Does this make me look like a tourist? We are packed and on our way to the airport! It's been a joy to plan this trip and I am excited to experience it. Wondering how we'll manage the jet lag am hoping we won't be too cranky upon arrival. We will miss our friends and family and our sweet kitties. Off we go!

Packing Lists? Check. Converters? Check. Guide books? Check. Crazy excited? You betcha! 2 sleeps and we are on our adventure! It still feels surreal to fly over an ocean to spend time on countries I've really only read about. I am so happy to be able to have this experience with the family and curious to see how we will work together. I'm confident we will all have experiences that will have impact for years to come. Good night!

22 Days until our trip! Over the past few weeks I've picked up our electrical converters and we've paid off our lodging for Paris. By the time we leave, all of our lodging and travel will be paid in full. It was important for us to make sure that our souveniers from the trip did not include mountains of debt! I can't believe we are getting so close to turning this dream into reality. It has been a joy. So exciting!!!!

Trip is 3 months away and today I booked our transportation from Paris to Amsterdam. Although this train ride is only a little over 3 hours long, I am really excited about it. Traveling by train is not as common in the US and I remember it fondly during the time we spent in Germany when I was a little girl. I splurged for the 1st class seats since they were in our budget so we'll have free wifi, a snack and lunch on the way. The train leaves around 12:30 in ...

Booked travel from London to Paris on Eurostar. Thrilled to get a good price by booking early. Picked our seats based on advice from www.seat61.com.