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Phase One of the Big Adventure ends

25/9/2015

Well, after 31 days (5 in Paris, 8 in Mons, 3 in Oslo, 9 in Holland and a week in London), the first phase of our Big Adventure ends today. I’m on a plane headed to Toronto, while Ursula, the kids and John fly off to Nice this afternoon. I miss them already.

Those who've been reading our blogs know our trip has been a great success so far. In fact, I think it’s fair to say we’ve all enjoyed every stop. Paris was the kids’ first experience in Europe, and what a place to start! Belgium was also wonderful. We tried to mix some kid stuff (i.e. the Mons zoo) with substance (i.e. Ypres and Passchendale). George and I really enjoyed our time in Oslo, and Ursula and Molly seemed to enjoy their girls’ time while we were gone.

For me, Holland was like a homecoming. It was great to see old friends, and visit many places I frequented 35 years ago. London was also a memorable week. We walked and walked. In addition to the famous sites, we all loved Camden Town. Molly could hardly believe Dad knew where to find the funkiest shopping in London!

Spending a month together, pretty much 24 hours a day, has been good for all of us. As you know, I’ve been away a lot over the past 11 years so, in many ways, we are reconnecting as a group of 4, rather than 3+1. Taken in that context, I know the next 25 days will be a long separation, but given that it will be followed by many months together again, I think we will survive.

I know some of you think I’m (more than a little) obsessed with budgetary matters. While there may be some truth to this critique, an unexpected benefit has been watching George and Molly learn about money management. Every day, we sat down and tallied up the day’s expenditures so George could input them into his iPad. We learned about currency exchange rates, and how we need to offset big spending days with quiet ones. For example, yesterday we were considering whether to take the Emirates cable car across the Thames ($60). George pointed out they’d already ridden the Eye ($90) earlier in the day, so maybe a second bird’s eye view of the same city wasn’t really necessary. Everyone agreed, and we were happy to leave that adventure for another trip.

One area of limited progress, however, has been schoolwork. Ursula has clearly become an expert on the parts of speech - I don’t think either of us expected her ESL certificate from Carleton would come in so handy at home! I overhear most of her lessons, and it’s obvious the kids now grasp concepts they hadn’t learned at school. As for math, the good news is that both George and Molly clearly “get” math. We worked our way through several lessons, but probably not as many as we should have. For the next month, the kids will continue English with “Mrs. D” but will get a break from math with “Mr. D”. As a result, we will have some ground to make up when I get back!

Being away from our previous life in Canada has also given me some perspective. Looking back at the past decade, I think I can now appreciate better the opportunities and experiences I had as a Member of Parliament, as well as what I missed at home (and elsewhere). I wouldn’t trade those years for anything, but I’m content with my decision to move on. Ironically, this next month may seem a little strange, as I will be revisiting that former life alone (again). But I know this month is necessary, as I have lots of personal business to wrap up, and two MP offices to close down. I'm also looking forward to helping Jamie on the campaign. Having said that, I’m sure I’ll be excited to climb aboard another big silver bird on October 20 to rejoin my family in Europe.

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Trip Budget Update after 29 days

23/9/2015

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As most readers know, we have undertaken a six month trip around (most of) the world. Unlike a normal vacation, when you can always spend a little more than intended, then sort your credit card bill out next month, we don't have the flexibility of overspending. For us, there's a certain amount of fuel (C$50,000) in the tank, and when it's gone, it's gone. As such, my initial strategy was to shoot for C$40,000-45,000 in total spending - realizing we were more likely to go over budget than under.

Which brings me to a second point - the Canadian dollar. Since I started planning (and booking) this trip a year ago, the Canuck Buck has devalued against most currencies about 10%. For us, this has been like a C$5,000 unexpected expense. While this external shock hasn't forced any change in our basic plans (i.e. which countries we had already planned to visit), it did wipe out a good chunk of my reserve, and has effectively eliminated some of the pricier options I was considering (such as Australia) for January and February.

In many ways, planning a Big Trip is like building a new house. You know how much money you have to start with, and that you will have to make a series of trade-offs to keep things in line (i.e. if we put nicer tile in the bathroom, we'll have to buy less expensive cabinets). For anyone who has ever built or renovated a house, you know how difficult this process can be, and how a series of little "what the hell" decisions can quickly destroy your overall budget.

For an extended trip like ours, the budget issue basically boils down to two essential elements. One, do you want to go to some places, like London or Singapore, that are several times more expensive than other places, such as Morocco or Vietnam. Two, if you're in an expensive place, are you willing to forgo many of the things you would normally do, such as stay in a downtown hotel, eat in restaurants, drink coffee or beer in cafes, visit famous sites and buy souvenirs.

I know that, for many people, the idea of travelling on a strict budget is a bit of an oxymoron. If the purpose of a vacation is to relax, enjoy yourself, and escape the daily grind, how can you do that if you're forced to be more frugal on vacation than you are in your normal daily life at home?

That's a good question. I guess my answer is that if you want to go to lots of interesting places over the course of your life, you have to be willing to stretch your limited resources. For me, the idea of a week in Rome on a budget has always been more appealing than the same week at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica.

In terms of how they view vacations, I tend to divide people into two groups: those who want to go further into their comfort zone; and those who are willing to leave their comfort zone. In the movie "The Accidental Tourist", this difference is defined as "tourist" vs "traveller". Ursula hates when I use that dichotomy because she says it makes me sound like a travel snob, but I think it has value.

In the final analysis, I think people should do what they want with their precious and limited vacation time and dollars. Having said that, I also know that lots of people could go places they think they can't afford if they were willing to be flexible, and sacrifice a bit on luxury. (If I ever become a travel agent, this is the market I'd like to serve.) For me, I would rather eat a homemade sandwich on a city bus in London than play golf on a fancy course in Florida.

When Ursula and I started to consider options for our Big Trip a year ago, almost everything was open. We had 6 months and C$50,000 - about $275 per day for 4 people for everything. We would start in Toronto in late August, move east, and end up in Seoul by late February.

Early in this process we made plans to meet the Brandon family in Vietnam for the Christmas holidays. As a teacher, Lorry has a clearly defined 16 day break from Sat Dec 19 to Sun Jan 3. After the Brandons decided to travel via Hong Kong (in order to visit another friend), we booked a place in Hoi An, Vietnam from Wed Dec 23 to Thu Dec 31.

While it wasn't a strategic planning decision at the time, I soon realized that our plans with the Brandons neatly cleaved our 6 month trip into two parts - 4 months in 2015 and 2 months in 2016. It also meant that most of the expensive destinations I had already committed to were in 2015, and 2016 was mostly a blank slate. This division helped my budgeting process.

By August I knew we would have some free accommodation in Belgium and Holland, a very cheap week in South Africa thanks to Troy Austen's timeshare, and that John would (very generously) provide accommodation for the Beachli clan during the time I would be back in Canada. With this help, I hit my target of C$100 for accommodation per night in 2015, and I am confident my target of C$70 per night for 2016 in southeast Asia is attainable.

In terms of getting good deals on airline tickets, I feel this has been my greatest accomplishment. After spending many hours trying to understand the algorithmic logic of air fares, I realized there were almost unbelievable deals out there if one was flexible and booked well in advance. In the final analysis, I managed to book more than 50 flights over a six month period for just over $10,000, including all taxes and fees. Here is the list.

1. Toronto to Brussels
2. Brussels to Oslo (Barry, George)
3. Oslo to Brussels (Barry, George)
4. Brussels to London
5. London to Nice (Ursula, George, Molly)
6. London to Toronto (Barry)
7. Toronto to Basel (Barry)
8. Basel to Rome
9. Rome to Marrakech
10. Fez to Barcelona
11. Barcelona to Tel Aviv
12. Tel Aviv to Istanbul
13. Istanbul to Abu Dhabi/Dubai
14. Abu Dhabi/Dubai to Johannesburg
15. Cape Town to Danang
16. Ho Chi Minh to Kuala Lumpur
17. Kuala Lumpur to Seoul

Obviously the free flights to South Africa were the best deal (that's another story), but there were many other great deals along the way. Overall, this unexpectedly low cost of all air travel really helped the budget process.

I should note that in August I was able to add another C$5,000 to our overall travel budget. While closing down our two households (Ottawa and Haliburton) this summer, I realized that a series of small matters were breaking our way, and we were ahead of where I had expected back in the spring when I set the original budget. Ironically, this positive externality was simply offsetting the negative impact of another externality (the devaluation of the Canadian dollar) - a classic example of "you win some, you lose some", or as some of my friends might say, "shit happens".

So, after deducting air travel and accommodation, I could set a daily spending limit for everything else. After rounding down to create a small cushion, I calculated our daily spending budget for 2015 to be C$200, and our daily budget for 2016 to be C$100.

In another happy turn of events, a few weeks ago George and I downloaded an excellent app for travel budgeting onto his iPad. Every day, he has been faithfully inputting every expense incurred. The app keeps track of every transaction in specific categories, and even calculates currency exchange rates so everything reverts back to Canadian dollars.

And so, I guess you're wondering how we are doing with the budget after 29 days on the road. The answer is "we're doing great". During 7 days in August, we spent $1,253.48 (almost $150 under budget). So far in September, we've spent $3,964.65 in 22 days (almost $450 under budget). In total, we've spent $5,218.13 in 29 days - an average of just $179.94 per day. To be fair, I must note that friends in Belgium and Holland were generous, and yesterday's tickets to the Warner Bros. studios to see the Harry Potter film set were birthday presents for all of us from my parents. (Thanx for a great day, Mom and Dad!)

In conclusion, I'm happy. With a little help from our friends and family, we've managed to stay on budget through the most expensive part of our trip (Paris, Belgium, Oslo, Holland and London). And I want Jennifer Bruce to know I'm working hard to ensure we'll be able to afford more than a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce and a shared glass of house red while we're in Rome...

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London Transport Museum

21/9/2015

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George and I visited the London Transport Museum today. We learned about how public transport began with horse drawn carriages in the 19th Century, and experienced explosive growth in the 20th Century with buses and the underground. The red double decker bus behind George is from the 1950's, and the one to his right is from the 1970's. What we didn't expect to find was a bus to Sudbury. Would that get us most of the way to Aird Island for our summer holiday?

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Comments would be appreciated

21/9/2015

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While I am able to see how many people visit our homepage each day, I cannot see who they are - unless I pay for "premium statistics" from the provider. As such, we feel like we are flying a little blind on whether people are enjoying the posts, and who you are.

As such, we would appreciate brief comments if you like (or dislike) something you see. A little feedback will help us to shape the messages better. Thanx.

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A second glorious day in London

20/9/2015

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Molly and Barry enjoy their "poor man's" hop-on hop-off bus tour of London.

Molly and Barry enjoying the Camden Market area on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

George wearing his new t-shirt from Cyberdog. (Rodney Bruce, do you remember this place?)

We had a second wonderful day walking around London. Once again, it was sunny and about 18 degrees - perfect for tourism. Like yesterday, we decided to skip any indoor attractions and take advantage of the good weather while it lasted.

One thing we didn't expect, and therefore didn't get a picture of, was a fly-by of WW2 Spitfires and Hurricanes when we were outside Westminster Abbey. Today marks the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain in the U.K., so there was a special display of the planes of that era. It was pretty cool to be standing in downtown London and see those planes go overhead. A few minutes later, an elderly gentleman stopped to talk to us. He said he choked up when the planes flew over, as he had been a young boy growing up in London during the war, so he remembered well the sounds those planes made when roaring overhead.

After a few hours in the heart of London, I took the gang up to Camden Road for some fun and funky window shopping and dinner. Camden in London's version of Greenwich Village in NYC. It's a younger crowd, and we were in a minority without tattoos or multiple piercings...

Now, we're back in our apartment. I'm on the couch (again), drinking a beer (again) while writing this blog. Tomorrow is a split day: the girls are going to see fashion while the boys will try to find some vehicles or technology to keep us busy.

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A lovely day in London

19/9/2015

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On the bus crossing the Thames with the London Eye, Big Ben Tower and the Royal Horse Guards Hotel (the castle looking building on the right) where Ursula and I stayed in 2011 as Mr. and Mrs. Assistant Deputy Speaker.

Enjoying a walk along the Thames River on a beautiful day.

Our first day in London was superb. First off, while out for an easy run this morning, I happened upon a 5k running event in a local park. I admit I didn't complete the three one mile laps, but did tag along for one with a bunch of "middle of the packers". It was fun to run with a group again.

After an otherwise quiet morning in our apartment in Crofton Park, we decided to take a bus into the city rather than the train. We knew it would take a little longer, but we would also get to see a lot more of the city looking through the big picture window on the upper floor of a London bus.

Afterward, we walked and walked and walked. After an expensive day yesterday, we're trying to get back into balance for this leg of the trip. Fortunately, our public transit passes are paid for and walking is free. With the exception of coffee for the adults and ice cream for the kids, we survived on sandwiches and cookies. For dinner, we're having an 'English breakfast' at home. All in all, a really good day.

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London Calling

18/9/2015

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George carries his backpack for the first time.

Molly and George ride a London double decker bus for the first time.

Well, today is Day 25 of our trip - just 155 more to go! I know that probably sounds silly to the reader, but we can't believe how quickly this is going past. Today, we made it to London.

We left Holland at 7 am to drive to the airport in Brussels (you know, cheap flights and deals on rental cars). Luckily for the kids, one of the cows on the farm gave birth about 6 am, so we got to see a new born calf just before leaving. The 180 km drive was uneventful, as was the one hour flight to London. Then, we took a subway and a train to get to our rental apartment in south London about 3 pm. This place is very nice - a little two storey place with one bed and two sofa beds. Delightfully for us, it has lightning fast Internet and a good washer/dryer.

After sorting out our stuff, we headed back downtown for a quick tour of Trafalgar Square and Oxford Circus, and walked past the crowds headed into the West End theatres for tonight's shows. Rather than take the subway back to the train station, we took a bus. The kids loved sitting in the front row upstairs. It's like a free amusement park ride and city tour rolled into one.

Now, I'm sitting on the couch sipping a beer and writing this post. We'll all be headed to bed soon. The weather is supposed to be great this weekend, so we'll be doing a lot of walking.

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Revisit the Holland postings

18/9/2015

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I just wanted to remind readers to have another look at my postings from Holland. I've added more copy and several photos.

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Musings about Holland

17/9/2015

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Our weeklong visit to Holland continues, as does the typically Dutch September weather. The line “if you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes” must have been penned in the Netherlands. The sun shines, then it rains, then the sun comes out again. It has also been pretty windy the past couple of days, but I guess that’s what you get in a flat country beside the sea. The good news is that we're not roasting or freezing. For walking around, this weather is fine.

Monday we made a short visit to Amsterdam. We hadn’t been able to plan much in advance (the lack of good internet where we're staying is quite inconvenient), so we mostly walked around downtown. We did walk past the Anne Frank House, but didn’t feel like standing in line for an hour or more in the rain just to get in.

Ironically, if I was recommending places to visit in the Netherlands, Amsterdam would not be one of my top sights. Sure, it's historic and has many famous attractions, but it's also overrun with tourists. At the same time, smaller cities like Utrecht, Haarlem, Gouda and Leiden are equally beautiful and filled with real Dutch people! No t-shirt shops or busloads of camera toting tourists. I think that our time outside Amsterdam has given us a much better understanding of the real Holland, and how people actually live today.

On Tuesday, we went to see a "miniature village" in The Hague called Madurodam. It shows most of the famous buildings in Holland, and as such, provides a good overview to visitors. We all enjoyed it more than expected and stayed abut 3 hours. Afterwards, we went downtown to the Maurtishaus Museum so Ursula could see Vermeer's famous "Girl with a Pearl Earring" painting. Interestingly enough, the kids and I liked the museum for another reason - it's small and can be viewed comfortably in an hour. (On a serious note, this is an important consideration. The Louvre in Paris or Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are huge, and can overwhelm kids - and adults.)

On Wednesday, we got up at 6 am to drive to Aalsmeer (a suburb of Amsterdam) to visit FloraHolland - the world's largest flower auction house, which is also the world's larges building (as measured in area under one roof). Numbers don't really do this place justice - more than 60% of the world's fresh flowers are sold here. The colours and smells are wonderful, and the level of activity we could see from a catwalk above was really amazing.

After lunch back on the farm, we returned to Delft to sightsee and find a good cafe with internet access. For dinner we went to an Indonesian buffet in Zoetermeer. The kids loved the authentic rijstafel food, as well as the inauthentic chocolate fountain for dessert! For evening coffee, we returned to the van Leeuwen farm for one more visit before we leave on Friday.

On Thursday, Molly and Ursula wanted to have a quiet day, so George and I drove to the coast (20 km) for a final walk on the sand. The weather was drizzly, but nice for a walk if you have a good raincoat. When it started raining harder, George and I found a beach cafe and had a nice lunch. The girls didn't know what they were missing!

Overall, the week has been really nice. For me, it's like revisiting a movie I saw long ago. However, knowing I may not see some of the older people again is difficult to deal with.

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Returning to my old Dutch hometown

13/9/2015

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One of my highlights this month is showing my Dutch hometown of Pijnacker (near Delft and The Hague) to George and Molly. Ursula and I were here for a day last summer, but it’s really nice to have a few days to see more things.

On Saturday, we spent the day with another former host sister Ellen, her husband Dominic (who I knew when I was here) and sons Hans (14) and Chris (13). We met in the morning at their home before taking off on a bike ride through the countryside to Delft. For me, this was a day that reminded me very much of my life here, when I went almost everywhere by bike.

As it turns out, we didn’t have a bike small enough for Molly, so she and I rode double all day (with Molly on the rear cargo rack with a cushion). I’m sure that what we did would be illegal in Ontario, but here it’s common to see young people doubling on a single bike.

As you might imagine, much of this area has changed since I was here 35 years ago. Whole areas of farms have disappeared under development. There are new freeways, train stations and communities. Ironically, the places that haven’t changed are the city centres that are still dominated by 3 and 4 storey buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries.

While I was peddling for two, Ursula and George got to ride grandma and grandpa’s electric bikes. These are interesting. They aren’t exactly motorized, as power is only delivered thru the hub while the rider is pedalling. But I think they were a big help as George and I raced along one straight stretch - I had Molly cheering me on, while George had modern technology on his side!

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon and evening with my first host family, the Schaaps. Most memorable for me was the Indonesian dinner we had - something I remember fondly from my time in their home. Mr. Schaap was born in Indonesia (when it was a Dutch colony) and still loves their food. For me, it was a wonderful evening. I was also happy that George and Molly got along well with the Dutch kids, and really enjoyed the (somewhat spicy) dinner too.

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Phase One of the Big Adventure ends

Trip Budget Update after 29 days

London Transport Museum

Comments would be appreciated

A second glorious day in London

A lovely day in London

London Calling

Revisit the Holland postings

Musings about Holland

Returning to my old Dutch hometown

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