Search results

I just took a peek at the Collette 10 day Austria & Switzerland tour. One nice aspect is that you are only at 2 hotels, and not changing every other night. Stay at hotel 4-5 nights and each day bus to a specific destination. This limits your time at the destination (and what destinations...

Have you tried insuremytrip dot com? Each policy will have their own certificate explaining what they do and do not cover. You should compare a few to get an idea of what's available - I'm not sure there's a blanket answer to your question. Also, to keep costs low if you DO purchase...

7 days Italy in the Fall, 2 adults. Hotel/breakfasts/daily tours: $2500 Airfare: $2000 Extras: $1500 We're staying at one hotel for the week, and the tour agency will bus us daily to Pisa/Florence/Tuscany countryside. The deal was too good to pass up! Total: $6000 (We may stay longer after...

My child did a study abroad from Feb-May in Prague. There were some COLD days! I'd suggest a google search on 'study abroad Paris/Europe winter' for example. Definitely a warm jacket and some thermals for under his jeans. I also agree with sending some $$, but be aware that clothes are...

We were on a (Lufthansa) Dreamliner from Frankfurt this summer...I called it the Nightmare flight. NO room to wiggle if the person in front puts their seat back. The lady next to me tried putting her seat back and the lady behind her put her legs up to block it! A flight attendant was...

@Haley R ..... thinking of you. Hoping the toddler slept and you got some rest on your flight as well.

Yikes! You are correct...I meant my entire response towards the OP. For whatever reason I quoted you rather than her. Sorry 'bout that :)

No one here knows your overall financial picture. Is $60k all of your available cash/part of your emergency fund? If so, then you might prefer to keep that aside and continue with the monthly mortgage payments. Would you want that cash to help with college/weddings/gifts for your children...

@tvguy If you're in the lowest bracket you've ever been in, you should consider converting a portion of your traditional ira to Roth, at least up to the limit of your low tax bracket. There is no need to roll over the entire IRA, but a portion at a time, while you're in that low bracket...

What a great revelation:bounce: Thanks to all for your contributions to the conversation. :) Since we don't have any grandkids, we have yet to experience those happy days - all the more reason to get on the travel train now!

We were in Switzerland for 5 days last month. Took rolling carry on sized bags and were happy with that choice. We only used trains/buses. Yes, we rolled them over cobblestones and tram tracks. Think about whether you'll be comfortable with 15 pounds (or however much) on your back for...

Wondering if anyone else shares my point of view on which direction to get the more comfy seats? We were in Europe for a couple weeks in June. Flight there left in the evening, arrived AMS 10AM. Didn't sleep much, just watched some movies and relaxed, but we dropped our bags and were...

Thanks for all your thoughtful responses! We have not waited for actual retirement to do some wonderful traveling. In my 50's I started running half marathons, so we did a few trips where I could run and then we spent another 3-4 days at that location for sightseeing. This included at some...

My DH is starting to use the R word, and speaking of it happening by year's end. I'm interested in hearing from those who are retired or planning to do so in the near future. Did you budget an 'x' amount for yearly travel? Do you plan far out or are you finding that you're able to get...

@Haley R - I was thinking about your great rate on the rental car and the only thing I could come up with was to make sure that it's an automatic and not manual transmission if you don't drive a stick. Most of the standard cars in Europe are stick and it's an additional cost for the...

@sinnika I love reading your posts as they bring back memories of living in Germany as a teenager years ago. I haven't heard 'Partnach Gorge' in many, many years, but when I read your post I thought 'I remember that!'. We also spent some time in Garmisch, and we went rapelling somewhere...

@Haley R - what's the longest flight your son has taken? How is he about staying in a seat/small space for even 2-3 hours? Obviously none of us know your particular child, but from the perspective of a mom with 3 kids, I can't imagine trying to keep them restrained/busy/happy for 9 hours...

No argument there! No crystal balls here, just reminding folks that while many of us know someone who died too young, the averages still say we'll live into our 80s if we're not chronically ill at 65. It's sad to hear that older people in my mother's retirement community are panicking because...

While life expectancy is to the 70s from birth, if you have lived into your 50s/60s, your life expectancy is actually much longer. This takes into account that you've survived childhood/young adult accidents and early deaths due to disease, etc. As we get older, we all know someone who died...

LOVED The Giver. Also loved The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. I'm not Jewish, but I found this fascinating.