In the blink of an eye we’re a month away from heading off on our travels. The last few weeks have involved an enormous amount of organisation and preparation so I thought it may be of interest to outline exactly what has gone into preparing for this journey in the form of a checklist.
Now anyone who knows me will know that this level of organisation is completely out of character for me but I believe the fact that I have embraced it will emphasise just how important it is.
So let’s begin,
Our Travelling Family Volunteer Tour 2019/2020
Checklist
Valid Passports – I think it goes without saying but it’s always important to check your passport expiry date.
EHIC Cards – The European Healthcare Insurance Card provides you with State healthcare in other EEA at a reduced cost or sometimes for free.
*This may be affected if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Travel Insurance– Although the EHIC card would provide you with State healthcare it’s incredibly important to have travel insurance to cover medical or dental emergencies and repatriation.
Pet’s Passports and Vaccinations– When travelling with pets ensure they have a pet passport and are up to date with their vaccinations. Ensure you check the requirements of the countries you are visiting.
*Again travel with pets within Europe may change if the UK leaves Europe without a deal.
Source Volunteer Projects – As we will be volunteering our way around Europe an enormous amount of time has been spent sourcing volunteer projects. The location of the projects will also play a huge role in determining the route we follow.
Route Planning – It’s really important to have a rough idea of where you’re heading and what it will cost, especially when travelling as a family. As well as, Google Maps we will be printing off our route using the Via Michelin website. This website also gives you an estimate on fuel and toll costs for your chosen trip. As we haven’t put it to the test yet I’ll get back to you when I know how accurate it is.
Education On The Road – As we’re travelling with 3 teenagers it was really important to us that we had something in place to ensure that their education wouldn’t suffer. We have chosen to homeschool with the help of an online college.
Packing For 5 For a Year – This is a tricky one! Due to the fact that we have limited space and weight restrictions we have to be very picky and choosy as to what makes the cut. With regards clothing, we’re aiming for 2-3 pairs of shorts each, a pair of trousers and track pants, 4-5 t-shirts, 2 jumpers each, a waterproof lightweight coat, swimwear, work boots, trainers and flip flops. Anyone who has experience of packing for a family for this length of time please send useful tips.
Service Car – Before undertaking a journey of this nature it’s imperative that the vehicle you are travelling in is in good working order and also capable of towing your caravan. You also need to make sure that you have all the necessary bits and pieces (required by the different countries you visit) in the car. This may be a certain number of high visibility jackets, breathalysers, emergency triangle etc.
We will be taking the car for it’s service next week.
Mobile Internet – This is something I haven’t managed to organise yet. We are currently on a 100GB p/m contract but it seems due to fair use policy we won’t be able to use it indefinitely whilst in Europe. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this is not my area of expertise.
That about covers our travel checklist. There are a number of other caravan related lists too but I’ll save that for another post. If anyone has any further ideas or points I’ve forgotten please comment below.
As always a massive thanks for the continued interest and support, it has meant the world to us over the last year and a half and we can’t wait to share the rest of the journey with you.
For more info about our travels visit our website www.ourtravellingfamily.com