Episode 15: Bucket List Travel As An Expat

Do you have a destination in the world that you have been dreaming of going to? Longing to see? In this episode, Chandra shares her tips for traveling tastefully (for less). From airlines, to accommodations tune in and learn how to make a trip to your bucket list destination possible!

Plus keep listening to the end to hear about this week's delicious "Chan Select"!

• This episode's "Chan Select": Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte.
• Follow on Instagram: @Expatriotical
• Episode Reference: Episode 2: Redefining "Trailing Spouse" and Episode 9: Lost in Translation

"Live and Travel in the Know" with Expatriotical!

Transcript

Expatriotical- Episode 15: Bucket List Travel As An Expat

Bienvenue, Benvenuti, and Welcome to Expatriotical, the podcast for expats, travelers, and other adventurous souls. I’m Chandra Alley and after living as an expat with my husband and 4 children in two different countries for almost 6 years, I’ve learned the arts of pivoting during pitfalls, travelling tastefully for less, and soaking in amazing new cultures without loosing your own.

Join me, as we dive into the joys and challenges of travel and the expat life in every episode!

Hey everybody!! I hope this episode finds you in the middle another great week. I’ve learned a new term called Maycember, which in America is a very crazy time of year when you have to fit in all of the end-of-year school programs, teacher appreciation days (which are very well-deserved), sporting events, and your general life and work and everything into your regular rhythm. So I truly do mean it when I say I hope you’re in the middle of a great week, but I understand if it’s been rough and I hope that this hump day, which is a general term everywhere, maybe, but definitely is a colloquialism in American English for Wednesday which is the middle day in workweek as we know, if this hump day finds you in rough patch, let’s dream together!

Lots of times when you move as an expat it’s because you want to travel. Not just for that reason, but it’s a good incentive. And maybe you want to travel not only to your new city or country of residence, but maybe to the cities around it or countries around it. For those that may just be tuning in to Expatriotical for the first time, I’m coming up on almost 6 years in August, of living life as an expat. The first four years my husband and I and our children lived Just south of Milan, Italy.

After four years of living there we moved to Paris. I should make it clear, that moving from country to country in Europe, is not typical for my husbands position that’s just how it worked out. But I will say that it has made getting to see multiple countries while we have lived here possible. And we have loved it!

And for you, maybe you have moved to a location that may not be your ideal, but surrounding you there is a ton to see only a quick plane ride away to see another country that you have always wanted to visit. So, we are going to do a bucket list travel episode!

As I say in the opening of the podcast I want to help you travel tastefully for less. And so I’m going to share some practical ways to do that. And hopefully you can take the principles, those principles and maybe even the actual airlines or apps I use to build some Bucket list travel or dream vacations for yourself and/or your family!

First we’ll start with transportation. And I have to put caveat out there that you should always do your due diligence in researching and reading reviews not only for transportation companies such as airlines, but also when booking your accommodations, etc…

But with that said, I have become, while living in Europe, a huge fan of budget airlines. The first and main one I have used is called EasyJet. In Europe what a budget airline generally tends to do is limit you to a backpack and maybe a small purse or personal item and charge you for anything beyond that. Such as carry-on luggage, getting to choose your seat, and of course snacks and other foods and beverages.

A plus side is that when you book as a family and want to save by not choosing your seats, they will book you to sit together with your children. At least that is my experience. Using budget airlines like this is great for long weekend travel, but I’m sure you use it for longer vacations as well.

And most recently I used it when going to see some dear friends, back in Italy, and I think I spend around €58 for a round trip ticket from Paris to Milan. What a steal!

Another airline I have recently tried for the first time it’s called Transavia, it is a sister company or offshoot of Air France, so you maybe able to use points to book with them. But we used them for the first time going on a major bucket list destination of mine, which is Greece. We were able to book 6 round trip tickets from Paris to Mykonos and back for just over €700. Granted choosing to book slightly out of season, I mean literally the island was gearing up when we started to leave for the beginning of their tourism, it definitely saved us a pretty penny. And I know this because I had looked into tickets to go to Greece at the end of October, during the Toussaint vacation that my kids have, to celebrate my 40th birthday, and tickets were around €2600.

I also found that by checking out different islands I could reduce the price dramatically. Because for the same length of stay it was €1400 roundrtip for tickets at the same time that we ended up going.

So playing around a bit when you’re searching and being open to having different destination cities in the country you hope to go to or even having flexible travel dates can make it possible for something that may seem impossible.

Something else that we ran into after booking our flights to Mykonos, was that we decided we had to go to Athens. So I looked up flights for Mykonos to Athens and the prices were outrageous. That’s when we got on YouTube and watched a few different things as research and decided to look into a ferry. This proved to be the most economical way for our family of six to get from Mykonos to Athens and back, because at that point changing our flights to fly just to Athens and doing something else would’ve cost us €400 per person.

We ended up spending $340 total for a round-trip Ferry service from Mykonos to Athens,  And being able to fit in seeing the Acropolis and the Parthenon and making some memories that we’ll never forget, was well worth the extra cost. Plus due to using Booking.com, which I will talk about more later on in the episode, a one night stay only cost $58.

So again, thinking outside the box for transportation is super helpful. Plus my kids love riding the ferry. My last tidbit or tidbits would be it don’t forget about train services, if there are some in your area, and maybe even renting a car.

Something that I think I’ve mentioned before is that I truly love to travel by train. It is seriously my favorite way to travel. It is the most relaxing, I enjoy every moment of it with my kids, well almost every moment let’s be honest, and sometimes it’s actually quite affordable. So taking a little time to Google getting to your destination country or city by train could make your trip even more amazing.

And concerning renting a car, if you are not too intimidated to drive in a new busy city where the rules of traffic and road safety may not always be followed, then renting a car could very well be a good option for you. I know that specifically in Italy, cars can be quite inexpensive to rent, even for an entire week. So it’s definitely an option worth looking into, and it can make you a lot more versatile in your travel. For example, if you hope to go to the south of France, if you’re in France, in the region of Provence, you’re going to need a car.

Though if you go to the south France, a word to the wise, don’t take your car to Marseille, no offense to be inhabitants there, but I have a whole story and probably another podcast episode to go with that comment and we’ll get to that at a later time.

Okay something I probably could’ve mentioned a little earlier was to make sure that sign up for a rewards program. Whether it’s for an airline, or hotel, for an accommodation service, sign up for it! And if you are the CIP, as a reminder that means completely irreplaceable partner, who is the one the person who moves and it’s not for their job, (see Episode 2: Redefining Trailing Spouse to find out more) make sure you get your partner who may travel more than you, to sign up for rewards. I cannot tell you how many times we have used Marriott points to pay for hotel accommodations whether in Europe or in America.

Another example of a built-in, if you will, rewards program is with Booking.com. I also should say again, as I’ve said in many episodes before, at this time, at the time of the recording, I am not an affiliate with anybody that I’m recommending and I do not get any kickbacks. These are simply recommendations that I’m making to you because they’ve been super helpful to me.

Anyway, back to Booking.com, you basically have to give your email so that you can get a confirmation or reservation number when you use them and once that happens, you pretty much have an account. And they keep track and you start earning Rewards or credits with every stay and those credits are stored in your Booking.com wallet balance. And that is why I was able to get our gorgeous Athens accommodation, which is honestly well priced anyway, for only €58.

I have also found that by using the app, I can often save quite a bit of money versus booking with my computer. Not really sure why they do that, but I am not complaining. And with every time you book with them, you move up in your Genius Level (well you have to book a certain amount of times and then you move up) which is their loyalty program which helps you save or get discounts on travel. I am currently a Level 2 Genius, and I honestly didn’t really know what that meant, but when I started digging through the app and researching I found that it means I get a 15% discount on all participating properties worldwide.

My app says that in the past two years I’ve stayed  €177.20 on discounted genius stays. It may not be a lot, but I will absolutely take it!

Also, I was talking to my husband, Chris, last night about writing this episode and he mentioned and I think it’s a fair point, that all of the traveling we have done or at least most of it, the vast majority, here in Europe is filtered through the lens of being a family of six.

Most hotels cannot accommodate families of our size. And though I do believe I’ve mentioned this before, when we were moving to Paris and we were in our third and final accommodation before moving into our apartment, we had to book 3 rooms at the Marriott we stayed at. Two of them were adjoining and then one was down the hall. So the door open between the adjoining rooms and Lilliah  and Isaiah would sleep on the queen bed in that room and Caleb would sleep in the bed with me in the other room. Then Chris would sleep with Carson in room down the hall. It was obviously not ideal, but at that point it was the best we could do.

And this is our experience in multiple cities in Europe. So frequently we choose Booking.com, or AirBNB, or VRBO. Because we can book a lovely apartment I can accommodate all of us for a reasonable price. So I say all of that to say that if you are a single person, a couple, or a family with not quite as many children as we have, you may have a lot more options, in accommodations, so please keep that in mind as you search for accommodations.

But also as an encouragement to those with medium to larger families, not getting to go somewhere can sometimes work in your favor. We were not able to go to the Amalfi Coast, due to the prices of accommodations and the size of our family, BUT we ended up “discovering” my favorite place in all of Italy, and really in all or the world, Cinque Terre. If you want to hear me gush about it you can listen to Episode 9: Lost in Translation, where it is the episode’s “Chan Select”.

Okay, one thing I want to mention before we jump into the dreaming part, is an app called Get Your Guide. I first heard about it from my friend Marny, when I was preparing to take my mom to Rome, and I had never been there myself and was wondering how to get everything booked. I mentioned it to her and she said, “You can use an app called get your guide. You can get tickets to museums, tours, monuments, pretty much anything.” If you can’t tell Marny has a beautiful British accent, which I’m sure I didn’t do justice to, but nonetheless I downloaded the app, I was able to book a walking tour of the Vatican in minutes. And then I booked us tickets for a “no wait entry” into the Coliseum. I was able to pretty much plan our trip within the comfort of our hotel room. This past weekend I used it again when my mom and I went to London. Definitely a bucket list place for her, and my favorite City in Europe, though I will be honest Paris is really vying for that title since I live here!

I was able to browse through bus tours and compare prices, and we ended up being Super satisfied with purchasing a 24 hour hop on hop off big bus Tour and a one-way city cruise boat tour.

Granted, I didn’t use it to book everything. Sometimes there is a bit of a surcharge for certain things, so to visit Kensington Palace and the Tower of London, I went directly to their websites.

But overall, Get your Guide is a fantastic tool that I have used over and over again and I highly recommend it!

Okay, now enough of the practical stuff and on to the really fun part! But first for a glimpse into why travelling is so important to me. I grew up being an avid reader. I loved books for all of the adventures they took me on and new places I could go to in my mind (some of which actually existed.) I loved books because we were quite poor, I know people don’t like that word but, that’s what we were. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up and couldn’t afford to travel to any of those places that I dreamed of going to, so I knew that books and television a little bit in part also, could take me there.

And now that I am all grown up and have the opportunity to see these places in real life, I am so thankful to God that I get to. I truly cannot believe it.

Anyway, this may seem kind of silly to some of you and PLEASE do not do this part if you are driving, riding a bicycle, or in motion in anyway (please wait until you are in a still and safe place), but when you get there. I want you to close your eyes and imagine with me…. Seriously, go ahead and close them. Now take a deep breath… and exhale.

I’m going to take you to the town of Mykonos on the Island of Mykonos. 

Imagine warm Mediterranean sun winking at you as you look out over your balcony toward the sea. As it sets the sky is filled with pinks and oranges and yellows and their light turns the small islands before you into black silhouettes. You hear the waves crashing against a sea wall only a hundred meters from you. You breathe in that fresh salty sea air and can smell marinated meats and roasted vegetables being cooked in the kitchens nearby, some of which you’ve already had the pleasure of dining at on this trip. You feel peaceful, you feel grateful.

Your mind gently hums over the day’s activities of toasting your spouse with a cool glass of white wine as you watched your children splash and play in the clearest water you’ve ever seen in your life. And then you enjoyed a sea side stroll back to the apartment that you’re currently sitting in.

You think to yourself, “I can’t believe that I’m here right now. I always wanted to come here and here I am.” That feeling of gratitude washes over you and humbles you as you realize how extremely blessed you are. You know that there are more adventures to come, but for right now, you simply savor the one that you are in.

Ok. Now open your eyes. That was a 10 second glimpse into a Bucket List Travel destination for me. I had always wanted to go to Greece. Not only because it seemed gorgeous and amazing and I love the Sea, but also because my degree is in theater so I just wanted to go and see some of the culture and the history that I had learned about.

And utilizing some of the practical tips that I mentioned earlier, helped to make that possible. And by God’s grace with good timing, as we chose to go when things were not in peak season, it made it affordable as well.

No matter what your reason is for having some bucket list travel destinations, may I just encourage you, if your new country of residence has put you close to one of those destinations, try to go see it! Now, I’m not encouraging you to break the bank, spend your family’s life savings, or go into deeply into debt to do it, but with a little saving and a little research, you may very well be able to make it happen!

I hope you walk away today with inspiration and helpful tips for planning your next Bucket list trip!

Ok guys, I hope that last part wasn’t too weird, but we will move on, it’s time for this episode’s “Chan Select”! I’m pretty excited to tell you about this one, it’s a Paris based selection and I first experienced it with my youngest son Caleb, when he was three years old and we were staying in that Marriott that I mentioned earlier in the episode. And it was the last week we were staying there and my older three children have already started their first week of school, And Caleb and I were looking for somewhere to have lunch. We had seen restaurant right around corner, that always seemed to have a line running from the door around the corner of the triangular building and Down the sidewalk.

And for some reason I noticed it again but this time there wasn’t much of a line, so Caleb and I got in the queue and waited just a short while to go inside. We did not realize what a treat we were in for!

The name of the restaurant is Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote (and in my American accent that’s Le Relaid de Venise L’Entrecote. And it is located at 271 boulevard Pereire, not sure if I’m saying that right. In the 17th arrondissement (or district) of Paris.

They only serve one thing. It’s a set menu. Delicious tender succulent steak drizzled in what I’m going to call a delicate French mustard sauce served with generous portions of salad and an abundance of French fries. Caleb and I shared one order and were stuffed to the gills. They even brought seconds- included in your purchase. You cannot make a reservation there, but the wait is well worth it! Months later Chris and I enjoyed a date night there and he was equally impressed. And not to sound arrogant, but a lot coming from two people whose families raised their own beef, it’s pretty impressive when a restaurant nails it right out the gate!

This is one type of typical Parisian cuisine, and a must if you have any mount of time during your stay here in Paris. And especially if you live here!  I do apologize to all of the vegetarians and vegans who cannot enjoy the steak, but I will say salad and French fries are a delicious and integral part of meal!

I will include their website in the show notes.

And finally for a quote of the day! This is going to be a quick one, I found while Googling bucket list quotes. I know, that’s super generic, but I really felt like it fit this episode and was a nice end cap to everything.

The person that it comes from is “Unknown”, but that’s ok too. It goes like this: “There is no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this.” I really and truly love this quote and think I need to teach it to my kids when they complain of being bored, because the quote is right. With such a great big beautiful world to explore, even if that is just taking a walk in our own neighborhood with eyes and hearts open, there is absolutely no time or reason to be bored.

So let’s get out there and explore!

I truly hope you have enjoyed this episode! And if you did, could you take a moment to rate and review Expatriotical on whatever podcast platform you are using and let me know? I would greatly appreciate it.

I hope you all have a great rest of your week and I look forward to meeting you back here again next week, but until then, this is Chandra Alley reminding you to “Live and Travel in the Know” with Expatriotical!