lot to you? It does to me. But how about $83 - not too much? How about $19.20 - easy? $2.74 - nothing?

Saving $1,000 (much less, $10,000), especially in times like these, seems daunting. But that's only $83 a month, $19.20 a week, or $2.74 a day. Thought of in those terms, it doesn't seem so out of the question. In fact, most people treat themselves to extra expenses every day without giving it a second thought. People often behave as if small costs never add up. But, of course, they do - and quickly.

To overcome this perception, I like to think of things in $1000-per-year pieces. Add them up as they apply to your family. Include others that I may have forgotten or are more unique to your family. You may be surprised at the results.

In no particular order, here are several that I have come up with to save $1,000/yr;

• No cell phone contract; $1,000/yr
• No cable television service; $1,000/yr
• No alcohol consumption; $1,000/yr
• No coffee consumption; $1,000/yr
• No pack-a-day Cigarette habit; $2,000/yr
• Eating fewer or cheaper meats; $1,000/yr
• Buying discount groceries; $2,000/yr
• Eating out or ordering in less; $2,000/yr
• Car repair vs monthly payment; $2,000/yr
• Driving a fuel-efficient car; $1,000/yr
• Driving less distance; $1,000/yr
• Lower utility bills; $1,000/yr
• Library books & movies vs buying; $1,000/yr
• Forgetable vacation; $2000

Of course, not all of these apply to everyone equally. Even if they do apply to you, it may not be reasonable to cut them out of your life. The point, however, is that most people have relatively small expenses in their lives that, over time, add up to a lot. If you really wanted to save your money for something special - something memorable - instead of watching it leak away almost unnoticed, there is a good chance that you can.

For families with school-age children, another phenomenon often occurs; the pressure to fill each child's summer with endless (and costly) activities. We do this both to keep them busy and in a vague hope that their lives will be enriched. But how much do they get out of T-ball, soccer, or yet another day camp? Will they remember it ten years later? These costs add up. There is also pressure to take a vacation of some sort, somewhere, simply because that is one of those family obligations we all feel. If you have a place you really want to go, fantastic. But what if you don't, or have been there already and don't want to return so soon? Consider what you might expect to spend on a shorter, domestic family vacation and summer activities for the children. If you applied that amount to a foreign trip, it would ease the cost considerably. Then see how many items from that list of $1,000 expenses above, you can do without, and you may be surprised at how close you can come to taking the family trip of a lifetime to a place you will never forget.

It can be done!...

Expenses, part 2

Talking about money is always a little like walking through a minefield. You never know when you might say something that causes someone else to cringe. But I think this is necessary. When I was doing my first research on travel, I wished someone would have written in concrete terms about how much things cost. You never know how people will take what they read because everyone comes at the issue from a different financial starting point and with different expectations of what constitutes a pleasant travel experience. One person will read these numbers and think we are boasting about being able to spend so much. Others will read the very same numbers and scoff at our miserliness.

Here were our costs for our first three trips, broken down into the five categories described in the previous post. Included at the beginning is the exchange rate at the time, which is important to take into account. Also included are adjustments at the end for home costs saved by being away. After all, if you are not home, you are not eating food at home, driving, paying for home entertainment, or utilities (beyond minimal basic costs);

England, 2007, 21 days, $1=.51 GBP

Airfare: 2,825

Ground Transport: 1,000

Lodging (20 nights): 4,000

Food: 1,275

Entertainment/Incidentals: 1,200

Subtotal: 10,300

house sitter +200

away savings -500

Final Total: $10,000 ($476/day)

The total here is low due to the unusually good deal we got on airfare - around $2,000 less than average fares. Ground transport was also low because we kept our movement to a minimum for simplicity sake.

Scandinavia, 2008, 21 days, $1=82 ISK, 4.6 DEK, 5.0 NOK, 6.2 SEK, .63 EUR

Airfare: 5,100

Ground Transport: 2,700

Lodging (20 nights): 3,600

Food: 1,400

Entertainment/Incidentals: 900

Subtotal: 13,700

house sitter +300

away savings -500

Final Total: $13,500 ($643/day)

Because we covered great distances and stayed in many different locations, our ground transport expenses were large, including $400 in extra airfare within Norway, itself. We did keep lodging costs under control by staying in many youth hostels.

France, 2009, 30 days, $1=.7 EUR

Airfare: 4,800

Ground Transport: 1,900

Lodging (29 nights): 4,200

Food: 1,600

Entertainment/Incidentals: 1,500

Subtotal: 14,000

away savings -800

Final Total: $13,200 ($440/day)

Considering this trip was much longer than the others, these costs actually represent a great deal of savings. Lodging costs were kept low by renting an apartment in Paris and two other cottage rentals - also keeping food prices low. Our travel dates starting in mid-June also saved about 10% in airfare and 30% in lodgings over mid-July or later travel.

All these costs are for a family of five with children between 4 and 13. Because younger children often travel on ground for free, enter museums for free, and eat less than adults, their overall costs add up to something in the neighborhood of 1/2 the cost of adults. So if you are a group of adults only, take the totals above and divide by 3.5 to get a per-adult cost estimate.

Our goal for our trip to central Europe this year is to keep costs about the same as last year. Since we will be gone five days longer, that actually means the per day cost should be lower. So far we have found airfare for a very good price, lodging (mixing some small hotels, B&B's, hostels, and one cottage rental) for good prices, and the exchange rate looks promising. So with luck, we will stay within budget.

Central Europe, 2010, to be determined...

Expenses, part 1

Most Americans never leave North America. I think this is unfortunate. While there are certainly many and complex reasons for this, I think it is safe to assume that one major reason is the assumption that it costs too much money. It does cost a lot of money to visit Europe, or anywhere else. The cost of airfare alone can be so overwhelming that a person could easily be discouraged from looking any further. But there are also a number of ways to keep costs under control. I hope to touch on some of the ways we have learned so far.

Costs can generally be divided into 5 categories: airfare, ground transport, lodging, food, and entertainment/incidentals.

The best way to save on airfare is to not travel during the summer high season. Those of us with school-age children though, have little choice. "Shoulder" seasons (essentially spring and fall) cost about 30% less and still have pleasant weather. Low season (winter) can be as much as 60% off summer fares, but offer poor weather for outdoor activities. Beware of Christmas travel, as the prices shoot up for this 3-week period to even more than summer high season. Plan way ahead so you can monitor airfare prices over an extended period of time. Eight months or more ahead of time is not too soon. Establish what a "normal" rate is for your travel dates and snap up any airfare that is $100 less than this normal rate. While it is possible that a better deal could turn up eventually, it will be unlikely to be much better, and you will then have the advantage of more time to better plan your itinerary and make lodging reservations.

The cost of ground transport varies widely. If you stay in one place, it's almost nothing. But people generally want to see as much as possible and want to be on the move. Renting a small car costs roughly $300-$400 for the first week - less each additional week. But gas costs $7-10 a gallon and there are often toll highways & parking charges that can really add up over time. Driving, itself is easy enough in small cities and rural areas, but never, ever drive in a large city if you can possibly help it. Driving and parking in large cities is more difficult that you can possibly imagine unless you have tried it. Streets are never strait or clearly marked. Train travel in Europe is wonderful. Stations are located in the centers of cities, exactly where you want to be. Regular fares can be substantial, but children under 14 often travel for free and there are also numerous ways to save 50-70% over regular fares by booking ahead and understanding each country's promotional offers. Rail passes used to be a guaranteed bargain, but no longer are except under very specific circumstances. Buses also connect major cities, as well as providing vital service to smaller towns that are not on rail lines. Buses are generally slower, but cheaper than trains. Your choice of ground transport should be dictated by the types of places you hope to visit. For city to city travel, stick with trains. For rural and small town sections of your trip, consider a car or bus.

Picture a typical US chain hotel room; two queen sized beds, modern furniture, private bathroom and an indoor pool down the hall. This room does not exists anywhere a tourist wants to be in Europe. Something similar might exist 20 miles outside of the city, near the airport, but that is not where you want to be. In small towns and city centers your choices for short stays are smaller hotels or B&B's with most rooms for two people only. You can ask for "family" rooms that have more beds, but these will be few in number. Hostels are a good alternative for families since they are child-friendly and have rooms for 4, 5, or even 6, but they do have an institutional, dorm-room, feel. A family of 4 visiting Paris, for example, could be faced with having to get two rooms, for a total of $300/night for a modest hotel. A youth hostel room for 4 might cost half that much, or less. For longer stays, Apartment and cottage rentals are fantastic alternatives for families. Not only do you save a considerable amount over a hotel, but you get twice as much space, the opportunity to cook your own meals, and a chance to live like a local for a short time. Having the sense of a "home" to return to after a long day of sightseeing is heartwarming in a way that is difficult to describe, but priceless.

Any time you are limited to eating out for all of your meals, costs will be considerable. You can keep these under control a little if your lodging provides a hearty breakfast that can get you through the afternoon with little more than a snack. Then you can afford to splurge a bit for the evening meal. As an alternative, you can do what many Europeans do and have a light breakfast, hearty lunch (at one of the many restaurants offering lunch specials) and have only a light evening meal. If you are renting an apartment or cottage, you can buy groceries where the locals do and make whatever combination of hot meals, picnics, and sandwiches fits your needs for that day. A full meal for a family of four at a modest sit-down restaurant in Europe could cost $100. Groceries, while still more expensive than in the US for that same quality of meal, can still be had for $20-30. A light meal from a sandwich shop could cost $40 for that same family, or $10 worth of groceries.

Entertainment & incidentals are all other costs including entry fees, tickets, souvenirs and other minor purchases. Museums sometimes have free hours and almost always have pass packages good for multiple museums for a specific number of days. For those who love museums, these can be a very good value. Avoid buying tickets for entertainment that is not specific to the culture you are visiting. Zoos, amusement parks and the like can be fun any time, but the animals and rides are the same everywhere. Save them for when you are home. Everyone loves mementos of their trips, but let photographs be your touchstone, not a trinket that may well have been made in China. Sometimes the best entertainment is simply strolling a quiet neighborhood in the evening with your camera at hand, ready to snap a photo that could well become a cherished souvenir...