AdventureMom Planning Progresses to Paris!

Now that the first 2-week leg of the journey is booked, I am diving into the research for France.  For London I am lucky to have secured an adorable flat in a historic building for $400 per week including tax, utilities, linens, kitchenware,  WiFi and all of our needs.  It fits our criteria for a calm and spacious place that connects easily to the city center, in this case by rail in 25-30 minutes.  I am using the same strategies for Paris but it looks to be trickier, mostly due to our arrival date in mid-April putting us into their pricier season.


Many potential options are showing on proprty advertising venues like http://www.france-gites.com/, http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/rural_gites, http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/france/ and scattered around among Google search hits.  Some of the areas that I am scouring for privately run affordable vacation rentals (or Gites) include Fontainebleau, Poligny, Chelles, Orleans, Noisy, Melun, and many more.  I am surprised to see reasonably priced options within Paris, but I am avoiding those for the same reasons I did for London.  We are not used to traffic and noise.  We need more space and comfort for our long stay than we can possibly afford in the metro area.  I want enough utility in the kitchen to prepare fresh meals while the kids do their schoolwork.  The car we will use for our excursions needs a safe place to rest.  Most crucially, too many days with intense stimulation will overload us to the point of burnout.  So I hope the perfect rural gite in just the right location will be available and in our tight budget!


Feel free to copy all of this if you are planning a trip, but please not until AFTER I get ours booked :) The enquiry I have been sending out to all likely prospects goes much like this:

Bonjour. Je serai en France du 10 avril au 24 avril 2010 avec mes 2 enfants âgés de 9 et 11. Nous sommes intéressés par votre gîte et vous vous demandez ce que le total des charges serait pour les 14 jours avec des rabais, les taxes et les extras. Aussi, nous avons besoin d'utiliser l'internet pour leur travail scolaire et la nécessité de confirmer que WiFi, il est dans l'appartement ou à proximité. Merci, Jodi  


Or prior to being translated by the internet and my daughter:

Hello. I will be in France from April 10 to April 24, 2010 with my 2 children aged 9 and 11. We are interested in your smaller gite and  wonder what the total expenses would be for 14 days with  taxes and extras.  Are there any discounts for long stays or paying cash?  Also, we need to use the Internet for schoolwork and must confirm that there is WiFi in the room or someplace nearby enough for a short drive.

Thank you,

Jodi 


The budget is on track so far, with the tax-included price to fly 3 of us there: $1700


Car rental for 14 of the days in France should cost: $400


Registration, insurance, tolls, roadside assistance coverage and fuel for our little car: $200 


Public transportation for 2 weeks in England, a few of the Budapest days and the last week in Venice: $120


Food budget is double what is normal at home: $2000 (Although I will continue fixing most meals from local produce and fresh groceries I do anticipate special costs.)


Accommodations that fit all of our needs, averaging $60 a day for 87 days: $5220


Museums and attraction: $1000 (Most of our most looked forward to activities are free- Louvre children's tickets, all of the British Museum general areas, farmer's markets throughout Europe,  many of the best and calmest castles, several stone henges other than Stonehenge,  libraries, river walks, wandering the cities and talking to people.)


All of this is converted to dollars, rounded up and post taxes-and-fees.  Hopefully the good results keep coming! Total for 2+ months' adventure of a lifetime if we're lucky and careful: $10,640