In this ongoing series, Barbara Dawson embarks on a two-month vacation in Europe with her family and is investigating how frugality and high adventure can come together to create a once in a lifetime family experience.
We were considering visiting London. But you see, I'm already paying for an apartment in Paris so I'd rather walk on broken glass than spend money on a hotel in London as well.
So I decided to plan one day in London while we are in Paris. Here's how it would work:
up at 6am
metro to the train station
Eurostar through the Chunnel (2 hrs)
tube to the tower of London
enjoy the crows and Beefeaters
tube to the London Eye
see the city from above
eat fish n chips
buy something with a red phone booth on it
Eurostar through the Chunnel
metro and home by 10pm.
Several of my friends asked me why I was such a masochist. Some others asked me if I had put money away for the therapy my kids would need after being dragged around Europe like old luggage. These are the dilemmas that you have to resolve when you are chronically cheap.
When planning your itinerary, the world is a delectable buffet from which you can sample, so you have to be careful not to gorge yourself sick. We have 2 months and we can go anywhere we want in France, Spain and Italy.
My first rendering of our trip was an insane mad dash across the continent to every place of historic, artistic or culinary interest. Since then, I have narrowed down our destinations to a more responsible meal and have decided London can wait for our next European adventure. This time we will find a pied-a-terre in a few select cities and then do some snooping around from those locations. To my immense glee it turns out that this is the least expensive way to book accommodation.
I am planning this trip virtually on my own. Virtually being the operative word here. It's amazing what one can accomplish with a coffee and a computer. I have booked apartments in Paris, the south of France, Barcelona and Rome from my kitchen. I have checked the train schedules, taken a virtual tour of the Louvre and walked the streets near our accommodation. I have checked reviews, confirmed authenticity of people and businesses and asked questions of seasoned travelers. If you are brave enough, and if you are willing to do the work, you can find and book almost anything, anywhere in the world.
A few of the sites for booking accommodation that I have used to so far are vrbo.com, airbnb.com and homelidays.com. On all of these sites, people rent their private residences or rooms in their "B and B". Usually they expect you to book for at least 2-3 nights and there is almost always a reduction in rate if you book for a week. You have bedrooms, a private bath, a kitchen, a living room with tv and sometimes a washer and dryer and wifi, all for under $100/night for 4 people. Not only is this a great deal but you can cook your own meals from the beautiful food you find in the markets and save a bundle on restaurants.
Aside: Of course I mean my husband can cook our meals. I don't cook, it makes me surly. Luckily my husband is a very joyful and imaginative cook, otherwise our children would look like the brown, crumbly house plants from my bachelor apartment. Symbiosis is one of nature's true miracles.
You also have to be careful that something that seems inexpensive doesn't have hidden changes. Some people will charge extra for sheets and towels, extra for use of the pool, extra for more than 2 people, extra for using their service, extra for using a cheque instead of a bank transfer. Make sure you take all of the extras into account before you revel in the money you have saved.
Here is a cute little ditty that illustrates my point:
And after reading many travel logs, watching many documentaries and scanning many website, here is our itinerary (possibly):
Paris:( 2 weeks) See all the Paris-y things. Go to Euro-Disney or else the kids are running away to live with the gypsies. Work a bit. Eat cheese. Drink wine.
Sarlat: (3 days) See the cave drawings in Lascaux. Drink wine.
Carcasonne: (1 week) Take a boat down the Canal du Midi and stop at the medieval towns along the way. Eat cassoulet. Drink rose.
Barcelona: (1 week) See some flamenco and enjoy Gaudi's work. Eat chicken. Drink Spanish and Portuguese wine.
Arles: (1 week) Visit Aix-en Provence, Nimes, and Avignon. Go to the markets. Eat wild boar. Drink pastis.
Agay: (2 weeks) Lie on the beach, swim in the pool and go into the mountains. Go to more markets. Drink gin and tonics.
Things speed up a bit here as we come to the end of our trip.....
Genova: (3 days) Visit the Italian Riviera and Cinque Terre. Eat fish. Drink white wine.
Padua: (2 days) Visit Venice (cheaper than staying there). Take a boat ride and shop. Probably drink wine.
Florence: (5 days) Visit San Gimignano and Sienna. Eat cured meats. Drink red wine.
Rome: (3 days) See all the Rome-y things. Eat gelato. Drink cheap table wine by the carafe-full.
Montreal: (10 days) Relax dans les Laurentides. Eat bagels and smoked meat. Drink beer.
Vancouver: Find somewhere to be alone. Sleep in my own bed. Lose the 15 lbs I will have gained.
Next time I'll tell you how my pre-vacation diet is going and let you know what I am doing to get my home ready to be left for 2 months. The kids seem to be getting excited, mostly about leaving school 2 months early and the promise of eating white bread every day.
Four weeks until lift-off!
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