Europe 2008 is on!

It's agreed. The Wayfarer House family has decided to plan a trip to Europe sometime during the middle months of 2008, and we’ve all committed to start saving money. An account will be created in the next day or so where general monies can be deposited to keep them safe, and Wifeness and I will start doing research on costs and itinerary. At this point, we don’t have a firm decision on where to go, but we will likely end up somewhere on the Mediterranean (South of France/Italy/Spain).

It will be my family’s first trip to Europe since 2005, when my house and AuntieAlex went to England around Thanksgiving break. That trip was wonderful, but there was a lot of driving involved throughout the trip. We were on the road several days for as long as 6 hours, and it was exhausting after a while. This time, I’ve vowed that, while I don’t mind driving to get to where we’re going (I’d love to drive from Paris to Rome, for example), I have no desire to go on extended outings once we’re settled. All I want to do on this trip is sit with my laptop, some books and a sketchbook. I’d love to take my bike, too, but that’s probably too much to hope for. The point is, I want to relax. That’s not to say that I won’t play with my kids or be part of the group when they want to go exploring. That’s relaxing, too. I just want to have plenty of downtime built in (see the previous post for the importance of downtime).

We’ve talked about renting a villa for a week so we can have space for everyone, save some money on food and accommodation. That’d be fun, and probably the most convenient option for this particular trip. Were it just my family, who are experienced travelers, we would do just fine with B&Bs. It’s a very interactive way to travel, and I love feeling like I’m part of someone’s family. Maeve and Caleb’s family, however, is not skilled at the kind of travel we’ll be doing for this trip, so a place to stay that will allow their children more free reign makes the most sense.

I’m really excited about this! I have been missing Europe since we got back from England. I miss France, especially. Maeve and I would be quite happy getting off the plane at Charles de Gaulle and not going more than 20 miles beyond that. She’s always wanted to see Paris, and I could be quite content to spend time there, if that were the only option. Would you like to come? With all of us included, there will be 5 adults, 3 fare-paying children and an infant. Two more, and we qualify for group fares through the airline! It’ll be an experience you’ll treasure for the rest of your life, I promise.