June 8th 2023
It’s only 3 weeks to go until we are off overseas again! One of my sons is playing his fiddle in a Celtic band around Scotland, so we will be traipsing after him for a bit. We also plan to visit England and Paris while we are over there. When you live in Australia, it’s bound to be a while before you get to visit Europe again! We are traveling relatively light, with just myself and my husband, our 10 year old son, Matthew, and our 20 year old son, Caleb.
My mind is full of what we need to organise before we go…
Normally, it would be sorting out who will mind all the animals we have and look after the house, but thankfully this time I won’t need to do that as we are leaving two other older sons behind.
Still…there’s a lot to do. Here's my running list of things to think about:
Does everyone have a suitable case and cabin bag? I like to use as small a bag as possible. My aim is to get everyone to pack one cabin bag size for traveling only, plus a small backpack that can be folded in the case if are trying to get on a plane with just one cabin bag each. In the past, we have travelled for weeks with one small cabin bag each only – somehow we managed to take everything we required which ranged from puffer jackets for Scotland weather as well as formal outfits and bathers for the cruise ship we were getting from Spain!). This has many advantages: getting on and off planes is a breeze and faster when you don’t have to wait for luggage to come out (more secure these days too, with so many suitcases seeming to go missing in this post-pandemic world!). It also means we can fit everything into the hire car more easily, and makes lugging the cases around easier if we have to walk anywhere with them (think train stations and cobbled streets in Paris!). Luggage organisers can be a good idea to help to fit everything in
Have we got our passports sorted? If not…panic!
Do the kids need any sort of ID stating they are a student?
Are there any clothes that anyone needs to buy before we go? Usually, I decide I desperately need something I can’t do without…my latest thing is buying merino gear for myself (widely regarded as the best travelwear, but I’ll keep you posted, as I think they will be a nightmare to get dry after washing). I have just discovered Facebook Marketplace – I don’t know what I have been doing all this time! I love ebay and Gumtree too, although it can be tricky guessing the size.
Have I booked all the plane flights/train trips/accommodation/car hire/museum passes etc that I can before I go?
Have I found out the cheapest way to travel around in each place we are going and the cheapest way to see the things we want to? Some cards that might save you money are the Paris Museum Pass, London Pass, Heritage UK Overseas Visitor Pass etc.
Are there any homeschool discounts that I can apply for? Of course, this is dependent on the country. I will be unlikely to get a discount in a country where it is illegal to homeschool! I have found this has been a great saving in the past though, so always worth investigating
Do I have travel lollies sorted for take-off and landing in the plane (my husband thinks this is ridiculous and completely unnecessary!)? My favourites are Pascal Eclairs and Wethers caramels.
Have I got some travel games? Some games we have packed for this trip are a packet of cards (I plan to have a running tournament of ‘Spit’ with my 9 year old), Uno, Bananagrams Duel, Cleudo travel game, Skipbo, and Go Fish for Art: Impressionist & Renaissance
Have I got a comfortable pair of shoes? I used to take Kathmandu boots for lots of walking, but I am planning to just take my white casual sneakers and some runners this time around as they are much less bulky. I will keep you posted on how comfy there are!
Are all the devices I have charged and ready to go? I have a Kindle that is a lifesaver for all the books I want to read for myself and to my child, and I will be taking my headphones for listening to educational Podcasts and doing free tours online
Have I got my money sorted? This time, I will use a travelcard from our bank so that if it gets lost, they will only have access to a small amount of money
Have I got a plan for my phone? I will be using a pre-ordered international SIM card so that we have plenty of data for navigating around
Do I have some international travel plugs?
Finally, I’m reading my child everything I can about the countries we are going to and things we will be seeing. The more he knows (and we know), the more interesting and enjoyable it will be. These are the books we are enjoying at the moment (please see below for a more extensive list of books for England, France and Scotland):
Monet’s Garden by the National Gallery of Victoria
I also have some ‘required reading’ books that my child needs to read a portion of each night. These have included (please see more below):
The ‘Katie’ books by James Mayhew (fantastic for recognising the art in all the galleries we will be going to!). A good place to start is Katie and the Impressionists
My Story: War Stories for Boys by Chris Priestley, Brian Perrett & Jim Eldridge
We are also watching some documentaries and films that have been set in London, Paris, and Scotland. So far we have watched and enjoyed:
Gangsta Granny Strikes Again directed by Dan Zeff
Madeline directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer
The countdown is on and we all can’t wait!
Recommended books to read
England
Shakespeare can be Fun series: Macbeth for Kids by Lois Burdett (and others in the series)
Dead Famous: William Shakespeare and his Dramatic Acts by Andrew Donkin
Bard of Avon: the Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema
Good Queen Bess: the Story of Elizbeth I of England by Siane Stanley & Peter Vennema
Dead Famous: Winston Churchill and his Great Wars by Alan MacDonald
Paris, France
Michelangelo by Diane Stanley (for visiting the statues by him in the Louvre)
Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Christina Bjork (for visiting Monet’s paintings)
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