Today’s the day, we’re on our way.

We’ve been talking about this trip for so long it feels good to finally be ready to go, but leading up today the nervous anticipation settled in.  It never fails.  I always get the heebie-jeebies before we travel.  I kinda make myself crazy, but there you have it.  And, as life would have it, we experienced the highs and lows of family emotions this past week, so our plates have been overflowing as we ready ourselves.

We’ve been busy trying to get all of our ducks in a row, which surprisingly was not as simple as one might think having just relocated across the country.  It’s not like we own a B&B house or a car that we have to deal with, but it’s still a chore to put the business end of life on hold for 3 months.  I think it adds to the heebie-jeebiness of the pending departure date.  Well, that and I’d rather drive for days, across an ocean-wide bridge, than get on a plane.

We’ve always been big believers in making sure the tough decisions would never fall upon our son, so before we travel we purposely review our living trust to ensure all details are current.  It’s not a lot of fun to think about, but with just a couple of clicks on the internet, a free template and a couple of signatures you’ve got yourself a living trust and a health care directive.

We’re all about taking advantage of credit card rewards programs. Our VISA card earns airline miles and our AMEX card earns Hilton points.  Sadly, AMEX is not widely accepted in Europe so we defer to our VISA card.  But if you’ve traveled in Europe and tried to use your VISA card in a ticket machine, you may have found it didn’t work because Europe has credit cards with a chip in them.  It’s just not as convenient, but you’ll probably end up at a counter where a clerk can swipe your card.  If you don’t already have a card with a chip in it, and you’re heading outside of the US, contact your bank and ask for a chip card.

The landlord couldn’t care less if you’re off and away, he/she expects you to pay the rent while you’re gone, but there are a few ways in which you can save a few bucks. Did you know you can temporarily suspend your cable and internet service while you travel?  Yep, it’s true.  We’ll save nearly $250 by suspending our service.  And we’ll save another $100 by suspending our parking pass.  I know, you’re thinking why do they have a parking pass when they don’t own a car?

We all know the post office offers a 30-day vacation hold, but did you know you can temporarily forward your mail to another address if you’re going to be gone for more than 30 days but less than 1 year? That’s not a money saving tip, but it’s necessary just the same.  Online payments for rent and utilities and other payments are also necessary so get those accounts set up.  How did we travel before the internet?

Today’s the day, we’re on our way.  The Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and France, we’re on our way.  So click that bubble splat just below and subscribe to follow along with us because, really, aren’t you curious as to where the mystery destination I’ve been alluding to will be?

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