Some thoughts about the cost of this trip...

So amidst all my planning, my friend Gloria emailed me, "Just a question that probably other people asked you many times ... 'HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ALL THIS LONG STAYING ABROAD?'  How can a " normal  person" plan all the freights, fees, costs, extras, trains, flights, etc for one  year of travels and living in another country?" Gloria suggested that my ideas might help others thinking about going away for a long stay.
Well, I  have been planning this trip, since I last returned in 2011. At that time, I said I that I would be home for two years to "refill the coffers". So PLANNING and saving for these expenses have been a been a big part of my preparation. My biggest expense will be my housing, as I will not be doing too much couch surfing!
And there are always ways to "cut corners"! You can choose to fly Ryan Air or EasyJet in Europe. You can choose to cook rather than eat out. Remember, I am going there to live! I do not plan on eating out all that often; if I do, I will pass on the ***** restaurants!! Tom Myers writes a helpful newletter/blog called http://www.eurocheapo.com I've found that once on-line one blog takes me to another with more good ideas of things to do and place to see and ways to save. LOTS of people want to travel without spending their last penny!
For example, I was trying to figure out what to do about my telephone service. So I googled a request, which took me to one blog. Realtor Brenda Prowse of Poulsboro, WA, had commented on this blog that she was going to France for a year. I googled her and found her blog http://muchadoaboutparis.com  I asked what they had decided to do about their phone service and got a long and most informative email from her husband Hugh about this, which pointed me in the right direction. (I will decide exactly which service I will use when I get there; the key is to have an unlocked phone and then buy time.)
Certainly phone usage will be an expense that I need to have but I really cannot determine the exact cost, until I am there. It does not make sense to use my standard ATT plan for such a long trip! (And there is always SKYPE!) I'll let you know how I make out on the phone piece of my junket once I know!! Those are just a few ideas about costs for my trip....I am sure that I will be sharing more ideas along the way.
And for those of you who want to post a comment, hit the No Comment, and the Post a Comment box pops up for you to make a comment....Hope to hear from you along the way!

.... "What WILL YOU DO?"

So many people ask me this, and I love it!! I am going to LIVE THERE! Just LIVE!! Many Americans go and spend an extended time in many foreign countries. They go with different purposes in mind. Some want to really study the language or explore their roots or any number of reasons. And, I? I will live there!!  I will go to the grocery store (people who know me know that I DO like to do that!) and go swimming in a local pool (where available) and walk and walk and walk and meet people and explore and WHATEVER HAPPENS TO COME INTO MY LIFE. For example, a friend asked me to find her grandfather's cemetery plot in Nice. I have already signed up for the Nice Meetups, which I hope will be one way to meet new people. I've been looking on www.couchsurfing.org for people I can meet for coffee or a a meal. Of course, I will do some sight-seeing.
WHERE will I be? The original plan to be in Nice for nine months eventually was reduced to four months. In August I will be staying with Pascale, whom I also met through a home exchange website. She lives in Suresnes, which is very near Paris, so I can take the bus to explore Paris, and see how closed it really is! (Many French take all of August off for their annual vacation.) September I will be in Bussy Le Grand in Burgundy, where I've rented a wonderful house I found on www.sabbaticalhomes.com I will be in Nice from October through the end of January at the afore-mentioned place which my friend Gloria rents. February and March I will be in Collioure, which is two hour train trip from Barcelona. April will find me in Lisbon for three weeks and then to Madeira for a week. Where I will stay for the rest of my time, I'll figure out once I am over there....(I think that my far-ahead planning is too far ahead for some people!)
So for the next twelve weeks, I will be taking care of the last minute details: car, mail, bills, wrapping up any real estate matters, etc. I will be reporting on my activities more often in this blog when I am gone, although that will depend on internet access! Hope you will come along with me!!