I've got lots to tell you today!

MEETING
Please remember that we are having a group meeting on Sunday, August 17 in the CARE Center, Room 214 after the 11:30 Mass- so, about 1:00-2:30pm.  I will have your luggage and name tags and e-tickets. We'll also have a quick trivia quiz with prizes, and then Monsieur Josef will teach us those important tourist phrases (where is the bathroom... how much does this cost... may I have the check, please).

MONEY
Many of us already have some Euro to get started in France. For the rest of you, please do arrange to have at least a day or two's worth ($75-100 Euro?) BEFORE you leave the US... we don't want to waste time at an exchange booth in the Paris Airport or searching for an ATM.  If you are a Wells Fargo customer, you CAN get Euro from the tellers at the Cary High House or RTP branch without a service fee, rather than having to pay for them to be shipped to you.

Before you leave for France, please be sure to contact your bank and credit card companies to let them know your will be out of the country. Otherwise, they might see attempted spending coming from a place they know you don't live and suspend or cancel your account! That's generally a good thing, a safety measure to guard against someone running up huge bills on your card without your knowledge. But if it happens while you are away, and you don't have alternate options for money, well.... that could get tricky!  So please, sometime BEFORE September 1, call the customer service number for your ATM and Credit Cards, and tell them when and where you will be away. (Don't bother bringing your DISCOVER Card, that's hardly accepted at all in Europe).

LUGGAGE
Trying to decide which suitcase to pack for France?
Step number one: please note that the word is "suitcase", not "suitcases".

Here are some quotes from our travel company that should help guide you:

• You are permitted to bring one piece of checked-in luggage, and one piece of carry-on luggage. No exceptions. 
  
• You are responsible for carrying your carryon while on tour. Be careful that your carryon luggage is within the standard size and weight of your airline.  Call the airline if you have questions.  There is limited space on the bus for your carryon luggage.
• Make sure you have your luggage tags on the outside of your luggage and that you also have your name and telephone number inside your luggage, in case your luggage tag falls off. You will be given brightly colored Catholic Travel Centre luggage tags to be used in addition to your own.

Here's a bit of good news: on international flights, the first checked bag is free! And since you have just read that you can only bring one checked bag, that means NO BAGGAGE FEES. Unless.

Unless your bag is too heavy, or too big.  Here is a link to Delta Baggage policies- please refer to the section on transatlantic flights. In summary: your checked bag can weigh up to (but not over) 50 pounds, and its overall dimensions (length+height+width) must be less than 62 inches. (E.g., a bag that is 27 inches long and 21 inches wide and 12 inches high = 60 inches).

Your carry-on bag (link to info here) can be up to 45 inches and 40 pounds- BUT PLEASE REMEMBER that YOU are responsible for carrying your own carry-on!  You may also bring one other personal item (purse, briefcase) on board. Our checked bag- once we get it to the airport in the first place- will be wrangled in and out of our motor coach, and to and from our rooms for us (and we have pre-paid the tips!)!

Have you thought about how you are getting to and from RDU yet? 

• Maybe you are lucky and have a family member or friend who will drop you off and pick you up! (our return flight doesn't get in until nearly midnight)
  
• Or maybe you plan to drive yourself and pay for parking?
• Or maybe you are considering a taxi service?

If you are considering one of those last two options, I'll make a couple suggestions here, but would also like to hear from you, if you know of better ways to do this economically. Now- by mentioning specific companies, I am not necessarily endorsing those companies - they are simply options I am familiar with, to get you thinking on your own!
Drive and park yourself.

• You COULD use any of the airport parking lots, and of course, the further from the terminal you park, the cheaper per day it is. The cheapest rate is $6 per day. I used to do this, but got frustrated by how infrequently the shuttles seemed to run. That's an inconvenience on the way home, but if you are running a little late arriving at RDU, it can make anticipating checking in on-time a nail-biting experience. I do see that the airport lots have begun a rewards program for frequent guests. That's included on the linked page.
  
• There is a company (maybe others?) that have private lots near the airport and operate frequent shuttle service, picking you and your luggage up at your vehicle, and delivering you back to it upon your return. It also has a 'rewards' program, that give you a free day for every 8 or 10 days paid. Fast Park has all covered parking and offers a free car wash upon your return. The cost, once you add in airport fees, is about $7 per day.
  

Use a taxi/limo service.
Admittedly, I have little experience with this, but when I went to Italy some years ago, 6 or 7 of us parked at one couple's house and we all rode one van to and from the airport together. We used White Horse limo company and my foggy memory has it costing each person about $15, round-trip. Their website has a place to punch in details and get a price quote. Of course, there are other taxi companies and rates vary depending on distance.

When we land in Paris early on the morning of September 2, we'll be met at the airport by our English-speaking guide and our motor coach driver.  We will head westerly into the Normandy region and our home for the next two nights in Lisieux. In this town of St. Therese of the Child Jesus ("The Little Flower"), we will be staying in the pilgrimage accommodation, the Ermitage Sainte Therese. All rooms will have their own bathroom, but may not have a hair dryer. (I know that Cynthia just bought a dual-voltage travel hair dryer... maybe some can share?!)

This website also offers basic information about St. Therese and her family, and the main sites of Lisieux, which will be very close to our Ermitage!

Our home base for the remainder of our pilgrimage will be the Hotel Opera Cadet, on a quiet street in the midst of the Opera district in Paris.
The hotel website does mention free wi-fi - my guess is that it is available in the lobby rather than in all guest rooms- but free is good!
Of course, all rooms will have their own bathroom (with hair dryer), but please just be prepared that hotel rooms in Paris are quite... cozy (small) by American standards.

And with all things travel-related, please know that circumstances could cause a change of location. (That's not planned or expected, but I just have to add that in!)

I know that if my feet hurt, I'm miserable. So, I've already started trying out good and faithful walking shoes, to see which one(s) will make the trip, and keep me a happy pilgrim. And oh, the considerations.... which will give good support, but not be too heavy, too clunky, or just too hard to get on and off in airport security?

Please allow me encourage you to give a little thought to your footwear. Walk around for a mile or more (or wear the candidates all day on an active day) to be sure they feel good and are in good shape and don't tire you out. And if you decide you need/want to buy a new pair, now is the time to break them in (don't let Day 2 of the Pilgrimage be your first time walking in them, or I predict Day 3 will find you grumpy.). (And if white sneakers fulfill all your criteria for good footwear, so be it! Just don't be surprised if they hand you the tourist menu when you stop for lunch! Seriously: well-fitting shoes trump 'fashion' on any day that involves lots of steps.)

A common question about international travel, especially in this age of cell phones, tablets, and rechargeable camera batteries, is whether we will need an 'adapter' or a 'converter'?


Here's an answer from a recent Travel Smith catalog:

"If you're traveling with your own North American 110V appliances, you'll need a voltage converter as well as the correct adapter plug.

If the power cord or plug on your appliance is labeled 100V to 240V or 110/220V, it's dual voltage and all you need is the adapter plug- this is true for many recent-model electronic devices, such as iPads(r) and laptop computers."

In other words, if you are packing your curling iron, hair dryer or toaster, you will want to have an adapter AND converter. (Unless, of course, it is a travel version that was made specifically for dual voltage).  If you simply need to recharge your phone/tablet/etc. at the end of the day, an adapter will suffice.

Let's review: a CONVERTER changes (converts) the voltage to one that is acceptable to the appliance. An ADAPTER changes the shape of the plug so the outlets can be used.  And, of course, some versions are adapters AND converters.

I am not recommending any particular company, but here is a list of places where you can find adapters and/or converters (with a wide price range!): Bed, Bath and Beyond (got a coupon?), Target, AAA, Brookstone, or on-line travel supply companies like travelsmith.com or magellans.com . Do you have a favorite travel supply store?

Here is a list of a few travel-related apps that I have found interesting and/or helpful.  Please note that some of them do not work without an internet connection (so for most of us, they would not be useful while out and about in France, but still - I like them!).

Another caveat- I use these apps on Apple devices, so I know that they are available through the Apple App store. They may well also be available for Android devices, and all the ones I am listing are free (or free versions).

Currency exchange rates (note that these rates don't include service charges we'd have to pay): XE  and their website is www.xe.com

Translation app (look up the words/phrases you anticipate needing while connected, it stores them for you): Google Translate

Translation of popular words: French (from lastminute.com)- it works off-line! (The app's icon looks like the French flag: blue/white/red vertical stripes)

Free French Lessons: Duolingo  (thanks to a parishioner for telling me about this!)

Information about France: Rick Steves Audio Europe - then add selected interviews to your playlist for later listening

Portable guidebook: Ulmon Paris - personally, I find this a little confusing to use. Access the magnifying glass icon to get to what I'd term the 'home page'. It will show places on a map, and show you a Metro map, too.

Okay- what are YOUR favorite travel-related apps?

Here is a link to an on-line travel guide for Paris.

If you use the search box, you can also look up many of the other locations where we will be during our pilgrimage. Notice that in the right column, you can click for Weather, Maps, Travel Tips and much more!

As you get ready to make your final payment to Catholic Travel Centre, you've probably noticed  information about the optional travel insurance they offer.  Please do note that while the cost for it ($219) appears on your invoice, it IS optional, and your own decision whether or not to purchase it, AND whether or not to purchase it through Catholic Travel is entirely up to you.

So- the choice is yours. (Most participants in the previous pilgrimages did buy the optional insurance.)  Here's a video from AAA that might be helpful:

This is the web site for the full details of the plan offered by Catholic Travel Center. (You'd need to download a PDF from the Certificate/Policy tab)
And click here for thoughts from travel expert Clark Howard.
Rick Steves weighs in here with lots of information.